O_O
This is a PURELY SUPERFICIAL judgment, but looking at the newly released stills of Jung Il-woo dressed as Iljimae (above), I start to feel hope for MBC’s upcoming The Return of Iljimae.
If you’d asked me months ago whether Lee Junki or Jung Il-woo would have looked better as the masked bandit, I would have said, “Lee Junki, hands down,” and laughed in your face about Jung Il-woo. But then — and this is my opinion only! — one of my initial blocks against SBS’s Iljimae was that Lee Junki came off as unexpectedly silly with his Hannibal Lecter-esque metal mask and penchant for overacting.
(Don’t get me wrong, I like Lee Junki but I hated his look. In contrast, Jung Il-woo looks serious but not too hammy and, to my great surprise, actually pretty good. And doesn’t he almost look… Jae Hee-ish in that photo?)
Again, I recognize this is totally superficial based on a few still photographs, but yeah, I’m that surprised.
Maybe it’s unfair, but I’ve been keeping my expectations very low for Jung Il-woo.
I liked him in High Kick but didn’t really think he was a natural choice for a sageuk hero. Especially since he normally looks like this! (Smooth skin, slightly baby-faced, and good-looking in a feminine sort of way.)
In addition to donning Iljimae’s period costuming, Jung reportedly lost weight to sharpen his features and to look more like the part. Sometimes I think actors take the whole “weight loss for a role” bit too far (see: Lee Da-hae dropping weight for East of Eden — like she needed to lose weight to begin with — and getting hospitalized in the process). But In this case I think it really worked to his benefit and added maturity to his look.
To compare the two Iljimaes:
Lee Junki, left. Jung Il-woo, right:
And again:
Via No Cut News
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This guy looks better than Lee Junki hands down.
you are totally right! even though i do love lee jun ki but i love jung il woo too!! you should watch 49days and you’ll know what i mean
^ I know, what a surprise, right??
OMO! Is that really Jung Il Woo in the pictures??? Never thought I’d think of him as smexy, but the first picture does it. (And he DOES almost look Jae Hee-ish.)
Still in shock…
After seeing this, the first thing to pop into my head was “Now if only we could have both of them in a drama together with both at their best…” Lol, that drama would have ratings just by gals (and the occasional guys) turning on the tube just to drool. Constantly.
Yum.
are there any other pics or trailers for this yet? or it hasn’t been released yet?
Well…. I think those pictures you showed of Lee Junki aren’t showing him in the best light. XD He NORMALLY looks better… It’s just bad styling choices and he just doesn’t “fit” the image.
And is that Jung Il-Woo?! *compares before and after pic* OMG…. I would’ve actually never realized that was him… Now, if he notches up his acting…
Omg… I think my heart just skipped a beat. O_O
And this coming from a Jun Ki fangirl!!!!
His weight loss really has made him look sharper (and more masculine). He had the whole pretty look going for him before but now he looks so different. That first image looks like angst galore haha. He does look a little like Jaehee from the side.
il woo is love
omg… i loveeeee his outfits.
i was gonna watch it just cause it was il woo..
but now seeing the smexy ilwoo
he grew up!!
heck imma wait for this with baited breath.
rofl.
oh my. jung il woo looks surprisingly manly. it seems like his face got longer [does that even make sense] and less feminine. i like it. no offense to lee junki [who i really like], but jung il woo does make a better iljimae [aesthetically].
Can’t help but laughing out loud when I read your post title.
Is he normally that horrible? =D
I like Lee Junki still but have to admit his mask was a big turn off……
lol, indigowine, I’ll admit to a soft spot for Jung Il-woo from his High Kick days but I’ve never thought of him as hot. More like an adorable kid brother with soft, slightly poofy cheeks who always grumbles, “Noona, cut it out” when someone ruffles his hair but is relegated to perpetual lil-boy status.
And then here he is looking all grown-up and sharp and bearing a remarkable resemblance to my Jae Hee (yes, mine), and all of a sudden I’m confused as to where all this manliness came from when just a few months ago he was the poster child for kkot-minams (literally “flower beauties,” meaning pretty boys). He used to be so femme! And now he’s all… rawr-inducing jaiilbait.
Hey, Jae Hee’s MINE!!!! lol, but really, he DOES look hot. I find hope slowly returning… ^_^
*LoL*
Yes, and who are we to object those heavenly manly figures? =D
Btw, I might be wrong, but I think this kid resembles Ju Ji Hoon even better.. Hmm.
man, half a growl escaped me at that first picture. i never thought he was cute before, but he looks HOT! I can’t wait to watch this version of iljimae! haha superficial much?
Jung Il-woo’s outfit is more reserved, more likeable. I think he’s so hot as the new iljimae. There’s something calm and cool about him yet there is a lot of emotions deep down.
okay,….NOW i’m looking forward to the drama ….LMAO..
wow! few pounds off….longer hair…what a transformation! he’s surprisingly hot!! I totally agree with you, this one caught me by surprise. Looking forward to MBC’s version now……aaaw, he does resemble Jae Hee.
lol! i laugh every time i see the dubbed “hannibal lecter mask” worn by lee junki. oh geez. and wow! jung il woo has a nice nose.
Oh my LORD.
I think there IS hope for this Iljimae. Seems like it will be more sageuk-y rather than sci-fi and idk.
BUT WOW. HE looks so much more….handsomer with long hair.
IM LOVIN IT!!!
(I always loved him in High Kick!! A reason to love him even more!!)
He’s sooo hot. Good thing he changed his appearance. He might have undergone a lot of training that made him more manly and and his cheekbones come out. I was worried, coz in his recent picture in your blog where he’s talking in a mic, he and the lead girl looks a like. More like siblings than potential love team.
Look what you started?! It’s a fangirl rage in this thread lol.
Always seem to work out that if your expectations are shot to begin with, things can only go up from there.
That doesn’t look like Jung Il Woo to me? 0_0
But he definitely sports a calmer and more reserved Iljimae. Maybe it’s not gonna be as lighthearted as the SBS Iljimae.. hence the serious look? hmmm…
We’ll have to wait and see whether it can surpass SBS..
But yea.. a lil bit Jae Hee-ish in the stills.. and a lil bit of Park Hae Jin too..XP
lee jun ki looks better, you’d better find his photo that looks better than this if you want to compare them. i remember he was ill at that time (the pic he wore mask) we have to wait to see MBC iljimae’s mask.
i hope MBC version will be more historical and serious. coz SBS version is quite funny and sad but give me modern style. and it can’t help these two iljimae would be compared.
anyway, i love SBS iljimae ^^ and i will watch MBC too.
If i sit here and compare a man’s mouth to Johnny Depp, yeah he’s hot.
Oh, my! What a nice surprise XD He does look surprisingly good
That and the storyline makes me have some hope for this Iljimae version. I probably won’t be able to resist following it since I’m curious how this will turn out (and compare with SBS’s Iljimae)
I totally agree about the “Hannibal Lecter-esque metal mask” thing, that bothered me all the way through the series ~_____~ I hope this version will be more realistic and stay that way.
must wait and see…
must be interesting!
i actually think i might watch the return of iljimae. i didnt even think about watching lee junki’s cuz it just looked wayy too silly for me. jung ill woo looks hot here, i also cant believe he is the same guy in the other pic`u have of him.
people do grow up too fast huh?
Before i couldn`t care less about MBC Iljimae, i love the SBS version! But i kind like Il Woo and that tranformation!! OK i think i gonna looking forward to see the MBC version.
But i think he looks more like the actor who play Do Jin in Kingdom of the Winds (i forget his name, can someone fill in for me?).
About the title, Return of Iljimae….i mean like Return of Condor Heroes, the story is the continuing of Legend of Condor Heroes. I think it kind of misleading?
wow. the weight loss looks really dramatic! he looks totally different… in an awesome way.
Looks-wise, I think he is a cross between Kim Jae-won and Joo Ji Hoon. But clearly he is developing his own individual form of hotness. =-)
What a positive surprise!
He looks great and more adult like then before, the weight loss seemed to do him good ^^
hmm…
does that mean that for a while, korea will be showing three sageuks for wednesdays and thursdays? woah. sageuk frenzy.
well, at least they didn’t name it ‘iljimae of the wind’ seeing how the other two sageuks are…
Oh crap. Beans, dear, you are playing with my emotions! I read the bit about the Goong/Goong S- experienced behind-the-scenes staff and the JIW casting, and thought “I wish I had more thumbs, so I could give this 4 thumbs down…”
I swear I did a really embarrassing pervy double take at the pictures above. He’s almost unrecognizable….I’ll admit, I really didn’t watch the Lee Junki version after the 2nd episode (the mask was a big reason), it just wasn’t my cup of tea. But lo and behold! After taking a look at these pics, what is this bubble of feeling rising in my chest? (No, I don’t have gastric reflux) Daresay, it’s a smidgen of hope?
Thanks for the post….I always enjoy the ride….
Wow, he doesn’t even look like the same person. That’s some talented stylin’ going on there.
I’m sad about the mask thing, you’re right, it’s just too cheesy.
LMAO “rawr-inducing jailbait”….AHAHHAHAHA
Woa what a total transformation. It looks as if it were 2 difference persons in those 2 photos. The weigh loss did him good here, unlike LDH.
Oh *hello* there! Whoa, he looks really, really, really good (read: HOT).
“And now he’s all… rawr-inducing jaiilbait.”
Oh perfect definition!
*spit-take* Where did you come from?! LOL.
Let’s hope that the acting is also going to exceed our expectations. Imagine a handsome-angsty-serious Iljimae…*drools a little*
Can it be done?!
Get those fingers crossed, people!
amazing what weight-loss can do for your face! The two pics of Jung Il-woo doesn’t look like it’s the same person. He looks 10 years older than he really is. I think both Lee Junki and Jung Il-woo’s looks make hot Iljimaes in different ways. If this was one of those historical dramas with the childhood flashbacks- I would have Lee Junki play the younger version of Iljimae- sort of the hotblooded, young and naive type, who is spurred on for justice- while Jung Il-woo will play the older Iljimae- a seasoned hero who has been through a lot, no longer smiling as freely. Both hot types, IMO! It’s funny cuz Jung Il-woo’s younger than Lee Junki.
Looking forward to checking this Iljimae out as the first one was too comic bookish.
And the fact that Jung Il-woo looks hotter than Lee Junki doesn’t hurt.
I noticed the photo first before I read the title, and I was like, “damn, who’s this hottie?!” He looks completely different, especially when compared to the following photo of him speaking into the mic. I have noticed before the difference weight loss can have on a person’s facial features, but that’s quite dramatic…though, the hair, angle and lighting are all undoubtedly contributing to the difference as well. I actually think that in that top photo he resembles Lee Jung Jin (9 Ends 2 Outs) quite a bit.
he looks like that dude from goong. not kim junghoon the other dude
He really does look better!
Ho! Ho! Ho! Seems like we’re in for a super treat. What a head twirling, heart pounding early holiday gift.
Finally, i can see him in iljimae outfit..
He looks hotter than before..He looks mature than before..
Welcome back Jung Il Woo, saranghanun nam donsaengiya…
I will always support you, no matter what people say about you..
Coz in my heart you’re still the best!!!
So I wasn’t the only one that thought the stills were smoking hot
jung il woo looks better than i thought
but i don’t think he’ll be able to act as well as lee junki did
lee junki was awesome in the first iljimae
jung il woo has big shoes to fill
Javabeans, i totally have to agree with you on this too.. When I saw a picture of Jung Il Woo as Iljimae,, i was like wow. too.. O_O