"Climax" drew explosive reactions immediately after its release and swept first place on various platforms including Disney+.
The ENA Monday-Tuesday drama "Climax," currently airing, made a powerful start by rising to No. 1 on Disney+'s "Today's top 10 series in Korea" as soon as episodes 1 and 2 were released. It also proved an overwhelming presence by taking No. 1 on Naver Enter's "most searched dramas now" and No. 1 on Naver OpenTalk rankings.
In addition, it dominated online spaces by sweeping No. 1 on content ranking platform KinoLite's trend ranking and WatchaPedia's HOT ranking in the drama institutional sector, proving explosive buzz from the moment of release. In particular, "Climax," which premiered on the 16th, showed a clear upward curve from a 2.9% rating for episode 1 to 3.8% for episode 2 (national paid households, Nielsen), and as episodes progress, viewers have given enthusiastic responses to the unpredictable developments of various characters pursuing their desires.
In this way, "Climax" has captivated viewers in just episodes 1 and 2, proving the worth of its high-stimulation, lethal narrative. Set within a vast power cartel connecting prosecutors, chaebol and the entertainment industry, the unpredictable developments and fast-paced story have drawn rave reviews such as "every episode is a dopamine party wow.. good acting and Ju Jihoon and Ha Jiwon have great chemistry", "the story develops quickly and that's good", "it feels like watching a movie", among others.
The actors' overwhelming performances are also drawing attention. "Ju Jihoon acts so realistically", "you can't ignore Ha Jiwon's veteran-level awards-worth skill", "Ha Jiwon's slight smile at the end gave me goosebumps", "all the actors' acting seems insane?", "Cha Joo-young's acting is no joke", and other high praise continues for the actors' full immersion in their characters. In particular, comments such as "Ju Jihoon and Ha Jiwon's chemistry was off the charts", "ultimate chemistry. They create synergy and sparks fly in their acting", "the developments rush by so it's fun. Character relationships and the actors' acting are perfect" have further raised expectations for the tension created by relationships between characters.
Along with this, praise for the work's completeness and direction has continued, with comments such as "actors, writers, director, Climax—everything is perfect", "I felt a hit the moment episode 1 started", "the speed is dizzying even for Koreans so I recommend experiencing it right away", helping word of mouth for "Climax" spread rapidly.
Meanwhile, "Climax" is director Lee Ji-won's first drama directing work; Lee won newcomer director awards including at the Baeksang Arts Awards for the film "Miss Baek." Production by HYBE Media Corp., which has consistently presented works that balance artistic merit and commercial success such as "12.12: The Day", "Inside Men", "YADANG: The Snitch", "Deliver Us from Evil", "Made In Korea" and others, further increases trust in the project.
"Climax" airs every Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m. on ENA.
[Photo] Provided by HYBE Media Corp.
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