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| Actors from tvN's "Misaeng" including Yim Si-wan, second from left, pose at a set of the drama in downtown Seoul on Nov. 4. / Courtesy of CJ E&M |
Webtoon-based TV drama gains explosive response from office workers
By Baek Byung-yeul
Can "Misaeng" repeat glory of smash-hit cable drama "Reply 1994"?
"Misaeng," a cable network tvN's Friday-Saturday drama is becoming immensely popular. The drama, which revolves around precarious intern workers at a trading company, soars in TV ratings, hitting over 5 percent of viewers' rating from its latest episode aired last week.
The impressive number surely evokes last year's "Reply 1994," which hit 11.9 percent in its last episode, the highest viewers' ratings ever among cable TV programs.
Based on cartoonist Yoon Tae-ho's online cartoon series, the 20-part drama version of "Misaeng," which can be translated as an incomplete life, tells the story of Jang Geu-rae, a 26-year-old man who tries to adjust to life as an office worker after failing to become a professional "baduk" (Korean name for the board game "go") player. It began airing on Oct. 17.
It looks clear that people in their 20s show the most explosive response to the drama as they can sympathize with protagonist Jang, a non-regular worker.
As many young generation experience, Jang (played by actor and singer Yim Si-wan), who seeks to become a regular staff, is not so dissimilar with many young generation who are very nervous about their future due to decreased opportunities for employment.
With a vivid description of ordinary office life, the drama also sheds light on various age groups of corporate underlings not only the protagonist Jang but also Jang's superiors who still struggle in Korea's corporation system, which can be summarized into hierarchical chain of command.
One of success factor of "Misaeng" is that the drama doesn't try to far off from the original cartoon version.
Kim Won-suk, a producer of the drama said there will be no "love line" as typical local dramas.
"As cartoonist Yoon said he had rejected every offer from major broadcasters who wanted to dramatize his cartoon because they wanted to insert a love-hate relationship as dramatic devices for TV version. But, I told him we wouldn't do that," Yoon said to reporters last week, introducing the drama's actual filming site in downtown Seoul. "We, instead, focused more on life of ordinary people like the original cartoon to give glimpse at office life."
With the popularity of the drama, the book version of the original cartoon also enjoys huge popularity in the market. The cartoon in nine volumes has sold more than one million copies as of Oct. 26, becoming the most sold book on every online book store. According to Yes 24, one of online book stores here, about a half of buyers of book version of "Misaeng" is people in their 30s.
"It is very rare. While the most comic book purchasing comes from middle and high school students, for ‘Misaeng,' people in their 20s and 30s account for the majority," said an official from the Yes 24. "We think the popularity of the book version is because of the background ― a trading company."
Though the drama mainly portrays "male" office workers, the majority of viewers' are female in their 20s to 40s. According to TNmS, a local audience-rating company, 4.2 percent of the total viewers of "Misaeng" were females in their 20s while females in their 30s and 40s occupy 3.6 and 4 percent.
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