[Drama 2012] Bridal Mask 각시탈

[raewonkim]

In case no one knows, I am totally in awe of Joowon. 

I won't say I am a Kdrama veteran but I have seen a fair share of kdramas. Korea I dare say, has the most number of handsome, good looking actors and quite a few can seriously act. Even the mediocre ones will pass with flying colors compared to their peers in Asia(not including China as I have yet to watch drama serials from mainland China except movies). If Joowon just banks on his good looks, he will be a dime in a dozen in k-entertainment industry. But this guy is blowing viewers away with awesome acting skills and dedication to his art. 

He has gone from strength to strength in just 3 dramas. In Baker King, although he was the antagonist, I found myself drawn in so much by him than Yoon Shi Yoon. He played a totally detestable character but yet in a few precious scenes where he displayed his vulnerability, he bought me over so good that I was rooting for him rather than Kim Tak Gu. His acting there was not completely great but hey, it's his first drama and boy, he nailed it superbly in all the emotional scenes. That was a sign of more greatness to come. 

Thank God for whoever casted him as Hwang Taehee in Ojakgyo Brothers. After seeing him as Ma Jun in Baker King, no one would have imagine Joowon playing a character like Taehee to such perfection. It's a 180 degrees change from one character to another. When I look back at Ojakgyo Brothers, I realised that Taehee is a man of very few words. The abandonment and trauma he experienced as a child led him to become a man who is outwardly a perfect and obedient son whom the entire family can rely on but on the inside, he is crippled emotionally. He lived his whole life suppressing his true feelings and emotions until he met his true love. With a character as such, not speaking a lot and keeping all his emotions inside, Joowon could emote all his feelings just through his eyes, tone of voice and body gestures. And when he falls in love with Jaeun, their chemistry is so so out of this world that viewers were all shipping them like crazy and crying out that they are a Real Couple. I am one of those. I never ship any couple before or after. Even when I ship Mok Dan and Kangto, it's only in reel life. For Joowon and Uee, they played a couple in love so convincingly that it's hard to think all those feelings they emote are for screen only. 

Then of course, now we have Joowon as Lee Kangto in Bridal Mask. Another 180 degrees change from the sweet Taehee to angsty, badass Kangto. I have said before that Joowon completely owns this role. The first 6 episodes totally blew me away although I already expected nothing short of greatness from this guy. Those epics scenes will go inside my treasure box for good. And from episode 7 to now, I am awed again. Joowon has managed to turn Lee Kangto the villainous creature to a hero worthy to be admired. I loved the way he stood up and fought for the Joseon folks in episode 15, he is no longer just donning on the mask to revenge his family, he genuinely feels for his people and fight for them. And thank goodness, he has not lost his cunningness and smarts when he played such a great psychological game with Shunji in the latest ep. The last I want is a  brave but slow thinking hero. Now, we can see a bit of that smooth talking, street smart Kangto of old when he was verbally sparring with Shunji and the rising Joseon son in the new Kangto whenever he looks at Damsari or fighting for the common folks. 

MRDIMPLES,I enjoyed reading this post because we are on the same boat. BAKER KING, OJAKGYO Brothers and now BRIDAL MASK. That's true, How can't you love this guy?  

 

[raewonkim]

In case no one knows, I am totally in awe of Joowon. 

I won't say I am a Kdrama veteran but I have seen a fair share of kdramas. Korea I dare say, has the most number of handsome, good looking actors and quite a few can seriously act. Even the mediocre ones will pass with flying colors compared to their peers in Asia(not including China as I have yet to watch drama serials from mainland China except movies). If Joowon just banks on his good looks, he will be a dime in a dozen in k-entertainment industry. But this guy is blowing viewers away with awesome acting skills and dedication to his art. 

He has gone from strength to strength in just 3 dramas. In Baker King, although he was the antagonist, I found myself drawn in so much by him than Yoon Shi Yoon. He played a totally detestable character but yet in a few precious scenes where he displayed his vulnerability, he bought me over so good that I was rooting for him rather than Kim Tak Gu. His acting there was not completely great but hey, it's his first drama and boy, he nailed it superbly in all the emotional scenes. That was a sign of more greatness to come. 

Thank God for whoever casted him as Hwang Taehee in Ojakgyo Brothers. After seeing him as Ma Jun in Baker King, no one would have imagine Joowon playing a character like Taehee to such perfection. It's a 180 degrees change from one character to another. When I look back at Ojakgyo Brothers, I realised that Taehee is a man of very few words. The abandonment and trauma he experienced as a child led him to become a man who is outwardly a perfect and obedient son whom the entire family can rely on but on the inside, he is crippled emotionally. He lived his whole life suppressing his true feelings and emotions until he met his true love. With a character as such, not speaking a lot and keeping all his emotions inside, Joowon could emote all his feelings just through his eyes, tone of voice and body gestures. And when he falls in love with Jaeun, their chemistry is so so out of this world that viewers were all shipping them like crazy and crying out that they are a Real Couple. I am one of those. I never ship any couple before or after. Even when I ship Mok Dan and Kangto, it's only in reel life. For Joowon and Uee, they played a couple in love so convincingly that it's hard to think all those feelings they emote are for screen only. 

Then of course, now we have Joowon as Lee Kangto in Bridal Mask. Another 180 degrees change from the sweet Taehee to angsty, badass Kangto. I have said before that Joowon completely owns this role. The first 6 episodes totally blew me away although I already expected nothing short of greatness from this guy. Those epics scenes will go inside my treasure box for good. And from episode 7 to now, I am awed again. Joowon has managed to turn Lee Kangto the villainous creature to a hero worthy to be admired. I loved the way he stood up and fought for the Joseon folks in episode 15, he is no longer just donning on the mask to revenge his family, he genuinely feels for his people and fight for them. And thank goodness, he has not lost his cunningness and smarts when he played such a great psychological game with Shunji in the latest ep. The last I want is a  brave but slow thinking hero. Now, we can see a bit of that smooth talking, street smart Kangto of old when he was verbally sparring with Shunji and the rising Joseon son in the new Kangto whenever he looks at Damsari or fighting for the common folks. 

MRDIMPLES,I enjoyed reading this post because we are on the same boat. BAKER KING, OJAKGYO Brothers and now BRIDAL MASK. That's true, How can't you love this guy?  

 

[mrdimples]

@noodlebun

[Guest Starlitelet]

Wow, I got to read all the posts! I'm so behind - haha. I probably won't give an in-depth comment (or at least I hope they were somewhat in-depth ^^, since I'll remain busy for the next week. I guess, I'll be a silent reader for most of the time now.
Episode 16 was pure epicness! That's all I can say for now. The ending was so well choreographed and planned out.
Also, some people ain't giving this a shot or have given up largely because of lack in romance. For me, this is a personal bonus! The small tinge of romance gives a larger impact for me on the bigger scale. There's less chance for it being sappy too. There's just enough of romance, yet not enough to quench our thirst. Heck, even the romance has its own line of suspense - haha. This show definitely knows how to tease its audience.
I remember seeing a poster mentioning how it'd be better to have more romance than what we're getting, or no romance at all and focus on the action only. I'd like to disagree. This drama knows how to balance a good portion of both. The politics and downplays are edgy and witty, but the romance and love are just as important. They give way to pathos. Korean dramas are so great for me because they make me feel something after each passing episode. If you remove the love story, it'll still be a good drama. Though, it won't be an awesome drama as it is now, IMO. Adding more romance might jeopardize the importance of the main idea of Bridal Mask. However, removing the romance as a whole will not only take out the important/interesting plot points, but also lessen the emotional aspect of Bridal Mask. So in-between is exactly what I need!
Shunji and Kang To's bromance/(route to arch-nemesis) beats Kang To and Mok Dan's romance.... or is that just me? I love both relatinships, but I'm in love with Shunji and Kang To's relationship (at the moment)! If that makes any sense at all. IMO, the show is able to constantly grab our attention because of the two dudes' relationship. They are the focal point of Bridal Mask.

[lxands]

Abt KT-MD-BM love triangle I really hope MD gets over BM & falls for KT instead...I know it sound ridiculous as KT & BM is the same man  8-}  but I really want MD to fall in love with KT with all his fault & weakness & not just with some heroic figure she concludes as her 'Young Master' from long ago...Frankly she never know for sure BM is Lee Young i.e. Lee Kang To...she just assume it was him becos he just happen to save her a few times before...Obviously the person who saved her before wasnt KT, he didnt even know who she was & he wasnt even interested to know, She just happen to be there at the wrong time,,,comes to think abt it, it was actually becos of KT that MD met BM-KS several times, becos she often came for confrontation with KT's line of duty & without his knowledge most of the time KS was close to him to watch over him...when KT went over the board brutally hitting the Joseon ppl, KS wud come as BM to distract him away but often MD wud got in the way....

So my point is MD was only infactuated by BM whom she assumed is LY....BM never said anything to confirm his identity...in fact he never say a word to her...unlike KT who's been sparring with her tru out...

[Guest apache934]

I would like to say

Thanks The writers and the Directors who build up a very beautiful story, ...with a hateful Kang To can be a Hero even around him almost 100% his enemy

  only S but always suspects him ...

a boy who lost his father ,living with his mother & a dull brother he must working hard to live ... finding the way to live without  teaching of adult( & any school) , luckily he met S and become  a Policeman

as a  Chosun policemen among Jap. policemen  he got no one trust him and even Chosun people hate him so much

 

I can see around him almost his enemy .. but ... day by day he's changing to be  a mature  and helpful man  for Chosun people

this is a good example for all of us ... how to love  and make contribution to our country !

BRAVO GASKITAL TEAM WE LOVE ALL OF YOU FOREVER

 

Happy weekend to Gaskital fans

 

[Guest aondb]

One reason why I'd like Mok Dan to fall in love with Lee Kangto as himself is that, if the writer somehow manages that, it would mean that Mok Dan would have fallen in love with Kangto three times. The first time as the Young Master/Lee Young, the second time as Bridal Mask, and the third time as Lee Kangto. That would mean that Mok Dan cannot help but unknowingly always love one man, under different circumstances and at different times. Since I don't really believe that a childhood crush, nor the love for a masked hero can be considered true love, if Mok Dan can love all three of these personas in Kangto, then dude, I'll paint a "Kang-Dan" banner and run around with it, naked, in Seoul XD. Ok, maybe not naked.
We saw that Shunji was really nice and sincere to her in the beginning, and even saved her life, but she never did love him, nor did she ever waver, so that means that just being nice and siding with her would not be enough to gain her love. So somehow if she does end up loving Kangto without knowing his secret identities, it would mean a lot to me, and it would show us that her heart can recognize her childhood love even if in the past they've always been exchanging death glares... and calling each other names... and trying to murder each other... yeah
As mushy as that sounds, I do like my deep, well-founded romances, lol
So my dear awesome writers, I will bow down to you if you can manage to convince us that Mok Dan will somehow truly fall in love with Kangto(-yah) XD
Please excuse my overflowing mushiness today... I'm usually not this lovey-dovey, but I'm already suffering from BM withdrawal TT__TT

Bonus?
from: http://www.facebook.com/bridalmaskdrama

[Guest jolie_coeur]

Am I the only one who thinks that it's annoying this game "catch-release MK/Dam Sa Ri"?And I didn't like the fighting scene between MK and Rie, it looked a little forced.

[mrdimples]

Am I the only one who thinks that it's annoying this game "catch-release MK/Dam Sa Ri"?And I didn't like the fighting scene between MK and Rie, it looked a little forced.

[marie67]

[mrdimples]

WOW, this must be a new interview on Entertainment Weekly, I think. Look at the pics, I must say Jin Se Yeon looks very pretty here. 
http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1740341356
credit to Joowon ThaiFanClub and to dearest Yanna for giving me the linkhttp://youtu.be/ZPTxOcHXtCM
and for Mok Dan and Kangto shippers (actually it's more JSY and Joo Won but since MD and K will not be posing like this anytime soon, this will do)

[marie67]

WOW, this must be a new interview on Entertainment Weekly, I think. Look at the pics, I must say Jin Se Yeon looks very pretty here. 
http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1740341356

credit to Joowon ThaiFanClub and to dearest Yanna for giving me the link

and for Mok Dan and Kangto shippers (actually it's more JSY and Joo Won but since MD and K will not be posing like this anytime soon, this will do)

[mrdimples]

@marie67
Ooops, I wasn't even aware that was a spoiler. Apologies to everyone and thanks marie67

[meteostorm1642]

OFFICIAL MVs

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Credit : MSN + Alamxi Albus' Muzik Land - http://www.alamxialbus.co.cc/

[mrdimples]

http://kpopfever.com/2012/07/joo-won-jin-se-yun-talk-about-their-kiss-scene-and-their-friendship/
Oh, this got me excited. I just hope that they are referring to a kiss scene which we have not seen before and not that forehead kiss,right?

[cravey]

AAAAWWWW, aren't those two the cutest or what  :x I wonder how nervous they'll be when they'll have to film A REAL kiss scene  > But THANK YOU for the vid, it made my shipper heart VERY happy 

[mrdimples]

@lyra_brillantez

I post the link but didn't know how to insert the full article, I am so dense at this kind of stuff, LOL.
And concerning 1:16, I kept staring at his white shirt and the unbuttoned collar, Man, this is HOT, way too HOT

[Guest sunshine4ever]

Thanks for the video,mrdimples and also for answering my question about Rie and lyra_brillantez for the English news of the interview. Hope someone will sub the video. They look like they're having fun.
Captures for the interview above:

My photobucket runs out of bandwidth for the rest of the month (I think). I had to find another place to upload pics and I'm not sure if it is good, but if pictures don't show up for you will you please kindly inform me? Thanks so much.



















captures credit to Joo Won's Baidu & thanks Suz from kites.vn for posting these up

[Guest sunshine4ever]

[cravey]

@mrdimples, today I was rewatching eps 14-16 on my TV, and oooh man in that scene where Gaksital is running from that party and then fighting with Rie's bodyguard - you can see his chest, covered in sweat. OMG, that was sooo HOT. I caught myself thinking if only I was there and no one would be around to bother us LOOL Joo Won is slowly turning me into a MAJOR perv