A Korean legal drama and a Japanese medical drama are moving their settings to each other’s countries to reach new viewers. The Japanese adaptation of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (Extraordinary Attorney Minami) recreates the protagonist’s wordplay in Japanese, while a drama featuring a genius surgeon that became a major hit in Japan is moving its setting to a Korean hospital. Kansai TV and Fuji TV will premiere the Japanese adaptation on October 19.

Background and context

In the Japanese adaptation, rookie attorney Minamida Minami introduces herself by saying her name reads the same backward and forward, then gives the examples kitsusuki (woodpecker), tomato (tomato), Swiss (Switzerland) and koneko (kitten). The joke plays on words that read the same from front to back and back to front.

In the original, Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) introduces herself with words that read the same backward and forward, such as “giraffe,” “tomato,” “Swiss” and “Indian.” Rather than translating the words as they are, the Japanese adaptation recreates the wordplay with expressions that work in Japanese. This is an example of localization being applied not only to the story but also to its linguistic devices.

Like the original, which aired on ENA in 2022, “Extraordinary Attorney Minami” depicts the growth of a rookie attorney on the autism spectrum. Meanwhile, a drama featuring a genius surgeon that became a major hit in Japan is set in a Korean hospital. The information provided does not explain how the two productions are specifically connected or give the medical drama’s title.

What this news means

This example shows that preserving an original work’s premise may not be enough when introducing a hit production in another country. The self-introduction scene in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” hinges on words that read the same backward and forward, and the Japanese adaptation reconstructs that format in Japanese. It can be seen as a way of changing the expressions so local viewers can understand the wordplay while preserving the scene’s purpose.

For example, Korean viewers watching the Japanese adaptation could compare how the same self-introduction scene has been transformed into Japanese wordplay. This is one way to examine the localization process; it is not a basis for judging the quality or popularity of either version in advance.

Confirmed facts and what remains unknown

Confirmed facts

  • “Extraordinary Attorney Minami” is the Japanese adaptation of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”
  • The Japanese adaptation recreates the original’s wordplay in Japanese and depicts the growth of a rookie attorney on the autism spectrum.
  • Kansai TV and Fuji TV will premiere the Japanese adaptation on October 19.
  • A drama featuring a genius surgeon that became a major hit in Japan is moving its setting to a Korean hospital.
  • The source mentions that the original remained in Netflix’s Global Top, but its specific ranking and the period it held that position cannot be confirmed.

What remains unknown

  • The title of the medical drama that is moving its setting to a Korean hospital.
  • The Korean version’s broadcast schedule, production team and cast.
  • The specific ranking and period meant by the original’s performance in Netflix’s Global Top.
  • The year of the Japanese adaptation’s October 19 premiere and its subsequent broadcast schedule.

What readers can check

  • When watching the Japanese adaptation, viewers can look at how the expressions used in the protagonist’s name and self-introduction carry over the original’s wordplay.
  • Readers looking for the Korean version of the Japanese medical drama will need to check whether its title, broadcast schedule, production team and cast have been announced separately. That information is not included in the material provided.
  • Anyone citing or comparing its performance in Netflix’s Global Top should check whether sources confirm the ranking and the period covered.