So I will admit that I am kind of tough on my requirements for Korean Actresses. Nothing annoys me more then seeing a girl get a role just because she is pretty (often with obvious plastic surgery so she will fit that pretty ideal) and stare blankly at the camera through the whole drama. If you don't understand what I am talking about try watching the leads in Basketball and Who Are You. So to earn a spot on my favorites list you have to actually be able to act. And sometimes that is a skill that is hard to find amid all the idol turn actors and traditional leading ladies. But I whittled down my list from the 50 or so shows that I watched from this year and these are my top 5! If you think I have missed any or are way off on any of my choices feel free to comment:)
Best Female Villain Seo Woo - King's Daughter Soo Baek Hyang
This is actually a case where I think the plastic surgery might have helped her acting. Playing the evil sister Solhi who steals her half sisters place as the Princess Soo Baek Hyang, she is able to contort her face into a mask of pure evil. It is easy to play pretty but it is very difficult to play pretty that turns ugly just from a shift in her facial expression. There are times she literally gives me chills as I watch her character
become more and more selfish and total bat crap crazy with each
episode. So now whenever I think of great Kdrama villains she will always be at the top of my list.
Ratings Queen Lee Bo Young - My Daughter Seo Young & I Hear Your Voice
Playing characters in two of the highest rated dramas this year, Lee Bo Young proved that an actress can still be a draw even after marriage. Able to play strong female characters believably but still be able to let their faults shine through she rocked both of her roles and gained me as a fan. I know that some people were worried that her mannerism's would make the characters to similar but I think that after a couple of episodes she put those fears to rest. She also rocked the kdrama world when it was announced that she had been in a secret six year relationship with Ji Sung and that they would be getting married in between their filming schedule. Where usually the news of marriage take a hit on actresses popularity, it did not seem to effect her ratings at all and I foresee some great dramas from her in the future.
Breakout Actress Ha Yeon Soo - Monstar & Potato Star 2013QR3
Staring in the drama Monstars, Ha Yeon Soo became the new up and coming "it" girl of 2013. Fresh faced and multi talented she was instantly offered various CV's and booked for photo shoots. And then she followed up her Freshman role by snagging the female lead in Potato Star opposite Yeo Jin Goo. I for one am very happy that she is picking smart characters from the start and avoiding anything flashy and poorly written. I am excited to see her transition to more popular roles in the future but for now I am enjoying her quirky characters that just make me smile.
Most Improved Hwang Jung Eum - Incarnation of Money & Secret Love
Hwang Jung Eum has been on the acting scene for quite a few years. With dramas like Giant, Can you Hear my Voice, and Full House 2 under her belt, she has had her fair share of hits (despite the ugly hairstyles she has been forced to wear). However I would not have ever said she was really a "great" actress more just a popular one. I felt personally that she tended to over act most of her parts and while she was likable I would not watch a drama just because she is in it. That all changed this year when she accepted the lead in Secret Love. Personally I am not sure if she took acting lessons or just finally had a director who really knew how to get the best out of her acting skills, but her understated acting of a girl going to prison for her boyfriend's crime was pure genius. I really hope that she is able to continue into her next role.
My Girl Bias Jun Ji Hyun - My Love from The Stars & The Thieves
I know I know....... you are all probably saying to yourselves that My Love From the Stars just barely started and can we really count it as a 2013 drama. Well probably not, however it is my blog post so I can do what I want. And I totally love this actress. Watching her star in the Kmovie "The Thieves" I was blown away by her spunky and funny character. Not only that but for someone so pretty she sure is willing to make herself look ridiculous in order to get laughs. Something that a lot of Korean actresses are not willing to do. She pushes her characters just that little bit to far that take her from pretty to cooky and back again. It has only been two episodes but it looks like she will again successfully kick comedic butt as Cheon Song Yi a gorgeous yet unintelligent ditzy top actress. I am already counting down the days to the next episode and anyone that can stand equal to Kim Soo Hyun and not be overshadowed deserves a shout out.
This concludes my favorite actress list. I thought of doing my least favorite as well but it was so long that it would be hard to pick one lackluster actress over another so I decided to stay with the positive and just hope that these actresses also do some good dramas in the coming year.
So every year it hits Christmas time and I have to always tighten the belt, money wise, because providing Christmas for three awesome children always takes up the extra that we have. So rather then give each other gifts my husband and I just decide that enjoying the holiday season as a family is present enough. And for the last three years I have mentally given myself my own special kind of Korean present. I settle in and gorge myself on all of the end of year dramas that start up. In past years I have found that some of the best (or at least most addicting) dramas are the ones that start at the end of November and through December. Secret Garden, Moon that Embraces the Sun, School 2013 and many more have always made the holidays extra entertaining for a poor mom who has to stay home. So I decided to devote this blog post to all the (hopefully amazingly awesome............ please please please let them be awesome kdrama gods) dramas that are starting in the next several weeks.
I am one of those people that will give anything a try no matter how crazy the plot or casting of actors are so I am planning on starting the list from least interested (for me anyway) to the ones that I can barely wait for........ Seriously have been frothing at the mouth to see You From Another Star (previously man from another star and many other variations of this title) for 5 months. Miss Korea
So the drama I really have the least interest as well as basic info about is Miss Korea. Starring Lee Yeon-hee ( Ghost, Paradise Ranch) is a girl who peaked in high school and now has grown up to become an ......... elevator girl. Hmmmm that is definitely something that you don't really aspire to be when you are a teenager. Not only is she an elevator girl but the head elevator girl at a prestigious department store. Her former schoolmates lead by Lee Seon-kyun (Pasta) decide to try and save their failing cosmetic company by turning her into Miss Korea.
Seo Sook Hyang is the writer for this drama and has done some dramas that have had descent success. Both Pasta and Romance Town were all right dramas for me but neither really made me anxious for a re watch. I just have a feeling that this drama is going to be a similar experience for me. Ok but nothing to sub stalk.
The Prime Minister and I
The Prime Minister and I is one of those dramas that came out of nowhere. Around a month ago rumors started flying around that there was going to be a Korean remake of sound of music and the people being considered for the leads were Lee Bum Soo (History of a Salaryman, Giant, Iris 2) and Yoonah ( Love Rain). Now I personally am a HUGE fan of Lee Bum Soo. He is one of those actors that can do anything. Comedy, melodrama, Sageuk, Action........... He is a amazing character actor who I truly love. And there is Yoonah while cute enough, she is not really much of an actress. From the rumors running around, her agency is very invested in forcing her square idol peg into a circular acting hole regardless of what anyone thinks of her skills, so she got the part. But never fear with super cutie actors Yoon Shi Yoon (Me to Flower, Flower Boy Next Door) and Lee Min Ho (Sword and Flower, Moon Embracing the Sun) we have a great male cast that can hopefully fill any gaps our leading lady might leave.
The plot was also something that there was a lot of speculation about. Originally rumors were going around that it was going to be a modern day remake of Sound of Music with Yoonah being his kids music tutor. But luckily it seems that premise has been dropped and instead our heroine is a spunky reporter who is going after a big story and ends up faking her identity and in a contract marriage with our leading man. All while taking care of his rambunctious brood. I do agree that I don't really see them as a couple right now and that the 20 year age gap is very apparent. However, I have high hopes that with a good plot and some descent to good acting I can be sucked into the story. So far the first teasers and stills are just so so and are not providing us with much info. But it is Lee Bum Soo and I will stick with this drama to the end regardless of quality.
Prime Minister and I Teaser
You can see this drama airing on December 9th after Marry Him if you Dare ends.
Pretty Guy
So I have a confession to make. Jang Keun Suk is one of my kdrama guilty pleasures. I don't know why but I just love his acting. Personally as a singer and just a star personality outside of acting he does nothing for me. But put him in a snarky narcissistic fancy boy role and I adore him...... massive amounts of guyliner, jewelry, and hair gel be darned, I just love him. Not to mention he possesses one of the best talking voices of any kdrama leading man. He could sit in a chair and read the phone book and I would totally just close my eyes and listen to his voice. So I am personally very happy he is coming back to dramas. I know there is a lot of haters out there that are complaining about his choices of characters and that he is wasting his acting talent. But since I like him playing this type of character you are not going to convince me that this role is a bad thing. Maybe does not make a whole lot of sense plot wise, but other then that I am 100% on board.
Keep in mind that this drama is an adaption from a Japanese Manga of the same name. So yes, it does sound a little bit weird but considering a lot of stuff that is adapted from Mangas it is not that out there.
We have our Hero (#1 narcissist) Dokgo Ma Te played by Jang Keun Suk ( You're Beautiful, Love Rain) who is said to be one of the most gorgeous men in Korea and in an effort to make money using his pretty appearance he decides to become a gold digger. HEHEHE already his character sounds fun. Hong Yoo Ra ( Han Chae Young - Ad Genius Lee Tae Baek) becomes his gold digging mentor and he has to seduce ten of the top 1% it girls in South Korea as his homework. Following behind him is Kim Bo Tong ( IU - Dream High, Your the Best Lee Soon Shin) who is everything average ............. I know IU is not really average but still she has a cute concept thing going for her so I can pretend she is average if they want us to................ She falls in love with our leading man and becomes his very own poor hurdle towards succeeding in his quest for a rich sugar mommy. Pretty Guy Teaser
So this show does not look like it is going to have a lot of depth going
for it but it does have potential to be a very fun romantic comedy and
sometimes that is just what I need to lesson all of my serious dramas.
So bring on the ego and drama queen antics so I can have some fun
laughs.
You from another Star
SO I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT ABOUT THIS DRAMA. I am a huge Kim Soo Hyun fan. I loved loved loved him in The Moon Embracing the Sun as well as his movies The Thieves and Secretly Greatly. He has that mix of super hot leading man and cute charming sweet guy next door that is hard to achieve. In his first drama back after two years he is playing Do Min Joon who is an alien who crashed on Earth and has spent 400 years living in South Korean. He is more or less the Korean Superman (minus the flying) and has a perfect appearance and enhanced vision, hearing, and speed. He never ages so he is currently a professor at the local college. He is very cynical about humans and all their messy feelings until he falls in love with Cheon Song Yi ( Jun Ji Hyun - Happy Together, The Thieves) a top hallyu actress.
I was sold the second they said Kim Soo Hyun was going to be the leading man, but when I heard Jun Ji Hyun was going to be his costar I could not have been happier. It has been 14 years since her last drama, but she has been busy creating herself into a true Korean movie star. She and Kim Soo Hyun were two of the actors in the amazing ensemble drama The Thieves and shared one of my favorite kdrama kisses. While they did not officially hook up in the movie the burned the screen with their intense chemistry and I am sure that the drama's director is hoping that it continues on into this project. You from another Star begins December 11th following Heirs.
They do not have a teaser for this drama out yet so instead I tried to find "THE KISS" on youtube. But after I found it (and watched it around 10 times) I could not post it onto my blog for some reason.......................... SO PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING.
STEP 1. COPY THE FOLLOWING
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDsRPWb67vE
STEP 2 . PASTE INTO YOUR BROWSER
STEP 3. PUSH PLAY & WATCH THE MOST AWESOME KISS (NOT A SPOILER FOR THE PLOT JUST AN AMAZING KISS)
STEP 4. REPEAT AS MANY TIMES AS NEEDED TO CONVINCE YOU TO WATCH THIS DRAMA.
So that concludes my Christmas gift to all you kdrama addikts out there. Be sure to pick a great new drama, grab some hot cocoa, snacks and enjoy. I of course will be keeping you all updated on my favorites, and who knows, maybe I will even be inspired to review one of them weekly. Until then, have a great weekend full of kdramas.
