Series Preview: Oh Su Jung
by javabeans
You’ve probably heard about Oh Ji Ho‘s new drama — or at least the part where he puts on a fat suit to give us the drama version of the hit movie 200 Pound Beauty. It’s also being called his comeback drama (although come on, can you call it a comeback when his last drama finished seven months ago?) — most probably since he dropped out of the limelight from grief/stress/fatigue when his former ex sadly committed suicide and he was vilified in the press and internet (always with the internets!) for various issues regarding that. Let’s not dwell on the ugly gossip, though.
Today’s episode of Bad Couple came with the preview to his new drama, and it looks pretty cute even if I wasn’t a 100% fan of 200 Pound Beauty (it was cute, but I had mixed feelings). Plus, although I didn’t previously really love costar Uhm Jung Hwa, after I saw Seducing Mr. Perfect, I had to admit she was a decent actress — anyone who had to act opposite Daniel Henney in that (whom I’d previously liked in My name Is Kim Samsoon, funnily enough) must have skills, because she’s acting opposite the emotional equivalent of a brick wall. Albeit a very nice-looking brick wall.
Oh, right, but back to my point:
Oh Ji Ho is Go Man Su, also known as Karl Go. Formerly fat, and formerly in love with the popular and pretty Oh Su Jung, Man Su is now a lean, sexy golf pro worth a whole bunch. Because he was cruelly hurt by Su Jung eight years ago, he’s become cold and detached when it comes to love. Meanwhile, the tables have turned, and while he’s now a hottie, Su Jung isn’t doing so well herself. Eight years ago she was a hot young thing, but now, at 34, she’s not exactly where she hoped she’d be. Now that Man Su’s back, he’s going to be making sure what goes around comes around…
A note on the title: I’ve seen it translated Butcher Oh Su Jung, and that’s the literal translation given the Korean title 칼잡이 오수정. But having read the descriptions and seeing no mention of butchers, I believe it’s not the literal translation “butcher” — since “Karl” (?) is Oh Ji Ho’s character’s name. So I’m thinking it’s more along the lines of “Get Karl, Oh Su Jung!”
On with the preview:
Here’s the content of the preview:
My name is Karl.
Want to hear my story?
I used to be a huge bomb.
Fat, with a diificult personality.
My friends would always say I was about to explode. [Thought bubbles: BOMB!!]
In the end, I burst with a boom.
Now, I’m a hot catch.
Bomb? That’s nothing anymore.
My name is Oh Su Jung.
Want to hear my story?
I used to have a dream.
To be a prosecutor, and a wife.
But that path was rough and stormy.
It almost came true once…
but it wasn’t so easy to attain.
But I haven’t given up on it yet, because I’ve got a secret weapon.
You’ll see soon enough!
As she fantasizes, written in blue are:
“My man is…
…smart…
…romantic…
…attentive…
…passionate…
…handsome!”
As we see fat Oh Ji Ho…
“That’s ME.”
“Su Jung’s man, Go Man Su.”
“Our battle begins.”
The production info is both promising (the writers have done extensive sitcom work; I’m unsure if that’s a good thing, since I don’t think Korean sitcoms are very sophisticated, but it’s something I’ll be mindful of), and worrying (the director previously worked on the universally reviled Princess Lulu, which was so bad even the star Kim Jung Eun (of the constipated monkey faces) attempted to breach her contract and walk out mid-production).
PRODUCTION INFO
Director Park Hyung Ki 박형기 :: “봄날” (Spring Days), “루루공주” (Princess Lulu), “사랑하고 싶다” (I Want to Love)
Scriptwriter Park Hye Ryeon 박혜련 :: “테마게임” (Theme Game), “New Nonstop,” “Nonstop 3,” “혼자가 아니야” (I’m Not Alone), “Nonstop 5”
Scriptwriter Park Ji Eun 박지은 :: “깜짝 스토리랜드” (Sudden Story Land), “달래네 집” (Dallae’s House), “꼭 한번만나고 싶다” (I Want to Meet You)
Official site: http://tv.sbs.co.kr/osujung/
CAST
Oh Ji Ho 오지호 :: Go Man Su (aka Karl Go)
Uhm Jung Hwa 엄정화 :: Oh Su Jung
Park Su Jin 박수진 (of Sugar) :: Younger Su Jung
Lee Geon Ju 이건주 :: Younger Man Su
Tags: Oh Ji-ho, Oh Su Jung, Uhm Jung-hwa
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1 kiwee
July 14, 2007 at 7:08 PM
is this playing after bad couple?
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2 docmitasha
July 14, 2007 at 7:15 PM
"after I saw Seducing Mr. Perfect, I had to admit she was a decent actress — anyone who had to act opposite Daniel Henney in that (whom I’d previously liked in My name Is Kim Samsoon, funnily enough) must have skills, because she’s acting opposite the emotional equivalent of a brick wall."
That was exactly what I thought when I saw Seducing...! You definitely get to like her acting a lot more opposite the "brick wall" pretty boy ;)
Thanks for the preview with translations! Looks interesting. I haven't seen 200 pounds beauty yet...btw, what were your feelings on that? Would you recommend that movie for a light watch? I've stayed away from it so far because I'm not sure how I feel about the concept from the reviews I've read.
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3 Philippa
July 14, 2007 at 7:24 PM
Cool. I can't wait to watch this. When is it coming out? After Air City? Because isn't it almost done or done. I've been watching Air City and I just want to say that their "conflict" are so LAME! And the Department Chief is so old and short (lol) for her sister. No offense. But I really like the part when they actually show Choi Ji Woo and other people. But Please continue writing the summary! Thanks again!
So, Anywho.. In this new drama, the guy is going to be the fat one, eh? That's good that for the first time it's not a girl... Thanks again!
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4 lili
July 14, 2007 at 7:42 PM
Thank you so much for translating the preview!
"...because she’s acting opposite the emotional equivalent of a brick wall. Albeit a very nice-looking brick wall."
"(the director previously worked on the universally reviled Princess Lulu, which was so bad even the star Kim Jung Eun (of the constipated monkey faces) attempted to breach her contract and walk out mid-production)."
Seriously, someone should start a blog titled "Favorite quotes by Javabeans" ^_^
I liked Daniel Henney in Samsoon as well - he probably acted decent in that because he was speaking English for most of the time. I loved his scenes with Kim Sun Ah! ^_^
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5 gailt
July 14, 2007 at 8:13 PM
thank you for providing english translations of the preview. i can pick out some words and phrases now but i'm still far from being free from eng subs. :)
"constipated monkey" rotfl. seriously.
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6
July 14, 2007 at 8:28 PM
I'm not sure if she meant she wanted to become a prosecutor's wife or a prosecutor AND a wife? The way she said it made me confused. This looks interesting though :D
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7
July 14, 2007 at 8:28 PM
The preview was inspired by the Adidas commercials featuring Gilbert Arenas. Check it out:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aEJglM7iuMs
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8 kiwee
July 14, 2007 at 8:42 PM
OH YEAH and i heard she was actually dating daniel henney?
although i just heard this from someone, and you know koreans, they hear one thing and think it's rock solid fact and tell everyone else and theyre all like "oh yeah! that thing... well I heard (from such and such ajumma) blah de dah". (hah, in that aspect i guess i am being one of those koreans)
i just wasnt strong enough to look that up. theres a lot of crap on korean websites.
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9 Javabeans
July 15, 2007 at 12:20 AM
kiwee, yes this'll take the place of Bad Couple when that wraps in two weeks (that means it's an SBS Saturday-Sunday drama).
Philippa, Air City's already done and it was on MBC, although it was likewise a Saturday-Sunday drama. The series taking AC's place is the new baseball-themed relationship rom-com "Bottom of the Ninth, Two Outs" (I saw the opening of that and the lead actress (Su Ae) equates being thirty to being at the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, aka she's only got one more chance before the game's over.)
Anon #6, I interpreted it as being a prosecutor and a wife (instead of prosecutor's wife) because the writing says ??? / ??? (rather than ???? ???). But I'm sure we'll find out which is right soon enough.
Anon #7, thanks for the link. I like that clip. And Koreans are always copying other things (sigh) so I've long since become immune to the disappointment.
docmitasha... I'm sure I could go on for a while but I'll try to keep it short(ish)... 200 Pound Beauty is a cute movie. Go ahead and watch it; you'll probably enjoy it. If I didn't think about it much after watching (which, of course, is never gonna happen with me), I'd have no problem... it's just there was a vague hint of dissatisfaction at the underlying message, though I'm sorry to sound like some kind of moralistic preachy fuddy-duddy by bringing up film responsibility. Basically it's saying, "Plastic surgery users are people too" (a valid POV, since the issue is that despite Korea's vaaaast use of plastic beauty enhancements, it's still got a stigma. Case in point: entertainers are ripped to shreds when it's revealed they had plastic surgery, with a few exceptions). But there's a hint of, "Since plastic surgery users deserve respect... might as well go all out and do it!" (Ugly person is beautiful, but the ugly person with surgery is even MORE beautiful!) It felt more like rationalization for plastic surgery, because somehow I felt it kinda perverted the "championing human respect" bottom line into "championing beauty." Yet with all that said, I did like the movie... It's like a great dessert-y type concoction that leaves a bit of a bad aftertaste. And yes, that was my short answer.
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10 Bérénice
July 15, 2007 at 1:32 AM
This seems like it's going to be a good drama... can't wait !
As to 200 pounds beauty, I have to agree with you, javabeans, while watching,n I liked it, but afterwards, with some reflexion, I felt the message was "if you're ugly, go ahead and have plastic surgery, so that you can be loved (finally)"... So it left me kind of uneasy...
Anyway, thanks for providing translation, as always (but even if I understood Korean perfectly well, I'd still love to get your point of view on series, because it's always so witty and refreshing...) !
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11 shannon
July 15, 2007 at 2:45 AM
Right on about Daniel Henney. I was laughing soooo much throughout "Seducing Mr. Perfect." He had no intonation at all when he was speaking!! "You know, I was shot once." My friend and I still crack up over that line.
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12 einah08
July 15, 2007 at 6:46 AM
this seems good..
about 200 pounds of beauty, its a fun movie.. but yeah, its sending a message that if you're ugly you can't be liked or loved by other people (which is really what's happening to today's society.. well, maybe not all.. :D).. also the lead actress has a nice voice.. i love her version of maria..
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13 Lena S.
July 15, 2007 at 8:34 AM
I can't wait to watch this drama!
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14
July 15, 2007 at 8:45 AM
It looks good... I hope it lives up to my expectations.
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15 gailt
July 15, 2007 at 10:44 AM
200 pounds beauty seemed a lighthearted approach to the touchy subject of plastic surgery of celebrities. the entire movie, i did not think it condemned nor praised plastic surgery. the last scene (almost like afterthought thrown in by the writers or director) seemed tongue-in-cheek. almost like saying to the audience having the warm fuzzies, "hah, i got you." i hated that direct message of that last scene, but since i never took the movie that seriously the entire time, i thought the underlying tone was more important than the message. i yo-yoed between getting mad at that last image and smiling at the trick the director wanted to pull.
that being said, i like your dessert metaphor, javabeans. i can't say i loved everything of this movie but it was fun nonetheless. ;)
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16 docmitasha
July 15, 2007 at 1:44 PM
Thanks for your thoughts, Javabeans. Thats kind of what I was afraid it might be. I'll still try and check it out, despite the fact that I'll probably have issues with the underlying message too...there's enough of that in society today as it is. Thanks for everyone else's thoughts too!
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17 lili
July 15, 2007 at 4:13 PM
I just watched Seducing Mr. Robin - and I take back what I said before. Even when speaking English, Daniel's acting left a lot to be desired. >__
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18 Lily
July 15, 2007 at 6:15 PM
"because she’s acting opposite the emotional equivalent of a brick wall. Albeit a very nice-looking brick wall."
*lol* You scored gold with that one :D Very nice! No matter how big a fan I am of Daniel, I agree, 'Seducing' is really bad - could be the script, but it's not all that wonderful experience when you sit there twinging and cringing. I have hopes for 'My Father' though - am the worst optimist ever, but we'll see how well that turn out.
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19 jiwonee
July 15, 2007 at 7:14 PM
wow, i cant wait to watch this! it looks so much fun. thanks for the preview! omg oh ji ho looks so ugly as a fatty. LOL when is this broadcasting?
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20 nicole
July 15, 2007 at 9:45 PM
i can't wait for this drama to air...i fell in love (well, not really because i love eru jjang more..but more of i like him and his acting skills) with Oh Ji Ho when he starred opposite Han Ye Seul in Fantasy Couple.. and this drama looks fun so i'm all ready to watch like crazy when it airs...
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21 babyelephant
July 16, 2007 at 10:03 AM
well, because it's going to be ages for the english sub to come out, I will be relying on your blog for the synopsis... fighting Javabeans!!!!
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22 Jenny
July 17, 2007 at 5:51 AM
brick wall bwahahah, Well I think Daniel was not so bad in Spring Waltz but in seducing mr.perfect >
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23 secret admirer
July 17, 2007 at 8:43 AM
Agree with all of you about the pretty "brick wall", but then he is not the only one in the K-drama industry! It's whatever your liking and tastes are...
Hopefully you'll be doing a short blog when this is out even if you will not continue to review the series in whole.
Lastly, "200 pounds beauty" was quite superficial for me: enjoyable and entertaining but the message was light-weight.
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24 yelibean
July 17, 2007 at 7:26 PM
LMAO at "because she’s acting opposite the emotional equivalent of a brick wall. Albeit a very nice-looking brick wall"
You are too funny! :D
I have to agree with you on that one.....
This drama sounds fun....i don't expect anything deep about this show...hopefully it's just lighthearted fun...
Looking forward to it :D
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25 twreckx
July 19, 2007 at 12:54 PM
Ok, I am loath to say this, but I actually didn't think Daniel Henney wasn't that bad! His level of acting was definitely much improved from his previous performance in Kim Sam Soon ( just 1 word, atrocious, comes to mind). It could be however, his aura of absolute hotness may have blinded me a little, I'm not sure. He is like Keanu Reeves, albeit younger and better looking
However I am looking forward to this series. Uhm Jung Hwa was great in Seducing Mr. Perfect (my favorite scene is her recollection of the previous night's events in the elevator) and her turn in Aurora (2005) was quite good. Hopefully they can sustain the lighthearted comedy through the entire series and not let it sink to the depths of weepfestorama, and the end we find out he/she/both is/are dying of some fatal disease/unrequited love/being apart from said love/sheer frustration @ being manipulated once again...oh wait, never mind the last one, that's just me...
BTW thanks for the fansubbing!
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26 Eunwhui
July 29, 2007 at 8:08 PM
I can't wait for this dramaaa.
Looks so interestinggg :D
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27 gyspcnsdsl
July 31, 2007 at 3:54 PM
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! lqyhznwvlhaw
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28 all4movies
August 5, 2007 at 7:46 PM
I just watched episode 1 on Veoh. I think episode 2 and 3 are also availabile, but I need english subs :(. I hope you'll have time to post some thoughts, because I always find you have interesting and insightful comments. Love your blog!
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29 SERIESWATCher
August 14, 2007 at 6:43 AM
Dramabeans, i hope you get this series a chance. I watched the first two episodes and it seems pretty good so far....Got this from another website "This show is best described as The Fantasy Couple peudo-sequel of sort, featuring all the elements of the original. Um Jung Hwa looks incredibly good for a 39 year old woman and is almost as funny as Han Yeosul's Jo Anna. Oh Ji Ho's performance is more restrained but very good nevertheless. I would recommend this series to The Fantasy Couple fans since it has all the elements of the original series and could be considered a first true clone."
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30 Cartman
August 21, 2007 at 4:01 AM
Please give summaries for this drama... :D
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31 Blue Sunflower
August 22, 2007 at 8:37 AM
Yes, Javabeans.. After Coffee Beans.. Please Please provide me with summary of this drama... I'm dying to know... You know you're the best, right? ^^
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32 lloyd
September 13, 2008 at 4:52 PM
Good 235rter2rwer23r
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