With only 3 episodes left until the end, ‘Newtopia’ is gradually heating up. The genre‘s characteristics that allow viewers to fully experience K-zombies, as well as the lovely love line between actors Park Jung-min and Ji-soo, are drawing favorable reviews from viewers.

The Coupang Play series ‘Newtopia’ tells the story of soldier Jae-yoon (played by Park Jung-min) and bear spirit Yeong-ju (played by Ji-soo) running toward each other through downtown Seoul attacked by zombies.

Episodes 1 to 4 of ‘Newtopia’, which were first released on February 7, built up the narrative from the appearance of zombies to the love story between Jae-yoon♥Yeong-ju, increasing viewers’ immersion. Episode 5, which was released on February 28, served as a catalyst for moving into the second half by wrapping up each story that had unfolded so far. Also, the narratives of various characters such as Sung Tae-sik (played by Lee Hak-joo), Sam-soo (played by Tang Jun-sang), and Jeong Tae-hwa (played by Lee Joo-won), who played impactful roles in ‘Newtopia’, were enough to draw viewers in.



Furthermore, ‘Newtopia’ is receiving rave reviews from zombie enthusiasts as the first K-zombie film in a long time. The biggest feature is that it follows the standard of Korean zombie films that have been well-received by overseas viewers, but does not lose the freshness and comedy of ‘Newtopia’. It is gore and hot, but it is evaluated as having not lost its humor and lightheartedness.

Jisoo‘s acting, which was a hot topic at the beginning of the release of ‘Newtopia’, gradually transforms into Yeong-ju herself with various acting, from her chemistry with Park Jung-min to the appearance of a woman in love and even her strength in fighting zombies as the episodes go on. Also, one of the points to watch for in ‘Newtopia’ is that you can discover new sides of various actors such as Im Sung-jae, Kang Young-seok, and Kim Sang-heun.



It is true that it takes a long time for viewers to immerse themselves in ‘Newtopia’ as various characters appear from episode 1 to episode 4, the appearance of zombies, and the nonstop development of the story between Jae-yoon and Yeong-ju. However, the narrative that has been building up little by little begins to explode from episode 5, and it is only left to run in earnest until episode 8. As the characters’ zombification progresses, the flow of the story also gradually runs toward the climax.



As the distance between Jae-yoon♥Young-ju gradually gets closer, there are only 3 episodes left until the ending of ‘Newtopia’. ‘Newtopia’, which is writing a new history of zombie films with its unique personality, is bound to raise viewers‘ expectations about how the latter half of the story will continue.

Meanwhile, ‘Newtopia’ is released one episode at a time on Coupang Play every Friday at 8 PM.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.