Escândalo em Sungkyunkwan (2010)

Best. Ending. Ever. No really! It feels like one of those normal rushed-wrap-every-thing-up-in-15-minutes, but if you pay close attention when the jump to the future happens viewers are given all the important details. So watch it carefully, and maybe rewatch it if you missed. It's nice to have such a nice ending. While I do enjoy open endings it's nice to have a "closed" one that lets viewers know what has happened to their beloved characters. (The the resolution was a tad . . . too easy.)

Now that I've gone over the ending, I have to say starting Sungkyunkwan Scandal didn't go well for me. I tried starting it twice, and only got about 30 min into it. Then I gave up. Finally a year later after someone told me it was the best gender bender ever, I decided to try again. However, the most important thing was that this time I went in knowing this is a romance. A romantic comedy. The thing was when I had started it up I had only watched serious historicals, so Sungkyunkwan Scandal kind of blindsided me.

After I got two episode 2 on my third attempt at watching, I was finally swept off my feet. Finally! I was ready for the blend of gender bender, comedy, political intrigue, romance, and historical bundled in the best package ever. With a cute little bow on top! So if you have issues just push for episode 2.

Right up front I'm going to have to say it: It's not accurate or realistic!

Gasp, that's right! But we're drama viewers, we know this. It's part of the charm. To be honest SS does a fairly good job reminding viewers that Kim Yoon Hee (called Kim Yoon Shik most of the show) in this time period could be killed for impersonating a man. Yes, there are some unrealistic aspects and some stupid moves by Yoon Hee that could have gotten her dead fast. However, this is a light romantic comedy and it stays that way. But it still shows the oppression of caste systems, sexism, the importance of knowledge and the power of learning, and even tosses in the hope of a brighter society. It puts in so many amazing messages with it's heart warming romance and gender bending hijinks.

There are 3 males for fans to drool over. I loved that not all of the males were in love with Yoon Hee. Better yet, there are bromances! It's so sweet watching friendships budding between the scholars. The romance is crafted enough that the build up is perfect. No one just suddenly falls in love with someone. Characters fall in love with the actions and personalities of their significant other. It's so refreshing. For once despite my love for the "third wheel" in the love triangle, the main love interest was so well crafted (and human!) that I fell in love with right along with Yoon Hee.

What's more is not everyone knows right away that Yoon Hee is a girl. Even better is that the main love interest doesn't know that she's a girl for quite a while. He even starts to accept that he's in love with a boy. Which moved me to no end. That's always been a weakness: love that transcends everything.

Of course there are some issues with Sungkyunkwan Scandal, there always are with dramas. (Which is funny that I saw some complaints about it from viewers.) Yoon Hee is an amazing female lead. While some of her actions contradiction her smarts, she's still amazing and it was so nice coming across her. It helps that that all the other elements are excellent! Even if characters aren't leads they're all so interesting and the multiple plot lines are wonderfully done. Side romances, dirty deeds, and political drama it's a fantastic blend. At no point did any of the episodes turn into fillers. The writers did an excellent job. The soundtrack is well worth the buy. Basically Sungkyunkwan Scandal is the perfect combination. It's no wonder this is such a popular show with fans.

In the end I know I'll be rewatching this again. Solid comfort food.

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Even though I dropped this wonderful drama for a while, I finally took time to watch the whole thing. And God, it was so amazing. This is absolutely one of my favorite drama, so far. I loved it so much!
So, on to the review!

Story:
Well, I'm sure I could've given it a 10, since I enjoyed it so much, but think about it... this story is kind of original, after all. I mean, I think it was somehow original, but still. Take for example: You're Beautiful, Coffee Prince... you know, this whole 'girl-dressed-like-boy-meets-guy-friends' Not that I am tired of this plot, but it just gave me the "Oh, I've seen this before?"
Yet, again, I think this was a different and refreshing story.

Acting/Cast:
One word is amazing. I could almost understand every character, as they acted so wonderfully! To be honest, I started watching this drama because of Song Joong Ki/Gu Yong Ha (man, I adore him in the drama and in real life too) But I found myself falling for Sun Joon/Yoochun, Yoon Shik(Yoon Hee)/Min Young, Jae Shin/Ah In and almost all of the characters as well! At the end, I even rooted for In Soo, the 'bad guy' and his friend.
Oh, I forgot to mention Cho Sun. She really did a super great job as a supporting role! In short: everyone did an awesome job!

Music:
If anything that I love about Kdramas, then it's the Music. Although I did enjoy the OST in this drama, it didn't give me the... feeling. Take for example 'The Princess's Man's OSTs. I found myself crying, just listen to Baek Ji Young's "Today, I love again."
Anyway, it was good!

Rewatch Value:
Of course I would re-watch this drama... next year, maybe? Not because I don't like it (duh, didn't I mention that I loved it? ^^)but because I'm not a person to re-watch things. But this drama, is a must re-watch! It'll be worth it!

Overall:
I gave this a 10. Because I really enjoyed the whole thing. I cried, I laughed, I even screamed at my screen and cursed because, sometimes, I got annoyed! This drama gave me so many feelings, I can't even express.

Something I really, REALLY loved about Sungkyunkwan scandal is the bromance. Yong Ha, Jae Shin, Yoon Shik, Sun Joon... they made my day so bright! And of course, the romance between the main couple. I loved it. But I must say, that I hoped for a little Yong Ha/Jae Shin moment, because I just adore the way they love each other as friends.

This story is really well-written, so I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did, and still do!

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Not believable gender bender

I felt that this show was entirely too long, with too many characters, with too much going on, and I thought it was very draggy.

The actors were fine, though I felt that Park Yoo Chun was so much better in Rooftop Prince (I liked that show a lot more too). Park Min Young is so gorgeous, there is NO WAY that anyone in their right mind would think she was a man. Her attempts to change her voice when she was pretending to be a man were not very successful. Plus, the fact that she uses her hands so much and her mannerisms are always so feminine (every show she's in spends an inordinate amount of time focusing on her hands, for some reason. She has beautiful hands, I'll give you that.).

The chemistry between them was okay, nothing outstanding in my estimation.

The scenes of them bickering at the end made no sense to me, because that wasn't the type of relationship they had throughout most of the show.

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Une histoire dynamique et rythmée

Après être tombée par hasard sur le drama chinois "In A Class of Her Own", que j'ai trouvé sympa mais qui m'a souvent barbée à cause de ses longueurs et son absence d'épaisseur, j'ai eu envie de me lancer dans la version originale coréenne. De nombreux commentaires trouvaient cette version bien mieux que son remake, et bien que ce drama date de 2010, je partage sans conteste cet avis.

A peu de choses près il y a beaucoup de similarités entre ces deux versions, tant au niveau des personnages que de l'intrigue, des rebondissements, de l'enchaînement des scènes et des passages-clés. Pourtant, j'ai eu l'impression de voir 2 dramas complètement différents parce que - censure chinoise oblige- le remake est bien plus édulcoré et gentillet que le matériau de base. En effet cette version coréenne est quant à elle bien plus rythmée et dynamique, il y a peu de longueurs malgré sa durée, l'histoire décolle dès le départ et non pas au bout du 25ème épisode, et les personnages sont mieux creusés. Je ne ferai pas une review détaillée de l'intrigue parce que j'ai déjà rédigé une critique de "In A Class of Her Own", mais si vous deviez choisir une seule version entre ces deux-là je vous conseillerais indubitablement "Sungkyunkwan Scandal". Rien que l'amitié entre ces quatre étudiants, issus chacun de classes sociales différentes, a des implications politiques et symboliques bien plus marquées dans la version coréenne, et réellement susceptibles d'ébranler les bases sur lesquelles se fondent le pouvoir et les privilèges de l'élite. L'opposition entre la classe des nobles et les idéaux d'harmonie du roi est mieux détaillée, les conséquences qui découleraient de la découverte d'un texte perdu (les dernières volontés du précédent roi) seraient bien plus importantes, tout comme la révélation du sexe de l'héroïne qui risque littéralement la peine de mort pour elle et sa famille sitôt que le secret sera éventé (contrairement à la version chinoise où tout ceci paraît un peu plus léger, avec en guise de punition des coups de bâton et le renvoi de l'école). Les références à l'homosexualité et la relation ambigüe entre l'étudiant rebelle et le dandy, sont davantage soulignés même si bien sûr, une telle version de 2010 ne pouvait pas aller trop loin sur ce sujet. Quant au président du conseil des élèves, je l'ai trouvé plus effrayant et dangereux que dans son remake : convaincu que seule la classe des nobles mérite tous les pouvoirs, fervent défenseur de ses idéaux et méprisant envers les faibles, il ne recule pas devant certaines bassesses pour atteindre son but.

En parlant de ce dernier, ma seule critique concernera justement ce personnage. Bien qu'il constitue un bon antagoniste qui cherche sans cesse à nuire à notre sympathique quatuor (permettant ainsi de renforcer leur amitié), je trouve qu'il manque parfois de profondeur. A part plisser les yeux d'un air menaçant, plisser les yeux avec un sourire narquois et plisser les yeux d'un air crispé en fermant le poing dans son dos quand il veut masquer sa colère, le jeu de l'acteur n'apporte hélas pas vraiment de nuances à son personnage qui disposait pourtant d'une bonne base pour le rendre plus intéressant. D'ailleurs son arc aurait pu être mieux développé, l'amour qu'il éprouve pour la courtisane avait de quoi rendre les choses plus intéressantes mais cet espace n'a malheureusement pas été exploité comme il faut. Il est persuadé que sa classe lui donne des droits d'office et surtout que cela doit suffire à mériter l'amour de cette femme de classe inférieure, tandis que celle-ci se refuse obstinément à lui et préfère offrir son cœur à un étudiant insignifiant. Je trouve que cette dynamique de base aurait pu donner quelque chose de vraiment sympa et notamment un arc de rédemption passionnant, s'ils avaient vraiment travaillé ces deux personnages, et pris le temps d'explorer une histoire d'amour (quasi inexistante au final dans cette version alors qu'elle semble en bonne voie dans le remake chinois) entre un homme comprenant que ce n'est pas grâce à sa naissance et sa volonté de soumettre mais par un cœur sincère et le respect envers l'autre que l'on gagne l'attention d'une femme, et cette courtisane finissant par aimer celui qu'il aurait pu devenir dès lors qu'il aurait cessé de la considérer comme un dû. D'ailleurs certains détails concernant cette dernière (notamment des dialogues suggérant un passif et un drame familial, les liens obscurs qu'elle entretient avec le ministre de la guerre et les moyens de pression dont il dispose pour se servir d'elle mais dont le spectateur ne saura rien) m'ont semblé trop légers et remplis de trous, comme s'ils avaient prévu de développer davantage son histoire avant de l'abandonner au dernier moment par manque de temps ou bien sur ordre des producteurs. En tout cas leur relation a laissé un léger goût d'inachevé à la romantique que je suis et la fin un peu précipitée (dommage qu'on ne sache pas ce que deviennent certains personnages) m'a quelque peu frustrée. Mais bon, puisque c'est comme ça je laisserai vagabonder mon imagination pour leur offrir une jolie conclusion, c'est bien aussi...

En résumé, j'ai trouvé cette version de 2010 beaucoup plus passionnante que son remake de 2020, et malgré cette décennie d'écart à aucun moment je n'ai eu l'impression de voir un drama daté. Même la bande-son m'a eu l'air plus sympa que la version chinoise, et contrairement à cette dernière, on a droit à 2- 3 bisous (certes très gentils, mais au moins il y en a !). Le thème de la lutte des classes n'est pas nouveau mais il ne cessera jamais d'être d'actualité et je l'ai trouvé mieux traité ici. Il est vrai que par moments, tous les beaux idéaux du ML semblent assez peu réalistes et que c'est parfois agaçant pour une spectatrice telle que moi : ok on peut vaincre n'importe quel obstacle quand on est déterminé, qu'on travaille dur et qu'on y croit, sauf que ce discours est clairement celui d'un dominant à qui il ne viendrait jamais à l'idée que certaines portes ne seront jamais ouvertes pour les femmes quels que soient leurs efforts acharnés. Mais on va se consoler en se disant que c'est un drama historique, que ça colle à l'époque et que lui-même revoit ses positions en reconnaissant clairement sa bien-aimée comme son égale. Quoi qu'il en soit j'ai passé un excellent moment devant ce drama au point que je l'ai visionné d'une traite. Alors que je suis en général peu friande des historiques coréens (pour des raisons purement esthétiques, c'est personnel et ça n'engage que moi), eh bien je me suis fait l'effet de redécouvrir, après avoir commencé par le surgelé, le goût d'un savoureux plat fait-maison.

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Sungkyunkwan Scandal is one of the greats and it definitely stands the test of time. 10 years after its release it is still relevant, entertaining and touching.

The main cast ensemble is one of the best ever, to the point where it is almost impossible to decide on a favorite character. Goo Yong Ha's facial expressions when observing the drama his friends are involved in, are iconic and made me scream with laughter at times. His relationship with Moon Jae Shin is never really defined and has you guessing about their past and future. Yoo Ah In is perfect in the role of the 2nd lead that will have you root for him to get the girl, and his chemistry with Song Joong Ki and Park Min Young is equally wonderful. Yoochun chose the perfect role for his big drama premiere and flawlessly embodies the stoic and heroic Lee Sun Joon. Furthermore, his chemistry with Park Min Young is tangible and I absolutely loved seeing her in such a rebellious feminist role.
The best scenes, however, were always the ones where at least three of them were together. The all played off each other so well and it resulted in absolutely hilarious and heartwarming scenes.

Let's not forget the great performance by Jeon Tae Soo as student body president, Ha In Soo. I wish we would've seen what happened to his character in the end. RIP, Jeon Tae Soo, you will be missed! Thank you for sharing your talent with us.

I loved how long it took for Lee Sun Joon to figure out that Kim Yoon Shik is a girl and that he actually accepted the fact that he is gay, before he found out. And of course, I loved the feminist theme of the drama. Both of these themes are not often found in Kdramas and are one of the main reasons Sungkyunkwan Scandal is so close to my heart.

As a Cassie, another reason is the beautiful OST, sung by JYJ. Even though Jaejoong is my ultimate bias and I love "For You it's Goodbye, For Me it's Waiting", my favorite song of the OST is Junsu's "Too Love".

I rewatched this drama this week after not having seen it since 2011 and it felt just like the first time I watched it. I got super attached to all of the characters, I screamed laughing, I cried, and I loved every second of it.
Aside all the laughs and the love story, it touches upon some very deep topics, such as human rights, the meaning of friendship, social class, what it means to learn, feminism, etc.

I will probably rewatch this many more times and I can only recommend it to everyone else!

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Sungkyunkwan Snoozefest

The drama felt like it was held together with duct tape. Unbelievably long and draggy for little to no story. Everything can be summed up with 6 episodes without compromising anything from the narrative. The drama was infested with pointless repetition that didn't serve any purpose other than stretching it thin. The romance, the identity reveal, and the secret all were too delayed to care about, instead of laying them out evenly. By then, you would be bored out of your mind with no interest left in anything. On another note, the directors weren't paying attention to Yoo Ah In at all, half of his dialogue was muffled and barely picked up my the mics. This isn't not how to make a character speak quietly.

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This is a 2010 drama and I kind of have this rule that I don't really like dramas older than five years. But I enjoyed the pacing of this one, and there weren't many filler moments. I liked how the drama took a different turn towards the end. The beginning half was all about surviving at school and making friends and relationships and not getting caught for being a girl. The second half is more conspiracy and the bones and heart of the relationships. I liked it. It was great. The emotion was beautiful and real and I enjoyed the more melodramatic tone.
I never thought I would think the traditional Korean dress was cool. It took me a long time to work up the courage to watch a historical. But I'm converted! Haha. This show is really easy to watch and easy to skip over the politics and still enjoy the growth and the progression of the premise.
In this drama more than ever, I can see how the characters humble themselves even when they are so freakin' angry because they know they have to self-regulate to achieve their long term goals.
I liked how they explored their corrupt society and how they were worried about distinguishing between right and wrong because they had so many bad role models and unfair structures in place.

Things start to get serious as the drama begins to wade into family relationships and betrayal and being a role model.

“Hey, big brothers, live life correctly, cause I'll be following your lead.”
Cheeky, but respect man.

They had to question what was culture, what was their values and why they were brought up in their traditions.
“Watch me with your own two eyes. Whether I'm going the right road until the end.”
Kdramas explore characters in a way that I can understand.
I also like how they take into account past and future. “So will you remember? One day, when you have to make a difficult decision like you did today, just once...that there was someone who trusted Lee Seon Joon more than himself.”

Yoon Hee
“I'll still have to dress in a man's hat and robe....And even if I can't do that, I'll have to marry anyone...To me, there is no tomorrow that I should want to protect with all my might.”
Girl's got skills. And she's incredibly smart with a photographic memory (but the drama forgets about that later).
The opening of this drama, with the ladies chasing after our heroine, thinking she's a man, I knew we were in for some ridiculous, but hopefully amusing moments.
I like the sort of manly friendship that Yoon Hee makes with Lee Soon Jun, even from her perspective as a girl, she treats him like a dude.
“I believe in you more than I believe in myself.”
I was quite pleased at the little ways in which Yoon Hee showed how tough she was. Getting into a fist fight, and stopping a punch was all pretty normal for her.

Seon Joon
Yoo Chun is a pretty stiff guy but it kind of makes his human character really really very funny.
I first saw Park Yoo Chun in Rooftop Prince. I didn't like his arrogance there. He continues to be a dick in this one. But maybe more within reason because he's just a scholar and not a prince. Still, his concerned, sad face is the best.
He's a lot more reasonable and forgiving. But he's still self-righteous as ever.
He really admires Yoon Hee's rebel nature of standing up against the unfair laws of society.

“Sungkyunkwan is a place of study because of the citizens, if you do not agree with this, then we new students, will not recognise you as seniors.”

It's nice to see the hero for a change rotting away when he is lovesick, barely being able to function.

Seon Jin does say a few nice things too. “Not just my classmate...but my good friend. Someone who is willing to be my good friend, Kim Yoon Shik, you are the first.”

“If I made a friend, I thought it would be nice if it was you. It's just...I didn't know how. Since it was my first time. I'm sorry.”

Lee Sun Joon isn't so bad after all. A lot different picture of the arrogance he often portrays.
I really like how he didn't know what to do with Geol Oh.

I loved how he learned to joke.

Romance
Lee Sun Joon on the romance front is actually not that bad. His feelings, his expression of them, his role in the romance, I was actually pretty impressed. I love how he wore his heart on his sleeve.
He's not petty or childish in his love for Yoon Hee. He thinks about her feelings and what she wants rather than always pushing his feelings.
It's quite unusual for the hero to be outed for his affection for his heroine so pitifully. And for it to happen to a proud hero like Lee Soon Jun was pretty darn hilarious and satisfying.
I like that even after Lee Soon Jun realises Yoon Hee is a woman, they're still on even ground because Yoon Hee doesn't allow it to be any different.
Lee Soon Jun is amazing in his love for Yoon Hee and really doesn't let pride get in the way.
And his uppity rationale for why she should kiss him some more was so hilarious. “One shouldn't start something one can't finish. Stopping in the middle is worse than not having started at all. This is a teaching from the Analects. To stop something you've already started isn't something a Confucius scholar should do.”
I really loved how the drama showed Lee Seon Joon exploring his desire for Yoon Hee in such a cute and funny way.
And how she was the one that had to be direct. She's also really confident in the relationshia pnd likes to tease him.
I really appreciated their clear communication with one another. How they talked things out and put their hearts on the table and didn't hold things back or didn't hesitate to make things clear.
“What you're pushing away is not greed It's me.”
“Then what am I supposed to do? I'm so scared.”

I feel like it's been a while since I've seen a nice and caring romance like this. And also to see the hero go all out for his woman, is bliss.

Geol Oh
“Why should I be afraid? Living isn't fun anymore.”
I like that Geol Oh could pull rank when it suited him.
I love Yoo Ah's new look. Really surprised to see the ruffian is a gentleman.
His personality is so much fun in this drama. He's really good at treating Yoon Hee like a man even when she messes up. He so subtly reminds her that she's supposed to be a boy.
“Don't bow your head to anyone. Don't kneel for anyone. It will become a habit.”

Yoo Ah is the best in this drama. I like how his character managed to keep treating Yoon Hee as a man.
Oh those sleeping arrangements made me laugh so much.

“Sunbae, this isn't your usual sleeping place.”
“My usual sleeping place is this whole room.”

He has this beautiful moment in Episode 15. He's such a wonderful character.

Gu Yong Ha
“Tell me whatever it may be. I can keep a secret better than I look.”

Song Joong Ki's gleeful smile is so cute. He plays so many mind games and plays both sides of the school factions. But I loved that despite that, Yoon Hee still got to mess around with his head.
He's a rich and insouciant kind of guy who is bored with people so he likes to play games.
One thing I liked about him is that when anyone is down, whether they are right or wrong, he's there for them so they don't have to be alone.
I like how there are different relationships in the school that even though one might technically be on one side, he will still help the other and look out for people on the other side even though “politically” he is opposed.
I liked his friend with Moon Jae Shin.
“The one I trust is not the king, but you, Geol Oh.”

Bad Guy
The amazing thing about the bad guy is that he is so nice to his daughter. Haha. I really liked how evil he was and then how much he loved his baby girl. Even though he is full of pride and ambition, “I am not the kind of father to get in the way of my children.”

The music can be quite pretty.

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