Domestic Ratings Hit 10% at Episode 3 and 15% at Episode 4, Setting New Records
'Song Joong-ki + Netflix' Effect Dominates OTT Charts in Major Asian Countries
Fans Rallying to "Watch the Original" Boost Popularity of Web Novels and Webtoons
Original is a 'Corporate Thriller' with Revenge, Drama Features a Sweet Romance
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The original web novel of JTBC's popular drama "Jaebeoljip Maknae Adeul" (The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate), which is recording nearly 15% viewership and enjoying a hit streak, is also drawing attention. This work vividly portrays the political and economic power struggles occurring within a fictional conglomerate family and has been a continuous success as it has been adapted into webtoons and dramas.
JTBC's "Jaebeoljip Maknae Adeul" hit a new high with a 14.9% viewership rating (according to Nielsen Korea) on the 28th of last month. Starting at 6.1% in the first episode, it surpassed 10% by the third episode, and now, except for KBS2's weekend drama "Samnammaega Yonggamhage" (The Three Siblings Are Brave) at 18.6%, it holds the highest weekend drama ratings across all channels.
The OTT platform Viu, which exclusively broadcasts "Jaebeoljip Maknae Adeul" (English title: Reborn Rich) overseas, reports it as the most-watched content in Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. Viu has exclusively purchased the overseas broadcasting rights of "Jaebeoljip Maknae Adeul" and resells them to local partners in the Asian region.
As the drama succeeds, the original web novel is also experiencing a "reverse climb" (an unusual phenomenon where a previously completed work gains popularity later). According to Naver on the 1st, the sales of the Naver Series web novel "Jaebeoljip Maknae Adeul" increased 230 times compared to before the drama adaptation. This is based on a comparison and analysis of 10 days around the webtoon release in September and the drama airing.
Mixing Revenge Drama with Corporate Thriller... Original Novel Also Successfully Completed
Written by author 'Sangyeong,' "Jaebeoljip Maknae Adeul" first serialized in 2017 on 'Munpia,' a web novel platform owned by Naver Webtoon. The work, which attracted passionate fans from the start, maintained top rankings in views even after switching to paid serialization and successfully concluded in 2018.
The original novel is a revenge drama about the protagonist who, after working like a servant for a conglomerate family owner of the fictional 'Sunyang Group' and dying unjustly, is reincarnated as Jin Dojun, the youngest grandson of Sunyang Group's founder Jin Yangcheol.
This work combines the popular 'reincarnation' genre in recent web novels and webtoons with a corporate succession story. Although it uses somewhat fantastical themes like reincarnation and transmigration, the story is extremely realistic and sharp. Set against a fictional conglomerate family, it weaves various plots such as mergers and acquisitions, management disputes, and political intervention in business interests, creating tension. Especially, by drawing inspiration from real incidents involving conglomerate families in Korea and incorporating them into the narrative, it maximizes the sense of realism. This is the main reason why many readers are enthusiastic about "Jaebeoljip Maknae Adeul."
Differences Between Novel and Original: Jin Dojun & Seo Minyoung's Romance
How different are the novel, which finished serialization four years ago, and the currently airing drama? First, the protagonist's childhood was condensed into three episodes. Due to the nature of the drama, following the original storyline would require devoting significant time to depicting the protagonist's childhood. The family tree of the protagonist Jin Dojun's family was also simplified, reducing the number of characters, and various real-life incidents appearing in the novel are depicted in more detail to add realism to the drama's reincarnation theme.
The biggest difference is that while the original focused on a corporate thriller with revenge as the theme and did not concentrate on the protagonist's romance, the drama added a romance centered on the protagonist Jin Dojun and the female lead Seo Minyoung, considering the drama format. Thanks to this, Seo Minyoung's role, which was not very prominent in the original, has been significantly expanded.
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