Drama name: Entourage
Country: South Korea
Year: Nov- Dec 2016
I saw the promo ad on my local cable TV (Yes again! They are promoting their Korean pack) and I was super excited that there is a Korean version. I didn't watch the original version even though it was advertised heavily on HBO last time.
So,what's this drama about?
The story revolves around a young actor named Cha Young Bin. He has three best friends, Ho Jin, Cha Joon and Turtle. Ho Jin is his best friend cum manager; Cha Joon is his cousin, also an actor but not a famous one and Turtle is jobless. They all live with Young Bin in his penthouse and hang out together all the time.
Young Bin belongs to a talent management company which is run by Mr Kim Eun Gab. Mr Kim is always hard at work finding roles for Young Bin but Young Bin has his own opinion which puts his manager, Ho Jin in a difficult position most of the time.
The rest of the story goes on with the struggles faced by Mr Kim and Ho Jin in the entertainment industry just to get Young Bin the roles that he wants. They will face powerful people behind the scenes and their friendship will be stretched to the limits.
Overall thoughts?
As I have not watched the original version so I can't compare them both. However, I do think that they did manage to capture the overall vibe with this series. It is not the usual Korean drama story with romance and all that. The show is a little bit slow, it gives you a relaxed, chill out feeling and it maintains consistency throughout the series.
Best parts of the drama?
There are a lot of nice bits that made this drama work. It starts out with the glitz and glam of the movie star world at the Busan Film Festival, also the hometown of Young Bin and his friends...
Then there are the wild parties and fast cars...
Not to mention the celebrity cameos... I only recognised a few of them, especially those from Running Man (Because of Kwang Soo of course!)
Young Bin's penthouse is to die for... (Haha! I just love the interior as usual! ;D) And the sweet Evoque he bought for Ho Jin as a present for becoming a real manager...
Some nice scenery from Jeju Island...
More awesome cars... (Why yes, I love cars too.. how did you know?! ;D) Amber's Suzuki car is too cute! It has left-hand drive which is perfect for us here... and check out that Rolls Royce with suicide doors!
Notable scenes
Joon and Turtle's scenes were hilarious. They have such good chemistry together. But I must admit halfway through the series I got a bit tired of them, especially Joon... Nevertheless they did a great job entertaining us!
The bromance. Yes, the four of them posing together for most of the time. I absolutely love it! I'm so envious of their friendship. Where to find besties like them??!!
Conclusion
Young Bin did manage to star in the movie he wanted so much, "Lim Hwa Su". Although the movie did not manage to beat the other movie, "War Terminator" but it did score a very high premiere screening number of about 480,000 viewers. It was a good result and everyone celebrates and it ends there with the future uncertain but they'll certainly continue to work hard and push forward to success.
Ironically, it's the total opposite in real life for this drama. This drama did not do well at all in South Korea. One of the factors would be the time slot, it was aired at 11pm at night and also the plot without the usual cheesy over the top romance. Some were even bashing the actor of Young Bin, Seo Kang Joon for taking this role and that he should stick to rom-coms.
I'm just thinking that is precisely the story of Entourage, he did a brave thing for doing this drama. Even though it flopped, I think he did a great job of portraying Young Bin. Not only him, but the entire cast of Entourage acted really well. Mr Kim and Ho Jin definitely stole the show. It's a shame their efforts were not recognised in their home country, but I think internationally this drama did pretty well. Maybe someday South Korea would be more open to these kind of dramas.
Party on, you guys deserve it! Rock on! ;D
Good review! Seo Kang Joon is a great actor! I like him very much, but I understand how his role wasn't well received by the viewers because Young Bins character is not likable. He's super delusional and indecisive about his career, making it difficult for people, especially Eun Gab, who work really hard to help him break through as an actor (of course Eun Gab is also benefiting from youngbins success). Breaching his contract just like this without facing any consequences is not realistic in the entertainment industry, that he could continue to work as an actor with this behaviour and work ethic makes me speechless. Young Bin is quite a spoilt character.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes you said it really well. Thanks for stopping by! :D
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