Winter Sonata

How long: 20 episodes (KBS mini-series)
Starring Bae Yong Joon, Choi Ji Woo, Park Yong Ha, and Park Sol Mi

"Winter Sonata" is the second installment of "Endless Love". Produced in March 2002, it created massive waves of popularity throughout Asia. "Winter Sonata" is a genuine love story that can be watched over and over again.

Bae Yong Joon as Kang Joon Sang/Lee Min Hyung

I believe that he portrayed his character as Kang Joon Sang fairly well, though some people found it to be unconvincing. He may have not looked like an eighteen-year-old, but he set his personality straight: mysterious and lonely. Bae Yong Joon proved his acting skills by really bringing out the negativity and showing the anger that Joon Sang keeps within himself. I don’t blame Joon Sang for always having an unhappy face. He is in search of his father (who is in fact alive), but his mother lies to him that he is dead. She tries to keep her son from knowing that he is an illegitimate child.

On the other hand, Lee Min Hyung is a bright and successful director/architect from the United States. His cheerfulness is brought about also by his golden-orange hair. It was a shock for me to see how different he looked with glasses on.

I found it very depressing because the character Kang Joon Sang died, though not physically. Lee Min Hyung doesn’t have the personality of Joon Sang and he doesn’t have the memories of Yujin either. Despite the fact that he gets parts of his memories back, he is still different from what Joon Sang used to be.

Choi Ji Woo as Jung Yujin

I have never seen her with short hair until "Winter Sonata". I prefer her with long hair. She is an outstanding actress who has the skills to cry her heart out in the sad scenes. But I dislike too much crying which gets on my nerves. Yujin was more lively and tough in high school, now she seems to be weak and foolish. Like many others said, the crying just dragged on and on which is a trait that I least considered from Yujin. I thought she would be a bit stronger at heart. I guess the situation demanded her to break into tears. After all, she met Min Hyung who looks just like her dead lover.

"Winter Sonata" in General

This drama used much symbolism and foreshadowing. For example, it was the day of first snow when Yujin saw the Joon Sang lookalike in the crowd. The fortune cards foreshadowed the fate of the two lovers. In the beginning of the drama, Yujin didn’t let Sang Hyuk hold her hand because she said it was for someone special. She gave her hand to Joon Sang which also gave a hint what was to happen in the future.

There are many emotions of love and insecurity. The insecurity of Yujin’s heart, the un-filled love she still carries around that she shared with Joon Sang, and the doors that are locked in her heart so that new people who can be part of her life can’t come in.
This drama reveals the most sensitive part of all of us, the decisions that we have to make when we reach the crossroads, and the choice to go down the road alone or with someone by our side.

"Winter Sonata" is outreaching so get some popcorn and enjoy the drama. Make sure you have a lot of tissues. Don’t get annoyed by the show dragging on and on like me, but really think about the meaning. Most of all, get obsessed with "Winter Sonata"!!!

Related Site: http://www.ladylaila.net/winter_sonata/archives/cat_photo_blog_01.html