Beating “Squid Game”, “The King’s Affection” ranks first on “Netflix Top 10 in Japan” chart
Unlike in Korea, where trends change rapidly, “Squid Game” is still enjoying high popularity around the world.
In Japan, “Squid Game” is also very popular, but there is a Korean drama that beat “Squid Game” and topped Netflix streaming rankings.
The main character is SBS’s romantic historical drama “The King’s Affection“. It can be said that “The King’s Affection“‘s No.1 is unexpected. Although this work is gaining huge popularity in Korea with the highest rating of 11.3%, it is unclear whether “The King’s Affection” will work abroad since it is a fusion historical drama.
The story is set during the Joseon Dynasty, at a time when twins were considered an ominous sign. As a result, when the Crown Princess Consort gives birth to twins, an order is sent to kill the daughter. To save her, she is secretly sent out of the palace. A few years later, the twin son, Lee Hwi, loses his life. To hide the death, the mother brings back her daughter, the Princess (played by Park Eun-bin), and raises her as Lee Hwi. Although she distances herself from everybody, she starts developing feelings for Jung Ji-woon (played by Rowoon), her teacher who comes from a noble family.
After episodes 1 and 2, when child actors were at the center, “The King’s Affection” suffered a brief crisis. The reason was that Rowoon lacked acting skills, as well as the romance chemistry between two main actors, did not revive properly.
However, due to its sweet yet mournful romance, the viewership ratings are soaring and it is also ranked high on Netflix in Korea. This drama’s popularity is not only about the mystery of the woman disguised as a man, but also the fact that many handsome actors such as Rowoon, Nam Yoon-soo and Choi Byung-chan appear to give the impression of the “harem” genre.
Meanwhile, Korean dramas are still strong on Netflix, which tops OTT market share in Japan. Aside from “The King’s Affection”, other films such as “Squid Game”, “Touch Your Heart”, “Crash Landing on You”, “Itaewon Class“, “My Name” and “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha“ ranked 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th respectively.
