Tag: The Manipulated

  • Top-Tier New K-Dramas Are Coming to Disney+ Starting December All the Way into 2026

    Top-Tier New K-Dramas Are Coming to Disney+ Starting December All the Way into 2026

    Last November 13, at Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney+ unveiled its lineup of new shows on the streaming service, covering the last two months of the year and extending into 2026. The streaming giant gathered media guests, influencers, and content creators from around the world as it unveiled its upcoming slate for 2026.

    Trust me, it’s jaw-droppingly awesome. The president of The Walt Disney Corporation Asia Pacific, Luke Kang, was present to deliver his opening remarks, where he talked about the growing global interest in Asian stories. Stories that are authentic to the culture and reach global appeal. He highlights the growing popularity of Disney+ original K-dramas, with Moving being a prime example of K-dramas’ ability to become global cultural signposts. There’s a growing market for K-dramas outside of Asia, most notably in Brazil, Mexico, and France. 

    Disney+ Shows in November 2025 and 2026

    To give a taste of the K-dramas to come, Disney+ invited the directors and stars of its upcoming series to showcase the sheer star power that’s coming to the House of the Mouse.

    Upcoming K-Dramas in Disney+ From November 2025 to 2026

    The Manipulated

    The Manipulated
    Cast of The Manipulated, Ji Changwook and Doh Kyungsoo, at the Disney+ Originals Preview 2025 (Courtesy of TWDC)

    The first six episodes of this 12-episode series, which takes its inspiration from the film Fabricated City (starring Ji Chang-wook), is already on Disney+ and they are explosive. Ji Chang-wook plays the lead in this action-suspense drama: a man who faces off against Doh Kyung-soo’s character, who frames him for a murder he didn’t commit. 

    The Manipulated
    Cast of The Manipulated, Ji Changwook and Doh Kyungsoo, at the Disney+ Originals Preview 2025 (Courtesy of TWDC)

    Both stars were present at the event, and when asked why Ji Chang-wook’s recent dramas on Disney+ have revolved around these gritty crime stories, Ji quickly stated that he has “a lot of affection for this genre.” On getting his character right, Doh made sure to work with the stylists to get the exact look that would help him get into character. He said he had no experience to draw from to play a character that was so vile, so he had to use his imagination to try to build a character “the audience would love to hate.”

    Made In Korea

    Made In Korea
    Cast of Made in Korea, Hyun Bin, Jung Woosung, Woo Dohwan, with director Woo Minho at the Disney+ Originals Preview 2025 (Courtesy of TWDC)

    Debuting on December 24, 2025, this slick and smart series set in 1970s Korea follows a spy who is running his own operation for his own greed. It’s a story about power and corruption against the backdrop of Korea’s tumultuous political history in that era, with Hyun Bin leading a cast that also includes Jung Woo-sung, Woo Do-hwan, and Won Ji-an. 

    Made in Korea
    Cast of Made in Korea, Hyun Bin, at the Disney+ Originals Preview 2025 (Courtesy of TWDC)
    Made in Korea
    Cast of Made in Korea, Woo Dohwan, at the Disney+ Originals Preview 2025 (Courtesy of TWDC)

    They previewed the first episode for the attendees, and it was truly thrilling. Action-packed and suspenseful, the show wasn’t afraid to get silly as well, which creates a multi-layered experience that’s definitely going to keep you engaged.

    KR Made in Korea
    Made in Korea | Photo Courtesy of Disney+

    The show only has six episodes, but with the second season already in production and slated for released in late 2026, the wait won’t be long.

    Gold Land

    Gold Land
    Cast of Gold Land, Park Boyoung, Kim Sungcheol, Lee Hyunwook, with director Kim Sunghoon at the Disney+ Originals Preview 2025 (Courtesy of TWDC)

    Park Bo-young, Kim Sung-cheol, Lee Hyun-wook, and other stars in this crime drama about a van of smuggled gold bars. Director Kim Sung-hoon said this show “is about desire” and the lengths to which some of these characters would go to keep the gold for themselves.

    4 Cast of Gold Land Park Boyoung at the Disney Originals Preview 2025 Courtesy of TWDC Large
    Cast of Gold Land, Park Boyoung at the Disney+ Originals Preview 2025 (Courtesy of TWDC)
    Gold Land
    Gold Land | Photo Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

    Park Bo-young sheds her usual bubbly side to go against type and really get into the dark world of Gold Land. She said, “I want to bring something new to the table.” Regarding her character, she was excited to show her character shifts from innocence to the darker side of human nature.

    A Shop for Killers (Season 2)

    A Shop For Killers (Season 2)
    A Shop for Killers (Season 2) | Photos Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

    Not even the director and lead star Lee Dong-wook guessed that the show would be so successful that it would get a second season. So, the cast returns, with Lee and Kim Hye-jun taking on the offensive in the second season.

    A Shop for Killers (Season 2)
    A Shop for Killers (Season 2) | Photos Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company
    KR A Shop for Killers S2 2
    A Shop for Killers (Season 2) | Photos Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

    They promise more action, and the director stated that people thought the first season was big, but he disagreed: “It only looked that way because I was focused on building the tension.” This time, he promised it would really scale up for Season 2.

    Perfect Crown

    Perfect Crown
    Perfect Crown | Photo Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

    Receiving the biggest cheers and loudest reactions from the crowd, Perfect Crown is set in a reimagined, alternate universe where Korea is under a constitutional monarchy. The romantic dramedy is about a prince (Byeon Woo-seok) and the heiress of the country’s biggest conglomerate (IU), who agree to enter a relationship to get ahead of the politics and power struggles, but of course, they find love in the process.

    Perfect Crown
    Perfect Crown | Photo Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company
    Perfect Crown
    Perfect Crown | Photo Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

    As the show is still in production, the stars were not present to answer the questions, but the room was abuzz with excitement. The short clips shared at the event gave off a lot of charm, and it is bound to be a success.

    Portraits of Delusion

    Portraits of Delusion
    Portraits of Delusion | Photo Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

    Set in 1935 Gyeongseong, Bae Suzy and Kim Seon-ho star in this adaptation of a popular webtoon. This romantic drama follows a vampire who commissions portraits to be made and a struggling young artist with a past. The clips shown feature quite a bit of action, as well as Bae Suzy in multiple styles, showing off the agelessness of her character.

    Portraits of Delusion
    Portraits of Delusion | Photo Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

    Still in production, Portraits of Delusion will be released in the second half of 2026.

    The Remarried Empress

    The Remarried Empress
    The Remarried Empress | Photo Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

    Also, an adaptation of a popular webtoon, The Remarried Empress stars Shin Min-ah, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk, and Lee Se-young. Shin Min-ah plays the perfect empress who is shocked to see her husband (Ju Ji-hoon) returns home with a mistress (Lee Se-young) and demands a divorce. To maintain her power, she agrees only if she’s allowed to marry a prince from a rival kingdom (Lee Jong-suk). The clips show off big, bold sets and lavish designs, and the storyline seems straight out of a campy melodrama but with these top-tier actors, we know it’s going to be done right.

    The Remarried Empress
    The Remarried Empress | Photo Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

    Shin Min-ah was a little nervous because of the webtoon’s popularity and said she hopes “that this lives up to the fans of the webtoon’s expectations.” Lee Se-young and Ju Ji-hoon had no worries, as they talked about how fun it was working on the set: “Everyone is such a veteran, so we had a lot of good days,” Ju remarked. 

  • DISNEY+ STREAMING SERIES REVIEW: Disney+ New Crime Drama “The Manipulated” Is Building Up to a Big Face-Off

    DISNEY+ STREAMING SERIES REVIEW: Disney+ New Crime Drama “The Manipulated” Is Building Up to a Big Face-Off

    The new Disney+ crime drama series The Manipulated is a glossy yet brutal thriller about an everyman, Park Tae-joong (Ji Chang-wook), who is framed for a horrible crime by an insanely wealthy fixer, An Yo-han (Doh Kyung-soo). Catching the first four episodes of the show, the series feels more like a movie cut into parts, with a large continuing narrative that only really follows Tae-joong and how he survives in prison while Yo-han is inadvertently making his life more difficult. The Manipulated is fast paced, pulls no punches, and is setting us up for a big showdown between its two leads.

    Tae-joong is a hardworking man with big dreams. He is constantly working, mostly as a delivery rider, trying to raise money to open a cafe while paying for the studies of his younger brother, Tae-jin. He is also knowledgeable with plants, a gift he has learned from his late mother. But one night, one phone call and a diversion from his usual routine finds him as the suspect of a brutal murder and some hard evidence has turned up that puts him in prison. There, the gentle hardworking man must turn into a warrior if he is going to survive.

    Disney+ The Manipulated

    The crux of the show’s first four episodes is centered on how this genuinely good person, wonderfully portrayed by Ji Chang-wook, turns into a fighter when his back is pushed against the wall. When binge watching the first four episodes, all the things that could go wrong for Tae-joong happens to Tae-joong bringing him to his darkest place only to be reborn as a strong-willed, very capable man. Surprisingly, the issue of his incarceration – what we, as the audience, known as false evidence because we witness what truly transpired – is hardly touched upon and the series seems more focused on Tae-joong’s transformation. 

    Disney+ The Manipulated

    When the case is brought up again, that’s the only time An Yo-han is revealed. Doh Kyung-soo portrays Yo-han as a psychopath, completely devoid of empathy and humanity, he plays him like a child who always gets what he wants. He’s portrayed as unbelievably wealthy, definitely supported by his work as a fixer, and unbelievably bored. We still know quite little at the start, but we know he’s the cause of Tae-joong’s suffering and so far, the series has made it that he’s going to be a character we are going to want to see suffer.

    Disney+ The Manipulated

    Structurally, the series isn’t built like a regular show. This is Tae-joong’s story, and most probably Yo-han’s too, once Tae-joong finds out his role in all of this, and the narrative rests entirely on Tae-joong’s journey. The first four episodes are set to break him, rebuild him, and then break him again, in order for him to take matters into his own hands.

    Disney+ The Manipulated

    The Manipulated continues the portrayal of a rough prison system that is filled with corruption and illegal activities. Some inmates, like Yeo Deok-su (Yang Dong-geun), are vile and evil and they find Tae-joong’s presence a wrench in their system of control within the prison.

    Disney+ The Manipulated

    The inner politics and territorial disputes among the inmates in the prison serve to play an important role here while there’s some shred of goodness left in the setting in the form of an inmate, No Yong-sik (Kim Jong-soo), who has found peace as an assistant to the prison priest, and one warden who stands as the only one in the whole prison who seems to have his humanity intact.

    Disney+ The Manipulated

    Directors Park Shin-woo and Kim Chang-ju are unafraid to go all in on the violence and brutality. The action scenes in the series are intense and make full use of Ji Chan-wook’s very capable physicality. Ji Chan-wook is charming as Tae-joong. He captures the goodness and the everyman quality that the character needs but can also bring out the darkness in him when his world starts crashing down. And Ji Chan-wook is no stranger to action. His past shows have shown that he’s very capable at making the fight scenes look good.

    Disney+ The Manipulated Poster

    The Manipulated is off to a great start. It has powerful lead actors and a narrative that’s shaping up for a face off that we’d be excited to see play out. The ending of episode four also hints at a certain death match, not unlike The Hunger Games. If it does, it will bring another layer into the show that may be a little too unrealistic for its rather grounded first four episodes, but it may amplify our need to see Tae-joong get his justice. I’m excited to find out.

    My Rating:

    stars 4 0



    Ready to see how far one man will go for justice? The Manipulated is streaming exclusively on Disney+. Catch the tension build with every episode.