“Jeong Nyeon” (Jeong Nyeon: The Star is Born/Jeong Nyeon: Rising Star) revolves around Yoon Jeong Nyeon (Kim Tae Ri) - a person who comes from a poor background but has a natural singing voice.
She is determined to pursue her dream of becoming a gukgeuk - a female artist skilled in performing pansori (traditional singing and dancing) after a fateful encounter with Moon Ok Kyung (Jung Eun Chae).
After 4 episodes, the work recorded an impressive increase in viewership. From a rating of 4.8% in the first episode, the film increased to 8.2% for episode 2, 9.2% for episode 3 and reached 13.6% for the most recent episode.
Ten Asia commented that with the current achievements, the possibility that "Jeong Nyeon" can surpass the rating of "Queen of Tears" is something that can be expected.
Engaging content, well-invested context
With a duration of 12 episodes, the story of “Jeong Nyeon” is told in a fast-paced manner. In the first 4 episodes, the film follows Jeong Nyeon’s process of competing and trying to be recognized at the Maeran troupe.
However, as soon as she proved her talent, Jeong Nyeon was kicked out of the group for violating the rules by singing elsewhere to earn money. From here, her journey to her singing debut officially began.
From a fishmonger in the market, Jeong Nyeon was able to go to luxurious places, wear expensive clothes, and was taught singing by a famous vocal instructor.
Commenting on “Jeong Nyeon,” Korea Herald praised it as the first Korean drama to explore the world of gukgeuk, a performing art form that became a hit in Korea in the 1950s.
On screen, the audience not only nodded in agreement because of the beautiful scenes, but also because of the elaborately staged plays with elaborate sets and costumes. Hearing the actors themselves perform the songs in the film was also a point of excitement.
Impressive performance
Talking about “Jeong Nyeon”, Ten Asia had many compliments for the cast, especially the female lead Kim Tae Ri - who spent 3 years learning singing, dialect (local language) and acting on stage. This newspaper commented that the actress’s excellent acting skills once again shined in this film.
For example, in episode 3, when the Maeran troupe performed Chunhyangjeon, her performance as Bang Ja completely amazed the viewers, to the point that Tving decided to release a full 22-minute version of the play for the audience.
“Kim Tae Ri's three years of dedication seem to have been well-deserved as she has received much praise from fans. Thanks to the actress, viewers feel like they are watching a live show,” wrote a Korean newspaper.
Besides Kim Tae Ri, the remaining actors all take on important roles. For example, Heo Yeong Seo (Shin Ye Eun) - who is considered the female lead's rival - also has many valuable scenes.
As in episode 3, the way Yeong Seo plays two roles alone when rehearsing for the play, when acting opposite Jeong Nyeon, the change in her personality when facing her family or after Jeong Nyeon leaves the troupe is also clearly shown.
For Jung Eun Chae, after her role as Kang So Young received mixed reviews in the movie "Your Honor", her return as Moon Ok Kyung - the "crown prince" in her theater troupe scored points.
Meanwhile, Ra Mi Ran impressively transformed into Kang So Bok - the "producer" of the theater troupe. On screen, So Bok was always strict with her students with the hope that they would become talented and virtuous artists. She was also a person who had a great influence on the traditional Korean theater in the 1950s.
