‘Tomorrow’ Receives Rave Reviews Globally Despite Plummeting Viewership in Korea
[Trigger Warning/Content Warning: Mentions of Suicide]
"Tomorrow" is gaining the attention of international outlets despite the decreasing viewership rating in South Korea.
As the action fantasy K-drama which stars SF9 Rowoon, Kim Hee Sun, Lee Soo Hyuk, and Yun Ji On, is only a few episodes from its finale, the MBC series shows plummeting ratings starting episode 9.
As noted by Nielsen Korea, "Tomorrow" kicks off with a strong pilot episode, garnering a 7.6 percent nationwide rating while 8.2 percent in metropolitan areas. Interestingly, this is the drama's personal best before their ratings continue to drop.
Unfortunately, starting episode 9, the ratings went down from 3 percent to 2.9 and eventually reached their lowest at 2.5 percent for its 10th episode.
"Tomorrow" managed to bounce back on episode 11 with a 2.9 percent nationwide rating but slid to 2.7 during its 12th episode.
Rowoon's new drama is well-loved by global fans despite the fluctuating ratings. In fact, it received rave reviews from international outlets, one of which is the British media website NME.
'Tomorrow' Gains Global Popularity Amid Their Grappling Ratings in South Korea
In a review posted by NME on April 11, the outlet rated "Tomorrow" with 4 out of 5 stars, citing that the action fantasy K-drama gave "fresh takes on the genre."
While the series boasts an interestingly cast lineup, the storyline was also lauded for covering social issues, noting that "'Tomorrow' tackles suicide gently and with empathy."
Moreover, the outlet also shared that the MBC series aced by pulling off "the balancing act of dark and light well, opening up important conversations about mental health," adding "fresh creativity to the K-drama world's slew of supernatural shows."
READ MORE: Lee Soo Hyuk's Visuals Lauded for Similarity With His Grim Reaper Character in 'Tomorrow'
Meanwhile, Sports Chosun shared that Vietnamese media, Thanh Nien, went to described the series as a "healing drama" as it "sophisticatedly" tackles sensitive issues in Korea, such as suicide."
Furthermore, the outlet also menrtioned that it sends "various messages in Vietnam, where the teenage suicide rate is rising."
'Tomorrow' Tops in Two Asian Countries
On the other hand, while "Tomorrow" failed to enter Netflix's daily top 10 TV shows globally, Rowoon's new drama ranked first in several countries.
According to Flix Patrol, a streaming data aggregator platform, the MBC series ranked first in Hong Kong and Malaysia and second in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, as noted by the platform, "Tomorrow" was rated 7.7 out of 10 by IMDb.
"Tomorrow" follows the story of a group of grim reapers who were divided by departments.
Under Jumadeung led by Emperor Jade, played by Kim Hae Sook, Goo Ryeon (Kim Hee Sun,) Im Ryung Goo (Yun Ji On), and their newbie member Choi Joon Woong (Rowoon) are the members of the Risk Management team.
The trio prevents people from committing suicide while Goo Ryeon's rival, the Crisis Management team led by the cold-hearted Park Joong Gil (Lee Soo Hyuk), escorts the dead, including those who end their lives in the afterlife.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Did You Know? Lee Soo Hyuk's Role in 'Tomorrow' is Not a Major Character in the Webtoon
KDramastars owns this article
Written by Geca Wills
