'Manager Kim' Director Lee Seung-young: "Sought to realize the webtoon original that seemed to float above the ground" [Interview ③]

*This content was translated by AI.

• SBS Saturday-Sunday Drama 'Manager Kim' Director Lee Seung-young

Director Lee Seung-young of 'Manager Kim' also detailed the adaptation direction and directorial concerns he focused on while adapting the webtoon original of the same name into a drama.

On the 30th, an interview with Director Lee Seung-young was held at a café in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the conclusion of the SBS Saturday-Sunday drama 'Manager Kim'.

'Manager Kim,' which concluded on the 25th, is a father-universe revenge action drama about a father who becomes "the most dangerous man in the world" to reclaim his only daughter, described as "the most ordinary dad in the world."

According to ratings survey company Nielsen Korea, the final episode recorded viewership of 23.4% in the Seoul metropolitan area and 23.0% nationwide. Notably, the peak viewership soared to 27.1%, once again shattering its own record for the highest rating.

Director Lee Seung-young stated, "The Manager Kim character in the original is heroic. However, even heroes feel fear and uncertainty when they lose something precious. I believed this was the core of the Manager Kim character, so I aimed to capture that point." He added, "Also, while the supporting characters seemed vibrant in the original, I judged that for a 10-hour drama narrative to be sustained, the characters must feel alive. I sought to enhance them by leveraging the strengths of the original characters."

Regarding narrative variations, he explained, "In the original, the daughter character disappears from the very beginning, prompting the father to search for her. However, in our story, she needed to be a character so valuable that not only the father but also viewers would feel compelled to 'save' her."

He further emphasized, "We considered it crucial to depict how she was treated in school bullying situations and the process of evoking sympathy. The writer successfully implemented this in the first episode, which was also a key focus during casting."

He also shared efforts to actively reflect the original's visuals and style. Director Lee Seung-young said, "One aspect I liked about the original was the characters' styles. There were many excellent elements, including hair and costumes, and our views aligned with the makeup team. We made every effort to incorporate as much of that as possible into the production." He added, "While there were other variations, we preserved and utilized the unique strengths of the original."

Director Lee Seung-young also revealed his deliberations between comic fiction and dramatic realism. He noted, "Since the original is a webtoon, it had a slightly floating feel in terms of realism. While that works well in comics, drama represents another realm entirely." He continued, "Overall, we aimed to implement a realism that felt like something that could actually happen. At the same time, we sought to portray comedic elements more distinctly as comedy, making the harmonious blend of these two aspects one of our primary goals."

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*This content was translated by AI.