2nd Highest Grossing Japanese Live-Action Film of All Time, The Power of the Miracle Original In 2023, a Japanese film caused a quiet sensation in domestic theaters. It was Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight. Based on a Japanese novel, this film set a massive record by mobilizing over 1 million viewers, becoming the second highest-grossing Japanese live-action film of all time in Korea, despite being released in November, typically a slow season, and overcoming the limitations of the romance genre. It is by no means easy for a live-action film, not an animation, to surpass the 1 million mark in the Korean market. I also watched this movie in the theater at the time, and I remember being greatly shocked by the powerful twist in the second half that overturned my expectation of a cliché terminal romance. Thanks to that ending, which hit the audience in the back of the head and pierced the heart just when it seemed to follow standard romance formulas, I remember the deep lingering emotion that kept me in my seat for a while even after the movie ended.
Koreanization of a Proven IP, The Justified Confidence of a Remake Recently, there has been a significant increase in cases of remaking popular Japanese novels or movies in the Korean content market. This is likely due to the advantage of lowering the failure rate by basing it on a solid story whose popularity and artistic value have already been verified. However, when the original work receives such immense love, the remake inevitably starts with the burden that "doing well is just breaking even." In particular, the key point of this work was how the romance genre, which highlights Japan's unique deep and delicate sensibility, was varied with Korean sentiment. If Japanese romance has the charm of permeating softly and calmly like a watercolor painting, Korean romance tends to be distinct like an oil painting with a large amplitude of emotions. I watched the movie with half expectation and half curiosity about how this gap between heterogeneous sensibilities would be bridged and what new colors would be added.
Restrained Japan vs. Bubbly Korea, The Difference in Emotional Temperature The biggest difference between the original and the Korean version lies in the overall atmosphere and the method of expressing emotions. The Japanese film generally maintains a low saturation and calm tone, showing the aesthetics of restraint where characters press down and contain their emotions. Even sadness felt strong in the sense of swallowing it quietly rather than crying out loud. On the other hand, this Korean remake reinforces the genre characteristics of "youth romance," emitting much brighter and more vibrant energy. The freshness and bubbly charm unique to teenagers fill the screen, and emotional expression is also much more honest and direct. As Japan's unique cute and small sensibility changes into a Korean-style dynamic and bright direction, it provides a freshness as if watching a drama with a completely different texture despite being the same story.
Memories Reset After Sleep, The Sad Shackle of Anterograde Amnesia The core of this story and its most original setting is the "anterograde amnesia" suffered by the female protagonist. This harsh disease, where all memories of the previous day disappear once you wake up from sleep due to the aftereffects of a traffic accident, is the biggest obstacle to romance and a device that makes love even more heartbreaking. 'Han Seo-yoon', played by actor Cynthia, wakes up in an unfamiliar room every morning and has to 'act' out her life by reading the diary she wrote yesterday. Her struggle to desperately try to look normal to others in a life where yesterday's self and today's self are severed makes the audience's hearts ache from the beginning. The image of Han Seo-yoon trying not to lose her bright smile even amidst the fear that memories do not accumulate approached me with a bold and energetic charm different from the original.
First Meeting on the Bus, The Originality of the Korean Version A difference unique to the Korean version is revealed in the introduction where the male and female protagonists first form a connection. A 'bus scene' that was not in the original work was added. The scene where Kim Jae-won (played by Choo Young-woo) catches Han Seo-yoon to protect her head when she is about to fall on a shaking bus on the way to school immediately shows the sweet and reliable aspect of the character Kim Jae-won. The setting where he subsequently makes a 'fake confession' to Han Seo-yoon to stop his friend from being bullied is the same as the original, but because of the preceding bus incident, the process of Han Seo-yoon accepting that absurd confession feels more probable. It can be said that it is a scene that well unraveled the standard of romance where coincidences overlap to become destiny, using Korean clichés.
Three Rules and Fake Dating, The Sincerity Hidden Within "Don't talk to each other until school is over," "Keep contact as short as possible," and "Don't fall in love with me sincerely." Han Seo-yoon accepts Kim Jae-won's confession and puts forward these three conditions. And so, their strange contract dating begins. The movie starts by revealing Han Seo-yoon's disease name to the audience, but in the play, Han Seo-yoon thoroughly hides her illness even from Kim Jae-won. Whenever they meet outside of school, she calls Kim Jae-won's name loudly and approaches him with exceptional friendliness. In fact, this was her own defense mechanism to hide the awkwardness because her memory resets and the other person is a stranger. Audiences who watch knowing the inner thoughts of Han Seo-yoon, who has to act as if she is the closest person in the world to a man she remembers nothing about, feel the sadness hidden behind that bright smile and become more immersed.
Change in Family Settings, From Novelist Father to Photographer Father Changes in the environment surrounding the characters, especially the family settings, are also noticeable. The male protagonist's father in the original work was a character who neglected his family after failing as a novelist, causing conflict with his son. On the other hand, in the Korean version, Kim Jae-won's father appears as a photographer and maintains a very close, friend-like relationship with his son. Although the lack of a mother is the same, the character of Kim Jae-won is portrayed as having a much brighter personality without wrinkles because the emotional support given by the father is different. Also, instead of the 'older sister' character who played an important role in the original work disappearing, the bond with the father was strengthened to highlight the warmth of the Korean father-son relationship. This change in setting has a significant impact on the emotional lines in the second half as well.
Friends Instead of Sister, The Shift in Roles of Surrounding Characters The narrative role that the male protagonist's older sister was responsible for in the original work has shifted to a 'best friend' in the Korean version. Jung Tae-hoon (played by Jin Ho-eun), who was in the group bullying Kim Jae-won but eventually learns his sincerity and becomes his best friend, becomes an important observer and helper leading the second half of the story. Also, the presence of Choi Ji-min (played by Jo Yu-jeong), the only friend who knows Han Seo-yoon's secret, is significant. Choi Ji-min, who supports Han Seo-yoon whenever she loses her memory and watches her love with Kim Jae-won from the side, is a character representing the audience's gaze. The solid acting of these supporting actors makes the romance of the lead actors shine even more and plays the role of a licorice that enriches the friendship and love of teenagers.
The Second Half that Drains Tears and Runny Noses, Sincerity Not Korean-Style Melodrama If the early and middle parts of the movie showed the freshness of a youth drama, the second half is truly a sea of tears. Even though I watched it already knowing the twist of the original, the energy of emotions poured out by the Korean actors gave another resonance. If the Japanese movie quietly wets the heart, the Korean movie explodes emotions and makes you wail. The intensity of sadness is strong enough that sniffling sounds could be heard throughout the theater. However, the reason this does not feel like forced melodrama (Shinpa) is that the narrative of the two people built up earlier was that solid. The enthusiastic performance poured out by the actors in front of this tragic fate—a woman whose memories disappear every day, a man who gifts her new memories every day, and the unexpected parting that strikes—was enough to stimulate the audience's tear ducts.
A Successful Remake Continuing the Emotion of the Original In conclusion, the Korean version of Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight can be evaluated as a successful remake that smartly adopts the strengths of the original while applying Korean colors well. It keeps the unique subject matter and the beauty of the twist of the Japanese original but adds the fast-paced development and clear emotional expression preferred by Korean audiences, leaving no room for boredom. It offers fresh shock and emotion to audiences who haven't seen the original, and the fun of comparison and a different texture of sadness to those who have. This movie, which confirms the message that "Love is not something you remember, but something that permeates," will be a regret-free choice if you are looking for a warm yet sad romance to warm your heart in this chilly weather.
댓글
댓글 쓰기