Analyzing Movie

Title of movie : Friends

Production : TBS and MBC
Published : 2002
Actors :
Korean
* Kim Ji-Hoon – Won Bin
* Park Kyoung-Joo – Lee Dong-Geon => Kim Ji Hoon’s friend
* Park Hye-Jin – Han Hye-Jin => Park Kyoung Joo’s sister

Japanese
* Asai Tomoko – Kyoko Fukada
* Yuko Yamagishi – Akiko Yada => Tomoko’s friend at Department store
* Midori Kaneda – Naho Toda => Tomoko’s friend at Korean language course
* Shota Sakamaki – Yukiyoshi Ozawa => the man who also loves Tomoko
* Satoko Asai – Keiko Takeshita => Tomoko’s Mother

Synopsis:

There was a girl named Asai Tomoko (Kyoko Fukada). She was a japanese people.

When she went to Hongkong, Tomoko’s hand bag was stolen by someone. To catch the steller,

she was helped by a korean men, Kim Ji Hoon (Won Bin). From that insident, they knew each

other and they gave their E-mail address.

Some days later, they back to their own country, Japan and Korean. Tomoko started to

send an E-mail in Japanese language to Ji Hoon. Ji Hoon asked his friend to translate Tomoko’s

E-mail into Korean Language. Then, Tomoko tried to write other E-mail using Korean Language

in other that easy to be understood by Ji Hoon. Therefore, she joined Korean language course. Ji

Hoon was excited when he saw Tomoko’s E-mail using Korean language. Day by day, they were

so closely.

One day, Tomoko went to Korea for vacation with her friend. She wanted to meet Ji

Hoon again. She sent an E-mail first to Ji Hoon to inform him that she would come to Korea and
stay at Hotel. She also sent him the hotel’s phone number. Unfortunately, Ji hoon wasn’t in his

lodging house at that time. He didn’t read Tomoko’s E-mail because he went home for 2 days..

The one who red it was Park Hye Jin. She deleted Tomoko’s e-mail because she got jealous. She

told Ji Hoon about E-mail when Ji Hoon arrived at his lodging house and after her brother (Park

Kyoung-Joo) forced her to tell the truth.

After Ji Hoon knew about Tomoko’s E-mail, he ran to the hotel to find Tomoko. But,

Tomoko wasn’t there. Ji hoon felt upset. He decided to look for Tomoko in the other places.

Finally, he met Tomoko in Movie Land (Movie Theatre).

Since that moment, they loved each other. Unfortunately, some barriers appeared and

unpleasant thing occurred. Some of them are from Ji Hoon’s parents who are a strict and

conservative parent. His parents forbid him to make such a relationship with a Japanese girl. It

was because of conflict between those two countries, Japan and Korea. Besides, as an older son

and the only one son in his family, Ji Hoon’s father forced him to manage his family’s business

although his father knew about Ji Hoon’s dream as a film director. Even, his father didn’t allow

him to reach it.

One day, Ji Hoon’s father knew about all he did. His father knew about Tomoko as Ji

Hoon’s girlfriend (where Tomoko was a Japanese people) and also about his activity as a movie

maker. His father got angry on him because his father argued that what Ji Hoon did was wrong.

As a parent, his father shouldn’t keep silent when he saw her son take the wrong path.

After Ji Hoon’s father knew about Ji Hoo’s relationship, Ji Hoon and Tomoko are

separated. Tomoko finished her contract as a tour guide in Korea and went home to Japan.

Whereas, Ji Hoon was tried to join some activities related movie maker.
 At the end, Ji Hoon succeed and proved to his father as a winner in movie competition.

So that, his father permitted him to continue his dream as a movie director and allowed him to

make his relation with Tomoko going on. Ji Hoon’s father aware that he cannot force his son to

be what he want.
The Analysis of Cross Culture in this Movie

 Family’s values

Japanese Family’s values

The relationship between parent and children seems like siblings, so, when they speak and

communicate something seems closer. Besides, Japanese’s family gives more chance to the

children in pursuing their dreams. Even, the parents give support for it and will do

everything to help their children. But, sometimes, not all the Japanese children have a

dream. So, the parents’ support can be as a burden for them. For example, Tomoko’s mother

always gives her such a free to choose her own dream. Whatever the way she take, her

mother will support her. But, her mother’s support makes her uncomfortable and she feel

burdened of it. Because Tomoko think that she doesn’t has any valuable dream. She isn’t

confidence and always underestimates her self with her condition. Compare with her

mother, she is nothing. She sees, her mother is a great woman, whereas, Tomoko is just a

girl who works as SPG at department store. Even, she got depressed and tries to commit

suicide but she failed.

Since that time, her mother never talks about Tomoko’s dream anymore. But, when Tomoko

get back her spirit again and tell her mother about her want to go to Korea, her mother is so

glad and happy because she think Tomoko have grow up as an adult. Her mother gives her

some money for trip to Korea without any doubt.

 Korean Family’s Values

Korean Family is different from Japan Family. When Japanese’ family wants her children to

have their own dream and the parent always supports their children dream, opposite with

Korean family. Korean family tends to force what they want to their children, although their

children have their own dream. The parent role in family is more authoritative. In business,

especially family’s business, the son has a big responsibility to continue his family’s

business, moreover, if he is the only one son in his family.

It is showed in Ji Hoon’s family. Ji Hoon is a first child and the only one son in his family.

He is considered as family’s pride. Nevertheless, he doesn’t want it because he has his own

dream as a film director.

 Social Values/Politic Values

Korea: Korean people are uncomfortable when what they do relate to Japan. Either in

business or even in social relate. For example, Ji Hoon’s father doesn’t like his son has a

Japanese girlfriend, because he think Japanese people who ever they are, they always try to

intimidate other people based on Japan and Korean history. Japan colonized Korean country