Lee Jun Ki’s 2017 Asia Fan Meeting Sells Out in Record Time After Success of K-Bu Bu Jing Xin
I feel like the final waves of k-Bu Bu Jing Xin aftershocks have finally subsided, the highs and lows of watching Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart: Ryeo definitely is not for the faint of heart. I’m glad I watched it, the original is beloved to me and the shining star is (re)born performance of male lead Lee Jun Ki validates the existence of KBBJX. Performance-wise it really is a tour de force of intensity and charisma, maybe a tad over the top but it helped to liven up IU‘s too frustratingly tame acting. I still miss his 4th Prince but Jun Ki is off to bigger next things, coming up is his Asia fan meeting which has reportedly sold out in record time in each of the scheduled stops. He’s also rocking a super odd red mushroom bowl cut that make me chuckle for how young and relaxed he looks.
It is really he’s “breakout” role, he’s 4th prince role is so unforgettable !!
It should be “re” breakout role. His breakout role was 10 years ago as Gong Gil in “The King and The Clown”. It’s funny how Gong Gil was an effeminate clown while Wang So is all masculine. He owns both roles.
Oh yeah “re breakout role” is more appropriate, but after watching KBBJX I totally forgot about his other dramas and will forever be just my 4th Prince 🙂
LOL. Gong Gil vs Wang So. And his 4th Prince role is iconic.
yeah, Gong Gil and Wang So are two iconic roles that show very different sides of him as an actor at two different ages. It’s a great pair of roles to have on your filmography.
Both roles came along at the perfect time for him imo.
He couldn’t have played Gong Gil now, and he couldn’t have played Wang So back then. Wang So was a rediscovery of Lee Jun Ki, he’s always been respected for his sageuk ability but he took it to another level even in the face of the messy script and directing. That’s greatness imo.
Let’s not forget Iljimae. He and Iljimae are synonym.
He truly is the Prince of Sageuk <3333
He is Emperor of Sageuk now. Manse, manse, manmanse!
He so deserve everything that he’s getting right now , I hope his next project would take him to an even greater heights!!
Totally agree. His perf is my favorite this year. I’ll rewatch the drama only for the 4th prince ! Hope to see him with an actress of his level and about same age if possible.
I really hope his next drama is actually a good one and that it does well. He was great in Moon Lovers but omg what a messy drama it was.
@cahill I don’t mind if he has a same age, older or younger costar as long as whoever it is can act. IU wasn’t terrible in Moon Lovers, she actually has some ability to do emotional roles but she and Ji Soo both suffered from poor directing and messy editing.
IU is not terrible but lack credibility to take on such a challenging role, partially because she is still so green as an actress and partially KKT failed to guide her. Worsening is her being paired up with a veteran sageuk actor who has strong charisma like LJK. He needs real actress to compliment his performance.
@Hu – I agree with you that IU suffered both from her own greenness and KKT’s terrible directing but she had good chemistry with Jun Ki, I thought they matched a lot better than him and Nam Sang Mi, or him and Han Hyo Joo.
I realised they had chemistry when found myself actually rooting for the romance to succeed, if they didn’t have any I would have been like ‘meh why are these two onscreen together’.
Agree wholeheartedly.LJK’s performance was a tour de force of intensity and charisma. His 4th prince was a show of menace, dominance and a deep soft inner core of love and tenderness , all rolled into one ( a very complexed individual).
LJK brought the role of 4th prince to life and I would rewatch the drama many many times just to see his performance. Of course he looked Fantastic in costume and his cheek bones (and profile!) is to die for!!!
I chuckled when I read the mentioning of “a tad over the top…”
IMO, it was Nicky Wu whom was a bit OTT with his rendition of 4th Prince, except that his slacking was overshadowed by the bigger picture that the original BBJX is a quality product with great directorial fluidity and good acting by all the cast members.
LJK was phenomenal in Moon Lovers. Sure there’s the writing that was male-centric in a way that Wang So was given all the ingredients for viewers to root and love him but LJK gave so much heart in that character that I could never see any other actor play Wang So ever again.
Anyway, I am glad that he is experiencing a new career high. He greatly deserves it. The man has been extremely diligent and positive all the time and I am so looking forward to his next acting project, ofc hoping for a modern contemporary drama preferably with an actress who could actually match his acting charisma.
On a side note, I hate that mushroom hair but LJK is still looking hawt.
.. What do you mean? Nicky over the top in BBJX? Did we watch the same drama lol? I assume you mean that he underacted his part, right?
In that case..
Yinzhen and Wang So had completely different characteristics and personalities. Yinzhen is a far less dramatized and romanticized character compared to Wang So and he was always meant to be cold, restrained and calm (his nickname was “Mr. Ice Cube Face”). They both did what was required. It’s useless to expect Nicky to carry out the same Jun-ki styled theatrical acting with his character Yongzheng and of course vice versa. His subtle style of acting wouldn’t have worked with Wang So either. I would say that our female heroine Hae-soo and Ruoxi are more similar to each other, than the 4th Princes are. Acting wise, they both did a good job with their respective characters. Character wise, I prefer Yinzhen over Wang So. Fangirl ingredients don’t work for me lol.
Yes. We watched the same drama. And I am aware the character of Wang So and Yinzhen is totally different and my point of view is with regard to their acting out their respective character. The “ice cube face” by Nicky was a bit much but that does not mean that he was not great. Just a bit much.
Cool off. It’s not harmful for others to have different takes than yours as much as how Ms. Koala feels that LJK was a tad OTT. And my view on LJK is not because I am fangirling him.
@FlyMeToPolaris – I legitimately thought you meant underacting instead of overacting (was not trying to be disrespectful to you in the first place). Cause I have seen people commenting that Yiongzheng is a less interesting and/or charming character compared to Wang So or that Nicky was less exciting etc., but I don’t think that I have ever heard someone complaining about Nicky overacting his part.. lol
Anyways, I guess we just share different opinions then. His character was suppose to act cold and all pokerface to the point that he was being called Ice Cube Face by the other characters in the drama. It’s suppose to be “obvious”. So personally, I don’t see a problem with Nicky acting cold and emotionless in the beginning. It’s the same as I don’t see a problem with LJK being “over-the-top” because his character and the overall vibe of the drama is suppose to be all dramatized and in-your-face angst.
Also, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If I was unable to accept yours, I would not have given mine in the first place. So if you prefer Wang So over Yongzheng, feel free to think so :)! Also, I did not assume that you like LJK because you are his fangirl, I was just talking about myself not buying the fangirl service lol.
Tbh, I prefer the character of Yinzhen over Wang So. I always prefer level headed man that the emotional one and for that, I prefer the “pre-in love” Wang So, not that he was that level-headed before except he was less dramatic and impulsive.
Nicky is great otherwise I would not bother to watch half-bald men for 40 episodes, though and the overall casts of the original BBJX were better than the K-version and I am saying this despite myself being a big fan of Moon Lovers. A fact is a fact, no one should deny that.
Only that I do feel Nicky overdid the poker face with that clenched jaws (again, this is my opinion). Stringent face was done the finest by Kim Myung Min in “White Tower” and again, in no way I mean that Nicky is not good.
I apologized if my comment implying that you are not receptive of others comment. We can all have different opinion since different things resonated differently to each one of us. Cheers.
LJK is love love love.
It has never been easy to come out of a hot mess and still smelling like roses but if there is anything about LJK, it was his commitment and passion towards his craft that is so admirable.
I hope after this, he would finally stop being loaded with the burden of having to carry the entire show all on his own. He had done that enough with Scholar and Moon Lovers and for that, he deserves to work with great team.
Hoping for his continuous success with a drama that will do justice to his talent and commitment – a solid writer, good PD and an actress of equal charisma.
Lee Jun Ki is the saving grace of Moon Lovers and I should also credit Kang Ha Neul (he was great too).
Guess he will be occupied with fan meetings these couple of months. Though I wish to have him back on my tv screen real soon, I am truly happy that he takes some times to extend his gratitude to his fans and enjoying his second round of career high.
He totally deserves to have his hallyu success Part 2. I enjoyed Moon Lovers, especially the first 16 episodes. I don’t think he was OTT until the last few episodes where there was no continuity in the story and I suspect a chunk of the scenes ended up on the cutting room floor due to lack of time. If out of this addictive hot mess Lee Joon Gi achieves a second round of fame…good. I’m still amazed at how many comments I saw from k-drama viewers who had never heard of him, but I have to remember a lot of viewers don’t watch historicals though I love them. It is nice that he won’t just be remembered for Gong Gil and maybe Iljimae; he can add Wang So as well and who knows what the future will bring.
@Kat – yeah the drama was so messily edited, I have no doubt that scenes that could have established the characters’ state of mind and motivation, probably ended up on the cutting room floor :/
I’m so happy for him!! and he so much deserves all the love and fame he’s receiving now and I hope he’ll keep receiving more in the future as well!! congratulations Lee Jun Ki-ssi!! 😀
He was amazing as Wang So, he deserves every bit of the love he gets for this role. It’s unfortunate that the drama didn’t live up to the passion he put into that performance, but LJK is love.
I am beyond happy for him. Lee Jun Ki as Wang So is phenomenal. I hope with this new re-found recognition, he will finally be able to land himself really good materials and good team to work with for his future project. I am wishing for his continuous success and as a fan with his best interest at heart, please get rid of your current stylist Jun Ki-sshi. That hairstyles is a horror.
That’s what I’m hoping for too, that he gets offered better dramas with solid writers after this. I mean, how they’ve seen what he can do with even a messy drama like this…. imagine what you’d get out of him with a good script/director.
LJK is the kind of go for broke actor. He is not afraid to challenge himself and that’s why some of his roles selection may not be popular but contributing to his own growth as an actor.
We have discussed K-dramaland (or in fact everywhere) practice of elitism where popular actors get to work with the best teams, star writers choose to work with the same actors who have brought success to their previous works etc and leaving the others with less impressive rating track record with leftovers despite the talent. Though ML bombed badly in SK, people still taken notice of him so that’s a good sign.
I really pray that he will choose his next acting project carefully. Please don’t confirm when the leading lady yet to be secured (cue to LJS in the upcoming While You Were Sleeping). Really hope to see him in a drama which could be appreciated by so many not only for his performance but for the drama quality itself.
Yes, I think @OMG is right. He seems to specifically look at roles that will allow him to show more as an actor and I think because of this doesn’t end up picking a lot of the more romance heavy roles. I think he finds them boring as an actor though he knows they would be popular.
I think post military Arang and Two Weeks have been his best dramas in terms of writing. (Arang writer adapted Misaeng and the gal who wrote Two Weeks is a powerhouse.) I think he has said he’ll do a contemporary drama next but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a depressing melo.
@Kat oh my goodness imagine him in a melo….. it has to be by a really good writer though, someone in the league of Noh Hee Kyung (after UF, Lee Kyung Hee has shown she cannot be trusted, especially if she casts a weak female lead). Agreed that Arang and Two Weeks were his best post-military dramas, I would love for him to reunite with either writer.
I think he avoided romance-heavy/romcom roles because he wanted to escape his flower boy image. But he’s established that he brings much more to the table than his beauty, it would be nice if he got a good romcom to play.
LJK is overrated, he is good but I find him in Moon Lover is exaggerated type of acting, he is the best on the drama but some moment across fake af and LJK fangirls is the scariest
What scariest is you care to check the posting on him since you dislike him that much. LOL.
Lmao,ikr! Mwahahahaha…
Lol tell it.
….yo if you want to check for ‘scary fangirls of actors’ there’s a certain other actor Lee whose fangirls are more deserving of that moniker. Not Lee Jun Ki lol.
This is truth but DON’T SAY THE NAME, it’ll summon them. Like Beetlejuice.
I really don’t understand why bother to check on this posting just to throw the wet blanket. You are obviously overrating your own taste in drama and acting.
But he deserve to be overrated because he lived up to his hyped/overratedness if I make any any sense, The guy is multi-talented in everything and I’m not even gonna list because it’s too much… so LJG is awesome and I wish him success
Hahaha someone is jealous his or her bias is not receiving the same amount of recognition and strong support from his or her fans..hahaha why the hell are you here if you dislike him..bitter much
I was a reluctant to watch Moon Lovers because I loved BBJX. To my surprise, I ended up enjoying & loving ML more. Sure, ML has its flaws, but LJK gave that drama life.
Di ro riiiii!
What’s up with his hair? It’s funny and odd but lovely color. Well.. Hopefully he rests and does a modern drama next.
I prefer him with darker hair, he’s most beautiful when his hair is black. It brings out his classically perfect features even more.
I personally hope he loses the bowl cut, he’s cute but looks so much better with more grownup hairstyles.
They said it is the current IT hairstyle. The “comma bang”. Gosh, I hate that hairstyle. I won’t mind him donning that Wang So’s weave all year long but please get rid of this horrifying haircut.
I don’t know what I hate more, this ‘comma bang’ or those hideous middle partings from two years ago that all the men wore whether it suited them or not.
Oh wait, I hate the middle partings more. But I have plenty of hate for this too!
Congrats love. LJK is amazing. His and PBG performance are the one I enjoy and appreciate the most this year. Ok, need to mention the legend HSK too (though I have dropped RTDK by now).
Hoping he will come back in really good drama instead of becoming the saving grace again. But I thank ML for letting more people see the incredible talent that LJK is.
Yeah ML had many faults but there’s no denying it woke people up to how amazing LJK really is as an actor.
well something good come out of it. drama was a flop. only thing worth watching was LJK.
He deserves the fan love, he was the best thing about that drama. It’s a shame because it could have been so good but ended up with him singlehandedly propping it up.
I seriously want to say all good things to him…he deserve it so much. After all he had been through he deserve nothing but genuine sussess. I had no hope but cant help i hope he won Best Actor…i mean he should get Daesang!!
@Jocelyn – tv network awards shows mainly look at drama ratings when they give out their awards, but if it was really considered on merit, LJK would be my #1 candidate for the Daesang.
I know thats why i said i had no hope bc they only care about ratings! *Sigh
Daesang will likely go to Han Suk Kyu (I could not argue if he won) or may be Jeon Ji Hyun, not that either one of them need it anymore. They have each won once. LOL.
Best Actor may be will go to Kim Rae Won, Lee Min Ho and let’s not forget Yoo Seung Ho and Jo Jung Seok.
“Remember”, “Doctors”, “Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim” and LOTBS are SBS biggest hits this year. ML on the contrary is one of the biggest ratings duds.
I expect none for him though I think he deserves an award for his brilliant performance.
I’d love for him to get a daesang, but that’s almost always based on ratings.
On the other hand, he always wins an acting award so we still have hope. 🙂
Thank you K-BBJX. I enjoyed the thrill & the passion for love & power. Some scenes moved me to tears, the courtships melted my heart. The terrifying moments shook my heart or skip a beat. I miss you. There are many scenes I’d like to watch again. Good job K-BBJX cast & crew. Lee Jun Ki is indeed a great actor with his versatile talent & experience.K-BBJX captivated me the most during the weeks of viewing.
Been knowing LJK since “My Girl” days. He has gone a long way to be where he is now in term of acting skill. I appreciated him for that. He’s one of a few K actor I know who instead of just rely on popularity/appearance is always upgrading his craft in every project he takes. That’s what an actor have to do since it’s their job/profession.
IMO he’s very charismatic in ML so I’m not surprised if he’s got more fans now. I think he’s shine more in dramatic role rather than in romcom.
I hope some day he will be pair with a co-actor on his level (on skill). Best wishes for him 🙂
Totally agree .
I find it unbelievable how people can still find fault in his acting in ML. It’s not over the top. It supposed to be dramatic, poignant, and emotional. I guess when almost half of his co-actors are acting at maybe 3/4ths of what he’s doing then he’ll probably come off as over acting. But Wang So was a complex character. He can be cold and uncaring but he can also possess an explosive temper. He may seem distant but underneath that facade is a volcano just brimming to erupt. He can be cruel and yet at the same time he is also a child yearning to be loved. IMO LJK managed to portray Wang So perfectly. From the roots of his perfect sageuk hair, to the flashes of emotions in his eye/s, to the glitches and twitch of his facial and neck muscles and down to the ends of his robes Lee Jun Ki IS Wang So. His performance was nothing but brilliant. I just can’t say nothing to anyone putting him down after all his hardwork. The show is upsetting (with that blasted ending, of course) but he deserves so much love for acting his heart out.
Completely agree with everything you have said.
I’m so glad he came out of that mess of a show with more fan love than ever. It’s upsetting to think of what it became, but none of that was his fault and I am glad he is getting so much well-deserved love.
Totally agree. He carried that huge mess on his shoulders, and if it seemed like he was overacting it was because editing, writing, and nearly all of his co-stars (excepting Kang Haneul) seriously under-performed.
To be fair to them some of them actually surprised me in places, and in a good way – Hong Jong Hyun, who I had previously dismissed as wooden and dead-faced, did a great job in his villainous role in his final couple of episodes. Baekhyun was horrible but whatever acting abilities he had came to life in his death scene. The youngest princes also did a really solid job in the scene with Hae Soo’s urn in episode 20, Ji Soo’s sageuk tone is horrible and Nam Joo Hyuk’s still got some way to go when it comes to emoting but they got it right there. Kang Hanna of course was great. Woo Hee Jin was flawless as Court Lady Oh. And I don’t think IU deserves the crap she got either.
I also have to give credit to Z. Hera, she did a great job of playing Baekhyun’s love interest and actually made him more bearable once they started sharing scenes. Her character could have so easily been annoying but she played her with such sincerity that she became charming instead.
Basically, it’s a cast that could actually have been REALLY good, but Kim Kyu Tae’s terrible directing not only failed to utilise their strengths, he actively worked against them in some cases by relying too much on eye candy and attempts at slapsticky comedy.
I am all very happy for him. He is the kind of actor who needs support from fans to validate that he is indeed a great actor. LJK has always been reluctant to do romance and took on action centric roles partially to distant himself from the flower boy image he exuded thru Gong Gil. And when he finally did romance in Moon Lovers, he actually exceeded his own expectation. He breathed Wang So all the way and it’s not too much a compliment to say that among all the princes of both version of BBJX, he is definitely the most memorable despite me prefering Yinzhen as a character more. All are good with the fan meetings and the Lotte CF coming his way and I hope he will get to star in really quality projects hereafter. I have nothing but love for LJK.
I have always feel indifference towards LJG even when I knew he was super famous circa 2005/2006. I admittedly never cared to check his dramas partially because I was never into anything “IT”. Then I watched Moon Lovers and boy, I was blown away by his performance that I thought how the heck could I ever missed such a brilliant actor. And there’s no denying that he is super handsome and he made me fell head over heels in love with Wang So. But the truth is, LJG is nothing like Wang So in real life and his bubbly personality is not my cup of tea. But when I watched his many videos and seeing how sincere he is and that he is super nice to his fans, not only during FM but also at those random encounters, I just could not help but liking him even more. So, apart from an amazing talented actor that he is, LJG rose to become my fave K-actors because of his genuine real-life personality. Am looking forward to his future endeavours and K-BBJX would not be such an international success if it is not for him.
sooo true. you took the words out of my mouth.
He should get the daesang this year. His acting is beyond amazing and unbeatable.
If Daesangs are truly awarded for excellence, he should get one for Wang So.
I mean, when was the last time an actor was able to tear at our heartstrings like that with only half his face visible?
I hope rating will not be influential in choosing the winner 🙁 , cause if its about the performance LJG should win it hands down.
Guess what. He is nominated for Daesang along with JJH, HSK, KRW and Jo Jung Suk. Just to mention here that he is the only one who came out of a low rated drama, JJS from a mediocre JI which still managed to come out top of its timeslot while the rest stared in SBS big hits this year. Can I say that this is a good sign after all?
@Del – that is a great group of actors and performances, I wouldn’t be angry if the Daesang went to Han Seok Kyu or Jo Jong Seok.
I’m just so freaking happy that SBS recognised LJK’s performance for the greatness that it is in the middle of a messy drama, even if he doesn’t actually get that trophy in the end. Though of course, I want him to!