Someone ELSe´s Fan Guide to Park Bo Young

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Welcome to Someone ELSe’s guide to Park Bo Young

In this guide we will introduce you to one of Dramaland’s cutest actresses, one who is as talented as she is awesome. We will tell you what we as fans love about her, while aiming to write about her dramas, movies and other works. Being the responsible fans that we are, we aren’t ashamed to show both her brightest moments as well as make way for her critics by introducing what we like to call the “what critics would say… ”. Also one of us is actually not really a fan and more of a critic, giving this guide a much needed balance to the otherwise polarized fandom.

Before we start we would like to inform you of a few things:

1. All links are colored Cold Purple

2. This guide is based on our opinions as well as collective memory, we reserve the right to remember wrongly and definitely do not claim to be knowing everything about her.

3. No MDLers were harmed during the making of this fanguide.

4. This guide can be binged all at once, read one segment at a time, or just saved for later to be read as and when you need some cuteness in your life!

5. Traces of Spoilers may be found, if you have not seen the titles mentioned and are very sensitive to spoilers please proceed with caution!

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Dramas with the cutest lead in Dramaland

We have tried to watch all the dramas in which Park Bo Young has a leading or supporting role, out of both curiosity and in an attempt to make this guide as factually correct as possible… also, we have decided on presenting them in order of popularity.

This is one of Dramaland’s most adored and also criticized dramas out there, ranking 2nd in popularity. This is definitely where most people see Park Bo Young for the first time and either completely fall for her cuteness or we guess, just do not find her cute. We of course, fell for her cuteness.

In this drama PBY plays the role of a woman with super power strength who is struggling to come of as sweet and innocent as she can to capture the heart of her long-time crush, but gets into a bit of a pickle when a man starts abducting women in her area. Going off on another tangent is the CEO of a gaming company, who happens to see her fight gangsters and falls in love with her at first sight.

As hopeless fans we completely fell for the way she portrays this character looking so tiny, sweet and innocent while at the same time possessing the ability to completely annihilate anyone in her way. The huge contrast between who she tries to be and who she really is is hilarious while making a commentary on gender conventions and how women are taught to act to be accepted. We love her speedy speeches, the things she does with her eyes and how she conveys her feelings with every muscle of her body, and can completely understand why this is number 2 but personally I think it deserves to be number 1.

An expression to die for …. or get killed by… Just look at those mimics

The “hopeless critics” (the negative reviews on MDL) say that this drama has some issues with how it portrays gender conventions, that the CEO abuses his power, that the drama mixes too many genres and is therefore messy. Some would say she was too cutesy (how a person can be too cutesy is beyond us though). There were some reviews that described it as boring, lacking in depth and growth and some also said that the humor is low and that it is outdated in some ways.

However love or hate this drama is one that does cause people to react and capitalize their words.

Did we mention that her character is strong?

Very strong…

In this drama she gets to play two very different personalities, being the timid aspiring chef who is terrified and tired of constantly seeing ghosts, and the very outgoing Virgin ghost who she lends her body to. The two characters are extremely different to portray but it does not seem to be a problem for her in the least. In this she develops an amazing connection with her virgin ghost Kim Seul Gi, that we think may just be her perfect ship, gal. Forget about the chef, go for the ghost!

The critic may say that it is a tad confusing who the chef actually loves (a bit like the critics of Mr. Queen), that it has too many genres in one, we love it when they mix genres but respect the critics opinions on this. They may also say that her character was too timid at first and that they got bored.

But to be honest we checked the reviews of this drama and even the hardest critics gave PBY lots of love and praise calling her incredible, amazing and convincing in the most negative reviews of the show.

Abyss is one of those dramas that one can easily forget its story yet only remember Park Bo Young because, well she is Park Bo Young. Her acting is spot on as always, portraying a person who is brought back to life in the body of someone else. The focus of the drama is that Park Bo Young’s character is supposed to be ugly which makes absolutely no sense! And kind of ruins it while when she is in Han So Hee‘s body she is deemed beautiful. We find both actresses beautiful but PBY just slightly more beautiful so we actually somewhere agree with hopeless critics when they say the drama lacks in terms of story and the message of beauty defined by only appearance is a bit problematic. We could however also see the drama pointing somewhere to focus on internal beauty (we agree to it being a bit underdeveloped).

Some call it boring and messy, some say the show has nothing to offer except the cast. Being a bit of a critic ourselves we however do not agree with this. Maybe the show has nothing out of the ordinary to offer but it certainly has a lot of things to offer other than the cast, the plot has all kinds of interesting twists and turns. And for those who love clichés like we do, these clichés are done pretty well. The chemistry is great, the cinematography is gorgeous at times and the house, oh what a house the male lead lives in, it is just dreamy in every single way. But above all Park Bo Young is definitely the star of this so for those who love her, you may just love this too.

In this drama Park Bo Young plays the role of a single working woman who finds out in the first episode that she has a terminal illness. Her reaction is that she does not really have time for an operation and needs to get back to work, a scene that is so naturally done we could not help but completely fall for her again. The drama is filled with dark humor, romance and a pretty cynical way of viewing the world combined with lovely friendship and self sacrifice for whatever reason. She also gets to star alongside our beloved Truck of Doom and The Green Umbrella in this, all great side characters that bring out the best in Park Bo Young. This is however more of a mellow than the fantasy many viewers were looking forward to. The critics say it is too messy, slightly boring and a complete waste of talent. And we agree that if you are looking at it from a fantasy point of view you may find it boring but some of us ELSe’s love it, just the way it is.

To sum up PBYs leading roles in dramas:

We seem to have found a pattern here: does PBY choose potentially messy plots? Or is the type of plots some find messy a question of taste? Do you need to like potentially messy plots to be a fan of Park Bo Young?

Not the lead but adds cuteness spice to the drama

Being as talented as she is, she has mainly main roles on her credits’ list, we did however find 2 dramas where she has supporting roles.

Secret Campus (2006)

At the early age of 16 Park Bo Young played the role of the friend of the lead, a love sick teenager with a huge crush on her teacher and 0 respect for boundaries. She is perky, energetic and bursting with cuteness as well as beginning to master her speedy speeches. This drama was however unbearable to watch since the rest of the cast lacked all talent for acting, except for her and Lee Min Ho. Neither of their acting was their best work but it was still miles better than the rest of the cast. You know some may say oppas can’t act, well here neither oppas, noonas, ahjussi and ahjumma seem to have gotten lessons in acting. We are pretty sure they choose different paths in life while we all know how it went for PBY and Lee Min Ho.

Mackerel Run (2007)

Being one of her earlier roles, Park Bo Young plays the role of a supporting character in a 2007 school drama, Mackerel Run. This drama isn’t in any way exceptional in terms of script writing, direction or acting but overall manages to convey a can-do spirit and captures the naivety and innocence of youth. Lee Min Ho has the meatier role, having the most screen time as the plot is centered around his character… Park Bo Young as Shim Chung Ah is occasionally seen, playing not a very memorable role because all I remember of her character is that she had frequent nose bleeds.

As a youth drama, it is rather cartoonish and has these unbearable spells of overacting by them all and calls for restraint in many, many scenes but she plays a small role in it and hence cannot be blamed for me having disliked this drama as a whole, and is also proof of how much she has grown as an actor!

She has also had a whole bunch of guest appearances in dramas, between 2007 and 2008 she appeared as a guest in no less than 4 dramas, appearing as a younger version of the main characters or their siblings : The King and I, Star’s Lover, Strongest Chil Woo, Witch Yoo Hee. We have not watched any of this, but seeing we know she is great we are just going to assume she rocked these roles to perfection because we believe in her talent.

_{Just a Little Hoodie break before we move on…}

Movies

Between 2008 and 2018 she starred in no less than 10 movies and was casted as a supporting role in one (again with Lee Min Ho). We will not go into too much detail about them but will yet again present them by the movies we have seen followed by popularity because we know that people don’t really care that much about the chronological stuff and that at the end of the day, it is all about the popularity…

A Werewolf Boy (2012)

In this movie, Park Bo Young plays the role of an old woman’s younger self as well as her granddaughter in present time. Sounds confusing but it is actually not at all confusing once you watch it. The movie revolves around this girl troubled by both illness, poverty, living with her single mother and sibling out in the middle of nowhere, when they are visited by a wild werewolf (Song Joong Ki) that becomes part of the family. Her character is one that is fragile yet very caring, tough and helpful, forming a bond and more or less timing the werewolf while struggling with all that is thrown her way. However if her life did not seem tough enough she also has to struggle with some over privileged rich boy (Yoo Yeon Seok) who is completely obsessed with her and will stop at nothing to make her his.

On Your Wedding Day (2018)

We know people say that Park Bo Young relies on her cuteness in everything (well she is cute…it’s not her fault, is it?) but for everyone who wants PBY to not play a cutie (not really possible but) here’s a role of her that brings her forth as a great actor and not just a cutie face…

In the movie On Your Wedding Day PBY plays an unapproachable woman who later turns to a loveable and hard-working woman. This movie brings you a touch of everyday life, as to how a chance encounter (or maybe fated encounter) helps you develop as an individual and becomes a special memory with a special someone.

As a hopeless fan I loved to see PBY play different stages of life with every ounce of realistic touch that you can expect from dramaland, as the story progresses from highschool to work life we can see the characters growing and can feel the journey and changes in personality… all thanks to the actors… I am sure even critics would agree with this.

Hot Young Bloods (2014)

Not too much unlike her role in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Park Bo Young plays the role of a fierce fighter and leader of a gang, just without the attempting to look cute. She is strong, cool, stands up for what she wants and has a look that could kill more or less anyone, yet still has a soft side too and a story most definitely worth watching. In this retro movie that combines high school, gangs and the countryside Park Bo Young plays the role of a girl with a crush on the school’s playboy/wimp played by Lee Jong Suk .

This may not be the best flirting technique but I guess if boys can do it Bo Young can (try) to do it too!

Kicking ass, however… Seems to have a better effect…

Scandal Makers (2008)

We honestly can’t believe she was only 18 when this was filmed, the amount of talent this gal exhibits here is overwhelming, she’s cool, she delivers funny lines with a straight face and is just so natural in portraying a young single mother who has decided to move in with her long lost father (he did not know of her existence). In this role PBY spears no effort in showing viewers that single mothers have dreams and aspirations while still caring for their children. However her co-star’s characters was not really our cup of tea, so we acknowledge that this movie is not for everyone (even within us ELS’s).

The Silenced (2015)

Disturbing, dark and horrific, The Silenced is a movie full of creepy imagery set in the 1930s, during the Japanese occupation of Seoul. The plot plays out well from the beginning and is eerie enough to keep the audience engaged but ends on a supernatural note which didn’t sit very well with me. But it is underneath those fantastical elements that we get to see a strong criticism of themes such as military occupation, indoctrination and dehumanization seen in those times. The cinematography is worth mentioning, with each scene beautifully lensed, perfectly capturing the dreariness of it all. Park Bo Young and Park So Dam were excellent together and their friendship was like balm in this otherwise scarring film, and for having pulled off this role the way she has, Park Bo Young can be deemed successful in having delivered a convincing and powerful performance.

Overall, a bold attempt and a unique premise… could’ve been executed better, but still worth watching, and is definitely one of her best films!

Don’t Click (2012)

Don’t Click was a much awaited 2015 production done by Park Bo Young after her four-year-long hiatus from the South Korean entertainment industry. It is an unbalanced and unimaginative techno horror which fails to deliver on both the scare and the story department. Even after having sat through the torturous 90 minutes this film’s run time is, I fail to understand what the point of the whole movie is, maybe it is a commentary on how internet and social media feels like an uncanny presence which one can’t seem to get rid of… but that’s hard to say as the plot meanders in a way that does not only suck any kind of suspense out of the story, but also makes it annoyingly difficult to follow. It is not because it is so full of amazing twists and turns but because most of it just does not make any kind of solid sense. Now on the acting front, there is a lot of incessant screaming and the actors including Park Bo Young pretty much fail to make any sort of difference to this already poorly executed piece. It lacks in almost all aspects that according to me make a good film so I don’t think I’d recommend it to anyone other than those interested in seeing her growth as an actress!

Collective Invention (2015)

In this movie Park Bo Young plays the role of a free spirited young woman, and who just happens to have had a one night stand with a man who has turned into a fish. As well as the manfish long time crush. She is pretty straight forward, speaks her mind and delivers all the movie’s greatest lines. The movie itself sounds just odd and quirky but is actually pretty deep and both well written and executed. The critics would probably say that it again combines too many genres but for us PBY fans that is nothing new and we love her that way!

You Call It Passion (2015)

In this movie Park Bo Young plays the role of a new intern in the entertainment section of press. She plays someone who thinks of herself as overqualified for the job. However as most people in movies with big egos, she’s soon introduced to the reality of the real press world that is not as simple as she once thought. On her journey to uncover the dirty secrets of the press world she also realizes that only the truly passionate ones make it big in the industry and that is a true fight for survival.

The movie was expected to be a treat for viewers because of its promising cast with several big names from the industry. And as expected the movie did do well in the acting department. PBY being her cute self absolutely fit the role but was yet again bigger than her role… She couldn’t really leave an impact with this one. Not because of lack of talent but because of the not-so-promising (easily predictable) script. The story didn’t make the cut and dragged everything down to a point that it wouldn’t cost much to skip it (not as fans but as critics and regular viewers). If you are a PBY fan you probably won’t regret a second spent on this movie so please do give it a try if you are one, but if you are not there are plenty of other titles to choose from.

If You Were Me 4 (2009)

This is a completion of 5 short films with the theme of human rights, Park Bo Young plays in the film called Relay (we think it was the last one). In this part they try to show the problems facing teenage mothers. This may not be very well scripted or entertaining but it shows a group of girls standing up for each other trying to help out so that their friend can both stay in school and keep her baby. Park Bo Young is one of the girls who may or may not be the mother taking care of this baby. She shows great care and courage in this role and stands up for students with babies.

The ESP Couple (2008)

This movie has only been seen by 825 people on MDL and is hard to find, however the reviews of it are lovely calling PBY super cute and well, judging by the pictures we did find on Google we most definitely agree. The movie is said (on MDL) to be about a guy who can read minds and a college student who somehow get involved with each other and also find themselves in the midst of a kidnapping situation.

Our School’s E.T (2008)

This movie was also hard to find, but we are most definitely curious about it. What we have found out about it is that it is about one of those rare commodities in Dramaland: a good teacher. Park Bo Young plays the supporting role of one of the teachers’ students who seems to want to save his job when the school changes directions. In the little bits we could find here and there her role seems to be smart and assertive.

TV Shows

Not only do we get to enjoy her acting but for those interested to see how she acts without a script there are 10 listed guest appearances for her on various T.V. shows. The three of us are more of drama/movie watchers than T.V. show watchers so we did not actually watch any of these shows, but those of you who have watched them, how was she?

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Upcoming Project!

Concrete Utopia

The only upcoming project listed today on MDL is Concrete Utopia, this movie is said to have been filmed between April and August 2021 (Wikipedia). This is supposedly a disaster movie again mixing a bunch of genres, Thriller, Drama and Sci-Fi as well as mixing a bunch of pretty well known actors and actresses such as Park Seo Joon and Lee Byung Hun. This movie is bound to draw some attention, and we are definitely looking forward to watching and finding out if it will also be described as a mess while seeing PBY rock the role of Park Seo Joon’s character as well as a warm nurse.

Some last words from us Someone ELSe

If you have made it this far we would like to thank you for taking your time to appreciate this very talented and versatile actress. And would love to read your thoughts about Park Bo Young, the titles we mentioned. Did you maybe find your next movie/drama or would you like to share the fan or critics point of view? What did we miss? Anything goes, just try to be constructive or positive and we will gladly shower you with gifs.

Until we meet in the comment section or another article, best regards Someone ELSe

Just don´t forget to brush your teeth after all this sweetness…

We do not own any of the images used. Credits go to the respective owners. GIFs and screenshots are either self-made directly from drama-scenes, taken from MDL´s database, or have a direct link to their source in them. The cover was made from this picture.

Special thanks to the editors!

^{Edited by: SumiTheCat (1st editor)}

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Someone ELSe´s Fan Guide to Park Bo Young

Welcome to Someone ELSe’s guide to Park Bo Young

Before we start we would like to inform you of a few things:

Dramas with the cutest lead in Dramaland

An expression to die for …. or get killed by… Just look at those mimics