6 Favorite Second Male Leads

*Warning* This article contains major spoilers for Hana Yori Dango (Jdrama), Cheese in the Trap (Kdrama), Goodbye Mr. Black (Kdrama), (Heroine Disqualified (JMovie), The Heirs (Kdrama), and Pretty Man (Kdrama.)

I hardly ever become a fan of the second leads. However, when I do get it, it's something really special. There has to be a really strong second lead to make me want to give him everything instead of the male lead. So far, there are only 6 dramas where I got this Second Lead Syndrome. 

The Urban dictionary defines the second lead syndrome as:

 "Wanting so desperately for the lead actress of a drama to end up with the better guy, but you always know that she is going to end up with the lead bad guy in the end. Usually goes with the feelings of either wanting to curl up and cry over your ramen, knock someone's teeth in or both."

For me, it's not that the lead is always the bad guy. In my eyes, it's simply when the second lead is (glaringly) better than the main lead. :(

1) Hana Yori Dango

This one is a really difficult one for me because HanaDan has to be my favorite drama ever. I’ve watched it several times and it never gets boring. I’m very familiar with Hana Yori Dango because I’ve read the manga, watched the anime, and have also watched all the Asian versions (Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese) but the Japanese version is my favorite of all.

When I read the manga and watched the anime, I was totally onboard with Tsukasa, Rui never really caught my attention. But then I watched the drama and there the dilemma began. I really like Matsujun as Tsukasa and I find him really fitting for the part. He definitely has what it takes to be this cute, but spoiled brat that falls in love with Makino. But then we have Oguri Shun and he really nailed it in his role as Hanazawa Rui. It was heartbreaking for me to see him love Tsukushi so much,  protecting her from everything and everyone. And also his everlasting love was so touching since it was unconditional -  even going as far as loving her and protecting from afar, truly made my heart melt.  So really congrats Ogushun, you made me tear apart and cheer for Rui. That being said, I have to say I’m pretty satisfied with how the story ended for Tsukushi and Rui (although not the part where they made Rui marry her and Tsukasa. It was really weird seeing him in those priest clothes. >_< )

2) Cheese in the Trap

I'm well aware of how this is a delicate drama to talk about due to the controversy around how the lead Jung not getting 'enough' airtime. This lead to the conspiracy theory that the 'Second Lead had a Sponsor'. 

But let's leave all that side and only focus on the story that the drama had. For me, it had to be In Ho. He was the one that was always beside Seoul.  Their interactions were really natural and they had always a good time when they were together. I think that they understood each other really well. On the other hand, I had a very serious problem with Jung’s character. I couldn’t really tell what he was thinking. All his manipulations and under the table methods were not really understandable for me. So for me, the In Ho-Seoul pairing was a better fit!

3) Goodbye, Mr. Black

Oh! This drama was hugely deceptive for me. I was hoping for a revenge drama with lots of scheming and plot  twists. Instead, I got a so-so drama. But let's move to the topic at hand, the second lead! In this drama, it wasn’t that the second lead was more charming than the main lead. 

Black and Swan simply didn’t have chemistry. I couldn't understand when Black fell in love with Swan, therefore I was never motivated to cheer them on. That’s why I thought Swan was better off paired with Woo Jin. So more than a second lead syndrome I think this was more of a discarding process.

4) Heroine Disqualified

This second lead syndrome comes more from the manga. I first read the manga and then I watched the movie. And in this one, I couldn’t understand why Hatori chose Rita instead of Kosuke. Rita was really selfish in every decision he made. He literally put everyone ahead of Hatori. Personally, it simply didn't make any sense for her to not fall in love with Kosuke after all the effort he put in their relationship and everything he did for her.

5) The Heirs

This one is tricky because watching Young Do (Woo Bin’s character) was exactly like watching Tsukasa from Hana Yori Dango. As a result, I really wanted Eun Sang to choose him.  He put all that work into changing from a bad boy into a good man. It’s exactly like how Tsukasa changed from being a spoiled, rich brat that didn’t know any better into a warm, kind man after meeting her. So you really want him to get the girl because he was so in need of love and warmth.

Personally, I’m weak to this kind of character because they are cold and ruthless - not because they want to - but simply because they grow up not knowing love (romantic or familial). So when they start to change because they have finally found someone that makes them want to be better, it really turns my heart into this big marshmallow..

 6) Pretty Boy aka Bel Ami

Oh Pretty Man. This is a drama that I HAD to drop. One of the main reasons was that my second lead syndrome was so huge that I couldn’t bear it anymore. And the other reason is that the lead was such a jerk that I didn’t want to see him get the girl instead of the second lead.

Watching this drama was like watching two unrelated stories at the same time. I didn’t get it at all. They were two different dramas in the same universe at the same time. Jang Geun Suk’s character, Ma Tae, was the perfect jerk, but overall he was more focused on seducing 10 women than in having contact with the leading lady (Bo Tong). While he was seducing these 10 women, we had Bo Tong and the second lead (David) having this cute relationship where David did everything a leading man is supposed to do. The scene where he wrote a song and sang it for her melted my heart <3

So it was like they were having their own party while Ma Tae was having his. There weren’t any cute moments between the leads nor interactions were one can understand why Ma Tae will fall in love with Bo Tong. Instead, he was always treating her like his secretary and errand boy while being busy with the other women that frankly I couldn’t care less about. So for me, they could have left him doing that while they gave Bo Tong and David a cute, happy ending. But unfortunately, the second lead stays as the second lead! 

So these are are my 6 second favorite second leads. Who are your favorites? How much have you suffered because of Second Lead Syndrome?