See What's Next: Korea 2021
The other day, Netflix Korea held a press conference where they talked about some of their future plans and discussed specific projects that would be appearing soon on the platform. Some of them have been known and in the works for a while, but there were some surprises and added some more to the recent news that they were expanding their facilities and how that is facilitating some of these things by investing $500 million into Korean content this year. I wanted to discuss some of the news that came out and give some feedback, mainly because I’m really excited about what is happening and some of the dramas that will be premiering soon.
I know that there have been some issues with Netflix’s push into the (primarily) Korean market. We are seeing a lot of dramas that are being formulated to fit in Netflix’s pre-existing blueprints for the platform, such as Love Alarm and My First First Love, which both were split into two seasons. As a watcher who primarily loves the fact that I don’t have to watch seasons, it has been annoying to see that happen, and am always on edge to see how far that goes. But for now, it seems pretty limited. I can see how it works in a greater sense, setting up some dramas that might not do well on Netflix (where the goal would be to get new viewers, not just regular Korean watchers) and for the dramas that require a lot more time in editing and special effects such as Kingdom and Sweet Home.
But there have been some really great benefits for this shift. We are seeing a lot more consistently picked up airing content, especially in areas that were harder to find before - dramas not from the main big three. And while I know that there are issues with the way that the subtitles are translated, focusing on the good that not only are subs out almost instantaneously, they also pay their subbers. I do like Viki, but I will never fully get behind the exploitation of their volunteers for what is basically their main job and that they should be paying people for.
Another benefit is purely the accessibility. We as drama watchers obviously are more willing to pick up multiple subbing sites with most of them being only focused on Asian content, but that simply isn’t the case for a lot of the people enjoying Asian content casually. And it’s certainly not the way you get more interest. Being on a popular platform like Netflix where they can not only watch that content but products from their own country is just vital. I think that also creates an incentive for producers of dramas to move to the platform for the greater reach and quite honestly the bigger budgets. At the event, Kim Eun Hee, writer of Kingdom, talked about how thankful she was to see the positive response and the creative control that came with it.
Now that we’ve talked about why I do like Netflix’s push into the Korean market, let’s talk about some of the content that I’m especially excited about. A lot of the announcements are for dramas I talked about in my ‘21 Anticipated Dramas’ post, but some hadn’t been solidified for the platform at that point.
Movies
Night In Paradise (Apr 9th)
After his sister and nephew are murdered because he tried to leave his gang, Tae-goo flees to Jeju Island where he meets Jae-yeon, a terminally ill woman. -Wikipedia
It already premiered at the Venice International Film Festival September of last year and was pushed from releasing in theaters because of the pandemic.
Carter follows a man after he wakes up in a motel room with no recollection of who he is, except for a voice in his ear that calls him 'Carter'. Following the voice's orders, Carter goes on an exhilarating mission to save a kidnapped girl. A one-scene, one-cut action film directed by Jun Byung Gil. -Hello Kpop
This one is about a mysterious virus outbreak, which I understand might not be a good thing to be watching in the current state of the world however I think it looks interesting and if that one cut part is true, it should be a good watch.
A seemingly clean-cut office worker keeps his BDSM sexual fantasies to himself - until he discovers his co-worker a potential dominatrix…. As they spend their time together, slowly understanding one another, the two end up having a rather unique master and servant relationship. -MDL
Not something I was suspecting from Korea, to be honest. But it does currently have Lee Jun Young and Lee Joo Young attached to it and I like Joo Young. Might check it out.
Dramas
It’s good to see this finally releasing. Sometime last year (maybe even the year before?) this showed up in a Netflix press release and there hasn’t been much talk about it since then. It stars Lee Je Hoon, who we all love, and it has the potential to be interesting: a young man with Asperger's who works in trauma cleanup father dies and is taken in by his uncle (Je Hoon). I am cautiously wary of a premise like that, and the inclusion of that type of character and its representation in media.
D.P
A drama about a soldier whose job is to find deserters. This one doesn’t look interesting to me, sorry. It does star cutie Jung Hae In, though.
Keeping up with Korea’s zombie love train we have the next installment of the Kingdom series. I’ve actually not finished the first two seasons (I know, shock!). Not because I don’t want to, but because of time. Hoping to use this as a good binge leading up to the series release.
Group of people who decide to become players in a survival game because of the prize at the end. While this looks like it might be an Alice in Borderland premise, I don’t think it is. The tags could be wrong, but this probably leans more thriller-action as opposed to thriller suspense and mystery. Eh.
Hellbound is about people are able to hear predictions on when they will die, and when the day comes a death angel appears and kills them. It has a massive cast list currently attached to it including Yoo Ah In, Park Jung Min, and Won Jin Ah. It’s also based on a Manhwa. I don’t know how much it’s going to follow that storyline, but maybe I’ll actually get to reading it beforehand? I don’t usually like spoilers but I’m ok with spoilers if it’s coming from the original content.
Everyone (and by everyone I mean me) who has been waiting on this drama since last year and watched as it kept changing dates can finally rejoice. A fantastic cast consisting of Gong Yoo, Bae Doona, and Lee Joon. A mix of sci-fi and thriller and horror, it’s set in the future where a team has to go to the moon. None of this is bad. It all looks so very good. Can’t. Wait.
Zombies. High school. Kinda think this one has an option of being really a lot of fun with a young cast and being trapped in the hell hole that is high school.
Girl goes undercover for the cops to expose a mob ring she was a former member of. Han So Hee is staring in the lead and while it’s not really a genre I'm interested in some of the pics that have been released make me really want to check it out. I mean, don't judge a book by its cover and whatnot. But...
Variety
While I do appreciate variety shows appearing on the platform, they largely are terrible if they are a week-to-week reoccurring series. The subs aren’t the best for variety shows (if you’ve watched variety you know what I’m talking about) and Netflix will not try to get original music and replaces it with noticeably terrible royalty-free music. It’s a small thing that has a huge impact. In my opinion, if you want variety skip Netflix as a platform and pick up Kocowa. Between that and the companies that add their shows for free on YouTube (like KBS) that’s your best bet. At any rate, here’s the list of shows:
Paik's Spirit starring celebrity host Paik Jung Won
Lee Sugeun: The Sense Coach starring comedian Lee Sugeun
So Not Worth It starring a largely idol cast Park Se Wan, Hyun Seung, Choi Youngjae, Minnie, and Han Hyun Min
Are you excited for any of the content coming or have some feelings about the newest push for the Korean market to Netflix? Let me know in the comments!
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