I once said I was a bad fangirl in the sense that I didn’t go ga-ga for any particular actor. And it was true. At least, until now. Because, as of late, I have developed a monumental crush on… Oh Man Seok 오만석 (nickname: “Manzzang” meaning “The man, the best”). I’m so obsessed right now, I probably should be embarrassed. But I’m not ashamed, because I adore him so much and I feel that it is perfectly natural that any right-thinking k-drama lover must be devoted to him.
He is the complete package. First off, he is an amazing actor. He has this trick of not seeming to do very much on screen, yet completely inhabiting all the diverse characters I’ve seen him play. He’s just so natural. He is the obnoxious and nit-pickity OCD guy in Hyena (tvN, 2006). He is Jang Taek-Gi the farmer with a heart of gold, in his most famous incarnation in The Vineyard Man (KBS, 2006), complete with spot-on dialect. He is completely crazed in the weird and wonderful Transformation (KBS Special, 2007). He is the troubled Spy Trader Kim Cheol Su (KBS Special, 2010). He never over-acts, and at the same time he is never less than convincing. His is a wondrous acting talent.
And then, have you watched him sing? He is an amazing stage singer. He cut his teeth doing stage musicals, and they are still his mainstay. Here he is doing the whole rock star thing shortly after he shot to mainstream recognition as the country bumpkin in The Vineyard Man, causing many confused viewers to go, “Taek-Gi? Taek-Gi, is that really you?”
And here he is more costumed up, rocking Hedwig again.
Isn’t he wondrous? Don’t you just love him so? What he may lack in scrupulously accurate pitch (let’s be honest), he more than makes up for with stage presence and voice quality. What a voice! Rich and expressive, layered like fine wine. His knock-em-dead stage charisma is related, of course, to his acting talent and his magical ability to metamorphosize and to completely immerse himself.
But what has tipped me right over the edge into full-fledged fangirlism is his adorable personality. So far as anyone can be sure of someone else’s personality from a distance, he really does seem to be a nice person. His variety show persona is amiable and modest. He is known to make an effort to meet his fans after every musical performance, and when he does so he is gracious and obliging — proof of this lodges in Dahee’s Plastic Castle: On the day he met fans and agreed to film impromptu this short personal message of appreciation to a fan (click here for link), he had just performed as Maxim de Winter in an afternoon matinee of the musical Rebecca and hosted Saturday Night Live Korea the night before. He must have been exhausted, but notwithstanding an evidently strained throat, he still came out to meet and chat with his fans. (Dahee, by the way, is now my official crack dealer, feeding me information, pictures and videos, some of which have made their way into this post.)
Here he is in a skit from that Saturday Night Live Korea episode which aired on 30 March 2013, parodying That Winter, the Wind Blows, hee. Oh Man Seok is Dr Jekyll / Mr Hyde who has brewed a love potion which he hopes will sort out the woes of blind girl Song Aegyo (ha ha!). She falls in love with him, and he’s conflicted between the ethical prohibition against falling in love with his patient (just as one shouldn’t fall in love with one’s con victim / supposed sister) and getting a slice of her twenty billion won inheritance.
And finally, I love him because he is just plain gorgeous. His looks are not conventionally pretty, and he is darker in complexion than Koreans like. But he is one gorgeous specimen of a man. Not so much in two-dimensional stills, but he’s so attractive when he acts on screen with such easy competence and lack of self-conciousness. And when he moves commandingly on stage, and sings… WHOA!!! Then there’s that broad smile when meeting fans, that friendly stance, that slight awkwardness, that dorky wave of the hand… AHH! HE’S SO CUTE! I LOVE HIM SO!
In my fangirly frenzy, I’ve been re-watching what I’ve seen so far of his work, and will shortly embark on some of his lengthier works like Shin Don and King and I. This may be the first of many spazzy and picspammy posts about the amazingness of Manzzang. Yay (I think?).
In the meantime, here’s a smattering of my burgeoning screencap collection of Manzzang in Hyena. By the way, I’ve found that once I start screencapping him I get sucked into a vortex, because his facial expressions change in EVERY FRAME so I just keep taking more and more screencaps. He’s such an amazing actor. HE’S JUST SO ADORABLE!!
Two words.
SHIN
DON
Yes ma’am!
I second the two words.
Which would make it four words, I guess. Shin Don Shin Don.
This grand passion of yours may suffer its first dark trial when you get around to “The King And I.” Don’t get me wrong, OMS was GREAT in it and, yes, quite obviously dishy although his character was um… having some problems. Manhood-wise. As a result he portrayed a man disturbingly bland and pitiable. The series itself though is pure writing genius – it MOVES, it takes twists and turns, it’s so worth the time investment.
I really do understand your spazzy, fangirly little heart though. I feel exactly the same way about my avowed Next Husband, Song Il Guk. 🙂
Oh, my love is strong. I’m sure I will love OMS in any incarnation. Especially troubled.
A tedious and draggy affair, like a daily drama, is another thing. Notice I have made no promises about Everybody Cha Cha Cha…
“A tedious and draggy affair, like a daily drama, is another thing. Notice I have made no promises about Everybody Cha Cha Cha…”
LOL! Duly noted.
I actually deeply respect the fact that you are referring to OMS’s adult self castration in “The King & I” as “especially troubled.” Really, it gives hope to eunuchs everywhere. 🙂
Heh heh… 😉
Teehee.
I am right there with you. Do we help each other stop or keep on enabling…I say, keep on enabling. 😉
But…where’s the adorable awkward, flustered screencap? ㅋㅋ
Do you mean this adorable awkward, flustered screencap from Vineyard Man…
Or the adorable awkward, flustered screencap from Hyena…?
Why stop, when we’re having so much fun? ㅋㅋㅋ
Keep ’em coming… ㅋㅋ 😀
Ah…thank you for Manzzang post.
I am so much drawn to this man – SO.MUCH! He never disappoints. Have you watched MSS Special Task Force (2011) and What’s Up? He is nothing short of amazing in them as well – Acting with such delicacy and layers, and so fun to watch.
And now, look at the NICE personality…. 😀
He is ADORABLE. Trust me.
BUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I agree – he is the whole package (and me, I swooned over his perfect farmer’s tan in Vineyard Man ^^). But I will caution you against the hot mess that is Wild Romance — just sayin’…
Actually, I think both Yoon Eun Hye and Oh Man Seok are gorgeously tanned in this show. Would you believe it, there was some talk of Yoon Eun Hye ruining her looks for the sake of her art, having to endure so many outdoor shots and spoiling her fair complexion. But don’t you think they are both positively glowing with beauty?
After watching him in Wild romance a pretty good comedy now he is wasting his talent in a weekend drama,poor man he deserves better roles than these…
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