Released in 2012, I found this drama when I had just finished You're Beautiful (oh, the feels!) and was looking for a good musical drama (this was before Dream High) and Netflix so graciously offered this weird show I'd never heard of called Shut Up & Let's Go! AKA Shut Up! Flower Boy Band. The episodes are relatively short for a Kdrama, but for what it lacks in length, it makes up for in quality. After doing some digging, I found that it was a continuation of—you guessed it—the "Oh! (Flower) Boy" series from tvN. This series includes Flower Boy Next Door, and Flower Boy Ramyun Shop (my personal favorite).
But Shut Up! Flower Boy Band is no average flower boy story. This gritty coming-of-age high school drama is emotional, musical, and centers around a penniless band called Eye Candy. Now these gorgeous guys, who are famous for their loud sound and, obviously, the eye candy on stage, are on a journey through life at a school for privileged rich kids. Yup, they started from the bottom.
They begin to struggle without their spontaneous, free-spirited, sometimes crazy leader, Byung Hee. Now that Byung Hee is no longer with us, who better to take over his role in the band than his right hand man, Ji Hyuk? Ji Hyuk, who is now in a long-standing, confusing relationship with the girl his late BFF once called his "muse," must make a decision between his personal musical career and relationships when he is offered a deal to great to refuse.
But Shut Up! Flower Boy Band is no average flower boy story. This gritty coming-of-age high school drama is emotional, musical, and centers around a penniless band called Eye Candy. Now these gorgeous guys, who are famous for their loud sound and, obviously, the eye candy on stage, are on a journey through life at a school for privileged rich kids. Yup, they started from the bottom.
They begin to struggle without their spontaneous, free-spirited, sometimes crazy leader, Byung Hee. Now that Byung Hee is no longer with us, who better to take over his role in the band than his right hand man, Ji Hyuk? Ji Hyuk, who is now in a long-standing, confusing relationship with the girl his late BFF once called his "muse," must make a decision between his personal musical career and relationships when he is offered a deal to great to refuse.
Not only are they faced with financial and emotional issues, but a rival band (Strawberry Fields) who's growing in fame by the second. Will Ji Hyuk succeed at taking over Byung Hee's role as the glue holding the band together? Will their passion for music stand taller than the obstacles they face? Will they live out the dreams of their ex-leader to become greater than anyone expected from a bunch of street rats? So many questions...
INFO:
Title- Shut Up! Flower Boy Band (닥치고 꽃미남밴드) Netflix: Shut Up & Let's Go!
Director- Lee Kwon
Writer- Seo Yoon Hee
Network- tvN
Language- Korean
Episodes- 16
The Cast:
Sung Joon as Kwan Ji Hyuk —(The New Leader and Guitarist of Eye Candy)
L (Myung Soo of Infinite) as Lee Hyun Soo —(Second Guitarist of Eye Candy)
Jo Bo Ah as Im Soo Ah —(Byung Hee/Ji Hyuk's Love Interest)
Yoo Min Kyu as Kim Ha Jin —(Bassist)
Jung Eui Chul as Yoo Seung Hoon —(Rival Band Leader)
Lee Hyun Jae as Jang Do Il —(Drummer of Eye Candy)
Kim Min Suk as Seo Kyeong Jong
Kim Min Suk as Seo Kyeong Jong
Lee Min Ki as Joo Byeong Hee —(Former Leader of Eye Candy)
Kim Ye Rim as Ye Rim —(A Singer in the Same Agency as Eye Candy)
Kim Ye Rim as Ye Rim —(A Singer in the Same Agency as Eye Candy)
- The Bromance
Many dramas like Gentleman's Dignity, Coffee Prince, and Boys Over Flowers share something very special.
Something called bromance. Unlike in other dramas, the boys of Eye Candy share a...different kind of special bond. Not only have they been together for years, but they've lived together and struggled to be fed, clothed, housed, and schooled alone in the streets of urban South Korea. Being more of a gang than a band, they spent most of their school days fighting (quite well, I must add) and slacking off. But whatever they did, they did it together. Throughout the series there are countless scenes where they'll show affection toward each other physically and verbally. From what I remember, they touch each other...a lot. But I'm sure none of us fans mind *winks awkwardly*.
Something called bromance. Unlike in other dramas, the boys of Eye Candy share a...different kind of special bond. Not only have they been together for years, but they've lived together and struggled to be fed, clothed, housed, and schooled alone in the streets of urban South Korea. Being more of a gang than a band, they spent most of their school days fighting (quite well, I must add) and slacking off. But whatever they did, they did it together. Throughout the series there are countless scenes where they'll show affection toward each other physically and verbally. From what I remember, they touch each other...a lot. But I'm sure none of us fans mind *winks awkwardly*.- The Romance
So no, the bromances are not the only relationships I appreciate in this drama. Other than the more obvious themes like friendship, loss, and growing up, there was a more subtle aspect of SUFBB. The romance. Unlike a lot of dramas, the romance was obvious enough for hardcore shippers like me to hardcore ship and subtle enough to not steal attention from the plot and theme of the actual story. The main couple is Ji Hyuk and Soo Ah. Honestly, not my favorite couple, but they do have their moments and that makes it worth watching for. The other couples are revealed around the halfway point so I won't give anything else away but I'll just say, get ready for the feels!- The Music
Okay. Of course with a name like SUFBB, you'd expect a band. Honestly, when I started this drama, I was half expecting some wannabe boy band singing and dancing in unison. Boy was I wrong. This powerful, instrument playing, pop-rock band blasted out hit after hit after hit. And the way L shreds that guitar *faints*. Of course, Sung Joon's mellowing voice was a great addition to the OST. I think there's only 3 authentic Eye Candy songs in the entire show. But, we do get to hear some great vocals from the amazingly talented (and handsome) performer L along with his possible love interest and beautiful singer, Ye Rim. I still have the OST downloaded on my phone for those days when I want to take a stroll down memory lane. - The Boys
Finally! The real reason we all watch dramas like this. FOR THE FLOWER BOYS! These sexy, brooding bad boys with dark pasts and secret sweet sides will melt your heart like a Hershey's bar every time. We'll start at the top. Ji Hyuk is just looking to find his way. He needs to decide what kind of leader he'll be or if he'll even be one. His messy hair and slouching posture give off the vibe that he doesn't care. But as you get to know him, you'll learn to love him.
Next is Hyun Soo, portrayed by the dreamy L. It's evident that he looks up to Ji Hyuk in many ways. Since they were children, Hyun Soo admired Ji Hyuk for his guitar skills, likability and his effect on Hyun Soo's own little sister. It's really great to see how the rest of the group stuck with him through whatever .
Ha Jin and Kyeong Jong kind of go hand-in-hand. They're pretty much the comedy duo of the group. Ha Jin is a lady's man who's always flirting. He's tall, plays bass, and has curly blonde hair, almost the opposite of his best friend Kyeong Jong, who's a short, baby-faced keyboard player from Busan. He doesn't want to lose his best friend to all of the girls he flirts with so he's usually the one to pull him away. These two are very cute together. It makes me sigh with envy.
Now I've left the best for last. Jang Do Il is the cutest, sweetest guy in this drama. He may not be the fan favorite (that goes to L), but he's a special one. He's the drummer of Eye Candy. His long hair is usually hanging in his face but sometimes he switches things up with a swanky updo that makes all of the girls swoon. His down-to-earth nature doesn't waver once and toward the end, even though I'm jealous, I'm rooting for him with his new found love.
Overall, these boys are great and it's amazing to see the bond between them is tested and ultimately grows stronger with time.
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*Left to Right: Joo Byung Hee, Kwan Ji Hyuk, Lee Hyun Soo, Jang Do Il, Kim Ha Jin, Seo Kyeong Jong* |
Ha Jin and Kyeong Jong kind of go hand-in-hand. They're pretty much the comedy duo of the group. Ha Jin is a lady's man who's always flirting. He's tall, plays bass, and has curly blonde hair, almost the opposite of his best friend Kyeong Jong, who's a short, baby-faced keyboard player from Busan. He doesn't want to lose his best friend to all of the girls he flirts with so he's usually the one to pull him away. These two are very cute together. It makes me sigh with envy.
Now I've left the best for last. Jang Do Il is the cutest, sweetest guy in this drama. He may not be the fan favorite (that goes to L), but he's a special one. He's the drummer of Eye Candy. His long hair is usually hanging in his face but sometimes he switches things up with a swanky updo that makes all of the girls swoon. His down-to-earth nature doesn't waver once and toward the end, even though I'm jealous, I'm rooting for him with his new found love.
Overall, these boys are great and it's amazing to see the bond between them is tested and ultimately grows stronger with time.
RATING:
4.8 STARS
That's all for today. Hope to see you soon!
Love,
The Dramanator
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