Friends (2002– ) User Reviews

Take it for what it is!

[tomo-ji-zhi · 9/10 · 19 April 2020]

This is a 2002 Korean-Japanese romantic drama about young love. What's more, it's a 2002 Korean-Japanese romantic drama about young love condensed into just FOUR (4!!) episodes! You couldn't take away that fact even if you tried. So take this drama for what it is: a sweet and short love story that's meant to be enjoyed.

This mini-drama is not without its cheesy lines, awkward camera-work and questionable pacing. Even the main lead, Kyoko Fukada, falls short in her acting at times; it's quite noticeable that delivering emotional scenes in sync is tricky when there's a language barrier - and reasonably so! But the truth is, these little flaws fit in a pocket and even add charm to the series. It really is an innocent product of the early 2000s and it's a good thing!

The plot is straightforward. Mistaken for a thief that stole a handbag, Korean film student Ji-hoon meets Japanese saleswoman Tomoko. Their unfortunate but rather comical meeting in Hong Kong turn out to have a profound impact on their lives as they return to their home countries. If you believe or like the idea of soulmates, 'Friends' rewards you with something a little more than the title advertises. The chemistry between the two main characters is there if you aren't too pedantic about it. All in all, they are adorable.

I loved it, and I hope this review might push you to give this old gem a try!

Well this spoils the series if you have not seen it

[AbsoluteXer0 · 16 July 2002]

Friends was beautiful. I saw the series a couple months ago when i went to Korea for vacation. I saw the first part a couple days before my flight home. I was sad i would miss the rest because the first part just pulled me into it. Fukada Kyoko's captavating beauty alone made me wish to see the rest. The humor was also great. Not to give away some of it for those who have not seen it but i found the scene where Jihun is filming her for his movie was just great. But I did get to see the rest in a three day span. This was one of the few television series I have seen that has brought a tear to my eye. It was great how Tomoko didn't let a language barrier get in her way and she learned Korean. The lengths they went to see each other its seems a bit too perfect but I didnt mind. Even the little twists where their friends are in love with them made it more intriuging. The ending was just spectacular. That was the 5th scene in the movie to overwhelm me with emotions.

P.S. I'm not an adult I'm actually 14 years old.

Excellent!

[cafedegogo · 10/10 · 4 May 2002]

This is a fantastic love story between a Korean boy and a Japanese girl. They fall in love in Hong Kong first and they exchange e-mails. As time goes by, some difficulties rise because of cultural differences etc. All in all, this is a must to see!

Annoying story

[phd_travel · 6/10 · 20 February 2020]

This 4 part story set in Japan Hong Kong and Seoul is a bit different from the usual K drama but the story isn't great. The cuteness is annoying. A Korean boy and Japanese girl fall in love after meeting in Hong Kong. She even moves to Seoul to be with him. There are a few minor obstacles like people parents etc. May be of interesting for fans of the stars otherwise the romance is annoying as the language barrier. Underwhelming.

my comment

[lia00027 · 11 June 2002]

This is one of the great serial drama that I had been seen. Kyoko and Won Bin play good, but the story is to short. When I see this romantic drama, I feel have faith to love some one else from another country, and they can understanding each other even they don't understand one of other language. Believe and have a love is something special that we must take care and must not let go that is the meaning of this serial drama.

spoilers for those who didn't get to watch this...

[kartini7 · 13 October 2005]

it starts out with Tomoko coming to Hong Kong with her friend. her friend ditches her cos she wants to see her bf n only asked Tomoko to come along cos if not, her parents won't allow her to go to Hong Kong on her own. anyway, on her own, Tomoko's handbag gets snatched as she window-shops. Kelly Chen plays the salesgirl of the shop Tomoko was looking at. Tomoko looks for the snatch thief n mistakes Jihun as the thief cos they are wearing the same jacket. bad enough that Jihun gets dragged to the police station by the cops, he's also there when Tomoko actually sees the real snatch thief. being the gentleman, he helps her, but gets punched by the snatch thief. Tomoko is penniless, hungry n knows nobody in Hong Kong. Jihun brings her to his aunt's restaurant out of pity but tells his aunt to prepare really spicy n hot food, which Tomoko turns out to love. in return, Tomoko is to star in his 'looking for love' movie. Jihun is an aspiring movie director but has to give up his dreams cos he has to take over his family's business. at the end of their stay in Hong Kong, they exchange email adds. back in japan, Tomoko hates her job as a sales girl. she contacts Jihun via email n they keep in touch. inspired by this young Korean guy, Tomoko learns the Korean language to communicate wif him. they try to meet up a couple of times, n almost never make it. Tomoko gets a job as a tourist guide n meets with Jihun more often. Jihun's parents find out that he's still into movie directing and that his girlfriend is a Japanese. Tomoko and Jihun break up when Tomoko finds out that Jihun was going to give up movie directing just so his parents would approve his relationship with Tomoko. in the end, Jihun becomes a great movie director n goes back to japan to woo Tomoko. it's really sweet! behind the scenes: Kyoko and won bin do not have any chemistry going on between them. kyoko had to learn some Korean cos her script demanded it. in the show, we are made to think that jihun learns Japanese to communicate with Tomoko, but in real life, won bin only knows a few Japanese words cos his script didn't need him to learn Japanese. in the show, we are made to think that Jihun is a clean goody kid, but in between scenes, apparently this guy smokes like a chimney. in Hong Kong, paparazzi tried to take his pic cos one pic of him can sell 40,000 copies. when shooting in Hong Kong, many people crowded when won bin came. fans will always be fans.