High School King of Savvy (gifset)
Dec. 1st, 2016 08:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sarea
I've been watching a LOT of K-dramas, and it's a good thing, too, because that totally helped me get through the loooooong flights between Seattle and Hong Kong.
I'm embarrassed, though, because I have started soooooooooooooo many of them, but have finished very few. I'm not sure why that is... it's not that they're not good; it's just, I get distracted, and I feel like trying a different genre after a few eps, I guess. Very few dramas enthrall me from beginning to end, where I don't want to do anything but watch that drama. It's the same with books! I also tend to find myself in the middle of several books, rather than concentrating on one, unless it's a book I just can't put down.
The good news is that most of what I've been watching has been good; I haven't quit any of them in disgust. :))
Originally, I was going to briefly go through what I'm watching, but I found myself going on and on about one of them -- and I realized, given how much I loved it, it really does deserve its own entry. So here we are.
I'm breaking this up into two entries, because I wanted to share one of my favorite scenes, so this is GIF-heavy. Part two will likely be posted tomorrow.
High School King of Savvy might be my new fave K-drama of all time. :D
This was one of those shows that couldn't stop watching or thinking about until I was done. When I wasn't watching it, I was thinking about watching it, and I often chose to watch it instead of doing something else (or was very tempted to forego other activities to watch it, even if I forced myself to do said activities instead).
Synopsis: Lee Min-seok is a popular high school student and varsity ice hockey player. He and his older brother Hyung-seok look nearly identical, despite their nine-year age gap. When he gets a mysterious phone call from his brother telling Min-seok to impersonate Hyung-seok for a few months at the latter's new job, Min-seok is forced to pretend to be a high-ranking executive at a conglomerate. Living a double life while unaware of the rules within the Korean workplace, Min-seok has to navigate his way through the corporate world and survive high school, with the help of Jung Soo-young, a quirky temp worker.
It was funny, it had so much heart, I loved the characters, the writing was great, and it had a couple I really rooted for, despite the lack of convention (or maybe because of it). When I first read about the drama, and while starting the pilot, I thought Min-seok was going to end up with the high school girl who had a crush on him, while Soo-young was either going to end up with her office crush or possibly Min-seok's older brother. And I was fine with that. But as the story progressed, possibly as early as midway through the pilot, I started to wonder at some of the choices they were making. Why show that...? And why did that happen...? It made me wonder: Was this going to have that rare couple of a younger man with an older woman?
I was very surprised to find out that it WAS. Not because it's so strange to imagine (though it's still not that common in society, particularly Korean society), but because the hero is in high school, even though he's 18 (she's 28, so it's not like they were just trying to fudge the age thing). And yet it works, and works so well, that I was cheering on Min-seok and Soo-young every step of the way.
Both of the characters as they were written -- and actors who brought them to life -- should get the credit for that, but it was really Min-seok that carried the show. Lee Ha-na (the actress who plays Soo-young) says in an interview that Min-seok reminded her of a lion cub that had just been taken out of the Serengeti, and it's such an apt analogy. He's so fierce, and full of piss and vinegar, yet still has all his youth and vitality and innocence -- by which I mean he hasn't yet been jaded by life, not believing that he should compromise on things he holds to be unassailable truths, like that you should be a good person and have respect for all people. Despite being a popular athlete, he's not girl crazy like his friends, and ends up falling in love with someone who's the opposite of a bombshell, simply because he likes who she is. He has such a huge heart... and yet he is also a completely believable teenage boy! It's remarkable.
This drama catapulted Seo In-guk into first place on my K-drama boyfriend list. Sorry, Bummie! I still love you! Just... second best. :D In-guk was just so amazing in this role; I swear it was created just to make everyone fall in love with him. :)))) I could go on and on and on about how fantabulous he was in this show, and how hot he is and all that, but words won't do him justice, so just watch the show! Yes... I sound like a rabid fangirl. I know.
Here's one of my favorite scenes. It encapsulates so much of why I love Min-seok; he's not a typical teenage guy, and they're not a typical couple at all, but they just work.
EVERYTHING BELOW THIS SENTENCE IS SPOILERY!!!!!
Setup: At this point, Min-seok and Soo-young have reciprocated one another's feelings, but Min-seok still hasn't told her the truth of his being a high school student rather than a director at her company (she doesn't know his real name, either, but luckily in Korean society it's rude to use it! :P). They've just gone on a day trip to Namiseom together, but now they're back in Seoul. Due to some comments by her coworkers, she believes that Min-seok will make a move, but she's disappointed when he doesn't...
I'm embarrassed, though, because I have started soooooooooooooo many of them, but have finished very few. I'm not sure why that is... it's not that they're not good; it's just, I get distracted, and I feel like trying a different genre after a few eps, I guess. Very few dramas enthrall me from beginning to end, where I don't want to do anything but watch that drama. It's the same with books! I also tend to find myself in the middle of several books, rather than concentrating on one, unless it's a book I just can't put down.
The good news is that most of what I've been watching has been good; I haven't quit any of them in disgust. :))
Originally, I was going to briefly go through what I'm watching, but I found myself going on and on about one of them -- and I realized, given how much I loved it, it really does deserve its own entry. So here we are.
I'm breaking this up into two entries, because I wanted to share one of my favorite scenes, so this is GIF-heavy. Part two will likely be posted tomorrow.
High School King of Savvy might be my new fave K-drama of all time. :D
This was one of those shows that couldn't stop watching or thinking about until I was done. When I wasn't watching it, I was thinking about watching it, and I often chose to watch it instead of doing something else (or was very tempted to forego other activities to watch it, even if I forced myself to do said activities instead).
Synopsis: Lee Min-seok is a popular high school student and varsity ice hockey player. He and his older brother Hyung-seok look nearly identical, despite their nine-year age gap. When he gets a mysterious phone call from his brother telling Min-seok to impersonate Hyung-seok for a few months at the latter's new job, Min-seok is forced to pretend to be a high-ranking executive at a conglomerate. Living a double life while unaware of the rules within the Korean workplace, Min-seok has to navigate his way through the corporate world and survive high school, with the help of Jung Soo-young, a quirky temp worker.
It was funny, it had so much heart, I loved the characters, the writing was great, and it had a couple I really rooted for, despite the lack of convention (or maybe because of it). When I first read about the drama, and while starting the pilot, I thought Min-seok was going to end up with the high school girl who had a crush on him, while Soo-young was either going to end up with her office crush or possibly Min-seok's older brother. And I was fine with that. But as the story progressed, possibly as early as midway through the pilot, I started to wonder at some of the choices they were making. Why show that...? And why did that happen...? It made me wonder: Was this going to have that rare couple of a younger man with an older woman?
I was very surprised to find out that it WAS. Not because it's so strange to imagine (though it's still not that common in society, particularly Korean society), but because the hero is in high school, even though he's 18 (she's 28, so it's not like they were just trying to fudge the age thing). And yet it works, and works so well, that I was cheering on Min-seok and Soo-young every step of the way.
Both of the characters as they were written -- and actors who brought them to life -- should get the credit for that, but it was really Min-seok that carried the show. Lee Ha-na (the actress who plays Soo-young) says in an interview that Min-seok reminded her of a lion cub that had just been taken out of the Serengeti, and it's such an apt analogy. He's so fierce, and full of piss and vinegar, yet still has all his youth and vitality and innocence -- by which I mean he hasn't yet been jaded by life, not believing that he should compromise on things he holds to be unassailable truths, like that you should be a good person and have respect for all people. Despite being a popular athlete, he's not girl crazy like his friends, and ends up falling in love with someone who's the opposite of a bombshell, simply because he likes who she is. He has such a huge heart... and yet he is also a completely believable teenage boy! It's remarkable.
This drama catapulted Seo In-guk into first place on my K-drama boyfriend list. Sorry, Bummie! I still love you! Just... second best. :D In-guk was just so amazing in this role; I swear it was created just to make everyone fall in love with him. :)))) I could go on and on and on about how fantabulous he was in this show, and how hot he is and all that, but words won't do him justice, so just watch the show! Yes... I sound like a rabid fangirl. I know.
Here's one of my favorite scenes. It encapsulates so much of why I love Min-seok; he's not a typical teenage guy, and they're not a typical couple at all, but they just work.
EVERYTHING BELOW THIS SENTENCE IS SPOILERY!!!!!
Setup: At this point, Min-seok and Soo-young have reciprocated one another's feelings, but Min-seok still hasn't told her the truth of his being a high school student rather than a director at her company (she doesn't know his real name, either, but luckily in Korean society it's rude to use it! :P). They've just gone on a day trip to Namiseom together, but now they're back in Seoul. Due to some comments by her coworkers, she believes that Min-seok will make a move, but she's disappointed when he doesn't...
