A Stalker's Guide to T.O.P.
CURRENTLY WATCHING:
PERSEVERANCE GU HAE RA
This drama is one of those 12 episode dramas from time to time. Currently it just aired episode 9 this week. I love dramas that have great songs incorporated in it. I was a bit leery in starting this one because the last 12 episode drama I watched disappointed me so much. So far, I’m hoping this one doesn’t follow that pattern. As of yet, I have no complaints about this drama. The story is good.
The cast of this drama is the first I’ve seen them act in. Well, I’ve seen Min Hyo Rin in music videos but this is the first drama that I’ve ever watched of hers. Jung Jin Young is a member of the band B1A4; I like their songs but before I watched this drama, the only members I knew were Baro & CNU. Kwak Shi Yang is another character I’ve never heard of till this drama and I’ve got to say I like him.
Let’s get to the story.
Gu Hae Ra (Min Hyo Rin) has always dreamed about being a singer/songwriter and her father’s last song to be heard. She auditions for a well-known talent show in South Korea called Superstar K. It’s sort of like the American Idol or America’s Got Talent counterpart in South Korea.
Fraternal twins Kang Se Jong (Kwak Shi Yang) and Kang Se Chan (Jung Jin Young) are Hae Ra’s childhood friends. They auditioned for Superstar K too, to support Hae Ra.
Things don’t start well for Hae Ra. First they were running late then she accidentally eats something she was allergic to. But it doesn’t stop her from auditioning because she already missed the auditions from the year before because of another mishap. They pass the first round, and they were made to form a group which they later called “Persevere”.
The other team members of Persevere are:
Lee Woo Ri (Yoo Seung Eun), a vocal student who was told by her teacher to audition in Superstar K because of her weight.
Jang Goon (Park Kwang Sun of the band Ulala Session) is a germaphobe who dreams of becoming a singer despite his father’s wishes.
Henry (Lau Henry of the K-pop group Super Junior-M) is a former chef from New York who dreamed of becoming a K-Pop star but wasn’t able to pursue it because he was too old.
The show is about these aspiring artists who were unfortunately cut from the show.
WHY WATCH?
So far, it’s a really good story about friendship and family. It gives you a glimpse of what it’s like, trying to be an artist, the hard work that goes into every performance, the struggle to find people who are willing to give you a chance to show the world what you can do. It has everything I like in a drama: angst, comedy, a little romance.
Even the adults in the show:
Tae Poong ( Shim Hyun Tak) who acts as their mentor,
Kang Soon ( Jang Young Nam) who plays Se Jong and Se Chan’s mom and Heo Myung Ran (Park Hee Jin) who plays Hae Ra’s mom, were fun to watch.
If that doesn’t convince you to watch, then listen to this song.
I love the OST to this drama.
Episode 10 is supposed to air on March 17th.
