Kakao Entertainment (CEO Kwon Gi-soo, Jang Yun-jung) is successfully expanding the 170 million views popular webtoon 'Secret Love' into various forms of IP, including drama, web novels, and original soundtracks. In particular, the drama 'Secret Love' (creator Jeong Soo-yoon, scriptwriter Lee Yoo-jin, director Yang Kyung-hee, co-produced by Fuji TV, Playlist, Kakao Entertainment), which was released today (27th), is drawing attention to whether it will achieve global success following the webtoon, as it is being aired simultaneously worldwide.
Kakao Webtoon 'Secret Love' is a popular Boys Love (BL) webtoon with a cumulative domestic view count of 170 million, telling the love stories of four protagonists with unique charms. The work stands out for its delicate emotional lines and complex interrelationships among characters, gaining high popularity not only domestically but also in six countries including North America's Tapas and Japan's Piccoma.
The webtoon 'Secret Love' has been diversely expanded into drama, web novels, and original soundtracks, contributing to its success. In particular, there is high anticipation in the industry for the collaboration between Kakao Entertainment and Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV, as well as the comprehensive content studio Playlist in the planning and production of the drama 'Secret Love.' The drama was simultaneously released globally today through various platforms, including Watcha in Korea, Fuji TV's OTT platform FOD in Japan, and in North America iQIYI, as well as GagaOOLala and Heavenly. Newcomers Kim Jun-seo (Daon), Cha Seon-hyung (Seong-hyun), Cha Jeong-woo (Su-hyun), and Kim Ho-young (Jae-min) from the group WEi are expected to shine in their roles.
The Kakao Page web novel 'Secret Love' launched on 14th is also receiving a positive response. The way the original webtoon 'Secret Love' reveals the characters' inner feelings and relationships has particularly stood out, and the web novel adds more depth by uncovering thoughts, dialogues, and episodes that were not captured in the webtoon.
The original soundtrack for the drama 'Secret Love,' produced to commemorate its adaptation, has also received much acclaim from fans. Three songs have been released, including 'How Can I' by JUNNY, 'Words Thrown Out Are Actually Not Lies' by Paul Blanco, and 'I'll Just Say the Opposite of a Lie' by Lee Chang-seop, with each track being pre-released as a one-minute preview to fans on the Kakao Webtoon 'Secret Love (Revised Version).' Among them, 'I'll Just Say the Opposite of a Lie' achieved first place on the Melon search chart on its release date and ranked fifth on the HOT100 chart as of 30 days post-release.
Having garnered responses from fans through the original webtoon, web novels, and the original soundtrack, Kakao Webtoon 'Secret Love' has established a successful expansion case. It is anticipated that the synergy of IP will grow even more alongside the drama airing.
A representative from Kakao Entertainment noted, "Given its artistic quality and strong fandom, the IP is expected to gain more power through its expansion into dramas and web novels," adding, "As success stories accumulate for contents based on Kakao Entertainment's story IPs, collaborations with competitive production companies both domestically and internationally are increasing. We will create various opportunities to showcase the excellence of Kakao Entertainment's IP this year."
[Photo] Kakao Entertainment
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