Jang Hyuk 장혁

[yoeda]

@The Reel Life for me story wise is weaker than Voice but Jang hyuk character here much better than Voice.

 

I think OCN need to find something new for their drama. Too many serial killer drama in one channel kinda be repetitive. Poor TMWYS being overshadowed by previous drama.

 

[budgerie]

2 hours ago, The Reel Life said:

I think the biggest issue with the show is that we want to see more character development, but they seem to be much more interested in the unfolding of cases each week.

I didn't want to watch at first but ended up watching anyway. At the rate it's going, I think I might just drop the drama because it's all about cases which to me isn't interesting enough. Don't have the excitement feeling, infact quite boring. Not much character development & OHJ speech is very little & with stone emotion. You could be right that this drama focus on unfolding cases.

 

2 hours ago, The Reel Life said:

The healing aspect may have been JH’s own interpretation of his character and the show

Don't know what he meant by "healing aspect" but maybe it could be that he came out of hiding & working with SY is in a way a form of healing for OHJ.

 

2 hours ago, The Reel Life said:

But that’s fine, not every show of JH needs to be a hit, as long as he’s enjoying his filming, and I think sometimes he needs to have some opportunities to reflect on less successful materials too so that it can inform his next choices of roles. 

Hahaha! Too soon to say if this drama is a hit or not a hit. Who knows, the K audience might like it. Didn't expect VOICE to be a hit but it was.

 

2 hours ago, The Reel Life said:

Whatever that is, I am just hoping he returns with a next role and character that is well-written and in a well-produced drama. If it’s a romantic role, then even better. Times like this I am reminded of what @budgerie said - that JH can make bad choices, can have miscalculations, cannot control outcomes - he is human after all and so if the time and place is right, he will experience success again in one of the many next roles he does! 

Frankly, well written or well produced or not, all these are subjective. We may think it's not well written but there will be people who think it is well written & well produced.

We can't use our "standard" to gauge that JH should do this, act this, reject this. Whether is miscalculation or bad choices, at that moment when he accepted the role, it was the "best" decision. But if it turned out bad, it isn't in his control. Actors only act their role but whether the audience will like it or not is subjective. It also depends on the genre.

Some artistes only go for love genre. Because it's a genre the general audience can relate to. Probably instant fame too & shippers start shipping the onscreen couple. But for JH, he goes for roles that he likes that will give him the space to explore the character & not just for popularity sake. He's a true actor with lots of passion. 

Every drama of his is a "success". Why? Because JH put his heart & soul & sweat into it to create that person out of nowhere. But whether or not the audience likes what he created is, to each his own.

 

 

[Prettysup]

 

1 minute ago, budgerie said:

Hahaha! Too soon to say if this drama is a hit or not a hit. Who knows, the K audience might like it. Didn't expect VOICE to be a hit but it was.

 

It has already aired 9 episodes, definitely enough time to determine it a hit or not by now haha. Voice broke records by ep3 or 4. 

[dramafan33]

@budgerie Well, It’s actually not soon. The drama is already passed the mid point and rating is so so. Therefore, the drama is not a hit

 

By healing he means, his character will heal from his trauma through the cases. This can happen in the next few episodes but it is already obvious the drama doesn’t spend much time on that. However, from JH’s perspective, this is probably how he is approaching his character. 

[dramafan33]

@Sushimi Lol don’t worry about that theory of OHJ being The Guy, its just a crazy theory I read somewhere and then I keep playing with that notion in my head but there’s no concrete basis for that. Just one more crazy theory floating around. 

[azureblue7]

Can't help noticing how beautiful his eyes are in the drama and all the closeup stills...

 

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

5 minutes ago, Prettysup said:

It has already aired 9 episodes, definitely enough time to determine it a hit or not by now haha. Voice broke records by ep3 or 4. 

And most of us despise Voice... I'm curious- What is it that fans here want? Do you want hits that you won't want to watch, or quality shows that probably will get less than top ratings? Many of us say that one of the best shows JH did was BM, and we all know what kind of ratings that got. on the other hand, we've discussed what most of us think about recent shows that have been hits- almost none of you recommend them as good shows.The fiery priest is s great example. A fun meaningless show, filled with bad and over acting, standard plot and really boring action scenes. But it was a hit! Is that what we want for JH?! Or "Crash landing on you"- When asked, we were told not to watch it,- but it was a hit! Right now, Itaewon Class is popular, but I read comments on social media about how it's dragging and going no where, and that the only reason it got high rating is the star power in the show. I personally have no interest in watching that. And just now, I tried watching Chocolate and I was bored out of my mind. So what is it that we want?

The last show that JH did that had high ratings was MF, and no one could have predicted that. I read so many comments on this thread and on the show's before the show aired that criticized JH for even accepting the role and what was he doing taking a weekend show. It was beneath him, many said. And we all know how that turned out... 

By now we see that JH doesn't take conventional roles. He takes roles that are different, and that is a risk, considering what we know about the popular shows. Sometimes it pays and sometimes it doesn't. Would you say that MC was worth it? I think it was, even though I didn't even like the show. TMWYS is still an ongoing show, we have no idea what will happen in the episodes that remain. The ratings are not stellar, but not bad either, and the quality, in my eyes, is much higher than Voice. Hell, I think the quality of the show is higher than that of MC. Is it everything that I hoped? No. I wanted more of OHJ's past and more about his injury and recovery, but the show is not over yet. I hope that soon OHJ will get in touch with his emotions. this beautiful reserved guy that we still got, is making me miss emotional JH a bit... 

[budgerie]

1 hour ago, dramafan33 said:

@budgerie Well, It’s actually not soon. The drama is already passed the mid point and rating is so so. Therefore, the drama is not a hit

 

By healing he means, his character will heal from his trauma through the cases. This can happen in the next few episodes but it is already obvious the drama doesn’t spend much time on that. However, from JH’s perspective, this is probably how he is approaching his character. 

Oh. Than I guess the general audience doesn't like this detective genre. To be frank, I'm getting bored too. Too much of solving cases which is not my genre & also quite repeating. SY will need to use her memory to give clues before a case can be solved. Nothing fresh like that.  Hanging on for the sake of watching OHJ.

Hopefully the ratings will pick up towards the rest of the episodes with something "fresh".

 

 

[dramafan33]

@Biology Lesson I prefer a drama I can LOVE even with bad ratings like Beautiful Mind (of course it was sad that it was cut) So a drama I can love, with decent ratings (so it doesn’t get cut) is all I want. Since I enjoyed MC very much, or rather Bangwon, I was very happy during that time. I am now a bit more frustrated with this one because I crave more emotion from OHJ but the level of frustration is manageable because I 1) mildly enjoy the cases, they keep me entertained 2) I enjoy the acting 3) The plot has nice twists 3) Jang Hyuk looks BEAUTIFUL

 

But anyway, I want to see more of the team. More of their interactions and get to know them more! And I want OHJ to show more emotions too. I don’t mean full episodes dedicated to that but more scenes here and there. 

[Prettysup]

4 hours ago, Sushimi said:

 

It’s okay if it’s not a hit. As Long as we love it. It’s okay. I honestly love it....btw why is the drama thread talking about OHJ being “the guy”? Which guy? I have not watched ep 9, so I’m confused upon seeing it haha

 

Yah ur right, I don’t care really whether it’s a hit or not, or even about character development, quality or logical plot. As long it’s something I like, I will watch it. 

[azureblue7]

24 minutes ago, Prettysup said:

 

Yah ur right, I don’t care really whether it’s a hit or not, or even about character development, quality or logical plot. As long it’s something I like, I will watch it. 

Actually I didn't really bother about ratings when I watched dramas. Usually I will read reviews than look at ratings before deciding if I want to watch a drama. I'm actually thankful to dramabeans for reviewing BM when it first premiered because it was after reading that that made me decide to watch both BM and Doctors which I subsequently dropped the latter even thought the ratings for Doctors were much better than BM. 

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

3 hours ago, dramafan33 said:

@Biology Lesson I prefer a drama I can LOVE even with bad ratings like Beautiful Mind (of course it was sad that it was cut) So a drama I can love, with decent ratings (so it doesn’t get cut) is all I want. Since I enjoyed MC very much, or rather Bangwon, I was very happy during that time. I am now a bit more frustrated with this one because I crave more emotion from OHJ but the level of frustration is manageable because I 1) mildly enjoy the cases, they keep me entertained 2) I enjoy the acting 3) The plot has nice twists 3) Jang Hyuk looks BEAUTIFUL

 

But anyway, I want to see more of the team. More of their interactions and get to know them more! And I want OHJ to show more emotions too. I don’t mean full episodes dedicated to that but more scenes here and there. 

I am with you on that, this is why I don't understand people dwelling on Voice's ratings. Who cares that it had high ratings?! I can't stand that show! I also would love a good drama, and to hell with the ratings (as long as they will not cause the number of episodes to be cut like happened with BM). Of course I would love high ratings so that JH would get the respect he deserves, but that is out of his control...

 It's funny, but yesterday, after watching the episode I felt like I miss JH, which didn't make sense as we're getting a constant supply of pics and vids of him. But I miss his warmth, which I guess again attests to how good he is doing this character, as he said that he is making an effort to act detached... But I don't like a detached JH  I really hope that in tonight's episode something will break through his detachment. And I really need a flashback from his relationship with his fiance. This is essential in order for me to understand his pain... So I guess, like you, I'm slightly frustrated but still hopeful

[The Reel Life]

5 hours ago, Biology Lesson said:

And most of us despise Voice... I'm curious- What is it that fans here want? Do you want hits that you won't want to watch, or quality shows that probably will get less than top ratings? Many of us say that one of the best shows JH did was BM, and we all know what kind of ratings that got. on the other hand, we've discussed what most of us think about recent shows that have been hits- almost none of you recommend them as good shows.The fiery priest is s great example. A fun meaningless show, filled with bad and over acting, standard plot and really boring action scenes. But it was a hit! Is that what we want for JH?!

Thank you for this thought-provoking question. I personally want him to just really do a character that I can empathize with, rally behind, and cheer for. I would LOVE for ratings to be high, not because I care about ratings as a measure of success, but more so because I want JH's talent to be recognized. But I've long accepted the fact that it is quite tough to hope for that, because audience's tastes have skewed in the past 10-20 years, and it is vastly unpredictable now. Did I like Voice? Not one bit. I too prefer OHJ compared to MJH. And I know why I don't like Voice - because I rarely even mention it or remember it when quoting the shows of JH that I've watched. Sometimes I even forget that I've watched him in Voice. That was how unmemorable the show was to me. So, high ratings or not, I don't see it as a personal favorite. For MC, I wasn't thrilled that he was the supporting lead, but I was absolutely blown away by his acting week in week out, that I felt so satisfied watching his acting. Bang Won was so colourful, so filled with emotions, so grandiose, and I LOVED HIM! At this point, I don't know if TMWYS will be memorable to me, I guess the last 7 episodes will have to prove that. At this point, I find Hyukie super hot in terms of looks and demeanor in this show, but I am still unable to empathize with OJH much. The show has not allowed his "ice" to break, and has not given us enough insights into him thus far. He is still very much detached, like all of you said. 

However, I must say that I have been surprised by how they portray the cases and the killers. It is pretty unpredictable for a procedural show, there are many hidden layers, and the latest episode 9, the twist was pretty genius. As brilliant as a twist the writers had in mind, and I give them credit for it, I think they lack in the execution. A brilliant idea with poor execution is probably a wasted opportunity. Still, I appreciate the creativity in that. That is why for now, I actually hope they take the unthinkable plot all the way and drop a huge surprise at the end (otherwise I'll be disappointed haha). I have my own theories conjured up on who the killer may be or how the story can turn out to be for it to be a memorable psychological thriller haha. 

 

But I know at the end of the day, my high expectations of this show has got nothing to do with whether Hyukie has picked the right project, or whether it is highly rated, or whether the show is of high quality. It has got to do with what @Biology Lesson said below and @dramafan33 previously alluded to (of him recently doing more larger than life characters):
 

36 minutes ago, Biology Lesson said:

I felt like I miss JH, which didn't make sense as we're getting a constant supply of pics and vids of him. But I miss his warmth, which I guess again attests to how good he is doing this character, as he said that he is making an effort to act detached... But I don't like a detached JH 

I really just miss JH's softer side, his down-to-earth demeanor, his gentleness, his goofiness, his warmth, his outpouring of human love. And that, is probably why I was hoping this show would give us more of that - but then not finding it, and ending up having less realistic expectations on a procedural thriller.

That aside, I have just decided to enjoy the show as it is an suspend too much hope for emotional depth through this show, and watch FTLY instead when I miss the warm JH  He still has many more years of acting to go, and he still has many chances to take up a variety of roles, so I'm still hopeful  And, I still look forward every week to TMWYS, so that's a good sign! Haha. 

[azureblue7]

45 minutes ago, The Reel Life said:

I really just miss JH's softer side, his down-to-earth demeanor, his gentleness, his goofiness, his warmth, his outpouring of human love. And that, is probably why I was hoping this show would give us more of that - but then not finding it, and ending up having less realistic expectations on a procedural thriller.

I think I get what you mean. Even thought his role as Yi Bang Won in MC was brief, his scenes allowed him to showcase so much more of his emotions through his eyes and expressions.Brief but impactful. We can feel the anger, disappointment, sadness and so much more even though his scenes were brief. They were impactful and memorable. Hyuk does such scenes exceedingly well!!

 

But in TMWYS, seemed like more scenes had to be given to to him to analyse cases and less for outpour of his emotions given the genre? The best scene for me in Voice was the one where he finally let go of his wife and cried in the last ep.  Hopefully for the next 6 eps for TMWYS, the plot will focus on the 2 leads . But so far, I am enjoying the story and cases they are solving. But like what you and @Biology Lessonsaid, I miss the warmth in his acting  but maybe that will only happen when his character OHJ slowly warm up to others. Meanwhile , I get my dose of his adorkiness, cuteness and warmth in the BTS.

[azureblue7]

Choi Ki Sub shared this pic in his Instastory just now

 

[AgnesO]

22 hours ago, Prettysup said:

Now u are making me consider whether I should give Robbers a second chance?

Yes, you should.   Where did you stop btw?

[Prettysup]

20 minutes ago, AgnesO said:

Yes, you should.   Where did you stop btw?

 

I sort of just fast forwarded the whole show to the last episode haha. Maybe I’ll pick it up again the next round when I work from home. 

[yoeda]

2 hours ago, Prettysup said:

 

I sort of just fast forwarded the whole show to the last episode haha. Maybe I’ll pick it up again the next round when I work from home. 

I'm fast forwarding that show too. 

[dramafan33]

@corey MF has a good ending, appropriate to the drama. I think MF is a very satisfying drama overall even though the romance wasn’t the focus. Spoiler alert

 

Spoiler

He didn’t die 

 

SOGC ending was terrible, imo. It made no sense that she did that in the end and it infuriated me. 
 

His very old dramas had happy or at least not unhappy endings. But he has died in a few of his dramas. I will hide them in case anyone wants to avoid spoilers 
 

Spoiler

Chuno, TWDR, Iris 2, Bad Papa

 

Regarding crying scenes, my favorite are still Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara. His raw unsuppressed and also his suppressed tears in Chuno, the best of the best. He had many of those and I bawled every time. I also liked his crying in FTLY when he was trying to hold it when she gave him his birthday mug. And when he got drunk and confessed on his home videos. And her, when she found Dog poopie’s things and she read the book she was putting together for him. I think I prefer raw realistic ugly crying rather than “pretty” crying. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Reel Life]

3 hours ago, corey said:

I am back home and I watched Sunday's ep. without subs. I have to wait to see with subs until tomorrow afternoon, I am afraid. But from what I see, there is just enough character development and interactions between the leads to make me want to see the next ep. I feel like a starved person waiting for a full meal who is given breadcrumbs instead

I get what you mean! Such an apt analogy. But your “just enough” here is positive or still means, lacking? I can’t wait to watch tonight ahhhhh.

 

3 hours ago, corey said:

I watched a bit of the first episode of MF and indeed, JH is in one of its best looks and coolest characters there, but I suppose again, this is not a happy ending drama?

It’s a good ending. I loved this drama, it wasn’t a drama that made me frustrated at any point. Some dramas exasperate you but this didn’t. 
 

3 hours ago, dramafan33 said:

Regarding crying scenes, my favorite are still Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara. His raw unsuppressed and also his suppressed tears in Chuno, the best of the best. He had many of those and I bawled every time. I also liked his crying in FTLY when he was trying to hold it when she gave him his birthday mug. And when he got drunk and confessed on his home videos. And her, when she found Dog poopie’s things and she read the book she was putting together for him. I think I prefer raw realistic ugly crying rather than “pretty” crying. 

I like your list! My fav crying scene in FTLY was when he was driving in the tunnel finally recalling his past. It was so heartbreaking. And when JNR watched the video and cried like a baby. I actually was surprisingly super moved too when he cried in Voice, that last scene. It felt really raw, like he was still trying hard holding back but finally he couldn’t anymore. JH is just such an awesome cryer. I always empathize with him, he just has that look!

 

3 hours ago, corey said:

Yoo Seung Ho also cries so convincingly that I cried too, and I am not easily touched by dramas. He was so convincing that I thought I would do a better job responsing to his emotions than the lead female

I didn’t watch that, but I watched him in War of the Sons. It was a very sad show. Did you watch it? I loved the show too. Although I would say that he cried more like a baby in it than a grown adult lol. I also really like Park Min Young. Very good actress too. I wouldn’t mind JH working with her but perhaps age gap abit too big still.