Novo Mundo (2021)

Unexpectedly great

I had my eye on this ever since a news article came out about introducing the cast and a basic reference to the concept, that it would take place on an island. The trailer looked intriguing, so I clicked right on the show, when it came out (and to my surprise, only two episodes per week, damn!). I had great fun with this, it was very refreshing an entertaining.

To sum New World up, it's a variety show with very immersive elements and a concept that adjusts by days. The members are basically on an island vacation for six days in exclusive accommodation that had been designed to fit their preferences. They meet every day and a holographic box informs them on the main event of the day and they react accordingly. Depending on what is happening they get more or less competitive with other, they forge and break alliances and basically, just wreak havoc around the island. Their goal is to earn prize money that makes their life on the island easier, they can afford stuff (they even pay for food with it) and in the end, they are allowed to transfer their balance into real currency.

The quests or events the show is based on are excellently put together. There is a nice balance of competitiveness because the members organically forge different alliances which makes sense for the day. Because the cast has various experiences in variety shows it is also very interesting to watch them approach this. Sometimes they even play against the game instead of against each other which is very refreshing. The show is also edited in a way, that viewers are invited to pay more attention because not everything is shown as it happens and there are a lot of surprises.

The members, as mentioned, are very well chosen. This was my first time watching something with Kim Hee Chul as a full member (I usually see him as a guest in something or in clips) and damn, he was hilarious here, I totally enjoyed his chaotic presence. Lee Seung Gi and Eun Ji Won as veterans were also great, but I feel like their thunder was stolen quite a bit by the rookies. Jo Bo Ah was fantastic! I really enjoyed her approach of taking a step back and evaluating the situation for herself, she is also very loyal the her (true) allies and when in doubt, uses her amazing acting skills which made her a really strong contender. Kai was also really great, I loved how he "levelled up" by quickly observing his senior members and slowly building his position by sharing when necessary and cooperating with people who benefited him. Park Na Rae is no rookie, but I was surprised by how innocently she approached this show. She worked really hard and went all in, it was nice to see. She also a sort of centre of the members, she often hosts them and takes care of them. All of them has also great chemistry overall and often treated each other well, like when it came to food and snacks.

New World is overall well balanced, even when a daily challenge might be less interesting, they edit in an episode with something else or do the above mentioned trick with not exposing everything and fill it with a twist. My favourite episode is hands down the third one and from then on the show gains momentum, stakes get high and it grabs your attention. I was looking forward to new episodes every week and was very interested in it. I also really appreciated overarching elements through the whole show like the items, or hinting on something mysterious. There is a great potential here and I hope that the show will be successful enough to have multiple seasons. It was also edited really well and you had a genuine feeling of them being on the island by themselves - a lot of it is shot by automated cameras.

Now for things I didn't really like and this is highly subjective and my opinion only. As a show/concept it's really great, but when you think about watching six quite wealthy people in real life competing for fictional money and mentioning jokes about being poor. I don't know, it just rubbed me the wrong way in the first episode and then I got over it. It's just a show, not a social commentary after all. The other thing I did not necessarily like was one scripted part with and extra (I'm trying really hard not to spoil it here). I get that it might have something to do with an overarching story/element they wanted to introduce, but it was quite random and ruined a high paced part of one quest.

I really enjoyed New World and I would love to have more episodes to watch. If you have some spare time, I think that you would enjoy this a lot too.

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I'd love to experience the New World myself

I love this show for various reasons such as the concept, the casts and the location it was filmed. The overall theme on this show is dreamy and very fairytale-like.

Let me start with the concept. When I saw the synopsis of the show on Netflix, I really found it interesting. Throughout the show, the whole idea of New World has been explained clearly. This variety show reminds me of Busted!-like framework wherein there's a plot/pattern that are being followed but at the same time it is not scripted and the characters are able to express themselves freely.

The casts are also big personalities on the variety show world like SeungGi, NaRae, HeeChul and JiWon. On the otherhand, Kai is known as an EXO member and BoAh is a known actress. They really have a good chemistry together. Competition and games aside, I think they really fit well on this show.

Before I forget to mention, the filming location is fantastic. Based on my searches it was filmed on Oedo Island and everything on the island is breath-taking. I would love to visit the New World myself.

Overall, I love this show although I do admit that I felt like some episodes are
a bit dull but it's just a small part of it. Besides the 8-episode fits perfectly on my busy schedule just fine and made me laugh my stress away. I can't wait to watch a 2nd season if there will be one.

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