Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth

This was supposed to be one of the first PSJ dramas that I should've watched but I couldn't get past Episode 1 because I was OC-ing over their long hair which I was itching to cut. But since Park Hyung-sik was also there, I resolved to get past my irritation and finish it pordalab.

True enough, it's an enjoyable drama in a sense of all the oppas that's in the series. Your eyes will never go tired watching all those boys traipsing around town either wearing their Hwarang robes or their "sports" attires.

The series aired on December 2016 to February 2017 but unlike the other dramas, this was shot before the premier. It starred Park Seo-joon, Go A-ra and Park Hyung-sik.

The series revolved around a group of young men who were recruited by the Queen to join the "Hwarang" during the time of the Silla Kingdom. Though the males were supposedly drafted to promote art and culture but their purpose were somehow blurred to become soldiers to protect the royal family.

Sharing my live tweets while watching the series:

Gwapo ng mga kainuman ko. Geonbae! pic.twitter.com/2VyUSzRzwK

— Shine ☀️ 빛 (@sunshi_fairy) August 4, 2018

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT

The Flower Boys

Eye candy everywhere! I was smiling while watching the series. Let's go through them one by one:

• Park Seo-joon - no explanation needed. I love him. Period.
• Park Hyung-sik - both he and PSJ are my number one oppas. I love him. Period.
• Choi Min-ho (from the Kpop group Shinee) - I liked the way he looked here compared to his look whenever he's singing with his band
• Kim Tae-hyung or V(from the wildly popular group, BTS) - I can't understand why he has to change his look while he's singing. I like him better when he's not wearing make-up or coloring his hair
• Do Ji-han - bad boy turned good. He was always angry but when he smiled, he's actually handsome.
• Cho Yoo-woo - he's supposed to be the most beautiful among the flower boys but he's not my type but he does have a certain charm

The Shower Scenes

If I remember it right, they had a couple. This first one was right after their master threw up on them.



The other one was when they were learning the steps for their group dance.



The Group Dance Practice and Actual Group Dance

The practice was hilarious as half of them were graceful while the other half were like bumbling buffoons! A friend noticed that you would know who came from a Kpop group and who did not.



Don't forget the gif!

Hwarang Dance GIF from Hwarang GIFs

Seeing them do the actual dance made me want to stand up and giving them a round of applause!



The Soccer Match

This was very beautiful to watch. They looked so graceful and athletic (of course, most of it was with the help of wires) that you can't help but cheer for them as well.



The OST

There were several songs that I like in this series:

- Wherever You Are by Han Dong Geun



- Our Tears by Hyolyn (as well as Park Seo-joon's version)





- The Divine Move (A Move of God) by Yoseob


- I'll Be Here by Park Hyung-sik

The Korean History and Cultural Lessons

Watching this made me research on the history of Korea. After watching all the Sageuk themed dramas, I somehow had an idea that Korea used to be three kingdoms. Silla, where the drama was set, was one of those three kingdoms.

Their culture, especially the way they dress, is different from Goryo. I was used to seeing the females having their hair up wearing those elaborate pieces, but here, they had their locks down--even the men (which drove me crazy). I already had a hard time determining the men from the women and having them not put up their hair made things more difficult.

The Bromance

I love the bromance between the Hwarang boys--not only with PSJ and PHS but among the boys. Seeing how they supported for each other and grieved for those who died showed their camaraderie and closeness. I also liked how Ban-ryu (Do Ji-han) changed for the better when he realized how better it was to be with his friends.

Lee Kwang-soo

I first saw him while watching Running Man and I never realized that he was an actor. All the while, I thought he was just a crazy comedian because of his wild antics in the reality show. It was a treat seeing him in Hwarang, albeit short. Will watch his other series for sure.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT

The Story

It started off ok but managed to get iffy towards the end. I wish they focused more on the brotherhood of the Hwarang instead of the love story between Ah-ro (Go A-ra) and Dog-bird (Park Seo-joon). It might have solidified the decision that they made in the end. In fact, I was expecting for Dog-bird to do the opposite as he had more claim to the throne than the Crown Prince.

The Second Lead Syndrome

Like in She Was Pretty, I was not rooting for PSJ to get the girl. PHS' character, the Crown Prince, saw Kim Ah-ro (Go A-ra) first and worked hard to make her love him. But she ended up with Dog-bird instead by some weird twist of fate. Maybe that's why I didn't like the love angle in the end.

RATING

Giving this four tissue boxes because I enjoyed it and received fair warning to not dwell much on the story. All those oppas and PSJ and PHS made this drama so worth it.

Leaving you with the guest appearance of the Hwarang Boys (PSJ, PHS and Choi Min-ho) in 2 Days 1 Night (I never realized that one person could be so unlucky!) as well as the Behind the Story of Hwarang. Both are enjoyable to watch!







Watched: August 3-6, 2018

She Was Pretty

Continuing on with my PSJ marathon, I chose to watch this next. Of course, starring Park Seo-joon, Hwang Jung-eum, Go Joon-hee and Choi Si-won. This drama premiered September 2015 and ran until November same year.

PSJ's younger character, Ji Sung-joon, used to be unattractive and was bullied around by other kids, while his friend, Kim Hye-jin played by Jwang Jung-eum, was very pretty and popular among their peers. When Ji Sung-joon moved to the US with his father, they lost track of each other.

When Sung-joon returned to Korea for a work assignment, he found a way to contact Hye-jin and scheduled to meet with her. When she saw how good-looking her childhood friend turned out to be, she asked her bestfriend, Min Ha-ri (Go Joon-hee), to pretend to be her.

As fate would have it, she got a job in the same publication that Sung-joon works and after seeing her, he belittled her appearance and even mistreated her because of her ineptitude. However, Hye-jin was befriended by a senior editor, Kim Shin-hyuk (Choi Si-won) who eventually fell in love with her even before her physical make-over.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT

Park Seo-joon
Yes, it's a given that PSJ is one of the reasons why I like this series and why I watched it. However, unlike his previous dramas, I initially did not like his character here. He was very rude to the girl and was rather curt and abrasive.

Funny Park Seo Joon GIF from Funny GIFs

He did however mellow down throughout the series and like his other dramas, was again blessed with a topless and shower scene.

I couldn't resist NOT taking a screen cap.

Choi Si-won
When I started watching this, I had no idea that Si-won was part of the famous Korean boy band, Super Junior. One of my friends just told me when I was almost halfway through the series. Even if I only started watching K Dramas this year, I've heard of Super Junior since 2012. That's why I laughed when they mentioned this in their conversation.

It was because of Si-won that I experienced for the first time, the Second Lead Syndrome. Though I love PSJ, I really wanted Si-won to get the girl here. He worked hard to get her and even fell in love with Jackson (that's what he called the character of Hye-jin) even before her beauty transformation. I cried more for him that PSJ. Hmph.

I also found his character very entertaining and amusing. It's one of the reasons why I was rooting for him more. Found this clip from Youtube showing his hilarious moments in the series.




The Bromance

The gif says it all. Even if they're after the same girl, Si-won still manages to give him hell. Hehe.

Siwon She Was Pretty GIF from Siwon GIFs

The Blowout
When the truths began to unfold, I liked it that the expected blowout between the bestfriends did not happen. If it was a typical drama (like what we have here locally), there would've been a lot of shouting, hair-pulling and slapping. But their confrontation happened with a quiet grace and the understanding of a real best friend. It was really touching and heartwarming to watch. I'm not sure though, if that could happen in real life.

The Cameos
I did a lot of finger pointing when I rewatched Episode 9 again and saw cameos of some of my other oppas--Park Hyung-sik and Lee Joon-gi! Apparently, the footage was taken from the Seoul Drama Awards red carpet. Nevertheless, it was a little thrill to see them suddenly appear in the middle of the episode.


WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT

The Female Lead Character
She was really over the top here. I can't believe that a human being can be that clumsy. Moreover, she was so loud that whenever she screeches, my ears would hurt that I would bring the volume down. I'm not sure if the character was written that way or if the actress portraying her chose to play her that way.

The Lies and Deception
There were too many lies and deceptions happening in the first part of the story that it was painful to watch. I actually skipped most part of an episode because of Ha-ri's lying and Hye-jin's inability to say who she really was.

RATING

Rating this two tissue boxes as it's not one of my favorites. Still giving it a two because of PSJ.

Edit: 8/4/21 Changing the rating to three tissue boxes because PSJ and CSW

Watched: July 8-10, 2018