The WONDERfools (2026) 원더풀스
Directed by Yoo In-sik, starring Park Eun-bin as Eun Chae-ni, Cha Eun-woo as Lee Un-jeong, Choi Dae-hoon as Son Gyeong-hun, Im Seong-jae as Kang Ro-bin, Kim Hae-sook as Kim Jeon-bok, and Son Hyun-joo as Ha Won-do.
Watched 24 - 31 May 2026 — 8 episodes (NETFLIX)
*I was looking forward to this comedy/action series about superheroes (with a 1990s setting — the era of apocalyptic doomsaying) ever since it was being announced, because I like the leads and the story premise. Though a bit hesitant to watch this (will it live up to my expectations?), I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this show. The 8 episodes aired on Netflix all at once and got good reviews and ratings.
*What a fun first episode! It introduces the colourful cast of likeable main characters right off the bat, and they are all well cast and depicted. We have Park Eun-bin as Eun Chae-ni (who has the ability to teleport whenever her heart beats at a faster rate), Cha Eun-woo as Lee Un-jeong (who possesses strong telekinetic powers), Choi Dae-hoon as Son Gyeong-hun (who develops an adhesion/sticking ability, triggered whenever he tells a lie), and Im Seong-jae as Kang Ro-bin (whose superhuman strength gets unleashed when he experiences humiliation or something emotional upsetting). I love how the characters use their different powers and work together. While they don't know how to control their abilities at first, eventually they discover what unleashes their power. No doubt, the strength of this show are the characters and how relatable they are, despite having superpowers. They are flawed and messy, and indeed very human.
*Cha Eun-woo as Lee Un-jeong looks pretty cool in his white tankshirt while sweaty and smoking. He has good chemistry with Park Eun-bin, and I like the touch of romance between them. It was too bad they didn't share more scenes.
*Eun Chae-ni is quirky and cheerful but initially I found the character lacking and a bit one-note. But when in episode 5 Chae-ni finds out about her heart surgery and where the heart came from, she gains emotional depth and acts less goofy. (I always gravitate more towards characters who are sad and emotional than towards characters with happy demeanours.)
*The rescue mission of Chae-ni was badass but the kiss between Chae-ni and Un-jeong was a bit random. Still, it made sense since Un-jeong had read Chae-ni's wishlist and maybe wanted to grant her wish before she was encountering danger again. And he knew that if her heart rate would spike, she would teleport, and he wanted her to escape the danger.
*I had expected Park Eun-bin's role to be bigger, but this show has more of an ensemble lead cast. Park Eun-bin is just one of the group of superheroes and her name happens to have the biggest star power.
*The big scene stealer is Choi Dae-hoon as Son Gyeong-hun. He's so funny and endearing. I felt sorry for him for having such a horrible wife.
*Son Hyun-joo plays the villain, the scientist Ha Won-do who ran the Wunderkinder Project (a secret, experimental program where children gain superhuman abilities) for which he was imprisoned. Upon his release, he gets together with his three surviving children to locate the Child of Eternity. I felt a bit sorry for his three children, despite them being the antagonists and mean people. I liked their powers: Pal-ho could manipulate gravity, Ju-ran could brainwash people, and Ho-ran could create hallucinations. Ho-ran is being played by Choi Yoon-ji — I like her and have seen her before in Love, Take Two.
*Love the bond between Chae-ni and her grandma, Kim Hae-sook as Kim Jeon-bok. I love Kim Hae-sook, one of my fave K-drama grandma's!
*I prefer this to Moving! A second season is in the making for Moving, and I can see the same thing happening for The WONDERfools. I would totally welcome that, because this first season is such a fun watch!