Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Next
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
WroW |
 Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 2:42 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
 |
|
| kobe23 wrote: |
X's reviews are the most comprehensive and informative I have seen written in English and I still visit his blog (All in Korean) regularly despite not understanding a thing. But I've tried to find these ratings (stars) you mentioned and can't find a thing. I must be blind or something.....maybe you could point one out to me? Also, do you, or does anyone else know X's top 10 of 2007? |
His latest entry for example is for Atsu Hime . If you go to the entry and look at the last picture, there are stars. He rates acting, writing ... (forgot which is which but you get the idea)
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
belleza Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Total posts: 716 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:51 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| Quote: | | belleza: What exactly is Javabeans' stance on Sageuks? I know she's not a fan of them, but what is her reasoning? I know for me I generally don't enjoy them because of the number of episodes involved and they're probably best watched with a firm grasp of Korean history. Not to mention everyone looks the same in period costume! |
This is an entry plus comments on the topic.
http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/09/the-sageuk-bandwagon/
The way her mum and dad view sageuks pretty much underline the differences between the male and female Asian historical drama (not just Korean) audience. The male viewers are much more critical about historical accuracy and overall depictions of key rulers; the female viewers are much more critical about the dramatic content and the costumes. The comments on nationalist pride are appropriate because Jumong really spoke to that, the sense of a great, mythical Korean (i.e. Joseon) identity that needed to be liberated from other forces. From a Western context, it's not unlike the 10 Commandments. That said, Jumong was popular because Jumong is, well, gangsta. It literally takes a nation of millions to hold him back. 
Korean dramas, even historical dramas, tend to carry Christian overtones of good and evil, forgiveness and martyrdom, the sense that a righteous, moral force will prevail or provide solace. Taiga is more existential, and taiga speaks more to the cyclical, elusive flow of life, a perpetual coming-of-age for many different ages. Some of the best depictions of husbands and wive relationships, of normal people sharing extraordinary love in extraordinary times is depicted in taiga. Both have their strong points.
Lee Byung Hoon, director of Jang Geum and perhaps the finest producer of sageuks, tends to infuse the private, intimate human element into his sageuks. Sometimes, from the heavy criticism of longtime sageuk viewers, he overtly relaxes history and downplays the majesterial elements of his kings and officers, in order to produce an accessible, emotionally intimate drama with novel narrative elements. Although he's not considered fusion, his dramas of this decade have tried to move away from it. And in doing so, personally, his historical dramas at their best carry the private, elegaic insight of taiga, with the emotional release that we expect from K-drama.
If you watch Jumong and Jang Geum in succession, you'll notice the difference. Jumong is more thrilling, more pomp and circumstance, more classically heroic. But Jang Geum is more moving. At the heart of Jang Geum is a relationship between parent and child, about the karma and lessons formed from both Confucian and Western/proto-feminist sensibilities, that continue through you all your life. When people say that Lee Young Ae is the face of Hallyu Korea to the rest of Asia, they are admiring Jang Geum, the face of filial piety through the looking glass of women who are as capable as their male comrades. Jang Geum may be my favorite drama because nothing else stirs my own Asian identity so, so personally.
| Quote: | | But back to Javabeans for now. I find people follow her opinions too blindly. I mean, they are after all, just her opinion. I always see people write "Ah, Javabeans doesn't like it so it must be crap", that kinda stuff. The Legend is a good drama (so far anyway), and as WroW said, it might be over-rated, but definitely not average. |
But but but I post there!  ;) Honestly, I think that's just blog culture in general. Unless your blog actively attracts hater traffic *cough*popseoul*cough*, most readers will be people who have similar opinions.
Legend was my #2 drama of the year. It would have been among my all-time top 5 had the writing been more, erm, "conclusive" in the last 1/3 of the show. 2007 was really a wonderful year of K-dramas; the past 2 and a half years KBS and MBC have worked really hard expanding the scope of their programming.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fizzlex3mhJoined: 15 Feb 2007 Total posts: 317 Gender: Female |
| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:57 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| Thanks belleza! Now I'm definitely going to watch DJG first, even though I have a feeling I was going to do that no matter what anybody else said. I'll put Damo on my sageuk must-watch list along with Legend, but I probably won't get to either of them. *sigh* so many dramas, so little time.
_________________
Currently watching: Women of the Sun || The Last Scandal of My Life
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
beertaxJoined: 18 Jun 2006 Total posts: 82 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:17 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
one thing I hate about these period dramas - Sa-Geuk - is the fact that everytime someone says something dramatic, the responder always repeats what the other person says.
Person A: "Lord, the enemy is approaching the gate!"
Person B: "What?! the enemy is approaching the gate?"
Or
Person A: "...becasue, he is your real father!"
Person B: "What?! Is he really my father?"
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bellezaJoined: 21 Jan 2007 Total posts: 716 Gender: Unknown |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kobe23Joined: 06 Jun 2006 Total posts: 741 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 29 Gender: Male |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
HanjaeJoined: 22 Nov 2005 Total posts: 141 Location: Australia Age: 19 Gender: Female |
| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:28 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| belleza wrote: |
Speaking of sageuks, here's a clip of the greatest sageuk of all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_52LNF3v1s
Tablo is love Sigh And Chae's definitely a better actress than Lee Hyori Definitely. ;) |
Oh god, that is hilarious. *dies at King Tablo vs. Snake* Tablo needs some facial hair to complete the picture, though ;D One cannot be a true macho sageuk man without the trademark facial hair and funny belt
Speaking of sageuks, it seems Eric of Shinhwa will be in one where he's a government official by day and righteous assassin by night? Looks like 2008 is the year of the Korean Robin Hood, with Hong Gil Dong finishing off, SBS Iljimae coming in May, MBC Iljimae planned for later in the year, and now KBS's Choi Kang Chil Woo in June.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fizzlex3mhJoined: 15 Feb 2007 Total posts: 317 Gender: Female |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bellezaJoined: 21 Jan 2007 Total posts: 716 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:30 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| Quote: | | One cannot be a true macho sageuk man without the trademark facial hair and funny belt |
Ahh, "macho Tablo." Just not meant to be!
| Quote: | | Looks like 2008 is the year of the Korean Robin Hood, with Hong Gil Dong finishing off, SBS Iljimae coming in May, MBC Iljimae planned for later in the year, and now KBS's Choi Kang Chil Woo in June. |
I'm not sure why, but SBS Illjimae will probably air near the end of this year, entirely post-shoot. We may still see a simultaneous matchup between MBC and SBS over their respective Iljimaes.
KBS runs the most sageuks, and they're the most progressive with the form. Hong Gil Dong was a good performer for KBS (ratings not especially high, but it probably had strong Netizen viewership), and Hallyu is still doing well with exporting sageuks to rest of Asia. Fusion historical dramas is still a unique Korean niche. What's really interesting is the price tag attached to the project. Eric will be getting 30m won per episode, which would put him in A-list territory. For sake of comparison, YEH was earning 20m/epi for Coffee Prince.
| Quote: | | Some actors/actresses only look good because of their hairstyle but when everyone's heads are covered up with heavy objects like that, as kobe said, everyone looks the same. |
I do love 4 feet high hair. Instant shade in those hot summer days in Seoul! Also the overall "sageuk face" can be a bit distracting, since current K-pop fashion emphasizes fringes. You almost never see stadium-size foreheads anymore.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
HanjaeJoined: 22 Nov 2005 Total posts: 141 Location: Australia Age: 19 Gender: Female |
| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:29 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| belleza wrote: | I'm not sure why, but SBS Illjimae will probably air near the end of this year, entirely post-shoot. We may still see a simultaneous matchup between MBC and SBS over their respective Iljimaes.
KBS runs the most sageuks, and they're the most progressive with the form. Hong Gil Dong was a good performer for KBS (ratings not especially high, but it probably had strong Netizen viewership), and Hallyu is still doing well with exporting sageuks to rest of Asia. Fusion historical dramas is still a unique Korean niche. What's really interesting is the price tag attached to the project. Eric will be getting 30m won per episode, which would put him in A-list territory. For sake of comparison, YEH was earning 20m/epi for Coffee Prince. |
Really? To my knowledge, SBS Iljimae was originally postponed to August or later, but recently it seems they're going well and it'll air in May (projected date being May 14th), after On Air finishes its run. It'd probably be better for SBS to try and get their Iljimae out before MBC; it'll have the advantage since there's less to compare with. I do hope they're not going to rush it out just because of this aspect, though. I'm really looking forward to Lee Junki playing Iljimae because he really has the look and the acting skills to carry this off, and it'd be great if they do it properly. If this is done well, it might help re-establish my faith in SBS, because I haven't liked anything they've released since Surgeon Bong Dal Hee. Both KBS and MBC has the advantage of their previous sageuk triumphs.
I've been reading your write-ups about the different types of sageuks produced in KBS and MBC; they're very informative and interesting I think Hong Gil Dong did so well (with the netizens, ratings doesn't really prove anything sometimes) partly because of Kang Ji Hwan, although Sung Yuri was a surprise as well. He really carried the drama. I'll be really interested to see how Eric does; I can't imagine him playing an ancient role at all, plus his acting hasn't impressed me thus far. It seems all three stations are competing with each other over the Robin Hood theme.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bellezaJoined: 21 Jan 2007 Total posts: 716 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:53 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| Quote: | | To my knowledge, SBS Iljimae was originally postponed to August or later, but recently it seems they're going well and it'll air in May (projected date being May 14th), after On Air finishes its run |
Oh you know what, I think I was wrong about that. There was a press release in February that Illjmae would air after Gourmet and I Love You finishes airing, which is the Monday/Tuesday slot and in the winter 2008. Originally they wanted to target Dae Mul in the Wed/Thursday slot after On Air. But Dae Mul won't be ready by then, so last week, they've announced the 3rd shuffling this year of the show.
I'm not completely happy about this BTW. Originally they were going to project the show toward August, which would have enabled the production to finish completely prior to air. That improves quality significantly as now the writers can actually put together all the episodes without looking at ratings (see most sageuks, including Dae Jang Geum) or running out of time (see Legend) or getting a call from the SBS crew to "extend" the show (see Beautiful Days, aka "let's see what we can do to Choi Ji Woo . . .")
It's not unusual for people to extend sageuks to milk ratings or help the programming of other shows -- (Dae Jang Geum became Dae Jang Geum partially because they retooled the story *bigtime* to satiate all the Madam Han fans (uhm, like me!)) But, then again, they extended Jumong for another 20 episodes, and you can tell. (Hello Mountain Witch!! ) But maybe a live shoot won't affect the situation here. Just hoping it's good. I'm also looking forward to Lee Jung Ki / Han Hyo Joo; HHJ's kinda on the bubble of being the new Song Hye Kyo.. If the show does well, her popularity will explode.
| Quote: | | I think Hong Gil Dong did so well (with the netizens, ratings doesn't really prove anything sometimes) partly because of Kang Ji Hwan, although Sung Yuri was a surprise as well. |
Yeah, KJH is a Netizen darling (thanks to Be Strong Geum Soon), and he's also popular in China. It being s a Hong Sisters drama as well as a fusion drama help too. Netizens are drooling over Iljimae.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
HanjaeJoined: 22 Nov 2005 Total posts: 141 Location: Australia Age: 19 Gender: Female |
| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:42 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
They've been shuffling shows an awful lot this year, particularly with the continuous extensions of their sageuks - Yi San going from the original plan of 50 to 76, plus King and I being extended a couple of times as well. At the rate it's going, it seems shows like Gourmet/East of Eden/I Love You is never going to start.
For selfish reasons, I'm glad SBS Iljimae is going to air earlier, because I don't think I can survive the excitement until August or the end of the year, even  But I agree with you that it'd be a better guarantor of quality if they finish filming the whole thing before airing it. Part of the reason why shows like Yi San and King and I have seen slight drops in ratings is because the plot is dragging and losing the original pacing. Extensions = ratings killer, as far as I'm concerned. Even though they're often done at the request of fans (like in the case of King and I), it rarely comes out well, and directors end up tacking unnecessary sub plots or "fillers" to the original story just to drag it out :/ I sincerely hope that won't affect Iljimae! Stations need to learn to stick to their own thing and not be shaken simply because ratings are rising 
Han Hyo Joo's extremely popular already, thanks to By Land and Sky/As Much as Heaven & Earth, and from the attention that Iljimae's already garnering, it seems the show will get fairly decent ratings. She's very talented, and so is Junki, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they'll carry it off. I'm fairly excited to see how it'll compare to the MBC as well; MBC obviously has the better reputation for producing historical dramas, and they have the advantage of the original comic, but Lee Seung Gi is virtually unknown in the acting world.
It seems it's the latest trend to cast young, up & coming idols in sageuks. Older viewers may be mourning before long, over the change from the old historical classics to sageuks turning into something more popular and more accessible for younger watchers + overseas people.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bellezaJoined: 21 Jan 2007 Total posts: 716 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:00 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| Quote: | | It seems it's the latest trend to cast young, up & coming idols in sageuks. Older viewers may be mourning before long, over the change from the old historical classics to sageuks turning into something more popular and more accessible for younger watchers + overseas people. |
Yeah, I was thinking that when Hye Sun was cast in the lead part for King and I. But, I think SBS has probably done this with some of their sageuks for years. Dae-mang -- the one sageuk that I'm dying to see -- had Son Yeh Jin, Lee Yo Won, and Jang Hyuk, who were 20, 21, and 26 respectively, in lead parts.
Lee Jung Ki's just in a really interesting (and enviable) place as actor. He's an idol, but he's also a serious movie actor, who could become the Jang Dong Gun of his generation. Because he became famous across Asia doing a period drama, he's credible to an older audience doing a sageuk. In addition, the parallel of him doing a remake of the manhwa adaptation that starred JDG in 93 is also symbolic.
| Quote: | | MBC obviously has the better reputation for producing historical dramas, and they have the advantage of the original comic, but Lee Seung Gi is virtually unknown in the acting world. |
I just can't see how this is going to work, even if you use the same PD. Do the director really want the audience to compare LSG with LJK?
| Quote: | | Han Hyo Joo's extremely popular already, thanks to By Land and Sky/As Much as Heaven & Earth, and from the attention that Iljimae's already garnering, it seems the show will get fairly decent ratings. |
Oh I love Han Hyo Joo! There's this one story from the Nonstop 5 set where she asked the director to let her do take after take because she wanted to nail down the precise emotion of her character. Now, if you actually seen Nonstop 5, you'd be like "whhhhaaaa??!??" Her acting still needs a lot of work, but her basic approach and work ethic reveal an ambition to become a serious character actress. Whatever she lacks in experience or God-given talent, she makes it up with fighting spirit.
Speaking of H&E, definitely watch out for Park Hae Jin when he does East of Eden. He's kinda off the radar at Soompi, but I seriously think he's going to be the next Binnie.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
thundie |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bellezaJoined: 21 Jan 2007 Total posts: 716 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:03 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
X's Top 10 of 2007. (Note: No Coffee Prince. No Legend. . . )
| Quote: |
10. Que Sera Sera (MBC 케세라세라)
09. Time of Dog and Wolf (MBC 개와 늑대의 시간)
08. Thank You (MBC 고맙습니다)
07. Mawang (KBS 마왕)
06. Noona (MBC 누나)
05. Catch a Kangnam Mother (SBS 강남엄마 따라잡기)
04. Eight Days Mystery Of Jeong Jo Assassination (채널CGV 정조암살미스터리 - 8일)
03. Mixed-up Investigative Agency (얼렁뚱땅 흥신소)
02. White Tower (하얀거탑)
01. Conspiracy in the Court (한성별곡 正)
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum
|
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group • Forum skin developed by Volize
|
| |
|
|
But apart from that, it's been a good drama so far.
