Four out of seven is a majority so it’s only fitting I write about certain members of the K-pop boyband Infinite now that four are currently gracing the airwaves and doing so in a rather enjoyable manner for me. L and Hoya are starring in the SBS primetime Wed-Thurs drama My Lovely Girl while Woohyun and Sungyeol are over on KBS in the Friday night drama Hi School: Love On. I’m not watching that many K-dramas right now but these happen to be two of the ones I’m following and find pretty entertaining. I’ve seen L before (sucking up a storm in The Master’s Sun and slightly less awful in Sly and Single Again) and Hoya was memorable in Answer Me 1997, but Woohyun and Sungyeol were complete unknowns to me until HSLO and now I’m solidly intrigued by them.
All four are not good actors, L and Sungyeol have the unfortunate stiffness problem in emoting and dialogue reads while Hoya is natural but inconsistent and Woohyun is basically pure gut instinct when he acts. But in the grand scheme of idols sucking on the screen, all four manage to meld visually appealing good looks with charisma enough to smooth out the acting rough edges and leave me grinning at the screen. Sure I want to sucker punch Hoya in MLG when his Rae Heon shows up but he is doing a great job of being a royal asshat with a sneer that’s reflected even in his eyes. Of course it would be ideal if the four boys can all act very well, but when most idols having zero onscreen charisma and can’t act littering the dramascape, I’ll take L, Hoya, Sungyeol, and Woohyun any day.
I’m pleased that Woohyun and Sungyeol manage to hold their own opposite Kim Sae Ron in HSLO. She’s acting circles around them but they understand their characters enough to remain grounded rather than completely adrift oncreen. Plus then they try to act devastated and/or angry I just chuckle and want to pinch their cheeks for being so awkwardly earnest. Since I don’t follow Infinite (never heard a song before), I sure hope the boys all get along and there isn’t drama behind the scenes like in MLG with the fictional group Infinite Power.
Nah…Infinite is very open about their teasing, fighting, and arguing. Here are some random stories since I have followed them since pre debut (An Epik High fan and they did alot on Infinite’s pre debut reality show)
When they first debuted they had a couple of variety shows that were pretty funny. The maknae Sungjong had a teddy bear he would knee in the face and punch, in front of everyone, named Sunggyu (after the leader) when Sunggyu, Woohyun, or Sungyeol pissed him off. Though now he just hits them directly
Sungyeol talks about how after his daily drama, during their debut, he sat at home with no work outside of Infinite for a long time.
The boys are so open about it they had a variety show last year built on dissing and outdoing each other and openly talk about their trainee rivalries where they hated each other. They do seem to have really meshed together over the years. And the past does not bother them.
Bless Sung Jong being Hyunseung in Troublemaker and then Park Ji Yoon in Adult Ceremony
hi! may I know the name of the variety show that they were in last year?
Dis Is Infinite
thanks a lot. 🙂
I found L adorable in Sly and Single Again but then he made up one half of a very cute bromance couple so it could have a lot to do with that.
I’m forever going to be a fan of Hoya because he played one of the most endearing and gut-wrenching characters out there in AM97. He owned that role and I can’t think of an actor that could’ve played his character with such genuine and surprising sincerity. He still remains one of the closest characters to me in heart.
I’m still upset he didn’t pick an acting role after that, and when he did, its a small one in MLG. I love the drama, but I wish he played a nicer guy so he can be awesome on my screen. But yea, Rae-hyun is such a dick and Hoya is darn convincing at it. I hope he gets to play bigger roles in the future like Lee Hong-ki is, he deserves it more than a whole lot of other people getting leads and second leads.
I haven’t been watching High School:Love On, so no comments on the other two infinite guys. They’re decent in Back though – which is the only infinite song I’ve heard, and loved.
hoya has a movie coming up soon! 😀
Oh for reals? What’s it called? I’m not too much a movie fan but I’m always in when its Hoya!
OMG I love “High School Love On” and the main OTP is so freaking cute!!! I’m growing a big soft spot for Woohyun because I find him adorable and while his acting can indeed improve, I find him to be quite natural at most times whereas Sungyeol has got a much longer way to go with his stiff acting.
Can I just say this is the story of my life with Woohyun in the past few days while I marathoned through High School Love On? I also didn’t find him very attractive and was thus very confused with comments calling him “shuai.” Now I find him adorable and my interest in Infinite is piqued (and it’s not until I watched their Back MV that I realized Sungyul is also a member of Infinite. Lol.)
Believe it or not Sungyeol is the better actor of the two, went to acting school before Infinite and has been in more dramas. The reason he may seem a bit stiff is that he usually gets to play very dorky and nerdy characters, and this is his first time in a role where he has to hold back and play serious (he’s seriously such a fun guy in real life). Sungyeol himself said this role was a bit different than from how he usually is, so he’s kind of learning as he goes along. Woohyun in real life, basically how you see him on screen. He’s cheesy, outgoing, playful. He’s practically playing himself.
Have you noticed the actress Na-Hae Ryung is in both the dramas, so she gets to work with all four members of infinite, she plays the second lead in both hi school love on and in my lovely girl.
It’s nice to finally find a blog that expresses some good feelings towards HSLO as some of the blogs I have been going to didn’t really like the drama…and its been getting to me that I might be liking something abnormal…hehe Anyways like the two dramas though dont follow their music either…
I LOVE Hi School Love On. Have no idea why, I can’t remember how I started watching it even. It’s really delightful. I liked L in Sly and Single and of course Hoya in 1997, but HSLO pushed me over the edge and I started watching some Infinite videos, and like them a lot. Very talented singers and dancers (‘Back’ is amazing), and hilarious on Weekly Idol.
Reason I’m sticking to both these dramas is that I am Infinite fan. The leads in MLG have the chemistry of a wet blanket, regardless of how the romance is playing out to be consistent and mutual. They also have no conflict and the one they will have will still have the predictable result. So I am not invested (people need to chill with the pairing war here though). Meanwhile, HSLO is cute, but the difference in ages when Sae Ron is 14 makes it difficult to swallow. At least they kept it innocent. Age gaps are all the rage these days, huh?
Both are formulaic but for some reason have a certain charm that keeps you watching.
L is precious as Shi Woo and I have enjoyed watching him improve and do justice to his character. He’s gotten almost everyone sick with second male lead syndrome. Other than his good chemistry with Krystal, I think it also speaks of his acting. I do genuinely feel he has the charisma and on screen command to be a lead, as long as he continues getting better enough to get there. Reading the comments on online drama sites is also a blessing. They are enjoying watching him, and are complimenting him and his talent. It’s nice to see him finally be appreciated after what people put him through. It got tiring and old.
I’m glad you stated that none are good actors and listed their different flaws accordingly. I sometimes feel that others overrate and overhype the acting prowess of a few (Hoya and Sungyeol specifically). I’m surprised with Sungyeol, as fans tend to view him as the best actor in Infinite and pre debut he was in SM Academy for acting. His passion has always been acting. So I expected more.
Thanks for being fair. I’m happy that you are enjoying their on screen presence. While I think L relates to Shi Woo due to similar circumstances, Infinite are a healthy group of loving brothers. They’re not shy of revealing they’ve had fist fights and how some didn’t like each other in the beginning. They don’t paint the “everything’s perfect” image like MHDR either. But they are all very close and view each other as family.
The age gap doesn’t bother me as they are playing the same age (well, except the part that she is an immortal angel/reaper) and are really cute and innocent together. I am, however, very surprised that they allowed a kiss scene between Woohyun and Seulbi since she is only 14. Wasn’t Park Shin Hye in a similar situation in Tree of Heaven and she wasn’t allowed any kiss scenes?
In any case, the bubblegum kiss was very cute nonetheless.
I love HSLO! It’s so adorable and cute. I think that Woohyun is doing a fine job opposite Kim SaeRon. He’s also almost 10 years older then her so the romance is very non-touchy. I think L is the best thing about My Lovely Girl and I’m sad he won’t get the girl.
Infinite is my happy k-pop group. I love pretty much their whole discography. Their two latest singles Back and Last Romeo are terrific. They are also amazing dancers.
All I will say is that I’m totally in love with L right now in MLG…and if he doesn’t get the girl, I think I’ll break my TV…or rather my computer. Hahaha.
He’s the best thing in that drama….I don’t know about bad acting, but the boy has charisma! and you can see he’s earnest to do well….and he’s doing a fabulous job!
His chemistry with Krystal is off the chart…and I hate it when she pretends that she doesn’t understand why he’s interested in her…Duhhh…Girl, you are all over Rain, and yet your chemistry with him is like…ZERO…NADA… in my opinion….They could have them cuddling in bed and I’m still not gonna buy it.
I feel a certain stiffness from Rain towards her and I feel like Krystal is just reciting her lines…I don’t know…maybe it’s just me.
She feels more relaxed with L somehow, and of course she did a fabulous job in that horrible “Heirs”.
I cannot comment on the other 2 boys since I’m not interested in that drama, and I’m not familiar with the group although my interest has now been picked.
I’ll definitely check them out, and I totally agree that L has the charisma for a lead in a drama. With much improvement, he will dethrone Lee Seung Gi soon in the hearts of Ahjummas, He’s just too cute!
He’s one of my latest idol/actor crush, as I usually go for the quiet and intense type.
Not an Infinite fan and won’t ever be but I am loving these four onscreen this year. I marathoned the first four eps of MLG out of boredom a couple weeks ago and was astonished at how both Hoya and L sold their characters to me. Thought it would never happen in L’s case but Hoya blows me away with how much I despise him. Lol.
HSLO is just ADORABLE! It’s such a lovely bout of cute even with one of the worst mothers I’ve seen in years.
Ah I’m happy that you posted this and I agree with your post this, the boys are not the best actors out there but they have charisma and they’ve improved a lot. I was worried about Woohyun since he is really bad in his first drama, but after I watched HSLO I’m not worried anymore since he has improved a lot and can hold his own. As for Sungyeol I expected more but I’m still okay with his acting and he acts out a character that is very different than his actual character well.
As for L, I’m really glad everyone other than a few persistent haters is loving him in MLG. I watched his progress since SUFBB and I think he really has improved and has charisma on screen, which is a good thing. I really liked him in SUFBB too, in fact he is the one who make me checked out Infinite and became their fan. Hoya is filming a movie, it’s called Heeya and will probably released around May next year!
Anyway if you don’t know Infinite, maybe check out some of their songs and videos. They’re really a solid group and exceeds well in singing, dancing, variety, and other areas. If you liked 80/90’s songs vibe you will probably like their songs too, they have a lot of good songs. They’re really nice and hard working too. Those are the reasons why I’m in love with them now, haha.
oh and also they’re a pretty tight group, they’re quite open about their fights and misunderstandings and they even admit that some of the members aren’t that close (hoya and sungyeol admitted that they were not close until their world tour happens). They’re a very different 7 individuals but they work together really well it’s amazing and now it’s almost like they’re codependent to each other. haha. Sorry now I’m off to fangirl.
I first started watching HSLO out of boredom too and now I’m officially hooked! I never thought I would like a high school drama like that since I didn’t like any of the previous ones I’ve seen. but this one is light and refreshing, and it’s only once a week so it works for me. and yes, I’m even an Infinite fan now! I’m usually not a kpop fan. but their songs are pretty special. they have that cheesy 80s feel which is quite unique! and oh my… Woo Hyun’s voice is amazing! much better compared to his acting 😛 but they’re all doing a decent enough job to keep us watching of course ^^
I first got into Infinite in a roundabout way, I love their labelmate Nell and their former labelmate Epik High still sad that they left Woollim. Anyway I watched their first variety You are my Oppa and I cringe a lot I didn’t watch it in one go I had to pause a lot. Then I watched them on Sesame Player and I was hooked. For those who are curious I would recommend you to watch Infinite’s Sesame Player their personality really shined through with the added plus of watching them struggle to get known. I’m watching HSLO but KBS is soooo slow in releasing English Sub but I’m enjoying it a lot Kim Sae Ron is so good and laughing so hard with her shipping Woohyun and Sungyeol. I will pick up MLG sometime got curious of all the Shi Woo love.