yay! excited to see how this all turns out. :)

i thinks its a good move. i really hope the drama turns out to be good. :)

I'm not familiar with the actress but she seems to...soft? to be Tsukasa's kickass sister.

I'm getting more and more curious about Yuki. When they cast Kim Bum as Soujiroh I assumed he and the Yuki actress would get the secondary couple treatment. It's weird there's no news on her or I could just be impatient.

Any idea when this starts filming? It would be interesting to see the pictures of them in character

How exciting, i really can't wait for it!!!

I wonder who is going to be the mother!

ahh...I love her! Just Kim Bum and KHJ onscreen is enough for me to sit through this.

ahh...I love her! Just Kim Bum and KHJ on screen is enough for me to sit through this.

Ah, what totally unexpected news! I'm a huge fan of Kim Hyun-joo; nice to see her back on screen again.

Kim Hyun-joo is a good, good fit in this role. It seems counterintuitive, since she's known for her melodrama and sageuk roles. But she has a brightness that's just itching to come out in full vengeance.

"I’m a bit surprised, since Kim Hyun-joo’s image is a little softer than the sassy, kickass Tsubaki I saw in the Japanese version,"

Yeah, Tsubaki in the J-drama was kinda mixed affair. On the one hand, they cast Matsushima Nanako and the character was not nearly as violent as she should be. On the other hand . . OMFG Hana Yori Dango had Matsushima Nanako, the Queen of J-drama Romance?!?!? And the show winked at the audience, as if to say "oh look, who is in OUR show! booya!!!" So, literally, we the audience wasn't reacting to Tsubaki, as we were watching Matsushima raise hell, flash her patented smile, and then leave the premises in sun kissed WTF. In episodes where she appeared, the ratings went up 3+ points. It was a metadrama moment.

So far, the casting of the adults may be better than what was done for J-HanaDan. I can't wait to see who they cast for Sakurako though. She's the villain that stirs the pot.

Casting ain't half bad so far.

cool... i haven't seen her since marrying a millionaire.

I like Kim Hyun-joo, but still prefer her long hair.

same question as penn.. is the setting still high school?
ahhhhh such high expectations for this..

"same question as penn.. is the setting still high school?"

Yup, high school. A rumored synopsis has come out and reiterated that. Note that everybody -- including Shizuka (actually supposed to be 19-20 in the manga) and Tsubaki -- are significantly older than in the manga. So it scales.

OMG.. I'm so happy.. I'm a huge fan of her. I think she can pull the role. Ive seen her beating So Ji Sub in ' Glass shoe' and Ji Hee Jin in 'Ms Kim'.. I wl be looking forward for her role as Tsubaki :D

I completely agree, she is a good actress. She could look the part with the right styilist, but that's a small thing. Can't wait till next year, while the hopes of yours and mine are to be determined...

Well said, belleza (comment #9).

In any case, sorry to get off topic, but is it confirmed that Go Hye Sun's character's name is changed from Yeon-woo to Gum/Ggm Jan-di? I've seen several Korean news sources say that, but I wasn't sure if that was official or not because my Korean language knowledge is limited.

But yes, I hope they'll release the rest of the cast -- Sakurako, Yuki, Kaede, etc. When is the official photoshoot?

that's excellent news! I do hope the role with give her better exposure and will bring greater heights to her career. I didn't actually enjoy "Insoon Is Pretty" that much eventhough I love most of the casts in the drama.

All the best to Kim Hyun Joo!!

i actually enjoyed her role in insoon is pretty and really much looking forward to her appearance in this drama... and it's on KBS, yayyyy...

I actually read somewhere that there were rumours that Han Go Eun form Capital Scandal was going to play tsubaki. I was so excited when i read that. I don't know who this actress is but it would have been awesome to see Han Go Eun as Tsubaki who is one of my favourite characters in HyD. In Capital Scandal she felt like Wan's big ass kicking sister as well as best friend which is a similar role as Tsubaki is to Tsukasa. Ah wells, i'll see how this actress goes in the role.

This one is just looking better and better all of the time! Now, if we can just get people to stop belly-aching about the age of the actors and the inclusion of all of these pre-judgemenst and comparisons the Taiwanese and Japanese versions, we can move forward. I must wonder if this same type of scrutiny reared it's head every time the works of Shakespeare appeared without the use of British actors, for every opera that is performed by those other than native-tongue speakers, and if the Beatles faced a hand wringing, eyebrow-knitted, crossed-armed mob when they dared to cover standards formerly performed by the Isley Brothers, Chuck Berry, or Little Richard? The proof will be in the pudding. Let us reserve our judgement until the play has been acted...and please beat a quiet and hasty exit should things not end up to your liking. There are certain to be others happy and willing to sit through until the final curtain-call.

Yes! Kim Hyun Joo is one actress I could easily warm to as Tsubaki. Great choice. :)

LoL. Belleza's observations on Matsushima Nanako in J-HYD is spot on!

"They were perhaps afraid that Matsuhima would steal the limelight from Matsujun."

Yeah, I thought that too. But, then again, I think Matsujun's clothes already stole the limelight from Matsujun. This is what it sounds like when doves cry! :D

"I must wonder if this same type of scrutiny reared it’s head every time the works of Shakespeare appeared without the use of British actors"

I think of all things Hana Yori Dango, I've probably written more than 50,000 words on it (huh, now there's an idea for my NanoWriMo) I can even go into the astrological insights into the Saturn necklace, and how Makino is the perfect Capricorn to Doumyoujji's Aquarius! :D

The knives are pretty sharp for this one (and moreso among Korean Netizens, who know the story of F4 pretty dang well too.) HanaDan is the golden goose of the idol/trendy drama. Do a good job and, regardless of domestic ratings, its success in pan-Asia will be assured.

"LoL. Belleza’s observations on Matsushima Nanako in J-HYD is spot on!"

One thing I liked about HanaDan is how it stopped being a proper story and turned into a meta-drama buffet. The whole stadium curtain call at the end of the show, which was more about JunMao and cast of F4 than M&D. Nanako essentially anointing fellow 7th Avenue actress Inoue Mao as the next It girl. Post-Death Note Toda Erika showing up just because they wanted to pile on the idols. The way the episode depicting the famous HYD rain scene (disappointingly done here) was telegraphed through the prior episode's preview and through the entire episode. The sheer lack of restraint they showed in the money poured into the project. Wow.

Kim Hyun-joo will be the reason for me to watch this drama, even if she seems to just have a minor role here... she is -without a single doubth- an excellent actress, if not the best korean actress at all.

W/o her I surely wouldn't bother watching this drama... not exactly my type of thing to watch, that is. ;-)

KIM HYUN JOO...^^ i think she definitely fits the part. She is a KICK - ASS character and she fits the noona type. I hope she smacks him GOOD.^^ hahaha...