Part 1 - 10th Jan 2005

Good Morning, everyone, I want to think about "how to make Going Out a huge success" and will write a series for this.

The rankings of Korean movie revenues in 2004 in Japan market were as follows( my own rankings based on several articles and reports)

1. Nechinso(I will introduce my girl friend... starring Cheon Ji Heon), this movie is still runned in Japan, could possibly record the biggest hit as a Korean movie in Japan

2. Brotherhood

3. Untold Scandal

4.Every Body has a Secret(starring Lee BH and Choi Ji Woo)
and Silmido

6. Memories of Murder, Classics(Starring Sohn Ye Jin)

What I have an interest in the above ranking is a smashing hit of the movie Classics(Japanese title was Love Letter). Sohn Ye Jin(though I am not sure English spelling of her name) , who will play with BYJ in the new movie, became popular in Japan by this movie released in Japan about a year ago. I was surprised to see the hit of this movie because Ms Sohn was not that well known in Japan before this movie was released. Thus, the hit of this movie taught me that a good movie will record a hit even if actors and actresses are not known in Japan. So, the point is the quality of the movie.

The popularity ranking of Korean actresses in Japan is,

for movie fans, Cheon Ji Hyeon is very strongly supported and then follows three names, Lee Young Ai, Choi Ji Woo and Sohn Ye Jin.

for TV drama fans, Choi JW is strongly supported and then follows Lee Young Ai and Sohn Ye Jin

So, actually, Sohn Ye Jin is already quite popular in Japan. By this BYJ's new movie, I think Sohn will be a representative Korean actress in Japan, a rival to Cheon Ji Hyeon.

BYJ's fans are still increasing in Japan. In a quiz program deciding 2004 kids champion for quiz, the final question of 2004 was "Write down the name of Bae yong Joon in Chinese chcaracters". This final question makes me laughing and happy. Now, Japanese cable TVs and magazines, small companies speciallized in Hanryu do not support BYJ. Why? Because, now, BYJ became too big, and cable TVs or Hanryu magazines CAN NOT support BYJ. Apparently, BYJ became someone beyond Hanryu in Japan.

Part 2 - 10th Jan 2005

Hi everyone

The movie, Going Out, will be undoubtedly the Very Best of Hanryu. So, if anyone in the world has interested in Hanryu, he or she must see this movie. Let me explain why.

Genre of the movie: sad, pure romantic movie. This category is at the center of Hanryu. Sad romantic Korean movies recorded big hits in Asia even in 1970's(esp. in Taiwan). This genre is a royal road of Hanryu.

Director: Mr Heo is the best director in making sad, pure romantic movies. In a vote done by Japanese movie reviewers for best Asian movie directors, Mr Heo is selected as one of the top ten Asian movie directors(among the Koreans, Bong Junho(memories of murder) and Kang JK(Brotherhood) are selected in the top ten).

Actor: BYJ is the best young actor in Korea. Though I know he can be a great action star, he is known as "King of Romantic movie" in Korea. A recent KBS research for the most popular Korean in Korea, BYJ is selected as No 2. No 1 is a veteran singer, Cho Yong Pil(quite well known in Japan, too). So, KBS proved that BYJ is the most popular actor in Korea who is said to be at his best in romantic dramas(though I still insist he is a very excellent action star if he plays in an action movie)

Actress: Sohn Ye Jin is, as a young actress, the best actress in pure romantic dramas. Her recent drama and movie proved this fact. If it is a sad, pure romantic drama, Sohn would play better than Cheon JH, I suppose.

Story: Director Heo is very good in writing modern stories of romantic dramas. I like director Heo and Kwak(my sissy girl) partly because they write good stories.

Reading Korean OB, it is mentioned that shooting of this movie will be finished about at the end of April. As this movie will be the very best of Hanryu, the remaining problem is how to advertise this movie. And for this, I think it is better to decide import and distributing companies in each country as soon as possible. I think it is better to advertise this movie from NOW. If the agent make a contract with a big agent in Japan, that company would do advertise as follows:

first step: let Japan TV stations broadcast past movies of Sohn YJ and director Heo to advertise Sohn and director Heo.

second step: let movie magazines write about makings of this movie

third step: let TV quiz show programs making special quiz shows. quiz about the spot where this movie is shooted.

Then, follows general advertisements and commercials for the movie. It is better to take a long time for advertisements.

Part 3 - 11th Jan 2005

Hi everyone. IMX said when Japan OB was attacked, someone stole ID and passwords. So, it seems someone could write something very bad using my ID and passwords. This is not only for me but others too who has written in Japan OB and who use the same ID in diffrent sites. It is said that Japan police would possibly know "who" attacked Japan OB in a few days.

There is a rumor as you all know that BYJ would visit Aichi Expo this year. Let me say my opinion for this visit first. Aichi Expo has an idea to invite BYJ last year. I remember it was about June or July last year that Aichi Expo tried to invite BYJ. At that time they could not get a positive answer from BOF. I thought at that time(though I am not sure for this) this was because Aichi Expo relied on Agencies which BOF do not like(I heard several times BOF do not like business with agencies). This time Aichi Expo said they could get "friendly responses" from BOF. What these "friendly responses" mean is not clear.

I've thought that BYJ would visit Japan again this year too. The reason is that BYJ and BOF would regard their visit in Nov. last year as a failure and they would have strong feelings to compensate that "failure". Some people in Aichi(who are not related with Expo, I suppose) gave me mails after reading my writings in Japan OB asking how to invite BYJ. Though I could not give good answers I felt lots of people in Aichi(whether related with Expo or not) are strongly interested in inviting BYJ.

BYJ's visit in Nov last year was not that big failure, I think. I can feel that Japan mass media became more friendly with BYJ after that accident as they could see "a human BYJ". I think BYJ would have better visit other parts of Asia before or after visiting Japan this year. Especially China. Because China is at the center of Asia and Hanryu in Asia. Chinese family is largest in number. It is actually strange that BYJ never visits China till now. As you know, Chang Dong Gun , Kwon Sang U and other Hanryu stars visited China quite often.

Though the word Hanryu is made in China, not many Korean stars are widely known in China actually. Ahn Jae Wook is well known as he is the first Hanryu star in China, and then only 3 to 4 Korean actors are nation-widely known in China and BYJ is one of them. While Untold Scandal is not nation-widely released in China, I think Going Out will be released in China too. So, this would be a good chance for BYJ to visit China and taste wonderful Chinese foods.

Recently many Korean experts mentioned that Hanryu in Asia is in danger. I repeatedly said the same thing. The basic reason for Hanryu crisis is, I think, prople in Korean entertainment buis. misunderstand Hanryu. Let me take an example. There is a Korean movie "Yokdosan"(story of legendary Korean wrestler who lived and died in Japan). I think this movie would not hit in Japan and I said this before the movie was cranked in. I think this movie is a movie for wrestling fans, not for Hanryu fans. This big budget movie would be released in Japan maybe March or April this year. If this movie wants to be successful in Japan, then they should advertise this movie to wrestling fans in Japan(there are lots of wrestling fans in Japan). Generally, Hanryu fans are not wrestling fans and wrestling fans are not Hanryu fans. The reason I think this movie will not be successful in Japan is that they advertise this movie to Hanryu fans now. This is a wrong choice and they should advertise to wrestling fans to come and see the movie.

Can Hanryu sell wrestling movies to Hanryu fans? No

Hanryu is in danger because some Koreans try to sell their movies or dramas USING Hanryu boom. So the movie Yokdosan should appeal to lots of wrestling fans in Japan not Hanryu fans. If the related agent continue to appeal this movie as one of Hanryu, then they would fail. If they insist this movie is a good wrestling movie rather than a Hanryu movie, then this movie would not fail in Japan.

Part 4 - 11th Jan 2005

Hi everyone.

Korean movie industry before 1997(IMF crisis) was a low-risk low-return business. After the hit of Shuri, the industry is changed to high-risk high-return business. Recently, Korean film and drama makers experienced high-risk and low-return. Then comes BYJ movie which is surely low-risk high-return movie.

Again, Korean people engaged in entertainment buis. would ask Why only BYJ esp. in Japan? If you are interested in Japan market, you should examine why the TV play "Autumn Fairy Tale" was not that successful in Japan. This drama made by Yoon PD of WLS recorded huge hits in several parts of Asia, and failed(in my judgement esp. compared with WLS) only in Japan. I think here is a hint Why only BYJ in Japan. Korean experts have better study the failures of Autumn Fairy Tale in Japan.

Anyway, think about how to make Going Out a huge success. I want to mention two points today.

First, do not say this is a BYJ movie(though I myself is the one who often use this expression). When Untold Scandal is released in Japan, I had this impression; they advertise this movie as Yonsama movie, this sounds like this to me "this is a Yonsama movie. If you are a fan of Yonsama, come to the theatre, if you are not, you don't have to". This movie was very successful in Japan but if they could appeal this movie to general movie fans, not Yonsama fans, it would be more successful. BYJ fans would see Going Out anyway(chuckles), so you do not need to advertise this movie to BYJ fans. The movie must have some appeals to movie fans who are not BYJ fans. As for Scandal, Japanese media did not mention anything about the director, actresses and other parts of the movie. They only talked about BYJ and this gave negative effects. Lots of movie fans in Japan thought, "this movie seems a movie for BYJ fans only. I am not a BYJ fan. so this is not a movie for me"

This time, I think the same thing could happen again. Japan media will talk about BYJ only, will give a strong impression that this movie is only for BYJ fans. Movie magazines will play a very important role here. If movie magazines write many articles for Going Out, then movie fans would understand that this is not a movie only for BYJ fans. Lee BH and Choi JW's recent movie stayed in top ten charts for three weeks in Japan as I expected. This movie can be more successful, but had the same problems, Japan media advertised this movie as if this is a movie only for Lee BH and Choi JW fans.

Secondly, now in Japan, Cheon JH's new movie is doing quite well. It is staying in top ten charts for 6 weeks and I expect this one will stay in top ten for 8 weeks. This huge success happens because Japanese fans think as if this is a part 2 of the movie "My Sissy Girl". Japanese movie fans know that this is not part 2 movie, but as the image of the movie is close to "My Sissy Girl", so lots of fans are gathered to see this movie. The same thing would happen in Going Out, too. Though people know perfectly that this is not part 2 of WLS, I think they have an image of WLS when they hear about Going Out. Of course, key words here are BYJ, winter and snowscape. These three would remind people WLS.

Though I know many of you will not like my idea, I would use this WLS images in business. If the movie poster shows BYJ, Korean winter and snowscape, people would think about WLS and more fans will come to see this movie. Actually, this is a stratege adopted by Cheon JH's new movie. Though this was not a comic movie, the movie poster showed a comic scene of the movie, somewhat comical face of Cheon which remind people, "My Sissy Girl". The same stratege can be adopted in Going Out. BYJ in Korean snowscape, this will be perfect, though you would not like my business talks(chuckles)

Part 5 - 12th Jan 2005

Hi everyone Today I want to think about the meaning of a big success of this movie.

Last year was a bad year for Korea movie industry. The average quality of Korean movie made last year is said to be quite low(and I am agree with this general view).

This year, several interesting movies will come out in Korean movie market but lots of them are violent movies. I think it strange why Korean movie makers make so many violence movies because they want to make money and thinking about Japan and Asia market,

Korean movies last year which recorded hits more than expected:
Classics(starring Sohn YJ) Untold Scandal, Nechinso(Cheon JH's movie)

movies which recorded expected hits:
Memories of Murder, Everybody has a Secret,

movies which recorded lower revenue than expected:
Brotherhood, Silmido, Old Boy

It seems in Japan and Asia, non-violent, romantic Korean movies are more welcomed than violence movies. So I wonder why Korean movie makers produces so many violent movies. The big hits of Going Out would make Korean movie makers think in a different way. They would know high quality romantic movie like Going Out records huge hits in Asia and Korea, too.

The success of this movie will prove that artists like director Heo can be greatly successful in business, too. This conception would improve the quality of Korean movies in my view. Now, it is said in Korea that two big bosses in Korean movie industry are two Kangs, Kang JK(director of Brotherhood) and Kang US(director of Silmido). These two are good movie directors but one Kang JK and one Kang US are enough. Though they are good, we don't need three Kang JK-type directors in Korea. One Kang JK is necessary and enough for Korean movies.

But, we need many Heo-type directors in Korea, artist type, low budget, high quality movie maker. I have three directors with whom I want BYJ to make movies. One is director Heo which we will see this time,
Then, director Kwak(of my Sissy Girl and others) and director Bong(of memories of murder). These three are my favorite directors.

Then, am I sure that this movie is quite successful? Yes, will be successful not only as a commercial movie but also as an artistic work. I am 100% sure, the reasons I will tell you later.

Part 6 - 14th Jan 2005

Good Morning everyone.

Reading Korean OB, it is said Korean actress Sohn Tae Young would play the role of BYJ's wife in the new movie. This Sohn played in TV drama, Million Roses and movie(I don't know correct English title)"Here is Ghost"(2004). She was Miss Korea in 2000. She looks similar to me to Kim He Ri(a doctor in HWRL).

It seems to me director Heo like actresses who were CF models for cosmetics. Sim Yunha, Lee Young Ai, Sohn Yejin, Sohn Taeyoung, they all were CF models for cosmetics. Or, almost every famous actress has an experience as a CF model for cosmetics? I don't know.

Anyway, I want to see BYJ actions in Going Out and in other future BYJ works.

1. BYJ is an expert in Taekwondo(Korean Martial Arts), Kendo and other several martial arts. He showed some actions when he played Yeo Seok in KBS drama and proved that he can be a Taekwondo action star as Jackie Chan is a Kungfu action star. In his high school days, he was famous as a Taekwondo Master. Gangs of roughs around high schools could not touch him. There is a legend for him in his high school days that, one day, BYJ defeats 10 bad gangsters alone. This is actually a famous story in Korean entertainment buiz. and everybody knows this. Generally, a Korean super star accompanies more than 5 body guards but BYJ sometimes behaves alone. Do you know why? Because it is hard to find a body guard stronger than BYJ himself. Sometimes, BYJ guards bodyguards(hahaha). I knew all about this and everyone knows this in Korean entertainment world. Now I write this as some Korean family wrote this in Korean OB and became public knowledge in Korea.

2. BYJ needs to be an action star from now on as he became older as we all are. Lee Byong Hun now takes an action movie and Ryu Si Won has no new TV plays or movie recently. Let me explain about this.

When a romantic movie star becomes the age close to 40, it becomes to hard to find a story that he can play as "a handsome romantic star". Though Ryu Si Won is a top star in Korea and Asia too, it seems he could not find a story that he wants to play. Roles that producers want him play are too young for him. So, Ryu rejected every offer last year(as far as I know) and he said he would stay in Japan for a while(about 3 month? I heard this but forgot how long). This happened because Ryu never plays as an action star before. If he has played as an action star, he could choose a (romantic) action movie last year.

As for Lee BH, he played in JSA and though I donot think JSA is an action movie, producers think he can be an action star(as in the case of Chang DG). This is why now Lee takes an action movie, very wise choice for him. 3 years later, Lee BH would have a hard time if he insists I am a romantic movie star. As he plays as an action star sometimes, he could choose many works when he becomes 40 year olds and more.

This kind of situation happens to everyone. If BYJ insists to stay as a King of Romantic Drama, after 5, 6 years later, it would become hard to find a story that BYJ plays in. Further, BYJ is a real experts in several martial arts. Though Kwon Sang U is known as Momchang, a kind of action star, he is not an experts in martial arts(though he can show quite a good Taekwondo, I am a black belt in Taekwondo as many Koreans are and can see whether one is a real master or not. BYJ is a real master) .

So, I think BYJ has better show his brilliant action performance to people. In this Going Out? Yes, why not? Say, some bad gansters appear in music concert and BYJ defeats them with brilliant martial arts. What about this?(hahaha)

Part 7 - 15th Jan 2005

Hi everyone

Korean culture is comlicated as Korea has a long history and Koreans believe several religion. Take WLS as an example,

Sanghyok is a man of Confucianism. His attitudes towards family and Yujin are based on Confucian ideas.

We can see Buddhism in the story of WLS. That is so called "a reward in accordance with a deed(In Kwa Ung Bo in Korean, Can Chinese and Japanese family know what is this in Chinese and Japanese?)" Minhyong and Yujin's love is so affected by their parents deed in the past.

We can see Christianity in WLS, too. It is the concept of "eternal love" and Resurrection(from Joonsang to Minhyong)

These complicated values could be a reason why WLS makes that huge hits in several places.

Then, what about Going Out?

I feel, though of course not sure, a Confucian idea in the basic story line. If your partner betrays you and you have a lover who you really love from your hearts, then what you should do? If you are an American, I think you will divorce at the spot and will marry with that someone you love each other from your hearts. But, things are not this simple in Korea as Korea has basically Confucial culture. This Confucian values would be something that makes the story line of Going Out complicated and interesting.

I feel Buddhism too in the story of Going Out. These two lovers meet each other ina very particular situation. I think this is what Buddhism calls Karma. These lovers met each other by their Karma.

These two lovers would think whether their love is eternal and whether they two can make their life " a new one"(Ressurection for them), which are Christian ideas.

Do I go too far(laugh)?

Anyway, we could see Korean cultures and values in this movie. Remember director Heo majored in university philosophy.

Part 8 - 17th Jan 2005

Hi everyone.

Today, I heard Cheon Ji Hyon's new movie "I will introduce my girl friend" made Korean movie record in Japan in revenues and number of viewers. I knew this before this movie is released, you know I said before(hehehe) but still surprising(the record till now was Shuri).

So, now it is Going Out's turn to break this record. Will it be easy? No not that easy esp. because BYJ and director Heo have no interest in making Going Out a huge hit(what a people). They are interested in making a good art. Instead of them, I will think how to break the record of Cheon JH's movie.

As I said before, it is necessary to advertise director Heo and Sohn YJ to Japanese general movie fans. Hair style of BYJ in this movie would be important in making this movie a huge hit. Minhyong Styles? not Jaeho style, definitely. Or some new style might be good. New looks would make people more curious to BYJ. As BYJ has a job related to music industry in this movie, Rocker's hair styles(of Rocker image) might be good though I am not sure for these things(laugh)

I have some questions about the title. Going Out in Korean is a very good title in my view. But in Japanese or in English, I have a doubt if Going Out is a good title. The theme of this movie is said to be Fatal Love. What about Going Out for Fatal Love(Jokes) Director Kang JK of Brotherhood once said, "to make a huge hit, story is the most important factor and the title is the secondly important factor" Though I am not agree with him, title is important anyway.

As an English title, what about Journey to Fatal Love, or Fatal Hearts.

Anyway, though the title Going Out is very good in Korean, I am not sure if this title is very good in English or in Japanese, in Chinese. I think producer of this movie could consult this matter to English, Japanese and Chinese specialists.

Part 9 - 19th Jan 2005

Hi everyone

Producer of Going Out asks director Heo "to make a very sad movie", and it is said this movie will be a very sad one. Today, let us think how to make this movie SAD.

Before that, I want to ask you these. It is said there were movies whose story lines are very close to this Going Out. I think some of you mention about this before. Director Heo said, according to Korea OB, "absolutely not. and this movie will be a totally different one" Of course, we can trust director Heo for this matter. Movies which are said to be have a similiar story line with this movie are:
Savanna starring Sandra Block(?)
Random Heart by Harrison Ford
and other Hong Kong movie whose title I do not know.

Anyone saw the movie Savanna? and Was there a HK movie similiar to this?

Anyway, let's think how to make this movie sad,

Someone would die in this movie, what do you think? yes or no, I think yes,
then who will die?
1. Insoo 2. Soyong 3. Insoo's wife 4. Soyong's husband
My selection is 2(all are my imagination, of course)

Do you think Insoo has a child in this movie?
I think no but it would be better if Insoo has a child. Then, it will become more sad.

Do you think there is a murder in this movie?
no, but I prefer a murder(sounds strange, haha). I want a story Insoo's wife kills Soyong

Insoo and Soyong's love will not fulfilled as this movie is a tragedy. What will stop their love?
1. Insoo's wife killing Soyong
2. Insoo's child makes him stop
3. Soyong's husband's death makes Soyong Going Out(leave)
4. Insoo's wife suicide makes Insoo Going Out

what's your choose(laugh) I prefer 1 or 4.

It is very interesting to imagine how director Heo develops the story and makes the movie sad. I do not like a sad movie but like it if it is not sad but VERY SAD. If they make a sad movie, I would like to see The Saddest Movie in this world. I am prepared to cry, hahaha.

Part 10 - 24th Jan 2005

Hi everyone

We have information that, in Samcheok where the shooting of the movie is made, staffs and shootin equipments and vehicles were arrived yesterday. Staffs occupied a hotel near the shooting places. It seems there will be Start soon.

It is said the key words of this movie are as follows,

1. fatal love which leads one to death(?,a literal translation of Korean words, or this could mean, to a very dangerous situation)

2. story that happens in a place where you do not belong to

The title Going Out can be interpreted in this way, in my interpretation, as

you go out from your home to somewhere you do not belong to, there you meet your "fatal lover", your going out is supposed to be a short refreshing trip, but now it becomes a journey to fatal love which lead you to a very dangerous situation.

So, Samcheok is not hometown for Insoo or Soyong and director Heo seems to think there is an important implication in this situation, both meet in a foreign town(though I do not know what is that implication) In the Synopsis of this movie, the word "death" is used as I wrote above, love which lead one to death. I do not know whether we should interpret this word literally or simbolically.

It seems to me, death in this case has its literal meaning, so someone die in this movie. Those who fall in love which lead one to death are Insoo and Soyong. This means Insoo or Soyong or both would die in this movie, I suppose. I have an image of Romeo and Juliet when I am thinking about this movie, though I donot know why(haha). This will be a very sad movie and if I am a writer I would let Soyong die.

By the way, I read in Korea OB that in a TV program of Taiwan, reporters mentioned about that X file and said BYJ himself admits that, what is written about him is largely true. Oh My God-situation.

China and Taiwan try to restrict the imports of Hanryu. As BYJ represents Hanryu in Taiwan too, attck to BYJ actually means attack to Hanryu which has happened from several months ago in China and Taiwan. I can understand why China and Taiwan try to limit the impact of Hanryu(for the development of their own TV plays and movies), but I can not understand why they USE BYJ for that purpose.

In elementary schools around the world, teachers told children,
You should not tell a lie

Children know that, you should not tell a lie.

Part 11 - 25th Jan 2005

Hi everyone

It is said the movie will crank in after 10th of Feb., i.e., after Lunar New Year's holiday. From the start, this movie has a plan to release the movie after 6 or 7 months of crank in. Now, they decide this will be released at Sep. this year. And, 6 or 7 months before Sep. is March or April, so they are making perfect sets for shooting.

An interesting point for the sets of this movie is that they made a public bath for shooting. So, Insoo will go to this public bath and I think you could see BYJ's well trained body in this movie(haha) I was surprised to hear that they made a public bath for shooting. Do you think a scene in public bath is a necessary part for the story? We do not know. But, I donot think this is a necessary part for the story. Director Heo said(according to a rumor), "I will show every aspects and appeals in this movie. I think no director knows about him better than me"

Surely, BYJ bath scene will a part of his appeals. What surprises me is that, it seems to me, director Heo think about popularity of this movie. He did not think about popularity in his past two movies, he himself said, "it is hard for me to get enough money in movie making from producers because my movies do not consider popularity of the work. This is why I would like to work with top stars, if top stars appear my movie, then, only then, movie makers give me some budget to make my movie"

This time, I feel director Heo has slightly changed his mind and he wants some popularity in this movie. Public bath seems to me a symbol of this change. I welcome this change because he is still an artist quite enough, I myself want him to think about popularity a little bit more. So I think we could expect some action scenes in this movie as (it is rumored) director Heo said he will show 100% of BYJ and it seems he thinks about popularity of this movie, this time.

There are three things to prepare when you go to see this movie,

first, sunglass(you will cry a lot while watching this movie and your eyes will be swollen)
second, bath towel(because you will cry so much)
third, pills for headache(you will have a headache after watching BYJ's bath scene in the wide screen, hehe)

recently, as I wrote in this quilt and Japan OB, I can not find my time to reply your writings, sorry.

Part 12 - 27th Jan 2005

Hi everyone

Samcheok City, where this movie is taken, say thet they expect about 50 Japanese visitors to the city while the movie is being taken, everyday. Really? I think more Japanese fans will come everyday. Is there enough hotels or rooms for visitors for BYJ over the world? No. You would have some trouble if you have a plan to visit Samcheok in a few months.

There is a hotel in the beachside of Samcheok wherein, it is rumored, BYJ will stay during the shooting in the city. Really? I do not think so. If this is true, too many fans will come to that hotel to see BYJ and this could cause some problems.

It is reported that they reformed 8 rooms in Samcheok Hospital to take this movie. Why do we need 8 rooms in taking this movie?
1. there are some other patients who play some important roles in this movie
2. producer has enough budget and he reformed 8 rooms only to spend money
3. BYJ will sleep at this hospital
4. for staffs and equipments

my selection is 4

In Japan, it is often said that this will be an erotic movie, what kind of bedroom scene do you expect from this movie?
1. no bedroom scene
2. a bedroom scene which only suggests they share a bedroom
3. a scene close to Untold Scandal
4. a scene more than(?) Scandal

my selection is 2

I want teenagers to see this movie, a kind of romantic movie that can be seen with your whole family like WLS. This is one way to make a huge hit. As I said I expect a beatiful movie, a story of married Romeo and married Juliet.

To make a story more interesting, we need a bad guy or girl in this movie. Think about WLS. Mihyong had traffic accidents twice. This happened because there is no bad guy in the story of WLS. If Sanghyok or Cherin was bad, they would have planned something very bad for Minhyong and the second accident would have been some Planned accident. There would have been some planned misery if someone was very bad in WLS. As there was no bad person in WLS, every misery Mihyong experienced was incidental.

So, I expect there will be some bad persons in this story, which will make the story more exciting. Then, who will be a bad person in this movie?
1. Insoo 2. Soyong 3. Insoo's wife 4. Soyong's husband

difficult choice. If I write a story, I will choose 4. next choice is 3.

They said crank in of this movie is delayed as they want to make perfect sets for movie taking. This is good, but then, I want to ask them. Do you decide the actor and actress for Insoo's wife and Soyong's husband? I never hear that other than rumors. Who will be them?

Part 13 - 29th Jan 2005

Hi everyone

Japanese reporters read Japan OB and it seems that a Japanese magazine "use" my writings in Japan OB in their article about Going Out. This actually makes me feel happy. This is my way to advertise Going Out(haha) So, one way to make this movie a huge hit is to make reporters use our writings in BYJ boards.

Anyway, director Heo seems to make some changes in his syle(though not a big change) I thought why he wants a change in his style?

Firstly, his age(42, this year). When a man becomes age over 40, several changes appeared to him, a man becomes bald-headed, white hair, wash his face with moistened paper in a restaurant, fix his eyes on beatiful ladies without blushing with shame, etc.

I think his age makes him try some changes. Almost every astronaut ages from 38 to 42. The age 42 is the time when a man becomes most productive in his jobs and this is a reason why I am not productive in my own job(sorry, boss) We could expect some very best of director Heo in this Going Out,

Secondly, director Heo seems to be a big fan of BYJ. I collected some rumors and now I am sure that he has been a big fan of BYJ. This could cause some problems, for example,

Camera man, "director, Ms Sohn's face is half cut in the camera"
Heo "who cares? Close up BYJ, close up his eyes, yes, good. ......What? who is that girl? Ms Sohn?......, sorry Ms Sohn"(jokes, of course)

When a director is a big fan of a main actor, he often changes his styles for that actor. Think what happens if Jackie Chen directs a movie starring Bruce Lee. It will be Bruce Lee movie, not Jackie Chen movie. This movie would show perfect ensemble of Heo's world and BYJ world. Director Heo will conduct BYJ Magic World with wonderful harmony.

Sohn Yejin will also show her best smiling faces and best crying faces in this movie. In this movie, I think we can see BYJ's smiling eyes, happy eyes, crying eyes, angry eyes, thinking eyes and maybe desperate eyes. Camera would close up his eyes in the wide movie screen. That eyes would watch you, your blood pressure will rise so high. If you have a high blood pressure, I advise you to close your eyes when BYJ eyes becomes to close up in the movie or you will need some medicine.

Part 14 - 31st Jan 2005

Hi everyone

Japanese reporters read Japan OB and it seems that a Japanese magazine "use" my writings in Japan OB in their article about Going Out. This actually makes me feel happy. This is my way to advertise Going Out(haha) So, one way to make this movie a huge hit is to make reporters use our writings in BYJ boards.

Anyway, director Heo seems to make some changes in his syle(though not a big change) I thought why he wants a change in his style?

Firstly, his age(42, this year). When a man becomes age over 40, several changes appeared to him, a man becomes bald-headed, white hair, wash his face with moistened paper in a restaurant, fix his eyes on beatiful ladies without blushing with shame, etc.

I think his age makes him try some changes. Almost every astronaut ages from 38 to 42. The age 42 is the time when a man becomes most productive in his jobs and this is a reason why I am not productive in my own job(sorry, boss) We could expect some very best of director Heo in this Going Out,

Secondly, director Heo seems to be a big fan of BYJ. I collected some rumors and now I am sure that he has been a big fan of BYJ. This could cause some problems, for example,

Camera man, "director, Ms Sohn's face is half cut in the camera"
Heo "who cares? Close up BYJ, close up his eyes, yes, good. ......What? who is that girl? Ms Sohn?......, sorry Ms Sohn"(jokes, of course)

When a director is a big fan of a main actor, he often changes his styles for that actor. Think what happens if Jackie Chen directs a movie starring Bruce Lee. It will be Bruce Lee movie, not Jackie Chen movie. This movie would show perfect ensemble of Heo's world and BYJ world. Director Heo will conduct BYJ Magic World with wonderful harmony.

Sohn Yejin will also show her best smiling faces and best crying faces in this movie. In this movie, I think we can see BYJ's smiling eyes, happy eyes, crying eyes, angry eyes, thinking eyes and maybe desperate eyes. Camera would close up his eyes in the wide movie screen. That eyes would watch you, your blood pressure will rise so high. If you have a high blood pressure, I advise you to close your eyes when BYJ eyes becomes to close up in the movie or you will need some medicine.

Part 15 - 1st Feb 2005

Hi everyone

Yesterday, when I came back to home, I asked to my daughter,
(me) who looks better? me or Ryu Sung Su.?
(daughter) Ryu? Guy in WLS? I will choose you
(me) haha, that's for sure, what do you think(to my wife)? who looks better?
(wife) (not interested in the subject) you know our neighbor will buy a new car, seems an expensive one. I hope we can have a new one, too.
(me) new car? we donot need. My car still runs so good. You know? it runs even when I put on the brakes sometimes, a splendid car, hahaha
(my wife was angry to me after this, my accident in Dec was not related with my car, 100% others fault)

We have a discussion yesterday that why Sujin(wife of BYJ) falls in love with Kyonho(Ryu) leaving BYJ behind. So I thought about this. What if Kyonho is a sports player or singer, then could you understand Sujin falls in love with Ryu as a wife of BYJ? If you say no, then what about this? Suppose Ryu is a hypnotist and Sujin is hypnotised by him.

Anyway, the actress Lim(wife of Insoo) makes my expectations for this movie quite high. She has a mysterious face to me. Her face is by itself a suspence to me. What a contrast with Sohn Ye Jin who looks so charming. Director Heo describes the character of:
Kyongho(Ryu Sung Su) as an average man
Sujin(Lim) as an open-minded woman who likes freedom in life,

haha,
here seems a secret of the story. Director Heo said Kyonho is an average man but Sujin is NOT an average woman. She likes freedom, and she is an open minded woman. What do these mean?

She likes freedom - so, does she has many lovers? She does whatever she wants?
She is an open minded woman - so, open minded even to kill a person or what? does not care if Insoo falls in love with Soyong?

It seems this Sujin is not a devotional wife to Insoo, selfish, cool, mysterious person. It seems to me she has a key in our understanding of the story of this movie. Ms Lim is almost a new face even to Korean movie fans, and I want to conglatulate Mr Heo to find such a mysterious actress. Does she play good?
Yes I think so because she has some experiences in short movies which requires good acting.

Part 16 - 2nd Feb 2005

Hi everyone

I am so busy to do my jobs and write in Quilt and Japan OB, but thinking about BYJ's new work makes me happy.

Going out will be a hit, 100% This movie maker is said to invest about 5 million US dollar for this movie(some said it is about 4 million, some said it is over 5 million) but the revenue from exporting this movie to several countries in Asia is estimated about 10 million dollar. So BYJ makes movie makers so happy. And I can see these movie makers do their best to make a good movie. Everything seems quite OK to me as for this movie.

Think what kind of movie Die Hard 2 was. It was something close to Die Hard 1. The same for Die Hard 3. As WLS is such a huge hit all around the world, movie makers would like to make Going Out as a kind of WLS2. Then, Going Out will be something close to WLS? No. Why not? This is what everyone does. But, as we all know, BYJ is special. He does something special always. BYJ's next movie Going Out will be something quite different from WLS.

BYJ would show a different look in this movie from Mihyong looks. I think BYJ will wear a cap in this movie as he plays a role of director of stage lightening. A man with a cap and glasses(sunglasses) would be a new BYJ look in this movie.

I think critical lines of play in this movie for the 4 main roles as follows:

Insoo's wife critical lines(to Insoo):
if you leave me, I will die. if you donot forgive me, I will die. if you go to other woman, I will die. Do you want to see my death? If you leave me, nobody would know what I will do then. Please do not leave me. I love you. I could kill Soyong. Will you make your wife a murderer?

Soyong's husband critical lines(to Soyong):
do you think Insoo loves you? No way. he tries to revenge, revenge to me who took his wife. You should know it's not love, it's a revenge. Don't be a fool. Believe me. it's me who loves you, who is your man. Insoo tries to use you for his revenge. Don't be a fool(coughing)

Soyong's critical lines(to Insoo):
If I fall in love with you, I can not forgive myself. I can not forgive my husband too. You destroyed my life, my family, my everything...How this can happen to me. Bring me back my happy family. You destroyed my heart and my souls....what can I do?....Can you forgive me if I fall in love with you?

Insoo's critical lines(to Soyong)
I will be with you even when you are in the fire of the hell. I will love you even if God push me down to the deep darkness of life or death(BYJ talks by his eyes, what kind of eyes? You can imagine)

Part 17 - 4th Feb 2005

Hi everyone. today is a crank in day. Can you wait till Sep.? I can not(laugh) It was reported in Korea that this movie would possibly released in whole Asia at the same day. Then, we can share opinions then.

it is reported that this movie will have a shooting in Hae Nam, a city in the southern part of Korea, famous in a beatiful woods of reeds. I read an interview of art director of this movie(same one with Untold Scandal). I would say the color of this movie is "Clouded Spanish Town" or "Picaso's Pastel"

By the way, Angelique said to me in reply that the movie Finding Neverland seems close to this movie. I do not know about this movie. Will anyone give me further information about this movie?

Kyonho(hus. of Soyong) becomes a person in a vegetative state and Insoo is, as you know, a director of stage lightening. I have a feeling these have some philosophical meanings, as director Heo is a pupil of philosophy, as follows:

Kyonho:
he is an average man. Actually, he has been a person in a vegetative state , symbolically. He has not been alived and dead. Love affairs with Sujin was his first adventure in his life. This adventure put him in a vegetative state. This is symbol of ordinary people to director Heo in my opininon, people who are not alived and not dead. I changed my mind that Kyongho won't die in this movie. He can't die and can't live.

Soyong:
I think Soyong is an average woman, too. But the accident and the existence of Insoo changes her life. She goes out to a strange city, A clouded Spanish colored town. Cloud means a death, Spanish colors mean a life. To Soyong, Kyongho is a world of death and Insoo is a world of life, but, Kyongho is her husband and Insoo is her fatal lover. Is she coming back to her daily deadly life from going out?

Insoo:
He is always behind a light. His job is to light others and he has been in the darkness, the other side of stage lightening. He has been in the darkness while his wife has been so shinning lighteninged by him. After he sees Soyong, these are all changed. Soyong is the first woman who shed a light to Insoo. That light, a feeling of being alived, is something Insoo has never experienced before. Insoo goes out with Soyong to this strange Spanish colored clouded town. Is Insoo coming back to the other side of the light?

Sujin:
Sujin loves freedom, loves life, fears death more than anyone else. She has enjoyed freedoms of life in the shining light, the light came from Insoo. The traffic accident changes the whole things around her. She would notice changes in Insoo. What she can do? She does nothing as she is in the hospital? I do not think so. She will do something to bring the lights back to her life.

Part 18 - 5th Feb 2005

Hi everyone

as you know, the English title of this movie is changed due to your help. I asked all of you what do you think about the tile Going Out and many of you give me a negative answer. So I wrote all of your opinion in Japan OB and Korea OB(translated by water nim and anemone nim). From this, I think there arises a discussion whether the title G.O. is good enough, in Korea. I am glad to let you know that you change the title.

It is said director Heo always think about something usuals in every day life and something unusual in daily life. He think about "usuals in unusuals" and "unusuals in usuals"(I myself do not know what I am taliking about, ask director Heo, haha). So this title reminds me something unusuals. Some Japanese family mention that Spring Snow sounds better than April Snow, what do you think?

I think Japanese title will be this April Snow as many Japanese mention this is far better than Gaisyutsu(G. O. in Japanese) Still, some Japan family say some beatiful Japanese phrase would be better than English title. Then, what about Chinese title? April Snow or Chinese translation of this phrase?

As old fan nim indicates in the repl. many Japan family would gather in Samcheok and they could disturb shooting of this movie. Though IMX announces "please do not come", you should remember that many Japan family do not read Japan OB or do not follow IMX's leads.

I think if the movie maker prepares well, then everyone can come to Samcheok without disturbing shooting and BYJ. For this time, I think the movie maker Blue Storm is not experienced in this kind of arrangement. If it is Kang JK film(director of Brother hood), they would do this kind of thing very nicely. We can make everyone happy. BYJ, those fans coming to Samcheok, those fans who can not come to Samcheok, everyone can be happy if the movie maker tskes a right stratege.

The movie maker now recieves the best support from Samcheok City so that they could do much better than now. The movie maker must have

1. rules for fans
2. open the information
3. prepare several events for fans gathering Samcheok(where BYJ is not involved)
4.hire more guards

Rule is the most important factor. Now fans who do not follow IMX's lead enjoy their times. What is this? False rules. Right rules must be something which make you happy when you follow the rule. Young Guys, not experienced.... in this movie maker.

Part 19 - 7th Feb 2005

Hi everyone,, and Hi Ivy and Jeff, Jeff are you a man? then I will be very glad. Are there men other than me here who writes (not that much as me, haha) constantly? I do not know. Jeff, please write from time to time, let's make men's space here, haha jokes.

Now, director Heo said this movie deals with irony. Irony? what irony? Interesting, right? He said, "Insoo loved so much his wife like fumi(jokes), but after when he knew his wife had a love affair with other man, his feeling towards wife, Sujin, changes violently, he became to hate Sujin", Ooh...but, this is not an irony in my view, he did not say further to hide the stories. From this situation, story goes on and there will arises an irony. What is irony, anyway? I become to puzzle. He said further as follows,

"Insoo is a director of stage lightening. This means he is very sensitive to light. Think Insoo in a dark room. He can notice any small changes in light" Ooh, difficult, my man. So I presume this might be an image of Insoo in this movie, who is in a dark room waiting for a small light to come.

Anyway, let me think what can be an irony in this story.

1. Insoo now hates his wife, falls in love with other woman, Soyong, and then now, Sujin, his wife becomes to hate him knowing his love affairs while she is in the hospital. Is this an irony? I am not sure. remember director Heo is a pupil of philosophy, he would have a correct meaning and philosophical implication of the word irony. What is irony, irony?

2. Insoo and Soyong has another accident, is this an irony? Hm...maybe.

3. Think about Korean title Going Out and Irony together. Then, going out was not going out, -irony. Insoo departed away from his wife not coming back home.

The story seems to evolve around Insoo to me. I imagine Sujin would play some critical role same with Soyong(now, do you notice these names? difficult, right?). As this is an Insoo's story, his wife and lovers have almost same weights in the story, I suppose and Soyong's hus. is not important in the story. Now I think(change my minds) both women will leave Insoo finally and he left alone. Am I sure?, no way, I might change my mind again for this story. we can imagine so many stories from this situation.

We have seven months till we can see this movie. How to make ordinary people(not BYJ fans) interested in BYJ and this movie is something I want to think. But I will not think about this myself. Some mention to me you are not BOF and IMX so you do not have to worry about those things. Yes, I understand their points of views, but what makes me worry always with relation to BYJ is that BYJ and BOF and some fans of BYJ do not care about popularity about BYJ. I CARE. Let me just say like this. In Japan, I think we need some plans to promote this movie from now or at least from April. I won't say anything about like this in details, but I think Japan family would have better think about this kind of promotion, because BOF is not that interested in popularity. If you, as a fan, are interested in popularity thing, Japan family would have better do something. I think they do nothing for this kind of fans activities because they do not like it.

From now on, I won't say anything like this: BOF or IMX has better do this or that, because some fans do not like to hear me saying these things.

Part 20 - 8th Feb 2005

Hi everyone, my Japanese friends, you can read Japanese version of 19, in below. I think you saw the photos of April Snow introduced here by rosie(Thank you always, rosie), what a great acting and face of BYJ. only one picture makes me so sure that this movie will be something very classic. we could see the best of BYJ, BYJ among BYJs in this movie. Very wonderful cuts. By the way, Ms Sohn looks like a different person to me, surprising too.

As Mariko indicates in repl. Korea boom in Japan now becomes weakened. Though I did not mention about this, I have felt about this from Nov. last year. Think again what is so called Hanryu, it is,

1. korean movies, TV plays and musics records big hits
2. By those hits, the name of Korea becomes a kind of brand name. People think Korean movies, dramas and musics are good.
3. Then people become to have some interests in Korea herself, Korean foods , cultures etc.

Hanryu in a narrow sense means 1+2, in a wide sense it means 1+2+3. In Asia other than Japan, Hanryu happens in the right process of from 1 to 2 and then to 3. In Japan, there has been a Hanryu boom of 3 without 1 and 2 between about 1995 and 2002. In 2003, WLS and BYJ are introduced in Japan which yielded BYJ boom. As Hanryu boom in Japan is something quite different from other parts of Asia, Korean people has still a hard time to understand this. BYJ alone initiates the process 1 and there already existed the final stage of Hanryu 3 in Japan in 2002. This complicates the stories.

BYJ makes the name of Korea a brand name(the process 2) in Japan. And, he amplified the process 3 too. Korea boom in Japan before BYJ was not related to Korean entertainment. It is BYJ who connect Korean boom in Japan and Korean entertainment. By doing this, he bursted Korea boom in Japan.

This connection between 1+2 and 3(Korea drama boom and Korea boom) becomes weak in recent days in Japan. Thsi happens because we did not have a huge hit other than Cheon JH's movie after WLS. To make a huge hit of this BYJ new movie, I hope Korea boom(1+2+3) to continue till Sep. this year. Then this new movie will burst a new wave of booms in Japan. Now, there are four candidates who could possibly maintain Hanryu in Japan, they are

a. All In starring Lee Byong Hun
b. Daejanggum starring Lee Young Ai
c. Lovers in Paris starring Park Shin yang
d. Kwon Sang U's movie and TV plays

Here are my expectations for these works. It is easy to make expectation about a, this will have a very stable popularity whose audience rate is around 8% for sure. This one is very stable but not that explosive. Smashing hits for sure. b is unstable and hard to make expectations about this Daejanggum. The audience rate can be from 5% to 15%(in NHK not in NHK BS). c and d depend on the times of broadcastings. If they are put on air in goden times, both could record the rate of around 12%(in my views), if it is not in goden times it will be around 5%. So decisions will be made by Japan TV stations, but I think they will not give them golden times.

In all, we would have a hard time to maintain Hanryu in Japan till Sep. If I work in Korea goverment for this matter, I would make some plans to maintain that boom.

Part 21 - 9th Feb 2005

Happy New Year everyone. Thank you very much for korean nim for very suggestive letter. I want to let you know as my mail is in Korea site, if you mail from outside Korea, esp. in Japan, letters are broken and I could not read often. And several guys send me bad mails using your HN but I know they are not you because these bad mails comes from Korea, haha. Some Korean family like korean nim anemone nim waternim give me good suggestions, thanks for all.

I was strongly against BYJ appearence in the movie Scandal. I did not want to see him playing in this movie. When BYJ challenges to a new field, he always takes adventures. In Scandal, this was his first movie, first historical drama, first bed scenes. In HWRL , his first MBC drama, he challeged a bad role(Jaeho supposed to be a bad role, but as the writer Ms Roh is a fan of BYJ, she could not describe Jaeho as a bad character, and director Park was angry for this at that time), in his first photo album, BYJ challenged to a muscle man. It seems when BYJ starts a new thing, he gives himself very heavy burdens to test himself. In his own test in Scandal that, whether he can be a wonderful movie actor, I think he said OK to himself. He is now very confident as a movie actor, and then, tries to show his best performance in this movie.

Scandal for BYJ is a romantic movie for Bruce Lee. April Snow for BYJ is a KungFu action movie for B. Lee. Prince BYJ did not use his precious sword in his debut film to test himself as a movie actor, in my view. Now, in this second movie, he will show 100% of BYJ. The photos we saw yesterday simply prove this. Only one picture makes us know this will become unusually attractive movie. I thought sincerely if there is anyone with glasses in the world at his 30s who is so attractive- attractive in every sense of the word. In that photo, Insoo was out of his mind and I could see the very existence of Insoo, BYJ, affects Sohn YJ and even the director Heo. BYJ changes the air around him, makes his surroundings as a magic world of BYJ. Those photos reminded me that.

As you know, those photos are the first scene, describes the first encounter of Insoo and Soyong. Both wait for the surgery results for their spousers. You know? When I first saw those pictures, I thought those describes the last scene of the movie, thought it was a bench in a railroad station. Later I knew it was a bench in the hospital before the door of the surgery room. THAT WAS THE FIRST SCENE. As the first scene is of that quality, I can not even imagine what surprisingly wonderful scenes continue from there. this will be the best romantic movie that we have never seen before, just one photo makes me sure for all about these.

I imagine BYJ will show us desperate looks(the photo), then angry looks, then happy looks with Soyong, then more desperate looks than the photo we saw. I will bet you will cry so much watching BYJ's so desperate looks. Me? It depends on the story, I guess.

By the way, sara asked me whether hanryu boom in Japan would affect box-office result of this movie. Yes I think so. I think if we want to make Korea movie record in Japan, hanryu boom must remain as a boom till Sep.

Part 22 - 11th Feb 2005

Hi everyone, Today, I want to make my estimation about the box office result of this movie, April Snow, at the current stage of events. What I want to say today is "sometimes what you believe becomes true. if you work hard for your dream, then dreams are realized", in other words, something that you do not expect to happen will not happen anyway.

Let me take some examples. Cheon JH's movie recorded a huge success in Japan, basically because distributers of this movie in Japan BELIEVED that this would be a huge hit. Cheon's fans in Japan made these distributers to expect a huge success for this movie, made them believe for this movie. Let me explain a little bit more. In a research done every month in Japan by movie distributers, asking "who is your favorite foreign actress", no Korean actresses has been ranked in top 20. Those ranked are all hollywood stars except one or two HongKong stars. Surprisingly, in Sep. last year, Ms Cheon was ranked as No 4 in that rank who has never been in the top 20 ranks and without any reason. She stayed in that rank at the same position in Oct., too.

This changed movie distributers expectations about her new movie. They changed every schedule and invested more for the advertisement for this movie. After this movie recorded a huge success, now Cheon disappeared in that top 20 charts, very interesting. She suddenly appeared in that popularity chart which made the movie a huge hit, and after the huge hit, she again suddenly disappeared in the chart. There are several other reasons for the hit of this movie, but the above point is very interesting to me, because this was done by her Japan fans organizations.

There is an opposite example, too. When movie distributers think this movie will be a huge hit, they invest a lot in advertisement and promotions for that movie, and so, that movie will record a huge hit as they expect. Often, what movie distributers expect comes to be fulfilled.

A Huge hit for April Snow in Japan means to me Korean movie record in Japan and here is my expectation. To make this record, more than 2 million people should come to the theater.(Scandal gathered about 600 thousand fans) Who will come to see this movie in Japan? My expectation, now,

BYJ family , about a million
director Heo fans 100 thousand
Sohn Yejin's fans 300 thousand
WLS fans more than a million

So, the point I think to make those WLS fans to come to see this movie. As Cheon's new movie made a real huge hit this time, BYJ family alone can not make Korea movie record in Japan.(you would ask me whether Ms Sohn has so many fans in Japan. my answer is yes. In my estimation, she is second to Cheon in Japan, her movie Classic still records a huge hit in video market in Japan, something close to My Sissy Girl. As Sohn's fans are movie fans not TV drama fans, we could expect the above number for Ms Sohn)

I would say BYJ new movie will record more than 3 million visitors and record almost unbreakable Korea movie record in Japan. Why? Because I think about 2 million WLS fans will come to see this movie. The reason is very simple. This movie will remind those WLS fans their loving "WLS". Though we know this movie is something quite different from WLS, but still as an image, both have several things in common as follows,

BYJ
Romantic and Sad drama
Korean winter and Snow
Beatiful Images

Part 23 - 12th Feb 2005

Good afternoon everyone,

Now we read sinopsis of this movie(thanks fransis). though we do not know if that is a whole story or there is some more from then, it seems this is a story of Insoo's going out. He comes back to home, while Soyeong has no place to going back(as his man is dead). As I mentioned before, reading the synopsis, I feel complicated value system of Korea, Buddhism, Christian and Confucianism.

The most popular religion is the Christian faith(catholic plus protestant). Confucianism is a basic value system underlying Korean social structures and institutions. Buddhism and Taoism have a great influence on Koreans' daily lives. We can see this complicated value system in this story,

1. Insoo and Soyeong finally forgive their spousers. This seems to me the concept of Redemption in Christian faith, "expiates a crime". But this redemption, forgiving is done after a critical penalty(Kyongho's death and Sujin's injury), in other words, they must pay prices to be forgiven. If this is a story based on the pure Christian faith, they would be forgiven without paying prices, which is God's eternal love to us. But, this is not a pure Christian story, we have strong Confucian value in Korea so that they should pay very high prices to be forgiven. After Kyongho died and Sujin severly wounded(according to the value of Confucianism), Insoo and Soyeong forgive them according to the Christian value. Thus, Insoo's going back home from his going out is "Christian redemption in a Confucian society" - Korea without doubt.

2. As I mentioned before, Insoo and Soyeong's love remind me Karma in Buddhism. Their Karma is so strong that April Snow remind them Karma between them. Meanwhile, April Snow is a present from heaven to them(Christian concept). I think here again we can see mixed value system of Korea. God above heaven remind them their Karma.

3. Basically, Insoo and Soyeong believe in Confucian values. This is why Insoo can not divorce and Soyeong tries to leave Insoo after Sujin is recovered. Still, they behave as if they believe in Christian and Buddhism values. They would believe their love is fatal(Karma) and believe in eternal love(Christian)

Christian values, Buddhism and Confucianism consist universal value system in this world. So, the above story represents something universal and anyone in the world can understand the value system underlying this story. What I feel for this story is a very nicely balanced concept of LOVE, balanced universal value system. If this story was biased, say, toward Confucian ideas, story could not appeal to people around the world. People around the world love WLS because WLS shows the same balanced concept of LOVE as I have indicated.

In my view, this balanced value system is at the heart of the saddness we feel from this story. Insoo and Soyeong can not do anything extreme because they have this balanced concept of love. I think this is true for us, too. We won't do anything extreme because we have some balanced values. We can not be terrorists anyway. Sometimes we should control our emotions. Sometimes to control one's real emotions is too hard and makes one sad. Insoo and Soyeong well understand each other, understand both should control their emotions and that make them sad. But just looking at Insoo's face is happiness to Soyeong and it snows in April. Insoo will remain as the most precious memory to Soyeong and snow sealed that memory in the heart of Soyeong.

Part 24 - 15th Feb 2005

Hi everyone, Korea movie industry expect the Korea movie boom in Asia this year. We have a very positive article for this year's korea movie boom, which says like this:

In Apr., there will be held Hanryu movie festivals in Japan and tickets for some movies were sold out in 2 minutes. We can expext a big Korean movie boom this year, we have(titles are my own translation as I donot know the correct Eng. titles) Sweet Life by Lee BH, Kind Ms Kumja by Lee Young Ai, Typhoon by Chang DG, April Snow and two or three Kwon SU's movies.

When Brotherhood was released in Japan, Korea movie industry though that the box office result of this movie would far exceed that of Shuri. The result was that the revenue from Brotherhood was far less than that of Shuri. You should not watch maniac's responses when you think about the future box office result of a movie. As many Korean actors have maniac fans, tickets for Hanryu festivlas are sold out within 2 minutes. This is maniac fans' responses, which is almost irrelevant in forecasting the box office result of a movie.

In making a hit, sometimes marketing is very important. Here is an example, the Korean movie, Phone(Voices), a horror movie. In Japan, this movie recorded a hit quite close to Brotherhood and Scandal. The distributer of this movie in Japan makes a TV CM for this movie and after they put this CM on air for several times , they stopped to advertise this movie. They asserted, "some people give us pressures not to advertise this movie in TV because TV CM for this movie is too much horrible" . So, it is rumored in Japan this movie is too horrible and too scary, which becomes the best advertisement for this movie and make a hit. Marketting means such a strategy to me.

In making a forecast for Korean movies' hits in Japan, Korea movie industry has better consider followings

1. If a movie recorded a huge hit in Korea, this movie will gather at least 300 thousand people in Japan, but often, not more than this
Old Boy, Tales of Two Sisters, My Wife is a Ganster 1 and 2 are examples

2. Even the so famouse movie Silmido could not gather more than 500 thousand people in Japan despite lots of advertisements.

3. The name Lee BH Chang DG, Won B, Song GH by themselves can gather more than 300 thousand people, the name BYJ can gather more than a million in Japan. But if the movie is not that good, it is hard to gather more people.

4. Among the directors, Mr Kwack of My Sissy Girl, Mr Bong of Memories of Murder, Mr Heo of Christmas in April, Mr Park of JSA and Mr Kang of Brotherhood can gather people only by the name of the director.

5 Among the actress, Cheon JH and Sohn YJ can gather audiences only by the names. Lee Young Ai is regarded as a TV talent and is hard to gather movie fans by her name only.

So, it is not that easy to make a huge hit in Japan, to gather more than a million people. Among the movies mentioned above, I think only April Snow can gather more than a million,(3 million people). The next one I will select is Kind Ms Kumja. Though I said fans of Lee YA are not movie fans, the poster of this movie is so excellent, which I think will make a hit. As the movie Phone(Voices) made an unexpected hit by a market stratege, the poster of this movie makes me feel a good market strategy. Some Details and Marketing are important in making a huge hit.

Part 25 - 16th Feb 2005

Hi everyone,

Korea, Thailand and Taiwan need foreign markets to make a big budget movie or TV dramas, while China and Japan have a huge domestic market. Basically, this is the reason why Hanryu is important to Koreans. Koreans need foreign markets. But, still, it seems Korean movies or TV dramas made for foreign markets record very poor box office result.

Japanese said the story of WLS is illogical, there are so many coincidences that can not explain logically. Some Japanese mention that is what drama means, dramatic happennings require no logical explanations. Interesting enough, Koreans and Chinese do not say the same thing for the story of WLS. The life in Korea and China is dramatic. There now happens so many dramatic changes in personal lives and society in Korea and China and other Asia. Thus, Korean TV drama must be very very dramatic, otherwise people do not watch that drama simply saying "my life is more dramatic than this story. this story is not dramatic, not funny at all" Life in Japan and Japanese society itself are not dramatic and they require some logical explanations for the story.

Meanwhile, now Japan experienced a boom of "pure love stories". This boom will continue at least till when April Snow is released in Japan. Chinese people love pure love stories(in my personal experience, I think Chinese men over 50 do not like movies or TV dramas anyway. They like TV news and like to talk about politics. I found Chinese young people like pure love story very much, they themselves are very pure). And, this April Snow is the very romantic and dramatic pure love story starring BYJ, which simply guarantees a huge hit. I want to emphasise this movie does not require any bedroom scene. Maybe, BYJ shower scene is more than enough(haha)

In this story, it seems Insoo is a very passionate man. As a character, Insoo reminds me Chanwoo(First Love)'s younger days. BYJ looks as Insoo seems new to me.

How Insoo will smile?
I think he will smile with his mouth wide open.

How Insoo will cry?
I think he will cry without a sound, just tears without voices.

How Insoo will angry?
I think when he is in anger, he will throw away things like chairs etc, as he is a passionate guy.

Part 26 - 18th Feb 2005

Hi everyone, there are lots of common factors between April Snow and WLS. Let me think a few among them.

1. BYJ

2. Snow plays very important roles in both works

3. Music plays very important roles in both works(several concert scenes in April Snow)

4. Ryu Sung Su

5. basically 4 people stories, two men and two women

6. pure love story(in an interview that we can see here in quilt, Sohn YJ said this is a story of sad love and she wants to have such a love in her real life. So I think there will be no bedroom scene in this movie. If there is, Sohn YJ won't say in that way )

7. both directors Yoon and Heo are artistist type directors who make very beatiful images

8 there is no evil or bad character in the story(I have a personal opinion that American like a story in which there is a sharp contrast between good and evil. Japanese, on the other hand, do not like a story of conflicts between good and bad. For example, Gozilla, the monster, is not good and not bad character in Japan. When Americans make the movie Gozilla, they give a bad character to this monster) If there is an evil character, the story could be a kind of suspense. I thought Insoo's wife is a bad character, but now it seems she is an ordinary woman, not that good and not that bad.

9 The three main characters, Sohn YJ, Ryu SS and Im SH graduated the same college. In WLS, all the actresses(with only exception Jeong A who works with Yujin) are so called MBC talents(who debuted in MBC). Thus in both works, personal relations between actresses and actors are very good and strong.

10 finally, in both works, the main 4 characters and directors have the family names other than Kim and Lee. Kim, Lee and Park, Choi consist more than 50% of Koreans. In WLS, we have two Parks and one Choi among the four main characters. In April Snow, directors and the four main characters have family names other than these four. The probability for this(select randomly 5 Koreans and then the probability that there is no Kim, Lee, Park, Choi among them) is about 3%. Does this have some meanings? No, but it is fun to me that in both works, we can not find Kim and Lee in main characters.

11 as I mentioned before, religious basis for these two stories have something in common, mixure of Confucian, Christian, Buddhism values.

There will be more common factors and I will think about it, haha.

Part 27 - 22nd Feb 2005

Hi everyone. It is easy to estimate Korea movie' hits in Japan. I said my estimations last year were all correct, but there was a trick and I will let you know we can make a correct forecast about Korea movies' revenue in Japan. I want to say this is what I found. There are only three types of Korean movies in Japan, which make forecastings very easy and correct.

1. movies whose revenues below 300 million Yen(the movie which is not that famouse and in which no Hanryu star appeared, of course some famouse artistic movies such as director Kim Ki Duk's works are included in this category)

2. movies whose revenues are within 400 million Yen and 600 million Yen.
This is what I want to call "Korea movie hit zone" in Japan. Almost every famouse Korea movie fall into this range. To name some examples for last year,
Old Boy(400 million Yen) Tales of Two Sisters(about 450 million Yen) Memories of Murder, Classics(about 550 million Yen) Silmido(600 million Yen) etc.

3. movies whose revenues are over 700 million Yen. Last year, only three works Scandal, Brotherhood and Cheon JH's movie(in which CJH is a policewoman, yes) belonged to this category.

When a movie ranks in a hit chart in Japan:
from rank 10 to rank 15 for 2 or 3 weeks(means generally revenues about 400 million Yen)
from rank 5 to rank 10 for 2 or 3 weeks (means revenues about 500 to 600 million Yen)

For Untold Scandal, this was ranked from 5 to 10 for 6 weeks, resulted in more than 800 million Yen revenues.

Thus, a good Korean movie in which a famouse actor like Lee BH or actress Lee Young Ai plays, we can about 80% sure that this movie will fall in the category two. Then looking at the movie fans' responses we can be more specific in forecastings and could say whether this will be 400 million Yen revenue or 600 million revenue. The average of this 400 and 600 is 500 million Yen. As the maximum export price seems 75% of this average minimum, Lee BH's and Lee YA's new movies were sold to Japan at the price near 350 million Yen(about 70% of 500 million). It is easy to make an estimation for Korea movie(s) hit in Japan for general cases.

In case of Brotherhood, I thought this would be about double of the average 500 million Yen but not more. In case of Cheon JH's movie(police woman story ), I thought this will be a record because,

1. though I know this movie is not that welcomed in Korea and Hong Kong, Japanese critics loved this movie,
2. Fans of "My Sissy Girl" regrad this as part 2 of Sissy Girl. Even after they saw this movie, they said, "So good, nice movie. part 2 of my sissy girl", so I wondered why they said so(haha)
3. Director Kwack and Cheon JH have many fans in Japan.

For your information, Hong Kong movie "Kung Fu Hustle" recorded a revenue close to this Cheon JH's movie.

But, still, it is difficult to forecast revenues from April Snow. We could think followings,

1. As the hit of Scandal told us, only BYJ fans in Japan can make this movie a big hit(revenue more than 900 million Yen)
2. As fans of my sissy girls and fans of Shaolin Soccer make a big hit for CJH's movie and Chau Sin Chi's new movie(hehe, my broken Chinese), fans of WLS will make April Snow a huge hit. But this part is very hard to estimate. The most important factor in making BYJ new movie a HUGE hits.
3. Director Heo and Sohn YJ are quite popular in Japan, too.

So, the revenue of billion Yen is for sure for this BYJ new movie. If we can appeal to WLS fans, it can be about 4 biilion Yen(double of Korean record in Japan). As I mentioned yesterday, Japanese import company seems to think this one billion as the minimum revenue and willing to pay 75% of this minimum. This is actually a cheap price for BYJ movie. Let me explain why.

This movie must be estimated as the minimum, the revenue between one billion and two billion Yen, the average is 1500 million Yen, right? And 70% of this 1500 million Yen is about one billion. So, actually, Korean movie distributer can request one billion Yen for this movie, haha. Very important point here is BYJ received only 50 million Yen for this movie. Korea movie industry should think about this strange price system, very carefully. If BYJ works in hollywood, in this situation, he would receive one billion Yen as a guarantte. In Korea, it was 50 million Yen. Why? I will explain later.

Part 28 - 24th Feb 2005

Hi everyone. It is reported that Universal Pictures will distribute April Snow in Japan. This company had no interest in Korean movies and the first Korean movie that they bought was Brotherhood. After Brotherhood last year, I donot know if there is another Korean movie that they bought. I think there are two good things for this company as a distributer and two bad things,

First, good things are

1. As you know, this company is very big and has many theaters in Japan
2. At the present stage, there seems no big hollywood movie in Sep. in Japan. So, in Sep. and Oct. season, BYJ new movie can be the main movie for this big company

There are worries, too

1. As this company has many big Universal Pictures movies this year, of course, whose revenues would be more than 30 or 40 billion Yen. Thus, for this company, BYJ new movie(which could yield 30 billion revenue) is not the most important movie for this year. I think this company would regard this movie as 6th or 7th important movie for their business in Japan. If the distributing company was a little bit smaller, this movie would be the most important job for their business this year.

2. This company is very good in advertising, BUT, in my view, they did not do what they can do in the case of Brotherhood. I thought this happened because they had in mind that Brotherhood is not that important for their business in Japan. This is related with problem 1.

But still fortunately, it seems they have no big movie in Sep. so I hope they do their very best in promoting April Snow. In my past writings, I wrote like this, if a big distributing company buys this movie then they will do,

1. broadcasts in TV the past Sohn YJ's movies and director Heo's movies
2. make Quiz shows about this movie, about Samcheok for example, etc.

These are what Universal Pictures does in Japan, actually, when they regard that movie as the main jobs this year for them. So, this company has every knowhow and I want them use their knowhows.

Untold Scandal will be on airred in TV in Japan next month, this is a first step of advertising April Snow, the second step is to broadcast Sohn YJ and Heo JH's movies in TV from April to Aug. Third step is to make a quiz program(there is a program of such a kind in Japan which often advertises movies by quiz show, the title of the program is Sekai Husigi Hakken, World Mystery Findings) for April Snow. Let us see what Universal Pictures will do for advertisement of this movie.

Part 29 - 26th Feb 2005

Hi everyone. The Japanese title of this movie is determined, simply the Japanese translation of April Snow. In Japanese, this becomes Snow in April.

Show East, Korean distributer, said, "some Korean movies were exported at high prices but failed in box-office results. we donot want to mention about the export price of this movie. The box office result of this movie will tell you everything", so it seems they are very confident in box office result of this movie.

There was a saying about why Show East annouced the full story of this movie. I think this is related with other sayings that the story of this movie is somewhat similiar to H. Ford's Random Hearts and a famous Hong Kong movie. As now we know the full story(but we donot know the exact ending scene), if someone think this story is too much similiar to other movies, then he or she can mention the opinion now.

Director Heo said the basic structure of the story is an idea of another writer for this movie, not director Heo himself. It is said once a woman hitchhiked the writer's car and in that occasion, this writer thought, "what if my wife saw my riding with a strange woman", and then, he thought the basic story line of this April Snow. When director Heo listened people saying there is a HK movie close to this story, it seems he did not know, or see this HK movie. So he checked this movie and said, "I cried a lot while seeing this HK movie" with a laugh in an interview. Thus,He was sure that April Snow is perfectly different movie from HK and hollywood movies.

It is reported that, to make up Ryu Sung Su's face as a vegetative man, it takes an hour. This Ryu in WLS is a very talkative man. As BYJ is not talkative, it seems many BYJ's friends are talkative. I myself prefer non-talkative man as a friend. As I am a talkative man, if my friends are talkative, then I can not talk(haha). I prefer younger guys to drink with, because in Korean society, younger guys say nothing when older guys talk something. So, when I drink with younger guys, only me talk and talk satisfying myself(haha)

Anyway, Mr Ryu, this talkative guy can not say anything while make-ups and shooting. Poor Mr Ryu, probably the most difficult role for him. I suppose he will drink a lot after shooting with BYJ, one of his best friends. BYJ would drink a little smiling to hear Ryu's talks and talks.

Sohn YJ would drink thinking about one of her best friends, the late Ms Lee UJ(so sorry for her).
Lim Sang Hyo(wife of Insoo) would drink to ease her tension(the first big job in movies)

As you know, Koreans like drinking and we can drink much. So it is OK to drink while shooting. A Japanese man said to me looking at me drinking beers,
"I think Korean's stomach has a different structure from Japanese"

Part 30 - 5th Mar 2005

Hi everyone, I am not satisfied with the Japanese title of the new movie, "Sigatsu no Yuki" and we have a new problem in Japan. In Sep. a Japanese big movie, based on the novel by Mishima Yukio, is released, a love story and the title of this movie is "Spring Snow". In English, we have April Snow and Spring Snow in Sep. this year in Japan. This Spring Snow is a very famous and very popular novel in Japan. I want the movie distributer UIP change the title for BYJ movie(as some of you might know, I have insisted to make a new Japanese title because the title of Sigatsu No Yuki does not sound so good to me and to many Japan family).

This new movie has faced lots of difficulties till now. As a man who endured many difficulties becomes a real man, when a verywonderful movie is born, many difficulties are to be appeared and to be overcome) There were difficulties of

1. actress problem(but I am happy BYJ plays with SYJ rather than Ms Ko.)
2. crowding fans in Sam Cheok
3.about the title of the movie
4. BYJ god a cold(it seems he is fine now)
5. yesterday, it is said, they had shooting in Hae Nam(a harbor in the south of Korea, famous for reed). Staffs have waited a heavy snow in Sam Cheok to take a heavy snow scenes. yesterday, it was a heavy snow in Sam Cheok but shooting was done in Hae Nam, Alas(but do not worry, staffs have many snowmaking machines)

In Korea OB, it is reported the Korean rap group Lee Shang(Ree Siang?) will appear in this movie. Oops, I donot know who they are. It was said three Korean groups or singer will appear in this movie in a concert scene. Jaurim was said to play in this movie but we can not sure now because crank in was delayed from Nov. last year. I would prefer Jaurim(I like their songs). Producer of this movie said in a news paper that they will show "crazy camera works in the concert scene" - the meaning?, I donot know(haha)

Further, it seems to me that those 2600 tourists from Japan will participate in the concert scene in Seoul(maybe). The fees for this tour is very expensive, a little bit more than hundred thousand Yen for about three days stay in Korea. Generally, tours to Seoul from Japan cost less than fifty thousand Yen for three or four days stays. I know at least three Korean men who want to make money using BYJ's popularity, so I imagine there are lots and lots of business men who try to make money in the name of BYJ. BOF has done good in protecting BYJ from these wild business guys. BOF will keep fighting with "wolves" around BYJ, I believe. I know one man who is over 60, who is so well experienced in business and in politics and who is a big fan of BYJ(esp. his wife), who has a power in several areas in Korea. Even this guy makes me surprise by saying to me his plan to make money in the name of BYJ. It seems to me everybody wants money from BYJ, haha.

Part 31 - 9th Mar 2005

Hi everyone, It is said about 8 rock and dance music group will appear in the concert Going Out. For these groups, this is a very good chance to appeal their name in whole Asia or world, so it seems everyone wants to participate. Thinking about these groups' expectation that their name will be known in this concert and in the movie, director Heo can not cut their performances in the concert. Then 8 groups will appear in the movie? I do not know. Anyway, this concert scene in the movie would be long, I expect about 10 minutes.

Did you read the story of this movie? If not, and if you do not want to know the story , please do not read further.

Insoo and Soyeong say good bye each other after the death of Soyeong's husband. If director Heo follows the same approach he had in mind in his former two movies, this movie would end here. Someone die, lovers say good bye - this was Heo's approach in past. As he said in an interview, he changed his views about LOVE in this time and his new movie is not ended when the two lovers say good bye. After a few years from their saying good bye, there is a big outdoor concert.

Loud rock and dance music, crazy lightening, fever everywhere,

Insoo makes this crazy lightening trying to forget Soyeong. Maybe, his inner self said to him, "you are crazy to say good bye to someone you love so so much". Only crazy mind can forget her for him. So his lightening is crazy, audiences are crazy, crazy music, crazy everywhere in this big town quite different from Samcheok.

Then, falls heavy snows . Crazy audiences shout with hot fevers and joy, music becomes louder. Insoo try hard to move lightening, try hard to forget her. This scene is composed by, it is said,

Concert scene + BYJ close up + Insoo's reflection

Director Heo would have a perfect plan(as he prepared for this scene for that long) to make wonderful scenes using the above three. Music is dancing, snows are dancing, people dancing and dancing the hearts of Insoo too. As he tries to forget her, his lightening shows a crazy dance, but this crazy lightening makes him think about Soyeong. He sweats, his heart beating, out of his mind...and he runs away throwing his jobs away, runs to Samcheok without any meaning. Heavy snow in Samcheok too....then he sees Soyeong's face there... is her real? or is this a fantasy?

BYJ's acting in this long scene is , I think, a climax of this movie. He would express "the dancing hearts" of Insoo without words, with only face and eye expressions. I think he will show his 100% here. I imagine his eyes will be dancing here too. With the heavy snow, everything dances. We would forget our daily lives looking at Insoo this movie, esp. in this scene. Snow will tell you, "shall we dance?", haha.

Part 32 - 10th Mar 2005

Good morning everyone, this movie will be a masterpiece. Let me explain why I am so sure. Those who did not read the story line or do not want to know the story are recommended not to read this posting.

A fine art work as a romance movie reguires a wonderful story, image, acting and music. If three among these four can be found in a movie, that becomes a masterpiece. Though we do not know what kind of music is used as ost in this movie, we can be sure that this movie has a wonderful story, image and actor.

1. Wonderful story - our real life is not that romantic. Some very romantic stories are usually unreal. To make a wonderful story, a balance between reality and romanticism is very important and hard to achieve. Now, the story of April Snow is very romantic and real(story that can happen not for me but for someone, haha). As realism and romanticism are opposite concepts, it is very hard to write "real romantic story" which we will see in this movie. The story line of this movie is very good, let me guess how the movie ends, as you know, Insoo and Soyeong meet each other in Samcheok in heavy snows, and then what?

a. Insoo and Soyeong look each other from a distance with smiling(or crying?) faces
b. They hug each other, crying
c. They kiss and smile
d. They grasp hands and walk away to somewhere

Other endings are, of course, possible. I think, as the story line is so good, we can imagine several endings. which are all GOOD to me. Generally, a story requires a certain ending but when a story is so good, we can write several ending scenes equally good and nice.

2. Images of this movie - As we all know, director Heo makes very wonderful images in his film. Further, at this time, he will take more beatiful views(heavy snow , seashore and others) with more perfect settings(because, at this time, he has lots of budget to make settings perfect) with more beautiful actors and actress. So we can totally count on director Heo for beatiful images in this movie. I have no doubt about this,

3. then finally, comes how BYJ and SYJ will act in this movie. BYJ said in an interview that he has a hard time to play the role of Insoo in this movie. yes, this is it. When he has a hard time(as always?, haha), he shows us very wonderful plays and acting. BYJ performance as an actor becomes better and better, and in Untold Scandal, he shows to me "unbelievably excellent performance"(I feel this esp. when I saw his performance with Lee Mi Sook). This time, BYJ will show a performance better than Scandal, what kind of acting that will be? It will be more than excellent. We can count on SYJ's acting too. As a young actress, I think she is one of the best in Korea.

Thus, I can be so sure this will be a masterpiece of romantic movie, wonderful story, images and views, wonderful players. It is hard to wait till Sep.

Part 33 - 12th Mar 2005

Hi everyone, It is heavy snow in Samcheok now(knew this in Korean TV). I think director Heo is happy to see so many snows as these are some neceassary part of the movie.

Do you see the photos from the new CM by Coke? You would, I am sure. Those photos are so nice because, in this time, BYJ plays BYJ himself. In Lotte CM, BYJ plays the role of a cool business man, in Sony CM, I think, BYJ plays the role of "future human". And now in that new CM(Ide bula bula something? I can not remember the name, haha), BYJ plays BYJ, shows BYJ in real life who are "heathy, natural and pure". This time he even shows his navel. Did BYJ has an idea that fans would watch his navel "carefully"? Haha, I donot think so. Do not watch his navel so carefully, baesisters, hahaha. Anyway, in that CM, as BYJ plays himself, his smiling face seems so natural and very fascinating.

In Heo's movie, everytime, there are deaths of some people and that death destroy other's love(life). A person's death could destroy other's life(love), or on the contrary, death could strenthen other's life. Director Heo has discribed the former situations in his past two works, "other's death make your life(love) dying", the situation of death calls another deaths as if it were epidemics. Director Heo, however, changed his view about death and life(love) in this new movie. He prepared Resurrection of love.

The concert scene is a ritual for this love resurrection and snows represent angels from the heaven, I suppose. We would see very spectacle ritual ceremony in this concert scene. So I said to Japan family, "this is a very holy space where the ritual for love ressurection is made, so you should not run or shout in this holy space". It is said that only Japan package tour members can watch the preparation scene of this concert. As that place would be widely opened space, they would need many guards(maybe about 200) to control the audiences. I can not understand the meaning of this Japan package tour. If this is related with advertisement of this movie, I would say there are many better way to advertise this movie. They insist that this is not an event for money, then what? We have surely better ways to satisfy BYJ family world wide including , of course, Korea family. Is this tour April Snow event? no, this is BYJ event for Japan family BUT BOF is not related with this event.

Anyway, I suppose, in this movie, snows represent life and love and rains represent death and hate. The raining scene in which BYJ got a cold might be a very sad scene. BYJ who becomes 100% Insoo when he plays might feel very sad actually. I think this sad feeling of Insoo makes Insoo(BYJ) get a cold. Often, sad and hurt mind cause a disease for us, right? As Insoo was so sad and hurt in that rainning scene, Insoo got a cold. And, BYJ got a cold actually. From this, we could guess how BYJ acts in a movie. He became Insoo himself in April Snow.

So, in concert preparation, Insoo will be very concentrated for the concert tomorrow. He will not be in a happy mood as he is far away from his loving one. To forget her, Insoo will work very hard when Japan family watch Insoo working. I hope Japan family to understand that they will see Insoo, he is not BYJ.

Part 34 - 16th Mar 2005

Hi everyone. In China and Taiwan, there are sayings to restrict Hanryu, for example, number of Korean movies released. In past, Korea restricted the number of Hong Kong movies released in Korea(3 movies in a year). So, in past, only the best Hong Kong Movies were released in Korea and every HK movie in Korea was so funny and nice, which reinforced HK movie booms in Korea. If the Korea wave is restricted in some area, then only the best Korean works enter that area and reinforce the Korea wave which is supposed to be limited. This is what Koreans experienced for HK movies.

Anyway, today, I want to talk in what kind of voice Insoo will talk in this new movie. BYJ slightly changes his voices according to the roles he plays. Especially, in Untold Scandal, that was Cho Won's voice, not BYJ's voice. BYJ talks in two tones simultaneously(the high tone and the low tone). His voice is very characteristic and attractive, I can not name anyone whose voice similar to BYJ. In HWRL, Jaeho speaks mainly in low voices, in WLS, when Minhyeong is happy, Minhyeong speaks in high voices, but when BYJ talks in high voices, there still remains the sound of low voices and vice versa. Very magical voice.

But, in Scandal, Cho Won speaks in a different way(this is of course he is a man of 200 years ago). I can not feel BYJ special "low but high voice" when Cho W is speaking. To me, Cho W speaks in a medium tone(not low and not high). Once I listened Cho W talking without looking at the scene and I found Cho W's voive is not BYJ voice. BYJ changes his voice according to the role he plays, so if you close your eyes while watching Untold Scandal, you will find how BYJ changes his voive to become Cho Won himself. BYJ should have received the best actor award in this movie, not the best rookie awards.

In April Snow, Insoo is a man "who is out of his mind with his mouth opened when he heard accident of his wife" and "who cries like a child". Insoo seems a very emotional person. Then, if so, in what kind of voice, Insoo will speak? High tone voices, I suppose. We could hear BYJ's new voice acting in this new movie.

Part 35 - 17th Mar 2005

Hi everyone. Today, we have an interview in Samcheok. According to Korean TV news, it snows now in Samcheok but will be fine day in the afternoon. A Korea family reported that she saw BYJ and SYJ shooting the movie in Mok-Po whose location is close to Haenam(famous for reeds). This Korea family said in OB, "SYJ is so pretty ,looks like a doll. BYJ is so handsome, looks like a piece of sculpture". So it seems Insoo and Soyeong had a trip to these area, which is close to director Heo's hometown. Director Heo would know the hidden beatuful places around Mok-Po or Hae-Nam as these places are close to his hometown. I presume this is a reason why he chooses these area(his seceret beautiful places?)

In Korea, director Heo is said "the emperor of romantic movie", BYJ is said, in the same way, "the emperor of romantic movie". Two emperors of romantic movie met each other in this April Snow. Still, Heo's movies are said to be "not exciting", "too calm". Though he is called the emperor of romantic movie, he never used "weapons of romantic movies" in his past works and this is a reason why his past work is said, "not exciting". What are the weapons of romantic movies? Maybe, these are, beautiful landscapes, heavy snows or rains, tears, very romantic music, strong passions, body looks like a piece of sculpture, etc. It is amazing that he is called the emperor without using these weapons of romantic drama. But, this time, he uses every weapons of romantic drama to make you cry and moved. He even uses "the last weapon of the romantic movie" - "the miracle, heavy snow in April".

As you know, BYJ studies about making movie while working several different directors. It is possible(though nobody knows) this could be the first and last work done by two emperors of romantic movies(HJH and BYJ) . So director Heo decides to use every weapon of romantic movie to make the best romantic movie with the best romantic actor. There will be,

so beatiful seashore, reeds, heavy snows, rains, lots of tears, strong passions, wonderful music, beautiful faces, bodies, so wonderful images, miracle, and everything you will ask for a romantic movie.

I imagine director Heo was angry when he heard some critics saying that his second movie was "too silent and not exciting". Then, he met another emperor, BYJ, and he would have said himself(my imagination), "OK now I have emperor BYJ to work with. Let me use every weapon of romantic movie to show you real passionate romantic drama that you can never forget. Let there be heavy snow in Samcheok". Then there was heavy snows in Samcheok, haha.

Emperor Strikes Back with full weapons to attack your heart. Hearts of every people who watch this movie will be conquered by BYJ. You must be careful because your heart is already conquered by this young Prince BYJ. What if you can not eat anything when your heart is totally conquered by Insoo? Please watch out, BYJ is fully armed with romantic weapons this time. I know your heart is conquered when you saw Insoo sitting on the dirty bench. What if Insoo cries out loud in heavy snows with beautiful seashores behind him? Close your eyes or you will be sick, hahaha.

Part 36 - 19th Mar 2005

Good afternoon, everyone. Do you know Korean Nang Myeon(cold buckwheat noodles)? In soup of this noodle, Koreans generally add several foods, fruits, meats, egg, vegetables e.t.c. There was a legendary Nang Myeon in pat. I tasted that legendary noodle 25 years ago made by a famous grandmom. In this legendary noodle, there was nothing in the soup, no meats, no vegetables, no fruits, nothing. Noodle was the best and soup was the best among the bests.

April Snow reminds me this legendary noodle - only soup and noodle and nothing else. In April Snow, we have BYJ and no other actors play important roles in this movie(sorry, Ryu Sung Su, but you have no line of words to appeal in this movie, sorry haha). The real best Korean noodle requires no additional foods to make it real tasty. How to cook Shanghai crabs? Just boil them without adding anything, that is the best way to cook Shanghai crabs.How to make a movie with the legendary actor BYJ? Let just BYJ play without adding any other actors. This is the best way to make a romantic movie starring BYJ and April Snow does this.

Director Hur is a very sensitive man without doubts(I did not know how to spell his name but know now he is Hur not Heo as I wrote). We saw BYJ drinking some beverage(cola?) and BYJ put his hand in a pocket while walking with SYJ. Director Hur give some meanings to these poses though I do not know what is the meaning of drinking something or put one's hand in a pocket while walking. Actually, the meaning of these subtle gestures make Hur's movies difficult to interpret. When Insoo lights a cigarette, Soyeong tries to keep that light from going out using her hands. At this scene, the movement of Soyeong's hands has a very important meaning to director Hur. It seems Insoo knows her love to him when he saw her hands moving while he lights a cigarette. Very sensitive, right? Hur's movie is sometimes too sensitive for me to follow the meanings.

Hur said Insoo is a soft but strong man. He becomes emotional from time to time so that, at one scene, Insoo kicks the door of Soyeong's room(at this scene, we can see BYJ martial arts against the door, haha, this is what movie makers wrote in April Snow board). He silently cries looking at wife's face lying in the bed of hospital after he knew his wife's love affair. I think you will cry at this scene looking Insoo's silent cries. If you cry from the first scene of this movie, you could not see the every beatiful image of this movie, so do not cry at least for an hour from the start. The movie maker described (yesterday in Korean media) Insoo and Soyeong's love as "extreme and awful love" Extreme and awful? the final scene of this movie is a secret, what is that awful? Do not worry I will tell you the final scene as soon as the movie is released, hahaha.

Soyeong says as follows:

This winter makes me so sad. I become to hate winter. really hate the winter. But....still I like snows...what I can do? I wan to see flowers in the spring. Yes, I will be happy if snow falls in April. I can see my loving flowers and snows together.

Beatiful lines which we can hear in this romantic movie made by two emperors of romantic movies.

Part 37 - 22nd Mar 2005

Hi everyone. Do you know who Japanese extreme right wings hate most? BYJ. I can not understand at all why Korean mass media (who hate Japan extreme right wings) do not support sometimes BYJ. When Korean mass media say something bad for BYJ, Japan extreme right wings feel very happy.

Anyway, let me talk about April Snow.

BYJ said, "director Hur is a new type director for me" and said "I should throw myself away to be Insoo". I think these indicate a fact that director Hur changes lines of words for Insoo at the shooting spot, which is not BYJ style. BYJ disliked this style(changes in stories and lines at the shooting spot) and it is said this was a reason why BYJ gave up his role in SBS drama. Then why, at this time, BYJ adimits Hur's style?

I think this is because Insoo is a person who is not cool and is an emotional man. BYJ has acted a cool person. The roles that BYJ played, for example Jaeho or Minhyeong, "analyze himself, think lot before he does something, before he says something", so called a cool guy. To play the role of cool guys, BYJ prepared, he "analyzed the role and thought a lot before acting the role". In that SBS police story, BYJ was supposed to play a cool man, but SBS did not give him a time to prepare "to be a cool guy".

At this time, Insoo is not a cool guy. He cries like a child and when he is drunken and angry, he kicks the doors. Insoo behaves according to the circumstances. So BYJ must behave according to the circumstances, because BYJ is Insoo, now. This is BYJ's first experience, his first experience to play a sentimental guy. Insoo is sentimental Minhyeong, I suppose.

Minhyeong is a cool guy, but he sometimes becomes sentimental, for example,

when he first said to Yujin, he loves her
when he said to Yujin that whether she can love him if he is Joonsang
when he throw polaris neckless away to the sea,
etc

Thinking in this way, we found we love "sentimental Minhyeong" rather than "Minhyeong as a cool guy". Now, Insoo is emotional and sentimental from the first to the last, he has a character of "sentimental Minhyeong". I am sure we will love Insoo because we love Mihyeong especially when he becomes sentimental. So, April Snow is, I expect, a kind of collection of the best scenes of WLS. The best scenes of WLS are when Minhyeong becomes sentimental, not logical.

As I becomes older and older, I do not like time passing, but this year, I wait for Sep. as kids waits for their summer holidays. You can guess the reason, hyu..

Part 38 - 24th Mar 2005

Hi everyone, Now we knew who will play in the concert. Let me explain a little bit. From time to time, I watch TV music shows for young people and about a half of singers I do not know their names. For this time concert, I do not know half of them. But, there comes Cho Sung Mo who, I suppose, many of you could recognise, who is called the King of ballade music. And, there comes M and Jewelry, who I know well(which means these are very famous dance music group in Korea). And comes, Han Dae Soo....Of My Christ, Han Dae Soo, the legendary singer of Korea. I am happy to introduce him to all of you.

Han Dae Soo is Bob Dylan of Korea. His singing style is quite close to Bob Dylan. As you might know, Korean students have fought for freedom and democracy for a long period. Han was "a symbol of freedom and democracy" for students in 1970s. His songs were banned by Korean government till 1986 which made him legendary to Korean people. He seldom appeared in TV and I saw him in TV only once or twice. When I was about 20 years old, I sang his songs to ask people's freedom with a guitar in a street and arrested by police(haha, for 2 or 3 days) In 1970s, long hairs, blue jeans, and a guitar were symbol of freedom and democracy. Han Dae Soo is called "Godfather of 70s Korean student culture". Though we often use the word Charisma, he is a real charisma and legendary, seldom appears before people.

So when I heard the name Han Dae Soo in April Snow, I shouted "Oh My God, Unbelievable" Korean people(esp. men) in the age of roughly 40 to 55 would have a same emotion towards him.

From Sep. last year, I have a puzzle. Why rock music in Hur's movie? I can not image rock music in Hur's world. As I heard Hur would change his styles this time, I thought myself "is this movie a kind of suspense? " if not, why rock music?(I was a rock mania till 1980s). Now, I have an answer to this puzzle. It is Han Dae Soo, Bob Dylan style music. I imagine the concert will be held in a following order,

1. First, Cho Sung Mo sings a nice ballade songs and Insoo is thinking about Soyeong listening his songs,

2. Then dance musics, modern musics follow. Insoo makes somewhat crazy ligtenings. Musics and lights make Insoo feel lonely, makes him a stranger in a crowded and shouting people. Then comes heavy snows. Insoo's lightening would become crazy only thinking about Soyeong

3. Then appears Han Dae Soo who would sing his most well known song
To a Place of Happiness(every Korean over 20 years old would know this song)

He will sing "I want to go to a place of happiness, let me go...."

Of course, Insoo will go to a place of happiness where Soyeong would be. Korean men of around my ages would cry when Han DS appears and sings. Oops...I should buy sunglasses to hide my tears. Crying by BYJ and crying by Han DS...What can I do?

Part 39 - 8th Apr 2005

Hi everyone, now we are on the way to make April Snow a huge hit, I have three good news here,

1. Japan's most authorative monthly movie magazine Kinema Junbo reported about the makings of April Snow, 3 pages color article with several pictures. This magazine does not write about so called time-killing movies, writes only about quality movie. It is very rare case that this magazine reports about makings of a movie. Only movies like Star Wars or Lords of the Rings had makings reports. Though not well recognized, this magazine yielded Korea movie boom in Japan by introducing Christmas in August in a full length. As this magazine reported the makings of April Snow in colored pages, other movie magazines in Japan will follow the lead of this magazine from next month. We could read lots of articles about April Snow in Japanese movie magazine. This is very important as I said repeatedly, esp. because Japanese movie magazines do not write about Korea Star Movie(not Korea Movie, Korea Star Movie means Korea Movie starring so called Hanryu Stars). For example, these magazines did not show strong interests in Untold Scandal last year. But, at this time, these magazines would write full length article about April Snow.

2. Japanese TV will broadcast a special an hour's program titled like, "BYJ's chllenge in April Snow, tomorrow(time schedule seems different according to the places). This is amazing, too. This kind of program is on airred soon before the movie is released only for noteworthy movies. I could recall TV programs for making scenes for movies like Project A(by J Chen), Matrix, Lords of Rings, though not a movie, Michal Jackson's music video makings in 1980s. From now on, we would have more special TV programs about April Snow. Looking at Japan media's reactions to April Snow, this reminds me Thriller album of M. Jackson in the early 1980s. This will be a monster hit and will be a monster year for BYJ.

3. In Korea Yahoo, there was a vote asking "whether this movie will be a big hit or not". Three most noteworthy Korea movies this year are named in that vote, April Snow, Friendly Ms Kumza(Lee Young Ai), The Story of South Pole(Song Gang Ho). Among these top three, April Snow is most strongly supported by Korean movie fans and 84% agreed that this will record a big hit in Korea(I saw this number yesterday morning and do not know how the number was changed afterward)

And, the main song of this movie will be performed by Cho Sung Mo, who is called the emperor of ballade music in Korea. So, we have three emperors in this movie, BYJ Hur JH and Cho SM. So, if you like Korean movie, or If you are interested in Korea, or if you dislike Korea, or if you think Korean movie is not that funny, or if you do not know anything about Korea, or if you love BYJ, or if you donot know about BYJ, or if you are anti-BYJ, or if you want to know more about BYJ, or any if, any way, you SHOUD watch this movie.

Once, Mariko asks me if I do some excercise. I like drinking beers , do not like moving my body, haha. But I walk everyday for an hour as an exercise. I think I am healthy(really? I myself do not know. As long as beers taste good to me, that means health for me), and I found watching BYJ's plays make my mind so peaceful, which makes me healthy and makes beers taste good.

Part 40 - 11th Apr 2005

Hi everyone, I changed the title from huge hit to monster hit, because now I am sure this movie will be a huge hit and there is no meaning in the phrase "make this movie a huge hit".

Firstly, I will give you some expalanations about VOD here in 9673, presented by Heejin and Style(thanks), this VOD is a part of the special program of the Japanese TV. In the CM shooting scene, BYJ plays the role of university lecturer who (it seems to me) falls in love with his student. BYJ runs to find his lover, he has a plan to give a chocolete to her(haha). At his walking scene, camera had a very slight delay in time in foloowing BYJ walking. Though the director said, OK, BYJ showed a surprised look, saying Jyong Mal?(really? Looking at his mouth closely at this scene, could you notice he said "Jyong Mal"). Narration said BYJ knows about camera so much and can notice very slight delay in camera while walking(the narration of this program was the voice of Tanaka Misato, who plays Yujin's voice in Japanese version of WLS).

Then, BYJ runs to find his lover, meet her and give her a chocolete. At this scene, camera shows BYJ only as if BYJ gives YOU a chocolete. Camera did not show actress face in this CM(judging from the making scene), the concept seems that you are BYJ's lover and BYJ runs to find you and give you a chocolete. So, buy this chocolete thinking BYJ gave it to you, hahaha.

Japan's TV station gave a present to BYJ, the reporter in this scene seems a very strong fan of BYJ and she bursted into a sweat before she met BYJ. The present was a mascot doll of this TV station. Then in a short interview, BYJ said, "I want to meet my family soon. Now, the shooting of ths new movie continues days and nights and it is hard for me to find sleeping times. I am sure this will be a very nice work and I am doing my best in this movie. I want to meet you all in the screen soon ,and be happy and healthy till we can meet in theater. Thank you all"

At other scenes in that TV program, there are scenes like this(I talked about this yesterday, a little). BYJ and SYJ sit in a bench together. BYJ said, "please, put your hand on the bench. It will be easy for me to grasp your hand if you put your hand on the bench", then, SYJ said looking at BYJ and Hur JH, "a girl never puts her hand on a bench".

This scene is impressive to me. As you know Korea is a society of "Age Matters". Generally, a young actress like SYJ can not express her opinion, different from Hur JH or BYJ, freely before their presences. Sohn YJ, however, can express freely her own opinions to BYJ and to Hur JH. She can do so because these two guys are so gentle and nice men. Not only these two guys are very wonderful artists, but also these guys are very nice and soft in characters. I never saw a making scene wherein the director, hero and heroin talk one another freely how to make a wonderful image, impressive scenes. These free and sincere talks will make this movie so great for sure.

Now the followings are some details of the story. If you do not want to know stories in detail, please do not read the followings.

Insoo and Soyong were going out to confirm their love. But Soyong's huds died while she left him for Insoo. These two went to Haenam where Soyong's husband's funeral(of traditional Korean style) was held ,and at this funeral, relatives of Soyong's huds strongly criticized Soyong's behavior with Insoo. Insoo defensed strongly Soyong but she felt so guilty and she left Insoo without notice. Insoo chased her, tried to find Soyong in express bus terminal in Seoul(Insoo and Soyong went to Haenam by Insoo's car. In Haenam, she left her. Insoo thought she went to Seoul by a express bus and then chased her in a top speed with his car.

Though Insoo tried so hard to find her, he could not find her. Insoo talked everything to his wife and both forgive each other. After a few years, in a Sper Concert, falls April Snow, which reminds Insoo what Soyong said, "I will be happy if I can see april flowers in the snow". Insoo runs to Samcheok like a crazy man and he finds ???

Part 41 - 14th Apr 2005

Hi everyone. Recently, I spend strange days. As you might know, I work in business related with Korea-Japan. Recent political situations make my work strange. Some are cancled and some are supposed to be cancled but not cancled. So it becomes hard to arrange my own time schedule. This is important because I am supposed to participate that Super Concert. Though I have a job in 24th in Japan, my boss said that would be cancled. But still that job is not cancled, instead, my today's job is cancled that is not supposed to be cancled. In Korea, if you want to be free from political things, you have better become a Congressman. Only Congressmen are free from politics in Korea.

Anyway, I saw pictures introduced by happiebb here in 9746 and 9745(thanks happiebb). I am surprised to see Soyong wear clothes closed to white colors. In pictures we have seen till now, Insoo and Soyong wear the pair looks, the almost same colored fashion(lovers in Korea generally wear the same colored fashion). But now at this time, we first see the pictures with snows around these two lovers. Then, what makes me surprise is Soyong's (basically) white fashion and Insoo's (basically) black fashion.

White fashion in the snow does not attract our attention to Soyong while black fashion in the snow is quite noticeable. Soyong looks like a fairy in the snow with that fashion and it seems to me Insoo plays alone with this beatiful fairy and snows. Looking at Insoo's face, I feel some differences between Insoo and Minhyeong. If you play snowballing with Minhyeong, he will through a snowball very softly to you, but, I feel, if you play snowballing with Insoo, this guy would throw to you very fast and strong snowball. He looks like a mischievous kid to me.

Victoria asks me to talk about Korean history, and I will talk about Korean history from time to time. This time, I want to talk about the names of Koreans. In Korea, there are about 200 family names(quite a few). From about 4C to 7C, there are three Kingdoms in Korea, those names are Kokuryo, Shinra, Packjae. Now, names of Koreans are largely same with Chinese, right? For my case, you know? my full name is same with the famous Chinese actor's name, haha. I met, by chance, people in Hong Kong and Singapore whose family name is same with me. This makes me feel strange though I was so happy to meet guys of same family name in foreign countries.

Though we can find same family names in China, still, the name Kim, Park, Choi(these are originated from Shinra Kingdom), or Ahn(安）Cha(車) Seol, others are very rare in China, I suppose.(but, Of course, there are so many Kim in China too) There is an old record that the name Bae is a noble name of Shinra Kingdom(Bae is a rare name in China, am I right?)

Part 42 - 18th Apr 2005

Hi everyone, In this movie, Insoo will be so drunken at least two times. Did you see a photo of a small wheeled snack bar with a tent, introduced in this Quilt? In that tent, it is written Odeng, Odeng and Odeng(a kind of boiled fish paste). Do you remember that Jaeho in HWRL drinks Odeng soups when he drinks Soju(distilled liquor)? How BYJ would play drunken Insoo? will he drink actually to play the role? Possibly yes(though not that much and heavy).I imagine(though there is no information of this kind) BYJ would drink a bottle of Soju to play so druken Insoo. When I went to China I found those who were staggering after a heavy drink are all Koreans or Japanese. I found Chinese do not drink that much outside their home. I never walk staggeringly after a heavy drink. Sometimes, after a heavy drink, often earthquakes attack me and roads are moving and staggering, not me.

April Snow describes, as Hur and BYJ mention, Irony - those two lovers who are supposed not to love each other. It is this kind of situation: when Insoo asks Soyong "Can I love you?", Soyong replies, "No Because I love you so so much". This irony and contradiction yields a tension and energy which will make this movie so wonderful. Insoo(BYJ) in this ironical situation yields so strong enerygy and passion. Past works by director Hur were very wonderful but I could not feel enough energy and power in those two works. I could go to toilet when I saw Christmas in August. But, this time, remember you can not go to toilet till an hour after this movie is over. For an hour after you watch this movie, the overwhelming energy of BYJ will conquer your whole mind and you would forget everything.

Energy and power created by BYJ under the ironical situation will be exploded in that Super Concert. Dance musics and heavy snows in April, crazy crowds....everything will be exploded. BYJ's acting in this movie, esp. in this scene, would make our mind explode too, which will free "our forgotten passion" and will make us so so much much happy(happiness as if we know every secrets of our lives, that may be simply a love).

Insoo was an ordinary nice man except his so good-looking like fumi(?), but what happens around him after the movie starts give him another character - very emotional and passionate man. Insoo cries out loud like a boy, kicks your door when he is drunken. This double character makes Insoo feel irony and contradiction. This feeling of contradiction in life releases every energy inside Insoo(BYJ). I think we do not know the full energy and passion inside the hearts of BYJ. That will be all released in this movie and I am sure you will be overwhelmed by that passion.

By the way, the name Chan or Chen 陣　is pronounced in Korean, Jin. We have this name in Korea too. There was a famous actor Jin Yu Young(retired). The actress work with BYJ in Hae Pung(Sea Wind) is Jin Jae Young. Chinese names like Tung(鄧)、Hu(候) etc are not found in Korea. So if there is Ms Hu in Korea, we know she is a Chinese emigrant.

Part 43 - 12th May 2005

Hello everyone, I have a bad news today. Two Korean movies, which I exepct would record more than 5 million US $ revenues in Japan, recorded poor results in box office. One is Lee Byong-Hun's new movie "Sweet Life(not sure for English title)". As you know, Lee BH who called Byong-Sama in Japan is quite popular in Japan and a failure of his movie in Japan must be a shock to BYJ fans. I think BYJ Japan family should worry about this result. Here I will report why this movie was a failure in Japan and will think what we can do make April Snow a huge hit.

This movie "Sweet Life" appeared at rank 9 at the first week , then disappeared in the second week in the top 10 hit chart in Japan. Lee BH's movie "Everyone has a secret" with Choi Ji Woo stayed in the top 10 charts for 3(or 4?) weeks Nov. last year. Nov. last year is not that "long time ago" and as a movie, it is a general opinion that "Sweet Life" is better than "Everyone has a Secret" To make a Korean movie record in Japan, April Snow must stay in top 10 chart more than 6 weeks and the highest rank must be at least rank 3. Why Lee BH's new movie has suffered in Japan, here are my opinions:

1. In this year, Lee BH's past two movies are released in Japan and can not record a hit. But this has been the expected result because, these two movies are made about 5 years ago and the distributing agency(IMX!) is not the major distributing Co. The number of movie houses for these movies are very small and we knew these are not supposed to be a hit.(a Korean media reported that Oh this 5 years ago movie still makes a hit in Japan, which was simply a lie)

The first point is that, though these past Lee BH movies COULD NOT make a hit(owing to the very small number of movie houses for these) in Japan, these two movies give an IMPRESSION that Lee BH movie has some limits in the movie market.

2. This new movie is distributed in Japan by Japan Herald, quite a big distributer, BUT, this Co does not prepare enough movie houses for "Sweet Life" Why? I think because this Co. does not anticipate a huge hit from this movie(in my view, this expectation is formed by the seemingly failure(but not failure) of those two past movies released this year in Japan). I was surprised to see that the number of movie houses for this new movie is smaller than the number for the Korean horror movie "Bunshin Saba" which is distributed by a small distributing Co. Still, the number of movie houses for this movie is larger than the number for Untold Scandal.

3. The timing of release has a big problem in my view. This movie was released at 24th April in Japan. Bad timing. In Japan, there is a "Golden Week" from about 29th April and lots of good movies are released from 29th April and at the beginning of this May. When this movie is ranked at 9 at 24th April, this means that this one will be disappeared in the next week in the chart because "sure-hit" hollywood movies are waiting from 29th. If the same movie is released two weeks ago or 4 weeks later, then I think this one will remain in the chart for 3 weeks and record about 5 million $ revenue(Japan bought this movie at about 5 million $)

Then, why Japan Herald released this movie at 24th April, because I think "they think this one can not remain for three weeks in the chart regardless of the timing of release". This Co. UNDERESTIMATES the possibilty of this movie and the popularity of Lee BH. At here, the roles of fans are very important in my view. Fans should stop this kind of underestimation of their loving stars.

4. PR has some problems also. The distributing Co does not invest much in PR of this film. Japanese magazines write much about April Snow(writes every week) but I could not read articles for this movie(this does not mean there was no article for this one).

5. Some say as follows: Japanese like romantic Korean movies but this one is a violent movie and this is why this could not record a good box office result. Right in a sense but this is not a whole story. Japanese women do not like "sexy movies(haha)" like Untold Scandal, but this recorded a big hit .

Now, then think about April Snow in Japan,

timing of release, Sep. this year has no "big hollywood movie" but has some "big Japanese movies" . Sep. is a good timing as there are only a few rivals.

The distributing Co' expectation about April Snow: this part is so much important as I explained several times. what can be possible expectations for this movie?,

a. revenues over 10 million $
b. revenues over 20 million $(Korean movie record)
c. revenues over 40 million $(then possibly among the top 10 hits for a year)

I hope the distributing Co makes an expectation c, "what you do not expect will not happen", this is so true in the movie market. If this Co. expects c, the they will invest a lot in PRs and amazing results will follow. Till now, every things seem fine except the failure of the movie "Sweet Life", we should remember that in a sense, BYJ and Lee BH are in the same boat called "Korean Wave". So, though everything is fine now, we must not be too confident about the box office result.

Till now, several magazines including top movie magazines write about April Snow, Japan TV talks about April Snow, TV showed a movie "Christmas in August" etc. Let us watch carefully what is going around April Snow.

Part 44 - 16th May 2005

Good morning every one, Japan OB is closed? I did not know. It is said that Japan OB will be some restricted board, from now on? I do not know but it would be in near future. I made a promise to Japan family to write April series to 200(it is currently 82 in Japan OB). So I've thought I could write this series further in a different Japan site. Today let me talk further about Korean Wave in Japan.

WLS make us confirm the POTENTIAL market for Korean TV drama and movies, its viewing rate is 20% highest but it is said 35% of Japanese watched it(the reantal rate of WLS videos and DVD is still in top 10 among Korean drama videos, just amazing). This means more than 40 million Japanese people watched this WLS. This is potential market for Korean TV drama and movies.

After WLS, the main Korean drama airred in Japan failed to USE thia potential market. Less than 10 million Japanese people watched Korean TV drama after WLS. No Korean movie could gather more than 2 million people. NHK choosed First Love as a drama after Daejanggum. First Love, BYJ's fascinating work but of about 9 years ago. This is a good news for BYJ family but a bad news for Korean show buiz., which means that Korea did not make better and more fascinating TV drama for these 9 years.

OK, then what is the potential market for Korean TV drama, i.e. who are those 40 million people who watched WLS?

1. BYJ family
2. fans of other Korean stars
3. fans of Korean Wave(but not fans of particular Korean stars)
4. who are not strong supporters of Korean Wave, but who would see Korean drama or movie if there appear a very good one such as WLS,

I am sure 4 are largest in number. As famous Korean TV dramas are watched by about 10 million people, I would say(based on this) 4 are more than 30 million people and 1+2+3 are about 10 million people. Now this about 10 million people support Hanryu in Japan, "Korea has succeeded in make Korea Wave stable in Japan but failed to make full use of the potential market"

Forecasts about the box office result for April Snow In Japan could be made based on these numbers and the past results of Korean movies and esp. of Untold Scandal. This forecast is very difficult because every 1+2+3+4 show interests in this movie. I could tell you what would be the minimum expectation for this movie, but nobody would know the maximum possibility of this movie. But let me think in this way. If there is a good Korean movie starring Mr X, strong fans of Mr X all see that movie and about 5% of (1+2+3) Korean Wave supporters watch the movie in theatres. This results in revenues of more than 5 million $, so GOOD Korean movies make this level of a hit.

If this Mr X is BYJ, we need a different way of calculation,because

a. the number of strong supporters are so many
b. those 4(who are not supporters of Korean Wave) show interests in BYJ works,

This part is difficult, but, if we assume 5% of (1 to 4, i.e. 40 million people) watch April Snow, it will be 2 million, right? So this 2 million plus BYJ strong fans would watch the movie.

If this happens, this will be 40 million $ hit(more than twice than Korea movie record in Japan) This is surely the moster hit in Japan and so, this will be my target, haha.

I do not know about Chinese movie market but I know, from my personal research, that Chinese young people like the story of pure love. As you know, Chinese young people love WLS and Autumn Fairy Tales. April Snow is a story of pure love, for sure. So if I am related with Chinese market, I won't say this movie is about "love affairs of married couple", rather I will say "this is another pure love story by BYJ".

By the way, I will check out what kind of BYJ boards there are in Japan. Of course I will write in Quilt

Part 45 - 17th May 2005

Good morning everyone, I did not know the correct reason why JOB is closed now yesterday, but now I know and think we still do not know whether JOB adapt a kind of key or a card or not yet. My writing about JOB may be wrong and I hope so.

Today I want to talk about making a preview of April Snow. I will talk if I make a preview of this movie, I will make in this way. Before VTR is invented, the onle way we could enjoy previews is to go to the theatre. I loved previews so much in those days. In those days, sometimes movie started without showing any previews, which made me angry. Nowadays, we can see so many previews esp. by videos. A movie fan like me sometimes has to see the same previews more than 10 times. So in recent days, I am not that interested in previews. But this one is different, for sure. I read in JOB that in a theatre in Japan, when the short pre-preview(of about 30 seconds) of April Snow is shown, Japanese movie fans say, "Waoo-" I had a same experience in the USA. Once I saw a preview of Star Wars in a theatre in the USA, people in the theatre exclaimed "Waoo-" So I thought Americans love Star Wars so much.

Anyway, if I make a preview of April Snow, I would think in a following way:

I want to show variety(several different components) of this movie and for this, I will show you,

car accident scene(though I do not know there is such a scene, what do you think? I think there is no scene for the car accident)
the scene BYJ kicks the door with anger
concert scene for sure(I will pick up the dancing group Jewerly for this preview. they are so sexy and men would love this scene, hehehe)
if there is no car accident scene, I will show you BYJ's car running at the top speed.
there can be Korean traditional funeral scene(to express cultural contents, still I think sexy dancing is better, hihihi)

And, of course, we should show you BYJ's crying scenes and smiling scenes, for example,

BYJ crying in the heavy rain, or in the bar(which we saw)
BYJ plays with snow balls and laughing
BYJ and SYJ walk happily together, etc

It is possible to show "several BYJ running scenes",

BYJ running to the emergency roon, but the door of the emergency room is closed before his eyes, when he look right side of that closed door, he can see a beatiful woman, SYJ(this scene, I saw in KOB, is so great. Hurrah for director HJH, this scene has so many implications)
BYJ running in Seoul to find SYJ
BYJ running to Samcheok to find SYJ,

Of course, we would need close ups of the main 4 characters,

Kyong-Ho's face with dying eyes
Su-Jin's face with lying eyes
So-Yeong's face with crying eyes
and
In-Soo's face with thinking eyes

Part 50

Good morning everyone, As I am not sure about series number of this title, I will re-start from 50. In Pack-Sang Awards, Choi JW got the Korean Wave Awards. I thought it might be BYJ or Ahn JW(if this award is kind of memorial) or Yoon SK(as a director). There could be several reasons that Choi JW received this awards, but, I only want to mention two things:

1. some Koreans working in show buiz. have a question, "why Korean actresses can not be Asian super stars", though there are Choi JW, Lee Young Ai and Cheon Ji Hyeon, basically Korean Wave is lead by actors not actresses. So these Korean guys want to produce "more Asian super stars among Korean actresses" Awarding this to an actress gives one an impression that actresses could lead Korean Wave.

2. Among the actresses, Choi JW had many hit TV drama, WLS, Beautiful Days, Stairs to Heaven and others, so if you select one among the actresses, Choi JW is a correct choice, I think.

As you know, BYJ does not need such an award. In Asia and in Korea, simply everyone knows BYJ is a leader of Hanryu, no doubt about this at all and no need for Han Ryu Awards to BYJ.

OK, then I want to talk about the music of this April Snow(I saw in TV that in China somewhere there was May Snow, so heavy snow and so beautiful, which reminds me this movie). The oboe play that I can hear in the making film is so beautiful and nice, quite more than my imagination. This oboe solo gives me impressions or imagination of

Europe(do you remember I talked about Spanish color for this movie. To me, without any logical reason, this oboe perfectly matchs my image of Spanish color)
peaceful
loneiness
sadness that is rooted so deeply in our hearts
nostalgia
longing for something

If I choose one musical instrument to express the moods of WLS, I will, of course, select a piano, for Hotelliar, I will select a trumphet(of modern Jazz), for HWRL, select a violin, for First Love, select a flute. Selection of oboe is so perfect and genius and making it as a solo play is so wonderful and simply beyond my description.

As WLS proves, the music and image are so important for romantic drama. For this April Snow, just one photo made me sure that this will be very nice movie and this oboe solo makes me so sure that I will never forget this movie. I love the openning song of HWRL very very much but it takes long time before I realized that this music is so wonderful, As for this oboe solo, it takes no time for me till I realize this solo is perfect for our Insoo.

Part 51

Good morning everyone, did you see BYJ's new CM(a photo) for Coke's tea drink? So nice. My favoriate was Sony's CM but I could change my mind that this Coke's CM might be the best. Both Sony and Coke do not cast a star in their CMs. Especially, Coke CM is famous. What is Nike's CM? the color is black, sports star appears without BGM. What is Coke's CM? color is blue, no star appears, sea, many many young and healthy people instead of a star, playing and laughing, sweats and drink Coke. This is Coke's CM, so famous concept along with Nike's CM. Now, BYJ changes this tradition of Coke's CM. One super star appears, color is not blue, no sweat but, instead, smile very gentle and nicely. Just so Nice.

Reading happiebb's translation about shooting of this movie, director Hur said, "ending scene is not decided yet". Sounds so interesting to me. BYJ said before that they took the ending scene already and it is a secret. But it seems story changes again, right? When BYJ mentioned that ending scene was already shooted, I thought the ending scene is "Sam Cheok in Snow". I thought, as they need "Snow in Sam Cheok", they shooted the ending scene when there were real snows in Sam Cheok. Ending is not decided yet. I like this idea and let me explain why I like this way of making a romantic movie.

I think you saw photos of wedding of Seoyeong and Kyongho. In those photos, Ryu SS(Kyonho) looks like an angry man, he does not smile at all, looks like a bad character to me. I thought this is because Ryu SS knew what will happen to Kyongho after that marriage. Kyongho will do a bad thing and have a very bad luck. Ryu Sung Su knew this and this FUTURE affects Kyongho's looks in his wedding day. This is my interpretation and actually I did not like Kyongho's facial expressions in his wedding day. When actors and actresses knew what will happen to them in the story, this knowledge about the FUTURE affects their facial expression.

Of course, there is other reason why Kyongho did not laugh in his wedding day. In Korea, there are sayings that if a man laughs at his wedding day, he will have a daughter not a son. So some Koreans do not laugh in his wedding day. I laughed a lot in my wedding day, as always, and I have a son and a daughter.

In American TV drama 24 hours, players do not know whether he or she is a bad one or a good one. Only director and writers know the story and actors have no idea whether, for example, he will betray or not. This is one big reason why this drama series are so welcomed. Viewers can not make any expectations when actors themselves do not know what will happen to them.

But, for the case of this April Snow, things are little bit different. In this case, even the director and writer Mr Hur himself does not know what will happen. Then who knows? In Soo and Seo Yeong know. This In Soo is not In Soo, he is "BYJ-In Soo". If other actors play the In Soo's role, he will be a different In Soo. This In Soo is BYJ- In Soo. At first, Hur described In Soo as if he is a kind of gloomy character, he said, "In Soo is a kind of person who is sitting in a dark room, who shows a response even to the very weak lights(hopes)". But this view of In Soo has been changed, I suppose, because this is NOT BYJ-In Soo. BYJ- In Soo is not BYJ and is not In Soo that Hur would think. Director Hur should have investigated carefully who is BYJ- In Soo. He should watch carefully who is SYJ-Seo Yeong. Characters of these two, BYJ-Insoo and SYJ-Seoyeong, will decide how their love would end or continue.

So if you want to know the ending of the story, you should know the charceters of these two fully. Even Mr Hur does not know till now, Why? because they are not Insoo and Seoyeong in papers. To take a movie is different from to write a novel.

Mr Hur, from the first, carefully, watches these two, their loves, investigates their persons. Thus, he will know soon what would happen to them. BYJ-Insoo and SYJ-Seoyeong decide their futures, it must not be the writer who decide their futures. This is, I believe, Mr Hur's idea of making the story and I like it ve-ry much.

Part 52

Good morning everyone, Today I want to talk about the characters of In Soo and Seo Yeong. Let me talk about Seo Yeong first. Personally I think this Seo Yeong was supposed to be more active woman. In Hur's second movie, the woman leads the man, this woman is a boss to the man in the company(radio station) and in private area, still this woman is very active. She leaves the man basically because the man is passive in his life and love. For this part, BYJ said "the main characters in Hur's past movies were cowards". Personally I had an impression that director Hur likes to describe loves between active woman and passive man.

So, Seo Yeong was supposed to be one of the active woman. It is very important that she was supposed to be a career woman(school teacher) but Hur changed his plan and made her an housewife. To me, this change implies Seo Yeong becomes a passive woman, becomes to play a passive role in her life and love. Thus, for example, Seo Yeong says, "I married early because my father wanted me to marry" and she could not say anything to angry Kyong Ho's family. Basically she does not want trouble with Soo Jin - very very passive character, a kind of traditional Korean woman. Feminists will criticize this kind of traditional female character . Director Hur does not like to describe a woman in this way. Then why this kind of change in characters were made?

I think that's because of BYJ. BYJ is against the idea of coward man in his love as he himself mentioned. He wants to be faithful to his inner feeling so, if he loves a woman, he would say so, if a woman he loves leaves him, he will follow her till he can fully understand the reason of her left. As BYJ played the role of In Soo, In Soo must be an active person in his job and love. It is not natural if BYJ plays a passive man, passive in his love. I think director Hur does not like to describe loves between active man and woman. If an active man and active woman fall in love so deeply, then they would marry no matter what, right? Then, the story has nothing to tell to us. So, to make a story interesting, either a man or a woman must be passive in love, have Confucian attitude toward love and living, must be a kind of traditional Korean. If it is not natural that BYJ plays this passive role(and it is ,for sure) then Seo Yeong must be a passive woman. In my view, this is what happened to Seo Yeong's character.

As for Insoo, BYJ said, "he is strong, cool, but Erng-Tung", Erng-Tung is very funny Korean language which is hard to translate in English(or in Japanese, maybe in Chinese too). Yesterday, I translated this as Unpredictable. In Korean-English dictionary, this Erng-Tung is translated as "extraordinary or crazy fool". In this case, crazy fool is better, so In Soo is, according to BYJ, "strong, cool but (sometimes)crazy fool"

I described before In Soo has "multiple character", a man of multiple personality. It seems he sometimes does something that is not expected from him. This is the word Erng-Tung means in this case. For this kind of charcater, I said he has multiple personality, BYJ said he becomes sometimes crazy fool. Interesting character is hard to describe in words, and I am sure this is the case for In Soo. It seems this guy says something unusual, does something unusual from time to time and this will be one of the most fascinating parts of this movie.

Part 53

Good morning everyone, I can feel Chinese family's very hot expectation for BYJ's coming to China. BYJ's visits to Japan, April last year, became a history and Chinese family will make another history, history of BYJ, history of Korean show buiz. and history of Korea-China relations. Korea media reports that now BYJ often eats "fish, vegetables and bean curd". I know Chinese make very delicious foods with these fish, vegetables (and bean curd? why not? haha).

One information for the new TV drama "Four Gods". Now, the animator Kim sued the writer Song Ji Na for libel. If Mr Kim wins in this trial, I think he will prepare another trial asking for his own copy right for this drama.

You would know that Japanese magazine reported that some Japan family crowded to BYJ's car in Sam Cheok, and BYJ and BOF had some troubles with these crowded fans(about 100 fans). Many Japan family criticized these 100 fans and said, "feel shame for BYJ". It is a kind of Japanese culture to touch the body of someone whom they respect. For example, you can see Japanese touch Sumo-wrestler's body and the same habit can be observed for the Japanese top star. This kind of trouble has happened for other Korean stars as well. The difference is that, the troubles happened to other Korean stars(by some Japanese hot fans) are not reported by the media.

It is witnessed that BYJ drank a beer at about 7am, sitting in the street with shooting staffs. Now BYJ becomes a member of my Beer God Club? haha, no. Who drinks a beer in the morning in the street in Korea?

1. construction laborer, and
2. shooting staff

both these two groups are called Nogata in Korea(Nogata is originally a Japanese, Dogata). Drinking beers in the morning in the street is a Nogata style. BYJ is not Nogata, of course, but Insoo is a kind of Nogata as a shooting staff. As you know, BYJ once wanted to be a staff or camera staff.

What is the image of Nogata who drink beers in the morning in the street?

1. hard work
2 freedom
3 satisfaction with the job

Of course, these Nogatas worked without sleeping and finished their jobs in the morning. Though tired, they felt satisfaction with their jobs done and to share these feelings of satisfaction, they drink beers in the street in the morning. Why in the street? Because they like freedom, and they are strong , there are nothing for them to be afraid of.

I never heard an actor drink a beer sitting in the street with staffs(nogatas) after an overnight work. This behavior means to me, 1. BYJ did his best in shooting, 2. BYJ is satisfied with the job done(otherwise, he would go back to hotel and sleep for tomorrow), 3 BYJ wants freedom. BYJ would enjoy that moment so so much, I am sure. "a free and strong man drink a beer in the morning in the street after a very hard work", fascinating-this is exactly what I want to do .

Actually I did the same two days ago. I finished my overnight job and drank beers in the morning in my home. Watching me drinking a beer in the morning, my wife became mad. She said, "unbelievable Mr. You can not drink a beer for a week. This is an order" I want my freedom as a Beer God like BYJ wants his freedom as a free and strong man.

Part 54

Hi everyone. You would hear the news that Avex invest a billion Yen to the new BYJ TV drama. The Japanese company Amuse worked very hard to introduce Korean movies and singers to Japan for more than 10 years. Avex showed no interests to Korea in the past. After the Korea Wave in Japan, the company like Amuse can not buy a good Korean movie or drama, because big giant Japanese companies now show a strong interest to Korean things. To the Japanese young, Avex means something special, a new mode of fashion. Amuse is built by a manager of Kuwada Keisuke(a famous Japanese singer) and Avex is built by Komuro(a famous singer and manager) . BOF and IMX can be a companay like Amuse or Avex about 10 years later.

When this movie April Snow started, the producer of this movie Mr Kang(姜) said, in this movie, director Hur would change some of his styles. Why? there were two reasons:

1. for his second movie, there were critics who were saying "director Hur has better make more dynamic scenes. His movie is too calm and too silent" It is said that Mr Kang indicates these criticism about Hur's movie and director Hur said he would make more dynamic love story in this time,
2. but this did not mean that director Hur admitted those criticism against his second work, rather he said, "I changed my view about LOVE". It seems he wanted to make a more dynamic love story this time, which is not too calm and too silent. Anyway his changes of his mind satisfied the producer Mr Kang.

Director Hur said he thought about Snow in April almost from the beginning of this movie. To me, this Snow in April means a kind of miracle. To my understnading, this was " a story of love in which a miracle comes up"

BUT, as you know, there were no snow in that outdoor concerts and the story changed in an important way. Now, it seems April Snow means snow(love) that came too late.

The famous Korean director Kim Ki Duck or Park Chan Uk(JSA) or Hur Jin Ho changes the story while shooting a movie. I will introduce how the story changes and so, whoever do not want to know about this are recommended not to read further.

the former story: after Kyong Ho's death, Seo Yeong left In Soo without notice. In Soo tried hard to find Seo Yeong but failed. After a few years of her left, there is a big concert and April Snow falls down, which reminds so strongly Seo Yeong to In Soo. He drives his car to Sam Cheock and there he saw....(then I did not know)

the revised story: In the above story, their meeting again was a kind of miracle after that outdoor concert . But now they meet again somehow before this outdoor concert. It seems now, after the concert, while In Soo drives his car to Sam Cheock , there begins to fall April Snow. It seems this snow still plays a very important role in describing In Soo's feeling. At Sam Cheok, he meets her and...(I do not know further, haha)

Though producer Kang wants director Hur to make a very very sad movie, now we have no idea whether this one will be so sad or so happy.