Joo Won 주원 [Drama- The Midnight Studio/ 야한(夜限) 사진관]

[lavender2love]

Joo Won's fans love his sleeping poses. When someone sleeps like a baby. he becomes adorable.

His night out look. Casual smart. Our boy looks like he's in love.

[hibiscus23]

@flutterby06 first of luv those vids you shared, woah i nvr seen nor heard this song i luv it! he's such a talented young actor! imagine he's only 7 yrs into showbiz & yet accomplished so much, God is blesisng him truly, he's a good guy that's why i think so too that he's considered a hallyu star by now! his acting so good and popularity why not right? i just don't hv enough time on my hands but there are quite a few things i wanna re-watch as well including those of course of JW like Ojakyo bros. i hv a dvd of Baker King which i'm lining up now to rewatch but i just finished 7th Civil S. and i've enjoyed it tremendously! i'm planning to start Cantabille Tomorrow drama and after that i'll catch up with MSG and some of his other movies! me too i'm trying to finish his 2 days 1 night but i've been lagging bc of 7th CS LOL so many dramas & so little time! i miss him already

Spoiler

yes i enjoyed P&P also and EC dramas plus his latest Tunnel, he turned down another drama where he cld've been teamed with ha ji won i'm sure you heard this already! he's another talented actor & just luv him too! yes me too i was not enthused or keen with Song ji hyun but you grow with her as the drama goes or went!

p.s. i believe JW did sing Should I say I love you again as well

[hibiscus23]

cr JCafeonly2 from YT (first time i'm seeing this, nice duet)

[sagaseed]

@rionae Any BoA's songs to recommend here? I seldom listen to music now that I am older but I remembered her Every Heart used to be in my favourite playlist. Well, I don't think it's possible to find another actor as awesome as JW so I think you can give up searching for another actor to follow. Hahaha.. Not sure if you watched Duel. Throughout this drama, Yang Se Jong's intense acting out 3 characters in Duel keeps reminding me of JW acting out very conflicting emotions in Gakistal. Him hiding his mask while continuing to work for Jap police and pretending to be a playboy, as well as his pain losing loved ones. Both of them surpassed all expectations at a young age. It also hit me hard that there are so many up and coming new actors in Korea these days (which probably explained why some of his existing fans have found new love). I'm not concerned with this but sometimes, I'm worried these new actors will soon snatch up all the good roles in kdrama land, esp when they cost the production companies less to hire.

  @hibiscus23 wondered if JW is considered Hallyu. To be honest, I think most media and kdramas followers do not label him as one (yet) but like @flutterby06 and many of us here, he is definitely more than Hallyu star in our hearts. His career path and choice of Kdramas has always been very different from other Hallyu stars. Most fans love Gaksital but its genre isn't as well received as rom com. It's also sensitive to the Japanese audience and Hallyu originally started with growth of Korean wave in Japan before it spreads to other countries. 

Just want to share this clip from OB. Good song to listen when one's feeling down. Very impressed with his singing here and I wish to see him perform this song live. Sorry if this has been shared before. 

 

[lavender2love]

Good discussion @sagaseed, @hibiscus23 @flutterby06 and contributor @rionae So nice you keep this thread buzzing.

Can't resist the pretty right ? Here are two eye candy pictures. The eyes smoulder !!!

 

[airplanegirl]

@sagaseed

Regarding BoA's songs, masayume chasing, listen to my heart and valenti are amazing songs to start with. In my opinion, her Japanese discography is just much more superior to her Korean one. Her newest songs are pretty great too CAMO and Right here, right everywhere (Japanese ballad). 

I feel like Joo Won is kinda Hallyu, but at the same time he isn't? He's pretty famous in Japan though, thanks to Kim Takgu. Sometimes a little too infamous lol (Gaksital) but nonetheless, still quite famous.

Joo Won's acting... I think he's just a little too ahead. He's so talented, but unfortunately he's too young to tackle the roles that he might have been eyeing. Which is why he's been stuck doing teen dramas like Nodame and My Sassy Girl.

In all honesty, I'd like Joo Won to stay away from rom-coms, just because I think that this particular genre does nothing to showcase his acting skills. 

Unlike Lee Min Ho, Joo Won is an actor who doesn't have that "perfect boyfriend" image. He's an actor who is known solely for his own skills. Even when they wanted Kim Rae Won to win the daesang, no one could dispute Joo Won's acting skills. They acknowledged his skills, and instead said that Yong Pal got messy at the end.

I actually like that he doesn't have that "perfect boyfriend" image. I've seen some fans of the male actors of have this image, and the fandom is always so messy. Albeit, some of Joo Won's fans are little possessive of him, I still think his fandom is still alot calmer than those rom-com actors. 

Rom-coms also tend to drudge up delusional shippers. I've seen some "shippers" say they feel Joo Won matches Oh Yeon Seo better, and that he should hate Oh Yeon Seo instead of BoA on youtube. 

So many of the 87'ers and 88'ers are enlisting this year... I just feel like it's gonna be a LONGGGG 2 years.

Spoiler

I don't think I can survive if I have to continuously watch an "actor" like Nam Joo Hyuk try to act.

Me and another Joo Won fan were talking about 2D1N S2 cast, and we were wondering who would get married first? Sung Shi Kyung? Kim Jong Min? or Joo Won? Our money is on Joo Won lol.

[rionae]

@sagaseed Well for Boa songs, I started with Every Heart too. My current favourite is Winter Love followed by Jewel Song cuz they're easier to sing at ktv  (They're all old songs though xD ) Haven't been watching new dramas recently... went to watch a 2013 episode of Infinity Challenge and continued from there... because Boa was on a few episodes there LOL! I wonder if I'm turning into a Boa fan instead 

@airplanegirl I've just went to search for Right Here, Right Everywhere too, sounds like it can be my new favourite too! I generally do prefer her Japanese songs too. CAMO isn't really my type of music.

Sharing songs that Joo Won sang in foreign language! 

Joo Won - Nadeshiko (Japanese)

This is actually his original Japanese ost! I think it's used in a Japanese movie. Sharing a 60 second trailer version since it has footages of him. Full version of the song can be found on youtube, there's also a live version.

 

Hitomi wo Tojite (Close My Eyes - Japanese)

 

Peng You (Friend - Chinese)

 

The Last Light (Thai)

 

There's also the English You Raise Me Up from Ojakgyo Brothers which @sagaseed  shared above.

Anyone remembers any other foreign songs? These are all that I remember.

I know he had sang more Japanese songs according to some Japan FM reports but it's not available in videos.

[rionae]

 

On 30/07/2017 at 1:03 AM, flutterby06 said:

@rionae, thanks for sharing your fan account. I've visited Joo Won Cuties but never saw this..You met him..WOW!!

It's good that you've too many pics and videos.. Re-share them if you want along with your thoughts and stories. We've 2 yeras!

 

@flutterby06 You can find more awesome fanaccounts at https://joowoncutie.wordpress.com/category/fans/fan-diaries ! There's also a few others if you mouse over the Fan > Fan Diaries tab at the top.

 

20 hours ago, flutterby06 said:

I can't help but laugh at both the scene where he starts singing Should I say I Love You Again.. He was so naive yet adorable..  Loved this song. It'd be great if JW sang it as an OST.

I don't know if it's just me... there're some songs that're very famous, but I loved JW version only. Specially Like Rain Like Music. I really hope it'll be released as JW's OST one day.

 

Waa, that video of Like Rain Like Music looks so HD but it's not available in my country  

I was also surprised when I heard the original versions of Like Rain Like Music and Butterfly Effect, they're so different in style! Biasness aside, i really do love Joo Won's version more. It sounds more emotional.

 

Fun fact: Fans sang Should I Say I Love You Again to Joo Won at the Thai FM 2016. The Thai FC prepared a clip for him that's played at the venue and fans sang along behind. As the clip ends, fans held up a note saying that we will wait for his return. He cried when he turned around and saw it 

Oh, someone had filmed at that time:

 

 

[rionae]

16 hours ago, hibiscus23 said:

cr JCafeonly2 from YT (first time i'm seeing this, nice duet)

 

Haha, that song was kind of... amusing. There's an English sub version here 

 

And I always thought it was through this event that Joo Won got to know Yunho who then introduced him to Boa 

[flutterby06]

@hibiscus23, his Like Rain Like Music is from Healing Camp show.

Here's the link subbed by JW cuties.

Part 1: https://dai.ly/x3ht3vf

Part 2: https://dai.ly/x3i5asu

@lavender2love, have you seen it? It was done after YP. So Kim Tae Hee and YP stories are here?

11 hours ago, sagaseed said:

 @hibiscus23 wondered if JW is considered Hallyu. To be honest, I think most media and kdramas followers do not label him as one (yet) but like @flutterby06 and many of us here, he is definitely more than Hallyu star in our hearts. His career path and choice of Kdramas has always been very different from other Hallyu stars. Most fans love Gaksital but its genre isn't as well received as rom com. It's also sensitive to the Japanese audience and Hallyu originally started with growth of Korean wave in Japan before it spreads to other countries.

 

I agree with you. Many K-drama viewers do not label him as one which is a bit frustrating.. But I sometimes think it's a blessing in a way. Many Hallyu actors who have tremendous fanbase, aren't even close to Joo Won in terms of acting. Joo Won is more appreciated because of his sincere and talented acting rather than how much popularity he has. Even after not being like typical Hallyu he still has pretty loyal fanbase who absolutely adore him because of his sincere image and awesome acting. And JW's goal has always been to be a Humane Actor. He is actually doing very great in keeping the promise that he made to himself and he's always voicing out it to his fans too so that he never forgets his real goal ever.

Gaksital is very sensitive to Japanese but he still has a lot of Japanese fan. In recent Cultwo Show the host said that there're many Japanese Fans outside and asked if he's very popular in Japan. JW said (modestly) rather than him being popular there, most of his dramas are aired on Japan. I was actually very surprised that Life Log is done for a Japanese TV.  That means Japanese appreciates his acting, right?

8 hours ago, lavender2love said:

Good discussion @sagaseed, @hibiscus23 @flutterby06 and contributor @rionae So nice you keep this thread buzzing.

 

Thanks to you too for sharing nice photos.

2 hours ago, rionae said:

@airplanegirl I've just went to search for Right Here, Right Everywhere too, sounds like it can be my new favourite too! I generally do prefer her Japanese songs too. CAMO isn't really my type of music.

 

I only heard of BoA when their relationship came in the media. I actually don't have much interest in K-pop. I mostly listen K-Drama OST. But recently heard her Right Here, Right Everywhere. I love it. Listening it frequently but I can't find it in YT. I've to cut it from the JW ft BoA fan video.

2 hours ago, rionae said:

Joo Won - Nadeshiko (Japanese)

 

I actually was thinking I'd ask here about this song..How did he ended up singing Japanese OST for Japanese movie? 

1 hour ago, rionae said:

Fun fact: Fans sang Should I Say I Love You Again to Joo Won at the Thai FM 2016. The Thai FC prepared a clip for him that's played at the venue and fans sang along behind. As the clip ends, fans held up a note saying that we will wait for his return. He cried when he turned around and saw it 

Oh, someone had filmed at that time:

 

WoW..Thai fans chose the perfect song. Kidari Ke Yoo. Never saw it. Thanks for shearing it. 

In his last fan meeting he cried throughout the I Believe song.. and a bit here and there. He's such a cry-baby. I read somewhere Cha Tae Hyun left message saying "don't cry in fan meet"! People close to him know him very well. 

[flutterby06]

JW's I beleive got 50k views in two weeks.

I know it's not that much..But the song was only used in one scene in the drama and new people are still listening it. It feels nice. 

8 hours ago, airplanegirl said:

Joo Won's acting... I think he's just a little too ahead. He's so talented, but unfortunately he's too young to tackle the roles that he might have been eyeing. Which is why he's been stuck doing teen dramas like Nodame and My Sassy Girl.

I think JW is actually is actually following his own plan. He wants to act according to his age. He wouldn't be able to do youthful and bright dramas/movies when he'll be in his thirties.

I thought he just recently started thinking like this after watching his latest interview with Entertainment Weekly.

But then I saw this video two days ago which was done after Baker King.

He actually expressed the same wish( to act in more serious roles in his thirties) 7 years ago. So I think he is moving according to his plans.

8 hours ago, airplanegirl said:

In all honesty, I'd like Joo Won to stay away from rom-coms, just because I think that this particular genre does nothing to showcase his acting skills.

 

I've to disagree.. This genre proves that he can do all sorts of acting. Just because he is awesome with serious roles doesn't mean he should stick to this area only. Because he showed his diverse acting skill for many different or somewhat opposite roles, people acknowledge his acting more. Some famous actors show almost same image/looks/expressions in all their drama but JW never does that. Each of his characters are unique and he makes sure that his characters left different impressions. This is what makes him different from others.

8 hours ago, airplanegirl said:

I actually like that he doesn't have that "perfect boyfriend" image. I've seen some fans of the male actors of have this image, and the fandom is always so messy. Albeit, some of Joo Won's fans are little possessive of him, I still think his fandom is still alot calmer than those rom-com actors.

 

I also like this fact. Most people came to like him because of his acting.. not because of  Hallyu Wave, not because of gossips or other stories. 

8 hours ago, airplanegirl said:

Rom-coms also tend to drudge up delusional shippers. I've seen some "shippers" say they feel Joo Won matches Oh Yeon Seo better, and that he should hate Oh Yeon Seo instead of BoA on youtube.

 

I think some people also ignores JW and BoA relationship because media doesn't have many stories about them. I as a fan am a bit sad that there's not many stories about them. I was actually hoping for at least few Dispatch photos for before JW starts his MS. And then this came (which I thought was better than photos..  It's the confession of the GF in TV!!!)...

I think it's good for their relationship that media has less stories about their relationship. JW is in military now. So the less people know about them, the less they'll bother BoA.

These days there're shippers for everything. Some viewers thinks shipping drama casts are only way to enjoy the drama. May be that's why they want to justify something that's not real by ignoring the real.

When I love a chemistry I usually want to see them together in another drama. I think OYS and JW actually have a very nice chemistry in MSG. OYS said that she and JW talked on acting in modern drama. I hope they'll be able to do that.

 

 

I remember when I started watching K-Drama, I was huge fan of My Daughter Seo Young Drama and the drama couple Lee Bo Young-Lee Sang Yoon. I thought it'd be nice too if they're together. When I searched interviews about them in YT, I found out that Lee Bo Young is in relationship with Ji Sung. And I took it very normally. But wished to see them again in a drama. I was so happy when I knew that they both confirmed their casting on Whisper. I was so glad to see them together again. The drama didn't have that much romantic element but they sill made sure to create a great chemistry. That made me satisfied. The drama made waiting for MSG easier. 

[airplanegirl]

1 hour ago, flutterby06 said:

I think JW is actually is actually following his own plan. He wants to act according to his age. He wouldn't be able to do youthful and bright dramas/movies when he'll be in his thirties.

I thought he just recently started thinking like this after watching his latest interview with Entertainment Weekly.

But then I saw this video two days ago which was done after Baker King.

He actually expressed the same wish( to act in more serious roles in his thirties) 7 years ago. So I think he is moving according to his plans.

I've to disagree.. This genre proves that he can do all sorts of acting. Just because he is awesome with serious roles doesn't mean he should stick to this area only. Because he showed his diverse acting skill for many different or somewhat opposite roles, people acknowledge his acting more. Some famous actors show almost same image/looks/expressions in all their drama but JW never does that. Each of his characters are unique and he makes sure that his characters left different impressions. This is what makes him different from others.

I also like this fact. Most people came to like him because of his acting.. not because of  Hallyu Wave, not because of gossips or other stories.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I remember when I started watching K-Drama, I was huge fan of My Daughter Seo Young Drama and the drama couple Lee Bo Young-Lee Sang Yoon. I thought it'd be nice too if they're together. When I searched interviews about them in YT, I found out that Lee Bo Young is in relationship with Ji Sung. And I took it very normally. But wished to see them again in a drama. I was so happy when I knew that they both confirmed their casting on Whisper. I was so glad to see them together again. The drama didn't have that much romantic element but they sill made sure to create a great chemistry. That made me satisfied. The drama made waiting for MSG easier. 

-cries- I wrote a really long post that was eaten by Soompi! 

I should have made myself more clear when I said 'Joo Won is too ahead of his time.' I meant that there aren't many young actors in the Kr industry that are able to act as well as Joo Won. I just think that the industry has become too saturated.

These days, instead of acting skills, "actors" are being cast cause they look good, or they have a huge fanbase. I just think such a trend is harmful to the young actors who can actually act. The trend lately has been, crappy dramas with popular idol+wooden but handsome actor. and cast "actors"

The international audience have been sleeping on good dramas and actors, whilst fawning over actors with meh talent for a few years now, and now we have to suffer through this 2 year drought.

Regarding the rom-com thing, it's mostly me ragging on his company. It's extremely well-known that if the project is a rom-com, then it's a project that was chosen by his company.

I actually wouldn't mind him acting in a rom-com if the writing was really good. I'm still traumatized from Level 7 Civil Servant. It was a situation where good actors were all wasted on a project that had awful writing. 

My Sassy Girl was an okay project. A majority of his fans dislike the drama, because they felt like Joo Won could have easily done 2 dramas in the span of that 1 year used to shoot this drama. Many Kr fans acknowledged that Oh Yeon Seo and Joo Won's acting saved this drama. 

I don't dislike My Sassy Girl, but I just feel like he should have chosen a better project. Oh well! What's done is done.

There was a post by his Kr fans years ago, that Gaksital, Good Doctor and Ojakgyo were all chosen by him and that his company were really against them. Link to the post: http://kkul-jaem.blogspot.sg/2017/01/163-projects-that-joo-won-picked-vs.html

I've actually seen some international drama fans say the acting in Bridal Mask was bad. Man, Bridal Mask had some of the best acting that is hard to find these days. There are also fans who have tried to say that Joo Won's acting in Good Doctor was bad, just because, it wasn't a rom-com.

[lavender2love]

11 hours ago, airplanegirl said:

@sagaseed

Regarding BoA's songs, masayume chasing, listen to my heart and valenti are amazing songs to start with. In my opinion, her Japanese discography is just much more superior to her Korean one. Her newest songs are pretty great too CAMO and Right here, right everywhere (Japanese ballad). 

 

I know Joo Won first from Yong Pal . I don't know Boa the singer until now. I saw the movie she made in 2014 with Derek Hough who is my favourite choreographer,  the best and a multiple times award winner in Dancing With The Stars. I was impressed with Boa's  dancing . She was very very good and spoke excellent English.

Spoiler

 

 

 

Quote

I feel like Joo Won is kinda Hallyu, but at the same time he isn't? He's pretty famous in Japan though, thanks to Kim Takgu. Sometimes a little too infamous lol (Gaksital) but nonetheless, still quite famous.

 

I read one of Joo Won's fans explaining his Hallyu status or none by talking about his twitter followers. LMH , KSH and now SJK have massive followers by the millions whereas JW with his enormous talent did not fully capture the China and foreign markets and thus very much smaller following. Why ? Because the films he made did not have the KES's " magic touch " ( she made many famous by her special way of writing the all encompassing beautiful Alpha male, strong yet tender, romantic yet masculine and bestowing these swooning attributes to actors she specifically chose to perform in her dramas.. They were written to appeal to the millions of young impressionable and obsessive young fans ( think back all the KES hallyu making stars in her dramas )

Second Joo Won or maybe his agent chose a lot of films for him which cost him rating like 7 level and Nodame ( here I want to interject with regards to the poor rating because there was so much criticism for the female actress . They compared her to the web toon character and the Jap version and the comparison was harsh. They say the original was sweet, adorable, warm and cute ... etc... The Korean actress was touted as " crude " horrible, dirty and childish. And she stalked him like a weirdo. Not my views I'm just giving a gist of the blood thirsty netizens noise.

Yes you are right about about Gaksikal . The role was rejected by many " flower boys " because it was a " bad " role and not one that would bring popularity because of the contents . I'm sure Japan was frowning  but JW took on the role and won local fame but was bypassed for the Daesang.

Oh another reason why true Hallyu status was not his because his agent did not promote or popularise him like other agencies and these were so good at securing popular dramas. So Joo Won by his sheer talent do well for himself . His agent over worked him too.... He cried in an interview in Yong Pal because he was working six days straight without sleep. Poor guy. Yet he gave his best. I applauded loudly when he went up to take his award. He cried at the presentation too. Such a passionate actor and person.

 

Quote

Joo Won's acting... I think he's just a little too ahead. He's so talented, but unfortunately he's too young to tackle the roles that he might have been eyeing. Which is why he's been stuck doing teen dramas like Nodame and My Sassy Girl.

 

Haha.... I have a little confession here .... his Nodame hairstyle freaked me out   ermm ... put me off. I watched the other Nodame toon in French, I think, with translation and it was so good.

As for My sassy Girl, he said in his V chat that he did it for his fans. He said also it's his first sageuk and a rom com is more suitable than the heavy melodramatic one. I love MSG and so do many of us in MSG thread. We wrote lots of " love " notes on why JW's character is so good and perfect.

 

Quote

In all honesty, I'd like Joo Won to stay away from rom-coms, just because I think that this particular genre does nothing to showcase his acting skills. 

Unlike Lee Min Ho, Joo Won is an actor who doesn't have that "perfect boyfriend" image. He's an actor who is known solely for his own skills. Even when they wanted Kim Rae Won to win the daesang, no one could dispute Joo Won's acting skills. They acknowledged his skills, and instead said that Yong Pal got messy at the end.

 

LMH is only good looking but not a top notch actor, quite mediocre  Just nice to look at ( small print for obvious reason )

Ah Yong Pal .... i can write a book about the whole hullabaloo. So much noise from some rather dim critics. It wasn't " messy " it was the writer's style of dividing the drama into 2 parts . For the first part Joo Won's character was amazing, he was strong, smart, fearless, championing for the poor but he broke many laws. All in all JW gave a wonderful performance.

The second part was devoted to the rise of Kim Tae Hee's character, the Chaebol heiress. She won many fans in that role which she played so well.  Unfortunately the writer being a male misunderstood the viewers love for slow build up of romance, you know the break up and make up and the longing and intense missingness, all that jazz.  Well there was a howl when he kissed her too soon in church so they say..... roll eyes here... !! I'm in the minority who love all their romance and kisses with a fervour. The only thing I wish was the writer had written him a stronger character in helping her drain the swamp at the hospital I wanted him to be strong and smart and help her make Hanshin Hospital great again with him revamping the 13th and 14th floor. He was a brilliant surgeon. Instead he ran off to become a pediatrician of which he knew little. Ah ah ah ah ..... so many arguments I had with some. We were crossing swords and some cuts were made. Also I wanted a WEDDING..... Boo Hoo I'm still pathetically sighing over the missed wedding. But then I think it was deliberately written that way because Kim Tae Hee was dating Rain and there were rumours about a clause for a no-wedding. Makes sense.

JW WON DAESANG Though..... absolutely thrilling and KTH TOP EXCELLENCE..... !!! < drum rolls > I'm the happiest Yong Pallliiiiiiiiii  !!1

 

Quote

I actually like that he doesn't have that "perfect boyfriend" image. I've seen some fans of the male actors of have this image, and the fandom is always so messy. Albeit, some of Joo Won's fans are little possessive of him, I still think his fandom is still alot calmer than those rom-com actors. 

 

Totally....... some of JW's fans are super possessive ... and mean . Yes they wanted to boycott and said a lot of nasty things.  i can provide proof but have to dig far back for it.

 

Quote

Rom-coms also tend to drudge up delusional shippers. I've seen some "shippers" say they feel Joo Won matches Oh Yeon Seo better, and that he should hate Oh Yeon Seo instead of BoA on youtube. 

So many of the 87'ers and 88'ers are enlisting this year... I just feel like it's gonna be a LONGGGG 2 years.

  Reveal hidden contents

I don't think I can survive if I have to continuously watch an "actor" like Nam Joo Hyuk try to act.

Me and another Joo Won fan were talking about 2D1N S2 cast, and we were wondering who would get married first? Sung Shi Kyung? Kim Jong Min? or Joo Won? Our money is on Joo Won lol.

Agree .. some actors and actresses are so wooden , and some actresses are hopeless in their expressions... It's like plastered on.

Oops..... I wrote a lot. Just in one of my moods . Leaving you with this. Just look at his eyes.... so much emotion there.

EDIT : I wrote this without knowing @flutterby06 and @airplanegirl had responded earlier and given their views. My comments were written without prior knowledge to what they had written earlier so some parts may have been answered . Apologies.

[sagaseed]

Thanks @rionae and @airplanegirl for the song recommendations! I have searched for every single one and am loving Jewel Song and Valenti. Her dance moves are amazing in every single music video too! Separately, I like Spring Rain and drama OST Between Heaven and Hell, but in my heart, nothing beats Every Heart..haha.. 

Oh, I didn't know she was on Infinity Challenge too. Will probably check them out when I'm free. 

I'm with @airplanegirl on the "perfect boyfriend image". So glad most of his fans like him for his acting rather than some perceived image portrayed in dramas. I don't remember seeing any delusional shipper of him and drama female leads in this thread either (Thank God). 

Yes, I also think rom com can showcase his acting talent, but unfortunately, how many rom com are truly well written and well-directed? Probably only 1 in 10 rom com shines. To date, L7CS is the only JW drama I wouldn't bring myself to watch to date. Fashion King is the last movie on my to-watch list too. I really hope Love Express (the Chinese drama) can be released before JW returns from national service. From the production stills and teaser here, our handsome postman is emoting well despite language barrier with the Chinese co-stars. I will definitely watch this even if I have to endure the awkward dubbing.  

 

22 hours ago, airplanegirl said:

So many of the 87'ers and 88'ers are enlisting this year... I just feel like it's gonna be a LONGGGG 2 years.

  Hide contents

I don't think I can survive if I have to continuously watch an "actor" like Nam Joo Hyuk try to act.

 

Me and another Joo Won fan were talking about 2D1N S2 cast, and we were wondering who would get married first? Sung Shi Kyung? Kim Jong Min? or Joo Won? Our money is on Joo Won lol.

 

Sigh, me too.. I like the unique and interesting plot in BotWG but I can't bring myself to watch him. 

I will bet my money on JW too. He is such a family man. I wish he becomes a cast member in The Return of Superman in future but he seems to be private person who will think twice before exposing his kid in public media. So that's just my wishful thinking haha. 

[kittyna]

Hello everyone! I'm one of those who's just been reading on the side for the past few weeks, and just decided to create an account of my own to join the conversation on this thread.

First of all, I just want to say that I love what you guys are doing. I've read a bit of the MSG thread as well as this one, and it's great to see people trying to analyze what is happening on screen.

And, of course, being a big - albeit quiet - fan of Joo Won myself, I love seeing your efforts to keep this thread going during his military service, and I want to help out.

I'll come back in a bit to actually add my own two cents to the conversation - you've given me a lot to think about just with the whole "Hallyu or Not" segment - but for now, just popping in to say "Hi" and "Keep it up!".

Edit: In hindsight, I should at least give everyone at least something to start from. So, by way of introduction, this page has a segment that I wrote about how I got into being Joo Won's fan in the first place (my entry is the one written under "Kita" - I was using a different online handle at the time): http://www.dramabeans.com/2016/12/spill-the-beans-in-the-end-were-one-big-drama-fan-mily/

Edited August 1, 2017 by kittyna

[airplanegirl]

Just passing by with my favourite Joo Won live performance

 

[sagaseed]

1 hour ago, kittyna said:

Hello everyone! I'm one of those who's just been reading on the side for the past few weeks, and just decided to create an account of my own to join the conversation on this thread.

First of all, I just want to say that I love what you guys are doing. I've read a bit of the MSG thread as well as this one, and it's great to see people trying to analyze what is happening on screen.

And, of course, being a big - albeit quiet - fan of Joo Won myself, I love seeing your efforts to keep this thread going during his military service, and I want to help out.

I'll come back in a bit to actually add my own two cents to the conversation - you've given me a lot to think about just with the whole "Hallyu or Not" segment - but for now, just popping in to say "Hi" and "Keep it up!".

Edit: In hindsight, I should at least give everyone at least something to start from. So, by way of introduction, this page has a segment that I wrote about how I got into being Joo Won's fan in the first place (my entry is the one written under "Kita" - I was using a different online handle at the time): http://www.dramabeans.com/2016/12/spill-the-beans-in-the-end-were-one-big-drama-fan-mily/

 

Aww.. Thanks for delurking and posting your first post here @kittyna! Nice reading your post in dramabeans too. I love it when fellow fans share their journey to fandom hee hee.. 

I watched that KBS special episode of King of Baking too when I first started searching for JW's  interviews online (first part here). He was such a sweetheart to his onscreen mother in that episode. KTH also said in a video interview in Healing Camp that she wish she has a son like JW. Everyone can tell he is very sincere and well brought up. In real life, he is a loving son with lots of aeygo. He would bring his parents along for some fan meet concerts and he tends to look out for them when performing. I wish my son will be as filial as him lol 

Looking forward to more posts from you @kittyna ! 

[Ma OO]

Just my humble opinion,the only Rom Com that was "well-written" for me was "You Are Beautiful",maybe I can add "Best Hit" to the list but then I lost interest half way for that drama. While Comedy are harder to act,it is my wish that Joo Won to stay away from Rom-Com. Because Korean script writers can't just do it right.The transition from Comedy to sadness is always failure in my eyes for Korean rom-com dramas with the middle episodes are always the boring ones.In process,the actors can't showcase their real acting power a good 4 to 6 episodes. SO wasted .Because I know Joo Won is one good actor,I hate it when the drama wastes his talents.

Serious drama with a pinch of comedy is welcomed. Eg; Kill me,Heal Me.

[kittyna]

Thanks for the warm welcome so far I did say that I would be back with my own two cents on the question @hibiscus23 raised on whether JW would be considered a Hallyu star or not, so here's my own take.

I'm with the rest of you: my answer would be both yes and no. Yes, because from my own general impression, JW is quite popular in his own right - and I might even argue that he could be considered a Hallyu star right out the door with "Kim Tak Gu", especially since that drama not only did well in Korea, but also in Japan, Hong Kong, etc.

That being said, though, I agree with the consensus in the room so far: as famous as he is, JW doesn't appear to be your typical Hallyu star. Why? In my opinion, it's because he's not a flower boy in the conventional sense of the term. He's got elements of what would make a good flower boy (e.g. handsome looks - although, from what I've seen, it depends on who you ask - a nice personality, charisma while acting, etc.). However, like the rest of you, I don't think he's ever actively tried to create that image and, if anything, has been working towards something very different.

Quote

22 hours ago, airplanegirl said:

There was a post by his Kr fans years ago, that Gaksital, Good Doctor and Ojakgyo were all chosen by him and that his company were really against them. Link to the post: http://kkul-jaem.blogspot.sg/2017/01/163-projects-that-joo-won-picked-vs.html

 

 

The link @airplanegirl shared was an eye-opener for me, and it confirms for me some of the suspicions I had around the projects he's picked. Coming off the high of "Kim Tak Gu", both "Ojakgyo Brothers" and "Gaksital" would have been, in essence, Hallyu star suicide. "Ojakgyo Brothers", being a 50+ episode family weekend drama, is not the sort of thing that usually sells well abroad (especially in comparison with the rom-coms that we're already discussing). As for "Gaksital"...I don't think I need to explain why that could have been an international-career-killer, especially since Japan had such a huge share of the Hallyu marketplace at the time. Neither of these would have been "good" choices for someone aiming for Hallyu stardom, yet both of these projects were ones that JW took an attachment to and fought to be able to shoot. In essence, I feel that his agency wanted to make a flower-boy Hallyu star out of him - looking at their roster, he's the closest thing they have to one still - but that he himself chose differently based on how he wanted to challenge himself as an actor. I sensed from watching "Life Log" that JW has a rather stubborn streak when it comes to selecting projects, and so it was interesting to see that confirmed with that brief article.

By the way, does anyone know why the agency might have been against "Good Doctor"? Was it just because the role was super-challenging, or was there something else going on?

On 2017-07-31 at 6:02 AM, airplanegirl said:

Unlike Lee Min Ho, Joo Won is an actor who doesn't have that "perfect boyfriend" image. He's an actor who is known solely for his own skills

I sort of beg to differ on this point - not because I disagree with the statement that he succeeded based entirely on his own skills, but because, as it turns out, his real-life persona lines up very well with my "ideal type". So...yeah, "perfect boyfriend" image for me, at least

And...I actually can't comment on any comparison with LMH, simply because, as life would have it, I've never actually watched any of his dramas. It's not that I've been actively avoiding them, but simply that I never seriously started. By the time I started watching Korean dramas, shows like "Boys Over Flowers" or "The Heirs" really don't interest me anymore, so I never got onto that whole bandwagon and only know what little I do by the size of his fandom.

Edited August 1, 2017 by kittyna

[lavender2love]

7 hours ago, kittyna said:

Hello everyone! I'm one of those who's just been reading on the side for the past few weeks, and just decided to create an account of my own to join the conversation on this thread.

 

Welcome @kittyna. Wow ... !! You're special . Your very first post is here sharing your experience about your first connections with Joo Won.

He sends his love.

 

7 hours ago, kittyna said:

First of all, I just want to say that I love what you guys are doing. I've read a bit of the MSG thread as well as this one, and it's great to see people trying to analyze what is happening on screen.

 

You were lurking in MSG thread? You're right about the posts there. So many of the posters there have great insights and write very good posts.

 

7 hours ago, kittyna said:

And, of course, being a big - albeit quiet - fan of Joo Won myself, I love seeing your efforts to keep this thread going during his military service, and I want to help out.

I'll come back in a bit to actually add my own two cents to the conversation - you've given me a lot to think about just with the whole "Hallyu or Not" segment - but for now, just popping in to say "Hi" and "Keep it up!".

 

Yay..... !!! That's neat ...We love you to share with us. Any contributions are welcome.

There are fans who are counting the days so it's great to keep this thread going until his discharge . Hope his post MS drama is a very good one.

 

7 hours ago, kittyna said:

Edit: In hindsight, I should at least give everyone at least something to start from. So, by way of introduction, this page has a segment that I wrote about how I got into being Joo Won's fan in the first place (my entry is the one written under "Kita" - I was using a different online handle at the time): http://www.dramabeans.com/2016/12/spill-the-beans-in-the-end-were-one-big-drama-fan-mily/

 

Read your article in Dramabeans . It is very good and sincere and I see it touched other readers.