Mousie's Kdrama Man of the Week - Park Shi Hoo
I am going to try doing something new. Let me know if it's a good idea.
The reason I love kdramas so is, in large part, due to their awesome leading men. So I thought I'd do a weekly post highlighting a different one of my favorites.
And the honor of being the first one in the series goes to...ta-dum...Park Shi Hoo.
Why? Because he's currently owning my heart (and hormones) in two very different dramas - the currently airing period romance The Princess' Man and the awesome 2008/9 family drama Family Honor. And also, he's ridiculously hot and rather underrated. So, here's to you, Park Shi Hoo!
Who: Korean actor who recently achieved bona fide leading man status. About time!
Most Awesome Thing: Has managed the nearly impossible feat of being the secondary guy who was so awesome that the drama got re-written so he ends up with the heroine not once but twice: once in How To Meet Your Neighbor and once in Queen of Reversals. Maybe that is why they finally gave up on sticking him in secondary guy roles.
Stats: Born in 1978 thus is old enough for Mousie to crush on and be done with his military service. Hooray!
How I discovered him: I went into Iljimae for Lee Jun Ki (who played the titular character) and without any knowledge of who Park Shi Hoo was. I emerged being utterly bored with LJK but utterly obsessed with Park Shi Hoo, who played LJK's tormented and angsty half-brother. I also found myself fervently wishing he'd get the girl instead, thus clearly setting myself up for a pattern of future PSH roles. And then I saw him be the awesome leading man in the equally awesome Prosecutor Princess and was set in my crush for life.
What to Watch Him In:
How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor (2007)
PSH plays a recovering alcoholic rich boy with an angsty backstory who ends up falling for the spunky heroine played by Bae Doona. Despite the fact that the originally planned OTP for her was the 'perfect neighbor' of the title, played by Kim Seung Woo and PSH was supposed to be a secondary guy, his sheer awesomeness managed to overturn the laws of kdramaland and he actually got the girl! (Warning - there are some tropes in this that bothered some of my flisties. I, otoh, ate them up).
Iljimae (2008)
To say this take on a period Robin Hood story is wildly uneven would be an understatement. If you are looking for a good drama in this trope, you should check out Vigilantes in Masks, Return of Iljimae (not relation to Iljimae), and Hong Gil Dong. Still, despite this drama's flaws, Park Shi Hoo steals the show as a repressed bastard son of an aristocrat who is looked down on and believes he's in love with his half-sister (she is not). I spent the whole drama wishing it was about him.
Family Honor (2008/2009)
I am currently halfway through this monster (54 eps) of a drama. PSH plays a ruthless businessman from an upstart family who falls in love with a traditional, upper-class widow. This is a family drama with many storylines, but it is their love story that is both the selling point and the dominant narrative. Even if PSH wasn't in it, I'd recommend this drama because it's one of the best-written dramas out there. The angsty, dysfunctional, mature OTP at the center of it all is the icing on the already perfect cake.
Prosecutor Princess (2010)
PSH plays the charming, shady lawyer who shows an oddly intent interest in Kim So Yeon's title character. I always describe this drama as "Mawang goes romcom", and the comparison fits - this drama is a mix of a number of genres - procedural, revenge, romcom, and yet somehow it works brilliantly. PSH and KSY make an off-kilter yet unexpectedly adorable OTP.
Queen of Reversals (2010/2011)
PSH takes on yet another secondary guy role. Or does he? He plays a rebellious playboy who was supposed to be a short stop on the heroine's journey to end up reconciled with her husband. Only he used a little of that PSH magic and, yet again, ended up being the secondary guy who stole the girl! It's freakishly rare for that to happen once in kdrama land, but twice? Unless you are PSH, don't even bother :P
The Princess' Man (2011)
Clearly realizing that sticking him in as a secondary guy is a lost cause, he is the lead in this one. He and Moon Chae Won play doomed, star-crossed lovers in this period romance. This is currently airing and is my drama of the summer/fall.
Pictorial Fun:
Note: I don't think PSH is particularly photogenic. OTOH, when he's on screen...*fans self*
OK, that took a while :)
FWIW, I am taking requests - you can post in comment if you want someone specific next time.
This entry was originally posted at http://dangermousie.dreamwidth.org and cross-posted to LJ. Comment in either place, whichever you prefer.
The reason I love kdramas so is, in large part, due to their awesome leading men. So I thought I'd do a weekly post highlighting a different one of my favorites.
And the honor of being the first one in the series goes to...ta-dum...Park Shi Hoo.
Why? Because he's currently owning my heart (and hormones) in two very different dramas - the currently airing period romance The Princess' Man and the awesome 2008/9 family drama Family Honor. And also, he's ridiculously hot and rather underrated. So, here's to you, Park Shi Hoo!
Who: Korean actor who recently achieved bona fide leading man status. About time!
Most Awesome Thing: Has managed the nearly impossible feat of being the secondary guy who was so awesome that the drama got re-written so he ends up with the heroine not once but twice: once in How To Meet Your Neighbor and once in Queen of Reversals. Maybe that is why they finally gave up on sticking him in secondary guy roles.
Stats: Born in 1978 thus is old enough for Mousie to crush on and be done with his military service. Hooray!
How I discovered him: I went into Iljimae for Lee Jun Ki (who played the titular character) and without any knowledge of who Park Shi Hoo was. I emerged being utterly bored with LJK but utterly obsessed with Park Shi Hoo, who played LJK's tormented and angsty half-brother. I also found myself fervently wishing he'd get the girl instead, thus clearly setting myself up for a pattern of future PSH roles. And then I saw him be the awesome leading man in the equally awesome Prosecutor Princess and was set in my crush for life.
What to Watch Him In:
How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor (2007)
PSH plays a recovering alcoholic rich boy with an angsty backstory who ends up falling for the spunky heroine played by Bae Doona. Despite the fact that the originally planned OTP for her was the 'perfect neighbor' of the title, played by Kim Seung Woo and PSH was supposed to be a secondary guy, his sheer awesomeness managed to overturn the laws of kdramaland and he actually got the girl! (Warning - there are some tropes in this that bothered some of my flisties. I, otoh, ate them up).
Click to viewIljimae (2008)
To say this take on a period Robin Hood story is wildly uneven would be an understatement. If you are looking for a good drama in this trope, you should check out Vigilantes in Masks, Return of Iljimae (not relation to Iljimae), and Hong Gil Dong. Still, despite this drama's flaws, Park Shi Hoo steals the show as a repressed bastard son of an aristocrat who is looked down on and believes he's in love with his half-sister (she is not). I spent the whole drama wishing it was about him.
Family Honor (2008/2009)
I am currently halfway through this monster (54 eps) of a drama. PSH plays a ruthless businessman from an upstart family who falls in love with a traditional, upper-class widow. This is a family drama with many storylines, but it is their love story that is both the selling point and the dominant narrative. Even if PSH wasn't in it, I'd recommend this drama because it's one of the best-written dramas out there. The angsty, dysfunctional, mature OTP at the center of it all is the icing on the already perfect cake.
Prosecutor Princess (2010)
PSH plays the charming, shady lawyer who shows an oddly intent interest in Kim So Yeon's title character. I always describe this drama as "Mawang goes romcom", and the comparison fits - this drama is a mix of a number of genres - procedural, revenge, romcom, and yet somehow it works brilliantly. PSH and KSY make an off-kilter yet unexpectedly adorable OTP.
Queen of Reversals (2010/2011)
PSH takes on yet another secondary guy role. Or does he? He plays a rebellious playboy who was supposed to be a short stop on the heroine's journey to end up reconciled with her husband. Only he used a little of that PSH magic and, yet again, ended up being the secondary guy who stole the girl! It's freakishly rare for that to happen once in kdrama land, but twice? Unless you are PSH, don't even bother :P
The Princess' Man (2011)
Clearly realizing that sticking him in as a secondary guy is a lost cause, he is the lead in this one. He and Moon Chae Won play doomed, star-crossed lovers in this period romance. This is currently airing and is my drama of the summer/fall.
Pictorial Fun:
Note: I don't think PSH is particularly photogenic. OTOH, when he's on screen...*fans self*
OK, that took a while :)
FWIW, I am taking requests - you can post in comment if you want someone specific next time.
This entry was originally posted at http://dangermousie.dreamwidth.org and cross-posted to LJ. Comment in either place, whichever you prefer.