This year has seen exciting drama comebacks of two top Korean actresses.
In the second half of 2021, the audience have been paying attention to the “battle” between two A-list actresses of Korea’s entertainment industry, Jun Ji Hyun and Song Hye Kyo on the small screen.
This year, Jun Ji Hyun treated the viewers to her appearances in two works, Kingdom: Ashin Of The North and Jirisan. As for Kingdom’s sidequel, the special movie-length episode of Netflix’s hit series does not have much breakthrough. Therefore, many viewers turned their expectations to Jun Ji Hyun’s 16-episode drama Jirisan.
However, Jirisan unfortunately did not live up to the hype. So far, the dry storyline, slow tempo, and lackluster interactions between the male and female leads have caused Jirisan to receive underwhelming reviews. Moreover, Jun Ji Hyun’s acting in Jirisan is deemed not as diverse as in her previous works.
As for Song Hye Kyo, although her acting sparks mixed reactions, the development of storyline and the chemistry between the characters in Now, We Are Breaking Up have received a positive response from the audience.
Despite Jirisan’s good start, Jun Ji Hyun does not appear to have won the battle against Song Hye Kyo. Moreover, since the premiere of Jirisan, Jun Ji Hyun has not risen to the top of the charts of the most popular actors of the week or month.
Meanwhile Song Hye Kyo quickly rose to the top of the week’s most popular actors list after only two episodes. This demonstrates that the public favors and cares about Song Hye Kyo much more.
There are numerous reasons why Jun Ji Hyun did not achieve the expected level of success. Take, for example, scripts. A drama that is luscious, emotional will win out over one that is narrative and lacks a climax. Alternatively, a handsome co-star who piques the interest and affection of many young viewers will enhance the drama’s reputation…
Regardless of the subjective or objective reasons, Jun Ji Hyun does not really stir up Korean TV in 2021 like she did with “My Love From The Star”, “Legend Of The Blue Sea”,… Hopefully, her next work achieves greater success.
