South Korean TV series on Netflix are becoming greater day by day. With each passing series, it is getting better and fans can see that. Earlier, it was almost like a norm for a series to have at least 16 to 20 episodes. But, as the digital era set in, the series became more and more diverse, and in came the trend of miniseries. Earlier, miniseries never saw the same success as the mainstream series, but thanks to platforms like Netflix, these miniseries are breaking barriers with the concept and stories.
D.P., the latest Korean miniseries to release on Netflix, started streaming on Friday, and with just 6 episodes, the series has gained so much attention that it is now one of the highest-ranked Korean series on IMDb with a whopping 9.1 rating. This by far has to be one of the highest attained by a Korean series. The series is based on a webtoon by Kim Bo-tong called “D.P.: Dog Days” and has been directed by the talented Han Jun-hee and the webtoon creator Kim Bo-tong himself.
If you aren’t aware of the series, let us give you some points as to why “D.P” deserves your absolute attention. Also if you are a lover of action, thrill, suspense, lots of swearing, dark comedy, then why “D.P” should be your next watch.
The Return of Jung Hae-in
Well, if many aren’t aware of the other stars in the series, at least they might be aware of Jung Hae-in. Jung Hae-in, besides Song Kang, almost has been the poster boy for Netflix but with more underrated dramas. Jung Hae-in in every series has played a character that is the most innocent, obedient, and easy-going person. The same is in this series but with a series. Jung Hae-in plays the role of Ahn Jun-ho who just himself enlisted into the military, which has been a mandatory part of South Korean men’s lives over decades. He starts as a junior in the series and endures everything that comes at him, even bullying. He hates being in the military but cannot go past it since it is mandatory and he is not “lucky” enough to escape the mandatory military enlistment.
Brilliant Co-Star Chemistry
It is not Jung Hae-in’s character that will have you hooked, but Koo Kyo-hwan’s “Han Ho-yul” and their superior, Kim Sung kyun’s “Park Beom-gu’s teaming-up that will have glued to your screen. The combination is perfect, while one is suffering in the silence kinda guy, the other is the guy who has the experience and just goes with the flow, cracking jokes. Then, again these two are controlled by their trustworthy leader, who despite hating how they work, loves them dearly enough to teach them lessons and give them assignments. The jokes they crack, make this the absolute perfect black comedy series you are looking for. This kind of chemistry amongst the same gender, in Korean series, is rare and this has to be cherished thoroughly.
Out of the Box Concept
The story is unique, it tells the side of the Korean military that exists completely but never has been made into a series or a movie. The series tells the unit of military police called the “D.P.” or Deserters Pursuit, whose job is to find out the soldiers who abandoned their duty in the middle and ran away. The D.P. needs to carry out their own investigation, run, chase, stay out for days and catch the ones who have run and bring them back to their units. All of those who run away have their own stories, own difficulties. All these stories categorize the reasons why a soldier would like to go away from the squad. Sometimes, it’s their difficulties, sometimes it’s about not being able to mix up because of their attitudes, but most of the time, one runs away due to incessant bullying by the seniors. Each episode has a different story and that is one reason why one can stay interested without getting at all bored. Also, the running, chasing, dialogues are so eloquently planned and delivered that one wouldn’t want to miss it at all.
Military Bullying
Military bullying exists and it is one of the worst forms of bullying out there. Not that any other way of bullying is less bad, in the Military it gets a tad bit more intense as the men are all grown up and the bullies go to extremes to bully the juniors and weaker ones. While the juniors and weaker sections get bullied, it gets more traumatic to be made fun of amongst the people of their age, just because they don’t fit in with the seniors. There’s an even worse bullying form, and that is continuing a “tradition”. These traditions most of the time are something extreme that a newbie has to do since the batch before them have also done the same. It is not only the South Korean army that has this; it is present in every military of every country. There are traumas, suicides, mental illnesses that are triggered as a part of getting bullied in the military but no government will ever be ready to acknowledge this
Dark Side Of A Glorified Term
“Military” is a glorified term, it is something that brings pride to anyone who hears it and who is attached to it. But not many will agree that there’s a side of this very military that is dark and filthy. The fact that this was made in South Korea and hasn’t been banned yet, is a big deal. This is a show that out and out tells why the military isn’t for everyone and why mandatory military enlistment is one of the major issues amongst army personnel and their problematic attitudes. If such a show was ever made in India, we all know what would have happened and the fact such issues exist in our military or anyone else’s without it even being mandatory tells a lot about the term “military”. The greatest thing about this show is that it accepts that there is something wrong in the management of militaries and the wrong isn’t outside, it is inside. It is inside and amongst units, amongst battalions, amongst seniors and juniors, among the old and new, and so much more.
Kudos to the creators and actors for creating such a story that kicks one of the oldest Korean “mandatory” traditions in the guts and tells a story that is far more real and existent.
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