Moving is a brand-new Korean series on Hulu that blends superhero action with deep character drama all alongside some lighthearted comedy. The show is adapted from the Webtoon comic of the same name and has quickly become a worldwide hit and Disney’s most-watched K-drama series on Hulu. IGN had the chance to sit down with the cast of Moving to talk about the themes of its story.
Off the bat, the show is split into multiple story arcs. The first follows three superpowered high school students who are instructed to hide their abilities from the rest of the world. Kim Bongseok is our shy, yet cheery lead who has the ability to fly, but has trouble controlling his power when he meets the new transfer student, Jang Huisoo, who has the power of regeneration. The two develop a strong bond and slight romance as they bring out the best in each other. Actor Lee Jungha, who portrays Bongseok, stated that, “Despite (Bongseok) having such a warm heart, because he needs to hide the fact that he has a superpower, he's unable to make friends. When he meets Huisoo, he no longer has to hide his powers, and that allows him to become someone who is able to share and convey his warmheartedness to other people.”
Moving, while also being about superpowered humans, aims to explore a deeper layer of humanity and our relationships. Actor Kim Dohoon, who portrays the super-strength class president Lee Ganghoon, talked about the show's unique approach to the coming-of-age superhero genre, “I think that aspect makes our show very refreshing because in most superhero genres you see these characters (already) having such skilled power. However, in our story, we are students, so not only are our characters’ superpowers growing and being honed, but they themselves as human beings are growing.”
Huisoo’s actor, Go Younjung, further explained that, “Moving deals a lot with not just the coming-of-age of the three of us, but about different people who have different abilities, how they go through the world, how they experience life. The message Moving wants to convey is acknowledging and understanding differences and the process of being able to do that.”
The story then transfers onto the second arc about all three of our character’s parents. In their backstory, it’s revealed that they utilized superpowers of their own to serve Korea as secret agents. Through their actions, we learn of the sacrifices they made in order to protect their families. Bongseok's parents are none other than veteran actors Zo Insung and Han Hyojoo. As high-ranking officials, they are pivotal to the agency's initial downfall. Huisoo’s father, Juwon, has a particularly difficult lead-up to the present day as his world-renowned actor, Ryu Seungryong, explains, “If you live up to my age, everyone has had their difficult days and they have had loved ones. They have maybe parted with loved ones. I think if you think about everyone's lives separately, they make up separate movies. So I was just very happy to have this entire package of emotions and narratives inside my character.”
Family is the core of Moving’s heartfelt moments. Kim Dohoon elaborated on the complex relationship our student characters have with their parents, “When it comes to (Ganghoon’s) relationship with his dad, it did remind me a lot of my own relationship with my dad. I think as you grow older especially, it becomes a little bit more difficult, sometimes a little bit awkward, but amidst all those feelings, there's that very strong bond between parent and child.”
Ryu Seungryong portraying one of these parents added on that, “Later on in the story, it really boils down to the parents wanting to protect their children. I think all parents have superpowers when it comes to trying to protect their kids and their loved ones.”
There is always difficulty in adapting a source material into a live-action format. Luckily for Moving, the Webtoon series creator, Kang Full, was brought on as the show’s writer. “If there's one thing that I absolutely have to say, it's the fact that (Kang Full) is a genius. There are so many different types of love that are shown through the many intricate characters in the show, and you can feel that in a very real way,” Lee Jungha stated about the series creator.
Adapting characters from page to screen is crucial, but Go Younjung explained that, “(Kang Full) actually requested that, while I should refer to the original Webtoon, I shouldn't try too much to focus on trying to make my character the exact same. Rather than focusing on how to bring the character from Webtoon to a live-action series, I tried to focus on becoming the character Huisoo herself.”
Although being a Korean series taking place in Korea, Moving transcends cultural barriers and is able to connect with audiences due to its universal themes regardless of where you live. “While (Moving) is coded in superpowers, it's a very grounded story about any of us, a story about ordinary people,” Ryu Seungryong said, closing our conversation.
Moving is streaming now on Hulu and will air new episodes every Tuesday until its grand finale on September 20th.
Continue reading...
Off the bat, the show is split into multiple story arcs. The first follows three superpowered high school students who are instructed to hide their abilities from the rest of the world. Kim Bongseok is our shy, yet cheery lead who has the ability to fly, but has trouble controlling his power when he meets the new transfer student, Jang Huisoo, who has the power of regeneration. The two develop a strong bond and slight romance as they bring out the best in each other. Actor Lee Jungha, who portrays Bongseok, stated that, “Despite (Bongseok) having such a warm heart, because he needs to hide the fact that he has a superpower, he's unable to make friends. When he meets Huisoo, he no longer has to hide his powers, and that allows him to become someone who is able to share and convey his warmheartedness to other people.”
Moving, while also being about superpowered humans, aims to explore a deeper layer of humanity and our relationships. Actor Kim Dohoon, who portrays the super-strength class president Lee Ganghoon, talked about the show's unique approach to the coming-of-age superhero genre, “I think that aspect makes our show very refreshing because in most superhero genres you see these characters (already) having such skilled power. However, in our story, we are students, so not only are our characters’ superpowers growing and being honed, but they themselves as human beings are growing.”
Huisoo’s actor, Go Younjung, further explained that, “Moving deals a lot with not just the coming-of-age of the three of us, but about different people who have different abilities, how they go through the world, how they experience life. The message Moving wants to convey is acknowledging and understanding differences and the process of being able to do that.”
The story then transfers onto the second arc about all three of our character’s parents. In their backstory, it’s revealed that they utilized superpowers of their own to serve Korea as secret agents. Through their actions, we learn of the sacrifices they made in order to protect their families. Bongseok's parents are none other than veteran actors Zo Insung and Han Hyojoo. As high-ranking officials, they are pivotal to the agency's initial downfall. Huisoo’s father, Juwon, has a particularly difficult lead-up to the present day as his world-renowned actor, Ryu Seungryong, explains, “If you live up to my age, everyone has had their difficult days and they have had loved ones. They have maybe parted with loved ones. I think if you think about everyone's lives separately, they make up separate movies. So I was just very happy to have this entire package of emotions and narratives inside my character.”
Family is the core of Moving’s heartfelt moments. Kim Dohoon elaborated on the complex relationship our student characters have with their parents, “When it comes to (Ganghoon’s) relationship with his dad, it did remind me a lot of my own relationship with my dad. I think as you grow older especially, it becomes a little bit more difficult, sometimes a little bit awkward, but amidst all those feelings, there's that very strong bond between parent and child.”
Ryu Seungryong portraying one of these parents added on that, “Later on in the story, it really boils down to the parents wanting to protect their children. I think all parents have superpowers when it comes to trying to protect their kids and their loved ones.”
There is always difficulty in adapting a source material into a live-action format. Luckily for Moving, the Webtoon series creator, Kang Full, was brought on as the show’s writer. “If there's one thing that I absolutely have to say, it's the fact that (Kang Full) is a genius. There are so many different types of love that are shown through the many intricate characters in the show, and you can feel that in a very real way,” Lee Jungha stated about the series creator.
Adapting characters from page to screen is crucial, but Go Younjung explained that, “(Kang Full) actually requested that, while I should refer to the original Webtoon, I shouldn't try too much to focus on trying to make my character the exact same. Rather than focusing on how to bring the character from Webtoon to a live-action series, I tried to focus on becoming the character Huisoo herself.”
Although being a Korean series taking place in Korea, Moving transcends cultural barriers and is able to connect with audiences due to its universal themes regardless of where you live. “While (Moving) is coded in superpowers, it's a very grounded story about any of us, a story about ordinary people,” Ryu Seungryong said, closing our conversation.
Moving is streaming now on Hulu and will air new episodes every Tuesday until its grand finale on September 20th.
Continue reading...