Team TudumNot all people are created to be heroes. And this is what makes The WONDERfools so interesting.
Although the majority of superhero narratives revolve around individuals stepping up to the task, the upcoming Korean one turns the concept around. What occurs when, every day, a bit clumsy individuals all of a sudden acquire supernatural abilities and completely lack any clue on how to utilise them?
The WONDERfools, which will debut on May 15, will answer that question with a blend of humor, adventure, and the correct dose of havoc.
A Story of a Superpower on the Frontier of a New Millennium
The setting of the story is in 1999, and by then the world was already in a state of tension. With the approaching Y2K fears and an air of uncertainty, the setting contributes to a slight amount of tension to a rather playful story.
The fictional Haeseong City of a small group of ordinary people is caught in the middle of their lives when they acquire unusual superpowers. There are no trained warriors or selected fighters. They are ordinary individuals, the type you would not even stop to pay attention to.
This is what makes their journey interesting.
They do not turn into smooth, polished heroes immediately, but fall. They overreact. They make mistakes. And so end up making as many problems as they solve.
However, in the tumult, they are the only ones to protect the city from an increasing danger.
Get to the Mess of the Heart of Things
The central character in the story is Eun Chae-ni, who is played by Park Eun-bin. Park is known to be very subtle in her performances; this time, however, she has a very different role. Chae-ni is not a person who is going after power or responsibility, but one who is sucked into it.
There comes a twist in the tale, and in a flash, she is being pushed around by powers that she never requested. What ensues is not about learning how to master powers, but about finding out how to live with them.
Across her is Lee Woon-jung, who is portrayed by Cha Eun-woo. Whereas Chae-ni is a symbol of confusion and unreliability, Woon-jung is a more down-to-earth character who is observant.
He is a special civic officer who is looking into a series of mysterious disappearances within the city. He listens where other people would not have listened to the unusual happenings. And the more he digs, the more it becomes evident that something strange, and even dangerous, is going on.
Their intersections are such that they interrelate the bigger puzzle to this improbable collection of accidental heroes.
A Team That is Not So Fit
The WONDERfools constructs its world with a variety of supporting roles, such as Choi Dae-hoon, Im Seong-jae, Kim Hae-sook, and Son Hyun-joo, among others, besides the two lead roles.
Every character is unique with his or her personality, quirks, and constraints. And therein lies a good deal of the appeal of the show.
This is not a group that plays in unison. They argue. They fail to understand each other. They, at times, create a problem to make it worse and then create a better one.
However, gradually, something begins to change.
In the mess, they start to discover a rhythm, not as great heroes, but as individuals who do their best in bizarre conditions.
Director of A Fan Favorite Hit
Yoo In-sik, who worked on Extraordinary Attorney Woo, is the director of the series. Such a connection alone creates some expectations, especially in the area of character-based storytelling.
Judging by his prior work, we can expect a solid, emotionally charged heart to the humor and action. It will not be the question of what the characters can do, but who they are.
But more to the point, what they become.
Why The WONDERfools is Different
Fatigue in a superhero is a reality. New entrants seem to be repetitive, given so many polished, high-stakes stories prevailing on screens.
The difference between The WONDERfools and its competitors is that it does not attempt to compete alone on the scale.
Rather, it is tilted towards a more relatable.
It explores uncertainty. It demonstrates the appearance of being unprepared. It does not sweep under the carpet, but instead it adapts clumsiness.
It is, in many aspects, a more humanized version of heroism: the one in which the process of growth is not very clean, and bravery does not necessarily present itself as a confident expression.
A Balance between Humor, Action, and Mystery
Although the premise is light-hearted, the series does not hesitate to delve into darker aspects. The vanishings in Haeseong City imply that there is some other plot at play.
It is that equilibrium of humor and suspense that might make the show interesting to watch more than one episode.
On the one hand, there are fumbling efforts in heroism. On theother handr, a mystery which is steadily accumulating.
The outcome is a story that does not rest on a single note. It changes, here amusing, here suspenseful, here unpredictable.
Previews of What to Expect
The WONDERfools has the ingredients of something refreshing with its combination of quirky characters, period setting, and unusual approach to ssuperpowers
It has nothing to do with saving the world in epic, movie-like style.
It’s about finding things out, one error at a time.
With the premiere date at hand, initial peeks at the show suggest that it will be as entertaining as it is unconventional. And when it succeeds in its premise, it might find more than its fair share of Netflix releases that can readily be remembered.
Final Take
The WONDERfools is not really a tale of powers, at its core. It’s a story about people.
- Those who never requested to be held responsible
- Individuals who are not prepared
- And those who, nevertheless, make attempts
This is what makes them worth watching.
And perhaps, that is what makes them heroes, although they have not quite the look of it yet.
