Such a difference! Netflix x Korean drama “World, Japan, Korea” ranking

In 2021, “Emergency Landing of Love” and “Itaewon Class” once again ranked in Japan’s Netflix viewing rankings. Although it was more than a year ago that they caused a major boom in Japan, their popularity seems to be undiminished.

According to Flix Patrol, a video distribution content research company, “Love’s Emergency Landing” came in a respectable third place in the “2021 Netflix Japan Rankings,” following Japanese anime in first and second place.

Vincenzo,” which was supposed to be a hit last year, came in at number four, and “Squid Game,” which was a worldwide hit, came in at number five, which was surprising because it was watched more than those two films.

In addition, “I Know It All”, a love story between handsome actors Song Gang and Han So-hee, came in at No. 8, the popular Asian historical drama “Love and Adoration” came in at No. 9, and the 2004 remake of the movie “Cha Cha Cha Umi” came in at No. 10. A remake of the 2004 film “Cha Cha Cha” ranked 10th.

Itaewon Class,” which is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, came in at a disappointing 16th place, while “Mine,” which depicts the strange fate of two women from a conglomerate family, came in at 18th place. On the other hand, “Hell is Calling,” the much-talked-about blockbuster following “Squid Game,” finished 36th in the Japanese rankings.

So how did it rank in the world rankings and in its home country, Korea?　We would like to take a look back at the trends of 2021 and quickly check out the promising and noteworthy films for 2022.

Squid Game” and “Hell is Calling,” which excited the world

Since its release last September, “The Squid Game” has become a worldwide sensation. Since its release in September of last year, “The Squid Game” has been watched in more than 142 million households (accounts) and has become the most watched movie in more than 90 countries and regions, including the United States. It became the biggest hit in the history of Netflix, and was ranked number one in the “2021 Netflix World Ranking”.

While it still ranks high in Japan, it remains popular in Europe, Russia, and India, among others. Not only is the drama interesting, but it is also highly addictive.

On the other hand, ” Hell is Calling ” was released before the popularity of “Squid Game” had cooled down. It replaced “Squid Game” at the top of the world rankings, but despite the attention it received, it quickly became boring.

While “Squid Game” is still being watched in Japan, “Hell is Calling” has long since fallen out of the top 10. It also dropped out of the world rankings early on.

Although this was a year in which Korean drama drew attention from around the world, a look at the “2021 World Ranking” shows that only one drama, “Squid Game,” ranked first, made it into the top 10. The year before that, however, there was none.

In comparison, in 2021, not only did the Korean drama “Squid Game” take the No. 1 spot, but ” Vincenzo” ranked No. 15 and ” Umimachi Cha Cha Cha” ranked No. 26.

The much-talked-about “Hell is Calling” came in at 49th place, falling short of the 48th-ranked ” Love,” and the 50th-ranked “My Name, Falsehood and Revenge,” in which popular actress Han So-hee performed an action scene with wounds. The fact that so many Korean dramas ranked in the top 50 in the world ranking shows the overwhelming strength of Korean entertainment.

The “2021 Korea Ranking” has a different lineup than Japan

The most watched movie in the “2021 Netflix Korea Rankings” was “A Smart Doctor’s Life, ” which took the top spot for the second year in a row. Although “Life of a Wise Doctor” is very popular in Korea, it is ranked 68th in the “World Ranking. It was also ranked 24th in Japan.

The second place went to ” Vincenzo,” which was also popular in Japan. So far, so good, but in the Korean annual ranking, “Marriage Lyrics Divorce Composition,” which did not attract much attention in Japan, came in fourth.

At first glance, “Marriage Lyrics Divorce Composition,” with its seemingly austere casting, did not make a splash in Japan, ranking only 32nd. However, it is the work of Im Sung-han, a popular screenwriter in Korea. However, it is written by Lim Sung-han, a popular screenwriter in South Korea, who is known for his “Korean drama” (a drama with extreme settings in which events that would never happen in everyday life occur), so how could it not be interesting? Season 3 is scheduled to be produced this year.

The drama ” Umimachi Cha Cha Cha, ” a remake of the 2004 Korean movie “Mr. Hong, who definitely shows up if something happens to someone somewhere,” was also supported and ranked 6th. In Korea, the film also made a strong impression on the late Kim Joo-hyuk (who died in a car accident in 2017), who starred in the film version. It seems that many viewers compared the movie with the drama.

On the other hand, it was surprising to see that “Squid Game,” which was No. 1 in the “World Annual Ranking,” settled at No. 7 in its home country, not much different from the Japanese anime “Onimei no Blade,” which was No. 8.

In ninth place was the science fiction action drama ” Sisypheus: The Myth. It did not make a splash in Japan, coming in at 63rd place, but in Korea, the chemistry between Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye entertained viewers. The historical drama ” Koi Moi” also ranked 10th.

A number of notable and promising works are already in the works.

Since the end of last year, the sci-fi drama “The Silent Sea” starring Gong Yoo has been attracting a lot of attention. It was released at the end of the year and soon became number one in Korea.

Actor Jung Woo-sung served as the production supervisor for the film, which also stars Gong Yoo, Lee Jun, and Bae Doo-na. With a perfect lineup, the film started off well in Thailand and Singapore, but it doesn’t seem to have the same momentum as “Squid Game” and “Hell is Calling”.

Hong Kong media gave high marks to “Squid Game,” “D.P.: Deserter” and “Hell is Calling,” while “The Silent Sea” was rated “worst in 2021.

Another film that is still high in the Korean rankings is “That Year, We Are,” starring Choi Woo-sik and Kim Dae-mi. In Japan, the ranking fluctuates wildly, but in Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, it is seen as stable. Choi Woo-sik became a familiar actor with the movie “Parasite” and Kim Da-mi with “Itaewon Class”. Since these two actors are starring in the film, naturally, the attention will be high.

Impossible to Kill: Those Who Live Forever,” which began distribution last December, has not attracted much attention in Japan, but it is high on the rankings in Korea. It is a major film with a production cost of about 4 billion Japanese yen, and originally attracted a lot of attention with popular actor Won Bin being offered the role. In the end, Won Bin was not able to appear in the film and Lee Jin-wook took the lead. Although “Impossible Kill” is not ranked in Japan, it is very popular in Korea, and I can’t help but regret that “If Won Bin had been in it…”.

It was reported that Netflix is already discussing the production of “Squid Game” for season 2 and even season 3. Also, on the 28th of this month, “Our School Now…”, based on a web comic, will start streaming. It is the latest in the “K-Zombie series” and features a number of new actors, and the survival game that unfolds here may once again draw attention from around the world.

Hwang Jung-min and Ha Jung-woo will co-star in ” Suriname,” a huge drama that cost 4 billion yen to produce and is expected to be a big hit.

Will there be a Korean drama in Japan this year that surpasses “Love’s Emergency Landing”? I can’t take my eyes off it any longer.