...And then she got eye cancer from a car accident

[dangermousie]

After 3 eps of A Man Called God failed to interest me, I decided to check that madly famous uber-weepie Stairway to Heaven with Choi Ji Woo and Kwon Sang Woo. StH was a huge part of the Hallyu wave and was a ridiculously famous and successful drama. It is also about two people who surely have the worst luck in the entire universe mainly because their families are total lunatics - heroine's step-family alone makes Cinderella's look nice, she gets cancer from a car accident (no, really!), there is amnesia, eye donations, terminal illnesses, evil parents by the score, childhood love, suicide attempts and (this is what tipped the scale for me), as per lesbiassparrow, a moment with "hero lying half-in, half-out of shower while wailing the heroine's name."

Indeed.

To nobody's surprise it all does not end well.

Have a MV.

I shall enjoy this mightily.

(It is by the writer of Personal Taste which hopefully means yummy but hopefully not terminal angst is coming our way soon in PT).

Comments

[popaddict.livejournal.com]

STH is absolutely ridiculous but oh, how I love it.

Have fun with your viewing.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I already have my first 3 eps dled. I love the leads and I love romantic angst so much (family melodrama = not my thing, romantic melodrama = yes yes yes).

ETA

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

All I ask of StH is to be like Tree of Heaven and/or Snow Queen - two angsty melodramas which I gulped down in one big gulp bawling like a maniac the whole way through and only asking to stop to post about them.

Re: ETA

[er-mused.livejournal.com]

Oh It's far more angsty than Snow Queen... I love this drama so much it's not even funny. I've rewatched it once, and it was as good the second time around as it was the first time.

The beginning is kinda meh...but then again, I never like backstories with my protaganists as kids...
but omg, when they grow up...
I DIE

And yes, when I think of StH, the first scene that comes to mind is inevitably that shower scene. KSW in a white shirt, lying in the shower all wet with tears streaming down his face...

OMG, and that scene at the train station....SIGH

And that scene in the snow...

AND at the ice skating rink...
God, skating rink scenes totally do it for me...hahaha...I mean, Pride, Next Stop Happiness and BoF all have these wonderfully romantic, squeal-worthy skating scenes...

Damn, this drama has the best scenes. Newer dramas need to watch and learn!

The only thing about StH is that...whatever bad thing that can happen to Choi Jiwoo, happens. It just gets too much after awhile. I don't think I've ever come across a heroine with worse luck. Seriously. Just for that she deserves to end up with KSW (who is so so so single minded and obsessed with her, it's also unbelievable...haha)

I think I kinda miss dramas like this, you know, with the larger-than-life, willing to overcome all hurdles and obstacles to be together, and full of people who try to keep our protagonists apart, sort of drama... hahaha

Re: ETA

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OMG, you are making me even more eager to start with this!

And LOL, I know about CJW's character worst luck (to compensate for against-all-odds happy endings of Beautiful Days and Winter Sonata? Ahhh, I love old-style melodrama).

The writer is very good at shippy scenes - this, Stained Glass, Personal Taste.

Re: ETA

[er-mused.livejournal.com]

I couldn't watch Stained Glass, the first episode was already sooo depressing, I just couldn't. Maybe one of these days...but not now.

LOL I didn't think Winter Sonata had a happy ending...more bittersweet, no? I remember watching over Christmas in London one year....BEST Christmas ever...hahaha....after that introduction to Bae Yong Jun, my life was never the same again! hahaha

I know people who still hyperventilate when we talk about StH. That was how monumental it was...hahaha....when it had to be romantic, it was the most romantic, when it had to be tragic, it was the most tragic, and when it had to be angsty, it was the most angsty.

The problem now is... everything else KSW did post-StH just became a let down. hahaha

Re: ETA

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

SG had a happier ending that StH.

Re: WS. Well, he's blind but they are together after all. I expected someone to die and was very relieved it didn't happy.

StH is so goooood - I am on ep 5 now and am madly in love. Re: KSW. I have high hopes for Daemul :P

Re: ETA

[popaddict.livejournal.com]

Oh, believe me, you'll get that and a lot more. Oh, and few breaks in reality while you laugh youself silly at the 'plot'.

Re: ETA

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Does anyone just out into the snow, screaming their OTP's name? Especially after selling themselves so the OTP can have surgery?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

One better! Incestuous stepbrother kills himself so heroine can have eyes so she can see. Not sure how that works. (Earlier, he kidnapped her when she got amnesia and convinced her they were lovers and separated her from her actual lover for quite a while, so I don't feel to sorry for him). Apparently, that is not the craziest thing that happens either. I have great hopes of snow screaming with a writer like that. lesbiassparow promises wall-to-wall insanity.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

i love your icon! i used to be so obsessed with that movie when i was about 7.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I first saw it last week (I've only seen a few Bollywood films). Pretty fun, even if the plot was literally centered around my favorite character Dying For The 'Ship.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

it totally should've ended in an ot3 instead of tina dying (she was so awesome). would've been perfect imo xD

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I didn't even realize your icon was from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai! I love that movie.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

OMG YOU ARE WATCHING IT. I CAN ONLY HOPE IT GIVES YOU HALF THE JOY IT GAVE AND STILL GIVES ME. THE 'MEDICINE' ALONE IS WORTH WATCHING FOR. PLUS CRAZY EYES OF CRAZINESS.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I have first 3 eps dled already. I figure it will cheer me up now I have a nasty cold - at least I don't have a bug-eyed stepsister who runs me over with a car.

Have you ever seen this early Shahrukh Khan movie Guddu? He wants not to be cured of his illness so he could donate his eyes to the blind girl he's in love with :P

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

SRK sure had some, er, interesting roles when he was younger.

But nothing - NOTHING - he ever did (not even Darr) can match up to the crazy of this one. Trust me on this. The secondary girl soooo wonderfully bonkers. AND HER MOTHER IS EVEN MADDER.

ETA: And that vid has part of the shower scene. IT IS AMAZING.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am quite excited for mad eyes of dooooooom! (After all these kdramas, I'd never let my husband remarry if I croak - I'd haunt him from the grave :P)

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

So how can you watch this and not Hoshi no Kinka? That's got plenty of the same sort of batshit crazy characters, angst aplenty and crying heroes and yeah, a not so great ending but not all dramas end happily (I've just skim watched Kimura's Beautiful Life ;____;).

I think someone should do a Most Craziest issues ever j/k drama. I'm sure there's plenty of contenders. XD

[cocori.livejournal.com]

Hoshi no Kinka was a depressing & crazy one. Good at times though.

Have you seen Kono Yo no Hate? That had really effed up characters, lots of screwed up situations, and just overall craziness galore. Probably the most depressing Jdrama out there, but I enjoyed it a lot.

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

I'm not even a fan of depressing and crazy but it had some great moments.

Probably the most depressing Jdrama out there, but I enjoyed it a lot.

See, that is in no way a good recommendation lol. *avoids it*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hotter guys than in HnK? LOL

Seriously though, I tried the Korean remake of HnK and liked what I've seen of it but the story didn't drag me in.

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

I don't know the actors in StH but i think Osawa and Takenouchi are pretty damn good to look at.

I didn't think i was going to get dragged into HnK but then older brother lost his memory, evil woman who did it to him got THAT batshit crazy look in her eyes and Takenouchi was being all smooth emo crazy so i streamlined through it like that.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OK, now I am getting intrigued :P

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

I thought you knew all this? I mean, there's plenty of batshit crazy characters for you to rant and rail at (let's see, Takenouchi's mum who wants him to be head of the hospital and is sleeping with the sleazy second in commands who's trying to oust Osawa and Takenouchi's dad by using hot female doctor who has a personal grudge against the dad and is yet still trying to seduce him. Oh and let's not forget evil batshit crazy secondary woman who has crazy eyes galore AND HER MOTHER who was in love with the dad and is just about nutty getting her daughter married off to the man she 'loves'. *deep breath*

Or you could check out what happens HERE

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

I watched this after Tree of Heaven. So, I kind of shipped heroine/stepbrother when they were teens. Plus, teenage hero was boring. I always saw him taking her as him trying to protect her in some twisted way. But, then again. . . ToH was already in my head.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I don't think I'll have this problem even with my mad ToH love because I am not keen on actor who plays stepbro's grown-up version. I've previously seen him as Dr Evil in Cain & Abel and that still stuck with me.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

lmao eye cancer from a car accident? lolol oh kdrama medicine! are the otp also somehow related?
oh oh and is this the one where the actress who played seung hee is the evil third wheel with mad crazy eyes?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Shockingly, the OTP is not related in any way whatever (if you want that, try Autumn Tale :P)

Yup, it's evil evil Seung Hee.

[ethvren.livejournal.com]

this was such a crazy show; the most ridiculous things happen someone cries in almost every episode but it's soooo addictive! i loved watching it to bits.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Am very excited, seeing eps build up on my harddrive :P

[cocori.livejournal.com]

This was the first Kdrama I ever saw. Loved it, but every frigging episode had me in tears. Talk about melodramatic!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am looking forward to a good drama cry :)

[popaddict.livejournal.com]

Oh, and there was the fact that KSW's character always had a four-pack of men in suits walking behind him where ever he went. I don't know why but that amused me greatly.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That is amusing me immensely.

[(Anonymous)]

Love..love this drama. This was one of my earlier K-dramas. The background music, Ave Maria, gives me sort of a goose-bumps whenever I heard it play...plus all those men in black suits marching along with the rhythm.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am so so in love with this!