Why 'Paper House: Korea' is the perfect example of a series remake

The Paper House series started on the Spanish channel Athena 3 in May 2017. However, a few months later, the international streaming rights were acquired by the streaming service Netflix. The platform re-edited the episodes, added the English-language title Money Heist, and released it as their own original project. It was then that the whole world started talking about the “Paper House”.

The series ran for five seasons and ended in 2021. However, already on June 24, 2022, a new version of the show appeared on Netflix: a remake of Paper House: Korea. In the original and the English version, there is also a subtitle "Single Economic Zone".

It’s worth warning right away: the remake follows the plot of the previous project very closely. Therefore, those who loved the Spanish "Paper House" may be bored: most of the events are known in advance. However, there are surprises for connoisseurs, especially in the plot itself.

New series - reference example remake. It retains the spirit of that very "Paper House", but inscribes the plot in a completely different environment and even time. That's why the Korean version is so good.

1. The series completely retains the atmosphere of the original.

The basic plot is the same in both projects: a brilliant criminal named Professor gathers a motley crew to pull off the greatest heist in the history of the country. He gives all his subordinates call signs in the form of city names and develops a clear plan.

Criminals break into an institution where they store and print money, and take hostages. They plan not only to take out the currency reserves, but also stamp new bills, and then dig and escape. Repeatedly it seems that the heroes are in a hopeless situation: the police and special services immediately surround the building. However, the Professor foresees literally all the actions of opponents.

It is clear that the complete coincidence of the plots will upset those who loved the original "Paper House" and dreamed of seeing something new. But the project was filmed for another market. First of all, for Korean viewers, who often do not like Western TV shows. Especially Netflix did not even translate The Paper House into their language.

Considering how popular Korean series are on the site (remember at least “The game of squid”, “Hell Calling” or “Zombie Kingdom”), the most logical decision is to make a remake. This attracts viewers from Asian countries to the screens, and simply those who do not like European projects. Moreover, more money was clearly invested in the Korean "Paper House" than in the first season of the original: the new show looks much more expensive.

But at the same time, “Paper House: Korea” repeats many scenes almost frame by frame. Moreover, the authors approached the selection of actors as responsibly as possible. Secondary characters, such as Moscow, Oslo and Helsinki, completely resemble the portraits of the original characters. Tokyo, from whose perspective the narration is being conducted, looks very different, but retains a combination of audacity and vulnerability. In a word, in the entire project there is not a single hero who would not correspond to the type.

However, it is enough to open the list of episodes of the two "Paper Houses" to understand that the plot is presented in a slightly different way. The Korean version aired six episodes lasting over an hour each. The first part of the original consisted of 13 shorter episodes. So the pace of the story is a bit different. In addition, the relationship of some characters is revealed earlier. It seems that the authors of the adaptation decided to slightly correct the shortcomings of the original and speed things up. Whether it got better is debatable.

2. "Paper House: Korea" fits the action into the country's current entourage

Already in the teaser of the series, the authors slightly sneered at the connoisseurs of the original. Everyone knows that in the Spanish version, the characters wore the masks of Salvador Dali. They have even become a kind of symbol for fans - not as popular as Guy Fawkes from the movie "V stands for Vendetta", but recognizable.

In a short promo for the new series, the Professor looks at the wall, where several versions of masks hang at once, and seems to be reaching out to the same Dali. But in fact, already in the trailer and on the frames it was shown that the characters will wear Hahoe masks. According toMoney Heist Korea: Park Hae‑soo Reveals Real Meaning Of Mask; Jun Jong‑seo Says Tokyo Unlike Original One / News 18 actor Park Hae-soo (he became famous after The Squid Game, and now his character is Berlin), they are associated with national folklore and criticism of those in power.

But the authors did not limit themselves to just a change of location and Korean elements. Perhaps those who watched the original will be completely surprised by turning on the new series. After all, the introduction shows that now the matter is unfolding in the future. Namely, in 2025, when Northern and South Korea declared a truce and opened a common economic zone. The image of Tokyo itself has also changed. Now this is a girl who served in the North Korean army, and after the opening of the borders, she immediately moved from Pyongyang to Seoul.

In this part, Paper House already talks about issues that are important specifically for Korea. On the one hand, it looks like a dream that the two countries will indeed someday stop their feuds. On the other hand, the plot periodically goes into criticism of capitalism. North Koreans move south in search of a better life, but face deceit, lack of jobs and other problems. These topics look especially realistic if you know the history of the division of Germany. In much the same way, the inhabitants of East Berlin in the 80s fled to the west, but found themselves in difficult conditions.

Even the plot of the action itself refers not just to the desire to steal money, but to dreams of changes in the world and justice: both Tokyo and the Professor have noble motives.

In the main part of the series will move away from this theme, but still, individual elements will regularly remind that “Paper House” is partly a drama about two Koreas. Even among the hostages there are regular skirmishes due to origin. And intelligence agencies from North Korea insist on tougher methods than the negotiators from the south.

3. “Paper House: Korea” is a surprisingly international project

Finally, it is worth mentioning one more point that will somewhat upset fans of the classic Korean seriesbut will please everyone else. Like The Squid Game, the new movie is designed to be easy to watch in any country.

The very idea of ​​the original helps the authors: for example, it is easy to understand the names of the main characters, because they are addressed by the names of cities. And in general, the main action of the "Paper House" for the most part takes place inside one building, and the vast majority of important characters are archetypes familiar from popular cinema.

This partly deprives the series of the purely Korean charm that drama fans appreciate so much. But it makes the project more massive.

"Paper House: Korea" will be boring to watch for those who know the original by heart - only an unexpected introduction will hook. But the rest get a new opportunity to see the story that once captivated millions of fans. The remake was filmed with obvious love for the old project, so it almost doesn't lose to it.