Eric Deservingly Hits K-drama Daebak with Oh Hae Young Again
There are certain drama fails that hit too hard and reside too long with me, and one such epic fail is the 2011 K-drama Spy Myung Wol. Conceptually it should have worked but it was poorly written with very unpalatable characters and chemistry, leading to an onset meltdown by the female lead and a near disaster in airing for the entire production. Regardless of the blame, the end result made me worried that male lead Eric might never ever do a K-drama again, and he seemed to be actively avoiding television and was finally lured back three years later with Discovery of Love.
I enjoyed that drama but it was so low rated as to render a thoughtfully produced work unrecognized, so it’s with the happiest heart that I got to follow along with recently finished cable drama Oh Hae Young Again (Another Oh Hae Young) and feel like Eric finally got his due. Together with Seo Hyun Jin, the drama was a win thanks to their electrifying chemistry and a memorable love story, providing one of the most mature and memorable dramas of 2016. Eric looked so tired by the last two episodes I hope he’s been resting and chilling for the summer, but it was nice to see him do post-drama interviews recently with the accompanying pictures giving one last look at his Park Do Kyung.
He was in my first drama Que sera sera and then I love him ! Oh Hae Young Again was really great ! The actors were very involved in the story.
Waiting for the day he’s paired with YEH. The chemistry will surely be daebak 😉
@LaL, don’t make me sad ! I was waiting for YEH so much. Everybody is making coming backs and no news… and @koala ‘s banners make it worse… No one seems to want her ! WHY? French kdramas fans miss her.
@cahill – I m wondering why as well. YEH is a good actress… Why? Maybe she does not want to come back???
Not too worried @cahill, she still has many fans (especially I fans) including in my country. Many of them (her fans) are more active at socmed like twitter or FB. They all miss her very much onscreen. I think the people in K ent. Industry knew about it, that’s why I believe they still send her acting offers. My question is when will she take their offer and make her acting comeback ?
When that day will come? It needs to happen soon. Their Xman days were good memories for me. Flirting each other like no tomorrow while legend MCs like Yoo Jae Sook and Kang Ho Dong and the rest of guests cheering them hilariously. What a golden days. Now, both of them growing even more beautiful and sexy, I wonder how it will be when they paired up. Not to mention both are great kisser. Just imagine about that, makes me fly to the moon.
@jennifer yeah that’s one of the main reason I’m waiting for their collaboration. Both are good actors & gorgeous, they’re also good at variety show and it doesn’t hurt that they’re also good kissers lol
@candycane seeing that she was agree to be a cameo at the Chinese version of Coffee Prince I think it’s just a matter of time she will making a drama comeback. She seems more careful in picking new project after the last fiasco
Just imagining that, No words to describe what i would feel. Happy to see there are still some guys who are waiting her too. These days the’re only speaking about X and XX.
@Lal, I love this two together. They were my first shipping celeb. I was so down when Eun Hye declined QSS but later on I knew that her agency was the one behind that.
This two should be together whether in real or reel XD
@Jennifer, yeah she’s got hospitalized because of what her old agency did to her (QSS case). Btw, I heard they’re almost pairing in “Love Song”. Too bad Eric turned it down.
While I agree that they should be together on reel I’m not really sure about in real life lol. It’s up to them 😉
love both of you giving so much care for wuri yeh, i miss her so much too, cant wait for her drama comeback
I have a soft spot for him but I hate that drama, Oh Hae Young Again. Any drama portraying a female lead as shameless, rude, uncouthed, and a total loser without achievement other than winning the leading man’s love is a big no to me. I regretted that I even bother to watch the drama, hoping for a silver lining that never came. Having said that, I like Eric and hope to see him in a better drama.
+1000
+1
+1.
Me either not a fan of the heroine although I think the actress was doing a great job. Her wacky personality as I see was just an unrealistic gimmick for the writer to make her stand out as a dramatic character to add juicy tidbits to the rom com. I actually quit watching 4 episodes before wrapping up. The plot was a bit stagnating circling around the same plot point but with a lot of slapstick to fill in the void. I laughed a lot while watching those comic scenes by the side actors but felt nothing more than just a few laughs. Maybe I should go back and finish the remaining episodes. But don’t really feel urged to do so given my plate is full of more interesting dramas to watch.
OH HAE YOUNG AGAIN was Great.It has all the ingredients of a very entertaining Drama.romance,comedy,drama,familial love and friendship.cudoz to all the actors they are all amazing!!!
Let’s just admit that getting a hit drama is like catching lightening in a bottle. Acting,directing, whims of the audience, competition and, most importantly, a good script throughout the production– it’s almost a miracle it seems. Good for Eric and I wish him the best as I do a lot of other actors who get grief for not pumping out hit after hit. I just don’t think the business works that way unfortunately. So enjoy it while it lasts!!
This is literally the first time i hear about this drama , and i went to check the ratings and wow they slayed. Why is this drama not mentioned as National hit or something? We get more articles about UB and W who are nowhere near as successful as this.
Oh Hae Young Again was such a shallow drama… It had so many exaggerated comedic elements that it seemed ridiculous to me.
Finally someone spelled out my thought. OHYA had too much cheap slapstick to fill in the void. Just way too much. The narratives were repetitive and not moving on at some points, only relying on exaggerating farce to get the story going. The setting on sound directing was interesting initially and novel. But I would never consider the drama a great one due to the lack of substance.
I could sense makjang from miles away had it not been the genius PD and his persistance in presenting a rom-com. Sure, an odd rom-com but a rom-com nevertheless.
Just try to imagine the whole plot without the supernatural element and the actors’ fabulous comedic timing. What’s left? A man who tried to destroy for good his alleged rival as well as his ex-fiancée, his dysfunctional family, the woman who pays the price for everyone’s mistakes (unintentional or not) and the OTP’s love affair that’s supposed to be some sort of remedy for all the “evil” people and their actions (the leading man’s included)
Rings any bell? Secret maybe? Personally, I’m grateful to the PD, the writer and everyone else in the production team who decided against Secret 2.0
Oh Hae Young Again is certainly the best drama for me in 2016!
As Koala noted, it is mature and memorable with a well-written script penned by one of the writers of ILICDD, best ever Korean sitcom. It is one of those rare combinations of sublime writing, directing, acting, cinematography and music – the ensemble cast is among the best with so many memorable side characters. Seo Hyunjin and Eric simply own their characters and the drama.
Only if TVN had not asked for the two episode extension, it would have been an all time great like My Name is Kim Sam Soon.
Yes the actors were great and i was happy for Eric to rekinkle with success in dramaland . He deserves it and i like the actress for having Watch his previous works. But the character of Kim sam Soon was a strong one not a wacky oh hae Young . Just my opinion…
No comparison to My Name Is KiM Sam Soon. MNIKSS is a classic rom com; the ideas behind the storyline were innovative at that time. But Oh Hae young Again is nothing but a wacky fantasy of the writer laced with excessive slapstick. I laughed but also cringed a lot of times at those physically intimate scenes delivered in hysterical ways.
A side note, the writer’s name is also Hae Young. Now I can’t help but guess she actually wrote about herself? Many writers actually have fantasy of themselves as a de facto heroine in their own works. Did she try to make an unattractive persona in real life worth fatal attention and love from opposite sex? The idea is not appealing to me at all.
+1
Whatever you have written is exactly what I have thought of. Couldn’t be better.
+ 1000
Well said.
+1000 i love both drama/sitcom, kudos to writer-nim!
Mature drama? LOL
OHYA was entertaining. Good music. Great directing and acting. Plus off the chart chemistry. Compared to some so called great hits which countless fans here seems to want to hammer into our brains- OHYA was Daesang- worthy for plot compared to the full of holes ones some fans liked.
However to call her uncouth and rude is a bit much. Also fyi, I mean… is a drama heroine supposed to be all sweetness and light? She wasn’t even crass. And her swearing was so mild. I have called real people uncouth in real life and OHY certainly wasn’t it.
Eric won my heart since his bad boy era, Que Sera Sera. Despite his background as idol, I really respect him a lot for trying different characters and not the safe one as the real jerk in drama land. It’s a big bonus that he’s such a good looking man and more important, he has this swag that I couldn’t find in other korean actors. He’s sexy and cool without even trying and so much sex appeal that makes him looking good with every ladies lol.
I love Eric and Seo Hyun Jin together but Eric-Yumi still the winner for me.
Speaking about his character in Oh Hae Young again, he did fantastic job for potraying someone who has less words, Park Do Kyung. He did all with his facial expressions only. For me, Eric won the best performance among the actors in there since he should act with his expressions only all the time while other actors with their quirky roles.
I think he’s growing better and better as an actor which make me happy. I hope he gets more heavy dark role for the next since I believe this guy has a lot of potential that still not come out yet. Eric is the only idol that I wish has more time for his acting career rather than his idol activities though I know he’s the leader of the legend group, Shinhwa.
Speaking about looks, I really love his round eyes and his side profile is the best (beside Jang Dong Gun and Jung Woo Sung)for all korean actors. He reminds me a lot Greek God statue. He has this scluptured face.
Waiting for the next drama of him. More success, Eric!
He has that unique looks. Not so korean looks. Very handsome, charismatic and like a boss.
Oh yes, Eric you are daebak super good! Along with the super, cooperative actor Seo Hyun Jin, both of you body chemistry is super duper. You gave us so much enjoyment and happiness watching this drama
Well, guess what, Seo Hyun Jin being called uncouth and rude here means she played her part perfectly. She is to me one of the few actresses in Korea that can deliver. Every emotion, every pain, all of them you can see and feel along with her. I’d rather watch her play an exaggerated role than watch other actresses deliver with their eyes resembling a dead eye fish.
I enjoyed OHY very much. And Eric is love ♡
Jung Yumi, Yoon Eun Hye, Gong Hyo Jin or other actresses surely can play Oh Hae Young perfectly. That’s why she wasn’t the first choice XD. Eric always look good in any actress play with him though.
I love Eric but Park Do Kyung is not my favorite character of his dramas that he ever played. I prefer Kang Tae Ha in Discovery of Romance. But I agree with someone comment ed that Eric was great on potraying his character like I can’t imagine someone else take that role.
Some can’t take comments well. It is not Seo Hyun Jin being called uncouthed and rude. It is her character in AOHY that is referred to as uncouthed and rude. As an actress, she did well if that is expected out of her and if that is how OHY’s character being written as. Some may enjoy the drama but I definitely don’t and I do agree that the drama is overrated and of no substance. Depends on one’s standard, I agree that OHY is tactless and the drama is full of slapstick action. It’s great that Eric finally got his due but hope to see him in better project next time.
+1
I was about to make the same comment. Some ppl just habitually have a tendency to twist the comments they read. In what sense has anyone here ever been critical of the acting of the cast? The OTP are actually very good actors and appropriately cast. But for those who including me don’t really appreciate this overrated rom com, the narratives of the drama have nothing substantial to rave about except for super comical farce executed by the skillful cast and the PD.
This drama was the perfect example of how we end up sympathizing with the main characters in one drama but in another we’ll hate the same characters. OHY1 hated OHY2 for no reason.. Usually ilogical 2nd leads do that to the nicer female lead. But it’s also true that real people hate for these sort of reasons and that’s why I enjoyed the show and everyone acted well. Eric looked perpetually tired and his character was the quiet type on top of it, poor guy. The fantasy premise made no impact. But overall a good watch.
What’s with the hates? The more popular show, the more hates it will get, huh??!!!
In my opinion, this drama has flaw only from 2 episodes extensions. other than that, I got very fresh from oven love story. he main female lead is someone that hurting and jealous to death to someone who has the same name and always being compared to her. She jealous about everything of another person. But this drama show us, no body’s perfect. The barbie Oh Hae Young isn’t sensitive and very self-centered. But the plain Oh Hae Young, despite her jealously, she can love deeply and give everything to the one she deeply in love.
The male lead is another unique character in drama land. He’s stiff, hurted and very introvert but actually full of charms that I could relate why plain Oh Hae Young love him. He’s attractive but very calm guy with few words come out from his mouth. Even to say ‘I miss you’, he can’t do that.
There are many reasons why this series is extremely popular.
1. The very unique and fresh characters.
2. The storyline are very honest. The girl can’t hide her feelings towards the hottie guy. And I think I prefer this kinda girl rather than act like so girly-shyly-female lead.
3. The quirkiness and comedic despite having some melo.
4. No villain.
5. The cinematography is on point.
6. Side characters are so charming that none characters are useless.
7. The OSTs are so nice.
8. And of course the juicy kisses and chemistry of all leads.
9. The best make out season from all of korean dramas. Eric and Hyun Jin not only kiss, but they gave the feels. They used tongue for those kisses!!!They touched their partner’s body like no tomorrow. This is how skinship supposed to be.
10. The outfits all so good.
Everyone can choose to love or to hate or everyone have the reason to either love or hate the drama. In my case, I hate the drama to pieces but my reason for commenting on this article is because I am fond of Eric. You may spell out your reasons to love the drama and I can come up with 10 reasons to hate it as well. And regarding your reason no. (3), as you said, that is you preference. My preference is for a girl to behave well, not making a fool out of herself and that’s why I hate OHY because she is so yes right, uncouthed. And maybe I am a little of a feminist, who prefers a heroine with more reasonable achievement instead of working on to grab the only trophy that is the male lead.
+1
I hate that she was regrettable, dependent and immature and never grow up. And I really hated they presented an unhealthy relationship as a normal and romantic relationship.This isn’t a mature drama. It’s more of the same, but disguised.
hello koala..as i was enjoying this series..i keep on checking ur page if you’re watching this or not..im probably hoping that u’ll do or make recaps about this..and to my dismay..there’s none..and i was happy to read that u also enjoyed this drama..cos i really do..this is the 1st time that i’ve seen eric and hyun jin in a drama ever..and i must say..they deliver..and they deliver so..so well..sans reservations..and i got obsessed with eric that i stalked his previous works and discovered that he’s an idol..now im trying to watch discovery of love and spy myung wol..but i cant continue watching on both series..hopefully for now..because im still in a do kyung-hae young bubble..haha..and to all the commenters i enjoyed reading ur exchange of thoughts..hihi..>_< .. this is the best-est drama that i've watched this year..so far..im kinda choosy with the dramas that i watch these days..what im waiting now is that of gong yoo and lee dong wook..but eric has a special place in my heart already..right next to gong yoo.!!haha