Netflix has officially dropped "Money Heist: Korea" or "Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area" and it looks like the series is not sitting well with fans. After its first part's release on June 24, the show has met criticisms for its plot and divided episodes.
"Money Heist: Korea" is one of the most-anticipated K-drama this year. It's the remake of the hit TV series, "Money Heist," from Spain, but what seems to be the problem that makes it criticized?
The show follows the same format as the original series, led by The Professor (Yoo Ji Tae), recruiting thieves to carry out the biggest heist in history in the fictional reunified Korean Peninsula.
It's set in 2025 when North and South Korea agree to allow inter-Korean travel and a common economic zone already exists. The adventure begins when The Professor plans to rob the Unified Korean Mint in 2026.
It shows the subtle hostility between the robbers and hostages, who are either from North or South Korea. However, AllKpop noted that the conflict between the two countries does not have a significant impact on the show's story.
It faithfully follows the story of the original drama instead of telling the conflicts of the remake's home country of Korea. Some see this as a way to speed up the story development.
Also, fans who have seen the original series find the remake uninteresting as it just imitates the former's plot. It only features a very few plot twists and new additions that make it different from the original show.
However, it still receives heaps of praise for changing the outfits, from the Dali masks to the Korean Hahoetal mask. The set design has also altered, though many still criticized it because they cannot relate to its story.
Some said it should have focused on adding more Korean culture and the issues South Korea is currently facing than the creative art aspects. In addition, many also complained about the divided episodes.
The first part has dropped six episodes and no one knows when the second part will arrive, per KDramaStars. Some said their "watching experience has been disturbed" as they still have to wait for a couple of months to see what will happen next, just like what Netflix did with "Stranger Things" Season 4.
Others said the streaming giant is "teasing" the viewers too much and accused the company of capitalizing on the hype, calling it cheap. There are also claims that the network purportedly does it to prevent its subscribers from canceling their accounts because they have to wait for the second part.
Rumors have it that Netflix has foreseen a decrease in the numbers of its subscribers in the second quarter of the year. So, splitting the "Money Heist: Korea" release is probably its own way to prevent fans from leaving.
