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Choi Ji-woo’s new surrogate family in Suspicious Housekeeper

Production is underway on SBS’s new Monday-Tuesday drama Suspicious Housekeeper, starring Choi Ji-woo (Can’t Lose) as a strange stoic housekeeper who arrives to fix a broken family. The remake of the Japanese drama Kaseifu no Mita (I Am Mita, Your Housekeeper) has an interesting set of descriptors — it promises to be a “mystery healing human drama,” about a character who’s cold, but brings warmth into these characters’ lives.

It sounds not unlike Go Hyun-jung’s last drama Queen’s Classroom, especially because of the emphasis on kids. Choi Ji-woo’s character (named Park Bok-nyeo for “woman of misfortune”) will come as a live-in housekeeper/nanny to a family with a father and four children, not long after the death of their mother. Hm, Sound of Music without the music? Lee Sung-jae (Gu Family Book) plays Dad, who suddenly finds himself having to raise four kids on his own, without the slightest clue how.

Kim So-hyun (I Hear Your Voice) leads the cast of youngsters as the eldest daughter. It’ll just be nice to see her in a whole drama instead of popping in for a four-episode childhood saga and leaving just as we get attached. Chae Sang-woo (Jang Ok-jung, Live By Love) is the second child, Nam Da-reum (Watch Out For Fools) the third, and five-year old Kang Ji-woo (Your Woman) plays the maknae. They’re actually named in succession: Han-kyul, Doo-kyul, Se-kyul, like naming your kids One Two Three. The maknae is named Hye-kyul — not a number, but a pun on “solution,” because naturally, she’s the key to the family’s healing process.

Co-starring are dramaland favorites Park Geun-hyung (Grandpas Over Flowers), Kim Hae-sook (I Hear Your Voice) and Shim Yi-young (Goddess of Marriage). Wang Ji-hye (Be Strong, Mr. Kim) is also in the cast, but she joined on later, so she’s not in any of the stills yet.

The drama comes from the PD of Ghost and Sign, and the writer of Strongest Chil-woo, so warm family drama seems like a bit of a departure for both of them. But there is an element of mystery that will perhaps keep it from being your average rehabilitated family story. Not that a single father learning how to be a father and four grumpy kids learning how to be lovable wouldn’t be enough to warm my heart.

Suspicious Housekeeper follows Empire of Gold and premieres September 23 on SBS.

Via SBS

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Thanks for the update...

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This looks really cute. I like the Sound of Music, without music comment seems apropos. I am excited to see Kim So-hyun is a full drama. Thanks for the info.

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The original Japanese of this was not bad, and I like most of the actors in this so will give it a chance. At least it is not another med-drama.

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I think I'll watch this drama, because the cast is interesting, it just replacing Empire of Gold which I watch too

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Yes, the original was quite a good story. Got me teary eyed several times. I really hope the K-version will be as good^^

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I am excited too to see Kim So Hyun in a full drama. The japanese version is so good, one of my most favorite drama because the writing and acting especially from Matsushima Nanako is so good. So, cant wait to see this drama, hope this will be good. Also, so excited if this will be adapted firstlove of eldest daughter, who will be ksh's pairing...

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Sounds almost like Mary Poppins... just without the singing and dancing and sugar-coating. xD

Can I say as much as I love Kim So Hyun this girl needs a break, a childhood, whatever? Just saying...

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Also sounds like Nanny McPhee to me!
"stoic housekeeper to fix a broken family" and "housekeeper for a father, family of four, not long after the mother died" is definitely all qualities of Nanny McPhee.

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Yes, but Mcphee had personality jumping out at you. She just looks like a plastic psycho

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What's that noise, Choi Ji Woo? You used to be so beautiful... TT

If this widower wants to hire a foreign nanny/teacher, I'll send my resume ASAP.

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You and me both...

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Oh, my comment is in regard to the sending your resume ASAP comment. I just raved about LSJ below.

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Choi Ji Woo IS beautiful. She is 36-37.
What's that ring doing tangling on her necklace?

I love this cast. At least this is one weekend drama that doesn't sound scary from the get-go.

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She used to be a natural beauty from the looks of her high school days. That was such a rarity in k-ent with all the "cloned" faces. However this new smile of hers shows that she has had a nice/mouth job. Hence my disappointment.

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My guess is probably botox around the mouth to get rid of the wrinkles, very common procedures not only for celebs but for any women. The downside of botox is stiffness around the area.

However, it's also possible that her character as Mita requires her to act emotionless, expressionless, thus the stiff face. Mita is supposed to be like a 'robot', without any emotions and never smiles.

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this is not week-end drama

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How sweet is Kim Soo-hyun, helping the younger actress with her script?

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I didn't see the Japanese drama, however I like the premise and the fact that the children will be a part of the drama, on a regular basis. Does anyone know how many episodes this drama will have? 20 maybe?

I am loving the cast, Lee Sung-jae and Park Geun-hyung being some of my favorite Korean actors. I am looking forward to seeing KSH, I have never seen her in anything (so far). Lee Sung-jae looks so much younger here (than in his GFB days), and I look forward to seeing him in a different project, GFB being the 1st one I saw him in. I really love his acting.

I love, love, love the stills with the children reading and interacting with the little girl. They are all so cute!!!!

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You should watch Lee Sung Jae in Rascal Sons too. It's a 50 episode drama though, so get ready for it to be draggy. He plays a widower with just a daughter in there too.
I don't want to give too much away, but the funniest part in the beginning of the drama was when he tried to act all tough and such, and ended up hitting his own finger while trying to hammer a nail.

So it will be interesting this time, how he makes his character a bit different, while considering he does have 4 kids now, not just one. I am looking forward to seeing Choi Ji Woo too, I last watched her in Air City, and that was almost 6 years ago.

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Thank you Audrey, for your recommendation and for sharing some funny bits about Rascal sons. Another drama on my already looooong list of dramas I would LOVE to watch. Don't you just wish we could have a full year of vacations, to watch all the dramas and movies we would like to watch?

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Ivoire! Didn't you watch I Hear Your Voice? Or am I mixing up your OT presence and thinking you were in the recaps for that show - she's in the first ep mainly, and does a very good job.

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Hello Pogo,
No, I haven't watched IHYV, yet. I think you might be seeing me places, which is OK, I guess :-) You do know (however) that we were on GFB together, right? (and I think I know how you feel about that drama :-) ).
I look forward to seeing KSH act, I have read a lot of good things about her.

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Yeah, I remember the GFB recaps very well - both your epic comments and how vocal I was with my, er, opinion :)

KSH is one of the better child actors SK has, and despite her extreme youth I look forward to her career as a full-fledged adult actress some day. I'd love it if she was as successful as Park Shin-hye is now <3

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Good to read/hear from you Pogo :-)!!!!
I am glad you remember our GFB days :-)! Was PSH a child actress as well? I too hope that KSH will have a successful career. As I have said, I have read a lot of good things about her. Thank you for the info :-)

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Hi, Ivoire!!

You should totally watch A Wife's Credentials. It's an awesome drama AND Lee Sung Jae is a total hotie there. I actually didn't realize he was GFB's villain without taking a look at his filmography lol.

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Hi azurduyy!!!!
*Sigh,* another (good) drama I should watch :-)? Thank you for your recommendation, however. I have only seen LSJ in GFB, and yes he was the villain there, but I loved him and I loved his acting (not his character, of course not. I was one of the people wishing him ill :-) ). I would LOVE to see LSJ as a hottie!!!!!
And I have read some things about him in real life too, and he is very humble and he seems really nice, which of course, I simply love about him.

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If you love Lee Sung-jae, you MUST watch Lawyers in Korea. It's a grown-up story about relationships, and it's bittersweet, funny heartwarming... It's one of my favourite dramas, and he was devastatingly charismatic in it. I completely fell for him in it - he has such an unusual and memorable character, and his acting is perfect. The female lead is a bit annoying in the first couple of episodes, but once she improves all four leads are interesting and relatable. I can't actually think of another drama I could say that for. Plus the second male is almost as lovely as the first.

Anyway, I'll stop raving now lol. But highly, highly reccommend!

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I love Lawyers of Korea too! I still listen to the OST now. And a great bonus in that show - Sung Dong Il.

Ps: I was shipping the second lead so hard...but we all know how that ship sinks in KDramas. :D

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Hi, why was Sung Dong Il a great bonus? (I am curious now...)

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Yes, the OST is awesome! Especially "Homesick". I can never get sick of that song.

And I agree, LSJ and SDI's bromance was gold. I loved them together.

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Who's the second lead? Help my memory please... her ex?

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Ryu Soo-young. He's absolutely lovely, and yes, her ex. I was so rooting for him in the first half - but in the second have I was completely on the OTP ship. He remains a great character throughout though. And that smile of his! *swoons*

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Hello Laica,
and thank you so much for your recommendation. And please, feel free to rave away :-). I have done it, and I can relate. And yes, even though LSJ was a villain in GFB, I found his acting to be perfect there too, every-single-time. Now I am curious about Lawyers in Korea. *Runs to read up on it on Asianwiki*

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Wait a sec ... the Big Baddy from Gu Family Book is now going to be a Dad of these cute kids?!

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Exactly! and he himself looks cute already... Which is why Denali and I would not mind being his foreign nanny and housekeeper...

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Oh sorry, Denali just wants to be the nanny or the teacher.

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What? Lee Sung Jae is in GFB?? I didn't know that. I love him, but I mostly watched him in movies. I didn't really follow his dramas. Oh now I need to watch GFB. Only for him

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If you're a fan, don't do it! DO NOT WATCH GFB FOR HIM! DO NOT ENTER!!! WALK AWAY NOW.

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^^seconding the above comment - DO NOT WATCH.

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Do watch GFB for him, and if you take him as you'll find him there, you ARE his fan. ;)

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Based on Kumi's recommendation and piece of advice, I guess that I am his fan. I didn't know about him before GFB, however I quickly became his fan.

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hmmm, is this confirmation now that the entire kdrama writers corp have hit a collective writer's block? This is the 3rd remake this season of a Japanese drama (Queen's Classroom and God of the Workplace other 2). I suspect that there will be even more remakes in future kdramaland seasons of hit dramas from other countries.

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I find it interesting that a large part of the "Korean Wave" is based on Japanese manga and TV shows :D

But I think it is more than writers block - I think that at least in some part they cannot seem to think "out of the box" - which is why we see so many of the same plot devices used time after time.

Someone (maybe on Soompi?) commented that it might be part of the infamous Korean "don't be the nail that stands up" syndrome, but that is also present to some extent in Japan.

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Exactly, even I'm surprised sometimes how much kmovie or dramas are based on Japanese original works.
I'm guessing Japan is good at creating dramas that can focus on something else then love triangles, cold chaebols and terminal illness and still get good ratings example Woman, Mother, saikou no rikon etc.
There are Korean writers who think outside the box but I think they often have to create something more mainstream.

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I highly suspect that even if Korean writers to come up with something original, it is a tough sell to the investors and producers, who have been riding the "cliché wave" for 10 years now.

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One advantage that Japanese writers have is that they have much less air time to fill (40-45 minutes per episode versus 60-65 minutes per episode for kdramas, and 10-12 episodes per drama versus 16-20 episodes for kdramas). So, there is much less need to fill dead time with cliche side plots which everyone is so tired of now. But, this doesn't explain the lack of originality these days in basic story lines in kdramas.

Maybe this is cyclical in nature as a Japanese friend of mine recalled that jdorama writers had the same problem a while back. Seems they solved part of it by copying more basic story lines from popular mangas. Wonder if Korean manga writers/artists are having writer blocks these days so that there's nothing good to copy?

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I don't think that is the real issue though. A lot more of the Japanese scripts are actually original. I suspect that at least part of it is that even though Japan is like Korea in many ways, it differs a lot the entertainment industry, and there is a lot more freedom to come up with weird ideas there. While some of the strangest movies in the world are Japanese, they also come up with some of the most original.

You see the same differences between J-pop and K-pop - Japan has a lot more indie bands that actually sell records, the vast majority of K-pop is manufactured to a large extent.

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How do I feel about this? Hmm. I watched the original and I'm not a fan of remakes but the story was really unique.

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Kaseifu No Mita was like a creepy version of Mary Poppins for me... hahaha but it was a reaaaallly good drama! It was so heartwarming that it brought tears to my eyes by the end of the series.

I'm sure Choi Ji Woo would do a good job. I'll def watch this version and I do hope that this will be as good as the original.

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I watched the jdrama. Despite some fine actors, it felt terribly contrived. I am amazed that a kdrama version is in the works.

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Random observation: I see Kim So-hyun's cut her hair since IHYV.

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Sounds like nanny mcphee.....

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Am looking forward to this! Thanks!!

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If Kim So Hyun and Chae Sang Woo have a sibling fight, I wonder if they're going to make it super intense With sparks flying- they're both amazing at intensity <3

Or they could just be cute. I'm fine with that too :D

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I remember the male child actor in More Charming by the day as Kim sung soo son, funny drama, the only korean sitcom that I watch

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The Japanese version was really good in my opinion and hopefully the Korean version won't butcher it.

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Not sure if the drama is appealing enough for me judging by the descriptions but I am going to try it out because Kim So-Hyun is there! :D I've been looking forward to watch a drama that she will stick in for the whole series. Plus, the "best mom ever" from Voice is there! *squeal*

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Sounds like Nanny McPhee with less magic and less kids. But the kids are cute and Wang Ji-hye is my kdrama girl crush (based solely on her character in Protect the Boss. In my mind, that's how she is all the time).

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I wonder if they are keeping Mita's background the same, the reason why she became they way she was. That was so heartbreaking the scene in the jdorama where she finally told the full story.
I hope they don't add any romance between Mita and dad because there was none in the original but kdramas tend to add romance where it didn't.
Dad married mom because he had to, he actually fell in love with another woman.

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Kaseifu No Mita was kinda creepy
hope this is the less creepy better remake

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Well she's frakking perfect for this part! She looks just like Mita lol.

I hope they do something different with the story because it wasn't the best watch and got pretty freaking heavy near the end.

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Geun Hyung Halbae!!!!

sorry had to add that bit... he's my fav!

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ahhh I was gonna do the same!! strange feeling of familiarity after watching him in GOF :)

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I actually thought it was fitting and it explain Mita's motives very well. Without it, Mita's personality would've been just for gimmicks, and I really hate the "just because" endings that don't really justify the story.

Since the kdrama verison will have more episode, I think they'll be able to spread out the pacing a bit more so it doesn't feel like a lot is packed into one episode. Other than that, I don't want them to soften up Mita's character at all.

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I loved the original but will check this out once all the eps have aired.

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Correct me if I'm wrong but the actual writer for The Queen's Classroom is the same writer for Kaseifu no Mita. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the original and I might tune in to see if this version to see how similar/different it might be.

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The plot sounds a bit overdone, but I've waited too long to see Lee Sung-jae in another lead role. Actually the entire cast looks great. I'm hoping it will be more Nanny McPhee and less Mary Poppins, though.

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No worries, Mita is more like the terminator than Mary Poppins.

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Oh creepy bastard from Gu Family Book is playing family guy in this one? It's going to be pretty strange.

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lol Well he was also a family guy in rascal sons, and the good son out of the three.

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There seems to be a Korean remake of Japanese dramas trend. We already had The Queen of Office which was a remake of The Pride of the Temp, and The Queen's Class which is a remake with the same name. Now it's a remake of I Am Mita, Your Housekeeper. I wonder if this trend will continue.

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If it does I would totally want them to remake 'Nodame Wo Produce" It's my favourite Jdorama....

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yikes.. that's 'Nobuta" :D

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I'd like to see a remake of Nodame Cantabile.

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I just hope they don't start making Godzilla movies :D

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why not make it like BE CAREFUL WITH MY HEART in the philippines>>>???

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Looking forward to this. The original jdrama was one of the highest viewed dramas in Japan

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I adore the casts. So this is really something that I look forward to. I just hope I have time for it when it comes around.

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Oh I love kim so hyun ! She is wonderful and a mega star now ! What abt when se grows up ! Any ways that seems intresting and remindes me of nanny maqfie ! Without the zits ! Lol or magic ! I love how the four kids are helping each other with the script ! Like a familh already

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tq gf,

Oh ! kdrama cannot missed out ROMANCE in their

dramas, that is the talk of the town !

it will not be fun with no touching, no hugging, back

carry, no kissing, shower scenes , where most fans go

drooling and goo goo gah gah about intense kissing.

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Kim So Hyun again? I thought she was involved in another drama/movie? Hope she doesn't get overworked! Hope it turns our heartwarming =)

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The kid in the last pic with Kim So Hyun is so CUTE!!

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am gonna watch this one for sure , I will always have a soft spot for Choi Ji-woo , and I find her totally gorgeous and lovable , it dosent hurt that the male lead looks charismatic and capable .....

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This most certainly isn't like the Sound of Music, at least not in the jdrama. Mita is the opposite extreme from the loveable Maria or Mary Poppins. The closest comparison is the terminator from Terminator 2. I hope they don't soften up Mita's character in this remake, because that's the whole premise of what made the plot great.

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Hehe.. you are right - at least in the Japanese version it was more like Terminator than Poppins. If they sugarize her, it will probably ruin the ending.

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Really loved the japanese version. Hopefully SBS does not put a melodramatic twist to it just to make it different.

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i love the japanese verdion.. its a healing drama, spice of life.. drama that suits all generations.. everyone can relate to it..

kaseifu no mita did so well, very high viewer ratings.. i hope the korean version will do well too..

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The original J-drama achieved over 40% in ratings, the highest drama in a very very long time.

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this may sound random here but aside from she's my no 1 k actress of all time since winter sonata drama i had the urge to re watch her in Mr Duke with another fave of mine Kim seong woo & if Choi ji woo ssi is reading this or Kim seong woo, you both were awesome in that drama & i pray that you two will reunite with another drama perhaps a sequel coz at the end Choi ji's character was pregnant! anyway, i can't wait for this drama to watch! she's one of da best in K entertainment period!

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1st, 3rd and 4th pics looks like a fcking mannequin! Honestly, she scared the hell out of me. shes used to be so pretty! Now,she had a nice nose job and Botox. i guess it cannot be helped.

Anyway, Its sound promising. going to watch this.yay!

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some people make bad comment about cjw.please her alone she doesn't do anything wrong to you.who cares how she looks

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I'm really just watching this one for Kim So Hyun and Kim Hae Suk, I watch whatever dramas they are in. They're such great actors.
Loved the both of them in I Hear Your Voice!! It was even better that they were playing a mother-daughter pair.
I watched the first episode of this and it was kind of.... meh. :/

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