Slow and Steady

Global No. 1 Amidst a Tsunami of Harsh Criticism: How to Interpret this Irony? Netflix Korea's ambitious new film, The Great Flood, has emerged as a hot potato immediately after its release. As soon as the movie dropped, domestic communities and rating sites were flooded with disappointed and harsh reviews. Scathing criticisms lined up, ranging from sarcasms that it once again proved the saying "skip Netflix original movies" to pointing out the lack of probability and forced melodrama. However, surprisingly, the report card tells the exact opposite story. It is enjoying explosive popularity abroad, holding the number one spot in the Netflix Global Movie category for a week since its release. Is the standard of domestic audiences too high, or are overseas audiences particularly lenient towards Korean-style melodrama and genre films? This extreme difference in temperature—cold reception at home vs. heat abroad—rather makes The Great Flood a controversial work that must be c...

Fooled by the Trailer? The Birth of a Hero Movie Beyond Light Comedy When I first saw the trailer for the Netflix drama Cashero, I thought it was just a small comic drama that I could laugh at and enjoy lightly. The setting itself, "You need money to use superpowers," seemed somewhat absurd, and the scenes showed mostly petty tricks using small change. I played the first episode expecting a common B-grade comedy or a slice-of-life sitcom without much expectation. However, Cashero pleasantly missed my expectations. While carrying the humorous atmosphere of the beginning, the expanding scale and heavy action as the story progressed proved that this drama is not a simple comedy but a properly made "Hero Blockbuster." It was a pleasant sense of betrayal that made me immerse myself in an instant after watching it with my guard down. The 'Modern Hero' Shown by Lee Jun-ho, Even More Charming Because He's Cynical The acting transformation of Lee Jun-ho, who play...

An Unusual Rise, Will ENA Hit the Jackpot Again? The early momentum of ENA channel's new Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Idol Eye' is extraordinary. After a smooth start with a first broadcast rating of 1.9%, it jumped to 2.3% in the second episode as word of mouth began to spread, drawing an upward curve. Getting such a fast reaction amidst the recent flood of genre and romance dramas proves that this drama has a definitive "punch." Using a double meaning in the title that combines 'Idol' and 'Dol-i' (a Korean slang for a crazy or eccentric person), it stimulates curiosity. Upon opening the lid, it truly stimulates viewers' dopamine with a strange mix of "bone-headedly" funny characters and a mysterious murder case. Attention is focused on whether this drama can become another filial son for ENA, following 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'. Unreachable Stars, What Does an 'Idol' Mean in Korea? The proportion that 'Idols'...

2nd Highest Grossing Japanese Live-Action Film of All Time, The Power of the Miracle Original In 2023, a Japanese film caused a quiet sensation in domestic theaters. It was Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight. Based on a Japanese novel, this film set a massive record by mobilizing over 1 million viewers, becoming the second highest-grossing Japanese live-action film of all time in Korea, despite being released in November, typically a slow season, and overcoming the limitations of the romance genre. It is by no means easy for a live-action film, not an animation, to surpass the 1 million mark in the Korean market. I also watched this movie in the theater at the time, and I remember being greatly shocked by the powerful twist in the second half that overturned my expectation of a cliché terminal romance. Thanks to that ending, which hit the audience in the back of the head and pierced the heart just when it seemed to follow standard romance formulas, I remember the deep ...