"'Vigilante Genre' as It Is Also Called"
Webtoon artist Kim Gyusam of ‘Vigilante’ recently addressed public opinions suggesting similarities between his work and the recently released movie ‘Veteran 2’.
On the 1st, Kim stated on his Naver artist homepage, “After ‘Veteran 2’ was released, several artists contacted me saying that the work has many parts very similar to ‘Vigilante.’” He added, “I have also heard this several times when talking with people in the film and drama industries.”
The webtoon ‘Vigilante’ was serialized from 2018 to 2021. It is an action thriller centered around a protagonist who is a model police academy student by day but lives as a police officer who personally punishes criminals who evade the law at night. The term ‘Vigilante’ refers to a self-armed individual who protects safety as a vigilante group. The series recorded approximately 370 million global views. Based on this webtoon, Disney Plus produced the drama ‘Vigilante.’ Recently, season 2 of the webtoon has been serialized, featuring Jiyong, who graduated from the police academy and was commissioned as a lieutenant, as the main character.
There have been many interpretations that the theme of the recently released movie ‘Veteran 2,’ which questions the existence of rookie detective Park Sunwoo and a society enthusiastic about private punishment, is similar to that of ‘Vigilante.’ Some even raised the possibility of plagiarism.
Kim responded indifferently, saying, “What I am personally very satisfied with is that all conclusions ended with ‘Vigilante is much better.’” He especially noted, “When film columns or articles discuss private punishment and dark hero themes, they have started referring to it as the ‘Vigilante genre.’ I feel proud that our work is establishing itself as a representative piece pioneering a genre in the world.”
He continued, “We will be a creator and studio that presents readers with deep works grounded in society and reality, without being swayed by trends or obsessed with flashiness.” He concluded by expressing gratitude, “I thank the readers who always support and watch over us.”
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