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Pierce Conran

This article contains mild spoilers.
5/5 stars
Lead cast: Ryoo Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, Go Youn-jung, Lee Jeong-ha, Kim Do-hoon, Cha Tae-hyun, Ryoo Seung-bum
Most K-dramas tend to be quite rigid with their narratives. This gives them an approachable and familiar charm that has made them the go-to form of entertainment for legions of viewers around the world – but it can also hold them back.


Without the element of surprise and the freedom to experiment, shows can limit themselves. The emotional highs they chase can only be so cathartic, and the convenient resolutions they reach only so satisfying.
It’s a conscious choice that favours comfort and predictability over excitement and originality. It’s also the safe choice, as few things are harder for a writer to do than come up with bold new ideas and make them stick on the page.
Moving midseason recap: sweeping superhero K-drama sets hearts aflutter
This summer, two Korean dramas dared to be different. Netflix gave us Mask Girl, which reinvented itself with each exhilarating new episode until it ran out of steam in its finale.
Disney+, however, gets a perfect score for Moving, lifting comic-book pulp to epic and emotional heights in a soaring superhero saga.
In adapting his own webcomic for the screen, Kang Full has stitched together a rich canvas combining a multitude of characters who weave in and out of his story, each of them fleshed out and given their moment to shine.

It all started with Kim Bong-seok (Lee Jeong-ha), Jang Hui-soo, (Go Youn-jung) and Lee Gang-hoon (Kim Do-hoon), students at Jeongwon High School who begin to learn about their special powers and each other.
It later dove into the past to chronicle the many adventures of their super-powered parents: Jang Ju-won (Ryoo Seung-ryong), Lee Mi-hyun (Han Hyo-joo), Kim Doo-sik (Zo In-sung) and Lee Jae-man (Kim Sung-kyun).
In Moving’s closing stretch, the past and present finally collided over the course of a grand five-episode climax at Jeongwon High School, pitting all of these characters, and others – such as the genial bus driver Jeon Gye-do (Cha Tae-hyun), aka “Lightning Man” – against a battalion of super-powered troops from North Korea.

Led by Kim Deok-yoon (Park Hae-soon), these taciturn soldiers from the north were formidable foes but they were not one-dimensional antagonists. Moving’s extended finale opened up to give them a chance to breathe.
The showdown began as a traditional clash of good versus evil, but as the mayhem grew and the North Korean troops were shaded through backstory, Moving pulled off its most beguiling trick: it humanised its villains.
By the time the show’s sensational final episode came around, we had come to care deeply for all of these bruised and bloodied characters.
8 of the best new Korean drama series to look out for in September 2023
Some of the show’s most moving moments were also its most unexpected. These included the moment Hui-soo bumped into the hulking North Korean soldier Kwon Yong-deok (Park Kwang-jae); on her way to Jeongwon, while he escaped it, she comforted this sobbing giant who, unbeknown to her, had been bloodied by her father’s fists.
The true villains were the ones we didn’t see, at least not often. They were National Intelligence Service bureaucrat Min Yong-jun (Moon Sung-keun) and his North Korean equivalent Kim Hyun-sung (Son Byung-ho).
But even these characters were mere facades; strike one down and another popped up in their place. There were bigger people operating in the shadows behind them. Dig even deeper and we hit the unyielding root of the problem – the system striving to protect itself.

Lives were upended and lost, all in the name of country, but to what end? Sacrificial lambs were sent out to slaughter by those who above all else feared losing their grip on power.
Moving’s myriad narrative achievements would all be for naught were it not for those that brought them to life, cast and crew included. Balancing strength and vulnerability, Ryoo and Han portray heroes whose most extraordinary attributes are not superpowers but their devotion to their families.
Zo got to be the mythic hero, reaching a crescendo of operatic violence during a Matrix-esque showdown in the columnated halls of a North Korean palace, but the show wisely sidelined him for the grand finale, giving the other characters a hard-fought and sweeter victory.

In today’s drama landscape, a hint of a continuation is inevitable, but at least Moving placed its second season tease after the credits, allowing us to savour a well-deserved happy ending as the names rolled up on the screen.
Moving is streaming on Disney+.


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Korean drama reviews

Disney+ K-drama review: Moving – fantastic 5-star superhero saga reaches epic finale that moves us to tears

Han Hyo-joo in a still from “Moving”.

Han Hyo-joo (left) as super-powered parent Lee Mi-hyun in a still from the Disney+ K-drama “Moving”.

Ryoo Seung-ryong (left) as super-powered parent Jang Ju-won and Kim Sung-kyun as North Korean Intelligence Service bureaucrat Kim Hyun-sung in a still from “Moving”.

Cha Tae-hyun as bus driver and “Lightning Man” Jeon Gye-do in a still from “Moving”.

Go Youn-jung as Jeongwon High School student Jang Hui-soo in a still from “Moving”.

Zo In-sung as super-powered parent Kim Doo-sik in a still from “Moving”.

K-drama The Escape of the Seven: The Penthouse team return with another gleefully over-the-top high-society melodrama

Hwang Jung-eum (left) and Jung Lael as drama production company CEO Geum La-hui and her high-schooler daughter Bang Da-mi in a still from “The Escape of the Seven”, a gleefully over-the-top Korean high-society melodrama.

Yoon Jong-hoon as talent agent Yang Jin-mo in a still from “The Escape of the Seven”.

Lee Yu-bi as K-pop aspirant Han Mone in a still from “The Escape of the Seven”.

Lee Joon as former gangster Min Do-hyeok in a still from “The Escape of the Seven”.

Jung Lael as teenager Bang Da-mi in a still from “The Escape of the Seven”.

Disney+ K-drama Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun – sequel to fantasy series offers new perspective on the land of Arth

Disney+ series Arthdal Chronicles is back for a second series, with some new faces and a hot mess of catch-up sequences, character introductions and explainers. Above: Jang Dong-gun as Tagon in a still from “Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun”.

Lee Joon-gi, who plays twins Saya and Eunseom, in a still from “Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun”.

Shin Se-kyung as high priestess Tanya in a still from “Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun”.

Kim Ok-vin as queen Tae Al-ha in a still from “Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun”.

Shin Se-kyung (left) as high priestess Tanya and Lee Joon-gi, who plays twins Saya and Eunseom, in a still from “Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun”.

Amazon Prime K-drama The Kidnapping Day: Kiss Sixth Sense’s Yoon Kye-sang and Park Sung-hoon headline twisty and appealing mystery

Yu-na as Choi Ro-hee and Yoon Kye-sang as her kidnapper, Kim Myeong-jun, in a still from “The Kidnapping Day”.

Yoon Kye-sang, seen previously in K-drama “Kiss Sixth Sense” as kidnapper Kim Myeong-jun n a still from “The Kidnapping Day”. The twisty, cinematic Korean thriller series is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Yu-na as kidnapping victim Choi Ro-hee in a still from “The Kidnapping Day”.

Kim Shin-rok as kidnapper Kim Myeong-jun’s ex-wife in a still from “The Kidnapping Day”.

Park Sung-hoon as a detective in a still from “The Kidnapping Day”.

Yu-na as Ro-hee and Yoon Kye-sang as her kidnapper Myeong-jun in a still from “The Kidnapping Day”.

Who is Kim So-hyun, star of K-drama My Lovely Liar, who has been charming audiences since her days as a child actor?

Korean actress Kim So-hyun, currently starring in drama series “My Lovely Liar”, is still only 24 but has been on our screens for 18 years. Photo: Instagram/@wow_kimsohyun.

Kim So-hyun in a still from “My Lovely Liar”.

Kim So-hyun in a still from “River Where the Moon Rises” (2021).

Kim So-hyun in a still from “Man of Vendetta” (2010).

Kim So-hyun in a still from “Who Are You: School 2015” (2015).

Kim So-hyun in a still from “Love Alarm” (2019).

Kim So-hyun in a still from “Unforgettable” (2016).

Disney+ K-drama Han River Police: action comedy starring Kwon Sang-woo and Lee Sang-yi struggles to get its feet wet

Kwon Sang-woo (left) as river policeman Han Du-jin and Kim Hee-won as fellow officer Lee Cheon-seok in a still from “Han River Police” on Disney+. Photo: Disney+

Bae Da-bin as tomboy river police officer Do Na-hee in a still from “Han River Police”.

Lee Sang-yi as foul-tempered corporate heir Go Gi-seok in a still from “Han River Police”.

Sung Dong-il as police captain Do Hyun-il in a still from “Han River Police”.

Lee Sang-yi (left) corporate heir Go Gi-seok and Kwon Sang-woo as river police officer Han Du-jin in a still from “Han River Police”.

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Lifting comic-book pulp to epic and emotional heights in a soaring superhero story, Moving shows what’s possible when series are given the freedom to experiment
Some of the series’ most moving moments are also its most unexpected, while the grand five-episode climax is truly unforgettable


Disney+ K-drama Moving gets a perfect score for lifting comic-book pulp to epic and emotional heights in a soaring superhero saga whose grand five-episode climax is truly unforgettable.


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Han Hyo-joo

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

Review | Disney+ K-drama review: Moving – fantastic 5-star superhero saga reaches epic finale that moves us to tears

Lifting comic-book pulp to epic and emotional heights in a soaring superhero story, Moving shows what’s possible when series are given the freedom to experiment Some of the series’ most moving moments are also its most unexpected, while the grand five-episode climax is truly unforgettable

Lifting comic-book pulp to epic and emotional heights in a soaring superhero story, Moving shows what’s possible when series are given the freedom to experiment

Some of the series’ most moving moments are also its most unexpected, while the grand five-episode climax is truly unforgettable