Slow and Steady

Originally scheduled to meet audiences in 2020, the movie End of Investigation finally saw a delayed release in 2026, a full six years later. While it was an unfortunate time when many Korean films were shelved as "warehouse movies" without release dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic that struck the world, the decisive reason this work was locked away was different. It was due to the drunk driving incident of the lead actor, Bae Sung-woo, who played the main title role. For the production team waiting for the perfect timing to present the completed film to the audience, the lead actor's fatal private life controversy was a devastating blow that forced an indefinite postponement of the movie's release. Actor Bae Sung-woo was not a star who shot to fame overnight, but a late bloomer who steadily built his filmography and recognition through minor and supporting roles on the theatrical stage and screen over a long period. Receiving great love from the public for his uniqu...

A production that delivered a fresh shock to South Korean living rooms and garnered massive buzz and explosive popularity is the SBS drama Stove League. On the surface, it claims to be a sports drama centered around baseball, but it has the unique characteristic of almost never showing the dynamic baseball games where players run across the field. As the title 'Stove League' implies, it fiercely covers the off-season period after the regular season ends, when fans gather around the stove to talk about player transfers and team reinforcements. The core narrative revolves around the arduous process of a newly appointed general manager for a last-place team breaking down the team's chronic problems, preparing for the new season, and reorganizing the front office. One of the greatest achievements of Stove League lies in its overwhelming immersion that strongly pulls in even the so-called "baseball illiterates"—viewers who know nothing about the rules or physiology of ...

When watching original action movies exclusively produced and released by global OTT platforms like Netflix, there are times when they feel ambiguous, failing to meet expectations. Even after seeing massive marketing campaigns boasting astronomical production costs or star-studded casts before the release, it is often difficult to hide the disappointment that the narrative structure is lacking or the plot is loose compared to the invested capital. Even when a famous director takes the megaphone, Netflix original movies strangely tend to exude a unique sense of lightness. Perhaps this phenomenon is an inherent difference in perception that comes from watching on a relatively small TV or monitor screen, as opposed to the massive screens and grand sound systems of theaters where we usually enjoy spectacular action blockbusters. However, as Netflix continues to pour out countless original contents over a long period, experiencing both failures and successes, it seems they are steadily accu...

A 28-Year Legacy of an Unprecedented Masterpiece The manga One Piece, which boasts a massive global fandom, can truly be evaluated as a phenomenal and incredible masterpiece. The very fact that it has been serialized without wavering for a long 28 years since its first publication in 1997 is a monumental achievement in comic history. When you consider that many long-running series often lose their momentum due to frequent hiatuses or rush to a disappointing conclusion, the vitality of One Piece is even more astonishing. Breathing together with readers for decades and constantly creating new stories is impossible without the author's tremendous capability and affection. When I first encountered the manga One Piece, I vividly remember being fascinated by its fresh subject matter and original characters that set it apart from typical shonen manga. Due to the nature of magazine serialization, it was a series of agonizing waits, having to wait months for a single volume to be released. ...