Jang Hyuk 장혁

[dramafan33]

@Akhmatova I can totally understand your frustration with Unnuyn, (more so, considering your area of expertise) you are definitely not alone there. The character was a sore point in Chuno and very criticized, including her perfectly white gown. The PD even apologized to the actress as his choices caused a lot of backlash that were directed mostly at her. He intended to make her precisely that, a sort of an idealized “angelic” figure and in the end she felt surreal (not in a good way) and frustrating, annoying, in the end (even selfish, when, if better executed we should’ve been able to understand her choices. Her position in life was not easy) So its not just a writing problem imo but also the PD kind of messed things up with her, imo. 
 

Anyway, I always felt Daegil hated himself more than the audience did for being “stuck” in the past. That was his tragedy. Thats why I could never hate him. And even when he resolved to let her go, the whole “misunderstanding” created by the bad guy happened and he was pulled back. His relationship with Song Tae Ha however, brought back some hope for Daegil, in the end he did not sacrifice himself just for Unnyun, he also believed in Taeha’s dream. Thats why I recommended the review from Kfangurl, she recommend to remove the “romance” lense when viewing Chuno, because if you watch it as a romance its extremely frustrating but Chuno was about many more things. Daegil had a hopeful ending in my view, because he recovered his dream in a better more just world. I wish he had lived, but I like that he didn’t die before he had all those interesting enlightening conversations with Song Taeha (I ended up liking those two much better than the romantic pairs) 
 

@Biology Lesson Yes, Goni was a total loser and a moron, but he wasn’t a “self righteous” character, he was presented as someone impulsive, out of control, with a tendency to become addicted to gambling precisely because he had no self control. He was a disaster but he was supposed to be one so he didn’t frustrate me as much as Bongsam who was dumb as a rock and was somehow presented as “morally superior”. He was just as dumb and annoying as Goni, but more “morally righteous” and preachy, so, worse, imo. 

[dramafan33]

Now I feel like rewatching Chuno and overanalyze it again. I really love so many things about that drama

 

Also, love this MC fan art

 

[dramafan33]

@corey I’m sorry but your description of Hwarang precisely makes it sound very unappealing to me  In general I prefer more sageuky sageuks not those super fluffy ones unless there’s something extra in them (Its like watching MC minus the historical characters) I don’t, in general, look for juvenile stuff (unless Im in a very specific mood and something appeals to me like, the presence of a beloved actor, comedic elements, a promising intriguing plot/premise etc) So, maybe the word is not “bad” but definitely not appealing to me. I don’t mean to trash it as I’ve not watched it but just by watching a few scenes I did judge it as “bad” or unappealing (to me). Remember Im also the one who considers Shine or go crazy kinda “bad”, cheapy, cheesy and cringey despite my being able to enjoy and even love some aspects of it. It’s just my overall impression. I am also very likely, much older than you and that, I have to admit, is a “factor”. Taste changes with time and while I am still very tolerant to cheese and fluff (when in the mood) young pretty actors do not appeal to me much. I always found older men more attractive and Ive not gone “cougar” as many of my friends  Young boys do nothing for my hormones, and many of the dramas are only that, eye candy. 
 

Now as actors, PSJ has not conquered me (but Ive only really watched him in KMHM) so I wouldn’t watch a drama for him. Park Hyunsik Im fond of him, and I actually thought he was very good as the young version of the male lead in Nine, nine times travel. But again, I wouldn’t watch a drama just for his pretty face. 
 

No judgement here. Everyone watches things for different reasons. I’m just sort of trying to express (while I figure out) what “works” for me 

 

I remember a guy at work who was watching kdrama and interestingly he was watching the cheesy romantic ones and I told him, Oh but they also have more serious ones, with action and a bit deeper and he said: “Yeah but if I want to watch something deep and/or dark I wouldn’t watch a kdrama, I have Breaking bad or The walking dead, etc” He was specifically searching for fluff in kdrama and I think thats perfectly fair and understandable. In my case I know Kdrama can be heavy handed in sentimentality and cheesy emotional manipulation in every genre, there is always a tendency towards melodrama but I have to admit, “that” is one factor that draws me to them cause, while I hate it when they are super obvious, there are those times when they touch me, and those times, they are 100 times more “effective” than the best Oscar worthy sophisticated hollywood film. I literally watch kdrama in search of “feels” but when I say feels I don’t mean exclusively of the romantic kind. 
 

And to make this post more “on topic” I’ll say JH contributes to me “feeling feels” so that’s why I follow him 

 

[Biology Lesson]

1 hour ago, corey said:

 

I was going to ask @dramafan33 why exactly Hwarang looks bad? It is still one of my favourite dramas, althought it would be difficult to call it sageuk. It is one of the two Asian dramas I have on DVD (the other is Princess Agents).

I do agree that the cast is mostly young and good looking, but isn't it true for most of K-Dramas???

I still watch it from time to time for Park Seo Joon' performance as the ML. Park Hyung Sik is the one who was in Real Men with JH, and he is really, really cute. The FL is annoying, however for different reasons that your usual reasons (but she is veeery annoying to me) . Also, the writer was either in a hurry or making things up on the go, judging from the number of loose ends and plot holes in the drama, which I know now is a standard for the majority of K-Dramas.

So you did like that show? Than I will try it. I hope that I could stand the girl being so annoying... 

 

1 hour ago, corey said:

 

Anyway, back to JH

@The Reel Life, thank you for reminding me, now I will not forget, the last 30 minutes of ep 16. A review from me is a sure thing .

And his hair, if it is to be the lenght we saw in the clip you posted, it  needs to be styled and puffed up to be that nice. I was trying to find a clip where he is talking to his doctor and his hair is not curled upward, but flat against his face and it doesnot look half so nice as the shot  you posted but I could not find it - but I mean something like this:

 

Do you mean this clip? I love this scene! JH is so hilarious here, the way he's hinting to the doctor that she is to blame for the baby's small head, and then denying it when she noticed...  He's such a cutey pie!

 

[budgerie]

12 hours ago, Akhmatova said:

Yes, I prefer sageuks. When I was younger I was into manga and also Wuxia films, so sageuks feel familiar to me. In fact, I checked The Merchant, but it is too long to watch it now. Maybe in the future, when I have more free time. 

Hello to you! Welcome to this forum! Have fun discussing and like at what @Biology Lessonhad said before, we don't always agree (because we all have different likes/dislikes, different tastebud in dramaland) but we're still very nice/cordial to one another

 

Me too! I'm a fan of wuxia/historical more than modern drama but if there's a good modern drama, I will still watch it. For example, Money Flower, Beautiful Mind. In k dramaland, these days I only watch JH performance. In the earlier days, I will go specifically for their historical (without JH) but sadly, these days, k drama don't produce such kind of historical anymore. If you really can sit through long historical, I recommend you Queen of Seondeok, Lee San Queen of the Palace, Jumong, The Kingdom of the winds....(just to name some). I'm not saying the script is without flaws. Which drama has script without flaws right?

 

As for JH drama, I wished My Country was a story of BW instead of the 2 younger leads with the girl. I literally ff until it was BW parts. I enjoyed most BW with his father/NJ. Frankly, nothing against the young leads but (for my age now), is like watching boys acting. I need men acting! Lol.

 

I do recommend Money Flower Literally love this man (JH as Pil Joo) although his character is dark, mysterious, clever, cunning...but I can't hate him. I recommend Beautiful Mind too but those medical parts are boring to me, however, I love JH portrayal as Lee Young Oh.

 

May I ask, what wuxia have you watched that you can recommend to me?

[azureblue7]

I did some comparison videos for fun. 

TGIF, everyone! 

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[phoenix24]

4 minutes ago, azureblue7 said:

I did some comparison videos for fun. 

TGIF, everyone! 

 

 

 

 

 

  Hide contents

 

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time.  Always appreciate it.

[dramafan33]

He is totally my type in this . This is one hairstyle that I like on him as well 

 

 

[azureblue7]

The Chuno effect.. 

 

[azureblue7]

New Westwood vid

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

2 hours ago, corey said:

 

As I said, I watch it for PDJ performance. He was really, really good. Some of the best fighting scenes I have seen in dramas, too. Some funny moments. But please be warned that FL is annoying  and the story telling is very uneven.

Watching the first episode now and I must say- this is how you do a first episode of kdrama if you want high ratings! Make it fun, funny, intriguing... the actors looks like fun- the main guy is from Secretary Kim, right? If the girl is annoying, I haven't seen it yet- also important for a first episode. She's the actress from Black, right? So far, so good...

 

2 hours ago, corey said:

Actually I meant another one, when he is complaining to his doctor that he begins to like the snail, but the hair is exactly the same

You mean when LG went to his psychiatrist to tell him that he's attracted to his snail and that he kissed his snail, wearing his joker makeup? LG is such wacky character!  

 

1 hour ago, azureblue7 said:

New Westwood vid

 

 

Didn't they say they will be releasing new pictures every day? Also- who allowed JH to keep this shirt completely buttoned? This is an outrage! Reminds me of how he almost always fully buttons his coats. Even when he wears them INSIDE! 

[Biology Lesson]

59 minutes ago, corey said:

I am really happy that you like it Yes, the main guy is from Secretary Kim, also recently  Itaewon class and KIll me Heal me, She was pretty etc.  And no, the girl is not from Black her name is Go Ara and she was in sageuk Haechi. I won't tell you my reason why I find her annoying for now, but please tell me what you think of her and we will share views - maybe there is another reason that she is annoying that I haven't discovered yet

I didn't say I liked yet, I'm still in the first episode  Like you with Hyena, I'm reserving my judgement until the show will really start. I'm just saying that since Kdramas usually have a single season, the first episode needs to be just right, and  this first episode was done right! (This is how I explain Chuno's amazing success- the amazing first episode prominently featuring JH's pecs and abs ). As the episode advanced, I noticed another thing the show did to ensure the viewing of young women- gathering young beautiful men to act as body guards for the king  Why do his bodyguards need to be beautiful is beyond me, though... In the movie frozen flower you understand why, as the king also had sex with his guards, but here?! 

As to the girl, I checked and she did appear in Black. If you haven't seen that show, I would recommend it to you. Really nicely done suspense show... Oh, and something I remember in Black- there is a scene in which the male protagonist learns how to act like a cop by watching JH in Voice!  

 

Quote

I fully share you frustration. Actually, I still cannot get over the fact that then NEVER got OHJ out of his overcoat in TMWYS. With the exception perhaps of the flashback scene when he was giving TV interview?? - I cannot remember precisely, but surely he would not appear on TV in a coat?

I think he wore a thick jacket for that scene... It feels like these days no one dares to tell him to take his shirt off, or maybe he makes it clear to the production that he will only take his shirt off if HE feels it's justified. Remember what the director of Money Flower said, that JH didn't go for eye candy scenes. In Money Flower there  was only one scene of him without a shirt and that was clearly to show that Mal Ran is attracted to PJ. 

What is baffling to me is that attitude of his Vs. the recent white shirt photoshoot. In that photoshoot he showed sensuality that he has never shown in his shows or movies. Even in the sex scenes he has done... I think the closest was the scene with Mal Ran, in which PJ revealed his true identity. That was the most sensual that I've seen JH be on screen.

[azureblue7]

He has been posting boxing videos weekly so far..hopefully a selfie soon..

The one below is one of my favourites

 

[dramafan33]

@Biology Lesson Hwarang means “flower boy” or “flower warrior” something like that. During the Sillla kingdom, the king’s warriors were supposed to be beautiful besides skilled. They did some sort of “casting”. This I learned from The Great Queen Seondeok

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hwarang

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

10 minutes ago, dramafan33 said:

@Biology Lesson Hwarang means “flower boy” or “flower warrior” something like that. During the Sillla kingdom, the king’s warriors were supposed to be beautiful besides skilled. They did some sort of “casting”. This I learned from The Great Queen Seondeok

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hwarang

Oh, that explains it... The Korean's obsession with beauty goes way back, ha? This might also explain why the fashion back then was long hair that made the guys look even more feminine...Also, explains why sageuks are not my thing  I guess the ancient Greeks also had that obsession, but they went for a more masculine look...

[dramafan33]

18 minutes ago, Biology Lesson said:

Oh, that explains it... The Korean's obsession with beauty goes way back, ha? This might also explain why the fashion back then was long hair that made the guys look even more feminine...Also, explains why sageuks are not my thing  I guess the ancient Greeks also had that obsession, but they went for a more masculine look...

Yeah I believe we talked about this when talking about koreans concept of “flower boy” which supposedly originates in the Hwarang (although their modern interpretation of “beauty” may have varied as well) 

 

Not all warriors were part of this elite group though (I’d think that’d be kind of a waste of otherwise skilled warriors right?) And I feel like Goryeo style, as opposed to Silla, is a little more masculine (at least they didn’t wear make up?) Shine or Go Crazy is set at the birth of Goryeo and My Country and the end of it, birth of Joseon, to give you an idea. 

Here is an article I shared that time 

http://beyondhallyu.com/k-pop/just-pretty-face-long-little-known-history-korean-flower-boys/

 

And found a couple more that I’ll read later myself

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~quarterly/vol1/the-hwarang-warriors---silla-s-flower-boys.html

 

https://www.ozy.com/true-and-stories/the-metrosexual-knights-who-defended-medieval-korea/88651/

 

It looks like the drama prompted curiosity

 

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

2 minutes ago, corey said:

Ok, sorry,  I confused the shows - I thought you meant recent show called Black Dog. Was she any good in Black?

I think she was good. She had the advantage that her character wasn't your typical fl character. It was clear that she was cast for that role because of her eyes, more than anything. Her character's life story is pretty horrific, so there is no wide eyed innocence in her. No looking at the rain or flowers or fireworks with innocent wonderment  I don't remember loving her character- I think it took her a while to become likable, but she didn't bother me that much

[dramafan33]

Wait what? We actually got to see a bit of his underwear?  I forgot about this!

 

 

[The Reel Life]

21 hours ago, corey said:

Anyway, back to JH

@The Reel Life, thank you for reminding me, now I will not forget, the last 30 minutes of ep 16. A review from me is a sure thing .

And his hair, if it is to be the lenght we saw in the clip you posted, it  needs to be styled and puffed up to be that nice. I was trying to find a clip where he is talking to his doctor and his hair is not curled upward, but flat against his face and it doesnot look half so nice as the shot  you posted but I could not find it - but I mean something like this:

You’re welcome @corey! Just didn’t want you to miss out the great acting skills of JH, even though the show was not to our liking. I was actually quite surprised MJH gave that depth of emotion in the final part after running around like a crazy dog the whole 15 episodes hahahah. 
 

And yes, guess it looks better when “blown dry”. But I think this hairstyle in the picture u showed looks abit shorter, is it? I remember there was one awkward stage where it became abit shorter but still long in front, ie. The joker parody look.  That was such an awkward stage I don’t know what the stylists were thinking 

 

Edit: Actually on hindsight it looks the same length but what a difference a blow dry actually makes! 

 

[dramafan33]

@The Reel Life He was growing the hair for “Empire of Lust” so stylists probably didn’t know what to do with it and thought, let’s have fun with it or threw their hands up in the air in defeat, one of the two