Sungkyunkwan Scandal (성균관 스캔들) Ep 1 & 2
To be honest, before the drama started airing, I wasn't putting too much hope into it. Mainly because I'm not really into dramas these days (I tend to get bored after the first few episodes, whenever I tried watching one, and eventually gave up). And secondly, the way the drama was promoted, it sounded like a historical version of Boys Over Flowers + Hana Kimi, and I didn't like those very much, sorry to say. (Off-topic: The only thing I liked about BOF was probably just Lee Minho's acting, and that was it. =/) So having already watched the Taiwanese version a.k.a 流星花圆, half of the Japanese version a.k.a 花より男子 and a few episodes of the Korean version a.k.a 꽃보다 남자, imagine if I were to sit through the clichéd formula one more time, albeit a different timeline. But I was still excited nonetheless, because it was going to be Yoochun's first k-drama debut (just like how I was also thrilled for Yunho's and Jae's). So I gave it a shot, and I'm happy to say that it ended up as a pleasant surprise. :)
First of all, this drama is pretty much different from BOF. Though a few clichés can be spotted here and there(gender-bending, hot boys, the rich versus the poor etc.), it gives you a different sort of excitement as the plot progresses, and the unexpected twist of each occuring events. The fact that it isn't just your typical high-school-romance-story has already earned 10 points in my book. For one, the female lead, Kim Yeon-hee(Park Min-Young) is actually intelligent, witty and smart. She managed to impress the male lead, Lee Seon-Joon(Park YooChun<3) not because she could punch him in the face like a man, but because he regarded her(or rather him in this case because she was disguising herself as a man) as an intellectual worthy of his attention. She was able to politically voice out her abhorrence towards the government, and made a fool out of him using her wit(no violence, heh :P). She despises the rich and priviliged(him XD); he despises the dishonest and corrupted. She sees the world as distrustful and demeaning, while he believes in himself to be able make a difference with his wisdom and unwavering principles. Aren't they the perfect match? x)
Another thing I liked about this story is that all four leads do not know each in the beginning. In fact, Goo Yong-Ha(Song Joong-Ki) belongs to the Ha In-Soo(Jun Tae-Soo) gang a.k.a the meanie gang. It was kind of obvious that Seon-Joon and In-Soo would end up as rivals for authority/power, though I predict the rivalry would mostly be provoked by the latter. And Seon-Joon would definitely fight back due to honour and righteousness. The last male lead, Moon Jae-Shin(Yoo Ah-In) has yet to make a long-enough appearance for the time being. And it was sad that he only came out for 2-3 minutes for the second episode. But he has already impressed me in the first episode. x) I can't wait to see how his and Yoochun's characters develop. For now, Jae-Shin and Seon-Joon intrigued me the most while I wasn't very impressed with Yong-Ha, the playboy. I mean, I know that he is charming, funny and has a sharp sense, but he reminds me of those characters who smirks mysteriously all over because they tend to know everything before everyone else and allow people make a fool of themselves while they sit around and watch in glee. Sounds very cliché to me. Nevertheless, Song Joong-Ki is a good actor in this, so I hope his character would gain some surprising development as well. And besides, he's really cute lol.
And Yoochun, his character is supposed to be stoic and indifferent, so it was kind of understandable why he had to be so blank most of the time. I only wanted to comment on his enunciation. I have always felt that Chun tends to slur and drawl when he speaks, so some of his lines in the first episode sounded really awkward and forced. But he improved tremendously(in terms of lines and acting) in the second episode, and that actually shocked me lol. It was as if he had become a new Yoochun overnight. xD
I think this story would build up into something more than just a love story. Good plot, good casts, good editing and directing. I'm no drama expert, but it has been a while since I've watched an interesting romance-based one(maybe I just have not watched enough :P). I'm already excited for the next episode. :D Hopefully, it would stay as good as it is or even better. And it definitely deserves better ratings. =/ Oh well.
First of all, this drama is pretty much different from BOF. Though a few clichés can be spotted here and there(gender-bending, hot boys, the rich versus the poor etc.), it gives you a different sort of excitement as the plot progresses, and the unexpected twist of each occuring events. The fact that it isn't just your typical high-school-romance-story has already earned 10 points in my book. For one, the female lead, Kim Yeon-hee(Park Min-Young) is actually intelligent, witty and smart. She managed to impress the male lead, Lee Seon-Joon(Park YooChun<3) not because she could punch him in the face like a man, but because he regarded her(or rather him in this case because she was disguising herself as a man) as an intellectual worthy of his attention. She was able to politically voice out her abhorrence towards the government, and made a fool out of him using her wit(no violence, heh :P). She despises the rich and priviliged(him XD); he despises the dishonest and corrupted. She sees the world as distrustful and demeaning, while he believes in himself to be able make a difference with his wisdom and unwavering principles. Aren't they the perfect match? x)
Another thing I liked about this story is that all four leads do not know each in the beginning. In fact, Goo Yong-Ha(Song Joong-Ki) belongs to the Ha In-Soo(Jun Tae-Soo) gang a.k.a the meanie gang. It was kind of obvious that Seon-Joon and In-Soo would end up as rivals for authority/power, though I predict the rivalry would mostly be provoked by the latter. And Seon-Joon would definitely fight back due to honour and righteousness. The last male lead, Moon Jae-Shin(Yoo Ah-In) has yet to make a long-enough appearance for the time being. And it was sad that he only came out for 2-3 minutes for the second episode. But he has already impressed me in the first episode. x) I can't wait to see how his and Yoochun's characters develop. For now, Jae-Shin and Seon-Joon intrigued me the most while I wasn't very impressed with Yong-Ha, the playboy. I mean, I know that he is charming, funny and has a sharp sense, but he reminds me of those characters who smirks mysteriously all over because they tend to know everything before everyone else and allow people make a fool of themselves while they sit around and watch in glee. Sounds very cliché to me. Nevertheless, Song Joong-Ki is a good actor in this, so I hope his character would gain some surprising development as well. And besides, he's really cute lol.
And Yoochun, his character is supposed to be stoic and indifferent, so it was kind of understandable why he had to be so blank most of the time. I only wanted to comment on his enunciation. I have always felt that Chun tends to slur and drawl when he speaks, so some of his lines in the first episode sounded really awkward and forced. But he improved tremendously(in terms of lines and acting) in the second episode, and that actually shocked me lol. It was as if he had become a new Yoochun overnight. xD
I think this story would build up into something more than just a love story. Good plot, good casts, good editing and directing. I'm no drama expert, but it has been a while since I've watched an interesting romance-based one(maybe I just have not watched enough :P). I'm already excited for the next episode. :D Hopefully, it would stay as good as it is or even better. And it definitely deserves better ratings. =/ Oh well.