“Moving” ~ SuperHeroes Can Never Retire

“Moving” is a 2023 Korean drama series on Disney+/Hulu, based on a webtoon of the same name, with 20 episodes, and can be categorized as Supernatural or Fantasy, Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), Romance, and Family.

♦ I’m Retired! Why Do I Have to DIE?

In “Moving”, there are people who have been a part of a government experiment. They have had their senses augmented so that they are no longer an average human. Some of them can fly and some of them have the ability to instantly recover. Cut them with a knife and they heal almost instantly. These experiments are not just conducted in South Korea but other countries like the USA are also turning out these super-humans. It’s better to call them super-humans until you figure out how they use their powers. If they use them for good then you can call them super-heroes. If not, then they are just wicked beings with extra powers who pose a real threat and danger to the people on planet Earth.

The government uses the excuse that they are developing better human beings to fight against The Enemy. But suppose the human that was “augmented” or “made better” still exercises compassion, love, sympathy, or empathy when they’re performing a mission or an assignment. What if they disobey orders and don’t complete their tasks? Furthermore, suppose they fall in love and don’t want to be the government’s hunting dog anymore. Won’t they want to escape? Suppose they have children who also have their abilities. Won’t they want to protect them?

This is the predicament our superheroes find themselves in. They are currently living quiet peaceful lives. Nobody knows they have powers and they like it that way. So why can’t they be left alone? Because “higher-ups” have decided that they must be eliminated. Frank is the assassin who has been sent to take them out. He is brutal, ruthless, and totally lacking humanity. He doesn’t feel sympathy, empathy, compassion, etc. He only knows how to kill and has documents on each retired superhero that has been targeted for disposal. Frank the assassin hunts down these superheroes and after finishing them off, if they have any children, they go on his hit list too. Some of the superheroes have been deleted. But some of them – retired or not – are proving that they won’t be taken out so easily. And if you come after their kids … _______.

Main Characters:

• Jang Ju-won (played by Ryu Seung-ryong, “The Sound of a Flower”)
• Lee Mi-hyun (played by Han Hyo-Joo, “Seven (7) Korean Dramas for Fans of Han Hyo-Joo”)
• Kim Doo-sik (played by Zo In-sung, “Escape from Mogadishu”)
• Frank (played by Ryoo Seung-bum, “The Berlin File”)
• Kim Bong-seok (played by Lee Jung-ha, “Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung”)
• Jang Hui-soo (played by Go Youn-Jung, “Death’s Game”, “Alchemy of Souls 1 and 2”, “He is Psychometric”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 8.4 out of 10 stars
• MyDramaList: 9.1 out of 10 stars
• Common Sense Media: 4 out of 5 stars
• India Today: 4 out of 5 stars
• Rotten Tomatoes: 5 out of 5 stars

My personal rating would have been the same as My Drama List, but I deducted a star for unnecessary foul language.

If you’re going to be a role model superhero for kids to look up to, you should have a clean mouth. Yeah yeah yeah. This is old mama bear talking. In fact, it was rated R because of the language. Other than that, “Moving” had me hooked from the first episode. The theme of the story was plain:

• Even if you are a super-human because you have augmented senses and you can even fly, it’s love that makes you human. Being a super-human who can’t love makes you inhuman. Also, it likely means you were enhanced to be used and then disposed of when no longer useful or needed.

Joan MacDonald is a Forbes Contributor and in her review, she put it this way: “Moving is a tale of secret agents, assassins and people with superpowers, but it’s also a story about the importance of family.”

Since it was about family, I felt sorry for Frank, the assassin. That poor kid. They trained him like the Spartans trained children, i.e. to be a ruthless killer, and when he was an adult they sent him on a mission. Whether he performed the mission successfully or not the people who dehumanized him considered him “a disposable unit”. One of the retired superheroes that Frank killed was a woman who had raised several children. They all came to her funeral. Frank also attended the memorial service and asked a young man at the funeral if she had been a good mother. He replied “Yes.” But if someone were to ask Frank whether he had a good mother … he would remember when people came and took him away to that hellish training camp for kids. His mother did nothing to stop them. She had not been a good mother. Even though you feel bad for Frank, you couldn’t excuse his killings. He still needed to be stopped!

• Snowdrop was the first Korean drama released by Disney+. But evidently, ‘Moving’ is Disney+’s first big Korean global hit per CNN.

“Moving” is an award-winning Kdrama series and I get why it is being praised. It is different from most movies and TV shows in the superhero genre. Fans may be hoping for a Season 2 but as of July 2024, nothing has been confirmed.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Moving K-Drama Review: Is Anyone Else Disappointed? | Kat Turner 문순자

Why Park In-Je Signed On To Direct The Award-Winning Drama ‘Moving’ | Forbes

How ‘Moving’ became Disney+’s first big Korean hit | CNN

‘Moving’ Becomes Most-Watched Korean Original On Disney+, Hulu | Deadline

‘Moving’ K-Drama review: A stunningly original, complex superhero saga with a terrific ensemble | The Hindu

Disney+ K-drama review: Moving – fantastic 5-star superhero saga reaches epic finale that moves us to tears | South China Morning Post

Moving Season 1 Review: One Of South Korea’s Most Ambitious Drama Finally Reaches Hulu and Disney+ To Have Their Take On The Superhero Genre | KOIMOI

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Hulu. “Moving | Official Trailer | Hulu.” YouTube Video. YouTube, August 2, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVYw3biOgyE.‌