Blockbuster films from South Korea, China and Japan are showcased on OTT platform iQiyi International this month.
Animation hits include the record-breaking “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train” and “Natsume Yujin-cho the Movie: Ephemeral Bond.”
Crime and thriller films are also included such as “Voice of Silence” (starring Yoo Ah-in and Yoo Jae-myung), “Recalled” (starring Seo Ye-ji and Kim Kang-woo), and “Pipeline” (featuring Seo In-guk).
If you are looking for romantic films, you can watch “My Love” (starring Greg Hsu and Zhang Ruo-nan), “Passage of My Youth” (starring Zhang Zi-feng and Song Wei-long) and “Why Women Cheat” (starring Deng Kai and Yao Xiao-xiao).
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train” holds the highest box office record in Japanese film history so far, and with $474.6 million in revenue worldwide, it became the best-selling film in 2020. The story continues after the television series “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.” After completing the training at Butterfly Mansion, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke board the Mugen Train towards the darkness. On this train, they meet up with Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku to embark on a new mission.
On the other hand, “Natsume Yujin-cho” has been adapted into a feature film “Ephemeral Bond” where Takashi reunites with classmate Yuki, and meets with Yorie Tsumura who knows Reiko. Yorie is having a serene life with her only son Mukuo in a village that seems to have mysterious spirits. On the way back from the investigation, a seed attached to Nyanko-sensei drops at the front yard of Fujiwara’s residence. The seed grows and bears fruits overnight. After accidentally eating the fruit that resembles him, Nyanko-sensei suddenly has two doubles.
“Voice of Silence” is a crime film, featuring Yoo Ah-in and Yoo Jae-Myung. Their roles as Tae-in and Chang-bok are vegetable vendors in daytime, and handle corpses for mafia groups at night. After being dragged into a kidnapping incident, their life is getting out of their control. The film was nominated for best film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards, and Yoo Ah-in won best actor in the two awards shows.
“Pipeline,” starring Seo In-guk, Lee Soo-hyuk, Tae Hang-ho and Bae Yoo-ram, describes a group of thieves trying to steal crude oil located dozens of meters underground. This unprecedented topic in Korea offers a brand new story to viewers. With multiple prior collaborations, Seo In-guk and Lee Soo-hyuk create fascinating chemistry. “I put a lot of time and effort into Pipeline,” says Seo In-guk, “and I have learned a lot from the director”.
“Recalled” is a mystery thriller, featuring Seo Ye-ji “It's Okay to Not Be Okay” and Kim Kang-woo. After losing her memory, Soo-jin gradually gets her life back on track with support from her husband. In the process, she also receives the capability to foresee the future.
After rising to fame with the Taiwanese drama “Someday or One Day,” Greg Hsu chose “My Love” as his film debut. In “My Love,” he and Zhang Ruo-nan portray an emotional love story across 15 years, from high school to college, and from dating to marriage. Hsu plays a skilled swimmer and jumps into water again and again. With a lot of attention and discussions, “My Love” premiered with over CNY$100 million ($15.44 million) at the box office on the first day, and secured the top-selling title on the first week.
“Passage of My Youth” (starring Zhang Zi-feng and Song Wei-long) is a deeply heartwarming and equally heartbreaking coming-of-age love story. Adapted from the namesake novel by Lu Yi-ge, the story follows Jiang He (played by Zhang Zi-feng), who studies very hard to catch up with learning genius Jiang Hai (played by Song Wei-long). Eventually, they go to Britain together for college, and encounter many heartwarming and emotional events.
“Why Women Cheat” is a historical romantic fantasy, starring Deng Kai, Yao Xiao-xiao, Xiong Su-yi, and Cao Jie, with Wang Kuirong as guest appearance. The beautiful and handsome cast generated a lot of discussions even before filming. Based on an ancient legend in Southeast Asia, it’s a romance between a kind princess at a coastal country and a “snake god” princess at a neighboring country.
Other movies on iQiyi International’s slate include “The Rescue” (directed by Dante Lam and starred by Eddie Peng), “A Writer's Odyssey” (starred by Lei Jiayin and Yang Mi), “Detective Chinatown Vol. 2” (starred by Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran), as well as several Wuxia classics remakes (“The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Dragon Tamer” and “King of The New Beggars.”)