SUNKYUNKWAN SCANDAL

I finished watching the Korean period drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal which was shown on the KBS channel  on ASTRO and loved it.  It reminded me of Hanazakarino Kimitachihe whereby a girl had to disguise as a boy and live with members of her college fraternity. As with every drama with a girl cross-dressing as a boy, there will be a quad of pretty boys and one lucky girl who gets to be the object of their love and devotion. Another similarity is that at least one or two of the boys will find out that she is a girl and do their utmost to protect her.  Of course, along the way, they would fall madly in love with her.

I found Sungkyunkwan Scandal to be refreshing and entertaining with fresh young talent.  All the four main characters managed to execute the roles assigned to them effectively.  However, in my humble opinion, it was not the two main leads who stole the show (unlike the hit drama "He's Beautiful" which is of a similar ilk starring super talented Jang Geun Suk and Park Shin Hye) but the talented actor who played the character of Crazy Horse (Yoo Ah-in).  That young man practically oozed charisma and charm.  The main leads Park Min-young and Park Yoo-chun (Micky Yoochun) took some time to grow on the viewers.   The other actor Song Joong-ki who took on the role of an insouciant playboy was also impressive from the start.

Here is a description of the drama:

This drama is set in Sungkyunkwan University during the Joseon era.  It revolves around the exploits and love stories of four youths. The female protagonist, Kim Yoon Hee, had to disguise herself as a boy to work as a scribe in order to find ways to support her sickly brother.  By chance she is admitted to Sungkyunkwan University due to effort of the rich, extremely intelligent and upright Lee Sun Joon, played by Micky Yoochun. Kim Yoon Hee then has to share a dorm with Lee Sun Joon and their rebellious senior Moon Jae Shin aka Crazy Horse all the while keeping her true identity a secret.  She also wins the friendship of playboy Goo Yong Ha.
 

THE ONE WHO STOLE THE SHOW

The charismatic intellectual rebel Moon Jae Shin @ Geol Oh (Crazy Horse. Wild One. He-Who-Cannot-Be-Tamed)

I was totally taken with actor Yoo Ah-In who portrayed the character Moon Jae Shin (otherwise known as Geol Oh (Crazy Horse).  He completely made the character his and mesmerised in each scene that he appeared. Believe me, my mum and I were actually looking forward to the scenes that had him in it.  Tsk! Tsk!  Such talent and good looks but not given the recognition to play a leading role.  What a waste!

Actor Soong Joong-gi nailed the character of the flamboyant and flirty Goo Yong Ha to a T.  Besides, I think he could rival the female lead in prettiness.  His oval shaped face made him look more feminine than the heroine who had a round shaped face.   Hmm ... what is it with the pretty boy actors nowadays who can give the female ones a run for their money?  Anyway, in the case of pretty boy Joong-gi - he CAN act.

The two supporting actors of Sungkyunkwan Scandal showed such great chemistry in their portrayal of their characters in the drama that they were nominated for the ‘Best Couple Award’ at the 2010 KBS Drama Awards.  The two played the roles of ‘Yeorim’ and ‘Geol Oh’, which received massive support from fans of the drama as the representative ‘male couple.’ The couple were nominated due to the aggressive recommendations and support given by the press corps.  True enough they received  just as many user votes as the other hetero couples in the viewers votes.  And win they did along with the hetero couple of the Scandal drama!

Instead of putting pretty boy idols who practically play themselves in drama written around characters similar to theirs, why not let really talented actors like these two take on lead roles.  Though their acting abilities have not reached the heights of Tony Leung Chiu Wai or Nicholas Tse but given due time and more honing, they could be the future greats of the Korean film industry.  Besides, not only are they talented, they are a feast for the eyes as well.