Go On A Thrilling Truth-Seeking Journey With Disney+ Hotstar’s Latest K-Dramas: Big Mouth & Adamas

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Thrill, suspense, and a fascinating story line awaits you at the start of two similar yet distinct K-dramas that have just been released on Disney+ Hotstar. There are big names, big productions, and even bigger plot twists in both these K-dramas that are going to make you stay glued to your screens every week.

If you are a K-drama fan, these names and faces are no strangers to you. I’ll be honest, I don’t usually like this kind of darker dramas where there are power struggles and politics going on. I had to watch these for work, but I was immediately sucked into the story after the first episode. The strong leads and the interesting premise that the dramas are based on intrigued me.

So, let’s dive deeper into what each K-drama entails and my reviews on the two episodes each that have been premiered. Minor spoilers ahead!


Adamas

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The Details

Premier date: 27 July 2022
Airtime: Every Wednesday and Thursday
Channel: Disney+ Hotstar
Episodes: 16

The Story

Adamas is an action crime drama that stars twin brothers Ha Woo-shin and Song Soo-hyun. Ha Woo-shin is an accomplished best-selling mystery novelist while Song Soo-hyun is a prosecutor at the Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Both brothers have very different personalities and temperaments – Ha Woo-shin being the more serious, and rational brother despite being the younger twin while prosecutor Song Soo-hyun is honest and outspoken about his feelings. Events unfold as both brothers search for the truth behind their stepfather’s murder at the hands of their biological father.

The drama stars big names such as Jisung who was last seen in The Devil Judge, Seo Ji-hye showing a more serious side of her compared to previous role in Kiss Sixth Sense and Heo Sung-tae who you will recognise from Squid Game. Lee Soo-kyung may not look familiar but she has starred in many shows with her latest being Yaksha: Ruthless Operations.

L to R: Jisung, Seo Ji-hye, Lee Soo-kyung, Heo Sung-tae | Image credit: Disney+

The Cast

Jisung plays twin brothers Ha Woo-shin and Song Soo-hyun. Yes, you read it right – he is playing two characters at once! Doesn’t this remind you of his role as Cha Do-hyun in Heal Me Kill Me? A hardcore K-drama fan would definitely have seen this classic drama where he acts as someone who has Dissociative Identity Disorder with 6 other identities. But Jisung has this to say when he was asked about playing multiple characters during the press conference:

“I didn’t base my performance for this show on the experience of playing 7 different characters in my previous work. This was a totally new experience. Back then, I was playing a person with a multiple personality disorder, so I acted them out as if they were completely different individuals. However, for ADAMAS, I had to show what was unique in the identical twin brothers, whose portrayals would have to have the same starting point. They shared a lot of similarities, and yet were different in subtle ways, and to bring those out on screen had its difficulties.”

Seo Ji-hye plays Eun Hye-soo who is the wife of the eldest son of the Haesong Group. She plays an important role in the story as she secretly helps Ha Woo-shin although she might have an agenda of her own.

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Lee Soo-kyung plays Kim Seo-hee, an enthusiastic and righteous reporter for the local news. She is certain that the twin’s biological father isn’t the murderer. She also seems to be hiding a secret of her own that is related to the twin brothers and their father.

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Heo Sung-tae plays Choi Tae-seong a.k.a Chief Choi who is the head of security at Haesongwon, the residence of Haesong Group’s chairman. Chief Choi carries a secret of his own as it turns out he is an undercover police but we do not know yet why he has infiltrated Haesongwon.

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The Review

As mentioned, I wouldn’t really go for this kind of drama but with Jisung helming the show, I was definitely more inclined. Seeing him act both characters was interesting and shows again how diverse he is as an actor. I also thought the mood would be very dark and sombre the whole time but there are hints of humour and light-heartedness sprinkled here and there which made the show easier to watch. Episode 1 was more of an introduction, but the pace moves quite fast as by episode 2, we learn a lot more about what is going on and some of the secrets the characters are hiding. Through episode 2, my interest was piqued, and I foresee myself following the drama because I need to satiate my curiosity about what happened. 😅


Big Mouth

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The Details

Premier date: 29 July 2022
Airtime: Every Friday and Saturday
Channel: Disney+ Hotstar
Episodes: 16

The Story

Big Mouth (not to be confused with animation series) is a noir legal criminal series that tells the story of an ordinary but unlucky lawyer who gets caught up in a dangerous scheme involving crime, drugs, and money. To ensure his own safety and the safety of his family, he ends up becoming Big Mouse, a notorious crime lord that is feared by everyone.

This was a very much anticipated K-drama as it stars Lee Jongsuk and Girls’ Generation Lim Yoona with a lot of fans looking forward to the chemistry between the two accomplished actors. Along with a stellar cast that consists of Yang kyungwon, Ok Jayeon, Kim Juhun and Kwak Dongyeon, the drama promises an exciting and riveting time for the viewers.

L to R: Yang kyungwon, Lim Yoona, Lee Jongsuk, Ok Jayeon, Kim Juhun | Image credit: Disney+

The Cast

Lee Jongsuk plays Park Changho who is an unlucky lawyer who only has a 10% winning rate. He tends to speak before he thinks, and as a result, he earned the nickname Big Mouth. As he continued to be riddled with debt after being scammed, he was offered to defend a murder case that would inevitably make him famous. However, luck turns on him as he finds himself accused as Big Mouse who is a notorious crime lord. Lee Jongsuk has this to say about his character:

“Changho had many physically demanding scenes – that was just the nature of this role – but all in all I had a lot of fun.”

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Lim Yoona plays Ko Miho who works as a nurse and the wife of Park Changho. They were high school sweethearts who got married after Changho became a lawyer. She is the kind of person that works hard and takes no nonsense but finds herself frustrated by her husband’s naivete and optimism. However, when Park Changho was accused of being Big Mouse, she attempts to clear his name.

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Lee Kiyoung (on the left) plays Ko Gigwang who is Ko Miho’s father, but he also dotes on his son-in-law, Park Changho. Oh Euisik (on the right) plays Kim Soontae who is Park Changho’s close friend and fellow lawyer. They will also try to clear park Changho’s name.

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Kim Juhun plays Mayor Choi Doha, the person who entrusted the murder case to Park Changho. In reality, he wanted Changho to be a mole to find out the truth behind the murder.

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Yang Kyungwon plays Gong Jihoon who is the CEO of media tycoon Woojung Ilbo and the leader of NR Forum, a secret organization of powerful business tycoons.

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The Review

If you are an avid K-drama fan, most of the faces you see in the drama would be familiar to you. However, it is exciting to see them play roles that are very different from the ones they played before. For example, you might recognise Yang Kyungwon who plays villain Gong Jihoon from his comedic roles in popular K-drama hits, Vincenzo and Crash Landing on You.

Overall, I enjoyed the first two episodes. I would say Big Mouth is grittier and darker compared to Adamas. Although both shows revolve around similar themes of crime, law and money, the way both plots are unfolding is very different. I find myself invested in the storyline and I am interested to see how Park Changho’s character will evolve to become Big Mouse. He starts off as a naïve and clueless lawyer, but it seems like he’s going to need all his smarts and wits to survive and reveal the truth.


There you go! Hope this article has sparked your interest in catching Big Mouth and Adamas on Disney+ Hotstar. You don’t even have to choose between the two because they’re both great.

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