'Double-edged sword' drama based on webtoon, played by Suzy

<<Kim Seoyoon's Nunettune>>
Reporter Kim Seo-yoon of TenAsia digs into the current status of the entertainment industry, including notable dramas, entertainment, and noteworthy rising stars.

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'Based on the webtoon of the same name'

This is a phrase that is often seen in descriptions of works recently released by OTT. Works based on popular webtoons are appearing one after another, but joys and sorrows are divided when it comes to box office success. While it shows a stable narrative based on a solid story that is already guaranteed, it is thoroughly ignored when the character synchro rate is low or the adaptation is awkward. The original fan is a 'secured fan', but at the same time a 'cold-hearted critic'.

According to the entertainment industry on the 24th, several actors have recently chosen 'webtoon original works' as their comeback works. Singer and actor Suzy and actor Yang Se-jong will appear in a Netflix drama based on the Naver webtoon 'Iduna!' written by Min Song-ah. tvN's 'Please Take Care of This Student' starring Shin Hye-sun and Ahn Bo-hyun, which will be released on the 17th of next month, is also based on a webtoon story.

JTBC's 'The youngest son of a conglomerate', which caused a craze last year, is also based on a webtoon. At that time, the audience rating exceeded 26%, and the topic did not miss the upper ranks. All the actors who appeared in the show were called 'conglomerates' for a while and gained popularity. Even after appearing in other dramas, he could not take off the label of 'the youngest son of a conglomerate family'.

Works based on webtoons also shone in the OTT sector. Teabing's original 'drinking city women' recorded the highest number of paid subscription contributions to teabing at the time of its release. In addition, thanks to the popularity of season 1, season 2 was produced. In particular, it was invited to the 2022 Cannes International Series Festival for the first time in Korea's OTT original content.

Not all original webtoon works are successful. Netflix's 'Courier Driver' was expected as actor Kim Woo-bin's comeback, but in Korea, the response is somewhat withered. Teabing's blockbuster 'Ireland', for which he spent 20 billion won, was also criticized for not being as good as the original.

However, the works also received meaningful results abroad. 'The Courier' ranked first in weekly viewing hours in the non-English speaking TV category on Netflix for two weeks in a row. It is a reaction that contrasts with the harsh criticism of domestic consumers who have seen the original work.

When a webtoon is made into a live-action film, the two keys to success are the character synchro rate and the adaptation of the story.

First of all, one of the things fans of the original work care about the most is casting. This is because the synchro rate between characters and actors in webtoons is important. In this part, the drama 'Iduna!' is half successful. Iduna, the main character of the webtoon 'Iduna!', is a retired idol, and Suzy actually worked as a member of the group Miss A. In addition, it boasts a visual similar to the character and is gaining support from the original fans.

The adaptation of the story also plays a big role. It's easy to lose the hearts of fans of the original if you change the direction a lot to give it a different feel. Dialogue in drawings and cartoons should be smooth. It's because if you do it wrong, you may feel rejected because you don't have a sense of reality. This means that it is important to properly mix comic elements.

Will it be able to live up to the expectations of 'I Doona!' It's not long before the original fans' reviews are received.

Kim Seo-yoon, staff reporter seogugu@tenasia.co.kr