Lee Min Ho Sits Through a College Lecture for Heirs
Here’s come more Lee Min Ho in Heirs! Honestly, the promotional deluge from The Inheritors has been nothing short of exhausting, though I’m hardly blaming anyone since I choose to follow along gamely. I suppose one can look at it from another angle and argue that the promotion has been on point so far considering that Heirs has got double the well known hot young actors and actresses in its cast compared to your average K-drama. So double the promotional kick for double the pretty cast? I think this drama will never get a fair shot on its own merits no matter what it does. I’ll try to judge on quality but whatever I say will be questioned by those who see it differently as my biases coming into play. I’ve come to think that quality doesn’t even matter anymore, this thing will rake in the dough every which way. Which is a bit disappointing since writer Kim Eun Seok has the capacity for genuine intelligent fare, but if Heirs turns out all sorts of amazing then I’ll be first in line to doff my cap to her rising to high expectations and proving the naysayers wrong. I was pretty charmed by Lee Min Ho’s last batch of official stills from Heirs where he was seen with his trusty surfboard headed into the waves. It was the first set of stills with his character that really felt alive and popped, rather than just seeing Lee Min Ho with a new haircut looking pretty.
These new stills with his character Kim Tan in what looks like a college classroom (filmed at the University of Redlands) are mostly underwhelming. He looks so stand-offish with the scene, and don’t even ask me what a high school student from Korea is doing taking college classes in the US, unless the drama posits Kim Tan is an overachieving gifted prodigy who is grade levels above his age. I can see what he’s doing – taking class and then going up to ask the professor a question – but it comes across as really staged and awkward. K-dramas have never really filmed overseas in a way where foreign actor scenes didn’t make me cringe, but it’s not a shortcoming unique to K-dramas as plenty of Hollywood shows flat out suck at depicting other cultures especially Asians in Asia that doesn’t scream exotic stereotyping. My only gripe is that an awkward scene ruins the flow and takes the viewer out of the moment, and really I want to just soak up the pretty scenes and prettier people in Heirs and not be laughing at awkward Engrish and community college acting class dropouts roped in as extras for Heirs. I’m kinda getting used to Lee Min Ho’s shaggy-ish hair style though, it’s got a relaxed charm that I like.
he is so not 18 years old. why not a college student instead. i just don’t understand.
We will have a time jump (and maybe more than one). HS, college then back to SK to deal with the Family Businesses. The adult actors often play their younger version themselves in K dramas, nothing really new here.
This could be only Promo Buzz but it’s said that LMH speaks english correctly. We’ll see how it goes.
“It’s okay, baby” sounds pretty good to me…LOL!
I would not be surprised if we had at least one time jump. I had been thinking the same thing for a while. That would totally make sense, and that happens often in Kdramas.
This college scene would seem much less misplaced if he had just been a college student from korea. We have tons of those students at my university.
You don’t even see highschool students in college let alone foreign exchange highschool students in college. Suddenly, i am peeved.
How hard was it to make them college students? They are obviously trying to appeal to a certain demographic.
I’m just a fan who loves to read previews on this website. I’m not an avid fan of any k- actors or actresses.
However, I must comment that ockaola is over prejudiced against both the lead actor and actress of Heirs.
To be fair, ockaola should not be overly negative in her comments on this drama even before it is aired. Her negative reviews has definitely and unfairly dampened viewers’ anticipation. In my opinion both LMH and PSH are great actor and actress. We should applaud them for their hard work.
I beg to differ, I think all the hooplas are going to encourage most viewers to at least look into watching the first 2 episodes regardless of Koala providing a negative or positive review of the leads. Her opinion regarding this drama has been overly blown out of proportion by fans who wanted to protect their respective K-actors/actresses. I guess their sense of loyalty compels them to do so but somehow they loose some rationality in the process… they can just simply state that they disagree with Koala and give a reason (in a calm manner) but they chose to personalized it and be offended. I for one like both leads, one is an eye candy that can surprise me with his acting and the other is a promising young actress. However, just because my opinion differ from Koala does not mean I should be offended by her comments. I will still watch the drama when it airs, but if both leads bore me with their acting or the writer decides to go crazy on me, I will drop this drama despite my bias.
There MUST be something wrong with your processing chip!! :/
As AMOF she absolutely loves PSH!!!
(Why am I replying?) ugh
I’m also a fan of drama and enjoy reading Koala’s previews. Mind you, this is her ‘playground’, her website and I can appreciate her views, I don’t always agree, but then that’s okay. I still watch whatever drama that interests me and trash-talk back at the screen when it goes to crap…it’s entertainment. No offense intended, but life does exist outside of the realm of K-drama…that’s a hint for those who are a tad bit overly vested in the lives of actors/actresses/idols.
Kdrama, perhaps you haven’t been around the Playground long enough to realize that Koala’s pretty well versed and informed in drama land. She writes it as she sees fit. Whether I agree or not with her statements does not give me, as the reader, the authority to tell her how to write. This is her blog; if you do not care to read, then go to other sites that will cater to your expectations and viewpoint. Or perhaps you’d like to set up your own site, and write only positive thoughts. In my own mind, I think Koala’s keeping her expectations low since there hasn’t been much quality dramas out there recently. Also, as a reader, I will choose what to watch and drop, not based solely on what Koala says but upon my own feels for the drama. In the meantime, just soak up the tidbits we get from her and enjoy it!
Also, Koala – thank you for your blogging. I enjoy it very much, so please disregard the haters, and keep on fighting! 😉
Do you really think there is going to be the slightest dent in the rabid popularity of LMH and PSH by anything that is said here? Are you so thin-skinned that even the slightest criticism gets you upset? Both PSH and LMH have people hanging on their every word, every photograph, fangirls everywhere worship at their feet – and you get upset because a few people may have a couple of reservations about their abilities or performances?
I can say that LMH skates by on charm rather than talent and that PSH is talented but tends to rely too much on the same sorts of roles and expressions, and they will smile at such critiques all the way to the bank.
Do you really think they aren’t going to survive unless they get some other poor sod to “applaud them for their hard work”? Give me a break.
Yes Kdrama we’ll said
I also think that these stills are from later episodes after the high school is over. He is taking management classes in college here which is impossible before high school. Or unless he is a genius like you said.
SPOILER SPECULATION-
I think Choi Jin-hyuk’s character will die and Kim-tan will take over the business, just like in King2Hearts.
I kind of doubt kim eun sook is going to go there for a highschool drama, but that would definitely add alot more depth to kim tan’s growth as it did to Jae Ha’s.
Yeah I don’t think Kim Eun Sook is going to go there. It’s just not the same kind of drama. Besides, I think that CJH and LMH are half-brothers. Maybe LMH is just the favored son so he’s going to take over? I don’t think that they would cast Choi Jin Hyuk while he was so acclaimed after GFB only to kill him off.
dear ockoala
thanks very much for all your lightning effort in posting latest news on LMH and PSH. irregardless whether pos. or neg. ones, it is still much appreciated. just adore those two! please keep them coming… yay!!
is it just me or the first pic of lee min ho, he looks like takuya kimura…oh well, this is ockoala’s blog, so whatever her opinion is, we have no right to bash on it. I almost always not comment on whatever ockoala writes on her blog, but I always enjoy reading it.So I just hope that we should respect each others opinion and not bash on its other. that is why there is a COMMENT section so that ockoala can also hear our opinion. So I hope that the “fans” should have a little restrain on bashing the blogger, rather just state your opinion regarding the drama. But of course not everyone has that restrain.Nyway, whaterver ockoala writes, i would definitely love to read it so i hope that the news about this drama will keep on going especially that I love almost all the characters of the drama , and same with the writer, but in every drama there will always be flaws. So whether we agree or not agree on her opinion lets just enjoy the drama and lets just see how the story goes. Thanks for the updates!
I agree. This is her blog. Even in my blog i wrote everything that i like or dislike. If people disagree then i am not responsible for that because i am just being honest in what i feel or see.
Hmm. Looking for the Kimura Takuya resemblance… he’s got the smouldery glare thing going on, a KimuTaku trademark, but LMH has larger features and stronger cheekbones. They both rock the hairstyles, though.
Im with u koala ! Cuz my concern is lee min ho and I dont care what the story turns to be ! Thanks for the updates
He’s done something to his chin and lower jaw. I was trying to figure why he looks so different from his BOF days, why his face looks rounded somehow. Previously, his lower jaw jutted a bit. Now it’s been corrected. He was damn fine looking to begin with, but now, he just looks too perfect – even a little androgynous.
Lol funny
Oh i thought he put on weight coz he seem chubby on the face but not his body
Agree. He’s actually quite lean and judging by the surfing shots – muscular too. But the face – just doesn’t gel. Anyway – still great looking.
i just thought he gained weight.
Thanks. I kept sensing there was something different about his looks but couldn’t figure out what.. Now that you mentioned the possible jaw and chin job, I think there may be something done around the eyes & brows too (though the latter would be such a ‘common’ cosmetic procedure nowadays) – it feels different. And androgynous is it – to the point where it’s a little uncomfortable to look at him now..
Why do they think they need to “correct” their faces when it’s the little differences that give their faces character? Most of them look pretty hot to begin with.
Worst English for prolonged agony was Love Story in Harvard. I have to give them credit for trying, but it lasted for soooo many episodes.
In the US, you are right, they prolly do get their extras from community colleges. The sometimes English speaking whitish extras in SK, I always have the impression they pulled them out of bars and clubs. They just look so haggard. LOL
Can we/you put odds on the possibilities that this could be good?
Or that it could be crack – Crack isn’t good necessarily? Sometimes putting all that pretty onto the crazy wheel that spins outta control makes the BEST viewing experience.
I loved Fashion King. Loved> watching it and yelling at the screen. Couldn’t wait for the next episode and did very little fforwarding. It was horrible, but fascinating. And LJH, sigh, what a face and lips. My worst complaint about a show is if it is boring. When Man Loves wasn’t great, but it was good.
Here is my prediction for Heirs’ Chances of:
* Crackness overall, as in won’t be able to look away 98%
* Strong start out of the gate 80%
* Good recovery because of sheer will of the actors to make this work 95%
* WTF in the middle – 99%
* Strong performances/but soppy tears towards the end 95%
* Cute, fanservice end that ties up everythng 100%
I can’t wait to find out how wrong I am!
jomo, I think your predictions are right on the money, especially the first one. I know it’s going to be a cracktastic mess – huge cast, immense hype, lots of non-acting idols – but we will watch it anyway. And I agree with you, too, that I want it too be good, or I want to it be bad, I just don’t want it boring.
The same way you felt about Fashion King, I felt about Ooh La La Spouses; that show got me so angry, I was literally hopping up and down – but I wasn’t bored!
Well, at least Lee Min Ho looks hot in his white shirt Koalas ;p I just hope Heirs can living up its own hype since i really love all of Heirs cast *yes, even Krystal*
The vibe I’m getting from Lee Min Ho from those stills reminds me of City Hunter. He doesn’t look like a high schooler at all.
But I’m a fan of the actors, and so, whether I like the drama or not, I will be watching it to the end even if it bores me to tears or insults my sense as a viewer. I sat through all the episodes of Heartstrings and Faith. After watching those dramas, I think I have the strength to not leave Heirs until the end.
Just want to add that you can be a high school student and take college courses but i think thats only for community colleges. So you guys maybe right on the extras being community college students
No, you can dual-enroll. It’s not just for community colleges; State colleges take high school and homeschool students.
Why do Koreans have such a distorted view of America? Most college campuses in CA are 50% Asians. I can’t believe they took out all the Asians in those shots.
First off…. i have only just been a lurker here for a few months but i am now moved to say something since i am getting a bit tired of people telling ockoala what to post ON HER VERY OWN BLOG! PLEASE just say you have a different opinion and then state what that is. No need to feel like you have been attacked or worse being the blog police… i for one am grateful for ockoala for any news about kdrama and getting the discussion ball rolling…thank you ockoala…
can’t wait for 09/10!
So exciting to see Min-ho in his new role! ^^