[HanCinema's News] Even Original Webtoon Author Surprised by Fidelity of "Extraordinary You"

Dramas that are adaptations of webtoons frequently have ambiguous levels of connection to the source material. Typically, only the basic premise and the character names are retained. But "Extraordinary You" has surprised even the webtoon's original author with its fidelity to the source material, with praise for Kim Hye-yoon in particular for understanding the lead character so well.

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Fans have also been appreciative of small details in the webtoon that to an untrained outsider may merely seem like cliches. Rowoon, like his character, towers over Kim Hye-yoon. But the purpose of this isn't just to make Rowoon look more dominant and handsome. It also emphasizes how Kim Hye-yoon is relatively plain and unattractive compared to him, as befits her role as an extra in the story's meta-text.

Direction has been the main factor fans have credited to this fidelity. Fans who were skeptical of the drama's ability to effectively translate the webtoon's tone were won over by how director Kim Sang-hyeob took advantage of the alternative format to draw more attention to relevant background details that would only seem as such to those familiar with the story. His ability with managing the tone has also been praised.

All of this is fitting with the drama's large production concept of appealing to younger viewers under the age of thirty, who have also proven to be the drama's main audience. However, "Extraordinary You" remains weak ratings-wise, hovering between three and four percent. Though fan enthusiasm is strong, it remains unclear how well the drama is doing, since its target audience is unlikely to watch dramas in ways typically captured by ratings.

Written by William Schwartz

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"Extraordinary You" is directed by Kim Sang-hyeob, written by in Ji-hye, Song Ha-young, and features Kim Hye-yoon, Rowoon, Lee Jae-wook, Lee Naeun, Jung Gun-joo, Kim Young-dae. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2019/10/02~Now airing, Wed, Thu 20:55 on .