Coupang Play’s new series Newtopia has launched to record-breaking numbers, while simultaneously igniting heated discussions about lead actress Jisoo‘s acting abilities.
Released on the 7th, Newtopia follows the story of a soldier Jae Yoon and his girlfriend Young Joo as they navigate zombie-infested Seoul to reach each other. Based on the novel Influenza, the series has released its first two episodes, with new episodes dropping every Friday for a total of eight episodes.
According to Coupang Play, Newtopia has achieved the highest first-day viewership of any series on the platform, despite its R-rating, proving the drawing power of Park Jung Min and Jisoo.
However, the debate over Jisoo’s acting continues to intensify. The controversy initially sparked with the release of the trailer, with viewers divided between criticizing her voice projection and praising her fit for the comedy genre.
With two episodes now available, people have expressed mixed reactions. Critical comments include: “Pronunciation and voice projection are all a total mess,” “This is exactly how a complete amateur would act,” and “It’s not the acting but the voice projection and tone that’s the problem…”
Defenders have countered: “It’s better than expected!! We all have friends who talk like this, so what’s the problem?” “if you look at the early filmographies of today’s top actors, many had wooden acting,” “the fact that she’s not trying to look pretty shows potential,” and “while her acting may not be excellent, she fits naturally into this drama.”
The main criticism seems to center around Jisoo’s voice projection. Netizens also point out that she has only taken leading roles since her acting debut in JTBC’s Snowdrop, suggesting that her status as a member of globally popular girl group BLACKPINK has allowed her to skip the typical career progression of starting with smaller roles.
Questions are being raised about why audiences should have to witness a leading actor’s growing pains when they’re paying to see polished performances. With only two episodes released, all eyes are on whether Jisoo can silence her critics as the series progresses.
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