Jungle Fish

 

Jungle Fish is a 2008 South Korean youth television series starring Kim Soo-hyun and Park Bo-young. Based on a true story, the drama depicts the pressures placed on students to achieve and gain admission to prestigious colleges and universities. Also, it showcased new interactive blogging. The series marked Kim's first official lead role. It aired on KBS2 on 5 May 2008 at 19:20 (KST), and is available for worldwide streaming through KBS World's official YouTube channel.

The pilot series recorded a viewership rating of 3.3%. It received critical acclaim for filming and editing, and acting by a cast of young performers winning numerous awards, including the Peabody Award. The series was adapted into a movie and its special theatrical release took place on 23 September 2010 at the Lotte Cinema at Konkuk University entrance. Its sequel Jungle Fish 2 aired two years later with a different cast.

Plot

The drama Jungle Fish, which means a fish that lived on the coast of Africa and fell into the jungle by a whirlwind, portrays the current youth (fish) who are struggling for the better future (beach) while suffering from the reality (jungle) of the entrance exam.

The story is about highschool students around Han Jae-ta (Kim Soo-hyun) who share their concerns and problems through the blog. One day, an examination paper leak incident occurs at his school through special tutoring. The class leader leads Jae-ta and digs into the problem to confirm "Who is the protagonist of the incident?", and the incident is gradually amplified through Jae-ta's blog. Through this incident, Jae-ta and his friends are increasingly in conflict and skepticism about "the value of friendship and success."

Cast

Main roles

·         Kim Soo-hyun as Han Jae-ta

A high-school student, who has good photography skills and runs a blog about his daily life.

·         Park Bo-young as Lee Eun-soo

Her mother wants her to enroll in a prestigious college. She unburdens her daily life problems through the blog.

Supporting roles

·         Hwang Chan-sung as Park Young-sam

Jae-ta's friend who leads him to find out who stole the exam question papers.

·         Jang Ki-bum as Han Dong-hee

Jae-ta's friend who comes in skepticism about the friendship with him after the incident.

·         Cha Min-ji as Kang-sol

Eun-soo's good friend who refuses to talk with her after learning the truth.

·         Seo Hye-jin as Na Mi-rae

Eun-soo's classmate who takes special classes with her and Dong-hee.

·         Kim C as Jae-ta's uncle

·         Kim Dong-beom as speaker