La Casa di Carta: Korea, review is a "political" robbery

La Casa di Carta

La Casa di Carta: Korea is available from yesterday 24 June on Netflix, the same streaming platform that gave life to one of the most successful Spanish production television series ever. The giant of on-demand entertainment tries the big shot, taking the plot of the Iberian original and letting it be shaped by the South Koreans who have earned the interest of the public in the last year. Although the two series have many points in common, it must be specified that The Paper House: Korea is not a simple reboot faithful to the original, but rather adapts different aspects to the culture of the Asian country, perhaps managing to make the final product more interesting, at least from the advances.



Money Heist Korea: JEA (L to R) Jun Jong-seo as Tokyo, Lee Hyun-woo as Rio, Jang Yoon-ju as Nairobi, Park Hae-soo as Berlin, Lee Won-jong as Moscow and Kim Ji-hun as Denver in episode # .. 1 of Money Heist Korea: JEA. Cr. Jung Jaegu / Netflix .. 2021 All the conditions for a better structured series than the one created by Álex Pina seem to be there: in fact, having already all five seasons, director Kim Hong-sun was able to correct some plot holes, deepening aspects explained a little too superficially. But will La Casa di Carta: Korea have managed to keep expectations given the great success of the Spanish counterpart? Let's find out together!

The Paper House: Korea, the plot

Placed in 2025, also in this reboot, Tokyo is our main narrator and guides us through the history that led to peace between the two Koreas after years of war and various summits, resulting in the unification of the two nations and creation of a single currency. Precisely for this reason a new Mint has been built that deals with printing the currency of Unified Korea agreed by both parties.

The girl, played by Jeon Jong-seo, shows us her encounter with the Professor (Yoo Ji-tae), who recruits her for her plan to hit the Mint. Gradually the other protagonists of the gang are also revealed to us, whose real names (as in the original) are kept hidden and replaced by those of some cities that the criminals choose for various personal reasons. | ); } The plan seems to begin perfectly, with each member of the Professor's team having a specific task. However, it is known that things don't always go as planned, especially when the number of people involved in the blow is very high. So how will the Professor, Tokyo and the rest of the gang deal with the unexpected?

Points in common and in contrast with the original

As already mentioned, the plot of the coup at the Mint in The Paper House: Korea follows that of the original. For example, there remain the names of the cities that the protagonists choose to identify themselves and also some physical characteristics of their Spanish counterparts, as happened for Moscow.



Money Heist Korea: JEA Park Myung-hoon as Cho Youngmin in episode # .. 1 of Money Heist Korea: JEA. Cr. Jung Jaegu / Netflix .. 2021
In fact, one of the first major differences that can be seen in The Paper House: Korea is undoubtedly the use of a different mask: instead of Salvador Dalì's extravagant features, we have a Hahoe mask. These were used in theatrical performances and each of them has a specific role. The one used by the Professor's gang represents the aristocrat Yangban, as if to emphasize the humor of the situation.

A respectable cast

Thanks also to the success that Korean productions have had especially since the release of Squid Game, the faces of the actors hired in The Paper House: Korea begin to no longer being so unknown even to Western viewers. First of all, speaking of the most popular series on Netflix, we have Park Hae-soo, who plays Berlin.



Money Heist Korea: JEA Kim Yunjin as Seon Woojin in episode # .. 1 of Money Heist Korea: JEA. Cr. Jung Jaegu / Netflix .. 2021 Perhaps best known for the part of Player 218 and best friend of the protagonist of Squid Game, Park has had several leading roles, including the one in Prison Playbook, a k-drama that follows the events inside a prison. However, he is not alone: ​​alongside him also Park Myung-hoon who in The House of Paper: Korea plays the troublemaker director of the Mint. Perhaps most famous for his role in Parasite, he also had a recurring role in a series that is highly regarded abroad: Crash Landing On You.

But if we talk about faces recognized outside South Korea, we cannot fail to mention Kim Yun-jin, who in the series plays the role of detective Seon Woo-jin. To go back to one of his most famous interpretations in the West, however, we must return to the first decade of the 2000s, with one of the most popular (and perhaps criticized) shows by the public: Lost. In fact, Kim Yun-jin played Sun-Hwa Kwon, one of the recurring protagonists of the ABC series.

General impressions of The Paper House: Korea

Despite being a sort of spin-off of another franchise with very specific connotations, The Paper House: Korea manages to maintain its own identity, bringing together different characteristics of k-dramas and western series, creating a good balance in the narrative. In fact, we have the lightness and attention to the psychology of the characters typical of the Korean series, mixed with more typically Western photography and action scenes, taking up some of the situations already presented in the original Spanish along the lines.



Money Heist Korea: JEA (L to R) Lee Hyun-woo as Rio, Park Hae-soo as Berlin and Jun Jong-seo as Tokyo in episode # .. 1 of Money Heist Korea: JEA. Cr. Jung Jaegu / Netflix .. 2021 While probably moving the bar more to the Korean side, it is a product that aspires (and manages) to be usable and interesting even for an audience not really used to the typical storytelling of the Asian country. While there are occasional plot slowdowns, the story progresses smoothly and smoothly, at least for viewers.

Perhaps due to the fact that you already have all five seasons of the original available to understand the points that work and those to improve, La Casa di Carta: Korea adjusts its shot by going into some elements that perhaps in the Spanish subject they were treated a little too superficially, justifying various situations with the typical phrase “the Professor had foreseen it”.

In conclusion

It can therefore be said that La Casa di Carta: Korea, although it no longer has the novelty factor on its side being a reboot, has managed to take all the key elements of the original and adapt them to a completely different culture without ever making it be forced or unsuitable for narration, creating a product similar to the original, but with its own identity.



Money Heist Korea: JEA (L to R) Lee Kyu-ho as Oslo, Kim Ji-hun as Denver, Kim Ji-hoon as Helsinki and Lee Won-jong as Moscow in episode # .. 1 of Money Heist Korea: JEA. Cr. Jung Jaegu / Netflix .. 2021 So if you are an avid fan of the Professor and his gang, and in the last year you have discovered your love for Korean series, you just have to watch the first six episodes of The House of Paper: Korea, available to stream from June 24 on Netflix!