A Star Parade Featuring Stars Still in Their Infancy
(Author's screenshot from Friends, credit MBC/TBS)
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea. Relations between the two nations, which were still somewhat icy at times, were just beginning to thaw, resulting in a few co-produced dramas. The first of these was titled Friends, a landmark in the history of Korean and Japanese television dramas, as it was the first jointly produced series, thanks to the collaboration between Japan's TBS and Korea's MBC. The mini-series, consisting of just four episodes, was presented in two parts in February 2002, premiering first in Japan and then a week and a half later in Korea.
What could be more suitable for expressing rapprochement than a love story? The result was a rom-com that, while not overly deep, was very sweet, with a storyline crafted so that the friendship between the two main protagonists endured even when their romance suffered a setback. They even ask each other: "So we are friends now, right?" And an emphatic "yes" is the answer from which the title originates.
(Author's screenshot from Friends, credit MBC/TBS)
A great deal was packed into this short drama: numerous well-applied romantic clichés (the wonderful first day of meeting), followed by a few melodramatic twists causing the lovers to separate multiple times, flashing the social and cultural differences between the two nations in a way that was not overly dramatic yet suitably painful. It portrayed Japanese family relationships as more permissive and understanding, while depicting Korean parents as more rigid yet generous, and the youth as politely respectful of authority yet rebellious.
The protagonists of this romantic love story are Kim Ji-hoon, a Korean boy preparing to become a film director, and Asai Tomoko, a Japanese department store clerk. Chance brings them together while visiting Hong Kong, resulting in two days spent together shooting the boy's film. Despite not sharing a single language through which they could understand each other in words, this proves no barrier to finding themselves on the same wavelength.
After both return to their respective homelands, they continue their adventure through correspondence, getting to know each other more thoroughly in the process. The attraction grows stronger, and they do everything they can to meet again. By the time this happens, we also learn about the family backgrounds of the young people. The boy is the only child of a traditionally minded Korean family whose father has already planned his future and expects the boy to follow the path designated for him. He treats his son's film studies as merely a passing whim to be tolerated, but Ji-hoon also feels it is his duty to sacrifice his desires for the sake of his family. Tomoko, by contrast, lives in the shadow of her mother, who raised her alone after a divorce. Although her mother would support her in everything, Tomoko cannot find her place in the world, considering herself worthless compared to her seemingly successful mother.
(Author's screenshot from Friends, credit MBC/TBS)
As the boy and girl explore each other's worlds, they also face their own questions, inevitably supporting one another in finding their own paths.
Their situation is far from easy, as they must reckon with cultural differences affecting their relationship about which they know very little. Unwanted intriguers also appear, feeling entitled to interfere in their relationship. Very telling is their first attempt to meet, during which Tomoko goes on a trip to Seoul over a multi-day holiday, having no idea of the obligations the boy has during this period (likely Chuseok) that render him unavailable.
The story presents numerous complicating factors that young people in similar situations must face. Raising the money needed for travel is no easy feat, and the boy's mandatory military service also intervenes. Nor do they forget to show that Korean boys, upon being drafted, feel that if they are currently in a relationship, they cannot tie their sweethearts to themselves for the long duration of service, preferring instead to break up.
Given the fact of the co-production, however, we can suspect that we are about to watch a Romeo and Juliet story with a happy ending, even if the young lovers must endure numerous trials. It can be considered symbolic that the first Korean co-produced drama was realized specifically with Japan, and even more symbolic that the fulfillment of the young couple's happiness is also a promise of a brighter shared future for both countries.
(Author's screenshot from Friends, credit MBC/TBS)
(Author's screenshot from Friends, credit MBC/TBS)
The charming female lead of the drama is actress and singer Fukada Kyoko. Her onscreen partner was Won Bin, who was just 25 years old at the time. This remains his last drama role to date (having previously appeared in seven), before breaking away from television series to star in such legendary films as Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War, Bong Joon-ho's Mother, or the cult classic The Man from Nowhere—only to disappear from the film world afterward, leaving it hanging to this day whether he will ever return.
Han Hye-jin, the female half of the two featured supporting cast members, was also still spreading her wings here, only to dazzle viewers a few years later in roles such as the unforgettable So Seo-no in Jumong, or the heroines of Be Strong, Geum-Soon!, Jejoongwon, or Kind Words.
(Author's screenshot from Friends, credit MBC/TBS)
Beside her appears Lee Dong-gun, who was also only 22 years old, with his role as the good-humored doctor in Sang-doo, Let's Go to School! still ahead of him, not to mention such outstanding performances as the serial killer in Sketch.
(Author's screenshot from Friends, credit MBC/TBS)
Although this is a love story, we do not get lost in romance this time; the narrative is quite tight, and the director's urban imagery, alternating between the pulsing life of Japanese and Seoul metropolises, gives the drama a great rhythm from the start. This, combined with bold camera work—such as the tremor of a handheld camera expressing desperate excitement—makes the series feel remarkably cinematic.
The drama's music is composed by Cho Sung-woo, with lyrics by Horikawa Reimi (Remedios). Fitting the theme, the melodies are lyrical, light, and at times a little melancholic. The insert songs are sung by Lee Soo Young and Yuri, with the track titled One recorded in both English and Korean versions.
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(Video via YouTube)
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SOUTH KOREA / JAPAN | K-DRAMA / J-DRAMA | FRIENDS (프렌즈 / フレンズ) | WRITTEN BY HWANG SEONG-YEON, OKADA YOSHIKAZU | DIRECTED BY HAN CHEOL-SU, DOI NOBUHIRO | 2002 | 4 EPISODES | MBC, TBS
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