Shut Up Flower Boy Band (2012) User Reviews

Bromance-rich atypical rock band kdrama with a heroine that isn't a doormat

[fprefect-685-281084 · 9/10 · 8 July 2013]

Shut Up Flower Boy Band (aka Shut Up and Let's Go) is an excellent bromance-saturated kdrama of rock band and their exploration of fame, friendship and life goals. The show dared to ask is a jolt of fame enough and what's next.

What I liked about this drama:

a) Intriguing band members that evolved throughout the series. First, initial leader Joo Byung-hee was compelling, a true free-spirit that swept the others into his dream band, Eye Candy. Second, the next leader and lead singer Kwon Ji-hyuk, with his laser beam eyes and desire to honor his friend's dream didn't make the right choices every time but his passion for his band family drove this show. Third, lead guitar Lee Hyun-soo smoldered with desire for success tempered by loyalty to his family (blood or friends). Fourth, drummer Jang Do-il was quiet and kind with gorgeous hair anyone would want. Fifth, bass guitar Kim Ha-jin loved women and tended to speak without thought but was centered in caring about his band of brothers. His old-married-couple friendship with the keyboardist was too cute. Sixth, keyboardist Seo Kyung-jong was the sweetest and willing to intercede to simmer the others down.

b) Heroine Im Soo-ah was independent, with a quiet spunk and was not a doormat once she fell in love.

c) Rich storyline. This story wasn't only a band trying to find fame and beat their rivals; it was about friends honoring a friend, a band dealing with the music business' machine, and their exploration of their individual needs while being loyal to each other. Where each member ends up at the end of the series seemed right.

d) Downloadable music. The two primary songs, Jaywalker and Wake Up (my favorite), were catchy. Not as many Eye Candy songs as I expected.

What I didn't like about this drama: a) Long time groupie Bang Woo-kyung, irritated me throughout the series. b) Bassist Park Pyo-joo for the rival band, Strawberry Field, was a bully that never learned a darn thing.

Good enough

[PennyReviews · 7/10 · 30 December 2016]

Surprisingly, even though the summary of this drama doesn't do it justice, this drama was actually quite good. The story was nice and it didn't stick to the cliché happy endings, the romance was cute and sweet, the performances nice enough and the friendship between the boys strong enough to keep things interesting till the end. The story is about a rock band, who get accepted into a high class high school. They are the outcasts there, as their backgrounds are from the slums mainly. After tragedy strikes, with their leader and best friend dying in a car accident, the boys take his last song, that he had written inspired by a girl in the new school, whom he calls his muse, and they participate in a music competition. Through that, they get an entertainment company's attention. Okay, I know the story doesn't sound as something amazing, but in general it is very good. Actually, the only thing that bothered me about this drama was the way it was filmed. The camera was unsteady and the shots and angles were messed up, as you could see a character staring to the front and at the next shot looking at the person next to him. So, if it wasn't for that, I would probably had rated this drama with a 9, as I liked the story and the fact that the episodes were short in length, giving the story just the enough time to develop and without having to add flash back after flash back to fill the one hour length.

No justice

[cissi-71758 · 8/10 · 4 August 2020]

I decided to watch this drama because Lee Min-Ki was in this. I was devastated that he was killed so early. I did enjoy the band & watching them overcome many obstacles. My question is why did the people responsible for his death was not held accountable. Seems this is a frequent lapse in many dramas. Part of the satisfaction at the end of these dramas is to see those punished for wrongdoings. That's what I did not like. But I loved the music & actors adapted well to their roles. But in the end, the drama was lacking for what I already reviewed.

A Bromance for the Ages

[ultra_mafic · 10/10 · 26 August 2013]

I avoided this drama for a while because I'm just not that into idols or boy bands but I was wrong, wrong, wrong. This is gritty and realistic without being overly dark. It's moving and emotional without being cheesy or over-dramatic. It's intense at times, lighthearted at others, funny, powerful, heartbreaking, and moving. I got angry at a character one moment to find myself crying for them the next. I was sure I knew where the plot was going only to be consistently surprised where the drama took me, yet afterward couldn't imagine it any other way. AND OH THE BROMANCE. You have not experienced bromance until you have experienced Eye Candy. Each member of the band had distinct and consistent interactions with each other band member, and each had a complicated personality and history with a compelling story and real growth. The band as a whole goes through its own story arc which is deeply satisfying. The side characters were well fleshed-out as well, and went on their own personal journeys. The writing, directing and editing were spot on. This is just a solid drama, inside and out. A must see. One of the best dramas I have ever seen.

Loved this. The flower boy series is great.

[leahcubed · 10/10 · 21 January 2020]

The flower boy band consists of a group of teenage boys who, while they share a love of music, are different in the way they approach the world. The vocalist Joo Byung-hee (Lee Min-ki) is carefree and wild. He leads up the band "Eye Candy" who exist in the underground rock scene. One of the band members is playboy Kim Ha-jin (Yoo Min-kyu) who is a study in contrast from fellow band memeber baby-faced Seo Kyung-jong (Kim Min-seok) . Fashionable Lee Hyun-soo. Their school closes down and they elect to go to a neighboring school when a rival band, Strawberry Fields, is found to be the ruling band at that school. Tensions flare between the rival bands and Eye Candy's lead singer is killed. The band has to pull it back together and make their dream, and their dead friend's a reality. This is an installment of the Flower Boy series by TVN. I liked the other two I watched so well that I decided to give it a try even with the sad element the summaries on other sites reveal (the death of one of the band members).

Main cast: Joo Byung-hee (Lee Min-ki) the original lead singer of "Eye Candy" He is wild, crazy and free spirited. He is a talented vocalist and song writer. Kwon Ji-hyuk (Sung Joon) He become the leader of "Eye Candy" after Byung-hee's unexpected passing. Byung-hee was his best friend and they wrote songs together. His original goal is to realize Byung-hee's dream and play on stage. Lee Hyun-soo (L Kim Myung-Soo)"Eye Candy" guitarist. He was originally Ji-hyuk's closest friend as children until Byung-hee arrived. He learned to play guitar because of Ji-hyuk and his desire to share something with his friend. He has the personality to interact and be the front person for the band. As a caregiver for his younger sister he has motivation to make it big. Jang Do II (Lee Hyun-jae) is "Eye Candy's" drummer. His father is a mob boss and Do II is often referred to as "the Prince" as a result. He is the peace keeper of the group and makes suprisingly mature observations. Kim Ha-jin (Yoo Min-kyu) is "Eye Candy's" bass player. He is a playboy/ladies' man. He spends his time, outside of music, dating one girl after another and staying out at clubs. Seo Kyung-jong (Kim Min-suk) is Eye Candy's keyboardist. He is best friends with Ha-jin and spends a lot of time as his wing man. He is very loyal and often brings levity to the group. Im Soo-ah (Jo Bo-ah) was Byung-hee's muse and he started a song, before his death, based on his first encounter with her. She was once one of the "rich kids" but her family fell on hard times and she is hiding her new impoverished life. Her and Ji-hyuk are similarly alone in life - with no family close - and form a friendship as neighbors. Ye-rim (Kim Ye-rim) has known the boys since their younger years and is viewed, by some, as one of the family. She loves Ji-hyuk but he does not return her feelings. She is jealous of Soo-ah who gets a lot of Ji-hyuk's attention. Yoo Seung-hoon (Jung Eui-chul) lead of the rival band "Strawberry Fields" he is Soo-ah's childhood friend and self professed boyfriend. He is very jealous of Ji-hyuk and Soo-ah's relationship and vows to get revenge.

I am really glad that I decided to watch this. I have really been enjoying the "flower boy" series by TVN. This really showed some of the prices of fame. I think it is much more extreme in South Korea than in the United States but it is "lonely at the top" for most famous people regardless of the country. I really feel sorry that fans make it so hard on celebrities. I know some of the young celebrities in the United States get a tough rap because they are constantly under the microscope. I liked the bromances - the relationships between the guys in the band was really heartwarming.

I loved this one - the music was great, the story was really compelling and well developed. A lot of reviews rated this lower but I thought the story was so original, the acting and music was really good and I enjoyed it from the first episode to the last.