"Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" Hits 10 Million Viewers

Director Kim Yong-hwa's web-toon adaptation, "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds", has hit 10 million viewers.

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Since its release on the 20th of December, "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" is the first movie this year to reach the 10 million mark.

One of the biggest draws for the film is its visuals. "The movie is a display of visual effects and exhibition of talent", one critic said. The film was created with a upgraded graphics and skill that fulfilled the director's vision of "drama". The image of the afterlife and hell has been vividly created through CG. The 7 properties of matter, 'fire, water, iron, ice, mirror, gravity and sand', exists in the movie and so does the grand scenery of nature. Even Hell, with its grand scale and structures, stands out.

The view of life after death that people experience different Hells added to the mood of the film. The story is centered on the assumption that one can be reincarnated if he passes the seven trials of hell in the 49 days after death. As the film goes through seven hell trials of murder, sloth, falsehood, injustice, betrayal, violence, and filial piety, audiences will empathize with the main characters' story.

Another factor for its success is that it captures the original feeling of the web-toon. "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" written by Joo Ho-min is first place in Naver's total number of views throughout the series. It was chosen as a 'classic web-toon' and rated at least9.98 stars for every episode, making it a legend in the world of web-toons. In fact, web-toon fans are hesitant about the movie because it may damange the fun and emotion of the original.

However, Director Kim found a way to add a cinematic appeal without leaving the big trunk of web-toon; imagining a vast narrative, he gathered stories from multiple points of view together. He compressed two characters from the original into one person, increasing character concentration. He turned the main characters into firemen and not just regular workers. He succeeded in attracting the fans of web-toon to the audience.