My Impressions of "Tomorrow (내일)" (Episodes 1&2)
"Tomorrow (내일)" is a new KDRAMA since launched on MBC (in South Korea) and on Netflix (since April 1st), with a twice weekly broadcast Fridays & Saturdays at the 22:00 time slot. You can check out the trailer and further write-up HERE in my previous feature on POPCORNX, while today in THIS blog-=feature, I'll share with you my impressions of the first two episodes aired (out of the 16-episoder for this season).
SYNOPSIS: "Made half-human and half-spirit by accident, a young man is employed by a company of grim reapers in the underworld to carry out special missions."
The first two episodes are titled "Fallen Flower" (Parts 1 & 2) in which the protagonists are introduced, and a gist of their situations explained for the viewer, of course leaving more intriguing gaps to be filled and answers which do not necessarily linger to leech off your attention.
POV & THE CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM:
We see the underworld thru the eyes and actions of human "Choi Jun-Woong" (played by Ro Woon) turned into a half-half-state and getting his long vaulted dream to be "employed", this time by the urbanised and corporate Underworld administration known as "Jumadeung" (scenes of which reminded me tons of Hollywood's "Men In Black" - whom administer "Alien(s)" on Earth). I certainly am looking forward to his character's evolution arc, because his character is as irritating a smudge as he is good looking.
The adage of "he means well, but his actions show otherwise an idiot"
The gorgeous Kim Hee-Seon (Mother of a 14 year old daughter in real life - which I am stating her because the credit is real) plays Grim Reaper "Koo Ryeon" who heads the "Crisis Management Team" - a team who's "job/mission" is to save suicidal people, unlike other teams of Grim Reapers, who are divided into dedicated departments which include soul collection (souls who have died and refuse to admit death), Tech Dept, Library Dept, and so forth. Everyone is dressed Uber-urban and chick, including the "King Of Heaven / Jade Emperor", played by Kim Hae-Sook.
The "second lead" Lee Soo Hyuk plays a non-nonsense Grim Reaper for the Souls recovery Team (paraphrasing). We get to see him "in action" in the first two episodes, and as well find out his "connection" with "Koo Ryeon", in the KDRAMA-style of scripted-coincidental-stories I personal enjoy :)
The CMT includes "Lim Ryung-Gu" (played by Yun Ji-On) - who clocks out at a specific time every day (yes, being a Grim Reaper is a literal "job" with work schedules) - to go about a specific task, everyday, which we will no doubt find out WHAT is, as the series progresses. He is the middle-man between Koo and Choi. And by the preview of Ep3, we will be seeing an episode dedicated to his personal involvement with the upcoming case.
A whole lot of what I'll be talking about, and as well the look of the visuals for the show can be seen in the below OST heard at the end of Ep2:
UNDERWORLD TECH:
An example of his "modern" and high-tech the tasks are, the CMT Grim Reapers have an app on their mobile phones, which monitors the subjects percentage in leading to suicide. "90%+" means a higher likelihood the person will commit suicide. And if the percentage goes down, the likelihood of the person committing suicide, goes down.
There is even an "Editing Team" whose task is to edit the flashbacks of each character being confronted by the Grim Reapers.
The Grim Reapers buy online clothes tho, and wreck havoc on whomever sold them counterfeit goods too (Remember to watch the EPILOGUES at the end of each ep, so a laugh and a deeper understanding of what had transpired in the episode you'd just watched).
THEME:
Above is a screengrab of the title plate opening / warning for Episode 1, and no doubt is the main theme of this series - the Crisis Management Team deals with saving Suicidal Folks, so it can be "triggering". The method in which they carry out their tasks, no doubt will evolve thru the series, and would either be "healing", or just "lip-service". A sensitive theme that cannot be taken for granted, of course.
Throughout the first two episodes, we see the team dealing with the subject of BULLYING, and yes it is intense and do not shy away. And yes, it will be "resolved" by the end of Ep2. How they progressed the story and how it is handled, is both "gratifying", and as well seemingly a "easy way out", due to the inclusion of the Underworld and the Grim Reapers' actions.
TOMORROW:
If memory serves, the name "Tomorrow" was evoked who Koo Ryeon refers to the suicidal folks' thinking, of wondering if there is a tomorrow worth living for, or of their choice to end it solves the hurt and pain.
I am a huge fan of such fantasy premises in KDRAMAS, from Goblin, to Hotel Del Luna to Mystic Pop-up Bar and Witch's Diner, Tales of the Nine-Tailed etc, so this fits perfectly in the genre.
The concepts are not hard to digest, and there does not seem to be any underlying issues being presented, beyond the issue of "suicide", which as of Ep2 has decently addressed without glamorisation of the act, IMHO.
I'll be adding this to my weekly WATCHLIST, cheers.
Andy TOYSREVIL
SYNOPSIS: "Made half-human and half-spirit by accident, a young man is employed by a company of grim reapers in the underworld to carry out special missions."
The first two episodes are titled "Fallen Flower" (Parts 1 & 2) in which the protagonists are introduced, and a gist of their situations explained for the viewer, of course leaving more intriguing gaps to be filled and answers which do not necessarily linger to leech off your attention.
POV & THE CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM:
We see the underworld thru the eyes and actions of human "Choi Jun-Woong" (played by Ro Woon) turned into a half-half-state and getting his long vaulted dream to be "employed", this time by the urbanised and corporate Underworld administration known as "Jumadeung" (scenes of which reminded me tons of Hollywood's "Men In Black" - whom administer "Alien(s)" on Earth). I certainly am looking forward to his character's evolution arc, because his character is as irritating a smudge as he is good looking.
The adage of "he means well, but his actions show otherwise an idiot"
The gorgeous Kim Hee-Seon (Mother of a 14 year old daughter in real life - which I am stating her because the credit is real) plays Grim Reaper "Koo Ryeon" who heads the "Crisis Management Team" - a team who's "job/mission" is to save suicidal people, unlike other teams of Grim Reapers, who are divided into dedicated departments which include soul collection (souls who have died and refuse to admit death), Tech Dept, Library Dept, and so forth. Everyone is dressed Uber-urban and chick, including the "King Of Heaven / Jade Emperor", played by Kim Hae-Sook.
The "second lead" Lee Soo Hyuk plays a non-nonsense Grim Reaper for the Souls recovery Team (paraphrasing). We get to see him "in action" in the first two episodes, and as well find out his "connection" with "Koo Ryeon", in the KDRAMA-style of scripted-coincidental-stories I personal enjoy :)
The CMT includes "Lim Ryung-Gu" (played by Yun Ji-On) - who clocks out at a specific time every day (yes, being a Grim Reaper is a literal "job" with work schedules) - to go about a specific task, everyday, which we will no doubt find out WHAT is, as the series progresses. He is the middle-man between Koo and Choi. And by the preview of Ep3, we will be seeing an episode dedicated to his personal involvement with the upcoming case.
A whole lot of what I'll be talking about, and as well the look of the visuals for the show can be seen in the below OST heard at the end of Ep2:
UNDERWORLD TECH:
An example of his "modern" and high-tech the tasks are, the CMT Grim Reapers have an app on their mobile phones, which monitors the subjects percentage in leading to suicide. "90%+" means a higher likelihood the person will commit suicide. And if the percentage goes down, the likelihood of the person committing suicide, goes down.
There is even an "Editing Team" whose task is to edit the flashbacks of each character being confronted by the Grim Reapers.
The Grim Reapers buy online clothes tho, and wreck havoc on whomever sold them counterfeit goods too (Remember to watch the EPILOGUES at the end of each ep, so a laugh and a deeper understanding of what had transpired in the episode you'd just watched).
THEME:
Above is a screengrab of the title plate opening / warning for Episode 1, and no doubt is the main theme of this series - the Crisis Management Team deals with saving Suicidal Folks, so it can be "triggering". The method in which they carry out their tasks, no doubt will evolve thru the series, and would either be "healing", or just "lip-service". A sensitive theme that cannot be taken for granted, of course.
Throughout the first two episodes, we see the team dealing with the subject of BULLYING, and yes it is intense and do not shy away. And yes, it will be "resolved" by the end of Ep2. How they progressed the story and how it is handled, is both "gratifying", and as well seemingly a "easy way out", due to the inclusion of the Underworld and the Grim Reapers' actions.
TOMORROW:
If memory serves, the name "Tomorrow" was evoked who Koo Ryeon refers to the suicidal folks' thinking, of wondering if there is a tomorrow worth living for, or of their choice to end it solves the hurt and pain.
I am a huge fan of such fantasy premises in KDRAMAS, from Goblin, to Hotel Del Luna to Mystic Pop-up Bar and Witch's Diner, Tales of the Nine-Tailed etc, so this fits perfectly in the genre.
The concepts are not hard to digest, and there does not seem to be any underlying issues being presented, beyond the issue of "suicide", which as of Ep2 has decently addressed without glamorisation of the act, IMHO.
I'll be adding this to my weekly WATCHLIST, cheers.
Andy TOYSREVIL
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