New Series 10/10
I was working on an article earlier, but I forgot to save it — so now it’s all gone. Thankfully, it was just an edited version, and I still have the core idea written down in my journal.
Anyway, I just binge-watched this series called Newtopia on Prime Video. It’s set during a zombie apocalypse in South Korea, and it follows a couple trying to find each other and protect one another through the chaos. The female lead, Kang Young-Joo, is played by Jisoo from BLACKPINK.
I didn’t watch it when it first aired back in February, because I hate the feeling of being left hanging every week waiting for the next episode. So I waited until all the episodes were released — and today, I finally finished the whole show.
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My honest opinion? It’s super good. A solid 10 out of 10, especially for Jisoo, who portrayed her character really well. And no, I’m not saying that just because I’m a BLINK or a fan of Jisoo. In fact, when I saw her earlier acting roles, I didn’t feel fully satisfied with her performances — she still seemed a bit awkward on screen.
When Snowdrop came out (her first lead role in a K-drama), I finally saw a new side of her — especially in the emotional scenes. Her crying scenes were genuinely impressive. But I’ll be honest: in other scenes that didn’t require her to cry, she still came off a little stiff.
But in Newtopia, it’s different. I didn’t feel the same awkwardness in her acting — except maybe one scene where she’s fighting zombies while drunk (that one felt a bit off). But overall, her acting has improved so much.
I came across an article where some South Korean netizens were criticizing her performance in Newtopia, saying it was still awkward and lacking. At first, I kind of believed it. But after watching the full series myself, I don’t agree — it’s honestly not as bad as they made it out to be.
I’d totally recommend this show to anyone who enjoys survival-themed dramas. And I have to tell you — if it weren’t for the comedic elements they added into the show, it would’ve turned into a full-on K-trauma instead of a K-drama.
(Duty After School did exactly that — it started off interesting, but turned into one of the most traumatizing series I’ve ever watched, especially compared to its original Webtoon version.)
