Kim Young-dae and Pyo Ye-jin ‘The Moon Rising During the Day’, reasons for expecting a rebound

《Kim Seo-yoon’s Noonatutene》
Ten Asia reporter Kim Seo-yoon delves into the current state of the entertainment industry, including notable dramas, entertainment shows, and noteworthy rising stars.

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Will it be possible to soar through word of mouth? ENA's first historical drama 'The Moon Rising During the Day' has been unveiled. The viewership rating in the first week was around 1%, which was a somewhat disappointing result. However, the previous work 'Kidnapping Day' starring Yoon Kye-sang also recorded around 1% for the first and second episodes, but the final episode received much love, exceeding 5%. Attention is being paid to whether ‘Moon Rising During the Day’ can also rebound.

‘The Moon That Rises During the Day’ is based on a webtoon. The work is a dangerous and poignant reincarnation romance between a man whose time has stopped after being murdered by his lover, and a woman who has lost her memories of her past life.

The original work itself attracted a lot of attention. Five years have passed since the series ended, but there are still many fans who remember the webtoon ‘The Moon That Rises During the Day’. Since it was a hit that recorded a total of 700 million views, fans were excited and concerned at the same time when they heard that it would be made into a drama.

Heyum, the author of the webtoon ‘The Moon That Rises During the Day’, also said he had great concerns. He said, "I was more concerned than expected because of the characteristics of each content, webtoon and drama. As a writer, I was also aware that 'Moon Rising During the Day' was not a good work to dramatize."

However, he added, "I think there would be no greater joy as a writer if dramatization could make the work accessible to more readers and re-read."

The drama ‘The Moon Rising During the Day’ presented an unconventional adaptation. It may show off a different charm to fans of the original work, or it may attract a new audience. However, if the adaptation is awkward and far from the original, it may cause resistance.

The biggest change is the modern occupations of the main characters. In the original, the male protagonist was a student and the female protagonist was a college student, but in the drama, they were changed to a top star and a firefighter and rescue worker, respectively. Regarding this, director Pyo Min-soo said, "If I set the setting as a high school student as in the original, I felt there would be limitations when depicting modern times," and added, "I also consulted with the writer and the original author. They have to play two roles, but if they are set as a slightly obvious top star, viewers will also be disappointed." “I thought it would be easy to accept. I thought it would be difficult if both the past and present were unique,” he explained.

Episodes 1 and 2 of ‘The Moon Rising During the Day’ were aired on the 1st and 2nd. Both episodes recorded viewer ratings of 1.6%. Compared to the popularity of the original, the results are somewhat disappointing.

Viewers' reactions were also divided in half. Kim Young-dae plays Doha, an elite noble from Silla, and Juno, a top star. Pyo Ye-jin plays the dual roles of Han Rita, a Daegaya noblewoman, and Kang Yeong-hwa, a firefighter. Some viewers said that the two people's chemistry and acting skills increased immersion in the drama, but there were also comments that they could not understand why the character settings were changed.

The first week has now aired. Reactions can change at any time. The previous work, ‘Day of Kidnapping’, also started at around 1%, but reached a milestone by surpassing the 5% mark. Yoon Kye-sang, the lead actor of 'Kidnapping Day', confessed about the first week's numbers, "I was overcome with despair. I was anxious because the results were coming out in real time. Fortunately, I was thankful that the viewership ratings increased." Can ‘The Moon Rising During the Day’ follow the same path as ‘The Day of Kidnapping’? The key is to capture the hearts of fans of the original work and spread word of mouth.

Ten Asia Reporter Kim Seo-yoon seogugu@tenasia.co.kr