Cast of Half-baked Drama Adaptation of Bride of the Water God Attend Wrap Party
Lightning in a bottle is impossible to replicate and even trying something similar in genre is a risky move to make the comparisons all the more stark. tvN finished airing the K-drama adaptation of fantasy manhwa Bride of the Water God this week and the entire thing went down like me munching on a bag of somewhat stale potato chips on a lazy weekend afternoon while watching funny animal videos because I have nothing better to do, i.e. the drama was passable consumption but ultimately unsatisfying in every way other than as a time fill.
The cast of Nam Joo Hyuk, Shin Se Kyung, and Krystal attended the wrap party earlier in the week, with Gong Myung and Im Joo Hwan absent but actually fared better in the drama in terms of character and acting than the three who attended. If tvN wanted to capture fantasy like hit drama Goblin then it failed miserably with Bride, but the drama was also not the total hot mess it could have been based on the cast and moving the setting from historical fantasy to modern day. In the end I didn’t like any of the leads or connected with their acting, and sadly proves yet again that nothing can salvage a drama where the script is simply missing half the components of depth and breadth.
What a waste of Im Joo Hwan. I pity the poor guy. He deserves to be the lead in a good drama.
Actually, if they’d made Im Joo Hwan the lead in THIS drama I bet the end result would have been much better.
Yes, he needs to be a lead in a drama. In this drama, it felt like he carried the less experienced actors.
Also, I thought weightlifting fairy and six flying dragons were great so I know the leads can act well, but this drama wasted their talents tremendously.
tsk,tsk, if you’re a real fan, you will support your biases either in supporting or lead roles. besides, his characted as a half god CEO suited him well, the characterization was written for him, besides I cant picture him as the youthful Water god.
Preach!
Such a waste…
Nam joo hyuk, this boy seriously can’t act. He has no charisma at all. Just come back to your modelling, boy.
Ditto. His acting was the worst and I couldn’t take him seriously at all. Model boy needs to get back to modeling. Unfortunately, YG will get him more lead roles and dumb wfkbj shippers and his rabid fans will keep getting him acting gigs.
@prettyautumn, NJH ain’t going anywhere but up. He’s got a role next to Jo In Sung in the film Ansi City. So complain all you like about him, he is heading for a major film role next!
@Abc Seolhyun’s going to be in Ansi city too. It was supposed to be a serious historical film and now they have model boy and a model girl who can’t act to save their lives. NJH is going up, but his acting keep being so bad. He will be exposed even more once he is next to Jo In Sung and Park Bo Gum (as I read he was offered a role too in Ansi city). Some complains are unreasonable sometimes but this one isn’t. I watched NJH since School 2015 and he didn’t improve at all. And Seolhyun in Orange Marmelade and Gangnam Blues just exposed how bad she’s too. YG and FNC can keep getting them acting gigs, but they won’t earn any critical praise from viewers.
@prettyautumn wow, what’s gotten into you like you have purposely pick and catch all the hates in the world, you can now assume your throne as the Empress of bashers, lmao. seriously, does it even make sense you heavily criticize these young new actors. let it be regarded they are visually easy on the eyes, I could still watch them on the big screen, they are not the worse actors and you make it sound that way, you mean creature!
@Amelie, why thank you for calling me the Empress of bashers, you sweetheart. However, I wasn’t just bashing, I was actually telling the truth. For some people, eye candy is enough, but at some point bad acting will stick out like a sore thumb and good looks won’t be able to save that. Young new actors should practice in universities/acting academies and they should be cast based on their talent, not just looks or sponsor/ agency power. How many more chances should I give to the likes of Nam Joo Hyuk? I think he has proven that he needs a lot more practice. Meanwhile, I’ll never stop being opinionated!
I don’t watch this drama until I watched tvN during my working trip. Watching random episode, Nam joohyuk and Shin saekyung ‘s bad acting ruined my mood.
give the boy some slack, maybe it’s the plot and storyline that’s not working. I actually watched it to see NJH handsome face, just for fun and not on acting critic mode. though Im not a Namlee shipper, its little off with chemistry, its SSK who I felt disconnected, she’s good on crying scenes but the love department meeeh!
This drama was such a disappointment… Such a nice manhwa story to work with too… Total letdown. And after all these years, SSK is still such a disappointment. You would think with her resume of dramas, she’d get it together. I liked NJH in Weightlifting Fairy, but this was just not the role for him. I don’t know if this drama could have been saved if there were stronger leads. With the exception of a few, most Kdramas this year have been meh.
Im Joo Hwan deserves better than this. Also kinda tired of seeing him playing nice from the outside but evil from the inside roles. He has got potential for more than this. The ending was so dumb too. The writer was on crack because the writing became so lazy at the end.
i first watched him in whats up. nice drama there! lotsa fun~ :p way before im joohwan is labelled the resident villain~
I defended NJH on the casting post of this drama on this site and now that the drama is done, fair game for criticism – I definitively think both the acting and the script was bland. Nothing compelling.
As I was able to enjoy all of his previous roles and dramas, yes even a bit of School 2015, I’m surprised how disinterested I was in BOTWG (which tbh a big part of it was also the modernization of the setting and the lack of supernatural powers).
NJH is far from being a good actor, but I always thought before that he was making small, baby steps, progress forward. BOTWG was a step back. He needed help from the scriptwriter to make the character pop that he didn’t get. BUT he was passable as Haebak, also forgettable. His acting didn’t elevate it, but it also didn’t ruin the story and character like his haters pretended he did.
Anything with bland Se Kyung is a pass for me. This girl never got the appeal even more boring than the like of Han Ji min don’t get me started on Krystal and NJH
I feel in terms of acting in the drama it’s IJH > SSK > GM/Crystal > NJH for me. NJH just couldn’t emote.
Exactly. I agree with your order. Nam Joo Hyuk was the worst actor and Im Joo Hwanwas the best. Everyone keeps calling Shin Se Kyung bland, but she was the strongest link in the casting to be quite honest. BOTWG could have been so much better drama if any other actor could have replaced Nam Joo Hyuk, literally anyone (okay except maybe for Lee Jong Suck)
Wow, didn’t realize it was this bad. I saw bits and pieces of it but did not see chemistry between the leads. Pity this didn’t work out. I think if the setting was back then it would have been a little more popular because manhwa fans pictured it this way to begin with. Just like how My Sassy Girl did so bad in Joseon times, I feel this way about Bride
The drama wasn’t so bad, I quite liked the acting from IJH, Gong Myung, Krystal and SSK. But the script sucked-it had the potential to be so much better, and NJH stoic acting needs a lot of work. I feel he could have done with a better script, he’s not an experienced enough actor to make a bland script interesting.
I watched this drama poorly for Im Joo Hwan. The hardest thing for me to swallow in this drama was Shin Se Kyung’s acting. I just couldn’t feel for her whether it be anger, pain, happiness, sorrow etc. Girl just can’t emote. Nam Joo Hyuk was passable but take it with a grain of salt. Their chemistry was very lacking. Three Lives Three Worlds made me cry buckets and sit there smiling like a crazy person. I watched Bride of the Water God with a stone face throughout all the separation/sad scenes. Better luck next drama Im Joo Hwan– you have so much talent and it is being wasted on dramas like this. Maybe if Im Joo Hwan was the lead with a different female main lead it would have been more enjoyable.
Nope. Nam Joo Hyuk is the worst actor in botwg, not passable. SSK was an acting genius next to NJH crap acting. IJH and SSK had more chemistry than the main couple. What a shame. IJH deserves better than play a second tier to a younger and more inexperienced model boy learning about acting on set lmao
seriously it’s wierd when people claim that NJH or Krystal did better than SSK. yeah SSK isnt good at emoting sometimes but saying krystal is better just bc she was dressed in fancy stuff is ridiculous. krystal just had ONE basic expression, one easy character and short appearance.but kpop fans on NB, DB or Twitter put down actresses who have almost zero mediaplay and work for years and keep praising idols and models from big companies and sparky promotions.
@soli Preach! There are so many stupid kpop brats in NB, and DB with supposed drama and film connoiseurs ain’t any better. They keep praising mediocre idol actresses or secondary/tertiary leads to heavens and back because of ’sassy ice queen’ role with fancy clothes and fancier makeup, but once they start getting female lead roles (like Krystal in She’s So Lovable *shudders*) it’s like the sounds of Saharan deserts and grasshoppers. SSK was much, much better than Krystal and NJH combined and that’s not even an opinion at this point, it’s a fact. SSK has sometimes trouble emoting, but she shines when she acts with actually talented actors, like Han Suk Kyu in Deep Rooted Tree.
@prettyautumn and @soli, I agree with all your comments but the unfortunate thing is these pretty faces are very very popular, and if they get the clicks online and interest they are the ones generating revenue for K-entertainment. This is probably one of the reasons why there are so many idols/models casting in dramas and films nowadays.
I agree with @K. I stopped watching this drama at ep 12 because of SSK… my opinion of acting I this drama is IJH>Krystal (I am surprised that she was not as bad as before!)>NJH>GM>>SSK. What’s wrong with you @prettyautumn here, why did you post 7 times to tell us NJH is the worst? We have heard your opinion already. It is very rude to reinstate your opinion 7 times & to disagree with others while all of us only want to have our own views posted! Especially when you cannot stand people opposing your views, so please respect others as much as you wish to get the same treatment ?
@candycane, I posted only 6 times how horrible NJH is (this is the 7th, oh the irony) and one comment had only to do with IJH. Most of the times, I only posted how I agree with them and @K’s comment was the only one I disagreed to some extent. I respect others’ opinions, but I have opinions too. No offense candycane, but your order of actors’ acting talent is really ridiculous in my opinion. Seems like you haven’t watched many k-dramas or you’re much too young to detect good acting from bad one. To place NJH and Krystal above SSK is really a huge stretch. And this is with all due respect for your opinion, which you have the complete right to have ?
@Abc, understandable why producers go after clicks and money. I really wish one day they’d at least know how to balance with this. At least give them model and idol boys and girls smaller roles until they have proven that they can convincingly act and pull heavy emotional scenes.
@prettyautumn… hahaha… I know u can’t help but reply to oppose. Chill. I am fine. At least we all agree IJH is the best actor which is already a fact ? K-drama is made for the young & the old… I now have better dramas to watch than to chew on this losing drama ?
“Girl can’t emote” should be changed to “Boy can’t emote” because it describes NJH exactly. I get what SSK’s conveying most of the time in the drama. Her crying scene over her Dad’s death in the final episode was superb.
NJH? He has great voice delivery, but if the scene calls for him to show emotions other than haughty or regal Habaek, I will need to second guess from the script or context since his beautiful blank face doesn’t indicate anything!!
‘Half baked’ is about right, I can’t believe the writer of Misaeng and Arang & the Magistrate came up with this pointless drama.
And Nam Joo Hyuk is not fit for lead roles, or at least not ones where he has to do anything other than play the nice boy next door. I liked him in Weightlifting Fairy, but he was a total miscast for this, even Shin Se Kyung was better (personally, I’m just glad Moon Chae Won declined the offer to play the lead, she is too good for this mess).
I’m only watching for Im Joo Wan, the rest just FF. The kissing part of NJH and SSK is just gross. I can’t enjoy the romantic scene when the main doesn’t have emotion connection at all.
For me, I just got tired of Krystal’s angry screaming. It just got so annoying! I started skipping her scenes from epsiode 13 on!
I liked IJH and SSK together. Their chemistry was better than the rest. NJH was not bad but not great either.
What a disappointment. I just kept imagining the costume work of Princess Hours and what this drama could have been if it was set in historical and not present time.
Here’s to hoping for a better remake. If several stations can make Iljimae, they can remake BOTWG, too! *Fingers crossed*
Ah, you know who I really liked? Hahaha I liked the male servant and SSK’s friend! Haha
Casual wear for korean celebrities look like sleepwear to me.
SSK is awkward always especially during kiss scenes and So Ah was boring, dumb character. SSK made it extra boring. NJH is serviceable.He was quite fun during first half and believeable as god.
Agree! Boring & dumb ?
Shin Se Kyung is a good actress who is particularly strong in her emotional delivery and I think she matched Im Joo Hwan better. Nam Joo Hyuk didn’t have the skills or aura required for a role like Ha Baek but I quite enjoyed his acting in WFKBJ. Seems like he can only play the nice college guy roles well ?
The casts are quite pretty/handsome but their acting are so bad, so awkward except I’m Joo Hean. Shin Se Kyung is bad, considered that she has been acting for a long time and no chemistry with Nam Joo Hyuk. But I really can’t watch Nam Joo Hyuk and Krystal’s acting which I don’t understand why producer/director keep casting them in drama/movie. Both of them should just stick with their model and singing career. I’m so disappointed with the quality of acting in this drama. I’ve only watched the first 2 episodes and the last 2 episodes and I was so disappointed with the acting, they should cast real actor/actress to act!
what makes me amazed is when a viewer who obviously cant watch a drama that has so much text in it instead of visuals, and their brain cant process long monologues, as is the norm in kdrama which is btw the reason that kdrama viewers are the most passive viewers there is, only after all the comments on BOTWG i realized that kdrama viewer cant remember any information given by text or understand what the writer is trying to say. which is why ockoala can find ‘stranger’ a good drama while anyone who know understand thrillers knows it would have NEVER passed in any other country (modern country). not liking a drama bc it has too much lines, or the heroin, which SA is the main heroine and has the most development just bc she has too much lines bc there is no other problem, unless again you show you know nothing about acting, wontbe the first.how did you start writing, you never took a writing class in your life, im pretty sure .so im not surprised that ockoala didnt get it, bc it is obviously not a professional but an amateur, which is sadly very common in kdramas. it is always obvious from reading her recap that there is a severe lack of basic understanding of script. you can say that it wasnt your cup of tea, but it was all throughout what the writer intended it to be therefor we were given hints throughout the drama from the start. there are rules to understand script. and SA was the voice of the writer and had the most script, which is the greatest compliment a writer can give. i wonder if ockoala can give an example for just one more actress in SSK age that has this much lines. the writer herself said that when she heard SSK cast she changed the text to suit her. like the writer of ‘strong women…’ while tht writer deminished the character into silly nothingness the writer of BOTWG gave her MONOLOGUES. ri wonder from where this really misplaced confidence come from? you dont know NOTHING about the industry or how it works?????
just to explain passive\active viewer, just like reading a book or watching movie made of it. when reading or given information through text NOT visuals the brain process the abstract information into our own unique visuals. which is why when watching a movie made of a book you read much of it looks different than what you imagined. the same goes for info through text in dramas, you process the text into your own visual like n a book. which outside of SK is very common bc they dont and cant put that much money and therefor rely on their audience intelligence to fill the ‘void’ while in SK its the opposite, they rely on their audience stupidity and can be illogic instead aka ‘strong women..’ which i will never get over THAT stupidity.
so having a drama who visualize everything means that they make you into a very passive viewer. while here, the writer having SSK decided to try and do a drama with more text and monologues than they are used to in kdramas, which ARENT ever based on text!!!
well this will be my last post here, you can breath a sigh of relief. im too exasperated by all the stratford wife i see here, using your brain is a must not an option, but i guess not here. so goodbye stratford wife and please try using your brain more!!!