Among the 15 Korean actresses listed on an entertainment website as finalists for its Best Actress award, “God of War, Zhao Yun” star YoonA emerged as a fan favorite. Her role in the hit Chinese drama was dual – as the vulnerable Xiahou Qingyi and hidden warrior Ma Yu Rou.
Based on a historical figure, Zhao Zi Long who was also known as Zhao Yun – a great military general in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the TV series “God of War, Zhao Yun” got more than 10 billion views online on Hunan TV, beating the record of “Descendants of the Sun” when it was shown over iQiyi. The CDrama was also exported to Japan at $50,000 per episode, according to Soompi which concludes on Jan. 12 its 12th Annual Soompi Awards 2016 where YoonA is a nominee for the Best Actress category.
10 Billion Views
The website pointed out that the 10 billion views of the Chinese drama was partly because of YoonA, whose two characters on “God of War, Zhao Yun” fall in love with the military general. In the comments section of Soompi, fans cited the high numbers of the CDrama and YoonA’s great acting as justification for her to win the award.
Kimphanie87 pointed out that the CDrama views exceeded already 11 billion, while YoonA ranked No. 1 on the list of hottest actors, beating even male stars. Zanlankpop agreed, saying, “Yoona did a great acting and portrayed her role amazing, her acting so on point and natural. Rise Yoona rise. She deserves to win many awards.”
Besides YoonA, kdrama_khs cited also Jun Ji Hyun, Song Hye yo, Park Shin Hye, Han Hyo Joo and Kim Yoo Jung as popular actresses known for their very good or excellent acting. However, she questioned the inclusion of Suzy Bae of missA among the nominees “when her acting was not good.”
Suzy Nomination is a Joke
Her observation was shared by maomaostar1 who called Suzy’s nomination as a joke. Even KDrama observers blamed Suzy’s weak acting as the reason behind the declining rating of her recent TV series “Uncontrollably Fond.”
The high viewership of “God of War, Zhao Yun” is an indicator of the rise of the CDrama which would give KDrama stiff competition for international appeal, according to Inquistr. The entertainment website pointed to five other CDramas which were popular with international viewers in 2016.
For 2017, Inquistr named four CDramas as the ones for TV drama fans to watch out for. These are “General and I,” “Stay with Me,” “Pretty Li Hui Zhen” and “Love & Life & Lie.”