Endless Love (TV series)

Endless Love
Format	Drama
Country of origin	South Korea
No. of episodes	76 (16 for Autumn and 20 for each succeeding season)
Production
Producer(s)	Lee Jae-Sang
Broadcast
Original channel	Korean Broadcasting System
Original run	2000 (as Autumn) – 2006 (as Spring)

Endless Love was the unofficial title for a set of four Korean drama series directed by Yoon Seok-Ho, produced by KBS stations.

Structure

It featured four parts, with each named after the seasons of the year. Each part of the series had its own plotlines, characters, and actors. The series was widely viewed in Asia and continued the Korean wave that had gripped the region since the late 1990s and early 2000s. Later on, as the series progressed and was marketed outside of Korea, the moniker 'Endless Love' stuck and was used to identify all the series as one.

The four parts of the 'series' are:

• Autumn in My Heart (2000)
• Winter Sonata (2002)
• Summer Scent (2003)
• Spring Waltz (2006)

The series was widely known in South Korea as director Yoon Suk-ho's pet project, dealing with four different seasons of love. In Korea, however, it is not totally put together as a series but is arranged as four separate shows. All the seasons run 20 episodes except for the first which ran only 16. All were shown in KBS2. The show's endings not only have evolved with the times (tragedy used to be the trend, but now lighter, happier endings are preferred), but have kept with the theme, getting progressively more positive as 'spring' approaches. A few of the actors who portray the show's supporting characters return in different roles as the series progressed, such as Kim Hae Sook, but only Song Seung-heon played two different characters, both as leads for Autumn, and Summer.

Running Similarities

Many elements of the 'formula' of Korean drama are evident in the shows, but are retained even more clearly in all four shows.

The shows mainly begin with a love that began at some point in the early childhood or teen years and continues on until adulthood, usually after a long separation. This is slightly bent in the 3rd series as the main character's first loves are not the main characters, but still goes by 'first love' involving the heart of the main male character's first girlfriend having been transplanted onto the main female lead.

The shows also seem to emphasize the scenery, making it into one of the main characters (the rice fields in Autumn, the lake in Winter, the tea garden in Summer and the island in Spring).

The show also follows a pattern of having a 'third-wheel', the second male lead; and the jealous girl, the second female lead. There was also a 3rd 'couple' in each show, mostly to provide comic relief from the otherwise dreary situations presented in each show (leading to 3 couples- the leads, the second leads and the 'funny' couple).

Also, all the characters in all the series have had the leads endure the disagreement of the parents of both leads. As for the soundtrack, main instrumental themes for all the series are known classics such as 'Romance' in Autumn, 'Moonlight Sonata' in Winter, 'Serenade' in Summer and 'Clementine' in Spring.

Broadcasting outside Korea

• Endless Love: Autumn in My Heart became a tearful and heart-touching drama to Filipinos. This drama received much positive feedback from the Philippine press. Also the main actor and actress garnered positive comments from people. Endless Love II: Winter Sonata and Endless Love III: Summer Scent also aired on GMA Network, while Endless Love IV: Spring Waltz aired on ABS-CBN as Spring Waltz (without the Endless Love title).

• In Indonesia, the serial was broadcast on Indosiar in 2002, then and on RCTI in 2003.

Production and Telecasting

Telecasting: KBS

• Executive Producer: Kim, Jong Sik
• Chief Producer: Moon, Bo Hyun
• Producer: Lee, Jae Sang

Production: YOON'S COLOR

• Director: Yoon Seok-Ho

Distributor: YOON'S COLOR

See also

• List of Korean television shows
• Korean drama
• List of Korea-related topics
• Contemporary culture of South Korea

External links

• Spring Waltz Official Homepage (Korean)
• Spring Waltz Official Overview (English)