Luffy

Genuine question: when Disney+ and Hulu say it's the "No. 1 Korean title premiere of all time," what exactly is that based on?

1. "No. 1" by what metric—viewing hours, views, unique accounts, completion rate, or something else?
2. Over what tracking period was this measured?
3. Compared to which Korean titles exactly?
4. By how much did it surpass the previous record holder?

I'm not questioning the claim itself—I'm just curious about the data and methodology behind it, since I couldn't find any actual figures or explanation in the Instagram post. Without that context, it's difficult to understand the scale of the achievement rather than simply taking a marketing statement at face value.

I wasn't saying the dramas are the same. That's why I wrote "feels a lot like" instead of "is similar to." I was referring to the initial setup—a haunted palace and a royal court being at the centre of the story—which immediately reminded me of The Haunted Palace.

Whether the tone ends up being darker, scarier, or more action-heavy is a different matter. Two dramas can share a similar premise and still be very different in execution. With how many dramas are being produced these days, some overlap in concepts is inevitable.

What I'm most interested in is the execution, and given the budget and Netflix backing, I'm expecting it to be done really well. It was simply an observation about the premise, not a claim that the two dramas are the same.

This drama feels a lot like "The Haunted Palace", but with a bigger budget and better CGI/VFX, along with the massive marketing push that Netflix will provide.

Guessing characters and discussing possible dynamics is completely fine, but labeling actors as “main lead,” “second lead,” or “supporting” isn’t really necessary in an ensemble cast. Guessing can be done without all that fuss.

People really need to stop arguing about “first bill,” “main lead,” “supporting role,” etc. This is officially an ensemble cast, which means the story is built around multiple important characters, not one central lead.

Anyone who knows *Namiya General Store* knows it consists of interconnected stories and different character arcs. Not every actor will even be shooting together all the time because filming depends on which storyline is being shot.

Billing, salary, and screen time are also different things. They depend on agency negotiations, experience, brand value, and number of shooting days — not on who is “more important.”

In an ensemble cast, every actor matters to the story. That’s literally the whole point of an ensemble project.

It’s an ensemble cast — there’s no strict “main” or “secondary” role here. Every character and every actor contributes to the core story, so each role carries importance in the narrative.

As for this site, MyDramaList often uses tags and speculative listings, so it’s not always reliable for character information. Until the drama is officially released, nobody really knows exactly who’s playing whom or how the story is going to be laid out. But one thing that does seem clear is that this project is being structured as an ensemble cast.

Love the “Wonderfool trio: Chaeni–Robin–GyeongUn.” All three of them are such good actors. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Eunbin in her chaotic, free-spirited era like in *Hello, My Twenties!*. Overall, *The WONDERfools* is such a fun drama. 🫶

Since the drama is adapted from a manhwa, the over-the-top and cartoonish style is completely intentional — that’s part of its charm. And that’s exactly why skilled actors and good direction mattered here.

Usually, adaptations like this fall into bad caricature-like overacting, but this cast balances exaggerated expressions with restraint, so nothing feels cringe or awkward on screen. Every actor fits their character naturally, and the importance of strong acting and direction is really evident here.

Please Korea, we need such actors on screen. Focus on casting actors for their skills and passion for acting, not just face value and popularity. Strong performances make dramas far more immersive and memorable.

Yes, “big star” is a huge title, which is exactly why I pointed it out. Terms like famous star, well-known actor, or popular actor fit much better here. Being trendy and being an established top star are two different things.

And I never wrote that to offend you or anything, so I hope you did not mind it either. I was simply pointing out the difference between a genuinely established star and a currently popular actor.
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No drama was marketed and overhyped the way *Perfect Crown* was, which is why the final outcome felt so underwhelming to many people. With the massive budget, nonstop media push, and extreme hype surrounding the project, people expected record-breaking impact, yet it could not even achieve the highest peak ratings among dramas aired this year.

As for the “big star” remark — IU is the only actual big star here, not BWS. Popularity and star status are not the same thing. BWS is currently a very popular actor, just like several other trending actors in the industry right now, but a true star is someone with a long-standing successful career, industry influence, public recognition across generations, and years of proven relevance. That is why BWS is more of a rising star than an established top star at this stage.

And this is not meant to offend anyone. It is simply pointing out the clear difference between a genuinely established star and a currently popular actor.

On another note, Asian drama audiences seriously need to stop obsessing over “male lead,” “second male lead,” and all these labels. A well-written and impactful character is far more valuable than shallow lead roles that only box actors into repetitive images. An actor of Heo Nam-jun’s caliber should focus on strong characters, because impact matters more than titles.

There’s also something called an ensemble cast, which many asian audiences seem to ignore, where every actor and every character matters equally to the story in their own way, regardless of who holds the “main lead” title.

In Western industries, actors often choose projects based on the depth and weight of the character rather than whether they hold the “main lead” title, no matter how big of an actor they are. If the material is good and the character is compelling enough, they take the role — because true actors value the art and the impact of the character far more than titles.

The character he is playing is one of the most intriguing and important characters in the manhwa from which the drama is being adapted. Song Haesu is an extremely complex and one of the most beautifully written characters in the original story — the kind of role that truly demands refined acting skills and becomes a dream opportunity for any actor. Because of that, this project could become a very valuable addition to Heo Nam-jun’s filmography.

I just hope the drama writers preserve the essence of his character and do not drastically alter his story or personality from the manhwa. If they stay faithful to the original portrayal, then mark my words — Heo Nam-jun will completely steal the spotlight, because that character carries an incredible amount of emotional weight and one of the most heart-wrenching arcs in the story (Just recalling it made me emotional again… my boy Haesu 😭).

No actor or actress in Korea currently matches the level of fame and public recognition that IU has built over the years, not even many of the industry’s most credible and respected names. Also, currently, in terms of popularity, BWS is pretty huge as well.

So considering all of this, along with the massive budget and extreme hype surrounding the project, that average 11% rating feels way too underwhelming. A drama with a reported budget of around 30 billion won for only 12 episodes, along with this level of promotion, is generally expected to average above 15% nationwide and peak beyond 20% to truly be called a massive hit. I mean, just look at Queen of Tears, which also had a massive budget but completely justified that spending by breaking rating records in Korea and becoming a full cultural phenomenon.

If the same ratings that PC received had come from a smaller, less-hyped drama with a modest budget, they would have been viewed as extraordinary, eg. -The Judge Returns, Undercover Miss Hong. But with this much money, marketing, media attention, and public anticipation attached to it, both the ratings and the overall reception feel far more underwhelming than expected.

So yeah, maybe rooster luck.

P.S.- Take this with a pinch of salt, but there’s also a hypothesis going around in Korea that the ratings for PC may have been manipulated.

So true

Those ratings only came because of IU’s 20 years of fame, her household-name status, and the immense public goodwill she holds in South Korea. Though, if you look closely, those ratings were still quite underwhelming for a drama with such a massive budget and extreme hype. Many dramas with far smaller budgets and far less promotion have performed better than PC.

So true. I watched him in *Sweet Home* and *Your Honor* too, and really liked him in both, especially the latter. But here, he is basically screaming to the world, “Watch me, I am an actor-ACTOR, Heo Nam Jun.”

He is not just relying on his looks — he has genuinely put so much effort into playing Se Gye and Yi Hyeon, and all of that effort is clearly showing on screen. Both characters have completely different presences and auras; you genuinely cannot confuse them even though they share the same face, and that is entirely because of his skills. Every micro-expression, dialogue delivery, eye movement, attitude, and body language shifts so naturally between the two characters, showcasing how refined and well-executed his performance is. He has worked on every single aspect of Se Gye and Yi Hyeon beautifully.

It’s been a while since we have gotten such a skilled and well-crafted male actor with both talent and good looks in K-drama land. What a fantastic performance. I really hope he keeps rising because, craft-wise, he already has what it takes to reach the top. Wishing him all the love, luck, and success.

It’s actually the opposite — the audience for terrestrial channels is mostly older viewers now. Channels like KBS, MBC, and SBS are free-to-air in Korea, unlike cable channels or OTT platforms that require subscriptions, so many elderly people still mainly watch those networks.

And honestly, even though I did not like IU’s performance in PC, no one can deny her star power in Korea. She is a true household name there. After nearly 20 years of success — largely driven by her music career — she has built immense public goodwill and is even called “the celebrity of celebrities” in Korea.

Because of that, many people were naturally inclined to watch PC simply because IU was in it. If the same drama — with the same weak writing, inconsistent direction, and underwhelming performances — had starred a lesser-known actress or newcomers, I honestly do not think people would have bothered tuning in to this extent.

MBC’s excessive reruns also played a role. Korean netizens were constantly complaining on X, YouTube, and other platforms that the nonstop reruns were becoming unbearable. As for younger audiences nowadays, they barely watch traditional TV anyway — statistics have already shown that most of them prefer OTT platforms instead.

Jung Seung jo is a really good actor.

Gong Seung-yeon’s role will likely not have much screen time, as her character dies early in the story (I would prefer for you to find out how when the drama airs). This is based on the webtoon, though if any changes have been made for the drama, I’m not entirely sure. However, her role has a huge impact on the story.
Also both of their characters have zero contact according to the webtoon so it's impossible for them to interact as characters.

As for Heo Nam-jun’s character, he is personally one of my favourite main characters from the webtoon. It is a complex grey role filled with sadness, pain, responsibility, and a deep love for his country.

When he was first cast, I was a bit sceptical, but after seeing his performance here, I have no doubt he will do justice to the role. I just hope the writing and direction remain strong, and that the rest of the main cast also delivers solid performances.

Each and every actor here is a talented and hardworking actor. This is how actors should be—some of them don’t have much screen time, their stories are still not shown, and their characters are still underdeveloped. But still, you can’t find fault in their acting. Why? Because they know how to do their job properly as actors. Instead of just relying on appearance or anything else, they have actually put in effort to understand their characters and are improving them with minute-to-minute details.