Stairway to Heaven (2003)

This was not a groundbreaking series by any means, but it had heart. You just have to get past all the clichés and stereotypes. It’s not easy, because there was a lot of those.

There was the usual cancer, amnesia, and blindness clichés. There was your stereotypical CEO male lead who was trying much too hard to look cool. There was your stereotypical crazy stepfamily with an evil plan so dumb yet no one saw through it. Then there was your stereotypical selfless admirer who went above and beyond what’s humanly reasonable to ensure our heroine’s happiness.

What kept this series grounded was our heroine herself. Choi Ji Woo was so natural that it didn’t feel like she was acting at all, like she was just being herself. It made you wonder if she was just as kind and warm in real life. Her innate goodness was actually shown, not preached, to the viewers. It was easy to see why two men were so crazy about her, and it was not because she’s the female lead.

Kwon Sang Woo was incredible in the sad scenes. He was so immersed in his character that you will feel with him and weep along with him. Shin Huyn Yoon was also good in that he made an unbelievably nice Tae Hwa felt like a real person, and not an idealization. Kim Tae Hee was beautiful, but weirdly cartoonish in her portrayal of the wicked Yuri. The kids who played the young Jung Suh and Song Joo were perfectly cast. They matched the mannerism and feel of their older counterparts, so you have that nice continuity and emotional connection from the very start of the story.

The pacing was slow, as was expected of most melodrama. I slogged through it hoping to see a happy ending. That didn’t quite happen, but it was still beautiful and made sense in the overall theme of the story. Many years later it still made me cry.

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I would have given a higher score but this drama broke my heart. :-( Han Jung Suh & Cha Song Ju were a great pair and they tugged at the heart strings. The actors that played the characters were great and the acted beautifully. But at times the situation that they had to deal with was frustrating, I wished for a better happier ending but sadly that did not happen. The younger version of Han Jung Suh & Cha Song Ju were great also but I yelled at the screen about how nutts the circumstances were. Han Tae Hwa & Han Yu Ri characters were insane and at times you want to shake them and say snap out of it. Enjoyed Director Jang. The stepmother was off the charts evil and nutts. The dad's character was so oblivious to what was happening. The story has the usual, evil stepmother, jealously, love, betrayal, determination, loads of sadness, despair, crazy people and people just in denial, mix in some cute moments, cute kisses, did I mention sadness and ANGER. This was an emotional roller coaster. I think I deserved more happiness after watching this. Lots of cuteness overload and winking from Kwon Sang Woo, Yum yum. Enjoyed despite the tears.

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O Amor Inabalável que Enfrenta as Provações do Destino

"Stairway to Heaven" é um dos melodramas mais icônicos e emocionantes da televisão coreana, conhecido por seu enredo cheio de tragédias e emoções intensas. A história acompanha Cha Song-joo e Han Jung-suh, amigos de infância que se tornam amantes inseparáveis. Entretanto, suas vidas são devastadas por uma série de infortúnios, incluindo a morte de entes queridos e a crueldade de uma madrasta e meia-irmã, que buscam destruir o relacionamento dos dois.

A série é marcada por reviravoltas dramáticas, que mantêm o público à beira das lágrimas. O amor entre os protagonistas é posto à prova repetidamente, à medida que enfrentam amnésia, doenças e intrigas familiares. Com atuações poderosas de Kwon Sang-woo e Choi Ji-woo, o dorama explora a luta entre o amor verdadeiro e o destino cruel. "Stairway to Heaven" é uma montanha-russa emocional, perfeita para os fãs de romances dramáticos que apreciam histórias de sacrifício e superação.

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This is a classic Kdrama that is not to be missed.

I discovered this drama back when I spent loads of money on boxed Kdrama DVD sets and sometimes the special features included preview episodes of other dramas. I watched the first episode and it was the first time I was straight up bawling during the first episode and I immediately ordered the whole thing. Stairway to Heaven has all the well-known Kdrama tropes: first love, separation, amnesia, jealous second leads and more, all tied up in a pretty package.

Cast:
Back then, it seemed like Choi Ji Woo was in everything and pretty much everything she did back then was golden. Her younger version was played by Park Shin Hye and I really enjoyed watching her and I somehow knew that she would be going places. Kwon Sang Woo was so lovely to look at. It took me a long while to warm up to anything with Kim Tae Hee because of her character's bulging angry eyes in this, but I guess that's what makes for a good villian. Shin Hyun Joon's character was just heartbreaking, and when I see him I always think of Chul-su oppa who would never get the girl although he tried his damndest.

Music:
I love this OST so much. Kim Bum Soo's I Miss You ???? is probably one of my all time favorite songs and whenever I hear the instrumentals, it totally brings me back to the feels.

Rewatch Value: This is definitely one to keep in the reserves in case you want to have a good cry.

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Me encanta este drama es por que me ayuda a fortalecer y a no perder tu esencia como tal, gracias a a "Escalera al cielo"
aprendí mantener como cualidad principal el AMOR.

Muy aparte de eso también me trae recuerdos de mi entorno mas cercano que pueda tener y es por que "Escalera al cielo" es especial para mi, y ni hablas las melodías de fondo lograron que me enamore de algunos instrumentos aunque no fue la primera Tele-Novela coreana que vi, porque anterior a esta vi una llama "Un deseo en las estrellas"
pero no creo ese impacto en mi como lo logro "Escalera al cielo" y lo voy a llevar conmigo mientras siga vivo.

Muy pocos dramas me llegaron a gustar como "Escalera al cielo", es mas no creo que haya otra que reemplaza o diga que es mejor que "Escalera al cielo" ya que no solo hablo de la historia, personaje, si no que TODO. fue muy buena a mi parecer y única para a mi.
Estoy seguro que soy el único a quien le encanta "Escalera al cielo" y una que me acerco fue también a que me ayuda a conservar y fortalecer tus principios, cualidades y lo que crees o piensas. y eso me encanta de alguien que no busca que cambies si no que sea tu mismo y seas Tú y lo que eliges ver como "Escalera al cielo" te ayude a mantener eso en ti

Busca entretenimiento que te haga GENUINO Y SER TU, pues al final del día esa es tu esencia o ¿no?

— Gracias por leerla, ahora sabes un poco de mí. ¿y que esperas para escribir la tuya?

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I don`t know what to say.I came into this drama knowing what to expect,but couldn`t imagine how hard it would hit me to the stomach."Stairway to Heaven" is a classic of its own,that takes over the list of star-crossing love-story over all other love-stories that have been aired in Korea and throughout Asia.Every 20 episodes is worth it...you live into their world of splendid happiness,pain,heartbreak,grief,hate,jealousy and bitter-sweet love that easily destroys the individs "Stairway to Heaven" is surronded by.The cast is simply amazing,and in my mind Choi Ji-Wo and Kwon Sang-Woo and Shin Hyun Joon are the true stars in the drama,all of their performances are heartfelt and expressive.All of them shined together on-screen,and delivered amazingly.By the way,i found the main-characters Jung-suh and Song-joo very beautiful together,wheww what a mind-blowing chemistry they have!!!

Jung-suh (played by Choi Ji Wo) is an admirable heroine with her heart on her sleeve.Every man easily could fall in love with her,as her beauty is inside and out.Her strength and bravery and care-free nature is what lures Song-joo into her net,he is her beloved child-hood friend..and her lover and soulmate.Even falling into the clutches of amnesia,her heart still belonged to Song-joo.

"From the moment i saw you,i thought you were Jung-Suh and that thought hasn`t changed at all...I look like a crazy fool,huh?I think i am gonna go crazy,I don`t think i can live anymore!What should i do?What do i have to do?Do something to me!" - Song Joo

Song-joo (played by Kwon Sang Woo) is a hero to die for and i love him so so so much.The actor playing him is so deliciously handsome,and showed the eternal love and longing Song-joo have towards Jung-suh so well that i cried for him.He can`t live without her,and we all root for him to find his beloved Jung-suh again,after she was so cruelly taken away from him.

"I...I`ll wait here.If you still haven`t sorted out your feelings after going in...then when you come out,don`t look at me and just go.If you...If you have some doubts and come back to me...I won`t let you go until i die.Even if you hate me...I still won`t let you go". -Tae Hwa

Tae-hwa (played by Shin Hyun Joon) is the step-brother of Jung-suh and is one of the best supporting characters i have ever stood upon.His soul is so haunted and lonely..and lives and breathes only for Jung-suh.Its so heartbreaking watching a second male lead love the heroine this much...and i kinda hated the pain he went through with his unrequited love for her.I believe that Jung-suh loved Tae-hwa more than she love herself,but not in any romantic way.

The younger actors of that time Park Shin-hye,Baek Sung Hyun and Lee Wan played the younger versions of these characters very well,and i have to say that Shin-hye and Lee Wan indeed has got the better chemistry in their characters,which surprised me.I understood why they got their own drama later on in "Tree of Heaven" two years later with the same director.I also recommend that drama,which is a heart-shattering tale as well.I also have to mention that the OST´s of "Stairway to Heaven" are extremely beautiful and catchy,my favourites are "That`s the only One" and the song about Tae-hwa`s unrequited love for Jung-suh "Heaven`s Memory".

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I started to watch this drama because I heard some good stuff about it and Park Shin Hye was in it for a few episodes. However I am not sure why everyone is talking about this.
I did like the plot. The story idea is great for a tv show or a movie, but I didn't like how they used the idea here. Idk, maybe this show was great 15 years ago, but I don't like it as something I would watch today. I watched 9 episodes, but dropped it eventually.
Also, the episodes took too long to finish. They took one hour, but they good easily shorten them into 30 minutes or something. Sometimes the characters were only running, or staring at each other for 5 whole minutes! That's just too long. Or they zoom in at a person, and in the next shot they do exactly the same thing at exactly the same person! They use the same camera movements in a row! As a film-student I can really annoy me because of that.
But anyways, the camera movements weren't the biggest problem. I didn't enjoy watching this show. I might've even finish it if they shorten the episodes (And editted those 5-minute runs, or stares out of it) but I really got bored. This show is really too time consuming as I didn't even like it.


Nice idea for a plot, but not in this show.

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Amazing plot

Must say it is an amazing drama. The plot is extremely intriguing, thrilling, and well-made. During the show, audiences experience various feelings - sadness, anger, curiosity, thrill, and romance.
There is something that stuck in my head after watching this show - the character Tae-hwa. From the beginning until the end, he doesn't have anything - an awful mother who doesn't love him, a cruel sister, a father who is always in debt, and a struggling financial- work situation. But most importantly, he had a person that he loves more than anything, yet he must hide a huge secret from her. In the end, he gave up everything, and it's literally everything, to make her happy. From this character, we see that love is not about having a fancy wedding or always being happy together, it's about sacrificing anything you can to make the other happy. And indeed, we see Tae-hwa's sacrifices throughout the drama - the moment he gave up his life to live a secret life with her, the moment he sold his painting to have some money to save her, when he gave up his own happiness to get her to be with Song-joo, and the super-duper sad ending.
So yeah, I genuinely feel bad for this character. He basically grows up to be an amazing man from a trauma young kid. And that's all because of his love to Jung-suh. I love how they create this character that involves his mindset and actions throughout the show based on realizing moments that he must be better to make the woman that he loves happy. And most importantly (must say this again), the fact that he was truly happy when seeing Jung-suh with Song-joo, although he loves her so freaking much. The ending was really sad for him, because he didn't have anything much throughout his life. But I truly understand his decision - Jung-suh is the one that helped him see what happiness looks like.

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& 15 years later after I first saw this drama & it still remains my favorite K-drama. STH Made me feel so much from happiness, to frustration, to joy to sadness & finally absolute heartbreak. The ending is one of the saddest I've ever witnessed and even though I wish Song-Joo and Jung-Suh would/should have gotten a happy ending after all the pain they went thru, it just wasn't meant to be.
He waited 5yrs for her and she lost herself for that many years. Just when they think they can finally be happy together BOOM! tragedy is just around the corner: sigh.
I love star-crossed lovers/best friends who fall in love sl's even if they break my heart and this one is one of the best imo. The cast was perfectly cast here. Years later Cha Song-Joo still remains my favorite of all of Kwon Sang-Woo's roles. He did an excellent job esp since this was his first melodromatic, protagonist role and boy did he pull it off. He stole the show imo. Choi Ji-Woo was also amazing as the tragic and innocent Han Jung-Suh. Yeah she was a damsel but I love the spark and strength she added to her character despite being the typical protagonist.
Not to mention the amazing chemistry between KSW & CJW til this day I don't think they've had better acting partners than each other. I never get tired of watching them together. The kids(teens) who portrayed young Jung-Suh and Song-Joo were excellent too, it was up to them to sell the love story between CSJ & HJS and they did it. Plus it was awesome to see Park Shinye rise to fame after her work on Stairway to Heaven.
No matter how many times I rewatch this drama I never get tired of it and would highly recommend it to anyone who still hasn't seen it.
Oh forgot to mention the OST is a Masterpiece too. Everytime I listen to Bo Go Shipda or Ave Maria I can picture the scenes. 10/10 overall in everything from me.

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"La amistad es mejor que el amor"

La historia en si es bastante tiste desde el inicio, ya que empezamos con el fallecimiento de la madre de Jung-suh, luego con los maltratos de la madrastra, su pérdida de la memoria y terminando con su muerte. Sin embargo, hay momentos que se puede ver la felicidad de Jung-suh junto con las dos personas que más quiso en su vida, los cuales fueron los recuerdos con los que ella decidió quedarse.

A mi parecer es un drama bastante triste pero sin embargo no me hizo llorar tanto como otros, la razón es que no me dejaron digerir lo suficiente a los personajes y encariñarme con ellos.

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Cliche, Dramatic but Iconic

I started watching this drama from tiktok, loving the old korean cliched aesthetics and I was even looking for a typical romatic drama. And here it is!
The first 2 episodes are worth watching, the entire child cast did an awesome job too glue me to the chair, there were many funny cheesy lines and I loved some! It was wierd watching a childhood romance but it was not bad. I'd say it is indeed quite SLOW once the actors age up so you might have to speed it up and skip many dialogues which I had to. Some scenes were very redundant and not one episode went by without the actors crying and bursting. I used to wonder how much tear practice the actors had to take up. The twists this drama brought up made me scream and laugh out of frustration, because everytime one problem another one sprung up quite beautifully. And yes this is the drama where you'd find the fml almost facing every possible trouble in the world and tries to make it more complicated by trying to keep it to herself when she absolutely cannot do anything about it.
One thing that irked me or made me hysterically go crazy was how the fml finds every possible way to traumatize the poor second lead with the lamest excuses, keep him by her straw into emotional blackmail when that guy was possibly trying to move on. Now there are many flaws in the story line, which obviously were there to drag the show but I felt one time watch to this one legend of a drama for that era if you feel like going back to old kdrama eras then this is one of a gold show.
I would suggest at the end to go ahead and watch this series atleast till the time fml gets diagnosed a condition (till 13 ig) because from then on its just too sluggish and overdone. But the first 2 episodes were gripping. So it was fun watching these legendary actors!

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