KBS2's popular drama 'Fight My Way' recently concluded on July 11 with impressive 13.8 percent rating in all of South Korea, as per AGB Nielsen - the highest ratings among all the 16 episodes. Now, writer Im Sang-choon has revealed that the drama was inspired by the real life struggles of Japanese mixed martial artist Yoshihiro Akiyama, also known as Choo Sung-hoon and his wife, Japanese model Shiho Yano.
As noted by Soompi, on July 12, Im Sang-choon revealed, "I started getting interested in martial arts when I saw Choo Sung Hoon and Yano Shiho together. It felt sad watching Yano Shiho cry as she watched her husband fight in a match. I started paying more attention to the families of martial arts fighters."
He also added that it was his intention to clear some of the doubts and misconceptions people have against martial artists. "I always thought martial arts fighters usually liked drinking and women, but I found that they actually live simple lifestyles. In order to maintain their form, they have no choice but to kind of live like a monk. I wanted to get rid of the stereotypes surrounding martial arts fighters."
He added, "I studied a lot by going to a lot of matches and watching a lot of videos. The stories of the family members who couldn't bear to watch the matches were really sad, and watching the fighters who lost the match cry as they walked out the ring all felt really sad."
This no doubt added the much needed authenticity to a drama that was much more light-hearted romance drama.
The star of the drama, Park Seo-joon also took time to thank the viewers of 'Fight My Way' and his fans. "It's a bit sad to think that this is the last time I will greet everyone as 'Dong Man,'" he said. "As I played Dong Man, I think I was able to reflect on the kind of person I am. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the viewers who laughed and cried with us. I will work hard to continue to show a good side of myself in the future," he said.
