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Netflix's latest noir action K-drama, Mercy for None, is topping the platform's charts and receiving positive reviews from the audience and critics alike.
In the past decade, Korean thrillers have had a lasting impact globally. With movies like Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, Oldboy, and I Saw the Devil, K-dramas are also moving towards dark and twisted themes.
This latest gritty tale of revenge and street wars stars actor So Ji-sub, who plays the lead role of Nam Gi-jun, an ex-gangster who returns to the underworld to avenge his younger brother's sudden death.
Mercy for None is adapted from a webtoon of the same name and is available to stream on Netflix.
More on this in our story.
Mercy for None: Exploring the source material of Netflix's latest K-drama
The success of Song Joong-ki's Vincenzo on Netflix has led to an increased interest in revenge action noir K-dramas, and Mercy for None delivers on that.
The K-drama is based on a highly popular webtoon series, Plaza Wars: Mercy For None, which was published in 2020. Created by Oh Se-hyung and Kim Gyun-Tae, the webtoon follows similar themes of revenge and grief, common to many Korean thrillers.
Fans of the webtoon praised the K-drama adaptation and felt it was very close to the source material. They especially appreciated So Ji-sub's casting, who looked quite similar to the protagonist in the webtoon. In addition, his gritty acting brought the webtoon's protagonist to life, a hardened individual, hell-bent on revenge for his brother's death.
In addition, Netflix has also seen a rise in Webtoon adaptations on the platform recently, which seem to have performed well and have paved the way for other K-drama adaptations.
From All of Us Are Dead and Sweet Home to the recent The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, all of these popular Netflix K-dramas are based on webtoons and web novels, which suggests that fans certainly want more adaptations.
What is Mercy for None about?
Eleven years before the events of the K-drama, Nam Ki-jun is a legendary gangster, undefeated by others. However, when his younger brother Nam Ki-seok also joins the criminal world with a rival gang, Ki-jun decides to leave the dangerous business, so as not to clash with his brother.
He severs his Achilles tendon and leaves the criminal world for good until eleven years later, when he learns that his younger brother has been ambushed and killed, who was months away from his retirement.
Ki-seok's mysterious murder sets the events of Mercy of None in motion, and Ki-jun returns to the Seoul underworld as a grief-stricken brother, trying to avenge his younger brother's death.
Ki-jun also crosses paths with multiple new gangs, including the young mob heir Koo Jun-Mo, who seems to have an endless gang of thugs, which the protagonist fights with ease.
Secret plans, Vendetta and bloody street fights are some os the common Korean thriller elements featured in the K-drama, which makes it an exciting watch.
International audiences are already hailing Mercy for None as the Korean John Wick, with fans of the webtoon even demanding a Season 2. However, Netflix has yet to announce the K-drama's renewal.
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