Winter Sonata

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Well, I suspect you may have seen it by this time, but in any case the first music I heard almost had me in tears to start, lol. There wasn't a lot of music, but what there was all had about the same effect on the highly susceptible me. Not sure if it was the same music as in the dorama.

I haven't seen it yet, though from hearing what you have to say, i really should get right on it as soon as possible. Good to hear the score is playing the role it should be doing.

[Freeter]

Having seen the original, the transition into animated form definitely took some getting used to. Animation was lacking in some parts, and the camerawork was rough at times, but overall the production was largely faithful to its origins.

As expected, they're already blitzing through the prologue to get to the real story asap. Since I know what happens it didn't affect me that much, but I could see how a newcomer would easily be lost in confusion since they hardly give the viewer any time to breathe and take it all in. It probably won't be as bad when the main story kicks in since there will be plenty of reminiscing. Not to mention the original drama did tend to drag things out a bit, so perhaps the pacing will be improved as well.

Spoiler for 01:

I hope this retelling continues to intersperse scenes of the main leads in their respective cities of New York and Paris, since it would fill in the gap between the original story's conclusion and the epilogue. Not that it's necessary, but it would make for some nice fanservice for veterans of the drama

[Kaoru Chujo]

SFW has put out an English sub for the prologue and promises ep1 soon.

[achirist]

So this prologue wasn't an actual episode? Does that mean the animation quality will be better in the future? I felt like screaming at my computer screen "MOVE!" when one static screen after another showed up... I guess it had some good points, though I didn't like the voice of the girl, and I'm kind of tired of that motif where a teenager writes a letter mostly filled with banal formalities 'Have you been eating well, don't forget your coat when you go outside, work and study hard..." Of course I hope we learn more about their past so it becomes easier to empathize.

[Zwei]

2 episodes are out already, so why is this thread sitll here?

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by Zwei

2 episodes are out already, so why is this thread sitll here?

It stays here until subs are released, until it's licensed, or until Crunchyroll gets it.
By the way, I think subs are released.

[Zwei]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

It stays here until subs are released, until it's licensed, or until Crunchyroll gets it.
By the way, I think subs are released.

...the subs were released days ago, so that's obviously not the cause.

[yura`]

Ah, the familiar introduction to the theme song moved me immediately and reminded me of everything that will come. I thought the prologue is an interesting touch, probably an extra especially for old fans of this drama, but if the introspective mood and pace of Episode 00 did not turn people off, it should hopefully have intrigued the watcher into wanting to find out more behind the story of the two lovers.

The art and colours are gorgeous; I really admired the scenery and the hues, and although more than half the episode is voiceless, I thought the silence spoke for itself. The animation style felt slightly different to me (is this a Korean production?), but it didn't worry me, and probably about the only odd thing about this episode was the very unnatural voice for the young Caucasian girl that Joon Sang bumped into.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by Zwei

...the subs were released days ago, so that's obviously not the cause.

The subs for the prologue [ep. 0] were released. If there's a reason, it's that ep. 0 wasn't counted.

Also, it's really only been 2 days, so....

[Freeter]

Well, ep 0 isn't really a prologue, so it should be counted.

The true prologue is in episode 1, during the main characters' high school days.

[Ascaloth]

Just watched Episode 1.

Back in the day when I was still young and clueless about romance, this was my mother's favourite Korean drama. Strangely enough, it wasn't actually mine (it was this series' direct predecessor Autumn in my Heart, in fact), but nevertheless I watched pretty much the entirety of it with my mom back then. It's been a while, and I'd probably forgotten most of the details, but this adaptation is going to bring back some memories.

The thing about the original series was that it was a long story. Each episode took up to an hour, and the content of the storyline unfolded itself at a relaxed pace. There was no rush to get to the plot points, so one could just sit back and relax, and watch the story unfold. From the looks of this first episode, this adaptation isn't intending to use quite as much time on the story, so we can expect that some content is going to be cut out, and overall the pacing is going to feel a little rushed.

The thing about the original series was that it was a long story. Each episode took up to an hour, and the pacing of the storyline was utterly glacial. There was no rush to get to the plot points, so one could not simply sit back and attempt to marathon this series; one either had to pop in the DVD and air just one or two episodes every night, or do the bulk of the viewing during a vacation period. Either way, the original series was a proposition of at least several weeks, maybe a couple if one really wanted to get the story out of the way quickly; which isn't quite the best way to watch Winter Sonata at all. From the looks of this first episode, this adaptation isn't intending to use quite as much time on the story, so one could view this series as an instrument of nostalgia, without having to spend quite as much time as one used to spend on the original series.

Either way, the production values certainly is serious business; it isn't Winter Sonata without the original soundtrack, including the eponymous From the Beginning Until Now. The visuals are incredibly lush; I've missed seeing such beautiful sights in romance anime ever since the end of CLANNAD ~After Story~. And you'll know, I'll gladly follow this, even if it's just for nostalgia's sake, even if it wasn't my absolute favourite. It is, after all, the mascot of Korean melodrama, and the chance to relive the experience again is certainly welcome.

[kache]

I don't like dramas particulary, but this anime amazed and fascinated me.
I'll follow it.

[Ottocycle]

They kept the theme song? That's awesome.

[teelotes]

Originally Posted by Ascaloth

Just watched Episode 1.

Back in the day when I was still young and clueless about romance, this was my mother's favourite Korean drama. Strangely enough, it wasn't actually mine (it was this series' direct predecessor Autumn in my Heart, in fact), but nevertheless I watched pretty much the entirety of it with my mom back then. It's been a while, and I'd probably forgotten most of the details, but this adaptation is going to bring back some memories.

The thing about the original series was that it was a long story. Each episode took up to an hour, and the content of the storyline unfolded itself at a relaxed pace. There was no rush to get to the plot points, so one could just sit back and relax, and watch the story unfold. From the looks of this first episode, this adaptation isn't intending to use quite as much time on the story, so we can expect that some content is going to be cut out, and overall the pacing is going to feel a little rushed.

The thing about the original series was that it was a long story. Each episode took up to an hour, and the pacing of the storyline was utterly glacial. There was no rush to get to the plot points, so one could not simply sit back and attempt to marathon this series; one either had to pop in the DVD and air just one or two episodes every night, or do the bulk of the viewing during a vacation period. Either way, the original series was a proposition of at least several weeks, maybe a couple if one really wanted to get the story out of the way quickly; which isn't quite the best way to watch Winter Sonata at all. From the looks of this first episode, this adaptation isn't intending to use quite as much time on the story, so one could view this series as an instrument of nostalgia, without having to spend quite as much time as one used to spend on the original series.

Either way, the production values certainly is serious business; it isn't Winter Sonata without the original soundtrack, including the eponymous From the Beginning Until Now. The visuals are incredibly lush; I've missed seeing such beautiful sights in romance anime ever since the end of CLANNAD ~After Story~. And you'll know, I'll gladly follow this, even if it's just for nostalgia's sake, even if it wasn't my absolute favourite. It is, after all, the mascot of Korean melodrama, and the chance to relive the experience again is certainly welcome.

That's how I felt too when I decided to watch the anime version. It's like a part of my memories growing up, with the theme song of Winter Sonata playing on TV while I slack off my homework. It's definitely nostalgic.

Autumn in my Heart seems to be the series that started the K-kraze, but I have not watched that yet. If they were to produce an animation series of similar quality and pace, I would catch up on it.

[zzeroparticle]

Hmmm... I can't say I'm buying what I see since the amount of drama that they're mixing in is almost too much for my tastes. What I find surprising is that people are saying that this is moving at a pretty quick clip, yet from my standpoint, I see it moving as a snail's pace. Stuff like scenery panning just doesn't excite me all that much and if I'm supposed to feel some sort of empathy for the characters as they walk in that forlorn manner, this series isn't doing the trick in that regard.

Yes, I understand that this is supposed to be DRAMA, but even then, it feels like just a bit much based on this prologue.

[Shiroth]

Finally watched the first episode, and i like what i see from it. I'm not going to judge this completely until i'm more involved with the cast and the story, though so far i like where this is going. Plus it's worth watching for this very soothing score.

For people who have seen the original, is the score the same, or is it all new material?

Also what actually is in the prologue (episode 00)? Should i have watched it before the first episode?

[yura`]

Shiroth - it's been a while since I've watched the original drama, but I think they're introduced some new material. For example,

Spoiler for music in episode 2:

Where Yu-jin dances to "Oh My God" in the anime, in the original, it's actually ABBA's "Dancing Queen". More significantly, the song that Joon-sang plays for her on the piano, "First Time" is a completely different melody, which I personally find quite disappointing. I really loved the original piece... not sure why they changed it.

[Jarppa]

does this have happy or sad ending?

atm im not se keen to watch animes with sad endings.

[yura`]

Hmm... how shall I put this...

Winter Sonata is a melodrama - it is for the most part, an emotional, dramatic journey that two lovers have to travel into order to find happiness together. It is, in other words, an emotional rollercoaster; there will be lots of tears and crying along the way.

I personally always thought of the ending as bittersweet, but I guess you could call it a happy ending. That's as much as I can say without giving away the plot, and hopefully I didn't inadvertently spoilt it too!

[kakakka]

That was nice first 2 episodes.

The first episode felt fast. Maybe because I noticed that they cut some scenes. Not that those are significant, but it felt weird to me. The second episode felt ok. I miss "Dancing Queen" to be honest, but it's not that I'm complaining about the replacement piece.