• Japanese drama 'Alice in Wonderful Kitchen' sparks plagiarism controversy with 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'

    Recently, the Japanese drama 'Alice in Wonderful Kitchen' has sparked plagiarism suspicions in connection with the Korean drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo.'

    Local Japanese media, pointed out resemblances between the newly aired Japanese NTV drama 'Alice in Wonderful Kitchen' and the concluded ENA drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' from August 2022. They presented five pieces of evidence to back their claims.

    'Alice in Wonderful Kitchen' follows the story of a talented chef with autism who often says, "Cooking is chemistry," navigating through life challenges, creating a heartwarming narrative. The cast includes Kadowaki Mugi, Nagase Ren, and Maeda Atsuko.

    Shortly after the first episode aired, the said Japanese media highlighted similarities between the main character Alice (Kadowaki Mugi) in 'Alice in Wonderful Kitchen' and Woo Young Woo (Park Eun Bin) in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,' both dealing with autism.

    The character development of both Alice and Woo Young Woo is said to be alike. Both grew up with a 'single father,' and the close friends of the protagonists had troubled pasts but formed strong bonds by supporting them.

    Additional evidence included both protagonists and their colleagues becoming romantic partners, and a character who knows the protagonist's past being the daughter of a large company.

    Quoting a broadcast official, the local Japanese media commented, "There is no doubt that NTV wanted to create the Japanese version of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,'" suggesting that they might have thought they could borrow some elements without being noticed.

    Upon hearing this news, local netizens shared reactions like "You'll understand if you watch the drama yourself," "It's really similar, not just the profession," and "It's too identical."

    Meanwhile, 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' achieved a peak viewership of 17.5% (based on Nielsen Korea nationwide paid households) and concluded on August 18, 2022.

    The series gained popularity on Netflix globally, topping categories in both non-English and English languages, and also reached the top in Japanese Netflix.

    The first episode of 'Alice in Wonderful Kitchen' recorded an average household viewership rating of 6.2% (Video Research, Kanto region).

    Source[1]

  • BTS's Jimin Breaks Records in Japan with "Who" as it Earns Prestigious 'Gold' Streaming Certification

    BTS’s Jimin is once again proving his global dominance, especially in Japan, where his solo music continues to break records!

    Jimin's hit song "Who", from his second album MUSE, has just been awarded the prestigious Gold streaming certification from the Japan Record Association (RIAJ).

    This honor comes after "Who" surpassed a remarkable 50 million streams in February, making it the first solo song by Jimin to receive this certification in Japan!

    The Japan Record Association certifies music based on total streams, with Gold for 50 million streams, Platinum for 100 million, and Diamond for a massive 500 million.

    This achievement adds another significant milestone to Jimin’s growing solo career.

    Previously, Jimin also earned a Platinum certification for his first album FACE (for 250,000 units shipped) and a Gold certification for MUSE (for over 100,000 units shipped).

    With the Gold streaming certification for "Who", Jimin now holds a total of three prestigious certifications from the Japan Record Association, solidifying his place as a solo artist.

    Not only that, but "Who" made waves on the Billboard charts, staying on the Billboard Hot 100 for an impressive 33 weeks, setting a record for the longest-charting K-pop solo song! It also spent 32 weeks on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, showing just how much love fans have for his music.

    Jimin’s solo success doesn’t stop there, as GOLDEN also spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart, and Jimin continues to dominate the Billboard Japan Artist 100, where he has now charted for 47 weeks! Clearly, Jimin’s popularity is unstoppable!

    Source (1)