"Monthly Boyfriend" global reviews..Director "I live my character thanks to Ji-Soo and Seo In-guk" [a question and answer]

*This content was translated by AI.

Director Jungsik Kim of the Netflix series "Monthly Boyfriend" expressed his gratitude to Ji-soo and Seo In-guk, saying, "The actors made the character convincing."

While "Monthly Boyfriend" has been showing keen interest every day since its release, director Kim Jungsik Kim and writer Nam Goong Do-young revealed their questions and answers on the 17th.

According to the Netflix Tudum TOP 10 website on the 11th, "Monthly Boyfriend" ranked fourth in the global TOP 10 non-English show category in just three days after its release. On top of that, it drew attention by being listed on the top 10 list of 34 countries around the world, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, and Chile, including No. 1 in the "Korea's TOP 10 Series." In addition, it is receiving favorable reviews at home and abroad, recording 96% of the Rotten Tomato Popcorn Index, No. 1 in the TV-OTT integrated drama popularity in the first week of March announced by Good Data Corporation Fundex, and No. 1 (Jisoo) and No. 3 (Seo In-guk) in the popularity of actors.

Director Jungsik Kim responded to "Monthly Boyfriend" by saying, "I've seen several reviews, and I remember the reaction that Ji-Soo and her future character match well." There was also a story that "I know why the Gyeongnam role had to be an actor in Seo In-guk," and I feel very proud and grateful as a director because I think it's thanks to the actors making the character convincing."

Above all, "Monthly Boyfriend" is said to have created excitement and empathy at the same time by melting the real love story with the dopamine-filled virtual date scene. The story of a character growing up in love and love, rather than simply staying in a different subject of "virtual love subscription service," warmed many people's hearts. Director Jungsik Kim said, "Monthly Boyfriend' features three characters who use the same service but make different choices. Mirae (Ji-Soo) chose real-life love, Yoon Song (Kong Min-jeong) chose virtual world love, and Ji-yeon (Ha Young) accepts both. Through the three characters, I wanted to tell you that there is no right answer to the way of love. Viewers who watch "Monthly Boyfriend" also explained the message of the work with the hope that it would be an opportunity to think about "what kind of love will I choose?"

Writer Nam Goong Do-young said, "Monthly Boyfriend" started from a unique subject of love in virtual reality, but in the end, I think the future, a very ordinary person, is a story that overcomes the loneliness and fear of everyday life and finds the courage to love. The title of the last episode is "This Ordinary Future" from a novel of the same name. It also means that Seo Mi-rae, the main character, is an ordinary person, and we hope that our future outside the drama will be as happy as Seo Mi-rae. I hope that those who watch "Monthly Boyfriend" will gain courage and comfort through future growth," he said, explaining the meaning of the work he wanted to convey to viewers.

Q. Do you have any memorable reviews from viewers and people around you

Director Jungsik Kim: I've seen several reviews, and I remember the reaction that Ji-Soo's character and the future character fit well together. There was also a story that "I understand why the Gyeongnam role had to be a Seo In-guk actor," and I feel very proud and grateful as a director because the actors made the character convincing.

Writer Nam Gung Do-young: I remember the comment, 'I didn't know my heart had so many.' "I also felt the excitement and sadness of the future." Thank you very much. When an acquaintance who had not been in a relationship for a long time contacted me personally and told me that he wanted to be in a relationship after watching the drama, I felt rewarded for some reason.

Q. What made you think of an interesting setting called "Virtual Love Subscription Service"

Writer Nam Goong Do-young: Monthly Boyfriend began a few years ago when a producer first suggested to me an idea of "subscribing my boyfriend every month." It was interesting, but because there was no 'virtual relationship' setting at that time, it was difficult to write because it didn't come to the point that humans subscribe to humans. While I was struggling, I came to think about 'what if the other person was AI', and I thought it would be a very contemporary romance drama if we intertwined 'AI', 'virtual reality', and 'love'. The production company also liked the setting, and that's how the 'virtual love subscription service' was born.

Q. "Monthly boyfriend" feels like a narrative overcoming future wounds. Why did you choose "Seo Mirae" as the main character

Director Jungsik Kim: Personally, I wanted "Monthly Boyfriend" to be seen not just as a story of a provocative setting, but as a story of someone hurt by love facing love again and healing it. To express those parts, I remember talking a lot with the actors and agonizing together.

Nam Gung Do-young: I think I've been holding on to the question for a long time, "What kind of person will change most dramatically when they use this service?" Meanwhile, I found this sentence while reading an essay by Deborah Libby called 'Living Cost'. "Distancing from love means living a risk-free life. What's the point of living a life like that?" Then I became convinced that the story should be "a story of a woman who is afraid of the dangers of dating humans."

Q. Women in "Monthly Boyfriend" use various services. Why did you set up three types of characters: Future, Song, and Jiyeon

Namgoong Do-young: The Future, Jiyeon, and Yun Song represent three positions a woman can take in a relationship. The three are "women who are not voluntarily in a relationship," "women who are passionately in a relationship," and "women who want to be in a relationship but can't." Although the main character is the future, I wanted to show more other perspectives that viewers can fully relate to in addition to the future story. I wanted the spectrum of female characters in "Monthly Boyfriend" to be broad. So, I tried to express the various personalities and desires of women by using the 'monthly boyfriend service' in different ways.

Q. The reason why the future made the ending of choosing a "real-life relationship"

Director Jungsik Kim: I thought that the ending of the story should eventually touch reality. In a virtual relationship, the other person may be tailored to me, but I don't think real love is. I thought the essence of love was not that someone was perfect for me, but that relationships were created as they matched each other little by little and exchanged real emotions. So I wanted to create an ending where the future also chooses a relationship in reality, not a virtual relationship. In the end, I think what this work wanted to talk about was a real emotion that was created between people.

Q. About Park Gyeong-nam and Koo Young-il completed by actor Seo In-guk

Director Jungsik Kim: With Koo Young-il's appearance in the second half, Seo In-guk took on a two-person role, so I thought a lot about making the charm of the two characters distinguish naturally. Most of the stories of Gyeongnam in reality were filmed in winter, and Young-il filmed overseas with a summer setting. In addition, to make the two characters' conclusions a little clearer, Young-il's lines were recorded after editing. Due to the schedule, I had to film between Gyeongnam and Yeongil, and actor Seo In-guk carefully matched that part. The character seems to have been completed in three dimensions thanks to Gyeongsangnam-do's good catch and expression of emotions toward the future to a very subtle point.

Q. What message did you want to deliver to viewers through "Monthly Boyfriend"

Director Jungsik Kim: "Monthly Boyfriend" features three characters who use the same service but make different choices. The future has chosen love in reality, writer Yun Song has chosen love in the virtual world, and Jiyeon accepts both. Through the three characters, I wanted to tell you that there is no right answer to the way of love. I think the way you choose love can be different depending on your situation and heart. I made the work with the hope that it would be an opportunity for viewers who watch "Monthly Boyfriend" to think about "What kind of love should I choose?"

Writer Nam Goong Do-young: Monthly Boyfriend started from a unique subject of love in virtual reality, but I think the future, a very ordinary person, is a story about overcoming loneliness and fear of everyday life and finding the courage to love. The title of the last episode is 'What an Ordinary Future' from the title of the novel of the same name. I really wanted to use the expression 'normal future', but thankfully, writer Kim Yeon-soo understood. It also means that Seo Mi-rae, the main character, is an ordinary person, and we hope that our future outside the drama will be as happy as Seo Mi-rae. I hope that those who watch "Monthly Boyfriend" will gain courage and comfort through future growth.

Q. What's your favorite scene and line from "Monthly Boyfriend"

Director Jungsik Kim: There is a scene where the future and Gyeongnam check each other's hearts and kiss each other on a snowy day. It's a scene that I thought was very important in the work because the protagonist, who was afraid of love, started to love for the first time. So I talked a lot with the actors, and I had another re-shoot in the really cold weather, and as a result, a better scene came out than the first one, so I personally love it a lot.

Namgoong Do-young: I think everything about the breakup between Mirae and Sejun is so sad. Whenever I see the scene where Mirae says, "Live well" and sends Sejun away, I'm touched every time. To name one more thing, Kyungnam said to Mirae, who feels awkward about herself in episode 6, "I know I'm uncomfortable... Don't be so obvious. I want to talk about the scene where I say, "I'm upset, too." I feel so sad for a man who puts all his pride down on a girl he likes and says he's "sad" honestly, but he feels cool. After writing that line, I became more fond of Gyeongnam.

Q. What to look out for in "Monthly Boyfriend" and a message to the viewers

Director Jungsik Kim: The Monthly Boyfriend is a story that started with an interesting imagination of what it would be like to subscribe to a relationship. It will be a fun point to watch how each character accepts and chooses love in the unique setting of a service where you can meet your perfect boyfriend in virtual reality. I hope it will be a work where you can think about 'What kind of love should I choose' while watching it with a light smile. If you haven't watched "Monthly Boyfriend" yet, I hope you enjoy it with a comfortable mind.

Writer Nam Goong Do-young: If you're looking for a pleasant story that will make you forget the harsh reality, I think it would be good to watch Monthly Boyfriend. It's a fun and salty drama, but on the other hand, it's like a sweet and salty drama. And for those who have already seen it, if you watch it again while looking for a clue to Gyeongnam's crush, you'll have another fun. Above all, I hope viewers will have a good time watching "Monthly Boyfriend."

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*This content was translated by AI.