He looks like the classic scapegoat used as an ‘exemplary punishment’ to be thrown in the face of the media and the Korean star system itself, they will come up with some special legal term like ‘Yoo Ah In Law’ to use in future cases... I feel so sorry for him, I hope he has the ability to come out of this sentence stronger and that he finds the right support from his family and his entourage; it is in these moments that you see the value of people who are close to you...
Truly excellent cast, besides Hyun Bin who is obviously pure class, there is also Cho Yeo Jung whom I personally adore to madness
Honestly, I don't know much about the historical time described in the plot, the 1970s and therefore later than ‘Uncle Samsick’ (coincidentally another Disney-distributed series), I understand, in addition to the authoritarian drifts and political upheavals that were widespread everywhere, so a lot of curiosity about this drama
Hyun Bin also has a film coming out, they are showing it at the Toronto Film Festival, ‘Harbin’, set during the Japanese occupation and here too, interesting perspectives, we await more news... Thank you!
Excellent, a really excellent actor Park Hee Soon, extremely versatile and in some cases decidedly indecipherable thanks to that look that's perfect for roles with diversified characters.
Curiously enough, I recently saw "Evasive Inquiry Agency" (which I really enjoyed) and even back then he had a nice part that was decidedly charismatic. Every time I happen to follow one of his works i always think of Park Ye Jin who has thinned out his work a lot in recent years; I'd like to see them act together, not necessarily as husband and wife...
Anyway, if all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, with Park Min Young, Joo Jong Hyuk and who knows who else, this is going to be a remarkable drama
Oh, absolutely in love with her! With the exception of ‘Love In Contract’ which didn't capture me in terms of story and dynamics, everything I've seen with PMY I've always enjoyed so much; I adore her and I won't miss this new project, sure she's a workaholic she doesn't take breaks, a temper of steel, outstanding! Great news!
What a cutie Kim Bo Ra is, such a pretty cinematic visage, her CV is also remarkable, despite her young age; this ‘Black Out’ seems very interesting indeed, I like stories with secrets hidden in seemingly quiet small town, a la ‘Twin Peaks’ or even the excellent ‘Achiara's Secret', which immediately came to mind when I read the plot of ‘Black Out’; I noticed in the excellent overall cast also includes Go Jun, who still makes me ‘irritated’ (in the cinematic sense!) by his (excellent) performance in ‘Cheat On Me, If You Can’ .. Let's hope for a proper broadcasting of the drama
Happy Birthday bellissima ❤️ I read that soon your family will be growing, wonderful news! in the meantime give some Italian language lessons to your husband (not just the curse words, eh!?), 😉 you never know there won't be a new chapter of ‘Vincenzo’ soon, ok!? Many Best Wishes again!
She is absolutely stunning, just as Jeon Do Yeon is always a certain choice, from an actor's point of view he never deludes, Kim Young Kwang is really talented, he has the right look for the role described...
The story is definitely interesting, very promising, with an ‘American’ cut, dare I say it... On romance I don't know; based on the brief plot, she seems to act out of a state of grief for her husband's terminal condition (and here, one can imagine the development...).
He, as a character, seems even more interesting; a sort of double life as a teacher by day and drug dealer by night, perhaps with some interaction with Kang Eun Soo daughter who -maybe- ends up using drugs herself (or some of her classmates)!?
In consideration of the ‘forced cooperation’ described above that would be a not bad scenario... Who knows the rest of the cast, but this is really a drama to consider...
On the love stories between mature characters you are absolutely right, ‘When My Love Blooms’, just to say one of my favourites...
Thanks Gastoski! Maybe I should check out other adaptations of JTTW.. The novel seems much harder to check out,…
Thanks to you and the other users for the beautiful personal memories, truly appreciated; as for the novel, I opted for the integral version, quite recent in the Italian translation (it's from 2014, 60 euros price, for the information, still today) but there are many versions, even shortened ones, I believe the beauty of this book lies in its capacity to reach the heart of all readers, at all ages...
"A Korean Odyssey" is always there looking at me on VIKI, as if saying "Hey, why don't you decide to look at me!"? I'm always delaying, by the way, Lee Seung Gi is a great actor, I appreciated him so much in "Vagabond", "King2Hearts" and I remember him hilariously in "My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho" with the beautiful Shin Min Ah; speaking of which, "My Girlfriend" always reminded me of "Urusei Yatsura", at certain moments it looks like the live action version, he looks just like Ataru Moroboshi!
What's your favorite Journey to the West adaptation?
Eh...Good question indeed! I ‘ve seen several more or less arranged and necessarily not complete adaptations (practically every chapter of the novel can become a film in its own right!)
I grew up with Maestro Osamu Tezuka's 'The Monkey' and that is undoubtedly the beginning of it all; it has always accompanied me at various times in my youth, I didn't know so much about Wu Cheng'en's novel but those adventures on TV with that heterogeneous group of characters always fascinated me;
Certainly the first two "A Chinese Odyssey" of the 90s with Stephen Chow give me the nicest memories; the first time was more than 20 years ago at a retrospective with English subtitles, when the Internet was not yet diffused and people bought foreign imported VHSs (all of John Woo's movies on cheap VHSs that I still own...); a delirium!
For many passages it was quite confusing as a plot, not even that faithful to the novel, but I discovered this later, I saw it again years after with Italian subs and I appreciated it more;
Then I really like 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' from 2013, with Chow as director, although perhaps it should be considered as a prequel; I already liked Shu Qi as an actress (I love her especially for her work with Hou Hsiao Hsien) but after that picture I completely fell in love with her, a wonderful actress and woman! So maybe this movie is a good place to start
I own several books on Asian fantasy cinema and occasionally reread reviews on various adaptations of the novel, I remember different versions from the 1960s, certainly 'Monkey Go West' among the funniest and also 'The Cave of the Silken Web', but you really get lost in it, the mid-1990s series, as far as I remember has a somewhat naive and retro feel to it but is nevertheless well paced!
The very recent stuff, however, I honestly don't know about because I'm not a fanatic of digital special effects, CGI and the suchlike, to tell the truth, I like the vintage hand-made cut better; perhaps the Shaw Brothers movies of the 1960s ultimately do a better job of conveying the idea of the novel, but I can understand that for many people they represent a conception of cinema that is a little too old-fashioned...
Secret Garden... I remember couldn't get enough with both the female and male versions of "That Woman" (Baek Ji…
Definitely! As part of a beautiful soundtrack that song is absolutely unforgettable, the combination of images and music of certain dramas is absolutely unique, pure magic! It's one of the reasons why I love them so much....
Congrats, a really interesting article that presents different points of view, even generational ones, on the birth of a great love; personally I feel very closely involved with Wish Upon A Star's point of view, since I am a big fan of the cinematic world revolving around "Journey To The West"; I own Wu Cheng'en's really impressive novel that I have read a couple of times, we are talking about two volumes for a total of about 1600 pages, but it is really extraordinary and highly recommended, there are also smaller versions, anyway.
My love for dramas, predominantly Korean and to a lesser extent Japanese, is movie-derived; I have always been a good consumer of Asian cinema, in general, I start from a fairly good basic knowledge, but, unfortunately, i started late with dramas; only, around 2010 I read a beautiful review of 'Damo' on a specialised Italian site; it was a few years old, but it was really comprehensive and also talked about the locations and the historical context...
"Damo" is definitely the door that has opened the way for me in the Dramaverse, after this, again through dedicated sites, I saw and loved dramas like "Full House", "Winter Sonata" and everything related to Ha Ji Won's film and TV work, "Secret Garden" above all, of course;
Ha Ji Won remains my first and greatest love; there are at least 20 or so actresses I adore to madness, I automatically fall in love with beauty and talent...Inevitably they are (with very few exceptions) in the over 40s generation category, but whatever the case, Ha Ji Won is a cut above the rest...
After a rather long period of hiatus (due to lack of time and miscellaneous things) around 2015, I got reconnected with dramas thanks to some wonderful reviews on 'Tokyo Love Story' (1991), which I still consider to be an extraordinary drama , and I more or less set up an approach that still lasts today, an alternating between classic dramas (which remain my favourites) and contemporary ones;
The "Endless Love" cycle on the seasons dramas, "Stairway To Heaven", "The Snow Queen" are among my favourites in the classics, I watch them very often, I feel them close to my world (which is rather sad because of so many misfortunes that have happened to me), but I am also a great positive romantic, so "Crash Landing on You", "Secretary Kim", "When My Love Blooms" "It's OK To Not Be OK" are included among my favourite contemporaries...
I love Yoon Se Ah, definitely, I always like her, when she's present in a drama she immediately captures my attention, it annoys me that too many times I have to read supporting role in her work, when she's the main performer, she enhances the story; not to be underestimated is the presence of Yoon Sang Hyun (speaking of excellent performers! ); The plot is definitely articulated and seems to be balanced between a cast of evidently young people with high potential and established mature performers, an intriguing way to bring different generations of viewers together, it's an interesting principle...
Very nice article, well curated also in the graphic aspect; I have only seen the excellent '18 Again' of these
There are many dramas that succeed well in depicting the cross-relationships between brothers, sisters, twins, etc..
Often these connections are the fundamental engine that drives the story forward, often they have a somewhat sketchy portrayal that does not do so much credit to the narrative, but in many cases they are indeed fundamental to the narrative...
It always pains me a little to see or rewatch dramas where there is a particular interaction between siblings etc; my beloved older sister sadly passed away a short while ago, I was very close to her and I often cry when I see certain characters in various dramas...
I have no relationship with my brother, except on official festivities; we belong to two different worlds, completely opposite, and we have never really been close (he'll never read this post on a site he doesn't know exists, anyway!)
If you'd like, I'll point out a few of my favourites (they are all Korean), many of which you may have already seen, but all of which feature nice interactions between brothers, sisters, etc...
In 'Yong Pal', the lead character, bound by a passionate devotion to his sister, in the desperate need to help her, finds himself plunged into a spiral of increasingly dramatic consequences that will act as the focus of the story
In "What's Up Fox?", as well as in "Something In The Rain", it is precisely in the clash, not only generational but also ethical and moral, between younger brother and older sister that we enjoy some excellent, even dramatic, scenes in these two dramas
In "Suspicious Housekeeper" (the Korean version starring Choi Ji Woo) the four brothers and sisters, when facing the dramatic events of their lives, at different stages and in different ways, will relate to each other in order to overcome adversity and, in some cases, the inadequate parentship of their father
Same thing in 'Four Sisters' ('archaeological drama', 2001, with my adored young Park Ye-jin and with Chae Rim) it is truly wonderful to see the bonds and the very cohesive relationship between the four beautiful sisters
'The Bridal Mask', although limited to the early episodes, offers a great portrayal of brotherly friendship (with secret drama included...)
"Stairway To Heaven" and "Autumn In My Heart", in their own unique way, represent an 'alternative' take on the more or less 'real' relationships between ''true'' or ''presumed'' brothers/sisters (needless to say, they are both masterpieces!)
Very nice big brother/little sister relationship between Park Sang Myum and the gorgeous Jeon Do Yeon in 'Shoot For The Star' (one of my favourite representations)
Not to be missed is the relationship between young Ha Ji Won and Kim Ha Neul, sisters in the little-appreciated 'Secret' from 2000 (it will upset a lot of people!).
Of course 'It's OK to Not be OK' cannot be overlooked, it is extraordinary Kim Soo Hyun vis-à-vis her elder brother Oh Jung See
I know, it's a bit long, but watch out for 'I Have A Lover' where the fabulous Kim Hyun Joo doubles (and triples, in some ways) as a twin (sounds like a Brian De Palma film!) with fantastic performances Sorry for the long-windedness and ramblings!
she's been doing action sageuk since the early 2000s (this drama https://kisskh.at/1117-damo being one of…
Definitely! "Damo" (which I adore!) is one of the dramas that best portrays Ji Won's talent, an absolutely extraordinary performance on every front, fights, chases, swimming scenes etc. I often quote her when it comes to demonstrating the acting qualities of certain stars (I seem to remember in her guest appearance in "Family Outing" there's a funny moment where she rides a horse...)
I feel so sorry for him, I hope he has the ability to come out of this sentence stronger and that he finds the right support from his family and his entourage; it is in these moments that you see the value of people who are close to you...
Honestly, I don't know much about the historical time described in the plot, the 1970s and therefore later than ‘Uncle Samsick’ (coincidentally another Disney-distributed series), I understand, in addition to the authoritarian drifts and political upheavals that were widespread everywhere, so a lot of curiosity about this drama
Hyun Bin also has a film coming out, they are showing it at the Toronto Film Festival, ‘Harbin’, set during the Japanese occupation and here too, interesting perspectives, we await more news...
Thank you!
Curiously enough, I recently saw "Evasive Inquiry Agency" (which I really enjoyed) and even back then he had a nice part that was decidedly charismatic.
Every time I happen to follow one of his works i always think of Park Ye Jin who has thinned out his work a lot in recent years; I'd like to see them act together, not necessarily as husband and wife...
Anyway, if all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, with Park Min Young, Joo Jong Hyuk and who knows who else, this is going to be a remarkable drama
With the exception of ‘Love In Contract’ which didn't capture me in terms of story and dynamics, everything I've seen with PMY I've always enjoyed so much;
I adore her and I won't miss this new project, sure she's a workaholic she doesn't take breaks, a temper of steel, outstanding!
Great news!
her CV is also remarkable, despite her young age;
this ‘Black Out’ seems very interesting indeed, I like stories with secrets hidden
in seemingly quiet small town, a la ‘Twin Peaks’ or even the excellent ‘Achiara's Secret',
which immediately came to mind when I read the plot of ‘Black Out’;
I noticed in the excellent overall cast also includes Go Jun, who still makes me ‘irritated’
(in the cinematic sense!) by his (excellent) performance in ‘Cheat On Me, If You Can’ ..
Let's hope for a proper broadcasting of the drama
I won't miss it
I read that soon your family will be growing, wonderful news!
in the meantime give some Italian language lessons to your husband
(not just the curse words, eh!?), 😉
you never know there won't be a new chapter of ‘Vincenzo’ soon, ok!?
Many Best Wishes again!
Kim Young Kwang is really talented, he has the right look for the role described...
The story is definitely interesting, very promising, with an ‘American’ cut, dare I say it...
On romance I don't know; based on the brief plot, she seems to act out of a state of grief for her husband's terminal condition (and here, one can imagine the development...).
He, as a character, seems even more interesting; a sort of double life as a teacher by day and drug dealer by night, perhaps with some interaction with Kang Eun Soo daughter who -maybe- ends up using drugs herself (or some of her classmates)!?
In consideration of the ‘forced cooperation’ described above that would be a not bad scenario...
Who knows the rest of the cast, but this is really a drama to consider...
On the love stories between mature characters you are absolutely right, ‘When My Love Blooms’, just to say one of my favourites...
from one of his devoted fans
"A Korean Odyssey" is always there looking at me on VIKI, as if saying "Hey, why don't you decide to look at me!"?
I'm always delaying, by the way, Lee Seung Gi is a great actor, I appreciated him so much in "Vagabond", "King2Hearts" and I remember him hilariously in "My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho" with the beautiful Shin Min Ah; speaking of which, "My Girlfriend" always reminded me of "Urusei Yatsura", at certain moments it looks like the live action version, he looks just like Ataru Moroboshi!
I grew up with Maestro Osamu Tezuka's 'The Monkey' and that is undoubtedly the beginning of it all; it has always accompanied me at various times in my youth, I didn't know so much about Wu Cheng'en's novel but those adventures on TV with that heterogeneous group of characters always fascinated me;
Certainly the first two "A Chinese Odyssey" of the 90s with Stephen Chow give me the nicest memories; the first time was more than 20 years ago at a retrospective with English subtitles, when the Internet was not yet diffused and people bought foreign imported VHSs (all of John Woo's movies on cheap VHSs that I still own...); a delirium!
For many passages it was quite confusing as a plot, not even that faithful to the novel, but I discovered this later, I saw it again years after with Italian subs and I appreciated it more;
Then I really like 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' from 2013, with Chow as director, although perhaps it should be considered as a prequel;
I already liked Shu Qi as an actress (I love her especially for her work with Hou Hsiao Hsien) but after that picture I completely fell in love with her, a wonderful actress and woman! So maybe this movie is a good place to start
I own several books on Asian fantasy cinema and occasionally reread reviews on various adaptations of the novel, I remember different versions from the 1960s, certainly 'Monkey Go West' among the funniest and also 'The Cave of the Silken Web', but you really get lost in it, the mid-1990s series, as far as I remember has a somewhat naive and retro feel to it but is nevertheless well paced!
The very recent stuff, however, I honestly don't know about because I'm not a fanatic of digital special effects, CGI and the suchlike, to tell the truth, I like the vintage hand-made cut better; perhaps the Shaw Brothers movies of the 1960s ultimately do a better job of conveying the idea of the novel, but I can understand that for many people they represent a conception of cinema that is a little too old-fashioned...
I own Wu Cheng'en's really impressive novel that I have read a couple of times, we are talking about two volumes for a total of about 1600 pages, but it is really extraordinary and highly recommended, there are also smaller versions, anyway.
My love for dramas, predominantly Korean and to a lesser extent Japanese, is movie-derived;
I have always been a good consumer of Asian cinema, in general, I start from a fairly good basic knowledge, but, unfortunately, i started late with dramas; only, around 2010 I read a beautiful review of 'Damo' on a specialised Italian site; it was a few years old, but it was really comprehensive and also talked about the locations and the historical context...
"Damo" is definitely the door that has opened the way for me in the Dramaverse, after this, again through dedicated sites, I saw and loved dramas like "Full House", "Winter Sonata" and everything related to Ha Ji Won's film and TV work, "Secret Garden" above all, of course;
Ha Ji Won remains my first and greatest love; there are at least 20 or so actresses I adore to madness, I automatically fall in love with beauty and talent...Inevitably they are (with very few exceptions) in the over 40s generation category, but whatever the case, Ha Ji Won is a cut above the rest...
After a rather long period of hiatus (due to lack of time and miscellaneous things) around 2015, I got reconnected with dramas thanks to some wonderful reviews on 'Tokyo Love Story' (1991), which I still consider to be an extraordinary drama , and I more or less set up an approach that still lasts today, an alternating between classic dramas (which remain my favourites) and contemporary ones;
The "Endless Love" cycle on the seasons dramas, "Stairway To Heaven", "The Snow Queen" are among my favourites in the classics, I watch them very often, I feel them close to my world (which is rather sad because of so many misfortunes that have happened to me), but I am also a great positive romantic, so "Crash Landing on You", "Secretary Kim", "When My Love Blooms" "It's OK To Not Be OK" are included among my favourite contemporaries...
Thanks again for the article!
Congratulations!
The plot is definitely articulated and seems to be balanced between a cast of evidently young people with high potential and established mature performers, an intriguing way to bring different generations of viewers together, it's an interesting principle...
Otherwise, it is a really good selection!
And when the goddess takes the field...
One can only admire her!
A very interesting plot indeed, absolutely promising...
I have only seen the excellent '18 Again' of these
There are many dramas that succeed well in depicting the cross-relationships between brothers, sisters, twins, etc..
Often these connections are the fundamental engine that drives the story forward, often they have a somewhat sketchy portrayal that does not do so much credit to the narrative, but in many cases they are indeed fundamental to the narrative...
It always pains me a little to see or rewatch dramas where there is a particular interaction between siblings etc; my beloved older sister sadly passed away a short while ago, I was very close to her and I often cry when I see certain characters in various dramas...
I have no relationship with my brother, except on official festivities; we belong to two different worlds, completely opposite, and we have never really been close (he'll never read this post on a site he doesn't know exists, anyway!)
If you'd like, I'll point out a few of my favourites (they are all Korean), many of which you may have already seen, but all of which feature nice interactions between brothers, sisters, etc...
In 'Yong Pal', the lead character, bound by a passionate devotion to his sister, in the desperate need to help her, finds himself plunged into a spiral of increasingly dramatic consequences that will act as the focus of the story
In "What's Up Fox?", as well as in "Something In The Rain", it is precisely in the clash, not only generational but also ethical and moral, between younger brother and older sister that we enjoy some excellent, even dramatic, scenes in these two dramas
In "Suspicious Housekeeper" (the Korean version starring Choi Ji Woo) the four brothers and sisters, when facing the dramatic events of their lives, at different stages and in different ways, will relate to each other in order to overcome adversity and, in some cases, the inadequate parentship of their father
Same thing in 'Four Sisters' ('archaeological drama', 2001, with my adored young Park Ye-jin and with Chae Rim) it is truly wonderful to see the bonds and the very cohesive relationship between the four beautiful sisters
'The Bridal Mask', although limited to the early episodes, offers a great portrayal of brotherly friendship (with secret drama included...)
"Stairway To Heaven" and "Autumn In My Heart", in their own unique way, represent an 'alternative' take on the more or less 'real' relationships between ''true'' or ''presumed'' brothers/sisters (needless to say, they are both masterpieces!)
Very nice big brother/little sister relationship between Park Sang Myum and the gorgeous Jeon Do Yeon in 'Shoot For The Star' (one of my favourite representations)
Not to be missed is the relationship between young Ha Ji Won and Kim Ha Neul, sisters in the little-appreciated 'Secret' from 2000 (it will upset a lot of people!).
Of course 'It's OK to Not be OK' cannot be overlooked, it is extraordinary Kim Soo Hyun vis-à-vis her elder brother Oh Jung See
I know, it's a bit long, but watch out for 'I Have A Lover' where the fabulous Kim Hyun Joo doubles (and triples, in some ways) as a twin (sounds like a Brian De Palma film!) with fantastic performances
Sorry for the long-windedness and ramblings!