The Korean Peninsula is about to be destroyed by an asteroid impact… Original Japanese novel
Netflix original series ‘The Fool of the End’ poster
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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Jae-ha = In 2025, an asteroid approaches Earth and scientists try to change its orbit, but fail. According to calculations, the asteroid will fall near the Korean Peninsula, killing everyone in Korea, Japan, and East Asia. There are now about 200 days left until destruction.
Netflix’s new original series ‘The Fool of the End’, released on the 26th, is based on the setting that the Korean Peninsula will soon be destroyed in the near future, and follows Jin Se-kyung (Ahn Eun-jin), a middle school teacher in the fictional region of Ungcheon, and her boyfriend and biotechnology researcher Hayun. It deals with the story of Sang (Yoo Ah-in).
With 300 days left until the end of the world, everyone in the world learns of the fate that will come to Earth through an announcement from the United States. On the Korean Peninsula, which is on the verge of destruction, some generals attempt a coup and missiles are launched into the country, destroying data centers and stopping various online services.
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Korea quickly becomes a land of lawlessness, and criminal organizations kidnap young children and use them as a means of making money or commit terrible crimes.
Jin Se-kyung, a middle school home economics teacher, finds out the identity of the criminals kidnapping children and informs her friend Kang In-ah (Kim Yun-hye), a military officer, but only gets the answer that the military can do nothing about it. Se-kyung directly enters the den of criminals.
Meanwhile, Ha Yoon-sang, who was concentrating on research in the United States, returns to the dangerous Korean Peninsula, marries his lover Jin Se-kyung, and plans to leave for the safety of the United States together.
Stills from Netflix original series ‘The Fool of the End’
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‘The Fool of the End’ is based on the novel of the same name written by Japanese author Kotaro Isaka. In the original work, the collision with the asteroid was announced 8 years ago and the plot begins with 3 years left, but in the drama, the collision is announced 300 days before and the plot begins 200 days ago.
The early part of the drama follows the general grammar of post-apocalypse, which deals with a post-apocalyptic worldview, and depicts the rise of a criminal organization and the main character resisting it. The story features Jin Se-kyung single-handedly protecting children against a criminal group.
However, after the middle part, the characters’ stories and feelings are discussed at length, making the characteristics of a human drama more prominent. This characteristic becomes stronger towards the end.
There is a scene where most of the characters shed tears while thinking about the end of the world or a family member or friend who was sadly separated from them. These scenes are frequent and take a long time.
In particular, ‘Fool of the End’ has a total of 12 episodes and is about 60 minutes per episode, which is longer than a typical online video service (OTT) original series. Viewers who expect fast-paced action and exciting story development may find it somewhat boring.
Stills from Netflix original series ‘The Fool of the End’
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‘The Fool of the End’ is a work in which the worldview setting of the destruction of the Korean Peninsula has a great influence on the story and the actions of the characters. The setting alone stimulates the viewer’s imagination and lends persuasiveness to the characters’ various actions.
However, there are parts here and there that make you suspect some configuration errors.
Contrary to the drama’s explanation that ‘various online services have stopped’, the meeting of cabinet members presided over by the Prime Minister is broadcast live, and characters frequently exchange phone calls and text messages.
The fact that 300 days is enough time for numerous planes and ships to travel back and forth, yet no international aid is available, and the fact that a person who was portrayed as a conman actually puts people on planes to the United States are also somewhat strange settings.
Apart from setting errors, skit elements that do not fit well with the serious situation and are not essential to the development of the story are also areas where likes and dislikes may differ.
A representative example is the scene where the military decides to raise chickens. When chef So Ju-yeon (Seo Ye-hwa) asks her superiors for permission to raise chickens and use them as a source of protein, she says, “I’d like to make chickens,” and then suddenly imitates the sound of a chicken crowing.
Production site of Netflix original series ‘The Fool of the End’
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Most of the actors in ‘The Fool of the End’ show excellent acting skills. In particular, Ahn Eun-jin, who showed her good acting as the female protagonist in last year’s MBC drama ‘Lovers’, also gave a great performance in ‘The Fool of the End’ as Jin Se-yeon, a teacher with a sense of justice.
Yoo Ah-in also delicately expressed the emotions of Ha Yoon-sang, who came to visit his loved one even though he knew that the end of the Korean Peninsula was imminent.
As Yoo Ah-in is on trial on drug charges, he was excluded from posters and promotions, but plays a large part in the drama. However, there are parts of the story that were not fully explained, such as what he experienced in the United States, and it is presumed that some parts were cut out through editing.
jaeh@yna.co.kr
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2024/04/28 08:30 Sent
