Feminist Novel Rejected in Korea to Premiere on Netflix in December

A feminist novel that faced repeated rejections for adaptation in South Korea will be released as a Netflix film in Japan this December.

On October 8, Netflix announced that the film will be exclusively released worldwide on December 3. The lead role will be played by Nagano Mei, with Kido Daisei, known for the Netflix series , cast as the male lead, Kimura Haruki. The film is directed and written by Kobayashi Keiichi.

The original work is a novel of the same name by author Min Ji-hyung, published in May 2019. The story revolves around a couple who reunite after seven years apart, exploring the differing perspectives on gender and society between a woman who has become a feminist and a man who considers himself a kind-hearted individual. In 2021, it was serialized as a Kakao Webtoon and has been translated and published in six countries, including Japan, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Russia.

Min attempted to adapt the work for film in South Korea but faced repeated rejections due to concerns that it could offend some audiences. In 2021, during the webtoon serialization, Min was subjected to severe personal attacks, leading to a police investigation that identified the perpetrator.

The novel is narrated from the first-person perspective of a male character. Min explained that the term 'crazy' is not a judgment from the author but a device to reflect the male character's perception of his girlfriend's changes.

The novel was translated into Japanese in 2022 and sold over 10,000 copies. The Economist described it as one of the Korean feminist novels that has influenced Japanese women, alongside , while the Asahi Shimbun praised it as a new benchmark for feminism.

This film marks Nagano Mei's return to the screen. Weekly Bunshun reported in April of last year that Nagano was involved in an extramarital affair with married actor Tanaka Kei, which both parties denied. Following the report, Nagano voluntarily withdrew from her role in the NHK historical drama in May, and nine companies removed her advertisements and images.

Netflix announced Nagano as the lead in December of last year, and a page for the film titled has been set up on Netflix Korea.

* This article has been translated by AI.