One thing that I love about J-ent is how it’s range of leading men span the spectrum from oh-holy-so-good-looking to HOMG-where’d-he-come-from-but-he-sure-can-act. Whereas in Korea and Taiwan the leading men tend to just be very pretty, all of them so very pretty and sometimes indistinguishable from each other in style and aura. This led me to remember a series of fun CFs and ad campaign Shiseido did for its Uno Fog Bar line of men’s hair care and skin care products, where the company managed to gather four A-list leading men in Oguri Shun, Eita, Miura Haruma, and Tsumabuki Satoshi together. The four of them manage to personify the point I was making – Shun is the handsome leading man, Haruma is the pretty young thing, Eita is the weird quirky grows-on-you guy, and Satoshi is the adorable cherubic boy-next-door. Rewatching these CFs just confirms that I can watch these four say “shu” (the noise that hairspray makes) and primp all day long. Enjoy the fun CFs and pretty pictures below!
Uno Fog Bar Boys Dancing CF and Making-Of Video:
Uno Fog Bar Boys in London CFs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOqSHL4i2Tg
Koala,iluffyou! This is exactly what I needed today. Haha.
Oh, so beautiful and so talented these four. Only them can make those hideous striped shorts look beautiful somehow. And ahhh..the last one in London is just HOT! They can really work those suits!
I adore them all but I gotta say, Eita is love. 😉
P.S. Koala, did you see the Fog Bar CM with the boys and Aoi Miyazaki? Sooo cute! I’ve always thought there was something going on with her and Eita but oh well, he got married and that was the end of my shipping. LOL!
Hi there! 🙂 I’m a fan of Eita too. He was awesome in Soredemo Ikiteyuku.
Thanks much Captain Koala for this wonderful post. 🙂
aww why the commercials in the united states are not like this!! im sick of car commercials
Bwahaha. And rawrrrrr! *^^*
Hahaha!
Since they used the Beatles theme in the last vid, wouldn’t it be better to use “Come Together” as a background music? It has this sound ‘shoo’ all the way! 😉
wow koala you just pretty much summed up how i feel about j-actors. they are not the best looking bunch when you compare them with k-actors or t-actors, but man can they act. I dont watch t-dramas so i can only compare korean vs. japanese. i have to say the japanese have more depth and on-screen aura than korean actors. It’s that weird sense of impact that they have, more than skin-deep sort of thing. Korean actors are generally hot but only few of them can really act. Even a-list ones have mediocre to passable acting (uhm, song seung hoon? oh ji ho?) By far, if you were to compile and compare the best korean actors, they can’t hold a handle to the japanese counterparts. Sorry to korean fans. I blame the inane scripts of k-dramas…there’s not much growth when all of the male characters are either the (1) rich chaebol/arrogant lead (2) bland but oh so sensitve and nice second lead (3) jester-like besties of the lead character.
^^^ yes to all of this. Well said.
I agree that less than perfect J faces and shapes take more leading roles than in K land.
I do have to disagree with naming SSH and OJH A-list actors of K-land. LOL! Great guys to sell your stuff, yes, but neither has been described as talented – simply as handsome stars with very limited range.
A limited range that I am very happy to see in shower scenes, I might add.
Fog Bar CFs are the best <3 My biases (except Tsumabuki Satoshi because I haven't really seen him in anything… I really should though) all in one CF. I agree with you on how Japan has more variety in their lead actors- good looking, cute, and pretty along with the more quirky actors. I believe Korea does have those quirky/not-as-handsome actors, but they tend to stick to movies or aren't as popular in a star/commercial/see-his-face-everywhere kind of way. It will be a long while before Korea allows a not as traditionally good looking actor as a male lead in a drama. Sigh.
hmm..how about Lee Bum Soo ? He’s not the traditionally handsome kind but gosh, he can act! He’s lead in several dramas like Giant, History of the Salaryman, Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, etc.
The only average looking K actor I can think of is Bong Tae-Gyu. He really is a fantastic actor who really deserves more respect for his talent.
When his one hour drama special “Don’t Worry I’m a Ghost” came out recently, so many people commented that he was too “old and ugly” for the role. I can’t tell you how annoying it is to hear that over and over again. I watched the special, and it was amazing. His performance was gut wrenching. I won’t give anything away, but if you think you can watch something with a box of tissues on hand, give it a go.
PS- Even though I truly enjoy K dramas, I think Korea would make even better entertainment if they focused more on substance than style overall. I think that is one of the reasons I’m left disappointed so often *cough* Dr. Jin *cough*
Lee Bum Soo and Bong Tae Gyu are examples of the non-traditional leading man. In my opinion, LBS is the one who has successfully become a leading man. However, BTG can’t really be considered a great example since I can’t really recall the last thing I saw him in. :/ I think Lee Min Ki is another example of a quirky looking leading man. I miss him in dramas~
An example would be the main guy of History of the Salaryman. Didn’t think of him much b4 watching but gosh he one me over FROM THE FIRST EPISODE!! I think there are good actors in the kdrama industry but lately the focus has been on “good looking guys” or “flower guys” Even though I don’t blame anyone who wants to watch shows for the actors looks, but these kinds of things should even out.
Sometimes when you wanna watch something brainless you look for that good looking face to watch.. but if you want something that’d incertain you without having you roll your eyes half of the time, good script + good acting come together.. one cannot cover for the other.
I’ll add Lee Seung-gi. He’s your average to above-average looking guy when compared to his peers (LMH, JIW, KHJ).
Miura Haruma…..love this talented, gorgeous young man…Thank you so much for the videos. I’ve seen the london vid few years ago and lost it….so I’m happy, this made my day!!!
Ahhh I love oguri shun!!!
Oh my, my…
These are so cute. I want to play them on a continuous loop.
I only know OS from the quartet, but I am happy to discover the other three soon.
OS is sexy when he is all dressed up, and he’s sexy when he’s not. Even wearing a green face and a Kappa costume! It’s all in his voice.
To be honest, though, I do prefer the reddish haired glamour boy.
Thanks for the pretty!
He’s a dreamboat, alright! ackkk!! I will forever be thankful to Ms. Koala for covering RMPW. =D
He looked cute in his afro in his recent movie, lulz. I think the only works of his where he rocked good hairdos were Tokyo Dogs & Crows Zero. Perhaps Hana Kimi since he had the most ‘normal’ looking hair in the sea of wacky hairdos.
Nice. The commercials are classic with the Beatles theme.
J-ent is quite different if you ask me. Their sense of humor is strange, but I like it.
I was watching one drama with Eita in it recently where his character left the series and came back toward the end. After his character left, the series was not as good as before. He left a noticeable mark.
Shun and Eita.
Thanks OcKoala.
They are all so adorable I love these CM’s although Eita’s hair is freaking me out…mostly because it’s not all over the place…
I’m watching, watching, watching, watching…
I’ll get back to you later!
di-gue ding ding….di-gue ding ding…yup I’m loving it ^_^
About two months ago these CFs were the catalyst for my current research project. Tsumabuki Satoshi- he can act his butt off. I started with Josie,the Tiger and the Fish. Best thing or worst thing I ever did…I’m currently in a frenzy to get my hands on more stuffs with him in it. When I saw this post I started rolling around my living room Hotaru/Toru style! Thanks for the continued feels Koala…thanks.
Research project. I like it.
That is what I am doing inhaling six Fujiki Naohito dramas in a row.
@howforwardsale – (What does your name mean?)
Just finished JT&tF. Really liked it. I demand a sequel with a HEA!
It could happen.
I am joining you on your TS research. Off to watch Orange Days now.
that s my problem with k ent.the actors are so pretty sometimes i mistake them for women and they can t act really.i love japan ,they are so open minded and free.eve t ent is better than k ent in that area.because it s very rare to find zai zai in kdrama world.hot & talented
You just made me smile.
oOoh =D me gusta <3 thanks for sharing !!
Korea loves attractive men who can’t act (there are exceptions of course)
but in Japan even though you don’t look like a model you can get work and prove you can act like Moriyama Mirai or Kusanagi Tsyuoshi even Nino.
But Shun, Eita, Miura and Satoshi can act, and the fog bar commercials are hilarious. I’ve been a fan of them for a long time.
Now I wish Satoshi would do a dorama again, I miss him on the tv screen.
Both OS n Eita are in their twenties n married. K-Ent actors will not risk their careers n marry early. Oh I really miss Satoshi. He’s a natural actor!
OMG – why so cute? *shu* *shu* Absolutely adorable!
You had me at Oguri Shun!! <33 And, can Miura get any more perfect? He's gorgeous! There's definitely something quirky & atypical about J-actors. That's what makes them interesting & unique. Looks aren't integral to them being successful actors….viz awesome!!
thanks koala for the eye candy! love the quirky CFs.
admire all 4, great looking and darn good actors too.
thought miura was shorter and satoshi taller for some reason…
love quirky Eita in Nodame Cantabile almost even more than CHiaki in it.
WHen watching Kdramas I almost always am amazed at the gulf in acting abilities of the secondary older cast compared to the younger more goodlooking leads.
These older actors esp the males aren’t what you’d call traditionally attractive, often shorter, heavier, less dermatologically perfect than the typical younger male lead.
So has the Korean entertainment industry changed in the last several years that these well-respected very talented actors would probably not get a job if they were starting out just now because they don’t fit the looks requirement?
Or has it always been that way?
hmm i think koreans have always been fixated on the “looks” dept more than anything else but more especially now with the advent of plastic surgery and flawless faces as your competition. So I guess the actors/their management/the whole industry in general, start out wanting to look pretty first and then acting comes second only.
I remember first watching Oguri Shun in HYD, when I first saw him I thought he looked strange. BUt damn over time he just grows on you. And I realize this is what happens to me when I watch Japanese actors. It’s just their charm that can’t be manufactured by artificial (*cough* plastic surgery)or physical (working on your abs too much) means.
I do agree that the korean actors who can act are the lesser known/not necessarily A-list ahjussis, as compared to the young-ish japanese ones who are both A-list and can act really well/deserving of their A-list status.
That is a really good point about the older actors.
I actually check Dramawiki sometimes to see if the grandpas were ever leading men, or if the grammas were. Sometimes there just isn’t any data on them. I could prolly find it if I read Korean. Do they do stage work, too?
It is fun to watch the evolution of an actor’s career from lead to parent to grandparent – like Henry Fonda, Diane Keaton, Dennis Quaid are some US stars. Lee Mi Suk is a K one I can think of.
Unfortunately, I think there’s a shelf-life of a younger leading man as far as the audience is concerned. It may also be tough for them to admit defeat, allow the wrinkles to show, and let the gut hang out a little. If they aren’t serious actors, I mean. CSW has kept busy playing all sorts of characters, for example.
Where do all the former leading men/women go?
AHH.. So cute. So fun So HOT!!.. And the great thing is that All 4 are really good friends in real life, so you can tell that they are having loads of fun while making this cm.. I remember watching them in a show and they mentioned that they go out to eat or drink together..
I’d luck to join them on the fun for sure! Thanks for the fun pics and cm!
Eitaaaaaaa! Loo all my fav J boys in one post doe!
Thanks for this! Just what i needed coz this is going to be a long day for me. And Oguri Shun! I never thought any man could get away endorsing a hair spray and not look sissy at the very least! Ditto on your comments regarding Korean actors. That’s the reason I ended up watching RMPW, and otehr Jdoramas, in the first place. I got tired of watching extra girly and ultra vain-looking actors.
I think it depends on genre….Usually kdrama tend to go for good looking actor instead acting skill in kdrama trendy genre …. I don’t think all male lead k-actor all handsome technically.
Maybe I’m in the minority here, and I admit I’m quite shallow… Lol… Sometimes we need eye candy in a drama whether they are the main lead or just supporting character.
Ack! So precious!
Late commenting here but I loved those ads. Had to save the last one on my phone so I can watch some preciousness sneakily at work etc.
Don’t know no.4 but Shun is a given, Eita changed my opinion of him forever after his explosively brilliant turn in last year’s Soredemo Ikite Yuku and Haruma made my heart pitter patter in the adorablesauce Kimi no Todoke. <3 <3 <3 — Thanks for sharing. ^^
Wow!!!
It’s not enough to watch this CF once..
I need more times and so great!!