I can’t take Jang Geun Seok seriously anymore. I haven’t written him off, because a boy that immensely talented as an actor cannot simply be written off being he’s apparently going through what appears to be a phase. At least that’s what I’m hoping it is, because if he continues down this path of doing shitty dramas and holding money-making performance shows over Asia over nurturing his acting resume and experience with meaty roles working with talented PDs and experienced sunbaes, then he’s never going to be taken seriously as an actor. Y’all know I love Jang Geun Seok, this boy who has a special place in my heart ever since he stole Ha Ji Won‘s heart in Hwang Jin Yi all the way through the silly but sweet Mary Stayed Out All Night.
The dramas and roles he’s chosen may be hit or miss, but his performance was always a hit for me. That ended when he did the brain-dead You’re My Pet, followed up with the shitty Love Rain, and coupled with his weird singing stints releasing singles in Japan, I just feel him drifting further and further away from me. I suppose I might need to just take a break from him and check back in when he decides to return to acting as his focus. He has a right to do whatever floats his fancy, and I hope he’s happy with whatever he does. For his most recent stint, Seok showed up in Taipei and held a concert in the Taipei Arena (called Taipei Egg) whilst dressed like a cross between Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter. Both are characters Johnny Depp played, and honestly Seok has the same innate talents as the illustrious Mr. Depp. If only he’d channel it more often.
Here’s Seok arriving at Taipei airport already rocking his own unique style. You know what? Maybe I just don’t get Seok. What if I’m just that old fogey who is appalled by his need to express himself? I think I need to turn a blind eye while he does his “expressing” and only check back in when he chooses to be a serious actor again. Yes, that is indeed what I’m going on to. I’ll let his Eels love everything about this idol, for really I’m just a fan of his god-given acting skills.
Oh boy…
I guess he’s laughing all the way to the bank? Right?
You Are My Pet, braindead indeed. What an apt description. If anyone is reading this and have not seen it yet. Just stay away.
I agree with you re: Geun Seuk. He is very talented and I wish to see him in better projects in the future.
His concert attire reminded me of HK pop stars (the time of the heavenly kings etc.)
Wow, he does look like a peacock! Unfortunately it wasn’t a compliment.
And here I am thinking he’s gay after all, just can’t come out yet.
There is somewhere a poor peacock that cries after hie feathers. Please send them back!
LMAO!!!!!!!!!! poor peacock!
I loved him so much in You’re Beautiful… As a coincidence,I saw him recently while marathoning Lovers in Prague where he had a small but cute and honest part. I wish he would have followed that road. Too bad, I can’t follow him on what he’s doing now. A kind of Lady Gaga persona.
Too true. 🙁
I luffed him and his Pout in You’re Beautiful, but everything he did after that was just :meh:
I *do* think he’s a good actor, just that he has a sucky way of choosing dramas that won’t help his acting career. It’s such a strange thing like, did he NOT save a country in his past life?
Hehe.. now I remember the Jang Geun Suk Jinx Act
http://kdramalaws.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/jang-geun-suk-jinx-act
yeah. he just lost it. i became a fan after hong gil dong, but the dude hasn’t taken acting serious since then. WHYYYY?? i don’t know. but it sucks because i know he has the talent to do amazing projects. his weirdo persona, whether real or manufactured, has stunted his acting. sigh.* what a waste of talent.
You voice out what sounded in my head Ms. Koala =___=
I’m a fan of his acting, so I get all excited with You’re my pet..and it turn of a BIG MEH, and Love Rain is just enough to make me…
I’m really hoping this boy BACK into the RIGHT way
I scrolled down to the first picture and just sat there for several minutes to take it in. He seriously needs to either fire his stylist, or HIRE one. I’m suspecting it’s the latter, after seeing what he wears for casual getup at the airport. No, Ms K, I don’t think you or I are the grumpy old fogies who can’t see what’s cool these days. Bowties have NEVER been cool. By definition. Especially big ones that look like he ripped it from the hair of a seven-year-old on the way to Catholic school.
He’s not even become a Lady Gaga persona, because that would imply he’s got substance as well as a personal style. I’m not seeing either. I’m seeing someone who just, uhm, really needs someone to smack him into sense when it comes to his brand.
I happened to have loved Love Rain and his performance in it, but I do think he’s coasting in general. I want him to do something challenging.
That’s for his acting.
As to his music/personal style/persona, I just think he missed his calling to be a JE boy and is making up for it with a vengeance. I just can’t take him seriously at all but more power to him for letting his inner bizarro weirdo out. At this point it’s not carelessness but clearly deliberate attempt to show everyone how bizarre he is.
LOL @ JE boy. This post reminds me the reason I stay away from Kame’s music career. RE JGS, he was SO good in YAB and thereafter his acting project choices have been questionable, kinda. ughhh…it’s frustrating because he’s a talented actor. Hope he stars to challenge himself with his forthcoming acting projects…he can continue to do THIS on the side, heh.
Hi Saima, what is a JE boy? Thanks!
@Mousie
I’ve ALWAYS thought JGS was born in the wrong country. He’s the closest there is to a Kame counterpart in Korea, and I wholeheartedly agree that his calling is definitely as a JE boy. Hell, he got his start as a child actor, and all the Johnny’s start young as well.
@Ivoire: JE=Johnny’s Entertainment. It’s THE biggest Japanese talent agency that produces male idols. These idols are hence lovingly called Johnny’s, heh. Some of the famous Johnny idol/actors are Kimura Takuya of SMAP, Matsumoto Jun of Arashi, Yamapi a former NEWS member, Kame short for Kamenashi Kazuya of KAT-TUN, and Ikuta Toma. One of the currently airing J-doramas, Sprout, stars the newer Johnny’s on the block, I believe.
Hi Saima, thank you for the explanation :-)!
Hi here – my two cents worth – I loved Love Rain and I also thought he did a really good job there becoming more obvously comfortable and expressive of a range of emotion. But Mary! You are my Pet! Hot messes. One thing I notice is that other people around him seem to do really good work – the YAB cast, eg, are the best I have ever seen any of them (altho Uee was new then) . . .
This is what I call “bathing in donkey’s urine”.
I love him! He has the talent, he needs to pick something intense/dark to mature more as an actor. Kinda like Joon Ki is doing with Nice Guy. I would love to see him play a revenge seeking character.
And his fashion is… just as eccentric as him lol I am laughing and shaking my head at the same time..
i’m close to his age & i agree with you . he is an actor who occasionally sings on the OST of his dramas (& i’m okay with that) . but then he released his own music in Japan & i was like “oh, no” . i cringe inside when i hear those songs (i guess the OST ones remind me of the character he played) .
he is definitely milking his current feminine/flower boy looks . i thought the hair was just for MSOAN but it stuck around for YMP to present day . i think it’s time for the hair to go . & a manlier/less delicate persona should be presented .
but by being his age, i can understand his need to discover & “express” himself . i guess THAT is the route he chooses to do so . like you & the rest of your blog readers, i await a more serious/intense role for his next project .
I love him ….but lately he’s been turning me off……He’s becoming a diva. Am I the only person who loved Love Rain?
I liked his performance in Love Rain, but he really needs to have a well-chosen project next – I seriously almost cried after watching You’re My Pet (catastrophic waste of Kim Ha Neul as well). As much as I’m an eel and love his personality (although, please, stylist with sense, come soon) I wish he’d focus more on his acting… Oh well, we’ll wait and hope 🙂
i agree with everyone that he looks hideous in that willy wonka outfit. however lets not forget a lot of the Asian concerts dress weird and very exaggerated..its like anything goes you know. I still love him in any drama that he is in.
is he gay?
I agree 100% with you, Koala!
It’s like his acting career is going backwards… from greatness to flop!
I first saw him in “Beethoven Virus” and I thought he was SO talented that I looked forward to seeing his other projects. But “You’re Beautiful”, “You’re my pet”, “Love Rain”? What a disappointment.
He should lose the sparkle/crazy and go back to basics.
His sexual preference is irrelevant but his look is stupid. His look in Beethoven is the look I wish he would have followed. He did a great job in MSOAN but I haven’t seen anything else. I think it is a gimmick to get noticed, look at Psy. Chubby Korean makes it internationally with a video. All those beautiful Korean people and PSY is now a household name in the US. HE made it with a gimmick. Want to bet others won’t try a gimmick? But if that’s not it then the man has become eccentric.
I beg to differ about Psy being a gimmick. He is an accomplished song writer and performer. His music video for Gangnam Style was self directed with a lot of creative and self deprecating elements. It is just that now it has reach the point of being over-rated, that people sees it fashionable to criticize him as just a gimmick.
I can’t never agree with you more OC. I love him ever since Beethoven’s virus.. I first knew and love him as an actor. I’m happy with all of his commercials and concerts but please.. Can he do something more with depth? Though he’s my number one artist of all time from Skorea, I can’t stand watching more than 10min of Love Rain.. I hope he’ll bounce back and I hope people around him will make him realize he needs to focus.
“Everybody with me now…I love you. You love me. We’re a happy family. With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too?”
Hey JKS, Baby Bop wants you to come back to the back yard tree house right away. You’ve been a bad dinosaur.
WILLY WONKA!!!? Is that you??? LOL
LOL. I AGREE!!! that’s what came to mind when I saw his outfit, WILLY WONKA!
Psy is a household name here???
Anyways jgs … Was great with ha Ji won and even you’re beautiful was ok. But lately??? Well it has to be a phase I guess and may he eventually grow out of it. I guess that’s what happens when you are young and make a lot of money
Go to monstermaniacs.com/jimmy kimmel/youtube.com of course. Any American entertainment website. Apple itunes chart as well.
Forgot, Justin Bieber’s agent/producer just signed him on. I am not a fan just saying.
psy is not household name in america.i know bi-rain more than psy.alot of americans can t stand that oppa song or psy.
@Val, I don’t think so. It’s just a fun catchy song that a lot of people who hear it like it.
Errr, I wouldn’t say Psy is a household name in America. That would be insane rubbish like Jersey Shore and Honey Boo Boo, maybe even not that. A household name breakthrough is Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. Psy is at most the first Korean performer to break into mainstream media coverage, but I doubt the housewives, grandmas, and overworked American dads in Wisconsin know who he is. Their kids probably do, which means Psy is a hit with folks of a certain age or predilection to follow American pop culture. Anyhoo, Gangnam Style will be gone the same way the Macarena said adios. Psy is a beyond talented rapper (hello? Berklee College of Music grad we’re talking about here), but it’ll be hard for him to find long lasting success in the US market.
Yeah, i agree with koala on that. Psy isn’t a household name in America. Yes, he did a little gangnam style and it went viral, but he is on a whole different level. I don’t mean to say that he won’t be successful in the American market signing a contract and all, but this is all just temporary.
psy a is a household name in america.which america .not the one i live in
Before I even read any of your words, I thought Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Am I surprised? Not really. Ever since I saw Kang Ho Dong interview him on a variety show, I knew he was out there. I accept it. That doesn’t mean I condone the purple suit and the curled hair extensions. Maybe he needs to start going to fashion shows so he can learn to channel this desire to dress with … flare.
I would have written him off by now too, but I love the sound of his speaking voice. I’ve always fast-forwarded through him singing though.
Does anyone else fast-forward through the seemingly obligatory scene in a Kdrama when the male lead croons a solo to the female lead, usually while playing the piano or guitar?
Hahaha, and more hahhahaha.
“dressed like a cross between Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter” – That is EXACTLY what I thought the instant I saw that top picture!!
I keep remembering DramaBeans recap of the episode of Murupak Dosa (Knee-Drop Guru) where Jang Geun-seok was the guest and was so wacky.
My love for JGS drifted far far away. This boy who I used to follow where his career is headin’, the one I turn a blind eye to when he dresses awfully. I still adore him.. I do. But my fangirling days for him is over. I think my love for him can’t go on seeing him like that. I used to not like Seung-gi, now I love him. Oh boy, not that I’m comparing them, but I think LSG deserves more loving.
I think he’s spent a little too much time in Japan
I don’t know, I love Jang Geun Suk being crazy and weird. His music collaboration with Team H is awesome. He is probably the only Korean actor in whom I’m interested beyond his dramas. I’m happy he is breaking out of the mold by not just releasing cutesy Kpop songs like all the other Korean actors but actually doing something that interests him (DJing and clubbing and putting on these cool performances)
Looks like he’s singing into a feather duster.
What if I’m just that old fogey who is appalled by his need to express himself?
You’re not old or a fogey..and even if you were, what in the world IS he trying to express here??….ok,even if I were to forget the way he is dressing himself these days or that atrocious hair (I GIVE UP!)…I don’t think there’s much to debate about with regard to his acting choices…I mean this was the guy that was my #1 fav after YAB…even though I wasn’t looking forward to that particular drama(because I thought he could do something more challenging at that point), it was funny and I loved him there…and then I even bore MSOAN for him and MGY unni…but Shitty Rain? You’re My ****???…and all these absurd concerts?? I do think he’s got singing talent, but he’s hardly a musical genius and I don’t think his popularity in Japan will last an eternity…the only reason I haven’t thrown in the towel yet is because I know he’s still got that acting talent in there…but I won;t have any love left for him if he doesn’t pick anything good
Koala – I’m with you, sister! Maybe I just don’t “get” him. I still watch (and enjoy!) his dramas, but maybe I’m drifting into ajumma-hood where some of his gimmicks & outfits don’t make sense. LOL! But hey – give him credit for being different and celebrating his individuality instead of being another cookie cutter flower boy. 😎
Thank you ‘re beautiful. This my favorite drama that remind me like him. He’s truely star that continue stronge charm. That’s what i like. I’m thinking so hard for artist. Now, i’m not his fan but sometime ,i alway to see his news . He is make me respect him , it’s not joke when he ‘s dress up but this his style. It’s okay. When saw him islike crazy , i’m hope people not laught.I’m hope him will continue find light. I will wait new from him.
I have read his interviews and saw some vidoes, and he just turns me off.
His looks also helps.
But he is turning more and more like a diva.
He even said on a interview he wanted to lose some fat he had in his tummy
(but thing is he has no fat to lose!) and everyone was shocked, he was acting like a girl.
YES! Ms.Koala, before I started reading what you wrote, my first thought after seeing the picture was- Mad Hatter+Willy Wonka. Then I read your comments, and you said EXACTLY what was on my mind! 😀
OMG! I thought I was the only one disappointed and sick of him…
Don’t get me wrong, I loved him in You’re Beautiful but everything after that has just been a mistake.
As for his mode of dress…MEH! It does make you wonder if he is waiting to come out.
Maybe he is burnt out or his agency is making him do weird stuff. Maybe in a few years (or sooner) he will mature and work on picking better projects.
I love this kid. His wacky persona that verges a bit on diva just entertains me. Totally love in in YAB, it will be hard for him, in my opinion, to have a more iconic role than that. He just owned that character from start to finish. I watched Mary and just sort of had my jaw drop in horror at the train wreck it became. (Wasn’t there some behind the scenes drama w/that one? As an actor when he signs on for a project there is no way he can control that.)
I watched My Pet cringing the whole time. So bad. And I skipped all the 70s episodes of Love Rain and watched the modern times ones as they came out. I think Love Rain was actually a really solid drama, it wasn’t his normal target audience, which is probably where some of the backlash is from, but his acting was spot on. His acting in all of these projects was never in question.
Yeah, he totally could use another really mainstream, movie? or drama. I did really like Baby and Me. He does comedy really well, and that is totally something to be encouraged. But it needs to be something I can laugh with and not cringe at like him as MoMo. ugh.
I have to disagree. So what ..he’s young, beautiful and living his life in an outlandish fabulous way. Maybe for shock value? Who knows. He’s still an extremely creative artist. Who cares if he’s maybe gay, unpredictable, Lady Gaga-esque …it’s his call. I still dig him and hope he comes back to drama-land utilizing his great acting chops. I actually enjoy his music,too. I wish him happiness & much success.
Oh, give him a break…he hit a wall, he will come out soon of this phase…
I HOPE!!!
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I say You’re Beautiful is the show that lead him into this situation.
Ever since YAB, he’s been sporting this weird style.
Mhahahahahahha
He have a great style as Tae Kyung!!! I love him in that!! And in Mary Stayed Out All Night, he was all right with all the “bohemian’ look!! But in You’re my pet, he was okay, but in Love Rain? OMG, what the heck happened there?? He is LOST!! He is like Tom Hank in “Castaway”!!! I wonder if he have Wilson o William? mhahahahha
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