Japanese version of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' premieres... Mixed reactions to Asida Mana's passionate acting and directing critiques

The Japanese remake of the drama ″Minamida Minami Lawyer is a Genius Type″ has received various reactions in terms of directing and acting since its first broadcast. This work is based on the original ″Extraordinary Attorney Woo,″ which aired on ENA in 2022, and premiered on Kansai TV and Fuji TV in Japan on the 19th. The lead role of Minamida Minami was played by actress Ashida Mana, portraying a genius rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum. The role of Funai Minato, corresponding to Lee Junho played by Kang Tae-oh in the original, was played by Takahashi Fumiya. The original ″Extraordinary Attorney Woo″ tells the story of a rookie lawyer who struggles with social life at a large law firm but grows by solving cases. It recorded a peak viewership rating of 17.5% during its broadcast and gained global popularity in the non-English TV category on Netflix. It also set the highest preference record in the ″Korean Favorite TV Programs″ ranking released by Gallup Korea. The Japanese version faithfully reflects key scenes from the original while localizing some settings to fit environments familiar to Japanese viewers. For example, the kimbap Woo Young-woo liked was changed to the Japanese-style rice ball onigiri, and the difficulty passing through revolving doors was adapted to a fear of escalators. The greeting ″Woo to the Young to the Woo,″ used by Donggeurami and Woo Young-woo, was changed to ″Minamida to the Minami″ in the Japanese version. Ashida Mana was praised for delicately expressing Woo Young-woo’s unique traits such as her bobbed hair, speech style, eye contact, and habit of tapping her fingers. Takahashi Fumiya was also noted for his high synchronization with the original character. However, there were also criticisms regarding directing, cinematography, and acting skills. Since the trailer release, the visuals were criticized as outdated, and after the first broadcast, there were ongoing complaints about the bright lighting and colors, as well as the lighthearted directing even in serious situations. In particular, the scene where the protagonist as a child, after witnessing her father involved in a quarrel and suffering from the noise, speaks for the first time was seen as focusing more on genius traits than emotional depth, making it feel like a cartoon. Some viewers also expressed disappointment with the acting of Gakuta Akihiro, who played the father Minamida Makoto. Regarding Ashida Mana’s acting, there were opinions that it was insufficient to surpass Park Eun-bin’s expressiveness and character interpretation in the original, and criticisms that the remake lacked its own unique interpretation.