My Sassy Girl going to US and Japan

(Image source: HanCinema)

My Sassy Girl was a definitive Korean movie for me since it was one of the first Korean movies to have left a deep imprint on me. Who can forget the beautiful OST which included the timeless Pachelbel's Canon and its memorable main theme "I Believe".

Music aside, the well scripted romantic comedy movie also catapulted Jeon Ji Hyeon and Cha Tae Hyun to instant stardom commanding hordes of fans around the world. I still have vivid memories of how Cha met Jeon at the underground transit. Scenes of Jeon and Cha shouting to each other across the mountain range, the time capsule and all the hilarious moments, such as the 'slapping' game (see picture above) on the train, are still vivid in my mind.

After the movie success in 2001, we will see it's drama (Japanese) and movie (US) adaption of this timeless tale in 2008. In the Japanese drama, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, of SMAP, will take on Cha's role as the lovable Gyeon Woo, while Lena Tanaka will take on Jeon's role as "The Girl", for her name was never mentioned in the original movie.

The Gals: Jeon Ji Hyeon and her wannabes Lena Tanaka and Elisha Cuthbert. I still think Jeon comes up tops in the X-factor compartment by miles.

The Guys: Cha Tae Hyun and his wannabes Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Jesse Bradford. Doubt anyone can replicate that sweet goofy trademark smile of Cha.

For the American movie adaptation, filming has already been completed and is awaiting its debut in the US market. The movie stars Jesse Bradford in Cha's role while Elisha Cuthbert will be "The Girl".

Last post for 2007

The following Hallyu stars would like to wish everyone a Happy 2008!

[WARNING: They are in Korean though]

Gong Yoo's New Year's Message

Cha Tae Hyun's New Year Greetings

Sung Yu Ri's 2008 Greetings

Both me and my wife at HelloHallyu would also like to wish everyone a "Wonderful, Happy and Korean-drama filled 2008!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Watched the final episode of Flowers for My Life with Mydaemon earlier in the week. We were unsure of what to expect since this drama is so "un-stereotypical" of Korean dramas. Just like the real world, Flowers for My Life unfolds in a orderly yet chaotic way reminisence of our daily lives.

The realistic yet fluid way of storytelling meant that the series is likely to end "happily" with Hosang (Cha Tae Hyun) surviving his pancreatic cancer (with a 98% fatality rate) or "less happily" with the passing of Hosang. However, the wonderful part of this series is that despite our hope for Hosang to survive against the odds, we are already at peace for an alternative ending.

Why should I be contented with a less than fairy-tale ending?

Simply because the director and scriptwriter have both done a good, if not great, job in telling a story of how a dying man and his love learn to understand that death is no obstacle to love and that a life lived is indeed a life fully experienced.

This drama is about the meaning of what it is to be truly alive. My lack of vocabluary do great injustice to the sensitive and rich manner in which the story for Flowers for My Life was told.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who is handling a difficult situation where a loved one is sick as well as those who wants a wake up call to the daily drone which we call life. Do be prepared for a roller-coaster ride of emotions as moments of joy will be interspersed with moments of grief and sadness. Do not be too worried that you will be left an emotional wreck at the end of the drama as all emotional aspects of the drama was handled in a highly sensitive manner.

Everything that happened in the drama happened for a reason. Expect no fluff and superficiality associated with most other Korean dramas. This is a drama about 'humanity' from the beginning to the end. I have no regrets about the accidental manner with which I stumbled across this drama while channel surfing a month or two back. Guess this is one of life's little surprises and ongoing lessons for me.

Watch this as it is even better than Alone in Love - a drama which is also highly rated.