Did Heirs turn out to be a good drama choice for Lee Min Ho? I’d say there is a good argument on either side that it helped him career and probably hindered his acting development. He’s still young and has plenty of opportunities ahead of him so I don’t begrudge that he picked a flimsy nonsensical idol drama to help his 2013 popularity once again sky rocket. I don’t Heirs is anywhere near the hysteria of Boys Before Flowers, and probably not even as popular as Kim Eun Sook‘s own Secret Garden was. But it was still very popular in Korea and abroad and Lee Min Ho recently attended the Baidu Fei Dian Awards in Beijing to receive the Asia Pacific Actor Award. I’m guessing this is a popularity award more than anything though it does speak to Lee Min Ho’s undeniable fandom in China to be invited to such a high profile awards show and receive a special award. Beyond Lee Min Ho being among all these top Chinese stars including Fan Bing Bing and Jackie Chan, I was way more interested in how he looked attending the event. I was so happy to see him shedding the Kim Tan look he’s been sporting for the last six months and going back to a more adult and edgy vibe. I loved his suit for the event which was fresh and fun not to mention he rocked it perfectly. His hair is also shorted and nicely styled, all in all it was a nice reminder of how hot he can look when he’s styled right. I’m forever of the belief that he his outfits were mostly hideous in Heirs other than the high school uniform. Lee Min Ho playfully posed for a kissy picture with Fan Bing Bing after she presented him with the award, and for some reason visually they remind me of when Lee Min Ho co-starred with Kim Hee Sun in Faith. I don’t think my laments with his performance in Heirs was all that frustrating since it was the writing that irked me more than anything. One of these days I might marathon Heirs again and see if it works better in one sitting.
Heirs was a good career choice for him in terms of increase in popularity and starpower, particularly in korea(he was already Big overseas). But not in terms of acting development. I hope through Gangnam Blues, he will be able to show his acting skills.
Also, i heard that he and Fan Bingbing will be collaborating in a film next year. Is it true?
I think he already became a big star in Korea after his Boys Before Flowers….
Yes but that was 5 years ago. So he really needed another domestic hit to regain that stardom. Heirs provided him that.
Ummm… the general Korean consensus is that the latter half of Heirs (the bit where he went all psycho and then cried a lot) showed that Lee Minho is not only one of the top stars of his generation (i.e. pre-army), but also quite a bit of an actor. I would agree that Heirs didn’t do anything for his development as an actor but it did act to demonstrate how much his acting had developed since Boys Before Flowers. Domestic wise, it also led to a lot of Korean boys and men finally recognizing the ‘it’ factor that he has; they’ve come to acknowledge that it’s not ALL about his pretty face.
No, it’s not ALL about his pretty face – just mostly. I’d say he had about two good episodes out of 47 (maybe it wasn’t that many, but it seemed like it at times). The person who really grabbed Heirs and ran with it was Kim Woo Bin, who also totally trounced Lee Min Ho in terms of acting prowess/ “it” factor.
Yes, most of the blame for Lee Min Ho’s understated (to be kind) or lackluster (if you are mean) performance can be laid at Kim Eun Sook’s door, but it is telling that LMH goes to China to grab some hardware and bask in the uncritical glow to lick his wounds (such as they are).
Bbbut…that doll. Isn’t it Jin Ho from Personal Taste?
Exactly I knew I saw this some where ! Lol
Ahhh im forever and ever and ever a fan ! I will travel thousands of miles juat to go see this guy call me crazy ! I loooooove min ho-ssi
He hates being called oppa*
Even if Heirs wasn’t that good of a drama, you’ll have to agree that it made LMH even more popular. He is one lucky fellow to have his picture clicked with Jackie Chan(OMG!). Heirs should now seem a blessing to him!
I think in a normal situation, I would have liked watching Heirs in one sitting like a good fluffy drama about chaebols. All the hype sort of made me shy away. I will probably watch it in a few months when it all dies down… somewhat.
Get away from my oppa, you shameless noona hussy in red!
The Heirs was definitely a hit but it did nothing foe Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye in terms of acting development.
It`s funny how this was Park Shin Hyes most successful year being lead of hit drama and huge hit movie, but still she somehow downgraded herself in terms of acting, letting girls like Go Ara and Yoona overshadow her with their performances.
I think both Min Ho and Shin Hye have to have strong acting performances in their next projects, none of this teen angst crap.I hope Gangnam Blues does that for Min Ho.
The funny thing is, PSH turned in an excellent performance at the start of 2013, in Flower Boy Next Door – it’s just that Heirs wrote her character and LMH’s so horribly that it even makes some fans (like me) question their love.
Flower Boy Next Door was just one more in line of Candy roles for Park Shin Hye.Don`t get me wrong, i loved her performance in FBND much more than The Heirs but it was still a role inside her comfort zone. She really needs a role where she will play a complete bitch or something just to change it up.
@flore – She did that already in Goong S, but she was only 17 and playing a 23/24 year old so her youth really did show – still, I felt like FBND was a definite step forward for her, ability-wise (compared to previous roles like Heartstrings etc). And she had a different persona for Cyrano too, I wish she’d explore that more and that her next role isn’t so Candy-like.
Heirs did more good to Kim Woo Bin than it did for Lee Min Ho seeing that most of Korean end of year articles tend to mention KWB’s name rather than LMH’s.
IKR. Who knows. Heirs may be reminding Korean people that LMH is still as popular, but for KWB, Heirs puts him on the map as one charismatic actor.
I’m pleasantly surprised by how many times he’s been mentioned and name dropped by many as a rising star or even star of the year since his character is so disturbingly mean that he would turn many people off. I’m particularly elated when Jeon Do-yeon mentioned him as a stand out amongst all new actors.
Same here! KWB was the reason I didn’t stop watching Heirs! I could watch his scenes all day! LOL
Oh, I meant to reply to Jay. 😛
Kim Woo Bin was a revelation of year for me. He is so charismatic and alluring a can`t even deal. Him and Joo Won are only two actors of new generation to make me go all gaga. I love Lee Min Ho but Woo Bin stole the show and the spotlight.
I hope his next role is something amazing and i hope he gets an awesome leading lady(he has such a poor luck with that).I heard a rumor they want to pair him up with Suzy in next movie and i`m already screaming from frustration. He needs a strong female lead that can act, and not an idol. And if they insist on casting an idol it better be Uee or Yoona or somebody that can actually emote.
Suzy? Oh god WHY, she really shouldn’t be taking up lead role space since all she does is either stare vacantly with her mouth open or aegyo.
And it’s not all an age/experience problem either, there are a fair few idol actresses of her age and experience levels who actually can act well enough (Krystal, for one), and Woobin really isn’t experienced enough to be carrying the slack for a costar who has trouble with the basic mechanics of acting (like line delivery, body language and emoting).
Literally the ONLY time he got a girl was in Vampire Idol, and he and Lee Yubi were so charming together, it would give me life if they worked together again – she was supposed to do School 2013 but it conflicted with the final episodes of Nice Guy so she couldn’t. Which is fine tbh, the girls in that drama did get a bit sidelined and I think she was up for the role that went to Park Se-young.
lol and some people here can call Kim Soo Hyun overrated… bleh
i watched BOF two years after it aired. the story was duh. but it was quite enjoyable than i thought it would be. go jun pyo the character is like so funny. i like him. i’m still clueless why until now.
m a jang geun suk fan. i heard he was cast as gjp and wanted the ji hoo role and/or act alongside kim myung min. i do not know what happened first. anw, i hate that he missed on this drama for reasons only he could understand. it was clearly a role that would sustain a lifelong career as an idol, and with that infinite time you are put in a position and be given choices. it is the one that got away.
in hindsight the reason why BOF worked so much for me was because of the cars, the races, the glitz and the glamour, and the bromance. you see these four as as close as butt cheeks. although you are beautiful is my top favorite in terms of story and giving heartwarming and giddy scenes, it failed to show the bromance between hwang tae kyung and kang shin woo. let’s take jeremy out of the equation he’s the myung soo in this drama. these three don’t show bromance! and i think that is the reason it tanked the ratings in korea.
(m so happy though it got so mich appreciation in japan and overseas). and why does it seem that go jun pyo is richer than kim tan! or is because gjp came from a manga and his characterization is far more exagerrated. kim tan is more of a character that can exist in real life.
i watched personal taste and i thought he kissed well onscreen. (let’s not talk about how park shin hye kissed. how can somebody in showbiz be as conservative as she is. this is one of her loopholes as an actress. psh showed up in the scene and not the sassy eun sang.
i raved about city hunter’s story. the adoptive father and son storyline was the best out of all the arcs. it was a good story period. lee min ho is a really lucky guy. (there were talks of similarities with rain’s kdrama runaway when they both haven’t aired. i am a rain fan as well and i eat my words. we are comparing caviar and rotten tomato. i can’t fathom how lee min ho can beat him in getting offered a better script when rain was the bigger star. i realized that it’s all a matter of chance. fate. the actors themselves do not know how’d it turn out.)
i was not a lee min ho worshipper until heirs. i was kinda whiling time away but i don’t know, right in the middle, i was so into it. i liked both kim tan the character and how lee min ho portrayed him. m a convert. i like him so much and i can’t get enough of heirs.
i understand the frustration dramabeans, girlfriday and koala must have been that a story, a formula one, could have been so much plotwise, failed to live up to expectations. it bled my heart to read their recaps, with every other line being complaints, and breezing through it without details, doing it mostly for reasons other than love for the show and criticizing it to the point i stopped and switched to scattered jooni and crazy9.
i know it really could have been so much more. i was hoping that it would show more power struggle scenes between the brothers but i guess it ended with just the fact that at 18, kim tan just wanted cha eun sang. i read blogs saying he was a weak character. i say, he was in fact strong enough to stand up for his convictions. even if i regret it wait till i beg you. but i am confident i wont regret it, he said. these people are a dime in a dozen.
in part i must say that choi jin hyuk didn’t draw enough emotions for him to get more airtime. in paper he had the meatiest role next to tan. but it was kim woo bin who was able peel layers off his character and ended up stealing the thunder. he had lesser material to work with and naturally passed with flying colors. he was always right on the beat, every movement, the nuance.
i’d also like to comment on things being said that choi young do grew the most in the series and tan did that in the US without being shown. it was, albeit implicitly. his voiceovers, the insinuation that he might have done drugs and had fun like what won told him to do, his feelings about his exile that at first he was brought there to study, when in fact he was thrown, the pains of an illegitimate child wanting the love of his family, especially won. i actually like the not so direct narration. it was one of the most creative narration expressed in touching scenes.
i also would have wanted to see how heavy the weight it is for all these heirs in different castes. the story focused on the love triange among the three that the others got sidelined so badly. not that i am blaming the ones responsible, they hired idols and not actors. yoo ra-el is also a role that could have been essayed much better. it has depth.
the actress who acted as hyun joo, i don’t know what she’s doing. i am unable to sympathize with her. well here with me that hyun joo the character could have been so much more.
i would say kang ha neul’s portrayal of lee hyo shin is passable. her mom is so cruel by not being cruel. again, it could have been so much more.
lee bo na and yoon chan young are so charming! but they are such shallow characters.
the most awesome couple apart from of course the ultimate otp is park hee nam and han ki ae! my god they were hilarious. kim mi kyung was the best actress in the series. she was not speaking yet i felt her pain as well. kim sung ryung is so funny. together they are unbeatable! i like how their friendship progressed. i can also see that even if hka was treating phn badly phn cares for her not because it’s her job but she just is a truly caring person.
the dad is a great actor, but i think he acted over the top. perhaps because i know he doesn’t talk that way. it does seem like he’s in character but it just never worked for me.
lastly, cha eun sang. i don’t get her! it’s a good thing i like park shin hye. kim soo hyun writes his male and second leads very well. but the female lead not so much. i loved hyun bin’s portrayal of kim joo woon. but the character itself could stand on its own. and oska is my all time favorite second lead character. despite his silliness you see his pains. second is young do.
koala stressed the point lmh and psh lacked chemistry. i think it was okay. i was taken by the scene where tan stares at eun sang from the terrace. there i see chemistry. all because of lmh’s eyes.
i totally agree with one of the reviews that it failed to make a point with the bearing of the crown, and also failed to weave a successful high school. it tried so much to be both it failed in the end. the story did not make its point.
in the end, i feel that a more apt title would have been kim tan. lee min ho bore the weight of making it the success that it is.
it’s a pity in that sense! but i take solace in the fact that the skinship was enough to compensate for half of its shortcomings.
Agreed on the fate part lol…I remember how LMH got Bof lead role and everyone was like who is this guy or Kim bum should have got the lead role, etc…Before City hunter everyone was like its just another flop like runaway and almost everybody were saying LMH couldn’t pull of a action hero…now Heirs has put him literally on top. Tbh this is also part of the reason that makes me want to track how his career might go, its kind of interesting.
P.S. so i’d say it was a good career move, as it would have definitely been a ratings drawer and mania, regardless of whether it was good.
m kinda reminded of big when i say that good parts doesn’t necesarily equal a good whole. the actors were all so good. but i don’t know why they didn’t wake seo in kang kyung joon’s body.
m kinda reminded of big when i say that good parts don’t necesarily equal a good whole. the actors were all so good. but i don’t know why they didn’t wake seo in kang kyung joon’s body. for me it would have been so much more interesting these brothers battling out their love in different bodies. kang kyung joon the actor acts so well it was a waste of his talent to lie down 15 episodes of the series. and have gong yoo act as him a year later. it would have been more realistic had it been a few years more. they’re fraternal twins so the likelihood of them looking the same or similar is high. then it would have made more sense for gong yoo to wave the umbrella.
To be honest, Heirs wasn’t a great drama for any of the cast except maybe Kim Woo Bin. However, it did help the fan bases of Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye to increase exponentially. Personally, I don’t find that their chemistry was that great though I generally have that problem with Park Shin Hye. Kim Woo Bin, on the other hand, garnered even more praise with this drama after School 2013 and I’d like it if he was more recognized for his role because Choi Young Do was the sole reason I stuck with this drama. Otherwise, poor Min Ho’s sobbing and Shin Hye’s wide eyed kisses would have sent me running to the hills.
is Fan Bing Bing getting hate mails or threats yet? j/k.
imo, Heirs was a good choice for him after that disaster of “Faith/The Great Doctor”. he needed a hit and he got it. i still believe that City Hunter was his best work and drama to date.
i recently started to rewatch BOF (watched it while it was on air in Korea) and nowadays i cringe and wonder what in the world was i thinking? then again, that happens to me whenever i rewatch a drama a few years later (with a few exceptions). BOF’s appeal was undeniable though and i agree with dramaville, the bromance was one of the main reasons why.
anyway, looking forward to his movie and i truly hope that his next drama would be another step up for him as an actor.
Ha ha! I’ve been sending her hate thoughts!!
Kim Woo Bin is the real winner of heirs. Krystal and Minhyuk are also small winners lol. For the two leads, it helped them maintained their popularity and that’s pretty much it.
after Heirs, i watched other LMH dramas…city hunter and faith ( ive watched personal taste and got bored ). I think and my own honest opinion, Faith is Min Ho shii’s best drama.
Do u think *faith* is still d best of lee min woo drama. No, u got that wrong. if u are talking about lee min woo drama u should go 4 personal taste and boys before flower. But to say d fact personal taste is still d best of all because it’s really passionate. But 4 d heirs its sum how boring 2 me don’t know 4 other person out there
some stupid comments!!! whatever!..ur still the best Lee Min Ho!!!!
lee min ho is the best and he will be the best forever
i luv all his dramas BOF,Personal taste,city hunter,faith,heirs,gangnam blues.i never get bored watching his films.LMH the best
What I feel is that kim woo bin looked good with his character is because he had a powerful competitor as lee min ho .. which gave his role more importance .. without lee min ho his character would have nt been recognised as imp …. I mean thier fight scenes and thier agreesion towards each other was worth watching. I didnt like the actress .. she was so cranky .. infact I feel that the actress that lee min ho works with they some how dont match his acting caliber. . Probably tge director fails to get the best out of them .. In personal taste the actress is quite good looking but than was not portrayed well.