Hello, Schoolgirl

Hello, Schoolgirl (Hangul: 순정만화; RR: Sunjeong Manhwa; literally "pure/romantic comic," the Korean version of shōjo manga) is a 2008 South Korean film. Adapted from Love Story a popular webcomic by Kang Full, it is the second film directed by Ryoo Jang-ha. It stars Yoo Ji-tae, Lee Yeon-hee, Chae Jung-an, and Kang-in.

Plot

Kwon Yeon-woo (권연우) 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 (수영), 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 (강숙), has just started working at the branch office. He falls head over heels for 29 year old Kwon Ha-kyeong (권하경), 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-hee as Han Soo-young, the schoolgirl

- Yoo Ji-tae as Kwon Yeon-woo, the older man

- Kang-in as Kang Sook, the recent worker

- Chae Jung-an as Kwon Ha-kyeong, the older woman

- Choi Soo-young as Jeong Da-jeong, Soo-young's friend

- Nah Yeong-hee as Soo-young's mother

- Shin Choon-sik as the dry cleaner father

- Lee Joo-sil as the dry cleaner mother

- Kang Full (author of the comic) as the umbrella shop man (cameo)

Production

Hello Schoolgirl is the second feature film directed by Ryoo Jang-ha, following his 2004 debut Springtime. The film is adapted from the first webcomic by Kang Full, which was serialised on Daum and attracted a record-breaking 60 million page views and 500,000 visitor comments. As with the comic, the story of the film revolves around two unconventional romances with a noticeable age 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 1 April 2008.

Release

Hello, Schoolgirl was released in South Korea on 27 November 2008, and topped the box office on its opening weekend with 309,065 admissions. As of 21 December the film had received a total of 740,379 admissions.

Critical response

Joon Soh of The Korea Times praised the film for retaining the essence of the comic 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, it was 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 Kangfull's works."

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