Top Asianovelas since the year 2002

Ummm...i confess...i love watching aAsian novelas and I even bought the complete CD of Kim Sam Soon and Attic Cat. Was supposed to buy the tagalg version of Full House but they ran out of stock. Waaahhh!!! Anyway, love this list because I so can relate. hehehe... Read on PEP's Top Asian novelas since 2002...Enjoy!!!

Meteor Garden. (didn't watch every episode if this one but this one is good, i must say)

Just say "F4" and we all know which Asianovela gets the Number One spot on this list. The F4 band caught our attention with their music and pretty-boy looks. Bring in the beautiful, equally talented actress Barbie Shu and you find yourself in Meteor Garden. First aired in the Philippines by ABS-CBN, the show's first few episodes caught like wildfire, forging its status as one of the most watched TV programs.

Jewel in the Palace. (what can i say...love the song, the story, Lee Young Ae and all the food she cooks... ^_^)

This show is a 2003 TV series produced by South Korean TV channel MBC. Jewel in the Palace was shown locally in November 2005 under GMA-7 and was hailed as the highest rating Koreanovela in primetime during that period. Because of its popularity, the show was rerun and again, garnered high ratings. Faith Cuneta sang the Tagalog version, "Pangarap na Bituin," of the show's theme song.

Lovers in Paris. (wasn't able to watch this but I heard from the grape vine that it's good)

This was another primetime Korean telenovela aired in the summer of 2004 under SBS studio. Lovers in Paris was the first of three romantic dramas set in Europe. The second was Lovers in Prague, and the third was simply titled Lovers.

Stairway to Heaven. ( a real tear jerker...nice song too)

This Korean drama from SBS was shown between late 2003 and early 2004. The first week of Stairway to Heaven got relatively low ratings (about 20%) on GMA-7 mainly because another Korean soap, Lovers in Paris, was being aired on ABS-CBN. Viewership increased when Lovers in Paris ended its run; Stairway garnered over 40% in ratings.

Full House. ( I sooo love this!!! love yah Jenny and Raine. What a cute pair...OST and all were terrific)

This drama-comedy explores the situation of two people getting married only on paper. A hilarious turn of events plagues Han Ji-Eun when she discovers that her friends tricked her into selling her home to a budding actor named Lee Young-Jae.

Princess Hours. (wasn't able to see this, but hey, she's the girl from Cofee Prince, right?)

Princess Hours, also known as Palace Love, is another comedy-drama from Korea. Under Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, it became the most popular show of 2006 in Korea, second only to Jumong. According to TNS Media Research, Princess Hours was the tenth most popular drama of 2006. And so, a second season was produced but controversy within the show led to its cancellation.

Endless Love: Autumn in My Heart. (there was never an episode that this Korean Novela did not make me cry. T.T I have loved Jenny here right away...)

Probably the most heart-wrenching Korean drama, Endless Love: Autumn in My Heart is the first installment of a four-part series revolving around the four seasons of the year. It was produced by the TV network KBS in Korea (2000). The Philippine airing rights went to GMA-7 back in late 2003. The drama was so popular among Pinoy fans that GMA-7 aired it two more times in 2004. Endless Love is considered to have started the Koreanovela phenomenon in the Philippines.

Endless Love: Winter Sonata. (isn't this one a duplicate of the Stairway to Heaven mentioned above???)

Winter Sonata (2002) is the second installment in the Endless Love series, but it focuses on a completely different story. Like its predecessor, Winter Sonata follows the tragic path of Jung Yujin and Joong Sang, who meet under fateful circumstances. GMA-7 again got the rights to air this second Endless Love and, once again, attracted drama fans by its signature style of tearing up eye ducts with its engaging storyline and dramatic climax.

Kim Sam Soon. (love this, love this...Cyrus is such a cutie and the PIG he gave to Kim Sam Soon is so adorable that I even thought of ordering one at Yes asia)

Kim Sam Soon, produced by MBC TV in 2005 is probably the biggest thing that ever happened to the Koreanovela-its finale garnering over 50.5% in Korean households. The success of this show stemmed from the fact that it focused on the life of a chubby, single, middle-aged woman. The stereotype portrayed by actress Kim Seon-Ah won the support of nearly every middle-aged woman in Korea. Kim was said to have gained 15 pounds for the role, turning her into the "Bridget Jones of Korea."

Jumong. (haven't really watched this, maybe a couple of times only. But my father likes it and some people said that it's indeed good. I can only recall that this one aired for a LOOONNNGGG time...)

Jumong is another drama gem from TV MBC. The show premiered in Korea in May 2006 and its pilot episode immediately grabbed the 3rd spot in the rankings. It's a historical drama about Jumong Taewang, who lives in the old Korean empire of Gojoseon. Gojoseon has fallen to the Han Empire of China and it's up to Jumong to drive back the invaders. Because few historical records are found on the life of Jumong, the producers approached the story artistically. Much of the myth surrounding the main character had to be replaced with more realistic scenes, such as that concerning his birth.

Source and photo credit: Philippine Entertainment Portal. Thanks!!! ^_^