My Thoughts On Good News (Netflix)

Sho Kasamatsu as the leader of the hijackers in Good News (Netflix)

When I opened YouTube one day, I was suggested the trailer of an upcoming Korean film called Good News. I started watching K-dramas/movies this year, and I'm enjoying their crime TV shows. So I clicked on the video and a few seconds in, my boy Sato from Tokyo Vice, aka Sho Kasamatsu, appeared on the screen. Isn’t this supposed to be a Korean film?! And who do I see next, the one and only Serizawa (Takayuki Yamada).

Tamao Serizawa is a character in the Crows Zero movies, based on the popular delinquent manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahashi. This is what got me into delinquent manga ( yes, I love delinquent manga). Crows is a classic, and for those who watched the High & Low movies, especially the crossover with Crows, you've heard of Suzuran and Housen. So Tamao Serizawa is Suzuran’s boss in the first Crows Zero movie.

I'm team Housen and don't care about Suzuran, but I like Genji Takiya (Shun Oguri) more than Serizawa. Now, back to Good News. I was initially confused to see Japanese actors in a Korean film, and since I didn't know what it was about, I did some research and found out the film is based on true events. I've been into Japanese media for decades, and I can't tell you how happy I was to see a Japanese cast I'm familiar with in a foreign movie.

Takayuki Yamada as Shinichi Ishida

Japanese Dramas In The West

I started watching Japanese dramas in 2008, and the very first drama I watched was Hanakimi, also known as Ikkemen Paradise, which is now available on Netflix. I loved it so much I started looking for something similar, and that's how my interest shifted from anime to Japanese dramas and movies.

Although many J-dramas are based on popular manga, they have never reached the same level of popularity as anime, especially here in Europe. It wasn't easy to come across people who loved J-dramas in the late 2000s, as the fandom is very niche. When K-dramas exploded in the West, I wondered why it hadn’t happened with J-dramas.

I finally understood when I started watching K-dramas this year. Korean filmmakers knew how to appeal to an international audience by making K-dramas accessible to the West. It's easy to find J-dramas on streaming services these days, but it wasn't the case a few years ago. Japan is well-known for its strict copyright laws, and I believe it's one of the reasons J-dramas are only starting to gain popularity in Europe. Last Samurai Standing was in the UK Top 10 TV shows for a couple of weeks.

Storytelling tailored only for a Japanese audience is also another factor; if that's the case, why did I get into J-dramas in the first place? As I mentioned, I've been watching anime since childhood, so I'm familiar with Japanese storytelling, which is why it was easy to transition from anime to dramas. Their storytelling might be "shocking" by its realness to someone who is just getting into manga or dramas.

And finally, Japanese actors' lack of interest in working outside Japan. Shun Oguri has been my favourite Japanese actor since Hana Yori Dango, and I wish I had seen him in international projects. The same goes for Kento Yamazaki; he's doing well and reminds me of Shun Oguri then. Like him, his work is limited to Japan. That’s why I have a soft spot for Mackenyu and Sho Kasamatsu; these guys are bold and going for international roles.

Hong Kyung as Lieutenant Seo Go-Myung

The Crossover We Didn't Know We Needed

Good News is a 2025 Thriller - Comedy based on true events and directed by Byun Sung-Hyun. The story follows a group of Japanese communists who hijack a domestic flight and change its course to Pyongyang. Things don't go as planned when someone diverts the plane to Seoul. The movie features an international cast including Hong Kyung, Sho Kasamatsu, Takayuki Yamada and Ryoo Seung-bum.

I was excited about the movie because the trailer was hilarious, and it was amazing to see such a crossover between Japanese and South Korean cinema. As I mentioned earlier, many Japanese actors tend to limit themselves to Japan, and you can't help but feel excited when you see such an assembly of actors. At the same time, I also didn't know what to expect as I had never seen such a crossover before. Can Korean and Japanese acting and humour go well together?

Good News is one of the best films I watched this year; it's a satire with witty humour, and I laughed my head off. They knew how to capture Japanese humour and stereotypes as well as the complex relations between Koreans and the Japanese. My favourite scene is when they see a black guy eating a burger in Pyongyang. I'm still laughing as I'm writing this post. I felt bad for Seo Go-myung, the guy was trying so hard, while no one seemed to care. It shows how disconnected from reality people in high positions really are.

What Happened To Joe Yabuki

The highlight of the movie for me was when one of the hijackers quoted Joe Yabuki, for context, Joe Yabuki is the protagonist in the sports manga series Ashita no Joe, written by Asao Takamori and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. The story follows a young drifter who discovers a passion for boxing and makes a name for himself on the global boxing scene.

I watched Ashita no Joe as a child with my dad in the early 90s; it was his favourite anime, and I didn't understand back then why he loved it so much. In the first few episodes, Joe Yabuki was a scum, so why did he love it so much? It all made sense when I watched it again as an adult to remember my dad, and it's only then that I realised its social impact.

This movie raised an interesting question: what happened to Joe? Did he really die? I'm glad I finally got into K-dramas this year because if I didn't, I would've missed out on such a gem. There are only two words to describe Good News: fantastic and ridiculous, and I recommend it enough.