Jang Hyuk 장혁

[AgnesO]

4 minutes ago, Biology Lesson said:

I actually kept Chuno for last, as I was hearing so much praise for it, and I didn't want to finish watching all of JH's good shows yet. I wanted to savor JH's filmography  But eventually I watched it, and, I'm afraid to say, I hated it! I think I am one of the only fans here that feel like that, but i hate it! Not because of the ending. That I didn't mind, and JH was indeed epic in it but, almost everything else, I hated! I hated the plot, I hated the acting of everyone but JH, especially that of OJH and LDH, who I thought were so bland that I ended up fast forwarding through their scenes... Chuno is indeed JH most iconic show, and he deserves all the praise for what he achieved there. He was what made that show epic! The way I see it, he was like one of those guys competing in the "strong man" competitions in which you see them dragging trucks or tanks or train carts. This is what JH did for that show in my eyes- he dragged it single handedly into being a huge success and a show of quality. His acting, insight, dedication and commitment were that powerful!

I thought that all the fans loved Chuno the most, which is why I was so surprised (and JH was surprised too) when it was FTLY that was chosen as the most loved JH show by the Japanese fans. With that I fully agree  

I was initially surprised when you said you hated Chuno.  Then I see what you mean.  That is why I said he's the soul of Chuno.  Without him, Chuno would not be a success.  Like you, I don't buy the love story between OJH and LDH.  They just don't convince me, which is why I felt so sad at the ending, not to mention heartache.   JH as Daegil is powerful, sad, and touching at the same time. 

 

Chuno is not my most loved too, but its definitely the most memorable character of JH for me.

[budgerie]

37 minutes ago, dramafan33 said:

 A person with good physical condition can dance or high kicks or whatever they do forever, thats not the issue. The issue is potential injuries, and injuries accumulate and the pain never totally goes away. Tom Cruise still does action scenes and he does them well. But, are the risks really worth it when there aren’t good safety measures? For Tom Cruise maybe, safety measures must be better and he makes millions but for kdrama actors? I don’t think so. But Im talking about jumping out windows and climbing buildings type of risks, Jang Hyuk doesn’t need to stop doing martial arts scenes where there’s minimal risk. 

Exactly, is the risk worth taking...

Frankly, we may see him doing all the stunts, boxing, and what other else, but beneath him, what is his pain level, no one knows. What we see is he is very fit. But like what @The Reel Lifesaid earlier, some injuries don't act up immediately but later on in older age. 

Personally I wish he doesn't do those dangerous stunts, more for the sake of his family. Just need 1 bad safety measure & it can be fatal.

[budgerie]

10 minutes ago, dramafan33 said:

 But with this mindset, then movies would never provide proper character development? Im not sure length has a lot do with it. Its more how and writers spend time with. The longer the production the more “filler” they add to it. I agree that SOGC lacked character development (still better than Voice) JH himself agreed that he felt his character arch wasn’t fully completed so he did Gaekju with hopes of being able to tell a full arch of a character but imo Gaekju turned out worse and it was too long. 

I thought we were talking about drama. I don't want to comment on movie because I hardly watch movie enough to comment. But yes, for me (not you), I prefer a longer drama for me to appreciate the development.

[dramafan33]

Duplicate post

[kohnlee]

2 hours ago, The Reel Life said:

You guys are tempting me to watch SOGC @budgerie @corey 

 

actually, maybe I should watch the FAMOUS CHUNO huh! Until today I haven’t watched. How can I not watch his most iconic show haha. 

Oh u haven’t?

 

pls watch them and u will love him more after that  

 

chuno - that intense acting and actions

SOGC - those eyes that can talk 

 

and both dramas have really awesome OST!

[dramafan33]

@corey Ahhh I loved all “white tiger” scenes and those two definitely had chemistry. I miss Jang Hyuk character in those sexual tension situations! 
 

@The Reel Life I think I love Chuno and FTLY equally, both very different dramas (and more secondary plots to skip on Chuno) but when it comes to memorable characters Daegil and Lee Gun occupy a high place in my heart. Same as LYO. But Daegil and Lee Gun are the ones who made me cry the most. With Daegil the pain is real though for me. I sob uncontrollably. I think one of the aspects in life that moves me the most is “that” kind of loneliness. The sort of “stuck in the past”, “self imposed” kind of loneliness. All JH characters are somehow lonely or misunderstood. He plays that feeling really really well. 

[kohnlee]

@corey wait till u see him do that flip on the horse in that outfit! The way they did the 360 rotation on him.... I kept replaying that portion hahaha!

 

[budgerie]

10 minutes ago, corey said:

  Hide contents

My favoirite scene so far is when she is preparing the white tiger outfit for Wang So and is trying it on So So (not knowing that So So is Wang So) - she wraps the headband around his forehead and he suddenly grabs her forearms and says he will not be seeing her for a while. This scene lasts only several seconds but to me it is more sexually charged than most "kisses" in K-Dramas (which usually consists of awkward lip locking )

 

Spoiler

My fav scene is ep 17 or 18, where the Princess was full of anger & bitterness as she & Wang So confronted each other. Wang So had criticised her behaviour. Have you watched until here yet? 

I pity her is because in that era, marriage is arranged. They can't fall in love freely. For the men (not shown in the drama), they can have consorts & concubines but for a woman, that's it. She's stucked with a husband who doesn't love her, who doesn't bed her. In a typical historical drama, we will see the other consorts mocking her because she is unable to be pregnant while the rest of the consorts might already have a child with the Prince. 

Plus she was brought up in that kind of environment - either you kill or be killed. Hence, she needed to be evil for survival sake. 

 

[Biology Lesson]

58 minutes ago, dramafan33 said:

@The Reel Life @corey I understand @Biology Lesson feelings about Chuno but Im afraid maybe her expectations were too high and thats why she hated the show. Do not be discouraged to at least check the first episodes. I’ve watched more than once and I would watch it again. Yes, Chuno is not perfect but there is a lot of value in it that go beyond Daegil. You could also only watch Daegil and friends and it will be worth it. Jang Hyuk’s acting is amazing in it. He didn’t win Daesang for no reason. 

Actually it wasn't that my expectations were so high. I actually didn't know what to expect. The reason I hated it were all the things I've said- except for JH, almost all of the actors were bad, and I wasn't the only one thinking that- I read the Soompi thread for the show, and if I recall correctly LDH even had to apologize for her acting and to promise to do better. Although i don't really blame her entirely for how bland her character was- the writing and direction had a lot to do with that. Also, lets not forget her magically pristine white dress and perfect makeup and hair while she is crawling from underneath a house... ugh... Also, OJH was criticized for his bland acting as were the two guys in JH's band of slave hunters- they were not that much better, especially the skirt chasing guy trying to be funny. He wasn't. 

As to the plot, as @AgnesO  said, I didn't buy the love story between LDH and OJH, or even between LDH and JH. Beyond the initial first episodes, I thought the plot dragged... Seriously- at the end I didn't even understand where the show was going and what was the motivation of anyone. To me, the only thing going for that show was JH and JH only. There was a reason why the director and producer (?) dragged JH on stage when they received an award for Chuno, and the director rightfully said that he didn't know what would have happened to the show had in not been for JH...

[Biology Lesson]

34 minutes ago, corey said:

 

  Hide contents

My favoirite scene so far is when she is preparing the white tiger outfit for Wang So and is trying it on So So (not knowing that So So is Wang So) - she wraps the headband around his forehead and he suddenly grabs her forearms and says he will not be seeing her for a while. This scene lasts only several seconds but to me it is more sexually charged than most "kisses" in K-Dramas (which usually consists of awkward lip locking )

 

Ooh, I just re-watched that scene... I agree, JH was exuding sexual desire in that scene. This is another thing about JH- in a sea of sex-less Kdrama actors, he is one of the only actors projecting sexuality and sensuality, even without touching. And when he does touch... oh god!

 

 

[The Reel Life]

Hey I don’t want to be left out of talking abt my fav scene too! Hahaha. And also because we are on a JH romance drought...

Note: contains spoilers if you haven’t watched MF, (it’s not a plot spoiler, but if you’re the type who prefers to be surprised by every scene then don’t watch haha)

 

I LOVED this MF scene, not because it’s a kiss scene (more like a touch on the lips, barely a kiss heh) but because of his eye acting after the kiss. Do you guys see that shocking sadness in his eyes??? THAT was an amazing rendition of longing feeling and sadness, and his eye acting was out of this world! 

 

 

[dramafan33]

@Biology Lesson I understand you have your reasons, Im just trying to balance it out and not get the new fans discouraged ahead of time about a drama where JH was amazing and created a memorable character. People will realize upon watching first episodes wether It’ll be their cup of tea or not. I am well aware of the criticism LDH got, and the PDs choice of keeping her pristine. But I wasn’t bothered by that for example. I thought her character and OJH together were boring but who cares? The fast forward button is there for a reason. They had really good scenes with Daegil too. Daegil is absolutely worth watching. 
 

I know that Chuno felt “draggy” but I don’t agree that no one had purpose. Actually its a very deep drama. But I’m not trying to convince you. Im just trying to let others have a less discouraging perspective. I honestly feel Daegil is someone every Jang Hyuk fans needs to see at least once 

 

For anyone who is interested, here is a very good review of Chuno (contains many spoilers, but you can read the short verdict portion which is spoiler free) 

 

https://thefangirlverdict.com/2013/07/27/review-chuno-slave-hunter/

 

@The Reel Life Actually, that MF scene made me frustrated not in a very good way lol! He was too stiff and it drove me nuts. The one that I loved and frustrated me in a good way, was when they were saying goodbye and looked like they wanted to kiss but fought against it. It was towards the final episodes. 

[dramafan33]

deleted

[fiesty8001]

2 hours ago, dramafan33 said:

She argues that their government is like “Big Brother” so its not great for personal privacy but effective in these sort of situations. 

Korea has a very effective system to deal with this situation and I think Japan will also manage well. But I think COVID19 can be major cause of concern in Iran and subsequently in couple of war torn countries in their vicinity.  From the available data, death rate for this infection is around 10% in Iran and their system might not be able to contain it well. I worry there are many ways in which virus can re-enter in any country. 

I've read there are many confirmed cases in Singapore too. Every Singaporean in this thread stay safe. 

 

[The Reel Life]

17 minutes ago, dramafan33 said:

 

@The Reel Life Actually, that MF scene made me frustrated not in a very good way lol! He was too stiff and it drove me nuts. The one that I loved and frustrated me in a good way, was when they were saying goodbye and looked like they wanted to kiss but fought against it. It was towards the final episodes

I know that scene. It was in her office for Cheonga foundation right? It was very good too, a lot of tension but I still prefer this because I was equally surprised that she kissed him and I see such longing sadness in his eyes. I think he may have seemed stiff to you because he was surprised himself too? Haha but in the end he did reach out to hold her hand though he also let it go LOLOL. 
 

actually there was so much sexual tension - but more of the pure kind, not the naughty kind haha - on his end in MF towards Mo Hyeon. He loved her, although we don’t know how deeply, but he certainly was very very drawn to her in a very broken manner. She was like the light to his darkness. 

[dramafan33]

26 minutes ago, fiesty8001 said:

Korea has a very effective system to deal with this situation and I think Japan will also manage well. But I think COVID19 can be major cause of concern in Iran and subsequently in couple of war torn countries in their vicinity.  From the available data, death rate for this infection is around 10% in Iran and their system might not be able to contain it well. I worry there are many ways in which virus can re-enter in any country. 

I've read there are many confirmed cases in Singapore too. Every Singaporean in this thread stay safe. 

 

I’m actually afraid of what a virus might do in the US, with our “fabulous” health care system and great president who is already dismissing the situation and would rather focus on tweeting. Praying for a miracle for the whole world here. 

[dramafan33]

@corey That orange turd is the one who should be flushed into a plumbing system but let’s not get into that or I’ll just 

 

I wasn’t born in this country and I’m grateful for the many things it gave me but even though I come from a so called “third world country” I don’t feel much safer here. If its not this virus, a mass shooting can get us any day now. Anywho, I bet orange dude wouldn’t be able to point my country in a map ha! 
 

But anyway, enough with the unpleasant orange off topic now lol 

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

1 hour ago, dramafan33 said:

@Biology Lesson I understand you have your reasons, Im just trying to balance it out and not get the new fans discouraged ahead of time about a drama where JH was amazing and created a memorable character. People will realize upon watching first episodes wether It’ll be their cup of tea or not. I am well aware of the criticism LDH got, and the PDs choice of keeping her pristine. But I wasn’t bothered by that for example. I thought her character and OJH together were boring but who cares? The fast forward button is there for a reason. They had really good scenes with Daegil too. Daegil is absolutely worth watching. 
 

I know that Chuno felt “draggy” but I don’t agree that no one had purpose. Actually its a very deep drama. But I’m not trying to convince you. Im just trying to let others have a less discouraging perspective. I honestly feel Daegil is someone every Jang Hyuk fans needs to see at least once 

 

Essentially you say here that you agree with me on the things I say I didn't like, only you don't care about them. That's you, and that's OK, for me- they have ruined my experience. I have said several times that JH was the best thing about the show, and he elevated it immeasurably, not only with his acting, but also with the research he did. Recently I saw someone commented about how great the writing in Chuno was because Daegil spoke differently between his youth as a rich noble young man and his present as a slave hunter. Only that person didn't know that that change in speech wasn't in the original script, but it actually was JH's suggestion and he was the one to change the script in that way. JH's performance is what makes Chuno worth seeing, nothing else...

[Biology Lesson]

12 minutes ago, corey said:

OK, so in the meantime I skimmed through the first episode of Chuno, and I say, I start to understand why so many people want to see JH in action. OMG, our oppa can move. I tried to watch closely and those cartwheels and flips - it looks like him, not a stuntman.

And this body of his - it is just criminal to have such a nice body.

 

Anyway, I think I will just fast forward to his scenes while watching this - I do not think this is a happy ending drama - correct me if I am wrong - so there is no way I can endure 24 hours of this only to see it end in misery

Good eye! You are right- JH did most of his stunts in Chuno, if not all of them. But not only that- he also choreographed his fight scenes as he was the only one that knew the fighting style he used in the show. As to his body- if I'm not mistaken his nickname on set was "chocolate man" since his abs looked like a chocolate bar . Look at the BTS of the show, they said the the set was converted to a gym, and whenever they were not filming, they would work out, essentially competing with each other to obtain the best physique, only no one managed to match JH- 

 

 

 

[dramafan33]

1 hour ago, corey said:

OK, so in the meantime I skimmed through the first episode of Chuno, and I say, I start to understand why so many people want to see JH in action. OMG, our oppa can move. I tried to watch closely and those cartwheels and flips - it looks like him, not a stuntman.

And this body of his - it is just criminal to have such a nice body.

 

Anyway, I think I will just fast forward to his scenes while watching this - I do not think this is a happy ending drama - correct me if I am wrong - so there is no way I can endure 24 hours of this only to see it end in misery

It’s him. He does not use stunts since young. He got traumatized when a stuntman got hurt in his place and since then decided to do the stunts himself. It’s not a happy ending drama. 
 

He even did the most dangerous action sequences in Iris 2 (unnecessary, those scenes were extreme long shots where you barely saw him. Yet, he did those himself)