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KBS in talks to remake Japanese drama Ice World

KBS is in talks with entertainment group MarsENT to produce a Korean drama remake of Japanese mystery romance drama Ice World, which aired on Fuji TV in 1999 and garnered a screenwriting award, as well as a best actress award for its star, Matsushima Nanako.

The original Ice World was about the dark mystery shrouding a beautiful science teacher who had a trail of dead fiancés. When another teacher at her school is murdered, an insurance fraud investigator and homicide detective are put on the case to find out more about this serial black widow’s past.

They discover that each of her fiancés took out an insurance premium in her name to prove their love for her, only to cancel right before they died. So the big question throughout the drama is whether she is a murderess or just a helplessly framed victim. In 1999 as consumerism was climbing, this drama drew a faithful audience by exploring themes like whether the value of life and love could be monetized, and whether grief and loss could be compensated with worldly goods.

How will this be adapted for the Korean audience? Remakes are sort of a hit-and-miss these days. For instance, Boys Over Flowers, the Korean remake of Japanese drama Hana Yori Dango, was enormously successful in both countries and Korean and Taiwanese versions of Fated to Love You were successful as well. Unfortunately, some have completely fallen flat like the Taiwanese drama In Time With You and its counterpart, the poorly rated The Time I’ve Loved You, as well as the original Nodame Cantabile and its adapted remake Cantabile Tomorrow.

But let’s stay optimistic! The adaptation is being written by Park Seung-hye, who was a writer on A Man Called God and East of Eden, so the dark mysterious tone shouldn’t be a problem. MarsENT, the same company that produced idol web drama Jumping Girl featuring Luna from f(x), has tentatively announced that they would like to air this new version of Ice World in November.

Via Star News

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well gonna watch the japanese version now. I just finished Beach Boys and GTO a Nanako Takashi reunion wiuld be amamzing now. Hope good cast in korean ver.

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Sounds awesome! I heard of the drama but never watch it.

I guess it depends on the casting for me. I can picture someone like Ha Ji Won will be perfect for the female lead character. Then again, i don't know if she will be up for another remake.

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I'm also a bit wary because the Japanese manga and live action of Hana Kimi were great but the Korean remake of it (To The Beautiful You) was horrible :(

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tbh i never got the appeal of the jdrama hana kimi either. admittedly the manga itself is very silly and imo didnt hold up at all with my grown self vs my teen self that read it lol.

but Ikuta Toma was incredibly fun in it that cannot be denied tho i feel like Hyun Woo did a p good job, he just couldnt match Toma's charisma and admittedly to go full wacky. but if you ask me Sulli was a way more engaging and cute heroine than Horikita Maki was. and Maki has always been rly wooden/flat to me as an actress to begin with. and Oguri Shun was kinda blah in his role too. In his case he CAN put in a good performance and yet...just kinda phoned it in for Hana Kimi.
the supporting cast was very fun and silly tho tbf. just one big goofy parade of foolishness. it was essentially live action anime haha. which the korean adaptation didnt quite manage (not that it rly tried to be) but it didnt take itself too seriously...for the most part. it was very very dumb but again so was the jdrama version. but at least i didnt feel like Minho and Sulli's characters were acting in a diff drama from the one they are actually in unlike Maki and Shun who were both so out of place with the bright colorful energetic supporting cast with her lukewarm acting. so yeah idg the comparison in this case. they both have their charms n flaws. tbh To Beautiful You's biggest flaw is that it doesnt have the benefit of Ikuta Toma and Mizushima Hiro their cast being hilarious/adorable haha. (also episode run times, kdramas can run a bit too long sometimes and its esp obvious in cases like this)

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The best part of Hana Kimi is their silliness,
it got nothing to do with the story or the love line, in fact I don't even care

It just the happiness seeing them being dumb and smart at the same time while always being silly.

I'll watch seasons of their dorm attic for laugh, put Toma, Nanba senpai, Oscar and the visual of Shun Oguri is hilarious,
they are weird and proud of being weird, they enjoy doing silly things and they surprisingly has real life story too.

The high school also one hell of education system, I don't think they learn at all

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This makes me want to watch Hana Kimi again but that would mean watchin the whole series again ?? when can I find time??

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I was recently contemplating the same thing but I didn't want to watch the same thing again so I ended up watching Ouroborous as it had Ikuta Toma and Shun Oguri, plus the lead girl was Ueno Juri. I was in drama casting fantasy heaven XD.

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Timr always available to see the snippet of nakatsu homo janai sequence or his inner monologue detevtive self proclamation hahaha,

I visit youtube for hana kimi highlight moment or just the opening and ending dancing compulation..
I feel so old now

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<The best part of Hana Kimi is their silliness

Yup. The first time I tried watching this drama I didn't get the humour and bailed, the second time I loved it.

The love story is what I remember least of all!

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It's a pretty good drama (even if I prefer Takenouchi's Rondo).

It has a pretty Japanese vibe though – not impossible to adapt, though I'd be more optimistic if it were being made into a Korean film (it'd be something like "Helpless"). It could work as a drama, as long as they focus on the thriller aspect more so than on the romance, even if romance does play a role.

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Takenouchi Yutaka in Rondo -as well as in With Love- was such a delight. Those dramas cleared my mind after Heaven's Coins Vol.2 (while the first season was simply heartbreaking, the second one was a big waste of talent).

Ice World is on my watchlist.

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I've never had the guts to tackle Heaven's Coins....

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After watching Spring Days, I wanted to dive into the original j-dorama. The cast was the primary factor for my choice and the first season had indeed so many feelings. The rest was just terrible.

~ alua,
I can't believe I had been braver than you :-)

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At last, a fan of Takenouchi Yutaka too! Love, love, love Rondo! And him in Long Vacation. And Beach Boys. Ah, the good old time of Japanese dorama before the flood of idols.

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~Lemona,

in Long Vacation he was a real scene-stealer. I love, love KimuTaku but Takenouchi made me a loyal fan with his role.

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Yes, it is definitely a Must Watch. Koori no sekai (Ice World) is one of my favorite j-doramas - which of course has to do with Takenouchi. He was a main ingredient in the mix of a crime/mistery story with a good man being drawn to a black widow and helplessly falling deeper and deeper for her. The story had quite a lot of layers which I could see being adapted by a good writer in a K-drama. A dark story - but so delicious. And the juxtaposition of affection and money in the insurance setting is compelling on its own and would in my opinion fit well in the materialism vs. family orientation of korean society.

Though I do remember it was a big difficult to find adequate and correctly synced subtitles at that time - though I have no idea how the situation is now.

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Fan of Takenouchi, too here!
I love him in With Love, Nagareboshi, and Dekichata Kekkon!
Suteki no Sen-Taxi is also a good drama, with him showing his good deadpan comedy chops.

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despite my long running love for jdramas, this drama i have not seen. it was a bit before my time since i cant think of any jdrama i watched that aired pre 2001. so i dont have any strong feelings there.
but i do want to say, that it sucks to hear taht Cantabile Tomorrow did so poorly ratings. i wasnt expecting it to beat BOF even tho it was a much better drama than BOF. and while NT def didnt catch the charm of the original (which i liked but the only bit that rly impressed me was the music and the two leads hilarious OTT energy) but then BOF sure didnt either. and its not HYD didnt have its flaws as well but BOF was just an offensive trainwreck nightmare.
I guess NT was neither good enough nor bad enough to engender the kind of..uh.."passionate" response that BOF did. too bad. altho Joo Won get's an A for effort at least lol.

I enjoyed Fated to Love You alot tho! I never saw the original (i rarely watch twdramas tbh) but i like to judge adaptations independent of each other. and i think big kudo should go to Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk for that. they thrived in the comedy bits but also nailed the dramatic bits, esp Nara. she can turn on a dime from tragedy to comedy. If only NT had managed to be half as funny lol.
To the Beautiful You was very funny but Im p sure at least 60 percent of it was unintended haha.

There are quite a few jdramas and mangas that i am surprised korea has yet to attempt to adapt tho. this comment is already too long so i wont go into it but like, someone in SK should get on it posthaste imo.

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One pre-2001 jdrama must-watch: Long Vacation (1996).

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I second that...wait I third and forthed it..My all time favourite jdrama, I loved the ost but boy do I feel old now...

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my first jdrama and still my FAV... tho i fell for kimura takuya and his fabulous hair and eyes, loved takenouchi yutaka as the bad boy... rawr...
: )

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Long Vacation was simply magical. I still love the characters and the good vibe.

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No freaking way...

I love this drama. Quite a bit, actually. And I've been rewatching it over the last few weeks.

That said, I'm not really sure it needs a remake. But I'd still be happy to watch as long as they get leads charismatic enough to match Matsushima Nanako and Takenouchi Yutaka. She, in particular, plays a fascinating femme fatale that I'd be intrigued to see recreated.

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I loved Ice World too. It was on a national tv in my country years ago while I was still in high school. The ending part was so memorable. The way she was calling his name urgently. His name was Eiki or something. I loved both leads too so I hope if this pulls through they'll get equally gripping and yes charismatic leads.

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FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY... NO. JUST NO. HELL TO THE NO. PLEASE. NO.

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Ooh.. I saw this one. It was during they heyday of jdoramas and I loved it. Again not sure how it will translate in a korean setting but I wish it luck...

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Ice world is my all time favorite Japanese drama, and I have all the series cd. If they really want to do the remake please do it right.

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I never watch this but I've heard of this,
I just hope they can do it good,

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I actually watched the japanese version more than 10 years back! It was really good n intriguing! Excited for the Korean remake!

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NO. NO. NO. Just no. C'mon, I'm sure there are plenty of Korean source materials that are marvellous and just waiting to be discovered. Pick one of those!

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Now it made want to watch the j-version. Hopefully can find it with sub.

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I've only been able to watch it in on gooddrama so far. It's definitely worth the watch if you like strong female characters.

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Thanks. Will try to find it. I have soft spot for strong female characters, even the drama is not that great.

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If you're into downloading dramas, try doramax264(dot)com.

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Ooo I actually watched and really liked the first ep of the jdrama, but then I lost my source for subs and eventually forgot about it. Time to go sub hunting, I guess!

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This is a good drama.
If ever they remake it, don't just cast A-list actors and actresses for the sake of ratings. The true power lies with a great script. They can attract viewers by the actors but the script is the one that holds the ratings in place.

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writter of man called good? that drama with song seunghoon and shin se kyung? ouch no!! That drama was horrible

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Hmm, I think you're thinking of a different drama, When a Man Loves.

I honestly have no idea about this writer though...

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+1000 A man called God was horrible. If this writer is going to do this, then I have no faith in it.

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Not fan of the genre but I watched Ice World because of my love for both actors. I think remaking movie is not necessarily bad idea. Though at the moment I couldn't think of any actors that might perfect for the role.

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I haven't watched this one, but I think this type of atmosphere/storyline might be easier to adapt into the culture of kdrama so I won't scoff this remake off just yet. If they tried some offbeat mystery like, say, Atami no Sousakan then it'd turn into a disaster for sure lol. Kdramas don't do quirky that well, that's why some of their jdrama remakes fail so badly like Cantabile Tomorrow.

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Takenouchi Yutaka, soooo dreamy.
And Matsushima Nanako had some great roles in those golden days. We'll see how her new dorama will be like as it seems interesting.
The Kdrama remakes of Jdoramas tend to be a hit or miss as they usually loose the point but hope this one will be good.

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i remember this drama.its really has the mysterious vibes and i believe the script is the one that hold the important roles because even me as the viewer think that the drama deliver the question that is loves form a women worth a lives . If only i have the complaint, i would say that i hope they drop the hint even if it just a tiny and unimportant hint more along the series rather than force the viewer all the clue at the end of the story.

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I liked this drama, but I liked nemureru mori more which aired one year earlier better. This is my favorite genre of j dramas - dark romantic mysteries. Another good one might be N no Tameni which is a bit ore recent. I hope they do make a remake because I think a Korean version would be interesting and there are some great actors that I can picture playing the roles.

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"The adaptation is being written by Park Seung-hye, who was a writer on A Man Called God and East of Eden"

Oh yeah, the script is sooo going to tank! Please get a good scriptwriter at least. If they can't get a good one, then please please don't ruin a classic by remaking it.

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It sounds interesting/

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I haven't watched jdramas since hs but the actor in the poster is so gorgeous, I had to click lol. I might have to check out the original during my uni break, along with love that makes you cry and n no tame ni.

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This sounds really interesting.

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Ah, this drama aired here around 00's and I remember sitting in front of TV, still in my school uniform during dinner, watching it. I did find the story refreshing that time and find myself coming back and fort along with the lead on finding which side the heroine was on. Which a very rare occasion since I always screams at the screen when a drama character and I just couldn't linked. Part of me wanting to see a K-drama version of it. I can't helped but feel wary considering the writer team isn't a team that I can put my hope on. Well, interesting to see where this will leads on onward though.

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Interesting.... Lets see whom they chose for the cast. BTW - I hated Korean remake of Fated to Love You. Jung Hyuk with his crazy laugh is unbearable.

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I'm wary, I didn't like the Korean Fated to Love You I feel like since the cultures are different a lot of things essential to making the story what it is get washed away when remade.

But I've also never watched this movie, so clearly I must. I do like the existential crisis theme in so much of Japanese media (manga or not, man imagine a Pandora Hearts drama though)

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I will have to Agree with you....I found the Korean version of fated to love you unbearable and unwatchable..due to the main actor...that laugh....ugh. which is a shame.....loved the original. I have not watch this but I seen the male lead in long vacation...which was awesome!!!! (Could be due to a western feel. felt at home) also nag..... something that was excellent. I lost focus, excellent actor!

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my all time favourite J-drama, it has an intriguing story (unfortunately the scriptwriter committed suicide several years ago), amazing leads (acting and looks wise), likeable supporting cast and awesome ost. i'm interested to see who kbs will be casting as the female lead. She's the key character to the entire story, mysterious, dangerous, strong yet vulnerable as the male lead digs deeper into her past. Matsushima Nanako is fascinating and charismatic in this drama, one of her best performances. Yutaka Takenouchi is charming as well.

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Wow, when I first saw the picture I thought it was Otani Ryohei...

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First actors that came to mind: Ji Chang Wook and Moon Chae Won

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