Posters for "Yumi's Cells" and "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" / Courtesy of Tving
First came “Yumi’s Cells.” Then came “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier.” In Korea’s increasingly cutthroat streaming market, Tving has landed back-to-back hits, showing it can produce original series capable of cutting through a crowded content landscape.
For Tving, the back-to-back successes are especially noteworthy. For one, the two shows are emerging as marquee titles that help define the platform’s identity. But their significance also lies in how Tving made them. Rather than mounting mega-budget productions, the platform has focused on works produced on a more realistic scale and polished to a higher level of quality — a strategy industry watchers say is becoming one of its strengths.
A look at the streaming industry explains why. Global platforms are pouring astronomical budgets into content production and releasing a flood of new titles. Korean domestic platforms, too, are scrambling to secure competitive original works.
But as results have shown time and again, budget alone is not a magic key to success. What has become more important is how precisely a platform shapes and presents its identity, and how accurately it targets its intended audience. In that sense, Tving is playing the game cleverly.
“Yumi’s Cells,” for example, drew attention from the moment it was announced. Based on a popular webtoon of the same name, the series stood out for its unusual format, combining live action with 3D animation. Its depiction of emotions and inner thoughts through animated cell characters could easily have felt childish, but the drama balanced the concept with realistic romance and a relatable storyline, earning a strong response from viewers.
The drama was praised for establishing its own appeal and building a dedicated fan base, rather than simply leaning on the popularity of the original webtoon.
When Tving produced “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier,” it took a different route from earlier military-themed Korean dramas. Works such as “New Recruit” and “Military Prosecutor Doberman” often relied on familiar formulas, either catering heavily to male viewers or leaning into comic exaggeration. Tving, however, shifted the focus to emotional moments that viewers beyond the usual audience for military dramas could recognize from everyday life.
The series still made full use of the military as a distinctive setting, drawing humor from the realities of life inside the barracks and the sharply defined personalities of its characters. Instead of relying on excessive provocation or an overly grand fictional universe, the show found comedy in lived-in details and character-driven situations — a choice that made its B-movie-style humor feel more organic.
Both dramas share strengths in their appeal to everyday emotions, relationship-driven story arcs and strong characters, rather than relying on star-studded casts or blockbuster-scale premises.
Source: Korea Times News
