#orvla

He is not normal, he's unremarkable, especially in the current world that he is living in; no one is “normal,” no one is “not special,” any of us could be Kim Dokja. Not because he’s just like us in all ways, but because, in the view of the world, there is nothing special about him; all he has is “ordinary trauma”.

You can even tell in the way that the director talks about the core themes and concepts of ORV, saying that the main appeal is that Kim Dokja knows things before they happen, is a fair statement for the first tenth of the novel, maybe, but very quickly the ways in which he’s changed the plot make it clear that he can’t know everything and he moreso just knows a lot about this world and can make fairly good guesses based on Yoo Joonghyuk’s 1863 regressions.

ORV at its core is truly about the connections that people can form, the ways that we communicate and the constant yearning that any person has to be understood. It's about the horror and wonder of being understood even slightly. It's about art as it pertains to this and how in a world where we can never fully know one another, the closest we can get is the art that we make and the stories we tell.

Just like mentioning understanding where Kim Dokja’s knowledge comes from, it's also clear that the director does not know the truth of ORV, he removes Yoo Joonghyuk knowing things that he should not, and makes no mention of Han Sooyoung in the movie. The changes in Lee Gilyoung also make it clear that the director has no idea about his canon home life and his sponsor.

I just want to make it clear… I am fine with adaptations changing things about their source material. If you look at my blog, you can tell I am the world’s biggest FMA 2003 fan, and the only thing that most people know about that is that the series changed a bunch of things from the source material. But if you do change things, they have to be with an understanding of the core concepts and themes of the piece, and they sure as hell better only improve the source material.

In this case, the director has written off the themes of the original novel as trite or pandering without even knowing why things have been set up the way that they were. And in the end, it leads to a cheap flash in the pan sort of story. Character arcs that are compelling enough to only barely support this movie, a plot that compels only to the end, and conflict that has been perfectly manufactured and solved by the end of the first movie. To be completely frank, I have no idea why there seems to be such a push by the director for a sequel when the first movie literally ends with the group having a group hug, celebrating, and all working together.

I truly think that when this director was changing things about the novel, he was expecting us to enjoy the changes. He was expecting that ORV is what it seems on the cover, an aura farming power fantasy that had no real depth. I truly think that he thought that we would appreciate that he was “adding” depth to a story that needed it to appeal to everyone. What he created was okay. If I saw this movie with no context, I would shrug my shoulders, say it was fine, it had some fun moments, and I would move on.

I have been obsessed with ORV for the last three years. I have made my own art and merch. I have picked over this story with a fine-tooth comb, and it has almost never disappointed me. I have never felt that all the effort and passion that I feel for it is undeserved. ORV attracts people who love stories, who love art, and rewards them for their passion by being a story worth said passion. I do not believe that this director loves art enough to even give ORV a chance, and do not think he created a story worth more than passing enjoyment.

The Female Characters

So yeah…

Wanting to give this movie the benefit of the doubt as someone who doesn’t believe that changes ruin adaptations, it’s been kinda fun trying to figure out why the changes that were made happened, but this part of everything just sucks.

When I first read ORV through the webtoon, I was really thrown off by the art style and kinda thought it was a trite power fantasy, but I wasn’t in the greatest place irl, so I kept on reading (kdj much). The first thing that caught my attention was KDJ booking it after almost meeting YJH. The second was Jung Heewon. Seeing a character that was the victim of sexual assault not only be shown as justified in her anger and violence, but also never boiled down to her revenge, laughing and joking with the group. It was one of the first times I had seen such a compelling dynamic female character in these types of stories, and as the story continued, the care and respect that Singsong has for their female characters only became more and more clear. From Yoo Sangah’s deliberate deconstruction of the pretty nice girl romantic lead character trope, to Han Sooyoung being arguably the most compelling character in the entire novel.

This adaptation has none of this respect for its female characters.

Yoo Sangah no longer stands up for the grandmother on the train and tries to save her. She cowers and tries to stop Kim Dokja from saving her. Jung Heewon no longer jokes and has fun with her companions; instead, she’s a stoic action hero (she does speak though I've seen a lot of rumors that she doesn't).

Yoo Sangah's is the characterization that really disappoints me, especially the way the actress and director seemed to speak about the changes. The changes were put in place to make you sangah be in their minds less of a stick in the mud. But why does Yoo Sangah wanting to save the grandmother make her a stick in the mud, while for Kim Dokja, it’s a mark of heroism? Why is Yoo Sangah now constantly saying that they shouldn’t put themselves in danger, when in literally the same part in the novel, she breaks into tears because she thinks she can’t help her companions fight. This Yoo Sangah, who lost her job and says it would probably be better for her if she just accepted Han Myungoh's advances, is a gross mischaracterization of the strength and rebellion that Yoo Sangah is a symbol of.

The Good

Nana, Ahn Hyo Seop, and some directing choices…

I know, right? A lot of this review has read as a bit of a hit piece for this person, but to be honest… when it came to his actual job of directing camera motion and actors, he didn’t do a terrible job. The highlight for me was the opening scene that Singsong mentioned in their interview. It wasn’t exactly how I would have done it, but it felt right and gave just the right tone to start the movie, to be honest when I saw the opening scene there was just a moment that I thought that he really might pull it off, that I might even like the changes and become the pariah of two fandoms. He didn’t. But I appreciate the artistry that the movie started with. I also really enjoyed one of the final shots of the “rooms” scenario where Kim Dokja is breaking the room tile, and you look up as the tile to the crowd of people. I liked it a lot, and it was a super compelling shot. I also thought that overall, the look of the movie wasn’t bad. Especially early in the novel, having a kinda, gamified look to the set, like an mmorpg, isn’t a bad take on it. I know that the CG really bothered some people, and there was a shot or two that were horrendous, but overall, it didn’t bother me.

Ahn Hyo Seop

Ahhh, he and Logan Lerman should really have a coffee together.

I don’t really agree with his characterization of Kim Dokja, but considering the scripted changes to the character, he really did a good job at portraying this funhouse mirror version of Kim Dokja. There were moments here and there where he was allowed to act somewhat cool-hearted, and that showed that he really could have pulled off this role, the way it was meant to be portrayed. But the best thing about his performance is really his physicality. More than any line he said or expression he made, the way he moved as Kim Dokja really convinced me.

Nana’s just a good actor and did a really nice job with her awakening scene, even if it wasn’t given the importance and care that it should have had.

In Conclusion