{"id":11521,"date":"2026-10-26T16:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T16:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11521"},"modified":"2026-10-26T16:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T16:06:31","slug":"gimbap-becomes-onigiri-how-japan-remade-extraordinary-attorney-woo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11521","title":{"rendered":"Gimbap becomes onigiri: How Japan remade ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Woo Young-woo, left, played by Park Eun-bin, and Minami, played by Mana Ashida \/ Courtesy of ENA, official channel of “Extraordinary Attorney Minami”<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gimbap has become onigiri, a revolving door has been replaced by an escalator and even Woo Young-woo’s signature greeting has received a Japanese makeover.<\/p>\n

“Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” the Korean drama that became a global hit in 2022 with its story of an autistic rookie lawyer with an extraordinary memory, has been remade for Japanese television \u2014 retaining much of the original while adapting some of its most recognizable details for a new audience.<\/p>\n

“Extraordinary Attorney Minami,” which premiered Oct. 19 on Kansai TV and the Fuji TV network, is a remake of the ENA drama that aired in Korea in 2022.<\/p>\n

The Japanese adaptation follows Minamida Minami, a rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum, as she navigates prejudice, relationships and legal cases. But while the basic premise remains familiar, everyday details have been reworked to fit Japanese culture and life.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most immediately recognizable change involves food.<\/p>\n

Woo Young-woo, played by Park Eun-bin in the Korean original, famously loves gimbap, the Korean dish of rice and various fillings rolled in dried seaweed. In the Japanese remake, Minami’s comfort food is onigiri, the Japanese rice ball.<\/p>\n

Woo’s distinctive greeting with her colleague Lee Jun-ho \u2014 “Woo to the Young to the Woo” \u2014 has similarly become “Minami to the Minami.”<\/p>\n

Another change can be seen in how the two characters respond to everyday spaces.<\/p>\n

In the Korean drama, Woo struggles to enter a revolving door, resulting in one of the show’s memorable recurring situations. Minami instead stops in front of an escalator in the Japanese version and receives help from those around her before stepping onto it.<\/p>\n

The changes illustrate one of the central challenges facing any remake: how to preserve what made an original distinctive without simply reproducing it scene for scene.<\/p>\n

Food, spaces and daily routines can do more than establish where a story takes place. They can show what makes a character feel secure, what situations cause difficulty and how that person relates to those around them.<\/p>\n

Localization, therefore, involves more than swapping a Korean cultural element for its Japanese equivalent. It requires understanding what a scene accomplished in the original and finding a way to convey a similar emotion or meaning in a different setting.<\/p>\n

For viewers familiar with “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” such changes may make the remake feel fresh. But if the emotional beats and functions of individual scenes remain too similar, the result risks feeling like a copy. Change too much, meanwhile, and the reason for remaking the original can become less clear.<\/p>\n

Mana Ashida faces inevitable comparison with Park Eun-bin<\/strong><\/p>\n

The performance of the lead actor is another major point of comparison.<\/p>\n

Park built Woo into a distinctive character through her speech, gaze and physical movements. Her performance contrasted Woo’s reactions to unfamiliar situations with the confidence she displayed when applying her formidable memory and legal reasoning in the courtroom.<\/p>\n

As the Korean drama became a hit, Woo herself became an iconic character, making the role particularly difficult for another actor to reinterpret.<\/p>\n

In Japan, the task has fallen to Mana Ashida, a well-known actor who began her career as a child star.<\/p>\n

Following the premiere, some Japanese viewers praised Ashida’s use of her gaze, gestures and speech in portraying Minami. Others compared her directly with Park, saying aspects of the performance felt artificial or too strongly influenced by the Korean original.<\/p>\n

That tension is particularly pronounced when remaking a series built around such a recognizable protagonist. The more an actor departs from the original performance, the more obvious the differences become. But following it too closely can invite accusations of imitation.<\/p>\n

The challenge is even more sensitive when portraying an autistic character. Reproducing visible mannerisms alone is not enough. The character’s behavior needs to be understood within the context of her experiences and relationships rather than being reduced to quirks or cuteness.<\/p>\n

A Korean hit gets a Japanese test<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both versions also address disability and social prejudice.<\/p>\n

The Korean series followed Woo as she joined a major law firm despite the discrimination she faced due to autism. Through her relationships with colleagues, family members and clients, the drama explored social barriers that could not simply be overcome by individual talent.<\/p>\n

The Japanese remake retains that central premise. Its first episode depicts Minami struggling to find employment despite her outstanding academic record because of prejudice surrounding her disability, before joining a law firm and taking on a case.<\/p>\n

That theme has the potential to resonate across borders.<\/p>\n

“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” became one of Korea’s biggest television hits of 2022, reaching a peak domestic viewership rating of 17.5 percent. Its availability on Netflix also introduced the series to audiences around the world, demonstrating the potential for successful Korean stories and characters to become valuable intellectual property beyond their home market.<\/p>\n

Remaking an established hit gives producers a proven story and recognizable characters while offering audiences who already know the original a chance to see it through a different cultural lens. For viewers unfamiliar with the Korean series, meanwhile, the remake can stand as a new drama starring local actors.<\/p>\n

But familiarity does not guarantee success.<\/p>\n

Early responses to the Japanese remake have been mixed. While some viewers have praised Ashida’s performance and the production’s fidelity to key elements of the original, others have expressed disappointment with its direction and overall tone.<\/p>\n

For a remake of a series as widely recognized as “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” every onigiri, escalator and familiar gesture is likely to invite comparison with what came before.<\/p>\n

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Woo Young-woo, left, played by Park Eun-bin, and Minami, played by Mana Ashida \/ Courtesy of ENA, official channel of “Extraordinary Attorney Minami” Gimbap has become onigiri, a revolving door has been replaced by an escalator and even Woo Young-woo’s signature greeting has received a Japanese makeover. “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” the Korean drama that became…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-korea","category-trending-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t