By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
"
Boys over Flowers", a perfect fairy tale of a television drama, is taking local viewers by storm. Based on the comic series of the same name by Yoko Kamio, it has been made into a live TV series in Japan, Taiwan, and now, Korea. What is it about the local version that has the nation swooning? Four pretty boys dubbed F4, a plain girl, fabulous clothes, houses, cars and a love story may fit for an answer.
"
Boys over Flowers" saw its big screen debut in 1995 and a 51-episode animation series the following year in Japan. In 1997, Japan came out with a full-length animated version for the big screen.
The plot then saw its first television debut in Taiwan in 2001 under the title "Meteor Garden". The Taiwanese F4 members became a big hit locally and abroad, even creating a band of the same name.
"
Boys over Flowers" finally returned to its original fan base in Japan and was made into a drama starring top stars Jun Matsumoto and Shun Og...
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The new KBS 2TV drama series airing on Monday and Tuesday entitled "
Boys over Flowers" (screenplay
Yoon Ji-ryeon, producer
Jeon Ki-sang) is off to a good start, stealing the hearts of teenage girls.
Ratings pollster TNS Media Korea says the drama's first installment that aired Monday scored 14.3% in viewer ratings while AGB Nielsen Media Research estimated the fig...
MoreState-run broadcaster KBS is greeting the New Year with not one but two dramas: a remake of the iconic classic "
Boys over Flowers" and the epic "
The Iron Empress".
Historical romance "
The Iron Empress" hatches its 80-episode-long tale tomorrow night, spicing up the Goryeo Dynasty with the bloody escapades of a warrior woman played by veteran actress
Chae Si-ra.
Chae, the feline beauty who enchanted and frightened audiences in KBS' "
Emperor of The Sea" (2004), reprises her role as a ruthless Amazon in the upcoming drama.
"Men have been playing the lead in historical romances", said Chae, 40, at a press conference held on Dec. 19. "Now, I think it is time for women to do so. This drama will show people that there was an awesome and brave female leader during the Goryeo Dynasty".
Fearsome would be a more accurate description of the heroine, who is aptly called
The Iron Empress. The fourth wife of Goryeo Dynasty founder Taejo Wanggeon, the empress ruled as the regent for her son Mokjong, the dynasty's seventh ruler.
Determined to realize her ambitious goals for the kingdom of Goryeo, she dons armor, battles against foreign invaders, and tramples her lover, her son and brother in her rise to power. The audience is invited to watch her transform into a cold-hearted warrior.
"Every year we do a big scale drama", said Senior Producer/Director of KBS Drama Team 2 ...
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By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
The famous Japanese cartoon "
Boys over Flowers" by Yoko Kamio will be broadcast next year through the small screen, complete with a Korean version of "Flower 4", that features handsome boys and a headstrong heroine.
Fans, reporters and camera crews packed the press conference held at a hotel in central Seoul, confirming the anticipation the drama has stirred for fans here.
The drama has cast four actors who were chosen from auditions:
Lee Min-ho (Tsukasa Domyoji, or Goo Jun-pyo in the Korean version);
Kim Hyun-joong (Rui Hanazawa, or Yoon Ji-hu);
Kim Beom (Sojirou Nishikado, or So E-jeong); and
Kim Jun (Akira Mimasaka, or Song Woo-bin). Actress
MoreThis is the third in an eight-part series of articles that looks into the country's cultural and entertainment sectors and explores ways to help sharpen their competitive edge. - Ed.
By Lee Yong-sung
More and more Korean pop stars are making some serious noise all across Asia. Not to mention such established stars as
Boa and
Rain, many young, up and coming singing and dancing talents are now targeting overseas markets from the very beginning, even before their debut here.
For one thing, this is a barometer showing the growing popularity of Korean pop musicians in the rest of Asia, which must be highly encouraging for both musicians and producers. Behind this are, however, ever-diminishing album sales in the local pop music industry.
According to the Music Industry Association of Korea, last year's best-selling album was Dongbangshingi's (TVXQ outside the country) third album "O Union", which sold 349,317 copies last year, beating its rival SG Wannabe whose third album, "Partner for Life", sold 311,642 copies throughout the year. Since 2001, when three albums including Kim Kun-mo's 7th album, "Kim Kun-mo #007 Another Days", and the now disbanded boy band G.O.D'.s fourth "Chapter 4" album became one-million-album sellers, the industry has failed to produce a single one since. What is worse is that, over the past five years, album sales have gradually been dwindling with no sign of recovery.
At the end of last month, SMH Music, one of the country's major album retailers based in Busan, closed its largest shop in Haeundae, the ...
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