Hello, Schoolgirl

Hello, Schoolgirl
Theatrical poster
Hangul	순정만화
Hanja	ThuầnTìnhMạn畵
Revised Romanization	Sunjeong manhwa
McCune–Reischauer	Sunjŏng manhwa
Directed by	Ryu Jang-ha
Screenplay by	Ryu Jang-ha Lee Taek-kyeong Kang Kyoo-heon Yoon Taek-Geun Jeon Hyun-hee
Based on	Sunjeong Manhwa byKang Full
Produced by	Kim Soon-ho Jo Seong-woo Choi Yong-bae
Starring	Yoo Ji-tae Lee Yeon-hee Chae Jung-an Kang-in
Cinematography	Jo Sang-yoon
Edited by	Moon In-dae
Music by	Choi Yong-rak
Production companies	Lets Films MNFC Cheong-a-ram
Distributed by	CJ Entertainment
Release date	November 27, 2008(2008-11-27)
Running time	113 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Box office	US$3,550,487

Hello, Schoolgirl(Korean:순정만화;RR:Sunjeong Manhwa;literally "pure/romantic comic,"the Korean version ofshōjo manga) is a2008 South Korean film.Adapted fromLove Story,awebtoonbyKang Full,it is the second film directed byRyu Jang-ha.It starsYoo Ji-tae,Lee Yeon-hee,Chae Jung-an,andKang-in.

Plot

Kwon Yeon-woo is a somewhat naive 30-year-old low-level civil servant who works in a city hall branch office. After moving into a new apartment, he encounters a high school girl, Soo-young, and sees her on his way to work every morning. She is a cheerful and eccentric 18-year-old who lives with her mother downstairs from him. Over time, the two begin to develop feelings for one another.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Kang Sook, has just started working at the branch office. He falls head over heels for 29-year-old Kwon Ha-kyeong, a melancholy woman who wanders around taking pictures. She is still holding onto an old flame, and keeps looking for traces of that lost love every day. Kang Sook continues to woo her, regardless of her living in the past.

Can these two relationships ever lead to a happy ending?

Cast

• Lee Yeon-heeas Han Soo-young, the schoolgirl
• Yoo Ji-taeas Kim Yeon-woo, the older man
• Kanginas Kang Sook, the new hire
• Chae Jung-anas Kwon Ha-kyeong, the older woman
• Choi Soo-youngas Jeong Da-jeong, Soo-young's friend
• Na Young-heeas Soo-young's mother
• Park Bo-kyungas Newlywed woman
• Shin Choon-sik as the dry cleaner father
• Lee Joo-sil as the dry cleaner mother
• Kang Full(author of the webtoon) as the umbrella shop man (cameo)

Production

Hello Schoolgirlis the second feature film directed byRyu Jang-ha,following his 2004 debutSpringtime.The film is adapted from the firstwebtoonbyKang Full,which was serialized onDaumand attracted a record-breaking 60 million page views and 500,000 visitor comments.As with the webtoon, the story of the film revolves around two unconventional romances with a noticeableage disparity,though other details of the original serial were changed, such as setting the story in the summer as opposed to winter.The script took two years to complete,and filming commenced on April 1, 2008.

Release

Hello, Schoolgirlwas released in South Korea on November 27, 2008, andtopped the box officeon its opening weekend with 309,065 admissions.As of December 21, the film had received a total of 740,379 admissions.

Critical reception

Joon Soh ofThe Korea Timespraised the film for retaining the essence of the webtoon despite deviations from the original story, saying, "Ryoo succeeds in capturing the tenderness of the online comic, which slowly comes to the surface as the relationships unfold. There is a rich, layered quality to the film, where each little decision or gesture leads to further meanings and possibilities"; however, he also noted that "there are times when the movie aims too much for the conventionally beautiful, sacrificing the awkward, self-deprecating humor that drives much of Kang Full's works."

External links

• Official website(in Korean)
• Hello, SchoolgirlatIMDb
• Hello, Schoolgirlat theKorean Movie Database(in Korean)
• Hello, SchoolgirlatHanCinema
• Hello, SchoolgirlatAllMovie
• Hello, SchoolgirlatRotten Tomatoes