That is sure a whole lotta of pretty boy pretty in one drama. I hope the leading lady, whoever she is, won’t feel upstaged. Nam Goong Min has just been confirmed as joining Kim Hyun Joong in the upcoming manhwa drama adaptation of the gritty 90s City Conquest. I don’t read manhwas but from the synopsis, this reads like a gritty nihilistic revenge story of sorts. It’s the story of a young man hell bent on avenging the wrongs in an increasingly evil society, harboring a resentment of his father who abandoned his mother and him. Nam GoongMin will be playing his rival in both the love of the leading lady and probably his foil in his revenge plans. PD Yang is a movie director foremost (Speed, Grand Prix, Libera Me), but who did helm the blockbuster drama IRIS. Screenwriter Hwang has only one other drama under her belt but its a doozy – she co-wrote Emperor of the Sea which I know certain folks who adore it to pieces. Something about Song Il Gook as a pirate. Anyhoo, this is no small production, so I’m expecting pretty snazzy things.
City Conquest doesn’t yet have a station or a broadcast date, but its scheduled to start filming at the end of July. Manga and manhwa drama adaptations in Korea are notoriously hit-and-miss in ratings and quality. The successes are Goong, City Hunter, Boys Before Flowers, none of which were dramas that I loved. Whereas some of the ratings flops ended up being my personal faves, as such Tamra the Island and Playful Kiss. All of the above are actually not bad, I worry City Conquest will be another A Man Called God, and OMG if someone says anything about Peter Pan dying in Nicaragua, I will need to be hospitalized from laughing so much. I have a soft spot for both Kim Hyun Joong and Nam Goong Min so I will definitely check this out. Good or bad, it’ll surely have some sort of entertainment factor.
Kim Hyun Joong is enough to check this out Ms. Koala..hopefully Hyun Joong acting will be at its best here knowing the revenge plot…emotion and all.
Omo, omo, omo…blood doesn’t come in brain, all this pretty, pretty cookies!
Some actors can do the worst drama in history of Kdramas but I’ll still watch, KHJ is one of them.
This summer has just became HOTTER then ever 😉
i have a soft spot for both too! KHJ is taking acting classes especially for this. i am very sure he will do good in this drama.
I love Nam Goong-min since his Ma-roo oppa performance in CYHMH. Not a big fan of KHJ but I’m sure his fanbase will be enough to carry the fervour.Hope Nam gets his big break like LJH did with City hunter.
I absolutely loved NGM in Can You Hear My Heart? If I watch this (not sure yet), it will be for him.
me too… adore him NGM in CYHMY and his acting was beyond solid.. was wondering when i will see him again.. i am glad that he is taking a role that he has not done before.. too bad that looks like he is not gonna get the girl again…
not sure whether i will watch it.. but i will check it out because of NGM.. hope they cast someone decent as female lead.. not an idol that has not acted before…
Oooh! Pretty!
NGM was OK in Birth of a Rich Man – his best scenes were opposite the insanely funny Lee Si Young. He broke my heart in CYHMH…Oy!
KHJ? We shall see if this is the genre for him. All signs point to that.
Or am I the only one pointing to that?
He must LOVE doing these series, since he has not had the best reviews from kdramland, and he could tour solo and make tons of money on CF work.
I hope he was working hard on bettering himself. That determination alone makes me want to watch him.
I’m licking my lips ….
Meh, I don’t like Korean manhwa/manga adaptations. I hate all of the ones you mentioned (except Tamra), especially Boys Over Flowers. Hana Yori Dango was wayyy better. And now they’re remaking Hana Kimi. Oh dear lord.
Totally agree with you, BBF Was a disappointment Compared to Hana Yori Dango, but still kpop’s fans, say That BBF was much better that HYD, just because the Korean F4 are more attractive, my God, and now Korea doing their own version of Hana Kimi honestly I have no hope
Omg, i know right! People are always saying stuff like “oh, HYD sucks cause the actors are ugly!” Like stfu, they’re hot okay lol. But seriously, it amazes me how shallow people are. Plus GHS and LMH didn’t have any chemistry…
I believe the K-version of Hana Kimi will be a flop. Most of the actors are idols and these kinds of dramas are usually not that successful in Korea unless it’s like Dream High or something. But I’m sure it will be popular among international fans just because their favorite idols are in it -__-
Been in love with Kim Hyun Joong since Boys Before Flowers but he is not a great actor. Watched Playful Kiss because of him. Hope his acting lessons help this time. Like Namgong Min in CYHMH, he is a decent actor. Wondering who is the leading lady … please not another “cute, short” girl ………….. please pick one who is elegant & attractive…
Soooo you’re thinking PMY…………is OUT!
All you have to say is Kim Hyun Joong and I’m there. Argh. *shakes fist at sky* Why, why, am I so old?! 😉
Not sure if I’ll watch this…maybe for NGM. KHJ’s acting still needs a little more work.
khj’s acting sucks.
KHJ will do well in action films. I hope they don’t cast any of the SM artist. They seems to be everywhere. As for the female lead, a veteran actress who has her own following not a newbie. I will definitely watch this one since I have been waiting for KHJ comeback for a longtime.
Good Lord that is a lot of pretty…I don’t think there are many leading ladies that are going to be able to upstage these two together in that department…I wasn’t planning on watching this but Namgoong Min totally won me over with his performance in Can You Hear My Heart (Maroo Oppa forever) so I guess I’ll check out the first few eps….I wonder if Kim Hyun Joong loves mangas/manhwas or if his management just keeps trying to remake the success of BOF ‘cuz I don’t think I’ve seen any others doing more than two manga/manhwa adaptations in a row…The premise sounds intriguing albeit heavy and angsty so I wonder if KHJ will be able to pull it off
someone needs to do something about the troll
Against the Korean entertainment industry is topsy turvy. The amazing actor gets second lead and the barely there actor gets the lead. To quote Koreans. Aigoo.
Omg WORD. So true. Kim Hyun Joong is totally no match for him acting wise, harsh but true
I want to be corrected but it seems NGM is always second lead. Why? Though being in that league doesn’t make one the lesser actor.
What seems to be the problem if the drama or movie comes from mangas/manwhas ? They are all stories and will be adapted to the screen by scriptwriters. The problem I think lies in that people expect actors to act like their counterpart in the small frames.
Hi, was I the only one who confused Nam Goong-min for KHJ? I don’t think I have ever looked closely at a picture of NGM, so when I saw the picture on the right, I thought it was another picture of KHJ, because from that angle, in my opinion they look somewhat similar or they look like they could be related. So interesting…
You are not the only one. I’m currently watching Birth of a Rich Man, and at certain angles, NGM really looks like KHJ! To me, both guys are gorgeous.
What a pretty man. As some have said, just say KHJ and I am there. Having missed him and the other ‘Flower’ boys so much that anything they do I watch.
wow i’ve been waiting for Namgong Min’s next project since CYHMH. Gonna have a look at this drama just for him!!
Pretty new to Koreancraze.. kdramas, kpops and all. So far, all the dramas, films and concerts I’ve seen and heard are awesome. Love them especially KHJ. I will surely wait and support this project. Dunno Namgong Nim, but for sure his great as we;;. Goodluck !
🙂
Pretty new to Koreancraze.. kdramas, kpops and all. So far, all the dramas, films and concerts I’ve seen and heard are awesome. Love them especially KHJ. I will surely wait and support this project. Dunno Namgong Nim, but for sure his great as well. Goodluck !
🙂
oh man KHJ is acting again….unfortunately being pretty does not compensate bad acting for me, so hopefully hes gone to acting school and learnt a few things.
On the other hand Nam Goong Min is total gold, he was amazing as Ma Roo in CYHMH, and really this guys needs a good meaty role in a well written drama with a good cast because the amount of talent he has, he deserves more.
It’s Nam Goong Min, koala. 🙂
Am dat peste acest articol urmarind filmografia. Din pacate nu stiu engleza prea bine iar coreeana nici atat, imi pare rau dar comentariul va fi in romana:
si aici sunt multi fani, de toate varstele ,atat fete cat si baieti si cel putin cei pe care ii cunosc personal asteapta cu nerabdare noul film-(sper ca va fi tradus repede si in romana).
o cariera bogata si indelungata iti dorim la cei 26 ani (6 iunie) si cu multe impliniri.
De asemenea sper sa mai ascult multe cantece caci pentru noi” vocea lui este ca o raza de soare ce mangaie o floare” si aici am citat spusele fiicei.
te asteptam in europa,
d. mona
i also love nam goong min since watching can you hear my heart. for kim hyun joong, i watched all his dramas but not really into his acting. i hope he improve this time. both are very attractive anyway. good luck for this drama!!
I don’t like how Hyun Joong oppa acts but I love NGM as an actor & KHJ as an artist so I will definitely check this out no matter how much of a fail it might turn out to be. I’m hoping it’ll be awesome so my brain will go ‘splodey from the pretty.=D Thanks for the news update Koala unni!^^
NGM is already a veteran actor at age 34 (35 Korean age) with many dramas and movies under his belt while KHJ has only two major dramas but he is into dance music with many concerts and now singles,albums and solo music activities to his name, so comparison can’t be made at this point. I see a senior-junior relationship in acting not adversarial nor combative stance between them.
I say acting is also dependent on the role and how the character is developed in the story . Also actors have a sense of style, an approach -some are loud actors, some are subtle, some are minimalist using only their eyes,even the twitching of facial muscles to convey emotions . I would be looking at those cues rather than focusing only on physical acting .
Totally true. Acting is very much dependent on the role. If the role is intended to be light then the acting should fit what the role called for. If the role is heavy then it should be acted appropriately.