Showing posts with label Kwon Soo Hyun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kwon Soo Hyun. Show all posts

Friday, 21 May 2021

Korean Drama - The K2

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

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The K2 is a 2016 South Korean television series written by Jang Hyuk Rin and directed by Kwak Jung Hwan.
It aired from the 23rd of September, running for 16 episodes and concluding on the 12th of November 2016.

Main Cast:
Ji Chang Wook as Kim Je Ha
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Song Yoon Ah as Choi Yoo Jin
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Im Yoona as Go Anna
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Jo Sung Ha as Jang Se Joon
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Kim Kap Soo as Park Kwan Soo
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Supporting Cast:
Lee Jung Jin as Choi Sung Won
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Shin Dong Mi as Kim Dong Mi
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Lee Ye Eun as Jang Mi Ran
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Lee Jae Woo as Kang Sang Gyu
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Lee Chul Min as Park Kwan Soo's Aide
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Song Kyung Chul as Song Young Chun
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So Hee Jung as Head of JSS Medical Team
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Jeon Bae Soo as Joo Chul Ho
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Ko In Beom as Guk Chae Wan
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Lee Soon Won as JSS Bodyguard Team Leader
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Yeom Hye Ran as Housekeeper
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Kwon Soo Hyun as Bodyguard
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Being depicted with a bodyguard action theme, the drama utilized various fighting techniques including systema, taekwondo, aikido and jujutsu for it's action scenes. It became the first Korean television dram to introduce the Bullet Time effect.

The first script reading was held in August 2016, and filming began in September.
Male lead Ji Chang Wook due to his  casting, became the highest-paid actor for a tvN. He had special training and performed the action stunts in the drama by himself, without a body double.
At the press conference, director Kwak expressed "on top of Ji's splendid action, the drama will tell the story of insatiable desire and political fights between people holding secrets of their own."

The drama received favourable reviews, topping cable channel viewership ratings throughout it's 8-week broadcast. It was praised by viewers for good performances.

As expected, there were songs from the dramas OST that I fell in love with, and take me right back into all the drama.
Check out the songs below.
Kim Bo Hyung - 오늘도 (Today)

Yoona - Amazing Grace

Choi Cheol Ho (Jan) - Anemone

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Kim Je Ha is a former mercenary soldier for the PMC Blackstone. While in Iraq, he gets framed for the murder of his lover Raniya, a civilian. As a result, he runs away and becomes a fugitive. He returns to South Korea and by chance, gets offered to work as a bodyguard by Choi Yoo Jin, the owner of JSS Security Company and wife of the presidential candidate, Jag Se Joon. He accepts the job in exchange for resources that he needs in order to get his revenge on another presidential candidate, Park Kwan Soo, who previously ordered the killing of his lover.
In the meantime, Je Ha gets assigned to guard Go Anna, the hidden daughter of Jang Se Joon, whose life is always threatened because of Yoo Jin, her stepmother. Anna who has been reclused and lonely all her life, starts relying on Je Ha who shows concern for her and protects her at all costs. They slowly fall in love with each other, which make Je Ha torn between having to work with his ally, Yoo Jin, in order to get his revenge and protecting his new found love, Anna, against his own ally.

I'd seen The K2 pop up a few times on my spotlight on Netflix and knowing that Yoona was one of the main cast I decided to give it a watch, as at the time I'd not watched any of the Girls' Generation members in their acting roles.
I really enjoyed this drama, and I struggled to stop watching and found myself as one episode concluded, wanting to get straight into the next one to see how the series progressed and concluded.
I don't think they could have picked a better cast, each cast member brought something to the series, and they each did their role justice and perfectly.
I really enjoyed the plot of the series and I felt I never knew how it would end or how the plot would go.
I'm excited to check more of Ji Chang Wook's drama's as  I was blown away by him in his role as Kim Je Ha, I was even more impressed knowing he didn't have a body double and did it all himself. I loved watching him with Yoona, they showed amazing chemistry in their scenes, which made their performance more believable. I liked seeing his character grow and while still wanting revenge for his lovers death, he was still able to move on and find someone new to protect.
I think Song Yoon Ah was amazing as Choi Yoo Jin, she's the typical power hungry evil bitch, that knows how to get what she wants, and she doesn't care how she obtains it. We often see her being cold and calculating, but we often see her walls come down and show more of her emotions, we later find out that she's hiding a big secret, and I couldn't help but wonder if she kept quiet because she was protecting someone she knew or because she had gotten what she wanted.
I loved Im Yoona as Go Anna, she really brought her role to life and really brought an innocence to he role, while she was cut off from the outside world, she wasn't naive when it came to the world and those around her, I think the main growth we see is that she is willing to forgive, even for something that has destroyed her life and made her to be hidden from the world. The main thing I think Anna wants is acceptance, not only from her father, but also from her stepmother, I think with that she can let things go and live her life in the open.
I couldn't help feelings sorry for Jo Sung Ha as Jang Se Joon, he's seen as power hungry as well as cold towards his daughter, Anna, while Anna sees it as him not acknowledging her as his daughter, he's actually doing his upmost to try to protect her and keep her safe from her stepmother, even if it means tarnishing her deceased mothers memory, whom you can tell he truly loved.
I'm starting to think that Kim Kap Soo only seems to play evil politicians, which is his role as Park Kwan Soo, like Choi Yoo Jin, he will do anything to obtain what he wants, no matter if it's trying to kill his rivals wife, kidnapping his daughter, or selling weapons to the enemy and killing loved ones in the process, one thing I will say about Kim Kap Soo, is that he plays these roles extremely well, which is possibly why he's often cast in them.
I originally saw Lee Jung Jin as our villain in The King: Eternal Monarch, his role as Choi Sung Won in The K2, showed me a new side to his acting, as we see him play the devoted uncle, only to be cold and calculating in the background, trying to take his stepsister down and using Anna for collateral damage, to gain the power he desires.
After falling in love with Shin Dong Mi in Record of Youth, watching her in her role as Kim Dong Mi made me feel slightly uncomfortable, but it also shows how versatile she is as an actress, Kim Dong Mi is like her boss, she's cold and calculating and doesn't trust those that Choi Yoo Jin brings in, even without orders trying to kill both Kim Je Ha and Go Anna, I'd definitely love to see her in more roles like this one.
Lee Ye Eun often made me laugh as Jang Mi Ran, she definitely added some of the comedic value to the series and I loved seeing her relationship change with Go Anna, while she just sees Anna as her job at the start, you can see as she gets to know her they form a close friendship and bond, which makes her want to protect her even more than at the beginning, she also the main person Kim Je Ha trusts to protect Anna, because he knows she's doing it for the right reasons.
Lee Jae Woo as Kang Sang Gyu was another to be added for the comedic value, I loved watching his interaction with both Kim Je Ha and Jang Mi Ran, you can see even his outlook on things change after meeting Anna.
The whole cast were amazing in The K2, and we got to see a lot of character developments over the series upon meeting both Kim Je Ha and Go Anna, I think even by the end of the drama, your own mindset changes on some of the characters and it shows what knock on effect parenting can have when parents are power hungry themselves, especially when those children crave their parents acknowledgement and acceptance.
Overall, I highly recommend this series, it was exciting and exhilarating to watch, there's plenty of action to go with the romance, so I think it's a perfect series for anyone to watch.

Have you watched The K2?
Were you a fan of the cast?
Did you enjoy the script and plot?
Let me know in the comments below

See you soon!


안녕
(Annyeong)
さようなら
(Sayonara)
再见
(ZaiJian)
Bye

Sunday, 31 January 2021

Korean Drama - Record of Youth

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

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Record of Youth is a 2020 South Korean youth romance drama written by Ha Myung Hee and directed by Ahn Gil-ho.
The series started airing on both tvN and Netflix on the 7th of September, airing 16 episodes and concluding on the 27th of October 2020.

Main Cast:
Park Bo Gum as Sa Hye Jun
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Park So Dam as Ahn Jeong Ha
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Byeon Woo Seok as Won Hae Hyo
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Kwon Soo Hyun as Kim Jin Woo
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Supporting Cast:
Ha Hee Ra as Han Ae Sook - Hye Jun's Mother
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Han Jin Hee as Sa Min Gi - Hye Jun's Grandfather
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Park Soo Young as Sa Young Nam - Hye Jun's Father
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Lee Jae Won as Sa Kyeong Jun - Hye Jun's Brother
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Shin Ae Ra as Kim Yi Young - Hae Hyo's Mother
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Jo Yoo Jung as Won Hae Na - Hae Hyo's Sister
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Jang Min Sung as Kim Jang Man Jin Woo's Father
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Park Sung Yeon as Lee Kyung Mi - Jin Woo's Mother
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Jang Yi Jung as Kim Jin Ri - Jin Woo's Sister
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Shin Dong Mi as Lee Min Jae 
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Lee Chang Hoon as Lee Tae Soo
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Park Se Hyun as Choi Soo Bin
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Jo Ji Seung as Park Jin Ju
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Kim Gun Woo as Park Do Ha
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Seol In Ha as Jung Ji Ah
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Like with most of the Korean dramas I've watched, I fell in love with the soundtrack, check out the ones that pull me right back into the series.
Seungkwan - Go

Chung Ha - You're In My Soul

Baekhyun - 나의 시간은 (Every Second)

Wheein - 그렇게 넌 내게 빛나 (Shine On You)

Bobby - Spotlight

Lee Hi - Brave Enough

Record of Youth Trailer

The drama follows the lives of three young people in the contemporary fashion industry.
They strive to achieve their dreams and love without despair.

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I'm always happy when new dramas get released onto Netflix and I couldn't be any more happier that this drama was getting released onto Netflix, I'd seen Park So Dam post it onto her Instagram that she had a new drama coming out and knew I wanted to give it a watch.
For me, I loved this drama, I thought the cast was spot on and I loved the script and plot, what I loved even more was how the series concluded, I thought it was a perfect ending for all the lead characters.
The main thing I think this drama was about was personal growth, overcoming their own personal mental and self-confidence issues.
I absolutely adore Park So Dam and I loved her as Ahn Jeong Ha, my first drama of hers was Cinderella and the Four Knights, and I love how different the characters are. Jeong Ha seems really sure with what she wants in her life, she has a plan in place but her mindset seems to change when she meets her idol Sa Hye Jun. I think meeting both Sa Hye Jun and Hae Hyo helps her to finally realise what she needs to do to make her goals and dreams to become reality.
This is my first drama with Park Bo Gum and I think this is the perfect drama to introduce him as an actor as he gets to play many roles. We get to see Hye Jun start at the bottom and work his way up in his career, while many people try and bring him down and ruin his career. He seems to battle with both his career and his love life, I think Jeong Ha helps him to focus on what he needs to do within his life, I'll definitely be checking out more of his dramas and I can't wait for him to return to the big and small screen.
Byeon Woo Seok did amazing as Won Hae Hyo, I really felt for his character, he works so hard in his career and his confidence comes crashing down when he finds out that a lot of his success and popularity is down to his mother. I'm curious to see more of his work and can't wait to check out more of his dramas to see him play different roles.
Kwon Soo Hyun definitely brings some comedy to the drama as Kim Jin Woo, this is actually my second drama with him, my first being The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (Which I have not yet fully completed). You can tell he adores his friends, which I think is why he keeps quiet about the fact that he's dating Hae Hyo's sister. He's a skilled photographer but I don't think he has full confidence in himself until his friends remind him that they have his back.
I absolutely love Ha Hee Ra as Hye Jun's mother, I loved her "friendship" with Hae Hyo's mother, I thought they really bounced off each other well. You could see that she loved and supported Hye Jun's career choices but was scared of his dreams falling through, which I think meant at times she took a back seat and agreed with the rest of the family.
Han Jin Hee was just adorable as Hye Jun's grandfather, he really showed that you can try and makes things right at any age, and that you're never too old to find and chase your dreams, he's also the only member of the Sa family that 100% supports Hye Jun.
Park Soo Young did a great job as Hye Jun's father, I think he shows great personal growth within his character, we see from the start that he doesn't believe that Hye Jun will make it and often tells him to enter his military service and often compares him to his brother, who he seems to have on a pedestal.
Lee Jae Won adds more comedy to the series as Hye Jun's brother, like their father he thinks Hye Jun should give up on his dreams and get a "real" job. Watching him defend his brother online was heart warming to see, even if he gets close to being sued for it.
Shin Ae Ra as Hae Hyo's mother was spot on, she's definitely an I'm better than you character because they have money, so much so she pretty much buys her sons career and doesn't see what she's done wrong when he confronts her about it.
I loved Jo Yoo Jung as Won Hae Na, Hae Hyo's sister and Jin Woo's other half, while she loves having money and the privileges it brings, she wants control of her own heart and who she falls in love with, something her mother disagrees with.
I absolutely loved Shin Dong Mi as Lee Min Jae, Hye Jun's manager, even before becoming his manager, she always fought for Hye Jun and she never stops fighting for him, even if it means going against his wishes to try and protect him. There were times she really had me laughing which is why I absolutely loved her character.
Lee Chang Hoon is the perfect villain for this drama series as Lee Tae Soo, Hye Jun's ex manager, that at times seems to be conflicted about trying to ruin his career when in fact he's enjoying playing with both Hye Jun and Min Jae.
Kim Gun Woo is spot on as Park Do Ha, a popular actor that thinks he's better than everyone and doesn't care about the consequences of his actions because he knows Tae Soo will make them disappear, meaning he gets to keep his clean and friendly image.
Seol In Ah is the perfect ex girlfriend that will do whatever she wants to back what she wants and thinks she deserves, and ignores that Hye Jun no longer has romantic feelings for her. One thing I will say is she steps up and helps to protect him when there isn't any real benefits in it for her personally.

I'd happily recommend this drama, I know not everyone was impressed but I absolutely loved it, for me it flowed well, it kept me on the edge of my seat and it made me eager to watch the next episode to see how the story would unfold. For me the series had the perfect ending, nothing was left unfinished and I thought it was the perfect curtain call for Park Bo Gum as he started his military service.

Have you watched Record of Youth?
Were you a fan?
Did you like the casting, script and plot?
Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!


안녕
(Annyeong)
さようなら
(Sayonara)
再见
(ZaiJian)
Bye