The second teaser for Sword and Flower (The Blade and Petal) was released today after Mandate of Heaven and I almost flipped out of my chair in excitement. It looks sooooo good. And not just good in that trifecta possibility of acting excellence, directing prowess, and narrative intrigue, it also looks good in ways that mirror the best period dramas from Hong Kong and China way back when those countries actually produced good romance period dramas with great martial arts action sequences. This is the best of both worlds, which really was what Damo was supposed to usher in when it started the fusion sageuk trend but by and large Korea hasn’t really gotten the formula right. I worry a bit that this drama will pile on the romance of the star-crossed Romeo and Juliet variety so thick one might feel turned off by it. But then I see the two daddies played by Choi Min Soo and Kim Young Chul respectively and that worry is alleviated a bit since their intensity can slice through cheese and evaporate the sticky sweetness of most K-drama love stories. I want more epic fight scenes, more smart strategizing, more carefully deliberated hard decisions, more sense versus sensibility. So far the OTP of Kim Ok Bin and Uhm Tae Woong are sizzling and utterly gorgeous apart and together. This one looks like a winner so let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Second teaser for Sword and Flower:
oooooooh me likey
Wow this is the first time I’ve ever thought uhm tae woong looked hot and he looks really hot, long hair works for him
This is actually the first k-drama i’ll be seeing uhm tae woong in even though i’ve known him for quite some time now. I’m actually looking forward to this.
Some actors/actresses with such long resumes and yet, i’ve never come to watch any of their projects even though i watch several k-dramas.
I just wondered, how his hair stays up, when he is hanging upside down. 😛
But yeah, this teaser looks really good.
Now that’s how you do a trailer, Goddess of Fire. It’s amazing how many sageuks we’ve had this year from the big 3 but I haven’t watched a decent one yet. Omg this looks fantastic, exactly my kind of thing. And our heroine is a badass archer!! How awesome is that. The cast is top notch, directing looks gorgeous, and the music is perfect. I’m so excited for this show it’s unreal.
Wow looks beautiful!
Oh God, looks amazing. Visual style of the teaser made me think of The Duelist for some reason.
Me likey. A lot.
Which worries me, as the dramas I like tend to tank in the ratings game 🙁
I’m excited. Let’s all cross our fingers and hope that this one will be a winner. Kim Ok-bin looks stunning. And the Uhmforce is very handsome!
Wooaaa so excited! Seems look like some wuxia chineses movie XD
Crossing fingers for a drama that meets and hopefully exceeds expectations.
I don’t know how good Koreans are when it comes to martial arts though. You can’t rely everything on good directing and cinematography when your actors are as stiff as card boards.
I don’t think you need to be worried about Kim Ok-bin, though; she’s a black belt in Taekwondo and also does boxing, I think she’ll be doing well in the martial arts…
Oooh. That’s good to hear.
Sometimes, it is actually those agile and flexible dancers who make fight scenes look very dramatic. Zhang Zhiyi is a dancer I believe and so is Takeru Sato (Rurouni Kenshin). Well, it really depends on what kind of fight scenes this drama is aiming for. I just noticed the flying sequences that I thought of HK-like fight scenes.
Gaksital never made me a fan. The thing that turned me off are the fight sequences during the first few episodes (especially the first one). Not really that fluid. Sorry. (**don’t throw tomatoes on me!**)
Nevertheless, the trailer looks promising. I love the lighting and camera angles!
But there are some very good ones out there. Think Lee Jun Ki, who got black belts in three different martial arts.
I am LOVING the quality of the trailers; based on the first trailer I saw, I hope the drama maintains the “movie-like” feel…
Not too sure about the actions…the thing about kdramas are…they tend to start brightly then fizzle towards the end…
btw, they’re doing the slo-mo 360 degree rotation of attraction too? LOL.
UhmForce and Ok-Bin…both badass and in love
Me likey