Ad Maniac
광끼 / Kwangki / Ad Madness
(May 1999 – Jan 2000)
who’s in it
Won Bin (Autumn Fairytale, Friends, My Brother - film)
Bae DooNa (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance – film)
Lee DongGun (Stained Glass, Sweet 18)
Choi KangHee (My Sweet Seoul)
Yang DongGeun (I Am Sam)
what’s it about
University art students with diverse expertises (marketing, photography, sculpture, design, etc) combine their talents to form an advertising team to compete for honors in an ad campaign competition. Lee DongGun, considered the alpha male of his class and a total teacher’s pet, immediately clashes with the long-haired and unambitious Won Bin when the talented photographer [reluctantly] joins their team. When Choi KangHee, the longtime friend he dumped, starts to shift her eyes in Won Bin’s direction, Lee DongGun reassesses his romantic feelings for her.
Bae DooNa (love her! love her!) and Yang DongGeun also feature as members of this ad group.
commitment
36 episodes
network
KBS2
wildcard factor
This had the feel of a kdrama version of famous teenage rebellion anthem The Breakfast Club. Or maybe that’s too complimentary for this one. Anyhow, watch with caution because Won Bin could set fire to your tv set. He’s just that hot as the likable photography student who was both confident and chill. I know what you’re thinking: how could he be both hot and cool at the same time? Well, the guy had to put out the fire after setting the world ablaze! Heh. Moving on: he’s got puppy dog eyes, a dimply, crooked smile, and wind-swept shoulder length locks, and you may be tempted to think that such a hairstyle would be a turn-off and too gigolo-esque, BUT IT’S NOT. He’s just gorgeous. He was also sooo young in here, and sooo manly, and as delicious as chocolate cake with whipped cream and strawberries drizzled with caramel. Yum.
But wildcard factor is not Won Bin, but the show itself…and the fact that it completely loses the plot. Ugh. More on that later.
after the first episode
Is that really Won Bin with all that long hair? Oh my...fragile...heart.
My fangirldom with Won Bin is unique in that it is not based on his turn in the misery-laden sobfest Autumn Fairytale but his films Taeguki, Guns and Talk, and My Brother. I have this idea of him as a serious film actor who takes on quirky and meaningful roles, not a kdrama stud. Well, he played the kdrama stud in this one and it was not bad at all. I do like the ‘serious film actor Won Bin’ but I drooooled over ‘kdrama stud Won Bin.’ Too bad it was quite obvious the drama was going to be baaaaad to the bone.
