Endless Love is the unofficial title for a set of four Korean drama series directed by Yoon Seok-ho, and produced by KBS from 2000 to 2006.

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.

Endless Love series

The series was widely known in South Korea as director Yoon Seok-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 as they were shown on KBS2, in more than 76 episodes. 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. Here are the four parts of the 'series':

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 begins 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

Production and telecasting

Telecasting: KBS Production: YOON'S COLOR Distributor: YOON'S COLOR

Soundtracks

Korean soundtracks

Also includes a compact disc for another Korean KBS show - Fireworks. The main title and "Reason" have the same melody and are the dominant themes of the show. "Romance", also known as "Forbidden Love" is the classic piece used for this soundtrack. Predominantly features Ryu (류) as the official performer for Winter Sonata. In addition, "Moment" performed by Ryu and available on his album Ryu 2 (류 2집) is included on some bootleg versions of the Winter Sonata soundtrack. The main title and Bi Mil are interchangeably used in different airings of the show as the main theme. Spring Waltz - Yoon Jae Ha A double-disc piano collection packaged exactly like the male lead character's first Korean special release album, also bearing that character's name. CD 1 CD 2 A maxi-single released with songs inspired by Spring Waltz.

International releases

Includes the single 'Moment' by Ryu which while being a major theme in the show was not included in the original album but was only released with Ryu's album by the same name. Contains all of the tracks of the original plus 'Neowi Hyangii' (Your Scent), an instrumental piece of 'YuhReum Hyanggi (Say Yes). 'YuhReum Hyanggi' was also retitled as 'Neowi Hyanggi'.

Filipino soundtracks

The first album to bear the name 'Endless Love' and be labeled 'original soundtrack' at once. While it contains a lot of musical cues for Autumn Tale, they were not used in the show but seemed to be similar in theme to those used in the Korean album. 'Paglisan', a soprano piece and the 'Endless Love Theme' were songs included here and used in the show. Both songs, along with all the music in the album were composed and arranged by the local Filipino composer Paulo Almaden. The Philippine version of the main title theme is not present in this album. Features remakes of all three songs from the Korean soundtrack (including the main theme) and songs inspired by Autumn Tale. The outer packaging (box) is white while the inner packaging (a booklet w/ photos which holds the CD) is blue, which is a reversal of the second album's colors. Both were released simultaneously. Features remakes of the main theme from the Korean soundtrack of Winter Sonata and male and female remakes of 'My Memory'. The outer packaging (box) is blue while the inner packaging (a booklet w/ photos which holds the CD) is white, which is a reversal of the first album's colors. Both were released simultaneously. Features remakes of all the songs from the Korean soundtrack (including the main theme). The largest remake so far. The outer packaging (box) is dark green, while the inner packaging (a booklet with photos which holds the CD) is mint green, a unique combination of colors unlike the first two albums. A collection of all the songs from Autumn Tale and Winter Sonata including both main themes. The box is a black ridged case with gold embossed logo. This did not include songs from the third series Summer Scent. A collection of all the remade songs from Autumn Tale and Winter Sonata including both main themes. The box can house 4 discs but contains 2. Both sides of the box have different covers for both of the CDs contained. Acoustic Remix Side, contains all the remade songs, as well as two original Philippine songs from Autumn In My Heart. Club Remix Side There is a theme song of Endless Love: Winter Sonata that is not part of the album with the same name. It is "Kung Kailan Wala Ka Na" which was sung by Jolina Magdangal and heard sometimes in ending credits.