MANILA, Philippines - As the screen dimmed in one of the function rooms of the Korean Cultural Center of the Philippines, the advance screening of the anime remake of Winter Sonata ended with a round of applause. Alodia Gosiengfiao, the famous cosplay model and host of Winter Sonata’s special media launch, approached the piano and played From the Beginning Until Now, the theme song of the show. It sounded like clean, thin rain melting at the touch of glass windows.
Winter Sonata is the timeless, complex, and heartbreaking love story that triggered the Korean Wave or the deep craze for everything Korean. Originally a live-action series, Winter Sonata drew fans from Southeast Asia, Uzbekistan, Hawaii, Egypt, and Tanzania. Alodia was one of those people who were caught by this storm.
Alodia had to fight back tears as she watched — Central Park in anime form, leaves whirling like a blossoming sandstorm; a man who doesn’t care if he’ll lose his eyesight because real vision comes when he closes his eyes and enters into the memory of her; she is in Paris, an old couple catches her eye, she cannot smile — this was merely the beginning of Animax’s Winter Sonata.
Alodia gushed about the show saying, “I like it because it leaves details out, so it gets you hooked... I was watching, and like, boom, ending song, and I’m like, what? I still want to watch!” Maria Ong, senior marketing manager of Animax Asia, says, “Korean dramas have depth in terms of emotions. As a female, I think that works very well for me. This one is more emotionally wrenching (than other animes).”
Ong assures us that the story line will stay consistent with the original series. The creators invited 23 of the original cast, including Bae Yong Joon and Choi Ji Woo, to voice the anime characters. The animators meticulously captured the clothes and the hair of the actors and actresses, and even the lighting of the scenes was accurately portrayed. The only surprise will be at the end where there will be a new live-action scene.
Alodia explains the advantages of anime. “Korean drama has a certain audience, but once you turn it into an anime, you get more fans... you get younger people to watch the show.” How about the disadvantages? Some fans of the original series expressed their concerns saying that it is harder to cry over an anime character than a real person. “Of course not!” Alodia protests. She then relents a bit and says, “To each his own, but this one, from what we’ve seen, even the music sets the mood, the setting, how it was taken, the blur, how everything was done, it just gives you a certain feeling, so I think you can still relate to it.” Ong agrees with Alodia, saying, “Anime has more special effects and this enhances the mood.”
This anime came at the right time because Filipinos have become Koreanovela enthusiasts, and thus more and more people have become interested in Korean culture. Ong says: “Basically, what we are doing is we are enhancing this experience (of Korean culture)... Instead of just enjoying the food...it’s another way for them (Filipinos) to enjoy Korean culture as well.” Alodia adds, “When you study a culture in a school setting, you don’t really get it,” but when you watch an anime, “it shows... the habits or ways of the Koreans through something interesting.”
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Catch Winter Sonata Monday to Friday at 7:30 p.m. on Animax (SkyCable Ch46/ Dream Satellite TV Ch34/). Alodia’s piano recital of From the Beginning Until Now will be shown during the commercial breaks.