Powerful Men

Ahhh!! Some crazy news today, well more like this week~ All in the world of Asia as well.

So starting with some old news, our happy-go-lucky Lee MinHo is becoming the ever so famous City Hunter, the Japanese manga about a detective/cop who is a womanizer but also trips when he sees a beautiful woman. I was reading that he was preparing for the City Hunter role by 'becoming a powerful man' since his last two dramas, Boys Before Flowers and Personal Taste, he was rather fruity and a pretty boy in both.

Lee Min Ho from Boys Before FLower

I haven't seen any images of the City Hunter drama nor know if they have even started shooting it, but since another Hallyu star, Rain (Ninja Assassin, Full House), aka Bi [in Korea], came out with his drama, Fugitive Plan B, there have been lots of talk that Lee Min Ho cannot live up to the 'powerful man' standard. The Rain drama not only has a 'powerful man' in the story, but the stories are both so similar, in which womanizing detective/cops are carefree and go the own way to solve cases while falling in love with a beautiful woman,' the station producing City Hunter is scrambling to find ways to counter such early critiques. Then again, I don't believe there have been any dramas of such nature (detective, thriller, unsolved cases, womanizing, action, etc) that it's really easy to compare these two.

...and then changing into a cop detective in the upcoming City Hunter

But I can see how City Hunter may fall where the current Fugitive Plan B is successful. Besides Rain's all-encompassing stardom, not only within Korea, but internationally as well, he has got to be in most people's eyes, a pretty good image of a 'powerful man.' I mean, his worked out body for Ninja Assassin blew me away. And even if his English was terrible, at least it was super eye candy for me. Lee Min Ho on the other hand, is purely face-eye-candy. I mean, unless in the past 6 months he's also been working out like mad and gained 50 lbs of muscle, I am not sure if he will be able to get City Hunter the 20-30% ratings that Fugitive Plan B has been enjoying until the very end.

Rain's workout for Ninja Assasin

Kdrama: Fugitive, Plan B

Well, I guess it'll just have to wait and see.

Onto more pretty boys~ in the currently airing Secret Garden, which has also been enjoying 20% ratings, I've just found out that Hyun Bin, the leading man who plays a powerful and rich asshole from the nethers of the Asshole Kingdom (joke) is going to be singing the male counter version of "That Man" by Baek Ji Young. I love this song and since I'm rarely a fan of many love songs, I think this is a song with a melody sung in Korean with a beautifully haunting and little sad voice, that fits so perfectly for the theme of the drama which seems to revolve around the idea of The Little Mermaid (the unhappy version).



Speaking of Hyun Bin, on that note, it seems that another sad thing is that he's to be leaving early next year for his military service for South Korea. Because of this, he's been giving it his all to the Secret Garden drama, and it shows, from the body swaps to the complete asshole role, to even kissing his male cousin on the lips (in the story that is, not real life). I think it's pretty crazy but I guess artists need to go all out and crazy on their work before going through the kind of discipline such as military service.

Poster for the drama Secret Garden

I'll miss you Hyun Bin.... 

but not THAT much. 

Heh.

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