As I mentioned in my end of the year plan, there was going to be a Winter Preview and here it is! This preview contains all of the dramas that will be airing starting November and some of the other dramas that have already started and will end by December or the earlier part of next year. It will contain the top ten for Korean dramas and Taiwanese dramas. Enjoy! Having a problem with the pics…
1. The Painter of the Wind
High anticipated drama starring Korea’s angel Moon Geun Young as a female painter disguised as a man in order to learn the way of painting and find her father’s murder. Seem familiar? Probably for those who have seen Yi San realize the similarities on the main actresses, but this drama seems to be more focused on the actual painter. Moon Geun Young’s comeback to the screen after three years since her part in the movie “Innocent Steps” (yes, it is the same movie that inspired this blog J). Also in the cast are Park Shin Yang (Lovers in Paris, War of Money) and Park Jin Woo (Unstoppable Marriage, Bad Family). Park Shin Yang will play Moon Geun Young’s mentor and throughout the drama, they develop a “strong friendship”. Sure. Toning it down a bit? In other words, get ready for some ancient-dynasty romance!
2. City of Glass
Yoon So Yi’s return to the screen with her drama this year about a woman who has a tough childhood and background, finds her future husband, but because of clashes with her in-laws, she divorces, but spends time thinking about what would have happened had she persevered her love. Casting includes Lee Jin Wook (Smile Again, Powerful Opponents) and Kim Seung Soo (Book Three of Han, Why Did You Come to My House?).
3. The Kingdom of the Winds
For Jumong fans, this is almost like a dream come true! The drama is about the life of Jumong’s grandson, Moo Hyul, who later became Daemusin. In this drama that is schedule for only 36 episodes in comparison with Jumong’s 81 episodes, Song Il Gook, who formally played Jumong, will now star as Jumong’s grandson. Hopefully this will be as successful as its predecessor! Some of the drama will be filmed in China, as the drama industry seems to be encouraging filming outside of Korea. Despite starting off with mediocre ratings, the drama has managed to pull to around fourth place in ratings by the fourteenth episode.
4. My Woman
Also known as My Lady and Sea of Ambition, this drama has replaced Bittersweet Life as MBC’s Saturday and Sunday night drama. This will be Park Sol Mi’s (All In, Golden Apple) return to the small screen after three years. Also in the cast is Ko Joo Won (Bizarre Bunch, Famous Chil Sisters), Park Jung Chul (Blue Fish, Oh Happy Day) and Choi Yeo Jin (Golden Bride). Very impressive casting and even though the drama will be ending this Saturday, it is still worth the watch!
5. The World That They Live In
One of the more high famed casting that has taken the place of Love Marriage as KBS’s Monday and Tuesday night drama. The drama starring the famous Hyun Bin (My Lovely Kim Sam Soon) and Song Hye Kyo (Full house). This will be Hyun Bin’s return to the small screen two years after the not-so-successful Snow Queen in 2006. Song Hye Kyo has return after a four year hiatus since Full house. Almost seems to be a spin-off of On Air about a television production where Hyun Bin plays a charismatic and charming drama PD and Song Hye Kyo is a confident and direct PD.
6. You Are My Destiny
Those of you that have been recent visitors know more about this drama then some you probably want to but… the drama has been extended to about 150-160 episodes to be completed before the drama awards at the end of December. The drama revolves around Jang Saebyuk, an orphan that receives a cornea from Kim Nayoung, Saebyuk’s doctor who passes away in an automobile accident. It talks about Saebyuk assimilating in the Kim household and her love triangle between her adoptive brother and Lohas heir, Kang Hose.
7. East of Eden
Probably the most precedented drama of 2008 which stars Song Seung Hun return to the small screen after five years since his acting in Summer Scent. The high quality casting includes Park Hae Jin (Famous Chil Sisters) and Yun Jung Hoon (Sad Sonata) as the three main actors. Lee Dae Hee (My Girl, Hello Miss), Han Hye Jin (Sweet 18, Likeable or Not) and newbie actress Lee Yeon Hee, and as a bonus, Dennis Oh was thrown into the casting. The sypnosis from wiki:
The drama will be about two men whose fates are crossed from the very first day that they were born. Both men were born in the same hospital. When he was a teenager, Lee Dong Chul witnessed the death of his father. From then on he promised to seek revenge on the man who caused his father’s death, Shin Tae Hwan. But unbeknownst to everybody is the fact that Dong Chul’s younger brother, Dong Wook, was switched at birth with Tae Hwan’s son, Myung Hun. Dong Wook grows up to become a prosecutor and vows to help his brother seek revenge. But what happens when they find out that they’re not brothers? What will Dong Chul do when he finds out that his real brother was raised by Shin Tae Hwan and that the brother that was beside him all these years is the son of his enemy?
Along with the high quality actors and actresses, many of the rising young actors will be acting as their former younger selves. Recently famous actor Kim Bum (Rude Women) will be acting as 15 year old Song Seung Hun and Park Gun Tae (Time Between Dog and Wolf) will be playing 10 year old Yung Jung Hoon. Even though these young actors are not as famous as the main cast, their faces have appeared numerous times through dramas and have only made the status of the drama rise even higher. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford to have famous actors play our younger selves, like Song Seung Hun…
8. Iljimae
For fans of SBS’s version of Iljimae starring Han Hyo Joo and Lee Jun Ki earlier this year, MBC has decided to rival SBS with it’s own version of Iljimae. Only slightly longer than its rival, the drama has undergone many unstable changes since the beginning of production earlier this year. The main actor seems to have changed numerous times, but newbie actor Jung Il Woo (Unstoppable High Kick) currently claims the position as the main actor. The drama revolves around the same plot about a mysterious man who rebels against the government to helped the oppressed peasant. Even though I’m not a big fan of Lee Jun Ki, the SBS’s Iljimae did receive high praise and will be hard to keep up with, let alone beat. Good luck!
9. General Hospital 2
Not much information on this drama except for it seems to the sequel the General Hospital that was produced in 1994 (wow… that took a while J ). The casting includes Chae Tae Hyun (My Sassy Girl, Flowers for My Life), Lee Jae Ryong (Snowflower), Ryu Seung Soo (Thank You, Evasive Inquiry Agency) and Ryu Jin (Capital Scandal, Ballad of Suh Dong, Mom is Dead upset). The drama is scheduled to air in November until early 2009.
10. Boys Before Flowers
One of the most famous plot lines in the drama world that was first introduced in Taiwan’s Meteor Garden tells the story about a group of rich boys in that run the school when a brave poor girl takes them on, and in the process falls in love with the leader. Here is the casting list set so far:
Koo Hye Sun as Yeon Woo (Makino Tsukishi)
Lee Min Ho as Goo Joon Pyo (Domyouji Tsukasa)
Kim Hyun Joong as Yoon Ji Hoo (Rui Hanazawa)
Kim Bum as So Yi Jung (Sojiroh Nishikado)
Kim Joon as Song Woo Bin (Akira Mimasaka)
I was kind of hoping that Kim Bum and Koo Hye Sun would end up together, but the casting still looks great! As for the Taiwanese version that aired in 2001, the acting was only mediocre because F4 was relatively new, but the drama helped them rise to their popularity. The Japanese version was great, except for the main actor really bothered me. Hopefully, the korean version will do an even better job. Fighting!
