After introducing the entire country to the world of cosplay, Alodia Gosiengfiao, now acquaints anime fans to the love story of Winter Sonata.
This timeless drama was among the first Korean series that ignited the “Korean Wave” in 2002 and captivated not only fans from the region, but also in far-flung places including Uzbekistan, Hawaii, Egypt and Tanzania.
Winter Sonata’s touching tale of lost love transcended borders and made many around the globe into die-hard fans of Korean entertainment and pop culture—and now a whole new generation gets to relive the story in animation form through Animax.
To celebrate the launch of the animated series in the Philippines, Animax invited the country’s anime and cosplay princess, to host the special media preview and an exclusive piano recital of the theme song of Winter Sonata, the Korean ballad “From Beginning to End,” performed by Alodia herself.
Alodia said it took her a couple of days to learn the song, and that it was her love for the series that inspired her to learn the series’ opening theme song.
“It is an honor to be able to play the series theme and introduce such a great story to anime fans,” shares Ani-Mate Alodia.
Fans can watch her performance on Animax, as Alodia’s piano recital will broadcast during commercial breaks of Winter Sonata episodes as a series of special vignettes, starting with the premiering episodes on September 20.
Remembering an epic love story
One would never forget their first true love. Some would even choose to rekindle the painful memories just to relive it. But what if in a twist of fate the person you’ve shared your love with forgets about you—would you fight for him? For Yu-Jin, the heroine of the hit drama series Winter Sonata, reliving the pains of lost love is all worth fighting for.
As the first love that sparked our romance with the best of Korean entertainment and pop culture, Winter Sonata, with the magic of Bae Yong Joon and Choi Ji Woo, tells an epic story of love that transcends all in an anime series unlike any other.
Bae Yong Joon is Jun-Sang, the gifted son of an eminent musician with an unhappy past who moves with his mother to study in Chuncheon, a rural city in South Korea. Befriending his classmate Yu-Jin (Choi Ji Woo), they soon fall in love. However, their romance is cut agonizingly short when Jun-Sang is involved in a serious car accident that leaves him with brain damage that renders him unable to recall his past. With memories erased—including his painful childhood as an illegitimate child—Jun-Sang is brought by his mother to the US to start life afresh as Min-Hyeong. His schoolmates including Yu-Jin, and the teachers are told that Jun-Sang died in the accident.
A decade later, Min-Hyeong becomes an award-winning architect. Remembering nothing about his life in Korea, he returns to the country to live. And when Yu-Jin recognizes him on the street, she puts off her engagement to childhood friend Sang-Hyuk. Little does Yu-Jin know that Min-Hyeong is dating her friend, Che-Rin. Things get complicated as Yu-Jin begins working at the firm where Min-Hyeong is employed and tries to find out if he is her long lost first love.
“Winter Sonata is an amazing love story that goes beyond time, borders and even form. The anime series touches you as much as the original drama and I sincerely recommend Winter Sonata to everyone as the show to catch on Animax,” ends Alodia.
Remaining true to the original drama, the Winter Sonata anime series reunited 23 members of the original Korean cast to provide voices for the characters, including Bae Yong Joon and Choi Ji Woo who shot to superstardom in their lead roles.
Animax’s premier of the series coincides with the 10th anniversary celebration of the original drama. In Korea, a series of “live” Winter Sonata musicals is set to be staged in Seoul from September 27 to March 18, 2012 to retell the heart wrenching tale. Winter Sonata begins 20 September in a double-episode premiere at 6:50 p.m., with subsequent episodes airing weeknights 7:30 p.m. first and exclusively on Animax (SkyCable Ch46 / Dream Satellite TV Ch34).