We’re given hints at the potential conflicts of a few more characters, but as usual, what we get are crumbs. In attempting to give too many characters adequate screentime, you end up shafting everybody; it would have been vastly more effective to establish rapport with two or three kids, then work in the support crew. What we get instead is a lot of flimsy storylines, none of which have found purchase because they’ve been given no chance to connect with us.

I think there’s promise in what today’s episode gives us, but I fear it may be too little, too late.

SONG OF THE DAY

Jinwoon – “걸어온다” which Yoo-jin played in the street in yesterday’s episode.
[ Download ]

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Read the rest of Dream High 2: Episode 4 (4,098 words)

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Post tags: Dream High 2, featured, Ji-yeon, Jung Jin-woon, Kang So-ra, Kim Jung-tae

It’s time to set up rivalries all around, but to be honest, I found myself struggling to care in this episode, though it did pick up somewhat in the latter half. Most of the hour was spent rehashing conflicts we already knew about, though the rivalry between Hae-sung and Ri-an has hints of promise and might take an interesting turn. And we do get our first glimpse at one pair’s romantic sparks, which probably saved this episode for me.

Dream High 2 isn’t faring very well in the ratings, dropping with each episode from 10 to 9 down to 7.2% with this episode. Light and Shadow led the timeslot with 16.8%, and Salaryman came in at 14.6%.

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Read the rest of Dream High 2: Episode 3 (3,266 words)

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Post tags: Dream High 2, featured, Ji-yeon, Jung Jin-woon, Kang So-ra, Kim Jung-tae

It feels sorta familiar, and yet totally different. That’s probably a good thing for a franchise show, because you want the brand to be recognizable, but who wants to see the same thing all over again?

That said, there are certain things Dream High 2 does differently than its predecessor which work for this season, and certain things that I think lose sight of what made the first one so endearing. Hint: It wasn’t the musical numbers (which were often great fun to watch) or the singing performance (which featured nice idol voices) or even the acting (which was great in some cases, spotty in others). It was the characters and the realness of their emotions, their connections, and their fighting spirit.

Thankfully, there are a few characters I love, and whenever the drama focuses on them and their central issues, I’m all onboard. But the show also has a tendency to flit from character to character like it’s got the attention span of a flea, and that gets in the way of establishing a solid connection. I hope this season doesn’t forget its heart, because Dream High without heart is just… one long music video.

SONG OF THE DAY

Toxic, singing what is probably titled “Dreaming” although that hasn’t been confirmed yet. This is today’s ending song and it’s apparently a version of Kim Soo-hyun’s “Dreaming” from the Season 1 soundtrack… which you totally cannot hear in the melody, but the lyrics are 99% the same. [ Download ]

Kim Soo-hyun – “Dreaming” from the Dream High 1 OST. [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Dream High 2: Episode 2 (3,941 words)

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Post tags: Dream High 2, featured, Ji-yeon, Jung Jin-woon, Kang So-ra, Kim Jung-tae

It’s time to Dream Higherererer with a whole new cast of characters, and a whole new universe as well. As it turns out Season 2 is no dummy – we don’t just pick up where we left off, or reboot to square one with the same narrative and a different cast. Phew. One bullet dodged.

We get a twist right off the bat that brings Kirin down a peg or twenty, and find out that the trajectory for Season 2 is to revive the place where dreams begin – it’s going to be about saving the school as much as it will be about each individual character. This time K really is for Kirin – the school itself.

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Read the rest of Dream High 2: Episode 1 (3,458 words)

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Post tags: Dream High 2, featured, first episodes, Ji-yeon, Jung Jin-woon, Kang So-ra, Kim Jung-tae

We’ve had teaser stills and other images, but here’s the first official poster for Dream High 2, the aspiring-idols-with-dreamin’-hearts-and-dancing-feet drama hoping to match the original series’ popularity.

Looks like Kang So-ra and idol-turned-actor Jung Jin-woon are the underdogs, if we’re going by the poster, with the top dogs looking down on them (literally). They are, from left to right, Sistar’s Hyo-rin, JB (who’s giving me some serious Taecyeon vibes), Park Seo-jun, and T-ara’s Ji-yeon.

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Read the rest of Dream High 2′s official poster released (283 words)

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Post tags: Dream High 2, Ji-yeon, Kang So-ra, Kim Jung-tae

girlfriday: So Dream High 2 finally has its cast! I can’t say I know any of them other than Kang Sora, but I loved her in Sunny. She’s simultaneously badass and cute. I love it.

javabeans: She was bubbly in Dr. Champ, too, as the girl who got all handsy with Jung Kyeo-woon.

girlfriday: Yeah she ran around calling him Buttocks!

javabeans: I suppose she’s the “actor”-actor of the bunch, while the rest look like they’re idols.

girlfriday: Yeah, along with T-ara’s Ji-yeon who confirmed earlier, we’ve got Jung Jin-woon (2AM) and Hyorin (SISTAR). That makes her the Kim Soo-hyun of Dream High 2, or what I’m going to call it from now on: Dream Higher.

javabeans: Not Dream Again?

girlfriday: Dream Bigger?

javabeans: Dream On?

girlfriday: Ha. I think that one’s got a slightly different ring to it. But I’d watch that drama.

javabeans: That would be funny if they were all unsuccessful and/or has-beens.

girlfriday: Like the D-list idols.

javabeans: The ones who refuse to give up on their dreams, because that’s what all the dramas tell you to do, only… in this case, maybe they’d be better off. But it would have to be a black comedy, because otherwise that’s just depressing.

girlfriday: Yeah not so much uplifting, dream big dreams, like the franchise.

javabeans: I totally understand the need to go with idols in this case, although it would be nice if they picked idols who have acting talent. Like, Kim Soo-hyun was far and away the best actor of his bunch, but if you had six of him, it would take away from the performance aspect, which was sizable. I don’t know anybody other than Ji-yeon in this bunch, though.

girlfriday: Yeah me neither. I can understand that it’s a hard balance to strike, because yeah, in this kind of drama you need the dancers and the singers. But there are musical actors and well, lots of choices in that pool.

javabeans: Dancer and singer stunt casting is great for the Pil-sook and Jason roles, but you need stronger people playing Baek-hee and Jin-gook, for instance. In that respect Eunjung was a lot stronger than Taecyeon. I was okay with Suzy and Taec — I went with it, but only ‘cause we had no choice. But could you imagine how the drama could’ve rocked if those roles went to Kim Soo-hyun-level actors?

girlfriday: The love triangle would’ve been much more heart-stomping.

javabeans: You mean, instead of just waiting for the inevitable shift in the tide? Yeah. Although that’s one drama where the romance didn’t even matter to me, ‘cause I loved the hopes-and-dreams stuff. The misfits banding together, challenging the hotshots.

girlfriday: Yeah that’s really the heart of this series (and franchise, we hope).

javabeans: Ha, don’tcha love that in a post about Dream Higher, we’re just talking about Dream High?

girlfriday: Heh. So we like to live in the past.

javabeans: Well, if the powers that be have it their way, we’ll be doing this post again next year, reminiscing on #2 while waiting for #3. Or, as I’ll be calling it…

girlfriday: Dream Higher Still Again and Again?

javabeans: Dream Even Higherer.

girlfriday: That’s not even a word! We’re done now.

Via Star News

RELATED POSTS

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• T-ara’s Ji-yeon cast in Dream High 2
• Dream High 2 begins pre-production
• Dream High 2 to audition cast via reality show
• Dream High concert and final thoughts
• Dream High: Episode 1
• The new Monday-Tuesday lineup: First impressions

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 94 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: conversation post, Dream High 2, Ji-yeon, Kang So-ra

Ji-yeon, the young singer of girl group T-ara and budding actress, has been confirmed for the cast of Dream High 2, joining her groupmate Eun-jung (who starred in the first series) in the franchise.

This means we’re about to be deluged with a number of casting announcements for the anticipated sequel to the youth drama all about singin’, dancin’, and bright young dreams crashing up against the harsh realities of what it takes to become an idol star. And who better to portray that than actual idol stars? A lot of times, idol presence in a drama amounts to little more than stunt casting and ratings grabs, but the original Dream High did a pretty solid job of mixing actors with idols and bringing out everyone’s strengths — and sometimes even turning their weaknesses into hilarious plot points. (See: Robot Hye-mi.)

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Read the rest of T-ara’s Ji-yeon cast in Dream High 2 (287 words)

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Post tags: Dream High 2, Ji-yeon, sequels

The boys’ hearts are aflutter this episode with not just two but FOUR female guests to leave their cheeks rosy. It’s a throwback episode to high school and the air is thick with nostalgia from the games to the food. New love is created for some; hearts are broken for others. The chase is sure to keep you on your toes – let’s go!

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Read the rest of Running Man: Episode 55 (1,668 words)

© gummimochi for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 51 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Haha, Ji Suk-jin, Ji-yeon, Kang Gary, Kim Jong-kook, Lee Kwang-soo, Running Man, Song Ji-hyo, Sulli, Suzy, Yoo Jae-suk

Looks like Death Bell is another high school horror franchise in the making. Since the original movie (also called Bloody Midterms or Go-sa) did so well two summers ago (starring Nam Gyu-ri, Lee Beom-soo, Kim Bum), producers are back with a sequel this summer, Death Bell 2: Bloody Camp.

This movie has again teamed up a couple of established older actors with a group of rising stars to portray the teachers and students at a high school beset by horrific circumstances. Kim Su-ro also played a teacher in his last drama, God of Study, and is joined by High Kick Through the Roof‘s Hwang Jung-eum. Leading the younger set are Baker King‘s Yoon Shi-yoon and God of Study‘s Park Ji-yeon (or just Ji-yeon, as she’s known per her T-ara pop-singer persona).

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Read the rest of 10 posters for Death Bell 2 (221 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Hwang Jung-eum, Ji-yeon, Kim Su-ro, Yoon Shi-yoon

I’m still not sure which drama I’m going to keep following on Mondays and Tuesdays. It’s tough, because they’re all in good-but-not-great territory for me, which makes it hard to just pick one to stick with. Despite God of Study‘s growing lead in the ratings, I still find it a little difficult to get through episodes. Half of it is enjoyable and sweet, but when it drags, it really drags. The entire cast of teachers is cartoonish and unfunny, so I’d rather not spend so much time on them, and I still can’t warm up to Seok-ho (Kim Su-ro). The best part of the drama has always been about the kids, so when they’re on, I’m entertained. But only when they’re on.

SONG OF THE DAY

God of Study OST – “Because I’m Weary” by Ernest. Come to think of it, this song alone may well account for half the drama’s entire appeal (for me). Even though I did spend the first few episodes wondering frustratedly, “Because I’m really what?!” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of God of Study: Episodes 3-4 (4,042 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 45 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bae Doo-na, Go Ah-sung, God of Study, Ji-yeon, Kim Su-ro, Lee Chan-ho, Lee Hyun-woo (2), Yoo Seung-ho