Korean TV series

[skylee]

I have just finished watching the latest hit "Stairway to Heaven" (天國的階梯). I find watching these korean soap operas a very strange experience. On the one hand, I couldn't stop complaining "又是這樣 ... 有沒有搞錯 ... 好老套呀 ... 救命 ... 又哭 ... 哭夠了沒有 ...", on the other I got hooked and sat in front of the TV until 4:30 in the morning until I could no longer keep my eyes open. And I almost fainted when I got up the next morning due to lack of sleep.

I've found these common elements in such dramas -

1. brother and sister falling in love (variations - half brother/sister, siblings on legal terms only because of remarriage of parents, or it turns out afterwards that somehow they are not real siblings, etc)

2. two siblings fighting for the same love interest

3. one party must be from a wealthy/famous family

4. amenisia (usually due to a car accident)

5. a deadly illness (usually leukemia, but other cancers and heart diseases will also do)

6. beautiful faces (though it really depends on the viewers' tastes)

7. the same huge mansion appearing in most SBS series

8. scenes in which the male lead carries the female lead on his back (or the other way around)

9. the same set of older actors playing the young ones' parents

10. suicide attempts (usually they fail; the most touching exception is the last shot of "Autumn Story" in which, against a very blue sky, the surviving one (i.e. not killed by leukemia) got hit by a big truck, leaving the viewers wonder if it is suicide or an accident)

11. everybody cries (including the audience)

Mix them together and you get another korean drama.

Here is a preview of the beautiful opening of "Winter Sonata" -> http://mobile.kbs.co.kr/new/htm/global/image/winter2.wmv

[ChouDoufu]

All good fun. I've been told by korean friends of mine that some actresses specialize in roles where they get leukemia or some such debihlitating disease. have any suggestions for good korean drama's?

[skylee]

1. Winter Sonata (冬日戀曲)

2. Autumn Fairy Tale (秋天的童話)

3. Beautiful Days (美麗的日子)

These are also interesting -

A "Korean wave" in Japan

Korean actor Bae Yong-joon did what some of his countrymen have dreamed of for decades: He conquered Japan.

'Korea Wave' crashes on Asian shores

When President Roh Moo-hyun invited Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and his delegation for a luncheon meeting last September, something unexpected happened. After a moment of calm, the Vietnam officials stood up one by one and started to line up in front of a woman, asking her to sign their menus. The woman was actress Kim Hyun-joo, heroine of the SBS TV drama "Yuri Gudu" (Glass Shoes), which had been shown on Vietnam television in May 2003. Actress Kim had become well-known in Vietnam after the drama became a big hit there.

The commotion settled down only after a Korean general promised the actress's autographs for everyone after lunch. The center of attention during the luncheon apparently was not President Roh or Prime Minister Khai, but actress Kim, showing that perhaps the Korea Wave is stronger than diplomacy.

Right after his return from the Korea-Japan Summit in Jeju Island, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met Choi Ji-woo, the heroine of "Winter Sonata," and revealed his interest in the drama. He and President Roh had talked about the drama during the summit talks also.

[skylee]

It is interesting to see how a Hong Kong drama copies a classic scene from a Korean drama (compare the link below with the last shots of the link in the first post) ->

http://tvcity.tvb.com/drama/war_n_beauty/story/trailer/300k.html?epi=020&300

[Ian_Lee]

Skylee:

Have you watched 大長今?

[skylee]

No, I have not. But 李英愛 is very pretty.

[skylee]

I am watching 大長今 on TVB now.

[marcopolo79]

I freakin' love 大長今! But there was another period drama that was on Taiwanese TV about a year ago which I found just as, if not more interesting, it was call 明成皇后, I highly recommend it, I found the political aspect of the Japanese colonization plot, although blatantly biased, to be really compelling and well dramatized.

[junebee]

Hi Skylee, don't forget item # 12 in your characteristics of Korean soaps - depressed Korean men. When I honeymooned in Hawaii I watched Korean dramas in the hotel. The male characters cry at the drop of a hat! Sure am glad I married a cheerful Chinese man:)

[lpascoe]

I loved watching 大長今 and was bummed when it ended. So bummed, I got the DVDs so that I could watch all the episodes I missed.

Now I'm hooked on Xiao Dao Lao Shi.

[Ian_Lee]

don't forget item # 12 in your characteristics of Korean soaps - depressed Korean men.

My Korean friend told me what preplexes the Korean male psyche is

恨 (sorrowful hate).

Indeed many movies or TV dramas portrayed about Korea's past revolve around such theme.

[bhchao]

Skylee, have you watched the TV series 슬픈연가 (The Sad Love Story). My grandmother watches it, and I cannot avoid watching it since she has the volume cranked up with the beautiful soundtrack playing in the background.

It's about a blind girl who grew up with her male childhood friend. He always cherished her when they were young kids, and he takes good care of her throughout their childhood years. After they grow up, she and her family moves to New York, where a rich Korean son takes interest in her.

This rich Korean son is her childhood friend's best friend. The former funds the eye operation surgery for her and she regains her eyesight. They date after the successful operation. She thinks that the man she is dating is the man who took care of her during her childhood years. He pretends that it is he who was her childhood friend. She does not know the truth because she never seen their faces prior to gaining her eyesight.

As she and this rich son were on the brink of marrying, she feels something is strange. The way the man speaks and takes care of her lacks the warmth of her childhood friend. But he falsely insists that he is the one who took care of her when she was a young girl.

Her childhood friend is now a grown man and still has feelings for this girl. He goes to New York and reunites with his best friend (the rich Korean guy). He asks about this girl and learns that she is engaged with his best friend. Saddened, he returns to Korea and has to join the army due to the mandatory service requirement.

I have gotten this far and have yet to see later episodes.

http://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/drama/sadlovesong/onemore/info/9588_index.html

[skylee]

Dear bhchao, I can't really read korean. But I guess you were talking about this -> http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-1003953455/aid-32435/section-music/code-k/version-all/ (so if you like the soundtrack you can buy it).

I haven't seen it but have heard plenty of gossip about it. And 金喜善 is not really my favourite type (except in Wanee & Junah).

The story, as you told it, is aiiiiyahhhh very unbearably 老掉牙... but this is why we like korean dramas ...

I have just finished the mammoth project of watching 大長今 and really need a break ...

My co-worker is trying to find a copy of a Japanese drama "Orange Days", which I guess might be interesting.

[skylee]

大長今's theme song is very interesting. Listen -> 오나라 (呼喚) (wish I could find a clearer version)

Lyrics (copied from this website)

오나라 오나라 아주 오나

o na ra o na ra a ju o na

伊人欲來 何時歸來

가나라 가나라 아주 가나

ka na ra ka na ra a ju ka na

伊人欲去 何時離去

나나니 다려도 못노나니

na na ni ta ryo do mou no na ni

我欲乘風飛翔 卻遍尋不著伊人蹤影

아니리 아니리 아니노네

a ni ri a ni ri a ni no ne

伊人何在 留我獨自失落

헤이야 디이야 헤이야 나라니노

he i ya di i ya he i ya na ra ni no

唉喲 這該如何是好

오지도 못하나 다려가마

o ji do mo ta na ta ryo ka ma

伊人你若不歸 請帶我一起離去

헤이야 디이야 헤이야 나라니노

he i ya di i ya he i ya na ra ni no

唉喲 這該如何是好

오지도 못하나 다려가마

o ji do mo ta na ta ryo ka ma

伊人你若不歸 請帶我一起離去

Or this

嗚啦啦～嗚～啦喇～～～呀嚕嗚喇～～～～～

呀啦啦～o丫～啦喇～～～o丫嚕啦啦～～～～～

o丫啦呢啦～啦嚕～～～嗚嚕啦喱～～～～～

呀喱喱～呀～喱喱～～～呀喱嚕呢～～～～～

o欸o尹呀～喱o尹呀～o欸o也啦喇喱嚕～啊喱嚕～

嗚～啦啦～啦嚕哇啦～

[Quest]

Listen -> 오나라 (呼喚) (wish I could find a clearer version)

Why, is this one not clear enough?

Try this one.

Here's a different version of the same song.

Here's a remix of the same song.

Here's a different "nanana" song from 大长今

(I will remove them after you download them)

[Ian_Lee]

Korean TV series are now flooding the Mainland TV channels:

去年韓流熱潮席卷中國各家電視台

韓國觀光公社1日介紹，据調查，在2003年和2004年2年間，中國各家電視台正式播放的韓國電影和電視劇共計359部。

据觀光公社調查，在中國各電視台播放的韓國電影有《愛有天意》、《遠途》、《去火星的男人》等15部，電視劇有《人魚小姐》、《明成皇后》、《茶母》、《玻璃鞋》等17部（每部作品均為15~20集）。

觀光公社評价道，這占据了在中國電視台播放的全部外國電影、電視劇的25.4%，這說明在中國，韓國電視劇和電影在引導著韓流。

從中國電視台播放的各國電影、電視劇的數量來看，美國為487部（34.5%），占据了第1位，韓國緊隨其后列第2位，其后依次是新加坡（8.9%）、英國（7.9%）、日本（5.5%）。

[skylee]

Quest, thank you very much. But don't you think the 嗚啦啦 song is kind of noisy?

Thanks again.

[Quest]

I didn't hear any noise, maybe my treble setting was too low.

I agree that the song is lovely I kept imitating it when I watched 大长今。

[bhchao]

And 金喜善 is not really my favourite type (except in Wanee & Junah).

Skylee, I have just finished watching more of that series. There is actually more to the story. The girl's aunt and her childhood friend's present girlfriend do everything to prevent the two from being together. Letters that are sent between the two are destroyed by the aunt and the other girl before they reach their intended recipients.

The reason why the aunt wants her niece and the rich man to be together is because of the latter's wealth. The aunt herself would be the benefactor of such a union.

I have got to the point where 金喜善 (I think she is superb) returns to Korea and is now a well known singer. She meets with her former childhood friend (the poor, nice guy, played by Kwon Sang Woo), whom she shared many memorable moments with, and still does not know that he was the one who protected her ever since her blind childhood years. In her heart, she yearns for this specific person. In great anguish, he does not tell her, out of respect for her current "misguided" relationship with his rich friend. He still greatly cherishes her, while she begins to wonder if Kwon is that guy in the past.

Then one day, Kim Hee Sun returns to a lonely cabin by the lake in the middle of nowhere. Only she and the introverted Kwon knows the whereabouts of this cabin. This is where both of them spent time together during her blind years. As she is walking towards the cabin, she hears a familiar music coming from inside. She hurries to the door and is surprised to see Kwon inside playing the song on a guitar. She asks him how he knew the whereabouts of this cabin. He lies and replies that he accidentally stumbled upon it. He wishes her well and sadly leaves. In that instant, she "wakes up" and realizes Kwon's identity.

As Kwon is walking home in the distance, Kim Hee Sun cries out his name in great sorrow. He stops in his tracks, with his back facing her and tears in his eyes. She runs to him and he slowly turns around. The two face each other. She sobs and says "Why didn't you tell me?" They embrace each other tightly, with tears in their eyes. Add the uplifting Korean soundtrack, and this adds for a more moving experience.

If you have ever been in love and been in the same position with one of the characters, in other words being able to let go of the one you love so he or she can live their life as they choose, and let fate dictate its course, you could care less whether the story is 老掉牙.

This is the first time I actually sat down and watched a Korean television series. Usually I don't bother to watch these shows. Why? Because they are corny and are a waste of my time. But after watching it with my grandmother, I began to like 슬픈연가 because of the way Kwon unconditionally loved Kim Hee Sun, and her character's inner beauty. I felt empathetic towards both characters. Also the acting performances were superb.

I'm embarrassed to say this, but I had to look away and cover my eyes at that last moment. So did my grandmother. Now I know. Never underestimate the power of a Korean drama.

[skylee]

If unconditional love touches you, you might also be interested in my latest favourite "Orange Days" (Japanese drama). It is about a deaf girl and her relationship with a normal / common guy and others in the same university. The girl is a violinist who has gradually become deaf. She has to overcome her disability, and even after a successful operation, she never fully regains her hearing, and the character never speaks (save two cries). The drama is short (only 11 episodes), yet refreshing and moving. And like 슬픈연가, there are disability and unconditional love.

http://www.tbs.co.jp/orangedays/

And do remember to watch winter sonata and 大長今.