women: a :3 history

[piecesofalice]

30 Day Kdrama Challenge
Your Favourite Lead Female Character

Pop the kettle on! Get comfy! It's gonna be fun, beautiful, fierce journey into what makes kdrama awesome for me - The Ladies.





Soundtrack: 'Run The World (Girls)' by Beyonce

The Ladies. The Ladies. I'm actually yet to watch a kdrama where I don't love the main lead - they're varied, faceted, beautiful, resilient, brilliant, stupid-in-love and fierce as fuck. Here are a snapshot of the women who make Korean drama for me. I LOVE THEM, GUYS. I JUST DO.


KIM SUN-HWA
IRIS/Athena-verses






"Pieces," I hear you say, concerned, "Sun-Hwa isn't exactly the lead female character. That was -"



Shhhh, my precious. I don't give a shit. Because to me? She is the lead female character in IRIS, and her fifteen seconds in Athena was the only highlight bar that car sliding sideways, NK Lite and 'Cool Bass' aka The Greatest Musical Cue Ever.






To be honest - she's probably my favourite character, ever. Big claims, but the more I think about it, the more I think that statement's pretty much on the money. It's the quiet subtlety of Kim So-yeon's performance that makes Sun-Hwa just perfect - every second you think she's just in the background, you realise she's actually a bigger part of the IRIS mythos that anyone realised. Her transition from ruthless North Korean agent - a robot, a tool in a war she shouldn't of had to fight - to a strong, resilient female who learns to live on her own terms - it's just breathtaking.

Her relationships with Teeth (FOREVER), The NK and (yes, really) Ki Soo only serve to highlight the aspects of her characterisation that make her so interesting. When she appeared in Athena and the whole fucking soundtrack changed, it just proved to me how integral Sun-Hwa is, and how much she grew to be the only part of a universe that made sense. The fact she (and Kim Min-jong, it should be said) managed to create a past in one look across a car park says to me that IRIS 2? When it happens? Is set to be amazing, if only for the fact Sun-Hwa will be at the forefront, where she should be.

You live her heartbreak, her sorrow, her happiness, her internal ache - it's so wonderfully realised by Kim So-yeon that there was no way possible I couldn't have had her in this list. omgiloveherican'teven


SHIN MI-RAE
City Hall






The fact she was my first kdrama heroine set the bar pretty damn high, and I'm yet to see a female lead (other than Sun-Hwa and Ae-Jung in Best Love) that develops and progresses like Mi-Rae. Her arc is well-realised and organic, and Kim Sun-ah really shines as a nobody who becomes a Wonder Woman mayorette with - shock! - flaws and who makes mistakes like every other female on the planet. Sun-ah has a talent for taking down-and-outs and turning them into something real, through believable acting. Mi-rae's arc isn't dependant on her relationship with Mayor Jerk-Face Jo Guk, and I love that.

Only bad note: she's not fat, writers of City Hall. No really, she's not. Really.


NA YEO-KYUNG
Capital Scandal






She doesn't bow to the playboy's every whim! She has a makeover for five seconds before going back to her traditional garb! She sticks to her politics and doesn't waiver! She's a militant nationalist when it was dangerous to be so! She has a proper relationship with a woman from a different background and there's no fighting over some jerk! She says no when presented with sexytiems, and defends her right to do so! She's not afraid to use a gun (even though she kind of is)! She's cute! Proper! Intelligent! Well-read! Open-minded! Spirited! And most of all, she grows and learns and accepts people she didn't think she would, and she's amazing. Full stop.

Note: The Song-Joo Appreciation Hour will be on Day 5.


ANNA JO/NA SANG SHIL
Fantasy Couple






Han Ye-Seul isn't a particularly good actress outside of Fantasy Couple, but she's phenomenal as Anna Jo. She captures the awkwardness of a woman who's not sure of who she is at the best of times, and has to deal with memory loss to boot. There's a nice roundedness to the way she plays both of her roles; there's a moment, towards the end of the series, where Anna Jo - after regaining her memory - says, when thinking of her time as Na Sang-Shil and her life as Anna Jo - "I am both of them." It's a gorgeous, heartbreaking moment and makes you really love her. And she's Princess' mum, what else can I say?


HONOURABLE MENTIONS


GU AE-JUNG
Best Love






Honourable Mention, as the show is still airing, and she may turn into The Worst Character Ever within the next four episodes. I highly doubt it, though, and accept her unconditionally into the gallery of Characters That I Am Most Like, forever. Gong Hyo-jin is painting a gorgeous picture with her portrayal of a woman on the verge of a new life, who's trying to do it without sacrificing herself in the process. Plus she's so damn beautiful, she makes my heart ga-dunk ga-dunk (pun intended).


YAMADA NAOKO
Trick






Honourable because, well...she's not Korean. But, again - and not to sound like a petulant child - I don't care. Yamada is easily one of my favourite characters full stop, and Yukie Nakama has taken a role that could have gone stale in ten years and managed to keep it fresh as a daisy. The chemistry with Hiroshi Abe's Ueda is only one part of Trick - a good chunk of it is Yamada's attempts at trying to live up to parents who potentially could be more than what they seem, while living the life she wants to live. Granted, it's a messy, disjointed, bizarre life - but as the series progresses and Ueda and Yamada's relationship becomes one of beautiful inevitability, you begin to understand that she probably wouldn't have it any other way.

Filed under: Characters That Are Too Much Like Pieces For Her To Be Comfortable. See also: GU, Ae-Jung



...I really need to do a proper post about Trick, don't I?

What was I saying? Oh.

LADIES

LADIES

I LOVE THEM

GUYS

I LOVE THEM





Day 01: Your Favorite Kdrama
Day 02: Your Favorite Male Lead Character
Day 03: Your Favorite Female Lead Character
Day 04: Your Favorite Male Third Wheel Character
Day 05: Your Favorite Female Third Wheel Character
Day 06: Your Favorite Song from a Kdrama OST
Day 07: Your Favorite Line/s by a Male Lead Character
Day 08: Your Favorite Line/s by a Female Lead Character
Day 09: Your Favorite Line/s by a Male Third Wheel
Day 10: Your Favorite Line/s by a Female Third Wheel
Day 11; Your Favorite Dialogue
Day 12: Your Favorite Story
Day 13: Your Favorite “I Love You”
Day 14: Your Favorite Kiss
Day 15: Your Favorite Ending
Day 16: A Kdrama you started but can’t finish
Day 17: A Kdrama you’ve watched more than once
Day 18: The Worst Kdrama that you’ve watched until the end
Day 19: Your Best Actor
Day 20: Your Best Actress
Day 21: Your Worst Actor
Day 22: Your Worst Actress
Day 23: Your Best Couple
Day 24: Your Worst Couple
Day 25: Your First Kdrama
Day 26: Your Recently Finished Kdrama
Day 27: A Kdrama loved by many but you don’t seem to like
Day 28: A Kdrama not loved by many but you seem to like
Day 29: A Kdrama which made you so happy
Day 30: A Kdrama which made you so sad
Day 31: A Kdrama you plan on watching next




North Korea's Greatest Warrior (who you only brought flowers for, you jerk) thanks you for your time.

Comments

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

You know, I think the greatness of a drama often hinges more on the female lead than anything, and I tend to like pretty much all the female leads of k-dramas with a few exceptions, and yet it's still the dudes that stick out in my mind. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT? I'm glad that you're here to remind me of the awesome ladies, because seriously, the k-drama industry pretty much depends on them. The men are just there to look pretty and show off their abs, while the ladies are required to actually have acting skills (well, most of the time. Sometimes they just have to look pretty, too. But usually if the female lead sucks, so will the drama, no matter how beautiful she is). But anyway, if Kim Sun Ah or Yoon Eun Hye are in a drama, it's pretty much guaranteed that I will fall in love with said drama (though I currently have a complicated relationship with Lie to Me that goes something like: "Whyyyyyyy did Yoon Eun Hye choose this drama? Why am I even watching this nonsense? OMG, THEY KISSED. LOOOOOOVE,")

[piecesofalice.livejournal.com]

I do think you're right - if the female lead is subpar, the drama suffers greatly. I think there's more emphasis on family and creating one - not to say that's what a woman is for, but it gives the drama a comfortable feeling that is nice to watch. And really, it's nice to watch a show where the protagonist does struggle with those things, because we as the audience struggle with them, too. I'm probably being too simplistic, but Boring Lady Lead = Bored Pieces.

I am yet to sit through a whole Yoon Eun-Hye drama - not because of her, but because the concept didn't grab me. Coffee Prince is something I think I really need to sit down and just watch, because I know it gets better. And Goong is back on my radar after falling for Song Ji-hyo, who's the second female lead in that. And I want to watch Lie to Me, but I'm going to wait untll it's done and dusted, so I can watch it in one hit. And Kang Ji-hwan kind of has a bit of my heart after Capital Scandal. That ass! (things I never thought I'd say in cyber-public: "that ass!")

I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT THE LADIES.

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

Ha, if you're into k-dramas for the ladies, then I can see why Coffee Prince didn't appeal to you. While the lead is awesome, she's perceived as a boy through 80% of the drama, and the drama is mostly about boys and their silliness, and the second female lead was nothing to write home about, so... But I loved Coffee Prince and actually think it's one of the better written dramas out there. Goong is pure guilty pleasure for me, I'll just admit that right now. It has flaws all over the place. The male lead is like the jerkiest jerk who ever did jerk, but I fell so hard for him. SO HARD. With that drama, it's the quietly dramatic moments that get me, where you really see the male lead's vulnerabilities and how he is just broken when it comes to showing emotions. But the love story gets frustrating beyond belief simply because he's such a jerk to her. BUT OMG I LOVE THEM. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I can't help it. Perky Girl/Jerkass Boy pairings do it for me.

[piecesofalice.livejournal.com]

I dunno why I didn't finish Coffee Prince to be honest - maybe I was being contrary, who knows - although I was watching Last Scandal at the same time and may have kicked it aside for that. Or maybe I was pissed off at Prosecutor Princess. Who knows. But I should sit and try and finish it, like You're Beautiful. And Que Sera Sera, but I just have such a problem with all the excuses for the lead guy being such a douchebag (even apologising for his attempted rape - yeah no).

I LOVE ME SOME JERK/NICE GIRL, I DO! Probably too much to be comfortable, to be honest. But I'm like you, in that I'm always drawn to the character actors over the pretty boys - you can't say Cha Seung-won is a traditional Korean actor, non? Or Uhm Tae-woong. I like their faces. And their bodies. And their...um, where were we?

I have three days off this week (THREE!) so I'm going to mainline Goong, skip through Dr Champ (because the pairing I wanted isn't even close to happening) and catch up with Ripley. (RIPLEY. HE GOT SOME ACTION, FIRTHY!). And mail out your package, which has been glaring at me angrily from my desk.

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

(RIPLEY. HE GOT SOME ACTION, FIRTHY!)

YES, HE DID. AND IT WAS IN SUPER CHEESY SLOW-MO. WITH SUGGESTIVE MUSIC. AND THEY SHOWED THE SAME FRAME LIKE FIVE TIMES. BUT HE GOT SOME ACTION.

I keep thinking about watching Dr. Champ, but the description isn't clear about who she ends up with, and I like to know these things ahead of time so that I don't end up heartbroken, and it looks like I'd probably root for the Doctor/Doctor pairing, but the summary made it sound like it was mostly about the Doctor/Dumb Jock pairing. So. WHO DOES SHE END UP WITH?

[piecesofalice.livejournal.com]

THE DUMB JOCK, NATURALLY. It made me want to punch things, especially after KSY and Uhm Tae-woong's cuteness together in general:



SO CUTE. One day, KSY will get to have a male lead that isn't boring and generic - y'know, that she actually gets together with. I kind of ship her and Uhm Tae-woong in real life

[suburbannoir.livejournal.com]

Prriiinnnnccesssssssssss!

Sun Hwa <3 This post is lacking chinup gifs.

[piecesofalice.livejournal.com]

The War. It hurts the fluffiest of us. :(

[suburbannoir.livejournal.com]

OH NO PRINCESS WHERE ARE YOUR LEGS? HOW WILL FIGHT NOW?

NORTH KOREA'S GREATEST WARRIOR WILL DEFEND YOU!

[piecesofalice.livejournal.com]

I MADE YOU A NEW LJ HEADER



FOREVER

[suburbannoir.livejournal.com]

OH GOD THIS IS THE GREATEST THING TO EVER EXIST I AM GOING TO HAVE TO RELEARN HOW TO ADD A LJ HHEADER AREN'T I?

[piecesofalice.livejournal.com]

ALL FOR YOU BABY

ALL FOR YOU

AND PRINCESS

[pipu-com.livejournal.com]

p.s.: may I snug your 30 day kdrama meme, please? I'll credit you of course!

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

now I want to watch these shows you have kindly recced.

which means I will go mad trying to find them.
*sigh* maybe there's a video corner in one of the local Korean markets.

>North Korea's Greatest Warrior
...could easily defeat The Greatest American Hero - not that she'd want to.
(she might get a chuckle at his red pjamas)