I thought the 4 leads were blah...in terms of looks and whom I am not familiar with, in other shows. But as what most Korean shows always manage to do, it has since scored a spot in my heart, as one of the best dramas in 2011 I have watched.
Sungkyunkwan Scandal is set in Sungkyunkwan University in the late Joseon era during the reign of King Jeongjo, revolving around the exploits and love stories of four youths. When her younger brother’s illness worsens and their family is in danger of being evicted from their house for lack of money, Kim Yoon Hee enters the school under his name, disguised as a boy in her desperation to support him. There, she becomes friends with the intelligent and upright Lee Sun Joon, the playboy Goo Yong Ha and rebellious Moon Jae Shin.
This is the story of Yunhee, who believes there's no one to trust in the world except for herself, and three men she encounters, Seonjun, the arrogant dogmatist, Jaesin, the rebel and Yongha, the cynic.
She enters Sungkyunkwan as a pupil and the story is her journey of growth and reaching the state of "Sungkyun (harmony)."
The strong, vivid characters make a colorful storyline which will be empathized with by young viewers and also shared by adults who look back on their young years. It will an encouraging, motiviating series to any and all viewers.
Woman disguised as man in Joseon!
Can she pull this off? She is excited and nervous. She must survive at Sungkyunkwan without getting caught, without revealing her identity.
Men and women were strictly divided socially during the Confucianist Joseon era and Sungkyunkwan was off limits to women. Kim Yunhee ventures into this all male institute. She will die if she is caught.
Her survival story is studded with misunderstanding and incidents.
The tension is unbearable! She needs to hide and there are those who want to unveil her secret. They chase after each other.
There's also heartrending love. This love story questions the essence of love.
The boyish smile on Song Joong Ki will set many hearts aflutter and fits his role in this drama as one who is witty and love-savvy, always ready to dish out advice to his good friends. He has an on-going bro-mance ( brother friendship) with Yoo Ah In.
Yoo Ah In who acted as Jae-shin is my favourite character in the show. He wasn't handsome to begin with, but his character in the show is excellent. I like him, in his long-haired messy role. Being the 2nd leading man who lost his love interest to the first lead ( as usual in all K-dramas ), I felt for him deeply. He is so big-hearted and generous to his love rival. He takes good care of Yoon Hee and is always around to catch her when she falls ( a figure of speech ).
Like Baker King, Kim Tak Goo, this story is an all-rounded story which touches on love, rivalry and friendship. In it, you feel the sincerity of the characters as they helped one another to overcome difficulties and you can't help but to cheer for them.
There were some loose ends which I didn't like. What is the background of Cho-Sun, why did she become the Fake Messenger in the show? It wasn't correctly represented and explained.
The main core was the girl acted as a boy in the show, but it was only being found out in the last episode which is really short and left me feeling abit cheated and dissatisfied. I was hoping for more, but well, it didn't turn out that way. I just wanted to have a more in-depth story and on-goings, after being found out that she is a girl.
That aside, I really like the 4 of them being together as good friends who encouraged one another. Thats what true friendship is all about, isn't it?
The whole story is just delightful fun, full of zest and spirit in each of the characters. Watch it, and tell me if you have enjoyed it!
