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[Drama 2014] Misaeng, 미생

kaiskloset

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rubie Fan Level: 30

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December 14, 2015

The Best Storyteller of Our Time
Comics Artist YOON Tae-ho's World 

by HA Jung-min / KoBiz

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"3.35 million and 4.95 million viewers, and viewing rate of 8.2%." These are the records of films Moss (2010) and Inside Men (2015), and a cable TV series Misaeng, respectively. Given that both films are R-rated and that 5% is considered successful for a cable TV series, the figures are even more impressive. Inside Men has been on top of both the pre-sales chart and box office for 5 consecutive weeks since release, which means an even bigger figure is to come out later on. The only common factor shared by the three products that are different in terms of genres and subject matters is YOON Tae-ho. They are all based on YOON Tae-ho's web cartoons with the same titles.
 
YOON's web cartoons have opened up a new territory in storytelling, with detailed and realistic descriptions of all kinds of human beings in specific groups. As if observing an eco-system, he closely describes and weaves the story, which brings up tension even without particular events. The reality and powerfulness are the very basis of Moss and Inside Men.
 
Comics Artist Conquers the Internet

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Though widely known as a web cartoonist, YOON began his career as a cartoonist on paper format and it now has been 22 years since he debuted. He drew cartoons since he was very little. He grew up in a rather humble environment, and there was a time where he was even homeless but still went to private cartoon lessons. He struggled and managed to enter the professional industry by joining HUH Young-man, who is one of the greatest comics artists in Korea, as an apprentice in 1988. He made his debut in 1993 with Emergency Landing on comics magazine Monthly Jump.
 
It was since YAHOO (1998) that YOON clearly revealed his proper traits as a comics artist such as carefully depicted characters and powerful drawing style, and most notably, questions on the power and the social structure of his time.
 
YOON realized by his first work that his weakness lied in his poor narrative. He tried to make up for it by transcribing soap opera scripts and reading books on scenario writing, seriously learning the art of storytelling. And YAHOO was the result. With sci-fi elements added to a historic event, YAHOO centered around the collapse of Sampoong Department Store in 1995, and was rewarded with the Comics Award by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
 
After proving his presence to the comics industry with YAHOO, YOON was re-recognized by Romance that depicted the elderly in 2001. Romance humorously and poignantly dealt with the senior generation which was not often discussed in comics. 
 
Into the 21st century, the world changed fast and the comics industry also went through a big transformation - the main stage for comics is not paper anymore but the Internet. Instead of turning paper pages, readers scroll down on computer monitors and such change required web cartoon artists to innovate everything from the narrative, structure, subject matter and drawing style. YOON, who had always pursued contemporariness, readily moved onto web cartoon. Soon he has become a leading web cartoon artist with Moss, the winner of the Best Comics Award in 2007.
 
Moss is a thriller set in the countryside. The story begins when divorced and fired RYOO Hae-gook visits the hometown of his father to attend his funeral, who had cut off the relationship with his son for a long time. Despite their humble appearances, the villagers' eyes are spooky and disturbing. From their uneasy atmosphere, Hae-gook detects a very high tension and understands intuitively that there is something suspicious going on in the village.
 
Moss reaches a very high level of generic success with a savage-like drawing style and aptly arranged story that fit the computer monitor environment. However, what truly makes an overwhelming suspense is his character description, from a very close observation that feels like one taken thoroughly under the skin at an autopsy session. The almighty village leader and the villagers who commit violence without any trace of guilt remind us of the dictators and their followers that we have actually witnessed in modern Korean history. With the story, characters and the genre all in tune, Moss was turned into a film by KANG Woo-suk in 2010 and made a huge success.
 
Beyond Comics, onto the Screen

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The heyday of YOON triggered by Moss hits the top with Misaeng: Incomplete Life. He spent whole three years just for preparation when a publisher proposed him for a cartoon on baduk (go). Misaeng is therefore a combination of baduk and office life.
 
Misaeng illustrates series of episodes that JANG Geu-rae, a once-baduk prodigy who ended up not becoming a professional player, experiences at his workplace, a trade company called One International. YOON neither glorifies nor tragedizes this young temporary employee’s struggle. Instead, YOON fills the story with events and mistakes that anyone who has ever experienced employment would sympathize with, because those ordinary trifles are the real crisis of our life. 
 
TV drama Misaeng reenacted the atmosphere of the original work through a great adaptation and camera work, and created a huge "Misaeng syndrome." Web cartoon Misaeng received the President's Prize in the Korean Contents Award in the comics section.
 
Inside Men once again proves that YOON is among the best storytellers of our time. It is a hard boiled crime story featuring people at the closest proximity to the power in Korea. The characters are already very powerful: a newspaper opinion writer who is also a “kingmaker” manipulating the politics; a conglomerate who supports corrupt politicians; political hoodlums who engage in bloody fights for those in power; and a prosecutor who is an ex-cop. Their conspiracy, betrayal, corruption, revenge and reversal ceaselessly take place incessantly.
 
Inside Men catches readers' attention from the beginning with its superb characters and narrative, and film adaptation was already decided even before the web cartoon was actually completed. The film version of Inside Men has hit the no. 1 place in the box office, making a new record for an R-rated movie.
 
Recently YOON has completed another web cartoon called Pah-in: The Greedy Bastards, featuring smugglers and is now serializing Misaeng season 2. JANG and his colleagues, who separated in the first season, now meet in adversary power dynamics. YOON has become one of the nation's leading comics artists with his outstanding ability of storytelling, character design, and serious message delivery. It is not only the comics readers who can't wait for his next works.

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rubie Fan Level: 30

rubie

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January 11, 2016

'Misaeng' to get Chinese remake

Source: The Korea Times

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A scene from "Misaeng" / Korea Times file

Cable channel tvN's "Misaeng," a hugely popular 2014 Korean drama about the struggles of an office worker, will be remade in China.

"We have signed a contract to sell the copyright to a production company based in China," a tvN source said. "Some of our staff are taking part in production consultation."

However, director Kim Won-seok will not be involved in the Chinese version, because of other commitments.

The source said filming was due to start in the latter half of the year, with the drama to go to air the following year.

"Misaeng," originally a webtoon, follows the life of Jang Geu-rae, as he tries to adjust to life as an office worker after failing to become a professional baduk (go) player.

bkim@ktimes.com

‘Misaeng’ to be remade in Chinese

Korean soap opera “Misaeng” will be remade in Chinese, a tvN’s official announced Monday. 

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Poster of "Misaeng"

“We recently reached an agreement with a Chinese production company, and plan to shoot the series from the second-half of this year. It will be broadcast in 2017,” said the official. 

Some of the staff who worked on the original drama will join the production, but director Kim Won-suk will not be involved due to his current work “Signal.”

“Misaeng” was aired in October 2014, and highly popular among office workers, since it realistically depicted their daily lives. 

It is about the life of Jang Geu-rae, the main character, who struggles and adapts as a nonregular worker.

By Kim Soo-hyang (shkim@heraldcorp.com)

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rubie Fan Level: 30

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January 11, 2016

Yim Si-wan sorry for endorsing labor law

Boy band ZE:A‘s member and actor Yim Si-wan recently apologized for having endorsed the government’s controversial labor law. 

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Yim, who rose to stardom after appearing in hit TV series “Misaeng” to play a contract worker Jang Geu-rae, came under fire last year after endorsing the public campaign that promotes the government’s labor policy dubbed “Jang Geu-rae Protection law.”

The law, pushed by the Ministry of Labor, was strongly criticized by the public as it enables companies to employ subcontract workers up to four years from current two years, which only heightens job insecurity of the employees. 

Yim said, “I was not cautious and did it out of ignorance. I did not recognize that my action could bring about such huge implications (because of the megahit drama).”

“I want to apologize and I will be more cautious in the future,” he added. 

Yim is set to play a starring role in upcoming movie “Thinking of Elder Brother,” to be released Jan. 21. 

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

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rubie Fan Level: 30

rubie

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January 16, 2016

Actor Lee Sung Min Praises “Misaeng” Co-Star Im Siwan

Source: Soompi by notclaira 

Actor Lee Sung Min Praises “Misaeng” Co-Star Im Siwan

Veteran actor Lee Sung Min recently had nothing but praise for ZE:A’s idol-turned-actor Im Siwan.

Lee Sung Min and co-star Lee Hee Joon recently appeared on the SBS Power FM radio show “Cultwo Show” to promote their latest film, “Robot, Sori.” On the show he was asked about Im Siwan, who was his co-star in the popular drama “Incomplete Life” (also known as “Misaeng”).

“Even though he’s so young, he’s very calm and smart,” Lee Sung Min said. “He has a deep outlook on life.”

Im Siwan will be starring in the film “A Melody to Remember,” scheduled to be released in theaters later in January. Lee Sung Min’s film “Robot, Sori” is also set to be released later this month and tells the story of a man who tries to find his lost daughter with the help of an artificial intelligence robot.

Meanwhile, “Cultwo Show” broadcasts every day from 2 to 4 p.m. KST.

Source (1)

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rubie Fan Level: 30

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February 2, 2016

'Misaeng' season 2 to focus on SME life

By Park Sojung

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- Season two of the popular web cartoon "Misaeng" will explore the complexity of life at a small- or medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the country, its author said Tuesday.

The first season of "Misaeng," named after the Korean "baduk" term that literally means "incomplete life," has sold 2 million copies of the paper version and has inspired an equally successful TV series on the cable network tvN. Baduk is the Korean word for the board game Go. The drama "Misaeng" was the most watched cable TV series of all time at the time of its airing in 2014, with a viewership high of 8.25 percent.

Yoon Tae-ho, the comic artist behind the popular webtoon "Misaeng," speaks to reporters at a press conference in Seoul on Feb. 2, 2016. (Yonhap)

Yoon Tae-ho, the comic artist behind the popular webtoon "Misaeng," speaks to reporters at a press conference in Seoul on Feb. 2, 2016. (Yonhap)

"Misaeng" centers on a baduk prodigy, Jang Geu-rae, who fails to become a pro baduk player after years of training.

Through family connections, he lands a temporary contract with a large trading company, a miracle since he has no college education or "spec," a Korean slang for fancy credentials, to speak of. The webtoon portrays his struggles to become part of corporate Korean society with such perceived handicaps.

In season two, Jang fails to become a full-time employee at One International and moves to a small trading company, Ongil International.

"Everyone is given a specific role at large corporations, but in small- to mid-sized companies, everyone is in charge of everything," Yoon Tae-ho told reporters at a news conference in Seoul on Tuesday. "In some ways, it's like fighting on the front lines."

As such, season two will focus on the values with which people make important business decisions.

"Some people say it's better to invest in insurance than hire more people, while others say the exact opposite. I'll be focusing on these kinds of financial issues," he said.

The first 21 episodes of the season have already been published on the portal website Daum.

In total, it will span 236 episodes and last about three years.

sojungpark@yna.co.kr

(END)

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Guest adikkeluangman

Guest adikkeluangman

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Lee Sung Min talks about differences between acting with ZE:A's Siwan and 2PM's Junho

During a recent on-site press conference for tvN drama 'Memory', leading actor Lee Sung Min was asked to compare his experiences acting with ZE:A's Siwan and 2PM's Junho. 

Lee Sung Min, who worked with Siwan on tvN's 'Misaeng' (2014) and is currently working with Junho through 'Memory', answered, "I was very comfortable with Siwan. With Junho, I feel more thankful. In 'Misaeng', I appeared as a mentor figure to Siwan. But in 'Memory', Junho is more like my aid. When I look at Junho through Tae Suk's eyes, I feel like I have a reliable donseng. He's someone I can depend on. Even yesterday, when we were filming face to face, I was a patient. So he looked after me quite well." 

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The actor continued, "In 'Misaeng', there was a scene where Siwan looked at me with hearts pouring out of his eyes, but I think I get hearts in my eyes when I look at Junho these days. He's the most refreshing character here. He's killer." 

It seems like Lee Sung Min has great compliments toward both idol-turned actors!

http://www.allkpop.com/article/2016/04/lee-sung-min-talks-about-differences-between-acting-with-zeas-siwan-and-2pms-junho 

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allmylife00 Fan Level: 30

allmylife00

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Japanese remake of ‘Misaeng’ to air in July

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Cable channel tvN’s 2014 landmark drama, “Misaeng,“ which is considered to have set the trend for successful cable dramas, will be remade in Japanese and aired via Fuji Television Network in July.

The title of the drama will be redubbed to “Hope” to appeal to the Japanese audience. According to Japanese media outlets, the time slot of the drama is expected to be Sundays at 9 p.m.

Japanese actor and member of boy band Hey! Say! JUMP’s 22-year-old Yuto Nakajima will cover the role of Jang Geu-rae--the struggling, yet positive-minded protagonist from the original drama, played by singer-actor Yim Si-wan. 

Nakajima visited South Korea last year to attend 20th Busan International Film Festival for his starring role in Japanese film, “Pink and Gray.”

The production for the drama is to start in May. “Hope” featuring Yuto Nakajima will air on Japanese satellite network Fuji Television in July. 

By Jung Min-kyung (mkj1105@heraldcorp.com)

http://kpopherald.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=201604281316090677184_2

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