According to Hankook Ilbo, Disney+ is placing hopes on the crime thriller Nine Puzzles (9 mysterious pieces) as the platforms recent original series is having difficulty creating momentum for development in Korea.
The film directed by famous filmmaker Yoon Jong Bin has begun to resonate after a slow start, potentially bringing a much-needed highlight to Disney+ after the release of the film "Knock-Off" starring Kim Soo Hyun was delayed.
Nine Puzzles follows psychologist Yoon Ena (Kim Da Mi), the only witness to an unsolved murder 10 years ago, and police officer Kim Han Saem (Son Suk Koo), who still suspects her.
Together they investigate a new series of mass murders in a tightly-built and engaging mystery drama.
Yoon Jong Bin is best known as the director of films such as Nameless Gangster: rules of Time and narco-Saints, combining realism with stylish characters and a world like a typical graphic novel.
In Nine Puzzles, he uses surreal tones while emphasizing unique personality traits to create a multi-layered, emotional story.
The film is largely told through the conflict perspective of criminal psychologist Ena and police officer Han Saem, each person discovering the clues and facing the demons inside them.
Kim Da Mi's performance as Yoon Ena was commented as "difficult to predict but outstandingly intelligent", when her quick-witted character solves cases with incredible clarity, while still haunted by her own lost memories.
Kim Da Mi's oversized pair of glasses and bold outfits enhance her personality like a comic book character created for the role.
Ena's suppressed memories are the focus of the story, creating curiosity and excitement for viewers as they piece together the missing pieces through her disjointed past.
Son Suk Koo's character may be familiar to the audience, because not long ago, he played a police officer in "A Killer Paradox". But the harmonious collaboration between Son Suk Koo and Kim Da Mi in this film still creates the necessary tension and depth.
Despite a slow start, the drama has begun to increase its viewership rating after 5 days of release. According to FlixPatrol, "Nine Puzzles" has entered the Top 10 global in Disney+ TV shows as of last weekend, topping the charts in Korea and Japan.
International media also had positive reviews. The American entertainment site Decider describes "Nine Puzzles as a curious horror film".
While The Review Geek praised the dramas strange storytelling style as a new source of energy for the murder mystery genre.
On IMDb, the drama has an impressive average rating of 9.4 points per episode.
However, Disney+ continues to fall behind in the Korean streaming market. After the success of "Moving" and "Light Shop", the platform's subsequent original works such as "Trigger", "Gang Mae-gang" and "Hyper knife" have not been a hit.
The platform's decision to put "Knock-Off" aside amid the controversy surrounding the main actor Kim Soo Hyun has made the situation worse.
Although "Nine Puzzles" is attracting attention, industry followers say it has not yet reached explosive level.
Nine Puzzles is scheduled to release its final two episodes, episodes 10 and 11, on June 4.
