This past Thursday, MBC’s “premium horror” series Hon (Soul) ended its 10-episode broadcast. While the drama has generally been received favorably, there were some comments expressing disappointment at its end. It’s been called “2% lacking,” which is an expression that means that everything was generally good, but missing a certain punch. (No spoilers in this article.)

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MBC’s new horror-thriller Hon (Soul) aired its third and fourth episodes this week, but even before those broadcasts, the station had begun talks of extending the series.

The drama is doing well in its Wednesday-Thursday slot, looking strong out of the gate and buzz increasing for the well-produced, chilling story and its captivating rookie actress Im Joo-eun. Although the latest rating number is a modest 12% and puts it second after Swallow the Sun, given Hon’s genre and subject material (and the 19+ rating doesn’t help), this is considered a good response (funny how the ratings work that way, isn’t it?).

I’m not a fan of extensions in general, but this is a bit different than your usual scenario: reportedly, this isn’t a move to hitchhike on the drama’s popularity, but rather because Episode 1 couldn’t fit in all that had been planned for the Episode 1 script. Lead actor Lee Seo-jin gave his tentative approval, saying, “If the script had been stretched out because of the extension, I would have turned it down, but I’m considering it in a positive light since this is because the drama hasn’t been able to show all of the plot that it had already planned.”

Part of the reason I convinced my wimpy self to give the horror thing a try was knowing that it would clock in at a brisk 10 episodes, but I suppose adding two episodes doesn’t make it that much more of a commitment. Still, I’m always wary of extensions…

Via No Cut News

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I was hesitant to watch MBC’s new series Hon because I’m a big wimp when it comes to horror, but I was curious enough to give it a shot. And I found that while it has its jumpy moments, it’s not actually so scary that I can’t watch it. The fright comes more from ambiance and mystery than from actual scary moments — which on a psychological level may be more nerve-racking than a slasher.

What Hon does well is creating a mood, making moments out of little details. It’s very well-directed, confidently paced, and the music is downright fantastic — sometimes eerie, sometimes gentle, and often lovely.

SONG OF THE DAY

Mot – “Ghost” [ Download ]

HON Episode 1 >>

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Not that this is unusual for a kdrama, but I’ll say it again: This is one good-looking cast.

On August 3, the cast of MBC’s Hon gathered at the Ilsan MBC Dream Center for the drama’s production press conference. And while the drama’s two marquee names are Lee Seo-jin (Yi San) and ex-FinKL member Lee Jin (Hometown of Legends), a lot of attention was paid to the drama’s new face, Im Joo-eun, who was selected after an audition process that beat out more than a thousand competitors. Something tells me that whether or not Hon does well, she will be the buzz name the comes out of the project.

Plus, if you’re like me, perhaps your interest level in the supernatural thriller was on low until the recent announcement that the drama drew a 19-and-up age rating, which suddenly made it seem a lot more interesting.

Lee Seo-jin with Im Joo-eun

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Ooh. Looks like MBC’s horror drama series Hon (Soul) actually IS as creepy as it looks, because it just got slapped with a 19+ viewer rating, which means that it is not recommended for viewers under the age of 19.

Given that this is a regular prime-time broadcast television series (and not, say, cable television, which is where the more risqué offerings usually reside), it’s rather unusual for a drama to be rated 19+. Another recent case is the Hyun Bin series Friend, Our Legend, which also received a 19+ rating for violence and ended up cutting and covering up some scenes.

Hon’s production will be taking some last-minute editing steps before the show’s premiere next Wednesday. Producers explain that they attempted to fall within the criteria for a 15+ rating, but were unable to given the drama’s subject matter dealing with serial killings, its violent and provocative scenes, and use of profanity. They will also be curtailing the number of murder-related scenes and editing them, but because they would like to preserve the fright factor — it IS touted as a special summer horror series, after all — they won’t be changing too much.

Furthermore, reruns that air earlier in the day will have to be edited down to meet the more viewer-friendly “age 15″ rating. Hon stars Lee Seo-jin and premieres August 5.

Via Yonhap News

RELATED POSTS

• Horror dramas Hon and Hometown of Legends
• MBC’s Hon (Soul) releases first stills

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