Namgoong Min is also anxious... MBC without box office hits

《Tae Yuna's Listening Board》
Reporters Taeyoo and TenAsia will properly cover every aspect of the drama based on what they heard and saw on site. We will be the eyes and ears of the readers in the era of flood of dramas pouring from numerous channels.

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It is truly 'famine'. The sluggishness of MBC dramas has continued for a year. Since 'Big Mouth', there has been no work that has achieved such remarkable results. Scarier than malicious comments, there are only a number of works that end lonely amid severe indifference. Namgoong-min, who is supposed to be a sweet rain on a very dry land, is even anxious to start.

Starting with 'Black Sun', 'Red Sleeves' and 'Tracer', MBC's Friday-Saturday dramas, which were successful, showed a sharp decline after 'Big Mouth'. Although 'Golden Spoon' achieved an average rating of 5%, it also failed to see the proper light due to its competitor 'A 1,000 Won Lawyer' at the same time.

Since then, there has been no work with a viewership rating of more than 5% since 'Golden Marriage, Joseon Marriage Ban'. Kim Jung-hyun's comeback film, 'Kokdu's Season', recorded the lowest viewership rating of 1.3%, the worst ever, and both 'Joseon Lawyer' and the currently airing 'Numbers: Watchers in the Building Forest' fell to 2%. It is a humiliating result compared to competing works broadcast at the same time on SBS and JTBC that successively exceeded 10%.

It's hard to find even in topicality. According to data released by Fundex, a competitive analysis service, on the 18th, 'Numbers' failed to make it into the top 10 in the TV/OTT integrated topical drama category for two consecutive weeks. The ranking of performers is the same.

On the other hand, 'Assisi Durian', which is criticized for its extreme factors such as homosexuality of the late father, 'Happy Battle' with lower ratings than 'Numbers', and 'Wonderful Rumor 2: Counter Punch', which did not even start airing, were listed in the top 10. This is a part that disproves the public's indifference towards 'Numbers'.

The cold coldness towards 'Numbers' leads to concerns about the follow-up 'Lovers'. 'Lovers' is a human history melodrama about the love of lovers and the vitality of the people who pass each other through the Byeongja Horan. It is attracting attention as Namgoong-min's first historical drama in 10 years.

However, there are concerns as well as expectations. In the meantime, Namgoong Min has shown off his presence through refreshing cider drama. 'Stove League' and 'Thousand Won Attorney' are typical examples. Also, in 'Day and Night' and 'Black Sun', he succeeded in capturing the attention with intense action. What they all have in common is that there is almost no romance element in the work.

'Lovers' is a romance that Namgoong-min presents 5 years after 'Hunnam Jeong-eum'. Of course, it is said that 'Lovers' is a mixture of historical drama and action along with romance, but the thick line is the sad romance with Ahn Eun-jin (played by Yoo Gil-chae). It is unknown whether Namgoong Min-pyo's romance with Ahn Eun-jin will work for viewers.

Opinions are also divided on the choice of the part system. It is said that it is a choice for the completeness of the work, but there are also concerns about the part system in that it lowers the degree of immersion. What I believe in is Namgoong Min's acting and the perfection of the work.

'Numbers', with three episodes left, lost the momentum of the rebound. Until the first half of the year, even holding the '2023 MBC Drama Awards' is meaningless. Can the works that will be released in the second half of the year boost the momentum of MBC, which has hit bottom? Right now, the only person I can trust is Namgoong Min.

Reporter Tae Yuna, Ten Asia youyou@tenasia.co.kr