A random Lee Min Ho-ish rant
So I suddenly fell into nostalgia-drama-mood and decided to start re-watching City Hunter. It was a brilliant idea because I actually really enjoyed that drama when I first watched it 2 years ago. And I missed it, but perhaps not the plot as much as seeing Lee Min Ho in that kind of role; and that's when it hit me. I actually missed THAT Lee Min Ho.
Lee Min Ho, to me he is a guy with potential but who is sadly trapped in the shadow of the role that brought him fame. Why do I say that? Because I feel like he mostly famous for his role in Boys Over Flowers, playing what is in my opinion, one of the most medocre-boring roles ever (the medocre-rating it got from me was purely thanks to the supporting-character Yi Sung), It was in City Hunter that I first saw him, and I couldn't believe my eyes that a guy as talented as that got his break-through by playing a flat piece of paper, I still don't understand why he accepted that role in The Heirs. It was recycled but more clingy version of Gu Jun Pyo, only with more family drama. I couldn't understand why he went back to doing the boring recycled Gu Jun Pyo - now named Kim Tan -character when he had just finished two kickass dramas (City Hunter and Faith)? But that's when it hit me. The sad truth. It was probably because Lee Min Ho as the arrogant chaebol appealed more to the general public than the badass assassin/warrior Lee Min Ho. Why else would he instead of moving forward go back to the same role he did before?
Don't missunderstand, I did so-so enjoy BOF and Heirs, more on a guilty pleasure level though, and it was certainly not because of the characters Lee Min Ho played. And when you start to feel like the main characters are the most boring characters in that particular drama...then something is wrong.
In City Hunter I didn't feel like that. Every character was interesting, and most of all Lee Min Ho shone with his acting from start to finish! And it saddens me so much that he kind of disappeared from drama-land, mostly because he realized that if he stayed there he'd only get cast for romance coemdy high school roles, because that's sadly what people remember him for, and that just breaks my heart. He is so much more than that. He deserves the credit he gets, but I feel like he gets it for the wrong roles. Like, according to Mydramalist, more have watched The Heirs than Faith. Why? Faith was awesome T_T (well in my opinion)
As an example, Ji Chang Wook is famous as the Healer, no one remembers much of his role as Taeyang from Bachelors Vegetable Store, But Lee Min Ho isn't remember for his acting in City Hunter or Faith as a badass, he is remembered for BOF, which led him to then accept the role for The Heirs because apparently that's what people wanted to see him do next (we want Gu Jun Pyo back...yaaay <_< Mina is not happy). I'm glad that he did Gangnam 1970 though, but it's still sad that he had to "run off" to the movie-industry in order to escape his BOF image (this is not a fact, but how I see it btw). I know there's probably other reasons for it too, like the fact that the salary as a movie actor is way higher than for a drama actor, but I'm almost positive that it was also because he was sick of being cast and getting fame for the same kind of roles, it's like a never-ending bad spiral. He is an actor who wants to try all sorts of diverse roles, so why does he always get remembered only for for playing an arrogant chaebol?
As an example, Ji Chang Wook is famous as the Healer, no one remembers much of his role as Taeyang from Bachelors Vegetable Store, But Lee Min Ho isn't remember for his acting in City Hunter or Faith as a badass, he is remembered for BOF, which led him to then accept the role for The Heirs because apparently that's what people wanted to see him do next (we want Gu Jun Pyo back...yaaay <_< Mina is not happy). I'm glad that he did Gangnam 1970 though, but it's still sad that he had to "run off" to the movie-industry in order to escape his BOF image (this is not a fact, but how I see it btw). I know there's probably other reasons for it too, like the fact that the salary as a movie actor is way higher than for a drama actor, but I'm almost positive that it was also because he was sick of being cast and getting fame for the same kind of roles, it's like a never-ending bad spiral. He is an actor who wants to try all sorts of diverse roles, so why does he always get remembered only for for playing an arrogant chaebol?
I want my smexy warrior Lee Min Ho back in dramaland, just like how he was in Faith, or the badass assassin he was in City Hunter and this time I hope he gets more cred for it.
What do you guys think? Which Lee Min Ho do you prefer? This was just a random rant I decided I needed to do because the thought kept bouncing around in my brain like a crazy table tennis ball xD
He had a bit of a different role in Personal Taste and personality-wise, I preferred him there.
ReplyDeleteBut his fight scenes in City Hunter still seemed to be a little too girly for me. His moves were cheesy and it felt like he was play-acting. I haven't seen Heirs or BOF and I don't plan to, but I thought I'd just throw in my two cents. =)
And they're welcome! :3 Some people watch the Heirs for Kim Woo Bin, but I can't say that you've missed out on much xD There are a lot of other dramas that need more attention instead :3
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