Korean TV series

[bhchao]

Anyone watching 布拉格戀人 now?

It's currently being shown on video in my family living room.

Actually I didn't know the English title of it was Lovers in Prague until you asked the question.

Too bad there are no English or Chinese subtitles in the video cassettes for me to understand it. (All in Korean)

By the way, even Tiger Woods is hooked on hallyu. His mother is a big fan of Song Seung Heon. Tiger Woods has requested to meet the actor several times.

[Ian_Lee]

Bhchao:

In Hawaii, every K-Drama got English-subtitled. And afterwards they release it on DVDs (that is how I can borrow from library).

Everyday they got two K-dramas showing on the channel. Usually I watch the Korean newspaper (In Korea) first to know which is good before I selectively watch them so that no time is wasted.

K-dramas have replaced J-dramas and take away those fans. Many tours bound for Korea include visits to the MBC and KBS studios as well as chatting with those actors/actresses.

[bhchao]

The reason why there were no subtitles is because Lovers in Prague has yet to be released on DVD. Currently the videocassettes (shipped from Korea while the drama is concurrently playing there) are showing the earlier episodes while the drama is coming to a close in Korea.

After the final episode of Lovers in Prague tonight, SBS aired the first episode of a new drama called Marry a Millionaire. The drama received very good viewership ratings on the first episode. Here is the plot: (Source: Soompi)

"Ko Soo and Kim Hyun Joo will lead the weekend drama “Marry a Millionaire" following the final episode of “Lovers in Prague”. The drama gets the idea from the reality show “Joe Millionaire” aired in the States. Ko Soo plays the role Kim Young Hoon who works as a normal food delivery man. Oneday, he is invited to pretend to be a millionaire appearing on a TV show and woos women by his good-looking appearance. He will have various appointments with different seven ladies in the show. The lady who is picked by him would get large amount of reward. Kim Hyun Joo plays the role Han Eun Young who is not pretty and works as a clerk in a bank. One day, she accidentally participates in the TV show and is picked by Young Hoon who happens to be her first love. Although Young Hoon’s secret and true identity is disclosed afterwards, he and Eun Young still fall in love. The filming location of the first few episodes will be at Bordeaux, France"

[bhchao]

I have decided to bypass Marry a Millionaire. I came across a very interesting comedy drama called The Sweet Spy. The gal in it is extremely cute. Her name is 남상미 (Nam Sang Mi)

Here is the cast

1. 남상미 (Nam Sang Mi)

2. 이주현 (Lee Ju-hyeon)

3. Dennis Joseph O’Neil

4.유선 (Yu Seon)

Very brief summary of Episode One: Nam Sang Mi plays a female police officer named Sun-ae who is bad at shooting. Her husband was a police officer, but died in the line of duty. At that time she was a housewife. But his death encouraged her to join the force.

While on duty, she pulls over a man (who is a spy, played by Dennis O'Neil) because he almost ran her over with his car. She uses his pen to write his citation, but forgot to give it back to him afterwards. This pen happens to be a USB drive disguised as a pen he had stolen. He tries to run after her, but to no avail. When he goes back to his apartment, he remembered part of her name, "Lee Sun". He calls the police department and asks for "Lee Sun". However a lot of women work in that department with a name starting with "Lee Sun".

Sun's boss Kang Jun (played by Lee Ju-hyeon), who has personal problems of his own, seems to develop a subtle interest in her. His interest deepens further when he sees a crook, whom Sun had caught earlier on in the episode and is now released, slap her in front of everybody in the department. Enraged, he runs after the crook, but is restrained by other police officers. Sun leaves the building, rides off on her motorcycle, and continues her duties. As she rides off, she wipes off tears from her eyes.

Later on in episode 2, she seeks her revenge when she encounters the crook in a nightclub. She headbutts him in the face full force with her helmet still on. The police officers who arrive on the scene wonder who did the good job.

This is the catalyst that starts off the drama.

[bhchao]

Some amusing posters from The Sweet Spy:

Additional footage from MBC:

[bhchao]

I love these two songs from Lovers in Prague. The first one is in Major tone and has a romantic flavor. The second one is in Minor tone and is melodramatic.

hae ba ra gi by Jo Kyu Man

seul peun guh jit mal by Kim Shi Jin

[Ian_Lee]

Skylee:

After thorough research, I found out that the spring episode of the 4 season love story is called 春天華爾茲 . It just starts filming in Austria and will be broadcasted next March. Read:

http://news.sina.com/chosun/203-104-103-105/2005-11-22/0621383391.html

[bhchao]

Came across this article: http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200512/kt2005122116360111720.htm

I much prefer this actress than Lee Young Ae:

[Ian_Lee]

Another reason why I like K-Drama is that most actors don't color their hair.

Compared with many Japanese and HK actors/singers who love to color their hair GOLDEN, Korean actors look like real guys.

Of course, Mainland actors don't color their hair either. But frankly speaking, they look dumber than their Korean counterparts in appearance.

[bhchao]

Recalled seeing Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung dye their hair golden in a few televised concert appearances. Women dyeing their hair golden is tolerable, but I agree that guys doing it makes them look less masculine.

In case anyone is interested, here was an earlier television appearance with Bi and Song Hae Gyo, the stars of Full House, with simplified Chinese characters being included on the television screen. Full House cast appearance

[skylee]

Bae Yong-jun had dyed hair in "Winter Sonata". So did Lee Byun-hun in some series.

[bhchao]

Wow, that is certainly a surprise. That's unfortunate then. Maybe I'm more conservative than some people.

[Ian_Lee]

After cramming "Winter Sonata". "Summer Scent" and "Stairway to Heaven" DVDs in five weeks' time, in addition to watching and taping "Secret Love", "Stained Glass", "Lover in Prague" and "Marry a Millionaire" shown currently on TV, now my brain is full of Korean soap.

But I have some other observations. These Korean dramas are just tools of export for Korean culture and value. And what these Korean soaps intentionally show are the apex of Korean achievement.

In other words, the real Korea is not the ultramodern Korea that these soap dramas depict.

New and tidy Incheon Airport, Hyundai convertible, brand new Samsung cell phones, super neat and orderly subway stations, "cine-bus" on call in "Stairway in Heaven", and everyone is using a sleek computer with LCD monitor (even the poor chauffeur girl in "Secret Love").

Moreover, even the crooks portrayed in the drama are seldom too violent or vicious.

As an image polishing tool, these K-dramas have definitely shaped up Korea.

[bhchao]

Some Korean television series have ridiculous storylines. My female Korean co-worker said so herself.

Of course there are plenty of excellent Korean dramas that are worth watching, like Dae Jang Geum or Emperor of the Sea.

Now that I think of it, Sad Sonata was just an average (even below-average) soap that had unrealistic characters and a corny storyline. I regretted watching it and wished I could have spent my time watching more worthy dramas.

Another drama I heard that was good was All In (a little old), starring Song Hae Gyo and Lee Byung Hyun, a true story about a boy (who lived his childhood in the hoods and spent jailtime) who grows up to become a millionaire at a Vegas casino. This drama was when SHG and LBH first met.

The theme song for All In was originally sung by Jacky Cheung (in Mandarin), and later sung by Park Yoon-wa in the drama.

[skylee]

"All In" is just ok, imho. Part of it was shot on Jeju island so the scenery was quite beautiful.

I have its OST. I like the music box tune and the main theme. I am not aware of Jacky Cheung's song, though.

[Ian_Lee]

Actually I like "Summer Scent" quite a lot.

Of course the storyline is lousy. But the series can fully convey the "summer scent" by excellent cinematography on the serene green tea fields in rural Korea.

Moreover, the night couple dancing scene in the soccer field -- with them barefoot "foot on foot" of each other and the girl's heart pounding -- is really classic.

If anyone has been really deeply in love, such scene is very overwhelming.

[bhchao]

I recently came across a thread titled "Which Man Loved the Deepest Among all the K-Dramas You Have Watched". (Don't shoot me for posting this )

The two top choices that a majority of posters agreed on are:

1) Kwon Sang Woo in Stairway to Heaven

and

2) Song Seung Hyun in Autumn Tale

Other popular choices included Kim Rae Won in Love Story in Harvard

and

Lee Byung Hyun in All In

I am sure there are many viewers who may think otherwise.

BTW, the song in All In that Jacky Cheung sung is titled 如果不愛你. It is on his Black and White album which I have. I have been trying to find the complete song on the web, but to no avail. His version sounds better than Park's version of the song IMHO.

Currently there is a joint Korean-Japanese TV Drama showing on Japan's TBS station called Rondo, staring Choi Ji-Woo. The drama was filmed in Korea and Japan, with the first episode receiving 20% viewership ratings.

Plot: (credit to SuddenDrama from jdorama.com) - "Yutaka Takenouchi is Nishijima Sho, a henchman for Kazuma Ryuichiro, the president of a successful corporation but also, unknown to the public, a mafia boss! However, what the mafia group doesn't know is that Nishijima Sho is actually undercover police detective Kaneyama Takumi. He enters the underworld (the mafia) under the orders of his boss, Detective Isaki Yoshihiko and also because his father was killed in South Korea, which he believes was the work of the mafia.

One day, Sho and his friend go to a bar and find a Korean woman being harrassed. He helps her out. The woman is Choi Yoo-na (Choi Ji-woo), a woman who comes to Japan with her sister in search of their father, who went to Japan and never came back. Yoo-na also seems to draw the unwanted attention of Kim Young-jae, a Korean underboss of Kazuma's mafia group summoned to Japan from Korea for "work."

Also in the scene are Kazuma Ryugo (Mokomichi Hayami), Ryuichiro's son who is set to inherit the corporation (and the mafia), Kazuma Kotomi (Yui Ichikawa), Ryuichiro's daughter who likes Sho (but the love is unrequited), and his Korean aide/secretary for business (and mafia) affairs, Song Gyu-hwan."

[skylee]

You can find Jacky Cheung's song here. I think it is a cover version.

[skylee]

I am interested in that korean/japanese series 輪舞曲 because of the cast - 竹野内豊 and 崔智友.

[bhchao]

Thx for link skylee. Park's version

I am not a big fan of Choi Ji Woo, but I look forward to seeing 輪舞曲. It seems very interesting.