It’s understandable that the upcoming KBS Wed-Thurs drama Pretty Boy is getting the most attention for being a Jang Geun Seok drama, but I think the two leading ladies have to hold their own otherwise this thing will collapse on the weight of some mighty narcissism. A bunch of new stills have been released along with confirmation that the drama premieres on December 4th. Right now PB has a cushy spot since its lead-in drama Secret is becoming quite the mania hit. It’s the ratings leader for that time slot up against Heirs and Medical Top Team, but it also has quite a lot of buzz about its story line. Looks like Korea’s appetite for makjang knows no boundaries, but that is not going to help PB since its genre is one that typically has a very weak showing in ratings. PM is a manhwa-adapted drama, and in recent years most of those have flopped ranging from To the Beautiful You, Playful Kiss, and Tamra the Island. Production company Group 8 has produced some of those flops, but also produced the rare successes like Goong and Boys Before Flowers. PB is another Group 8 produced drama so based on track record it could go either way. In terms of the cast, Jang Geun Seok hasn’t had a ratings hit in pretty much forever, he gets a lot of buzz but hasn’t managed to translate that into people watching him on TV.
IU (along with Suzy) has been Korea’s new Nation’s Little Sister (courtesy of Moon Geun Young who is probably relieved to pass the baton and scrutiny on) for the last year but was herself hit with a bit of scandal of her own recently. But her weekend drama The Best Lee Soon Shin managed to garner great ratings despite the universally panned story line. I don’t think either seconds leads Lee Jang Woo or Han Chae Young can be relied on to bring in any considerable fanbase to the viewership, so it really all comes down to story and whether the domestic audience will tune in to watch Jang Geun Seok play a playboy out to seduce 10 women and IU as the slighty daffy and crazy in love girl who toddles behind him. I really need to watch this drama to understand what its supposed to appeal to, because on paper it sounds so unpalatable. Based on the latest stills, the drama appears to be playing up the extreme difference between icy femme fatale Han Yoo Ra and earnest dorky Kim Bo Tong. There are also new pictures showing the meeting of male lead Dokko Ma Te with Bo Tong back in their high school days, with Jang Geun Seok sporting long flowing locks in a simple white shirt and jeans. I don’t know why some of his fans insist he’s going to stick with his word and cut his hair if the role requires, because in this drama his long hair look appears to be a flashback but in the present he’s just going to tie it back like in the posters. I’ll be the first to cheer if that hair goes, but I’m not holding my breath for it.
FIGHTING!!! .. waiting for your drama !!! .. JKS!!! you are a great actor!! .. all the best! 🙂
It’s going to be so nice to have JGS back.
HCY looks so plastic….
@sophie
HCY only did double eyelid surgery. btw, which korean actor do u think is a good actor? what about jang geun suk?
Definitely agree that even if the lead in from secret is great, this probably wont do well in the ratings. Maybe heirs can finally make a move and at least live up to SBS’s expectations. I mean, I’m sure they expected this to, at the very very minimum, break 15 right? Its the 10th episode with only 10 more to go, and it is yet to move out of the 11-13 range.
Also… I didnt know MGY was known as the nation’s little sister!?! I always assumed it was Yoona or IU recently. Who’s the make counterpart then? These tags confuse me even if i’m curious about them.
Lee Seung Gi i presume to be the male counterpart, as nation’s little brother.
Or son-in-law. All the ahjummas adore him.
Yea, definitely Seung-gi is nations little brother. I haven’t heard that tag used for anyone else in years.
The ladies keep changing though. Yoona was huge, MGY as well and before them I think it was KTH. Suzy is first love or something like that. Korea surely loves their tags lol.
@Gem @ilikemangos
a couple of Korean stars got nicknames. MGY = the nation’s little sister, lee seung gi= the nation’s little brother (maybe), and kim bum = the korean legolas (mentioned in the news over the summer).
Just out of curiosity… how popular is Jang Geun Suk in Korea? Reading news from English language websites can lead us to think that he’s really famous, but I guess it’s just that his international (and Japanese) fanbase is huge? Like Ms Koala said, his dramas weren’t that popular in Korea (except for Hwang Jin Yi, but he was playing a small role), so is he really as popular and well loved in his homeland, enough to make people tune in? Or is it the international fanbase and constant headlines about him that makes he looks more popular than he really is?
@mawiie
surprisingly, jang geun suk’s NOT well liked in korea. the ratings for his dramas are low in korea. i’m suprised he’s not considered one of top stars in his home country bcuz he’s a good actor and singer. on the bright side, he’s popular in other asian countries and internationally. good for him 🙂
@min
one more thing…i agree A list cast cannot save a bad drama, but remember that good actors also have impact on drama’s ratings. for example, one of reasons why boys over flowers is good is because of lee min ho’s impressive acting skills as gu jun pyo.
He may not be very popular in Korea but that is not the reason why his dramas got low rating
Actors hardly affect the ratings. If the drama is good, the rating will be good. If the drama is bad, even A list cast won’t save it. Some of the big names have good ratings because they are famous now, people are giving them more scripts. they get to choose dramas that has high budget, good writers good script and director.
Not sure if i will like this drama. But definitely will watch it.
@min
another K-actor not that popular in Korea is kim bum. he always get supporting role and his acting needs improvement. however, he’s a good singer so people can’t deny he’s talented. he’s popular in other asian countries and internationally. i’m glad for him too 🙂
i hope jang geun suk’s new drama is gonna be good. his fans are looking forward to his comeback.
@ j Kriss
For got to mention…I believe JGS and Kim bum R both innocent. Them nasty rumors bout them ain’t true at all. kim bum said dat people makin up lies bout him. I believe JGS got nothing to do wit dat stupid sex scandal. I think they both nice guys and greatly misunderstood. oh well, they both popular around Asia and internationally, especially JGS. can’t wait 4 their next dramas!
Jang Geun Suk has been in the business for long years now, its unrealistic to say that Koreans don’t know the name Jang Geun Suk. He was once dubbed as a CF King in Korea like others. He is being featured in their entertainment news like any other top stars in Korea, though maybe some koreans may not be interested with what’s going on with him but the fact that reporters & networks still share news about him means they still acknowledged him as one their stars worthy of news. After all he’s one of their biggest Hallyu stars. Hwang Jin Yi is actually the drama that turned him from being a child actor into an adult one. He did other popular dramas like Hong Gil Dong, Beethoven Virus (took second lead role in both while leading in films like Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do & Baby & I).
Hallyu stage yes he’s definitely doing well, he is in the Top Three Korean Actors of the recent 10th Anniversary Korean Entertainment Awards Japan & earning the top spot in the recent survey (2013) as the Most Popular Regional Artist (Asia).
@j kriss
because of JGS’s talent with acting and singing, i’m surprised when he said during interview that he is not well liked in Korea. on netizenbuzz, they talked trash saying he’s rude, conceited, obnoxious. they shouldn’t judge him that way. i enjoy his dramas. they’re good, but have low ratings in Korea, which doesn’t make sense. anyway, i support jgs because of his talent and international fame. wish him luck in his new drama.
@xxxx Jang Keun Suk knows very well the difference of his popularity between his home country & abroad. And he has taken that as a challenge to keep doing his best. He has also resigned to the fact that not everybody would appreciate the path that he chose, he’d rather not go along with the mainstream expectation of how should a korean actor behaves or appear in public. Example he’s open with his smoking & clubbing but a typical Korean actor would not dare show that part of himself (being normal) in public. When Lee Bo Young mentioned in her interview that rising star Lee Jong Suk must not smoke for three hours prior to their kissing scenes, the audience were surprised, and Lee Bo Young goes like “Am I not supposed to say that?” JKS parents at first were against his idea of seriously launching a project Team H with Kurt (Big Brother) for fear of his reputation as an actor but in the end they consented. Team H so far has released 3 full albums (Lounge H vol. 1, First Impression, Just Wanna Have Fun) and I heard he is preparing another 1 for next year. As for the netizens (korean) bashing him, he accept that already as part of his life and from what I remembered he still insist that he didn’t do anything wrong to merit their dislike of him which I agree because there is nothing wrong with being straightforward, being vocal about your dreams, to express yourself freely. Those close to him would say that he was greatly misunderstood one of them Park Shin Hye.
I admire Jang Keun Suk for his courage to be different, his determination and being able to succeed inspite of all the odds.
@j Kriss
Sorry for interferin’ but I agree wit ur coment. I like jang geun suk cuz he can act, he can sing. He’s good. I feel bad dat JGS and kim bum R both not well liked in Korea. netizens(korean) talk shit bout kim bum too. They sayin he rude, conceited, “beat up people????” Since he got big from BOF, he did NOT do anything’ wrong. Kim bum is misunderstood too. I know his acting ain’t that good but he will get leading role someday. And like XXXX mentioned, kim bum can sing so the dude got talent. Oops, sorry for goin off topic….back to JGS, I excited to see Pretty Man. JGS got my support. Hope his dramam gonna be a success!
I don’t know that about Kim Bum, but I read from one of his interviews that he had set up his own agency was it true? I’m not sure, but if its true, there we can see the pattern that korean nets would hate anyone as young like KB or JGS to have their own agency & be independent, and to be able to decide for themselves & not to be subjected to agency’s rule for example –not dating unless you have reached the age of 30 or to go to club without their approval or even what to say in the interview etc. etc.
@j kriss
i’m not sure if kim bum set up his own agency, but i feel bad people talk trash about his image. in an interview back then, kim bum said people makin’ up LIES about him. Korean netizens are so mean bcuz they’re bashing Jang Geun Suk and Kim Bum, but there is NO evidence to the rumors they “make up”. I’m just glad that kim bum is still popular overseas. He gets more respect from his other Asian fans from Japan, thailand, vietnam, etc. he even got international fans from peru, mexico, and other countries.
Jang geun suk is a bigger star in Japan than Korea. Other Asian countries appreciate his talent. I hope JGS and KB can ignore the trash talking netizens and have successful careers. I hope JGS’s Pretty Man become a big hit. and I hope Kim Bum will finally get main leading role in his next “big hit” drama…wish them both the best!
How could he be supper hottest man of the world while he looks like a girl !
Why does it seem like Han Chae Young slathers on more make up with age?
I miss her natural look.
I miss her Chun Hyang days too. 🙁
She’s always been tagged as Korea’s Barbie Doll or something, and I read somewhere that what DGCH’s PD did (hide her smexiness and give her a sassy, high-school feel) was actually out of the norm for Chae Young
Too bad that out-of-the-norm drama of hers was what I loved best…
Every time I see JGS with long hair, I feel like knocking some sense into him. I liked him in everything up to You’re Beautiful.
Han Chae Young looks smokin’!
dear ms koala:
i love you and your website to death and while you might be right about Korea’s appetite for makjang, SECRET is actually no run of the mill makjang. it is really quite a gripping drama in the INNOCENT MAN vein and while with 4 episodes to go it may turn makjangee… at this point it is a psychologically complex melo. with a menage – a- quartre rendering strong performances. definitely deserves to be the ratings leader in that group given the competition.
I agree. Secret totally deserves its leadership in this time slot. I have seen all three.
I am not quite sure what it requires to be called a makjang (it’s quite negative term, right?), but Secret develops the characters in a great way. They are not bad or good to begin with. It’s the decisions they make at some point that turns their actions to be for example evil and therefore becoming evil themselves. One bad decision / action requires another one and another one… Secret has believable characters who act on what they think they have to do. Even if you not agree with them (you want to yell at them or punch some sense into them at times),but you always understand where they come from, even if it takes one or two eps to get the reasons. The story is well developed, too. Despite the fact that the summary sounds not so great (to say it nice) and makjang type. And right here is my hope for the follow up PB. The story sounds a little bit ridicules, even for rom-com, but I do have great expectations for the characters, the cast and the story.
And yes show, please, wright a scene where he has to cut his hair. IU did it in advance and now it’s his turn to do it on air.
Agree with the comments on Secret being good. I started it a few days ago because Heirs was boring me to death, and I’m pretty impressed, what with it being written by a rookie. I’ve yet to check out MTT, but for now secret deserves to be the leader in the slot.
JGS never starred as a lead in a ratings hit drama right? Even you’re beautiful wasn’t well rated as far as my memory goes. It does surprise me – like someone did mention above – because he’s a good actor, but wasn’t popular in Korea even before the weird streak happened.
Anyhoo, I think this could do well because IU is big right now. Or maybe not. I have long given up on predicting ratings. But the secret lead in could help.
Um.. Can someone explain what makjang is? I always read that word but don’t seem to get it.. *goes back to her cave*
It’s a kdrama type (genre?) that is over dramatic with illogical plot twists… err… something like:
– You fall in love with your brother’s killer
– Who turns out to be your real brother, because his dad just stole him from your mother after his cousin was raped by your mother’s uncle
– You find this out at the altar, right when you’re about to get married
– You part ways only to discover that you’re pregnant
– And your initially dead brother is actually alive and WAS actually your real brother (he faked his killer being your brother, so you wouldn’t get married to him)
– You hate your real brother’s guts and try to chase after your fiancee
– Only to discover that he got in an accident and couldn’t remember you
– You leave him and find out later that he DOES remember you. But he has cancer and he didn’t want to burden you
… and, well, you can guess the rest.
LOL hahahaha 🙂 very well explained. you should write screenplays for (this type of) dramas
OMG — that was more makjangee than anything i have ever seen and boy have i seen my share!
IU has actually been quite popular and acknowledged as “nation’s little sister” for years now, well before suzy got popular as “nation’s first love” it’s just that drama fans won’t really know her unless they watched dream high or variety shows (and more recently, you’re the best lee soon shin) cuz she’s more active in the music scene
Right now it seems like she’s just trying to reestablish her popularity after it took a huge dip through one of last year’s biggest scandals by doing dramas and coming out with a new album
to all the people who say its CLICHE !! o,k so you’r beautiful heartstring boys over flowers , playful kiss , , …..etc where all damn CLICHE and yet people watched it like crazy ?!! and jgs dramas are always in the top of the most watched drama’s so ..yeah ,, people will watch this for sure , no body watch tv any more. JGS is crazy famous in asia this drama will be a huge hit internationally for him , he has eels all over the world supporting him , and cant wait to this drama .
You ms.koala never tired of showing sarcasm n indirect bashing to JGS right ?
Then why do u consider writing anything about him jus to show off ur attitude that u don’t like him.
There is not much difference btwn u n the those Korean who r desperate for ratings j measure success n talents of a artist only thru ratings. Booo wat losers.
I will not start blabbering abt JGS here as nobody can deny that his acting skills are great. He is one of the finest actors in Korea. Kim soo Hyun himself idolizes JGS fr his acting n multi talented skills as a Entertainer.
The reason y You’re beautiful had minimal ratings was due to competition from Iris which attracted the ahjummas more than the cute Rom com….not becoz the story was bad nor coz of the actors. The casting was one of the best till date , It jus shows the typical mindset of ppl like u that’s it ,who can grow hate for no reason. Jus for the sake of it.
FYI JGS was a popular child artist n as a teenager he featured in hit movies n as second lead in Hong Gil Dong n BV both were hit in Korea if only ratings r considered fr ppl like u.
The fact that Jgs is loved by millions of ppl itself shows that his talents are at no fault nor all of his dramas were bad. MMM n LR had weak storylines I won’t blame Korean viewers for that ,but both the shows had their own spark and that’s y they are popular internationally.
Looks like u’d b the first one to celebrate if the drama doesn’t do well with ratings Afterall u are hell bent on calling it a flop already digging the history of k dramas LOL .
As for IU lol there’s noway she’s gonna help this drama she is jus another idol to gain youngsters to watch online , at the end of the day she’s the one who’ll b known to ppl bcoz of JGS , esp in Japan lol I heard she postponed the release of her j album hahaha no wonder , she wants to cash JGS fame -.-
FYI IU is no longer any nations sister lol after her endless scandals once with pics once with plagiarism accusations Koreans took that title sway long back….which world are u ppl living in ?
More than JGS Koreans hated IU for being in the show asking her not to Act XP
They have no problem with JGS doing this drama , they have a problem for IU being on it , so yeah I Will not b wondered if that affects the ratings. PM team already made profits with JGS name in many countries , so yeah basically they don’t give a damn to ratings no matter wat JGS will continue to shine for the ppl who love his talents n he will continue working harder n will always remain as the best actor in any drama/movie he stars in.
omg who are you sister?!! you are amazing ?!!! thank you for saying all i want to say , you are a really great eels , i agree in all you said just forget about all haters and just keep supporting him like right now and plz know that their are alot of eels who love jgs to death and i’m one of them , so i’m sure jgs don’t care about all of this , so dont worry he knows he is the best 🙂