YOO-pies (의 팬들이유승 호): Lee Chan-ho

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

[REVIEW] TV series "Master of Study"

The cast of TV series "Master of Study" [KBS2]

"Master of Study" - Final episode (KBS2 TV, 9:55 PM)

TV series "Master of Study" was never a well-made drama, not even at the end. Out of respect to its target viewers perhaps, the story may have been overly one-dimensional and moved forward without creating much trouble, but it created occasional moments of boredom and the students' teacher and heroic human rights lawyer Kang Seok-ho (played by Kim Soo-ro) ended up remaining on a predictable path. The parting scene between Hahn Soo-jung (played by Bae Doona) and Kang Seok-ho even displayed soap-opera qualities while providing no rationale.

Despite such shortcomings, "Master of Study" is a drama which possesses a mysterious power to attract viewers at certain moments. At the center of such appeal stood the reality created by the young actors who played students of the special "Cheonha University" class. The young actors, pouring out tears while seeing Kang Seok-ho off, displayed facial expressions that could only be shown by people who had given their all for their dream, like the students of Byung-moon High School. Pul-ip (played by Ko Ah-seong) and Bong-goo (played by Lee Chan-ho) got accepted, Baek-hyun (played by Yoo Seung-ho) goes after his dream which he had given up on, Chan-doo (played by Lee Hyun-woo) learns how to give up in order to get what he wants and Hyun-jung (played by Jiyeon) finally begins contemplating what she wants.

Even with the so-and-so consequences, it is difficult to just criticize this drama. While their concerns are shallow, the scope narrow and their solutions lopsided, the actors somehow succeed in delivering the extremely old-fashioned theme of 'working hard to achieve the dream'. They even convince viewers to agree with them, saying that all they need to do is insert their own ideals in place of the show's theme -- academics or a prestigious college. But really, compared to stories of a housewife reviving the family fortune with her cooking skill and a poor young girl climbing the social ladder by marrying up, the solution seen in "Master of Study" was shameless yet more realistic and honest.

Source : 10.asiae.co.kr/Articl... ( English Korean )

[PREVIEW] KBS TV series "God of Study"

KBS TV series "Master of StudyMaster of Study"
- The path to good schools can be found in a television drama

KBS2 TV - Monday/Tuesday evening drama "Master of Study"

Written by Yoon Kyeong-ah / Directed by Yoo Hyeon-gi
Cast : Kim Soo-ro (as Kang Suk-ho), Bae Doona (as Han Soo-jung), Song Yoon-ah (as Jang Ma-ri), Yoo Seung-ho (as Hwang Baek-hyun), Ko Ah-seong (as Gil Pul-ip), Lee Hyun-woo (as Hong Chan-doo), Jiyeon (as Na Hyeon-jeong) and Lee Chan-ho (as Oh Bong-goo)
In brief : A biker-turned-lawyer whose life changed when he entered college attempts to teach a group of five rebellious students and help them get into the most prestigious college in Korea.
Premiere date : January 4, 2010 at 9:55 P.M.

How does one truly educate another person in this miserable world which only remembers who No. 1 is? By teaching them how not to become influenced by the dirtiness or how to win over the dirty rules? From what has been revealed at the press conference, held at Seoul Palace Hotel on December 29, "Master of Study" appears to be a drama that puts more weight on the latter method. When lawyer Kang Suk-ho (played by Kim Soo-ro) is put in charge of the liquidating Byung Moon High School, he sees his own troubled past in the problematic students who live their lives with no dreams. He then offers to teach them and proclaims that he will get five students accepted into Cheonha University, the most prestigious college in the country. Everyone -- including the teachers, students and the school's chairman of the board Jang Ma-ri (played by Oh Yoon-ah) -- calls him crazy and English teacher Han soo-jung, who believes that the purpose of education is not about getting into a good college, treats him as if he is shallow. But he establishes a special class for the five problematic students, including Hwang Baek-hyun (played by Yoo Seung-ho), to help them prepare for Cheonha University. It is hard to empathize with the plot -- which is about taking on the challenge of getting into the top school just to get back at the credential-obsessed society -- even if it was actually based on the Japanese comic "Dragon Sakura". But actor Kim Soo-ro, who played a humanistic teacher in the film "Our School E.T", and yet plays the completely opposite role of Kang Suk-ho in "Master of Study", says that "both methods are correct. Kang Suk-ho's method is appropriate for the children in the drama, who want to prove themselves by getting into a good school". He expressed that the show is not about the obvious cliche -- that high school seniors must study for college.

Anticipation Quotient (1-10 points)
The drama stars both Yoo Seung-ho and Lee Hyun-woo.
Need we say more? 8 points

The footage revealed at the press conference was mostly edited to show how Kang Suk-ho came to take on the Special Class at Byung Moon High school. But the drama's biggest appeal is the glamorous traits of the Special Class students; the undeniably talented Yoo Seung-ho plays the rebel Hwang Baek-hyun; Lee Hyun-woo, who captured the hearts of older female viewers as Kim Yoo-shin in MBC's "Queen Seon-deok", plays the aspiring idol group singer Hong Chan-doo; and Ko Ah-seong from the film "The Host" plays Gil Pul-ip, a determined girl who works hard for a better, brighter future. Like Kim Soo-ro said, "I befriended the kids first because they are so handsome and so pretty", this dream team of teenage actors have great looks and certified acting chops. And the fact that they appear in all sixteen episodes as youngsters is enough to stimulate the anticipating hearts of older female and male viewers.

Source : 10.asiae.co.kr/Articl... ( English Korean )