Disney+ Launches Asia Originals Slate, Headed By ‘Moving’, BTS Docu-Series & ‘Tokyo Revengers’

Liz Shackleton
·3 min read
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Disney+ has announced a slate of Asia originals for the second half of 2023, including Korean dramas Moving and The Worst Of Evil and the latest project in its collaboration with Hybe, BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star.

The packed slate of originals also includes Japanese anime Tokyo Revengers: Teknik Arc, part of Disney’s collaboration with publishing house Kodansha, and hybrid live-action and anime series Dragons Of Wonderhatch.

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Set to premiere on August 9, Korean drama Moving is based on Kangfull’s webtoon about a group of superpowered individuals on the run from government forces and a mysterious assassin. Ryu Seungryong, Han Hyojoo and Zo Insung head the cast.

Ji Changwook, Squid Game actor Wi Hajun and Lim Semi star in crime drama The Worst Of Evil, set in 1990s Seoul, where a rural police officer is recruited to help bring down a trafficking gang pushing a potent new drug.

Docu-series BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star charts the K-pop megastars’ journey over the past nine years, based on “unprecedented access to a vast library of music and footage,” according to a Disney statement.

Disney previously worked with Hybe on a BTS concert film, BTS: Permission To Dance, and reality travel show, In The Soop: Friendcation. The new series is described as featuring the “daily lives, thoughts and plans of BTS members, as they prepare for their second chapter”.

Other Korean shows on the Disney+ slate include crime drama Vigilante; comedy action series Han River Police; and music-themed drama Soundtrack #2, a sequel to last year’s Soundtrack #1, again directed by Kim Heewon but with a new storyline starring Keum Saerok and Steve Sanghyun Noh.

Japanese drama Dragons Of Wonderhatch stars Sena Nakajima, Daiken Okudaira and Mackenyu in a fantasy tale set in a land where dragons and humans co-exist. The streamer’s Japanese live-action slate also includes A Town Without Seasons, about a group of people bundled into temporary housing following a national disaster.

Anime titles in addition to Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc include Phoenix: Eden17, produced by Studio4°C and based on the legendary manga Phoenix by Osamu Tezuka.

Towards the end of the year, Disney+ will launch music docu-series NCT 127: The Lost Boys, Japanese anime Synduality Noir, and an ice show performance by Japanese ice-skater Yuzuru Hanyu. Titles in 2024 will include Korea’s A Shop For Killers and Red Swan, and Japan’s House Of The Owl and Murai In Love.

Disney said it has released more than 20 titles since its 2022 Asia Pacific content showcase. Among these, the second season of Korean crime action series Big Bet, starring Choi Minsik, replaced the first season as the most watched locally produced original series on Disney+ in Korea.

Meanwhile, Korean drama Dr. Romantic ranked number one in the majority of APAC markets in its first month based on hours watched, and live-action Japanese thriller Gannibal and anime Tokyo Revengers secured spots in the top five most watched titles in Japan during their first week of launch.

“With the success of our initial wave of APAC originals, we will continue to build on this momentum by delivering exceptional storytelling through the second half of 2023 and beyond,” said Carol Choi, Executive Vice President of Original Content Strategy, The Walt Disney Company APAC.

“Thrillers, crime-action and fantasy, centred on strong storylines from Korea and Japan, are resonating with audiences and we look forward to continued collaboration with leading content creators and storytellers from this region.”

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