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Jan
13
2006

[KOREAN TV DRAMA REVIEWS] 그린로즈 (Green Rose)

Posted by X at 1:20am.

Posted in Film & DVD Reviews , Drama, Asia.

greenrose.jpg

그린로즈
Green Rose - SBS TV 2005
22 Episodes - 60 Minutes p.e.
특별기획 - Special Project
Aired from March 19 to May 29, 2005 on SBS
Official Website

NEXT WEEK
신입사원 (Super Rookie) - MBC 2005

NEXT 5 REVIEWS
겨울연가 (Winter Sonata) - KBS 2002
네 멋대로 해라 (Ruler of Your Own World) - MBC 2002
다모 (Damo) - MBC 2003
해신 (Emperor of the Sea) - KBS 2005
지금은 연애중 (We Are Dating Now) - SBS 2002

Note: The review contains (minor) spoilers.

PD
김수룡 (Kim Su-Ryong), 김진근 (Kim Jin-Geun)

WRITER
유현미 (Yoo Hyun-Mi), 김두삼 (Kim Doo-Sam)

CAST
고수 (Go Soo) as Lee Jung-Hyun, 이다해 (Lee Da-Hae) as Oh Soo-Ah, 이종혁 (Lee Jong-Hyuk) as Shin Hyun-Tae, 김서형 (Kim Seo-Hyung) as Cha Yoo-Ran, 박상면 (Park Sang-Myun) as Lee Choon-Bok, 선우재덕 (Seonwoo Jae-Deok) as Director Seo, 강신일 (Kang Shin-Il) as Detective Jo, 정상훈 (Jung Sang-Hoon) as Kim Dong-Wook, 한진희 (Han Jin-Hee) as President Oh, 서진아 (Seo Jin-Ah) as Hong So-Ra, 이원재 (Lee Won-Jae) as Yoo Gwang-Il, 성동일 (Sung Dong-Il) as Driver Jung, 김두삼 (Kim Doo-Sam) as Lawyer Jung, 유민혁 (Yoo Min-Hyuk) as Taoren, 최상훈 (Choi Sang-Hoon), 정혜선 (Jung Hye-Seon), 김민주 (Kim Min-Joo), 변희봉 (Byun Hee-Bong)

THE SHOW

All the suspects reunited in one room, having dinner together. The detective probably knew already who committed the crime, but he needed that incriminating proof to arrest the culprit. Everyone was staring at each other with suspicion, some trying to hide their feelings, lest they might appear too nervous; some others, knowing what would happen to them if the plot was uncovered, just kept feeling tense. While they were ‘enjoying’ their meal, the victim of one of those suspects’ heinous act was resting in an adiacent room, finally waking up from a three year long coma, ready to confess the truth as soon as he was able to speak. He had to be stopped, but who would make the first step?

No, I’m not talking about a work by Agatha Christie, but 그린로즈 (Green Rose), one of the few truly excellent TV Drama SBS produced in 2005. And the fact the show comes from SBS is important, because the station had been indulging in superficial star vehicles for most of the year, so a well written, intense, intriguing show like this felt like a fish out of water, but a nice surprise nonetheless. Despite MBC’s terrible 2005, with bad production choices, a significant slide in ratings and the several scandals which plagued the station, on the quality front SBS was really the worst station of the year. Out of the many Dramas SBS produced in 2005, only a handful were really able to raise above mediocrity: surprisingly effective two-episode specials 하노이 신부 (The Bride From Hanoi) and 내 사랑 토람이 (My Lovely Toram), able to make something out of the limitations of their ‘shorter’ structure; the Cha In-Pyo/Jo Jae-Hyun/Song Yoon-Ah potboiler 홍콩익스프레스 (Hong Kong Express), which even stars Eric Tsang (!); Lee Jae-Gyu’s rousing comeback to the small screen with 패션 70s (Fashion Seventies), full of his usual cinematic humanism, and the breezy, entertaining and well written 불량주부 (Woman of The House), and that’s about it. SBS’ 2005 was full of the kind of Dramas which fuel the Korean Wave’s ‘fad’, but don’t build ‘fanbase’. That is, they go for cheap thrills, or better, very expensive thrills (overseas locations, luxurious sets and costumes) decorated by pretty stars with dubious acting skills, shoving ridiculous scripts down viewers’ throat. That some viewers in China and Japan have started a backlash against such repetitive, redundant shows is just the beginning of what could turn into a nasty downfall for Korean TV Drama’s fortunes abroad.

Take, for example, shows like 해변으로 가요 (Let’s Go To The Beach), a sort of love child of Baywatch and 가을동화 (Autumn Fairy Tale), so inept in its characterization it actually made the putrid acting of Shinwa’s Jun Jin and muscleman Lee Wan look like the lesser evil; take 봄날 (Spring Days), which raised expectations to gargantuan levels, as Go Hyun-Jung from the explosive 1995 hit 모래시계 (The Sandglass) chose this drama for her long awaited comeback, after a decade of no-shows (she was married to a Tycoon. Now that she’s not anymore, TV Dramas look a lot more appealing, isn’t it?). And did we wait 10 years for THAT? I understand 삼각관계 (Love Triangles/Menage A Trois) are one of the backbones of Korean TV Dramas, and some fantastic shows have been carved out of the formula. But ‘Spring Days’ lost momentum after a couple of episodes, and fell into a maelstrom of deadly boring ‘looks of death’, with our heroes staring into the horizon for endless periods of time because… well, ‘cause the writer didn’t know what to do with the series after 5-6 episodes. Which leads us to the turkey of the year, at least in terms of ideas: 세입 클러버 (Three Leaf Clover). Take Lee Hyo-Ri, considered one of the sexiest women in Korea, with legions of horny teenagers ready to fall for every single project she takes part in, and allow her to make her long awaited debut on TV. The result? She played a welder.

Really, what went wrong here, why is SBS putting so much money and effort on projects which look dead in the water from the beginning? Because of another triangle (Bermudas Triangle?), that of the three-tiered demographic target the station is focusing on: teenager Korean females, South East Asian women, and Japanese housewives. Of course I’m generalizing, not because I think every single ‘member’ of such groups loves those Dramas, but because producers and investors think along the same lines. They think every single Japanese housewife loves vapid, saccharine pap with grown ass men depicting their characters with empty ‘melancholic’ gazes for half hours, and Drama Queens who can’t do a thing other than look hot and cry as if an onion factory was planted right on the set; they think all those women in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia go crazy over puppy love stories with ridiculous characters, cop out techniques which would make Michael Bay look like Shakespeare, and agonizing collections of violin arpeggios which would probably make Stradivarius damn the day he even dreamed of making violins. And, worse of all, they think all the young girls in Korea love this stuff, it’s what they want, what they need, the only thing they’ll watch. Ohhhhh! Oppa!

Why is this going to ruin the entire industry, you ask? Because people are already misinterpreting what Korean TV Dramas are, especially abroad. All they get is this recycled cow manure, with the same scripts over and over, so when they get tired of it, they won’t say ‘let’s check whatever else Korean TV has to offer.’ No, they’ll simply turn everything off, and go watch some SMAP Drama, or their own country’s shows. By continuing to push this kind of show, Korean TV Drama producers are shooting on their feet, as they don’t allow those age demographics to experience how varied, how multifaceted the Drama world is in Korea. I’d have nothing against the export of series like 천국의 계단 (Stairway To Heaven) and 슬픈연가 (Sad Sonata), if only gems like 부활 (Rebirth) and 불멸의 이순신 (The Immortal Lee Soon-Shin) were given the same chance. I’d have no problem with Choi Ji-Woo’s popularity in Japan, if only names like Eomsama (Eom Tae-Woong) or Jinsama (Choi Jin-Shil) existed there. But it’s not happening, and the fault shouldn’t all go to viewers who choose to watch shows like that. It’s the producers, who would rather make a quick buck instead of building a loyal fanbase who will support your products over the years. But just knowing something like ‘Green Rose’ exists, and it came from SBS, makes me hope for the future.

Unfairly compared to ‘Rebirth’, for sharing similar themes and modus operandi (a man thought dead takes revenge against those who wronged him, and he can’t reveal his identity to his loved one until the end), ‘Green Rose’ is a whole different monster. While the amazing KBS show focused more on the psychological underpinnings of the doppelganger syndrome, ‘Green Rose’ is just a very intriguing, old school ‘badass whodunit’. The story is quite straightforward in its development, but you never get that nasty ‘here they go again’ feeling while watching, you’re just reminded of similarly good shows you watched in the past. And another point the show shares with ‘Rebirth’ is starting slowly. Better yet, the first 2-3 episodes of ‘Green Rose’ are almost brutal to watch. I seriously thought of stopping watching the show on my first viewing, as it covered more or less the same ground as the kind of shows I detest. But then the only 반전 (reversal, swerve) of the show turns out to be the one I least expected: it turns into a great show!

Once upon a time lived a criminally sweet ‘daddy’s little girl.’ The fact daddy happened to be the ruler of a 재벌 (chaebol) kingdom made it all the more difficult for our Prince Charming. The only castle in the story is that of Oh Soo-Ah’s (Lee Da-Hae) wealth and status, impossible to reach for Lee Jung-Hyun (Go Soo), so much she hides everything to him, even as they start dating each other. Our lovebirds consume their passion (off screen, obviously), and our Prince Charming even introduces daddy’s little girl to his mother, who’s obviously the kindest person on earth. But really, why isn’t Soo-Ah revealing the truth to her man? Because Jung-Hyun works at daddy’s company! And of course the moment he realizes that, he’ll run into a period of despair, after which the whole repertory of violin sonatas will be played over the following ten episodes, so I kind of agree with her. Daddy (Han Jin-Hee) himself is a very straightforward person, not bad, but it’s clear Jung-Hyun would have to prove himself to ever enter his graces. Shin Hyun-Tae (Lee Jong-Hyuk) is a much better target: he’s rich, an able manager at his company, good looking, and he beat Kwon Sang-Woo to a pulp in 말죽거리 잔혹사 (Once Upon a Time in High School), so who could ever resist his charms? He wants them to marry pronto, but then his little girl pops up and introduces this man to him, the nerve!

What happens then? All hell breaks loose. Jung-Hyun is summoned to daddy’s mansion in the countryside, but then he finds the janitor down, bleeding to death. He ears someone lamenting, and it turns out to be Soo-Ah’s father, Mr. President. He tries to save him, but someone hits him in the head, and sets fire inside the house, not before he leaves Jung-Hyun’s fingerprints all over the weapon used to hit the president. Oh my… then it’s a mess. Jung-Hyun is accused of trying to murder the president, simply because he refused to allow them to marry (that’s so 60s Korean melodrama...), the same president who’s now in a coma, unable to speak and save Jung-Hyun. Thrown in jail, he luckily escapes, to fall to his death in the Han River—maybe he met the monster of Bong Joon-Ho’s 괴물 (The Host) there? That’s it, end of story. See you next week.

But that’s not exactly how it ends, as the show picks up from there, and shows this ‘rebirth’ and ‘revenge’ I talked about, in impressive fashion. Those first few episodes will severely test your patience, especially if you’re not used to Korean TV Dramas. But stay with the show, and it will reward you at the end. That reward comes as super-solid storytelling, the kind you rarely see in Dramas of this scope. Our hero resurfaces in Shanghai, and builds a secret life for himself, in order to get revenge. Helped by a Korean immigrant (an excellent Park Sang-Myun), a femme fatale with an unlucky past (Kim Seo-Hyung) and a charismatic Chinese Tycoon, Jung-Hyun takes a slow, methodical and intense preparation to show he wasn’t responsible for the murder, which ends up involving the police, corrupt or honest as they might be. It unfolds almost like a giallo from the 60s, or an Hitchcock film (without the magical tricks Hitch showed, but still, it’s great storytelling). It’s not concerned about swerving the viewer, but presenting a believable story out of its seemingly far-fetched premise. And that’s impressive for something which looked so… SBS?

Although there’s several factors making this one of the best TV Dramas of the year, the most important is certainly the writing team. And that’s where the major clue as to why this show is so gripping lies: co-writer Yoo Hyun-Mi has been involved with TV Dramas for a long time, writing several one-two episode specials (on all those Open Drama, Best Theater and Dramacity format shows), but it’s Kim Doo-Sam who gives the show its edge. Kim was part of the 10 men script team for the landmark police procedural 수사반장 (Inspector Chief)—you know the show Song Kang-Ho and his crew race to see in 살인의 추억 (Memories of Murder)? That’s the one—which went on for two decades. But before being added to the script team in the 80s, Kim actually debuted as an actor in 1976, after which he moved to writing. The influence of both the show and Kim’s writing style is obvious, as he even hints at themes present in his latest book 경마장 사람들 (Racetrack People), with a character suffering from ‘racetrack syndrome’ and betting all his money on horse races. But best of all, he’s actually in the show, acting a very important part, that of Lawyer Jung, who helps the main character in his search for the culprit. Although dialogue could have been better, character development and pacing are excellent, and most of the show focuses on the revenge/whodunit plot itself, and not on love triangle shenanigans.

Another factor deviating from SBS’ norm is the acting. I’ve never been a huge fan of Go Soo, but the guy always gives a lot of effort, which is something I appreciate more than when people with talent sleepwalk through their entire career (Kwon Sang… what’s his name?). He’s completely off as the everyday guy, and seeing him struggle with even simple dialogue is one of the show’s few major flaws. But once he turns into ‘mysterious man plotting revenge’ mode, his charisma and screen presence make the difference. As for Lee Da-Hae, my first impression of her acting in 낭랑18세 (Sweet 18) wasn’t that much wrong: she’s one of the best new talents to come in a long time. It’s not just the ability to show vulnerability (her crying scenes are fantastic, just about the best I’ve seen on TV this 2005), but also maturity, mental toughness. Her breakthrough role was in the 2004 MBC Daily Drama 왕꽃 선녀님 (Lotus Flower Fairy), for which she received the ‘Best New Actress’ award, but if her improvement here and in the new, hilarious SBS Drama 마이걸 (My Girl) is of any indication, she’ll go places pretty fast. The rest of the cast, especially Kang Shin-Il, Park Sang-Myun, Kim Seo-Hyung and Seonwoo Jae-Deok turn in very effective performances, helping deliver the somewhat hackneyed dialogue in a convincing manner.

‘Green Rose’ has flaws, as sometimes it seems to fall back inside the warm, comfortable cover that is SBS’ ‘cliche format’. But thanks to a very intelligent script, capable acting, and very intense pacing it’s able to overcome all that, delivering one of the most entertaining shows of 2005.

AVAILABILITY

DVD - Korean Version (English Subtitles)

Only one version available, but at least it has English Subtitles. Lots of extras (around 65-70 Minutes), some really interesting—the one showing Go Soo’s way of seemingly talking in Mandarin when there’s only music is priceless. By now it will be a little hard to find, but it’s a worthy purchase. Hopefully YesAsia Entertainment will give this show a chance, as it deserves an US release. I never expected to like it this much, but it’s truly one of the biggest surprises of 2005.

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Reader Comments

  1. priscilla 01/13/2006 @ 11:15pm

    Thanks so much for this review… Now you’re making me curious… Should I watch this… or should I not? *wink!

    Guess I’ll be renting this soon…

  2. x 01/14/2006 @ 2:01am

    ahhh come on, don’t you wanna know who did it? ^_^

    I did it. I was jealous of him going out with Lee Da-Hae, so I did it to put him in jail. Didn’t work out that well…

  3. elsie 01/14/2006 @ 5:48am

    Dear Mr x

    You are truly amazing…

    How do you find the time to read / watch Agatha Christie, Shakespeare, English movies. korean dramas, korean films, korean animations etc etc and also write reviews?

  4. Joy 01/14/2006 @ 6:14am

    I highly recommend watching this drama. It was very exciting to see what happens next. There are only two things that bothered me: when Go So trys to speak Mandarin and the falling scenes (they looked so bad). Anyway, I agree with Mr. X’s review--definitely a winner in my eyes.

  5. x 01/14/2006 @ 6:41am

    yeah, that fall scene reminded me of Shim Eun-Ha’s fall in M, it was so bad… ^_^

    As for the Mandarin, it was clear he just went phonetic and it was even more hackneyed than the Korean, but hey… he’s not supposed to speak well anyway. There’s actually a lot more Korean actors who can speak Mandarin (or Japanese) decently than those who know English. Guess he’s not one of them. ^^

  6. Joy 01/14/2006 @ 8:25am

    Lee Da-Hae was fantastic in this drama. I can’t believe how young she is, yet she was able to project such a mature performance.

    True! ^_^ At least the drama shows the actors speaking the country’s language when they are in a foreign locale instead of their native tongue. It makes this more realistic. Although, I cringed every time he spoke Chinese (even his several lines in English were much better!) I do see a lot Korean actors learning foreign languages to gain more roles in international films. Jang Dong-gun learned Chinese to star in the mega epic film: The Promise. He also spoke Japanese in Lost Memories.

    Anyway, thank you for the great in-depth reviews. I truly enjoy reading them.

  7. priscilla 01/14/2006 @ 9:36am

    OK, since you recommend this so much, I’ll give this a try… following your advise of ‘forgetting Resurrection’ so I won’t keep comparing them… One thing though: why is it that 2005 K-dramas were filled with ‘revenge’ theme in there… Is it a trend or just a coincidence? “Diamond Ring,” “Summer’s Typhoon,” “Lawyers,” not to mention “Buhwal...”

    Regarding the similarities between Green Rose and Buhwal… My question may sound dumb, but… Do you think they’ve influenced each other, or again, is it just another coincidence? Green Rose came out a few months ‘before’ Resu, but I read somewhere that writer Kim Jiwoo had been preparing for Resu for over 2 years.

    BTW, as far as I know, Resurrection was written by Kim Jiwoo alone, while Green Rose (and many other dramas) have a team. On the one hand, it may seem very hard for just one writer to carry along one entire drama, and yet… I ain’t surprised at Kim Ji Woo writing on her own. In fact, I’m looking forward for her next project, which I heard will be with the same PD from Resu (so exciting!).

    I’m more amazed at the thought that 2 or more brains can come together and write one story. Personally, I don’t know how

  8. x 01/14/2006 @ 9:03pm

    A lot of those Dramas written by two-three people actually go through different processes. You have the guy who writes the actual rough script, the one who cuts the rough edges to fit the format of TV Dramas, and sometimes even a third one who helps. Other times they have huge writing teams, like 수사반장, because the show’s so long. Actually, for a rather straightforward whodunit like this, you can certainly share tasks: I say that because the ‘whodunit’ part of the show is extremely well written, but the dialogue isn’t that good (or at least, it’s not up to par with the rest of the script). I won’t say it’s Yoo Hyun-Mi’s fault since I don’t know who wrote that, but I’ve followed Kim Doo-Sam work for a few years, and I know he’s pretty good with dialogue.

    Really, most of the time one adapts the rough script/original, the other ‘dramatizes it’. Not too many work together in the other sense.

    Did they influence each other? I doubt it. And besides, the similarities are only on the surface. They have completely different structures (Rebirth is more about the dualism of personalities, whereas Green Rose never hints Lee Jung-Hyun is struggling between two personalities in his ‘new’ life. He just completely changes). I said forget 부활 simply because then you’re bound to make comparisons like that, and Green Rose will lose just about every time.

    The dialogue and transition between scenes in Rebirth oozes intelligence, it has all those great little details (the ‘undercover agent eating his snacks whenever he pops up mysteriously, man that’s so Film Noir ^_^), the characters are never that easy to figure out, and the core of the film is wrapped around this split personality thing.

    Green Rose instead simply builds the story around the attempted murder and Lee Jung-Hyun’s attempt to show he’s innocent. That it does it so well is what makes the show good, but by trying to compare the two, Green Rose will only suffer.

  9. lala 01/15/2006 @ 10:23pm

    LDH’s crying scenes are pretty good, although sometimes her eye expression is not real…

  10. elsie 01/17/2006 @ 3:33am

    Dear mr x

    Am forwarding the suggestion from soompi root administrator to you (just in case you missed it) for your consideration.

    “i’m glad to hear that xman is safe & well

    i’d love to start a “serious” drama/movie review section on the main site

    if anyone is interested in spearheading this (like the author of this thread, hint hint), please contact me!

    maybe we can work out something with the (in)famous mr x as well?

    let’s do this!

    -s

    soomp! Today, 07:25 AM Post #53

    time to revive soompi royale! eh, mori!

    Group: Root Admin

    Posts: 89

    Joined: 5-October 05

    Member No.: 1”

  11. x 01/17/2006 @ 3:43am

    if you guys wanna post my reviews, no need to ask! Just a link back here and it will be fine.

    Since when did I become (in)famous? tongue wink

  12. Anita 01/17/2006 @ 10:51pm

    I saw Green Rose and I gotta admit, the storyline is a bit draggy. I found Go Soo and Lee Da Hae to be such compitable pairs, but I was a bit dissapointed because they hardly spend time together. However, I like the story from the beginning til the end...it keeps you in suspense..oh, and I almost forgot to mention, the music in the series is wonderful! Nothing could have been better!! Fell in luv with Go Soo and LDH.

  13. kdramafan 01/30/2006 @ 5:46pm

    Just finished watching this series and i have to say it’s one of the best i’ve watched so far...the storyline was really good but i would have to agree with one of the respondeds anita here that the main characters didn’t spend much time on screen together...but the chemistry was there and it was really good.. man can she cry..Lee Da Hae can just cry..as for Go Soo..really really cute (especially in those suits)..and a really good actor...i would recommend to people to watch this series and you will just love it..because i do!!

  14. internist 02/04/2006 @ 3:57pm

    i’ve never been a fan of telenovelas and has not watched a single series until this one. I’m on vacation in the US right now and watched the entire DVD series lent by a friend, now i’m hooked. I never knew Korean shows were this good, i’m impressed with all the performances. I just wish that Lee da Hae and Go Su star in more telenovelas, they sure look perfectly in sync. Calling SBS, pls reunite Go Su and Lee da Hae in another beautiful love story like this.

  15. SAHARA 02/23/2006 @ 6:55am

    VERY GOOD STORY. VERY INTERESTING STORY. HOPE THERE IS MORE INTERESTING STORY U CAN SHOW TO US. GOOD LUCK. SELAMAT MAJU JAYA!!!!

  16. hayfa 02/25/2006 @ 7:04pm

    sayah dari indonesia.....film green rose rame bgt deh..pokoknya mah TOP BGT lha!!!

  17. hayfa 03/03/2006 @ 12:07am

    ko soo main di film apa aja sih, akting nyah bagus skalee...cakep lagi.......lee dae hee nya juga cantik.....pokoknya film korea yang udah ditonton, ini termasuk yang rame....korea trus berkarya yah!!! pokoknya korea mah TOP BGT!!!aku suka korea......

  18. macy 03/09/2006 @ 11:57am

    hello jux wanna drop by and say hello!

  19. thunderbolt 03/11/2006 @ 4:55pm

    Spoilers below:

    I got my set yesterday and wanted to check the quality of the English subs with no intention of watching the whole thing yet. Well, well, I didn’t reckon for that exciting car chase right at the beginning. I couldn’t stop watching.

    The dialogue was rather cliched in Episode 1 but I soon forgot that. Great acting from LDH, GS and the actress playing his mum. I watched Episodes 2-3 in a blur of tears, similar to when I watched My Lovely Toram. My tears started to fall when he was arrested and didn’t stop after that. When Soo-ah was leaving his oma’s house and realized the implications of the oma’s words, and she started running and running to get back to the oma, omg, I cried so hard.

    Can’t wait to continue with Episode 4. Is it right that I’m watching this before Resurrection (which has not arrived anyway)? I’ve avoided all spoilers for Green Rose and Resurrection but know that GR has been compared unfavorably to R.

    BTW, there’s something about this drama that reminds me of Sandglass. Maybe the music that keeps playing in the background.

  20. x 03/12/2006 @ 2:18am

    yeah, much better if you watch Green Rose first. Rebirth just smokes it in every possible way, so then you’d start comparing, and it would make GH look worse, which is a shame. It’s great stuff, only problem is it happened to come out so close to a near-classic with similar structure.

  21. yantie 03/29/2006 @ 3:28am

    it’s so touching love story. i’m so glad both hero n heroin being together at last.....hope to c u come to malaysia.

    what about your new sdtory

  22. elfi 04/07/2006 @ 9:12pm

    i really love this story. its memorable. i love the way go su and the heroin bring the story. i love the way they show their love to each other. you will not forget the serious face of go su on his way to succeed his revenge. he need to cover his love for his girlfriend that why he is serious. but i really love his serious face.

  23. Ras 04/23/2006 @ 6:26am

    the drama green rose was fantastic huge fan of ko su and lee da hae saw this drama and now watching - my girl- that has lee da hae she is a versatile great actress

    anyone know where i can get info on the person who playes taoren, the bodyguard this site said and actor names yoo min hyuk plays taoren but i cannot find any hits on him anyone know? would really like to get info on him thanks

  24. Tangerine 04/23/2006 @ 10:34am

    Although 그린로즈 & Resurrection share similarities, I still don’t compare the two. I found both of them great in their own way, not to mention this serial came out before Resurrection aired on KBS. I watched both around the same time and I love them equally. One of my friends viewed Resurrection first, but he enjoyed 그린로즈 more. So I suppose it’s just a matter of preference. My cousins were also either in-between or preferred one over the other. UTW surpasses GS no question, although GS is improving, but I think LDH is more versatile and talented than Ms. HJM. Nevertheless, I think she’s improving as well.

    I just happened to come across this review. Very refreshing.

  25. plchung 08/07/2006 @ 12:15am

    I watched My Girl and then now watching Green Rose… I must admit that Lee Da Hae is so talented and versatile… the two roles she had in the two dramas are definitely 180 degree different… that’s great!

  26. krys 08/23/2006 @ 3:15am

    I watch finish Green Rose 1 week ago..It’s really nice with such a brilliant script and great actors. And yeah, I love(!not the lesbian kind!) Lee Da-Hae. She acts really well and she deserves some awards.

  27. Stephanie 09/10/2006 @ 4:35am

    the story was very interesting and enjoyable. i was very pleased from watching the movie and i think all the korean movies are the best from all other movies. i was lived far away from korea but i cannot control myself from wanting to watch korean movies, thinking about to get to korea someday and hopefully to know more on actors and actresses

  28. liz cape 10/03/2006 @ 11:06pm

    In all of my korean dvd collection - more than 20 and counting - this is one of the best. It’s got the lot...hope we’ll see a lot of ko soo. i admire his bodyguard (yoo min-hyuk) sooo much - he’s not only good looking like ko soo but he acts naturally too - also wishing he’ll have more series, movies etc...korean actors are really cute!

  29. angel 11/15/2006 @ 7:02pm

    I already watched Green Rose Twice, But I am not getting bored at all.

    The story is very good. How all the intricts comes together, and make us guessing who the real killer is.All the actor and actress are act very well too. Especially Ko Soo and lee dae hee

    The movie remind us about how people could change their own destiny by their own hard work and never give up on anything.

  30. sarah 12/06/2006 @ 12:21pm

    i wanna just say that korean drama is the best,honestly,am even not korean and am crazy about it really really perfect,and sad love stories are my favorites so pls aja aja fighting...lol always by ur side korean drama yeaaaah…

  31. secret lang 01/17/2007 @ 4:03pm

    very maganda that scene and very dramatic in that koreanovela

  32. haiau 02/24/2007 @ 12:52pm

    i love the movie

    it is so good

    the main character is so handsome

    ^^

  33. xMerZx 05/05/2007 @ 9:55am

    love ko ang korean drama na2!! love love love this drama!

    it got me waiting in front ov d TV to watch what’s gna happen in d nex ep!
    -----

  34. aliceinfrance 10/06/2007 @ 2:56pm

    I pray 유민혁 (Yoo Min-Hyuk) as Taoren, to be the next Kung-fu star. He has the righteous heroic character which can be further explored by the film maker. I am surprised why there are not many drama with him.

    Dear Korean TV Drama maker, please let us see him more in other drama. He has a group of fans.

    Honestly, I am from Hongkong but I do not really like Jackxx Chan since his private life is widely broadcasted being not as heroic as shown in his film. Dear Korean film maker, please bring us a true clean hero in the entertainment industry.

  35. asianaffairs 03/08/2008 @ 12:37am

    I just finished watching this series and OMG, this is a MUST WATCH Korean series.  Honestly, I didn’t expect much from Green Rose - I didn’t even read this review (or any other reviews about it) until after I watched this series - wanted to know more about it so I came across this review (which I think is excellent).  (I don’t like reading reviews much - especially before watching something because 1. I don’t want to read spoilers and 2. I don’t want to be influenced by critics).  To be honest, I watched it because I “love” Lee Da Hae in “My Girl” so I picked this series up wishing to see more of her.

    I just can’t believe the production quality of Green Rose (and several Korean series that’s coming out lately).  Everything in this drama - the way the story is told, exceptional cast/acting, how this series was filmed (I felt like I was watching a really long movie instead of a typical “TV series” cause of the many camera angles/movements in each scene - also the “effects” was there when needed - i.e. the part where Soo Ah first saw Lee Jung-Hyun after he returned to Korea and chased him to the elevators - that scene was filmed sooo beautifully and it captured the emotions flawlessly - it’s so perfect I bet there is no way one can do that scene any better.

    And of course, the soundtrack playing in the background keeps you on your toes and your eyes focused on the screen (one of the tracks reminded me of the soundtrack in the hollywood movie “Speed” w/ Keanu Reeves) - it’s so wonderfully composed.  Every song, every soundtrack just “fits” the mood in each scene unbelievably well.

    Green Rose is a CLASSIC.  I cannot believe why this series isn’t as popular and recognized worldwide as the “other” Korean dramas - i.e. Winter Sonata (I didn’t like Winter Sonata much), Goong/Princess Hours (okay drama but a bit draggy and kind of “childish"), and many other overrated recycled storylines of Korean dramas.

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