Fuji Television has been developing the co-production of programs and new contents in cooperation with the media of Asian countries. In commemoration of the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Korean and Japan, in autumn 2001, Fuji planned a co-production of a drama with MBC Korea with which Fuji had tied-up and both had been preparing for about a half year.
At the World Cup 2002, the amicable feelings against each other increased tremendously both in Korea and Japan thanks to those young football fans, and such enthusiasm and sense of unity had a great effect on this project and made it a timely project.
The co-production with MBC has been mainly news and documentaries, and this is the first co-produced drama. MBC is called "the kingdom of dramas", and with a variety of dramas and lots of talented staff, they have become the leading Korean TV station in the field of dramas.
MBC and Fuji are going to produce two dramas, one each in 2002 and 2003. The basic plan was made by Fuji for the 2002 project, and will be made by MBC for the 2003, but the rest of the production - from development of the script, location hunting to the post production - is done by the staff from both sides (and to be aired at the same time both in Korea and Japan for the first time).
The 2002 project is a suspense love story featuring the love and friendship between a Japanese woman and a Korean man through the investigation of a murder case. MBC and Fuji had been exchanging opinions since November 2001 and developing the script through 6-month research and discussion on the strong points and viewers' favorites with regard to the detective dramas in both countries. Thus, a love suspense with dynamic scale as well as lyrical Asian taste is born.
Ryoko YONEKURA, who is one of the most desirable actors and has swept every award from a fashion to acting, is chosen for the leading role; a high-spirited and admirable woman working at a hotel who is brave enough to try to find a person who killed her older brother. From Korean side, CHI Jinhee, who is a rising star in commercials and movies, plays as a shy and honest detective who investigates the murder against the order of the police organization. Among those magnificent cast, Toru NAKAMURA who is popular in Korea with his appearance in a Korean movie titled "Lost Memories" plays the murdered brother, and Yuriko ISHIDA embodies a kind of typical Japanese woman who is very modest but strong by nature.
The theme of this drama is; "To learn something is to set yourself free; and the friendship and love cultivated by looking at the same direction, not by facing each other."
This is a story how a Japanese woman and a Korean man who did not know each other at all grow strong love and friendship by learning about the others as well as themselves through the murder investigation (i.e., to become able to accept what was not easy to accept before, and to achieve mutual understandings through many misunderstandings).
Their relationship also implies the sad past, the present as a new start of friendship, and the future with full of hope of both countries, but the bottom line is that this is the highly entertaining drama that both Korean and Japanese people can enjoy.
Story
Chizuru Otsuki (Ryoko YONEKURA) is a modern woman who works at a hotel in Daiba, Tokyo. One day, she visits Seiichiro, her older brother (Toru NAKAMURA) in Seoul, Korea where he works at the Seoul branch of a Japanese major food company, and finds his dead body in his apartment.
The police concludes it is a suicide as Seiichiro must have felt responsible for the declined sales, but Chizuru is not convinced and believes he was murdered. She decides to investigate this case on her own.
During the course of the investigation, Chizuru meets Hon Tezin (CHI Jinhee), a Korean detective who also suspects Seiichiro was murdered. Chizuru and Hon hate each other at first, but they decide to work on the case together. As they investigate, Seiichiro went on a trip with Kim Efa(HAN Hee), his assistant, and had an affair. Seiichiro left his family in Japan, and was supposed to be loyal to his wife.
Chizuru and Hon find out where Efa is and visit her in Ichon that is known for ceramic arts, where they obtain the proof of Seiichiro's trip with Efa. Hon criticizes Seiichiro's insincerity and Chizuru is hurt deeply, when Sonagi, downpour shower that is peculiar to Korea.
Then, Chizuru is overwhelmed with the emotion that she has restrained and cries in Hon's arms. Hon is suspended by his boss as he has been investigating the case without permission, and Chizuru is worried about his future and asks him to give up the case strongly. Someone starts to threaten them which makes them more convinced that Seiichiro was murdered, but with no solid evidence, the case remains unsolved.
Having given up the investigation, Chizuru returns to Ito, her hometown, to get the training of becoming a mistress of the hot spring inn that her family runs. Then Hon comes to see her. Kanako (Yuriko ISHIDA), Seiichiro's wife, tells him that Chizuru likes him. While he is flattered, he finds something there and just leaves with it.
As Chizuru tries to figure out why Hon suddenly disappeared and recall how he behaved in Korea, she starts to suspect that he could be the one who killed Seiichiro. The story makes unexpected turns, and Chizuru and Hon confront each other on the rooftop of a skyscraper in Seoul where Seiichiro worked...
Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 1249 Location: USA Country:
Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 4:34 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
To steal a page from The Man:
Is anyone from Singapore recording Sonagi???
Yes, yes, the big, bolded fonts certainly DO work . I'm SO avant-garde.
So, WOAH, Yonekura follows in the footsteps of a Fukada Kyoko, eh? Remember the joint Korean-Japanese limited series Friends folks, which featured Won Bin as her Korean counterpart/love interest?
By the way, folks, Hero is not the only great subtitled feature in ya'll area -- check your local listings; a Korean War film called Taegukgi might be in ya'll area as it is on Oahu (don't ask me how to pronounce "Taegukgi," but, its definition is the S. Korean flag). It's a war movie, the 1950s Korean War to be specific. It's kinda' Saving Private Ryan-ish,
The film features none other than the aforementioned Won Bin and Jang Dong-gun, the guy who played opposite (also aforementioned) Toru Nakamura in the 2002 film 2009 Lost Memories and the TV station mogul in the smash Korean dorama All About Eve.
If I'm not mistaken MGM is distributing this film and, so, it makes its way to venues across the continental U.S. too.
Anyway, The Man saw the film with his crew over the weekend and, lemme tell ya, BIG turnout if not an out-and-out sellout at the afternoon show on Sunday at the Signature Theatres (Dole Cannery, to be exact) You could hear a lot of crying and sniffles. Seemed to have affected a lot of folk as a war film'll do . . . no cryings or snifflings from The Man, though, as he does not cry at the movies.
The production values for this film are great. Director Kang Je-gyu seemingly re-creates Korea of the 1950s very well (and I've never been there, my time-travel machine being broken for a few years not; and I've hardly seen any pics of there at that time) and, man, all those extras.
Jang Dong-gun, as he is in all of his roles, is great in this film, too and, lemme tell ya, I have great respect for Won Bin's acting. Seriously. He does a terrific job in his role as the younger brother. Really brilliant, I thought. Hhaa, lot of youse out there like both male thespians' looks; but, I can't stress enough how Jang and Won's acting is some of THE best you'll ever find in war film, period.
A lot of effort went into this film and it just grabs the soul of Korea.
Anyway . . . what the hell was I talking about? Oh, yeah, great to see the whole Korea-Japan TV efforts still a-going with this Sonagi. Don't know too much about Chi Jinhee, but I'll be sure to catch this one as it features Yonekura.
Joined: 30 Jan 2004 Posts: 2247 Location: SF Bay Area Country:
Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:07 am Post subject: Crash Landing
The premise of Ryoko-chan crashing-landing in Japan as it were due to a faulty broomstick reminds me of the premise from the HK film Lavender. In the HK film, Kaneshiro Takeshi plays an angel that crash-lands on Kelly Chen's balcony. From that point, Takeshi's character has to learn how to adapt to everyday living, akin to what Ryoko-chan sounds like she will be doing in this dorama.
However, I expect Okusama wa Majo to be more entertaining than Kelly's movies, as all Kelly ever does is stand around, pout, and look beautiful. But she does that much very well!
Oh, yeah, great to see the whole Korea-Japan TV efforts still a-going with this Sonagi. Don't know too much about Chi Jinhee, but I'll be sure to catch this one as it features Yonekura.
Now if the damned thing would get subbed and become available...
Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:33 am Post subject: Re: Crash Landing
pcmodem wrote:
However, I expect Okusama wa Majo to be more entertaining than Kelly's movies, as all Kelly ever does is stand around, pout, and look beautiful. But she does that much very well!
Gorgeous gals do have a tendency to get away with that, but I expect Ryoko-chan to be better (much better) than that...
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But she does that much very well! 
