‘The Uncanny Counter’, OCN’s highest rated K-drama
Manhwa, also known as webtoons, is the same thing as manga to South Koreans. While manga comics are usually turned into anime in Japan, most of the webtoons receive a more lifelike adaptation in the form of K-dramas in South Korea. And one of them is the famous K-drama named ‘The Uncanny Counter’.
Based on a Daumwebtoon named ‘Amazing Rumor’ by Jang Yi, the K-drama ‘The Uncanny Counter’ is supposed to evoke less of the usual light dramedy feel than most K-dramas do. This show is a lot of along the lines of a sci-fi adventure series like Heroes, wherever apparently ordinary humans get unimaginable powers that they struggle to harness. It is a delightful and passionate human hero series.
Counters, also known as hunters for evil spirits, come to earth under the guise of being employees at a noodle restaurant in order to capture evil spirits that have returned to earth in pursuit of eternal life. Together they run a noodle shop that serves noodles so delicious customers cannot just eat them once. People line up to visit the shop but are often disappointed when the counters have to run off on a mission in the middle of lunch. The distinctive story is the major reason why several audiences are deeply captivated. Most demon hunters are portrayed as priests or nuns, but here they are, ordinary humans, who work at a noodle restaurant. Really interesting, right?
Do Ha-na (Kim Se-Jeong), Ga Mo-Tak (Yoo Jun-sang), Chu Mae-Ok (Yum Hye-ran), and Jang CheolJoong (Sung Ji Ru) were the main ‘counters’. The three Counters battle the spirit, but he’s too strong for them, and he ends up killing the fourth member of the group, CheolJoong. After he died a high school student named So Moon (Jo ByeongGyu) was replaced by him. Each of the Counters has a backup partner spirit who gives them supernatural abilities.
The strongest part of this drama is that the main cast and each of their own backstories are well-written. And also they all have special powers. Like, Do Hana can sense evil spirits, even those that are hundreds of kilometers away, and also read people’s memories when she touches them. Ga Mo-Tak is super strong and can jump far. He’s a former policeman who lost his memory seven years ago when an accident occurred and is unable to stand idle in the face of injustice. Chu Mae-ok has unbelievable healing skills despite her age. Outwardly, she’s the chef of the noodle restaurant, however, among the Counters, she is the only emotional pillar. And there’s also Choi Jang Mool, who is the oldest Counter. He’s in charge of all of the Counters’ expenses, and he is a living legend among the Counters in Korea.
Together they are the ‘counters’ who hunt out the demons who hunt out people doing evil things and make them do even more evil things so they can eat the spirits of the people they kill. Once they eat 3-4 souls, they become level three demons. So they got to stop the demons before that happens.
Sometimes a good show can be offset by weak actors. However, ‘The Uncanny Counter’ doesn’t have that issue with the main cast being well-cast and talented. Yu Jun-sang and YeomHye-ran are veteran actors who have been in many successful works and received many awards throughout their careers. Younger actors Cho Byeong-kyu and Kim Se-Jeong particularly stand out and hold their own while acting alongside their senior actors. Other actors portraying the villains and demons are also quite impressive. The solid acting definitely enhances the show and enraptures effectively. Also, the rich backstory behind the magical world of ‘The Uncanny Counter’ contributes to the perfect amount of fantasy, action, mystery, comedy and drama.
The best factor concerning the drama is, every single character here gets their time to shine, with loads of individual stand-out moments to savor. From the main good counters to the highest level evil spirit, they all have a sad back story for what they became the person they are now. There’s a story about a mother with guilt that her son died before her, a daughter whose whole family died in front of her, a child who was always being abused, and many more.
There’s something extremely appealing about finding superheroes in everyday people. The Counters do have supernatural powers however, they were essentially hand-picked to become Counters as a result of they're simply good humans. Transforming into Counters also gifted them with frizzy looks, and they wear red tracksuits when pursuing demons. It’s quite a funny contrast to the thieves from Money Heist.
One might expect a show centering on demon hunters to feature a lot of action scenes, and this is definitely the case in ‘The Uncanny Counter’. The actors’ efforts and stunt training are obvious once you see the well-choreographed action scenes. Seeing the Counters flex their supernatural powers and dexterously fight their opponents is completely satisfying and provides thrills. The drama’s popularity speaks for itself, so no need for more words why you mustn't watch this.
OCN (Korean cable channel) certainly knows how to deliver and the finale here wraps everything up in the best possible way, arguably delivering the best episode of the season. This is definitely the Korean drama to beat this year, bowing things out with an excellent finish that’s sure to satisfy fans. According to Nielsen Korea, the 16th episode released on January 24th broke its own personal best gaining the average nationwide rating of 11% to 11.9%. This double-digit recorded viewership also hailed because of the highest viewership ratings within the history of the OCN series.
For the second week of January, ‘The Uncanny Counter’ ascended to the highest of the Good Data Report. Being the highest-rated OCN drama in history, you'd have high standards once you are about to watch this drama. With a big fan base anticipating the trending fantasy Korean drama is already having its plans for a second season, so you better watch it on Netflix now if you haven’t yet! Its cast lineup is yet to confirm.
‘The Uncanny Counter’ is a series that is more than just about a group of random people fighting scary spirits, though those scenes are pretty darn cool. It’s a series that delves into family, loss of loved ones, grief, and how important it is to cherish the time you have with your loved ones. That’s why make sure you don’t miss out on this series.
* Rumaiysa M Rahman is a 10th grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Dhaka