"Japanese but cheering for the Joseon side," "The best K-drama of the year": Overseas reactions to "100 Days of Lies" [K-EYES]

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"Why isn't this getting more attention?" "I can't wait for the next episode": Reactions from English- and Japanese-speaking audiences

Praise is piling up from overseas viewers for the tvN drama "100 Days of Lies," starring actors Kim Yoo-jung and Park Jin-young. English-speaking viewers are calling it "my favorite Korean drama this year" and expressing how anxious they are to wait for the next episode, while Japanese viewers who watched the drama, which directly addresses the period of Japanese colonial rule, shared sentiments such as "I am Japanese, but I find myself cheering for the Joseon side."

Domestic ratings are on an upward trend. According to Nielsen Korea, Episode 6, broadcast on the 25th, recorded a nationwide rating of 9.5%, setting a new series high. The drama is also being released simultaneously on Netflix, generating strong overseas reactions. According to official Netflix data, it ranked fourth in the global top 10 non-English shows from the 12th to 18, and rose to eighth place from the 19th to the 25th.

On the global film and drama rating site IMDb, it received a score of 8.3 out of 10 based on 542 ratings, while on the Japanese film and drama review site FILMARKS, it earned 4.2 out of 5.

A post on the K-drama board of the online community Reddit asking, "Why isn't this drama getting enough attention?" received 336 upvotes. The author wrote, "Every episode so far has been phenomenal. I feel like I'm going to lose my mind having to wait until next weekend," and praised the chemistry between the two actors, stating, "Kim Yoo-jung is an amazing actor."

Comments followed with agreement. Reactions included "Probably my favorite Korean drama this year," "It has been a long time since I was this hooked on a K-drama," and "After watching Episode 6, I immediately wanted to rewatch the entire series from the beginning." There were also posts praising the chemistry between Kim Yoo-jung and Park Jin-young, saying, "The person who paired these two up deserves a raise." Praise for Park Jin-young included, "Whether it is anger, kindness, or suppressed emotion, he makes every feeling look real," while Kim Hyun-joo was lauded with, "It has been a long time since I saw him in a drama, and he is phenomenal."

A small debate also arose regarding Kim Yoo-jung's acting. When one viewer pointed out that "the trembling acting is a bit excessive in some scenes," counterarguments followed, stating, "If an ordinary woman in her 20s were suddenly placed in such a terrible situation, it would be natural for her to tremble" and "It accurately expressed the terror of watching compatriots being beaten and dying right before one's eyes."

Reactions from Japanese viewers were even more complex. One Japanese viewer on FILMARKS wrote, "I am Japanese, but I find myself cheering for the Joseon side. There are scenes that are hard to watch, but they actually happened." Another noted, "Some people call it an anti-Japanese drama, but this is likely how it really was. If you are Japanese, I hope you will definitely watch it," while another added, "You cannot learn these truths from Japanese dramas."

High praise also emerged, such as, "I haven't finished watching it all yet, but I binge-watched it in one go. It is undoubtedly the best work of this year." One review stated, "It is painful to watch period dramas where Japanese characters are the villains, but this show does not highlight only that aspect, making it easier to watch."

A user who left a review on October 14 wrote that while they were shocked by the historical fact of colonial rule, they became immersed in the work's level of completion. They expressed surprise at the sets and art direction, as well as the actors' language acquisition levels. In particular, they highly evaluated Jin Seon-gyu for learning Japanese in a short period to deliver natural acting, and Lee Mu-saeng for his English performance. Regarding the Japanese dialogue, viewers marveled that "Korean actors are so proficient in Japanese" and requested, "Please add subtitles to the Japanese scenes as well." On the other hand, one viewer gave it 2.5 stars, criticizing, "With such a large scale and famous actors, are you still making anti-Japanese dramas? There are many unpleasant scenes."

Regardless of nationality, what overseas fans fear most is the ending. Among English-speaking fans, the term "K-trauma," referring to a tragic ending, has even emerged. Concerns followed, such as, "It is heading down a difficult path like 'Mr. Sunshine.' It will be heartbreaking, but I will accept it" and "Dramas dealing with this era have all had sad endings. One of the protagonists will definitely die." After seeing the tag "bittersweet" attached to the show on Netflix, one viewer said, "I will wait until it is complete." A Japanese viewer also stated, "I know for sure that there will absolutely not be a happy ending."

Viewers studying unfamiliar history have also emerged. On Reddit, an analytical post appeared discussing why the independence movement organization in the drama plans to assassinate Sato Shiniichi ahead of the visit by the League of Nations investigation team, stating, "In a situation where Japan is trying to package its colonial rule as orderly, the assassination serves to show the international community that the independence movement is gaining strength."

Of course, there were also regrets. One English-speaking viewer pointed out, "The tension and action are good, but some romance scenes are clichéd and do not fit the serious historical background."

The 16-episode "100 Days of Lies" airs every Saturday and Sunday on tvN and is available to watch on Netflix.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original