You wake up in the morning, get ready, and arrive at your workplace to start the day. After spending some time at work, you realize that the people around you are turning into zombies. But why am I asking you to imagine this? Because this is exactly what happens in the opening episode of this Korean television series, Newtopia. Premiering on March 14 on Amazon Prime Video, this series is directed by Yoon Sung-hyun and written by Han Jin-won. Have these two successfully presented their vision of the Newtopia television series? I’ve tried to analyze it in depth in my review. Compared to others, this series may seem a bit long.
Before understanding its story, let’s take a look at some of the main actors and actresses in this series. This will help you better understand their characters. Park Jeong-min as Lee Jae-yoon and JISOO as Kang Young-joo are at the center of the story. In addition to them, Im Sung-jae as Ra In-ho, Hong Seo-hui as Oh Soo-jeong, Kang Young-suk as Seo Jin-wook, Lee Hak-ju as Alex, and Kim Jun-han as Aaron Park are some of the main characters in the series.
Newtopia Season 1 Story Overview
The series begins with the love story of Lee Jae-yoon and Kang Young-joo. Lee Jae-yoon enlists in the army for a year and a half of military training in South Korea. As a result, the two are separated for a long time. Kang Young-joo’s mother and her office colleagues pressure her to break up with Lee Jae-yoon, but she refuses. The scriptwriter hasn’t spent much time explaining why her mother insists on it. Since Kang Young-joo is a main character in the story, she takes a huge risk by putting her life in danger for Lee Jae-yoon.
The first season consists of seven episodes, each approximately one hour long. Watching about 40 minutes of the first episode, it initially seems like a typical Korean drama love story. However, towards the end of the episode, it shifts toward the horror genre. Lee Jae-yoon’s military assignment is at a military base located on the top floor of a building. Suddenly, an incident similar to the 9/11 attacks occurs at the hotel. After this event, the hotel’s residents begin to turn into zombies. Lee Jae-yoon’s army battalion and the remaining survivors fight to save their lives from the zombies.
The series attempts to present a strong zombie horror story with a humorous tone. In some parts, the scary scenes quickly turn into comedic moments. If you’ve seen the famous Korean film “Train to Busan,” you’ll notice a similar portrayal of zombies in this series. Little by little, the entire city begins to fall victim to the zombie outbreak. Before the virus spreads fully, Kang Young-joo heads to the military base to meet Lee Jae-yoon. But as she sets out, the entire country begins to fall prey to zombies.
She faces many dangers on her journey to reach Lee Jae-yoon. During this phase, she also meets new friends. However, she doesn’t manage to reunite with Lee Jae-yoon until the seventh episode. This concludes the first season. Aside from these two, there are other characters who try to add humor through their dialogue and performances. Before watching this, I want you to know that this series is a mix of comedy, horror, and romance drama.
Positive and Negative Points of Newtopia
While Newtopia takes seven hours to tell its story, Train to Busan offers a similar experience in just two hours. However, Train to Busan lacks the comedic scenes that this series does. The first season of Newtopia could have been five hours long instead of seven. Despite its long runtime, Kang Young-joo’s mother only has a minute of screen time in the entire series. Similarly, Lee Jae-yoon’s parents and family don’t appear at all. Throughout the series, his only concern seems to be his girlfriend. The blood and violence depicted in this series are similar to what we see in “The Boys.” There are also some more negative aspects.
The series blends the seriousness of the zombie threat with comedy. Despite this, the audience can feel the intensity of the situation. This was my personal experience, and I think you’ll feel the same. The way the first season ends, anyone who watches it will find it hard to wait for the second.
Acting, Zombie Visual Effects, and Final Thoughts on Newtopia Season 1
All of the actors in this series gave great performances. The hilarious characters are the true gems of the show. None of them disappoint the audience. The visual effects used to depict the zombies are very well done. The series contains extreme amounts of gore and violence. If you enjoy comedy and horror content, or if you’ve watched “The Boys” on Prime Video, then you’ll easily endure the brutal scenes in this series.
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