Sensory Couple adds Namgoong Min, Yoon Jin-seo
by javabeans
On one hand, I like these two new additions to Sensory Couple — but on the other hand, why are Namgoong Min (My Secret Hotel) and Yoon Jin-seo (Twelve Men in a Year) still stuck in second lead roles instead of headlining? (To be fair, it’s not that they’ve never played a drama lead, but just for shorter or cable shows; they’re still mostly in supporting roles.)
In Sensory Couple, Yoon Jin-seo plays an elite police profiler with a cool-headed personality. She’s played a cop before (Runaway Plan B), though I confess to liking her more when she’s being spunky than cold. She must be working on the Barcode Murder Case that provides the central conflict for our hero (Yoochun), who loses his little sister (Kim So-hyun) because of it.
I have to stretch my imagination a bit more to place Namgoong Min’s character in this world, since he’s a star chef who treats everybody with polite kindness and is perfect at everything, which is becoming something of a trademark persona for him. He gets entangled with the sense-deprived hero and the sense-overloaded heroine (Shin Se-kyung), the two of whom meet through an accident that spares her life but takes her memory. After Namgoong Min meets them, his character undergoes a “large transformation.”
The supporting cast is solid and the mysterious plot sounds intriguing, particularly since the heroine’s hallucinations should make for interesting visual effects. (Which could go badly awry or be fascinating to look at.) I’m going to hope for one of Shin Se-kyung’s more engaging performances (which I swear exist, and I would tell you all to watch Iron Man to see, except that that’s not a drama I’d easily recommend to anybody without a taste for the absurd), because she’s my only big hang-up about the show right now. Hopefully the fears are unfounded…
Sensory Couple will premiere in April on SBS.
RELATED POSTS
- Kim So-hyun joins Yoochun (yet again) for Sensory Couple
- Shin Se-kyung offered lead in Sensory Couple
- Hong Jong-hyun courted to be Yoochun’s rival in Sensory Couple
- Kim Ji-won as Yoochun’s potential co-star in Sensory Couple
- Yoochun and Suzy sniff out new drama Girl Who Sees Smells
- My Secret Hotel: Episode 1
- My Secret Hotel’s love triangle gets into its groove
- Kang Ji-hwan and Yoon Jin-seo pair up for road movie
- Lee Sang-yoon and Yoon Jin-seo’s Santa Barbara romance
Tags: Namgoong Min, Yoon Jin-seo
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1 Lily
March 3, 2015 at 3:18 AM
So, its means Hong Jong Hyun won't play as the second lead? Yes! I definitely take Namgoong Min than him. I jcan't picture him play as polite & smiley guy at all
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songsong
March 3, 2015 at 5:09 AM
Agree. I think Namgoong Min fits that role better.
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eny
March 3, 2015 at 7:59 AM
i'm not really interested about the story but nam gong min role seem much interesting, i'm not sure to watch,what i like is namgong min n kim so hyun in this drama
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Dr. Hwata
March 3, 2015 at 2:13 PM
I disagree. Hong has a ton of charisma and personality, while Nam conveys no impact at all. I would rather watch Hong do ordinary stuff than Nam prune and strut.
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2 Lily
March 3, 2015 at 3:23 AM
Wait, I thought the 2nd male lead supposed to be a chaebol? Did they changed it to a chef now?
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jyyjc
March 3, 2015 at 3:27 PM
He's probably a chaebol chef. You know how dramaland loves to make their male characters be good at everything.
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3 kimmy
March 3, 2015 at 3:23 AM
Thanks javabeans. I really like how you write things not too harshly. Honestly, I dont have a problem with her acting coz im not really good in critizing them, but if many had problem with her acting, then let them be, but I know this actress is learning more (I hope so) and we'll show us more in Sensory Couple..
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kimmy
March 3, 2015 at 3:24 AM
*criticizing
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4 Xxvxx
March 3, 2015 at 3:39 AM
Maybe she can see the smells from the food he cooks and something happened lol. Funny how the WGM husbands were involved in this show one way or another
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5 sometimes
March 3, 2015 at 3:41 AM
so, the female lead is really shin se kyung?
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songsong
March 3, 2015 at 5:10 AM
Unfortunately yes.
Geez can't they find another actress.
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Madame Kim
March 3, 2015 at 5:36 AM
Oh god, I really want to watch this drama, but... Shin Sekyung's acting is something I still cannot stomach.
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6 bashful
March 3, 2015 at 3:44 AM
I love Namgoong Min - great actor plus handsome and hot body hehe. (If I was being swallow....)
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skelly
March 3, 2015 at 3:24 PM
Hmm. To me, he is like the Alan Ladd of kdramas. I always like to see how they shoot him, because actually he is short and bowlegged. The director of Secret Hotel let this slip a few times, while the director of INR3 always shot him from very flattering angles - but then, the glowing, gauze-like look of that show flattered everyone.
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7 rarelyposts
March 3, 2015 at 4:04 AM
For the life of me I can't understand why criticisms of Shin Se Kyung are so strong, not necessarily in this thread but in other places. Thankfully, my only exposure to her was Blade Man, where I thought she was exceptional and captivating.
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Chandler
March 3, 2015 at 5:28 AM
The thing about Shin Se-kyung is that ever since she debuted she never really took on any lighter fare (seriously though- TWDR, FK, WAML) and I honestly think that was a mistake on her part. Because I agree that she was far more enjoyable to watch in Blade Man than anything else I've seen her in. I've never really thought of her as a horrible actress, it's just that she never got me to connect with her characters emotionally in projects like TWDR etc. There are so many other actresses I'd rather see too. But, in a rom-com, I'm far more optimistic about her.
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rarelyposts
March 3, 2015 at 8:30 AM
That makes a lot of sense, that she may have had her first opportunities in roles with too much gravity. I'd love to see more people have the balanced and kind attitude that you have about her. Or maybe they should all see Blade Man. :)
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8 Nana
March 3, 2015 at 5:23 AM
Thanks JB..
im not a fan of Shin Se Kyung but i like her Sohn Se Dong, heck i like everything about Iron Man, lol.. i tried her other dramas before and can hardly connect with any of her characters or even finish the dramas so i do understand where the criticism came from. So while i still have hope for Sensory Couple to be decent, i still cringe over the harsh words towards her as an actress.
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9 Mandy
March 3, 2015 at 5:35 AM
This might be an unpopular opinion but I think Namgoong Min is extremely one-dimensional and boring. Whenever he plays a chatacter, I'm not sure how to perceive it and more than a writing issue, it feels as though he's unable to interpret his own character. Therefore, I definitely don't think he deserves to be main lead in anything unless he learns how to act.
Now Yoon Jin-seo's a different story. I loved her cop character on Runaway and I hope she gets to play the feisty, spunky cop again with a love line of her own. I'm still bitter about Runaway's ending.
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eunchans
March 3, 2015 at 6:47 AM
I think the problem with Nam Goong-Min is that more recently he's always played the same sort of character - very flat, one dimensional second leads. The only noteworthy performance I've from him is in Can You Hear My Heart, which was him playing against type. I think he doesn't have much range unfortunately.
I loved Yoon Jin-seo in Runaway too! God, that drama so was disappointing but I stuck with it anyway.
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couchpotato_md
March 3, 2015 at 8:16 PM
i agree with you that its probably the roles that Nam Goongmin are getting that makes him appear flat or without much range as an actor. However, i think his performance in Can You Hear My HEart was stellar. It takes quite a performance to actually get the sympathy of viewers when you are playing a bad guy role.
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eny
March 3, 2015 at 8:08 AM
i don't think so, i watch him in chongdamdom alice , he make me cry a river, he's good in emotional role n funny n cute drama like unemployed romance, i will pick him more than yoochun as a lead but the charracter seem more interesting than lead charracter, sometimes second lead or supporting role need better actor
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soapbox
March 3, 2015 at 10:34 AM
I'm sure Namgoong is a super nice guy in real life, but his characters always seem so serial killer-y to me, especially since he speaks so monotone and keeps his face calm/controlled and he kinda has like dead eyes...? Like you never know what his characters are thinking/feeling. And then when his character smiles, no matter what I'm thinking 'can't trust this fellow, he's up to something' lol.
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Mandy
March 3, 2015 at 11:35 AM
Lol, that's like stealing words from my mouth. I find NGM eerily unsettling, tbh. The way he stares makes me uncomfortable and suspicious. I assumed that's what scripts require of him, but every character he's ever played, it feels like he's being a creep with a different name. Hopefully he'll be the villain outright so I won't spend all my time trying and failing to figure him out.
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10 kanz
March 3, 2015 at 5:54 AM
Just when I thought I would pass this drama, they add supporting casts I like, Kim So Hyun and Nam Goong Min... Now I'm on the fence, should I watch it or not?
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ywcnois
March 3, 2015 at 6:20 AM
I'd say just try it and see if you like it.
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11 Sajen
March 3, 2015 at 6:44 AM
(which I swear exist, and I would tell you all to watch Iron Man to see, except that that’s not a drama I’d easily recommend to anybody without a taste for the absurd)
Personally I'd recommend it to everyone that they at least give it a try, with the caveat that they not watch the end. You know normally I don't find "bad" endings all that bad in fact there's several dramas with "bad" endings that I don't mind at all but Iron Man that ending ugh still gets me riled up.
I thought of a way I'd be o.k. with Kim So-hyun playing someone who I assume either dies in the first episode or is already dead from the beginning, and that's this, instead of her being a victim of the Barcode Murder Case it turns out that she herself is the killer. Sure that requires bending the rules of logic a bit but come on this is a drama based on a comic, since when have the rules of logic applied to either.
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rarelyposts
March 3, 2015 at 8:57 AM
Blade Man is the only drama that I simultaneously love and can't recommend to anyone.
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couchpotato_md
March 3, 2015 at 8:17 PM
haha! that's a good way to explain Blade Man
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August
March 6, 2015 at 11:12 PM
+1
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poliwag
March 3, 2015 at 11:05 PM
Literally same! I picked it up for Mr. Lee, stayed for Son Sedong and to see how Mr. Lee would figure himself out ;;
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12 kiwichan
March 3, 2015 at 6:47 AM
when I saw Yoon Jin-seo, I just can't help to think of her character in Fugitive Plan B. I like her in that series! but then I remember, she was PSH's sister in Heirs too! don't quite remember her role in that drama honestly eventho it's quite recent. So I'm happy to see her as a cop yet again! Maybe we can have another great chemistry as a team like YC did with PHS in 3 Days? I looooove to see that kind of chemistry again
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13 viola
March 3, 2015 at 6:48 AM
This is just giving me less and less reasons to watch. I think I'm in the minority when it comes to Nam Goong Min, I don't think he's a very dynamic actor, or at least in the roles he's played in recently. He just seems very flat to me. My Secret Hotel was the nail in the coffin for me, as far as he's concerned.
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Nana
March 3, 2015 at 7:17 AM
When it comes to NGM im in the minority too.. but i still watched the drama he's in, just not him. (sorry NGM's fans)
I was so very disappointed with him in Wild Chives that I fully ship Nam Sang Hyo & Goo Hae Young in My Secret Hotel. It's Ji Yi Han anyway, lol..
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Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
March 3, 2015 at 12:36 PM
Honestly, I think the character in MSH was the problem, not the actor. Even Yoo Inna and Jin Yi-han suffered from the terrible writing. I've only seen NGM in MSH and Can You Hear My Heart before that, I think he's a good actor.
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14 Lizzy4e
March 3, 2015 at 8:11 AM
I find absurd very tasty.
In Re: "I would tell you all to watch Iron Man to see, except that that’s not a drama I’d easily recommend to anybody without a taste for the absurd"
Nam Goong Min- I find him oddly compelling. I bet his character will be a nice addition to the story. oh and I agree with someone further up the thread-He has a hot body.
This drama's concept is weird therefore I will have to watch it.
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15 Kim Lizbeth
March 3, 2015 at 10:54 AM
Yea. Namgoong min is technically stuck a second lead
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16 CaroleMcDonnell
March 3, 2015 at 12:33 PM
Love Namgoong min... but also love Yoochun
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17 Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
March 3, 2015 at 12:34 PM
So I guess Namgoong Min is the killer cause every time I read that character description I see psychopath, psychopath, psychopath. Don't we already know that when a character is described like that it means he's harboring a giant secret?
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18 astromantic
March 3, 2015 at 1:13 PM
Fingers crossed that Namgoong Min won't be playing the nice guy who also happens to be an undercover asshole this time around (see: I Need Romance 3, My Secret Hotel...)
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19 eki
March 3, 2015 at 5:39 PM
I'm calling it already. Shin Se Kyung is going to out act the her male lead again.
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20 sophia
March 3, 2015 at 10:14 PM
to be honest, i think the acting skills of the second leads are far better than the first leads. Shin Sekyung is like a robot on screen; how is she going to stay in the spotlight with Yoon Jinseo's acting skills outshining hers? The same goes for Yoochun and Nam Goongmin (don't kill me Yoochun fans lol) Jeez
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21 lilac
March 4, 2015 at 1:12 AM
Now it's actually may be worth watching... I like the 2nd leads far better than the leads.
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22 Cee
March 5, 2015 at 3:46 AM
Aw I like Yoon Jinseo! Playing a cop will be perfect for her since she did well in The Fugitive.
I've got no comments on Nam Goongmin since it's a role that he's been playing forever. But it's his expertise so I'm not worried.
I have nothing against Sekyung and Yoochun, I just hope that they'll be able to cultivate a solid chemistry
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23 August
March 6, 2015 at 11:41 PM
Another fan of Namgung Min. Glad to read he's been cast in another drama this time Sensory Couple [aka The Girl Who Sees Smells] with Micky Yoochun [aka Park Yoo-Chun].
Cheongdamdong Alice is the first drama I saw Namgung Min in. Since then, I've watched and enjoyed him in Unemployment Benefit Romance, I Need Romance 3, Wild Chives and Soy Bean Soup: 12 Years Reunion, and My Secret Hotel.
Like others have expressed, too bad news of Kim Ji-Won being offered the lead role didn't pan out to be true. Eh, it's happened so many times before and continues too with other talented & deserving actresses. What can you do?
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