Circle: Two Worlds Connected ~ General Earth and Smart Earth

“Circle: Two Worlds Connected” is a 2017 Korean drama series with 12 episodes, categorized as Fantasy, Supernatural, Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), Crime, and Mystery; and streaming free with ads on Tubi TV.

SUMMARY: It’s the same old question mankind keeps asking. ARE ALIENS REAL? Young twin boys had a close encounter with an alien. When they grew up they had a close encounter with that same alien. Then they went missing. That was in 2017. Twenty (20) years later, in the year 2037, a detective is determined to solve the case of the missing twins, if only he can get inside Smart Earth.

♦ I Need to Get Inside Smart Earth!

In “Circle: Two Worlds Connected”, Kim Woo-Jin and his older twin brother are typical twins. They are very close and when the older one insists that the younger one should come along, even though it’s dark and scary, they go together. The older twin says aliens exist and he can prove it. But Kim Woo-Jin, the younger twin is an unbeliever. Until … he sees the alien. He would like to forget the experience. But his brother refuses to forget it. When they grew up, his brother even went to prison trying to prove to others that aliens are real. You don’t understand. He has to prove they’re real; otherwise, that means he’s crazy!

When the older brother was released from prison, he returned to live with Kim Woo-Jin. It wasn’t long before Kim Woo-Jin realized that his brother was back at it again, looking for proof of aliens. And then they both saw her. It was that alien girl. Kim Woo-Jin rationalized what he saw. It can’t be her because she looks exactly the same way she looked 10 years ago. It’s just someone who looks like her. But his brother had been tracking her movements. There were several suicides that he believed were murders. THE ALIEN WAS KILLING THEM! He needed to find her hideout so he could expose her! That night the older twin brother disappeared.

Kim Woo-Jin wanted to look for his brother. But he also had to work and attend college so he could complete his studies. But she showed up in one of his classes. The alien or … the woman who looked like the alien .. was a student in his class. The professor teamed them up to work on a project together. Kim Woo-Jin is extremely suspicious of her. But he couldn’t prove any of his suspicions.

He also can’t ignore that his brother went missing the night they both saw her.  In his brother’s room, there was a hidden camera.  He checked the video to see if there were any clues to where he might be.  The alien woman was caught on camera.  She had come into his brother’s room.  IS THIS WOMAN AN ALIEN WHO IS KILLING STUDENTS?  DID SHE KILL HIS BROTHER?

Fast Forward to the Year 2037:

Twenty (20) years have passed. Kim Joon-Hyuk and Hong Jin-Hong are both detectives who live and work in General Earth. They can’t live and work in Smart Earth. For one thing, they don’t have the money to get into that area. The other thing is there’s no crime there, so they wouldn’t have any work to do! Even so, they both wanted to gain access to Smart Earth. WHY? To solve the case of the missing twins. Hong Jin-Hong has been following several cases that go way back. Twenty (20) years ago there were several suicides that he believes were murders. Also, the twin brothers went missing and they have never been found.

WAIT! Kim Woo-Jin and his brother went missing?

An emergency call came in to the police station. The caller said they had been kidnapped and that they were in Smart Earth. But how can that be? There’s no crime in Smart Earth. But Hong Jin-Hong recognized the caller because he had rescued her from her kidnapper when she was a little girl. The case was dropped because of insufficient evidence. Hong Jin-Hong was enraged because the man kidnapped her AGAIN! She called the police for help. But the officer who took the call thought it was a prank call and told her the police couldn’t help her.

Kim Joon-Hyuk and Hong Jin-Hong immediately went to Smart Earth and told them they needed to be allowed to enter because a crime was taking place. By the time they gained entry, it was worse than they thought. The caller who said she was kidnapped sent a video to the police station showing her killing her kidnapper. It happened right there in Smart Earth, the place where there is no crime.

Kim Joon-Hyuk convinced the higher-ups to allow him to investigate the crime. He promised to handle the investigation discreetly. They agreed because they wanted the matter kept secret as it would ruin their reputation for being crime-free. But Kim Joon-Hyuk had another reason for wanting to get inside Smart Earth. He believed he could find evidence and information that would lead him to the twins that went missing 20 years ago.

Main Characters:

• Kim Woo-Jin (played by Yeo Jin-Goo, “Beyond Evil”, “Hijack 1971”, “Ditto”, “The Royal Gambler”, “The Moon Embracing The Sun”)
• Han Jung-Yeon (played by Gong Seung-Yeon, “The First Responders 1 and 2”, “Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency”, “Are You Human?”, “My Only Love Song”)
• Kim Joon-Hyuk (played by Kim Kang-Woo, “The Childe”, “The Vanished”, “The Tyrant”, “Wonderful World”)
• Hong Jin-Hong (played by Seo Hyun-Chul, “Melting Me Softly”)
• Lee Ho-Soo (played by Lee Gi-Kwang, “Marry My Husband”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.9 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.4 out of 10 stars
• Dramabeans: 7.5 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as My Drama List.

“Circle: Two Worlds Connected” is not a series you can watch with one eye open. You have to stay engaged from start to finish. There are different time periods and a lot of stuff going on in “both worlds”, so you have to pay close attention. They used what I like to call the “Quentin Tarantino effect”. There are animated parts mixed in with the live-action. I think it added to the “mystique” or atmosphere. Just my personal preference.

If you are a fan of the sci-fi genre, you’ll love this K-drama! The idea of General Earth and Smart Earth is kinda cool! The Smart City was very impressive. But … looks can be deceiving. Of course, the storyline poses the questions that all humans want answered:

• Do aliens exist? and
• Do they come in peace?

Oh! One more thing. Are you the type who likes to figure out the plot ahead of time so you can brag about your “inner Sherlock Holmes”? You’ll probably be disappointed because you’re going to be wrong most of the time. But it’ll be fun! LOL.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Circle — Two Worlds Connected (Drama Review) Circle — Two Worlds Connected (Drama Review)

Review for Korean Sci-Fi Drama Circle: Two Worlds Connected | Kdrama Love

Circle: Two Worlds Connected Korean Drama Review | Kdrama Kisses

It’s called Hallyu : Circle (2017) – Series Review | anjalisk96 (“It’s a truly underrated masterpiece that deserves a lot of love! It’s a truly underrated masterpiece that deserves a lot of love!”)

TRAILER/TEASER:

Ani-Hongo. “CIRCLE: TWO WORLDS CONNECTED (2017) – TRAILER.” YouTube, Video, 22 Feb. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpqlTiqesHk.

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More K-Dramas with an Alien Theme:

• P1H: The Beginning of a New World
• Parasyte the Grey
• Duty After School
• Alienoid 1 and 2
• Night of the Undead
• Chicken Nugget
• Dark Hole
• Glitch

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