Shut Up Flower Boy Band
Aired: 2012
Starring:
Sung Joon as Kwon Ji Hyuk
Jo Bo Ah as Im Soo Ah
Kim Myung Soo as Lee Hyun Soo
Kim Min Suk as Seo Kyung Jong
Yoo Min Kyu as Kim Ha Jin
Lee Hyun Jae as Jang Do Il
Jung Eui Chul as Seung Hoon
Special Mention: Lee Min Ki as Joo Byung Hee
Plot: Byung Hee is the crazy, free-spirited leader and vocalist of the popular underground rock group, Eye Candy. Joining him is mood-maker Ji Hyuk, chic Hyun Soo, playboy Ha Jin, silent Do Il and baby-faced Min Seok. These boys rule their school until a redevelopment plan forces the delinquent-ridden school to close down. They’re all assigned a transfer to Jungsang High, but debate whether it’s even worth returning to high school at all. However, due to an outside confrontation with Jungsang’s current ruling band, Strawberry Fields, Eye Candy decides to attend Jungsang out of spite and rule the school once again.
[Source: Wiki]

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When I first saw the articles about this show before it started airing, I was mildly interested. I’d seen Sung Joon’s acting before and while I enjoyed it, I was unsure of how well he would pull off a rocker. As it came closer to the time for the drama to air, my interest grew exponentially.

The first episode had me completely hooked within five minutes. For me, that’s saying something. I usually find that dramas tend to keep the story pace fairly slow in the first two episodes, thoroughly setting up the drama. That has always annoyed me, but then again I’m a very impatient person. So to see this drama really setting things up in the first two episodes with plenty of action… Needless to say I was thrilled.

Putting it simply, Shut Up Flower Boy Band is superb. It takes bromance, first loves, music, and the struggles of being a high school student and rolls it all into a big ball of indie rock love. Each character has their own unique struggles to discover themselves. It shows the difficulties of coming into adulthood and having to balance friendship, love, school and work. I found myself laughing one minute, then crying for the next ten. Other times I was on the edge of my very uncomfortable seat, anxious to see what would come of their newest dilemma. More than once during an episode I found myself shouting at the screen, telling characters what an idiot they were, and getting just as frustrated as they did when things didn’t turn out the way they’d – and I’d – hoped.

Perhaps the best part about this drama is the sheer imperfections. The characters aren’t perfect. They aren’t bubbly and cute. They are hard, raw and almost violent in their passion for life, love and music. That may be what makes it so addicting and fascinating to watch.

To start with, Kwon Ji Hyuk. Dear, abrasive, sensitive Kwon Ji Hyuk with his crazy hair and husky vocals. Sung Joon, you’re a god and I love you for it. Previously, I’d only ever seen Sung Joon in a drama called Lie to Me (Yoon Eun Hye and Kang Ji Hwan). Now, I enjoyed his acting there. As Kwon Ji Hyuk, though, he’s gold. He captured the anguish of losing a friend, the inner torture that comes with being torn between loyalty to your friends and the feelings for a first love, or just a love, period. And the love of music, of having something to count on when everything else goes to hell. Kwon Ji Hyuk has a very large responsibility placed on his shoulders, having to speak for his friends in the band and protect them as their leader. It is a lonely path and takes a great deal of inner strength, especially when they’re all so young. This man has earned a spot on my forever loved list of actors, which is very short, and he earned that spot for one role.

On to our breakout star, Kim Myung Soo. Or for Infinite fans, “L”. Not only is this guy absolutely delicious to look at, but his acting chops are fantastic. And his voice when he sings is light and sweet. He completely broke my heart in episode 13. Between him and Sung Joon, I swear to whatever powers that be that my heart was ripped out and pulverized with a meat tenderizer. Strangely enough, there was a sense of satisfaction that came with all that crying. There’s an emotional release of sorts, as everything comes to a head during episode 13, and it ends with the lovely, sculpted Lee Hyun Soo crying his poor heart out. I thought. I was going. To DIE.

Lee Min Ki is one definitely worth noting as well. {SPOILER} He was only in the first two episodes, but his presence was powerful and the delivery of his character’s complex yet insane and frankly endearing personality was perfect. His untimely death in the last seconds of episode 2 left me in such a state of shock that for ten minutes after the episode finished airing, I just sat in my seat. When I did manage to emerge from the shock, the tears commenced.

Everyone else did spectacularly, though those two are the ones most worth noting because they left the most lasting impressions on me throughout the entire drama. One complaint… and don’t shoot me through my computer for this… Jo Bo Ah, who admittedly did quite well playing Im Soo Ah. I would have loved to see a bit more emotion play over her features from time to time.

The soundtrack. Oh, how I love the soundtrack. I spent episode after episode wondering just what ‘that song’ was, until finally Sung Joon made his official “Wake Up”  debut with.. you guessed it. “Wake Up!” Don’t even ask me what the play count is for this song on my iTunes. It’s on every playlist I make. Kim Myung Soo’s duet with Kim Ye Rim? Oooooh it’s so sweet. Kim Min Suk’s song is equally endearing. Lee Min Ki’s “Not In Love” is yummy, for lack of a better term. Sung Joon with Jaywalking is wonderful too. However, the song that is most notable for me from the entire drama will always be “Wake Up”. Sorry. I love it. Can’t help it. It’s like a music shot to my veins.

To sum everything up, Shut Up Flower Boy Band is a must watch. I highly recommend it – and a box of tissues.