Netflix’s New Superhero Series Is The Perfect Successor To An Iconic 2017 Classic

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I remember 1999 being a really strange time. There was this underlying anxiety about the new millennium, a feeling everyone seemed to share. Cell phones were still pretty new, people were wearing those ridiculously wide JNCO jeans, and getting online was a slow, frustrating process compared to today. Plus, everyone was worried about all sorts of doomsday scenarios related to Y2K. It was a chaotic, but strangely memorable time. And that feeling of messiness is perfectly captured in Netflix’s The WONDERFools, which follows Eun Chae-ni, a bit of a disaster herself, in the final days of 1999.

The K-drama WONDERFools is part of a growing trend: superhero parodies set in everyday life, where characters have strange and often over-the-top powers. While shows like Cashero (starring Junho) and Strong Girl Nam-soon (featuring Byeon Woo-seok as the villain) have gained popularity, they haven’t quite reached the level of the 2017 hit Strong Girl Bong-soon. However, WONDERFools might finally be a worthy successor to that earlier classic.

Netflix’s New Superhero Parody Nails The Spirit Of A 2017 Classic

Many expected Strong Girl Nam-soon to live up to its predecessor, but the story and how it was told became weaker, particularly towards the end. Bong-soon was a hard act to follow, and The WONDERFools feels like a natural continuation of its spirit, hitting many of the same story notes. Both shows center around two unique female leads with superpowers. However, The WONDERFools stands out with its modern, high-quality production and surprisingly exciting – and funny – action sequences, especially by episode six.

Both Strong Girl Bong-soon and The WONDERFools successfully blend superhero tropes with charming romantic storylines. Bong-soon balanced its comedic superhero premise with a central romance between its leads, Park Bo-young and Park Hyung-sik, and kept a good pace throughout. The WONDERFools, in just eight episodes, also delivers a fast-paced and captivating story, focusing on a group of quirky characters with superpowers. While the romance between Park Eun-bin and Cha Eun-woo isn’t quite the same as in Bong-soon, their chemistry is just as delightful and creates a similar enjoyable vibe.

Often, the romance in The WONDERFools feels secondary to the overall story. The series begins with its main character at a very low point – she has a serious heart condition and longs to see the world, knowing she doesn’t have much time left. Her friends are also struggling with difficult lives, and together they come up with a plan to fake a kidnapping in order to get money from the main character’s grandmother. However, the plan goes wrong when they accidentally fall into a pool of chemical waste. Surprisingly, this incident not only cures the main character’s heart condition but also gives everyone involved strange new abilities.

The story is delightfully over-the-top and classic superhero fare, practically begging to be spoofed. It’s a complete 180 from the show’s initial, more subdued tone, injecting a lot of energy and revealing intriguing mysteries – especially as the season progresses. All of this is achieved in just eight episodes, and it’s currently earning rave reviews with a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it a great model for other K-dramas to emulate.

The WONDERFools Nails Its Pacing, Comedy, And Action In Equal Measure

Watching Strong Girl Bong-soon was a really fun experience, especially seeing the contrast between Bong-soon’s small size and her incredible strength – like when she actually stopped a runaway bus! But beyond the action, I was really drawn into the instant connection between Bong-soon and Ahn Min-hyuk, and the show did a great job balancing that with her feelings for Guk-doo. They managed to fit in a genuinely scary villain and a unique stakes situation – Bong-soon could lose her powers if she accidentally hurt someone innocent. Plus, the comedy was fantastic, with some truly memorable moments – I’m still laughing about the ‘feces wine’ and Kim Won-hae’s hilariously over-the-top performance. Those are just a few of the reasons why I’d happily watch this show again.

Ultimately, The WONDERFools captures a similar vibe, managing a good pace even though it spends about half its time on lighter moments, unlike The Uncanny Counter, which leans more into action and fantasy. After a pivotal event, each character develops a unique ability: Chae-ni can teleport, Kang Ro-bin gains super strength, and Son Gyeung-hun can stick to things, much like Spider-Man. What’s fun is that the show doesn’t immediately jump into training sequences; instead, the characters hilariously fumble their way through discovering their powers, gradually learning to control them through experience and plenty of funny mistakes.

By episodes five and six, the main characters start acting like true heroes, though they remain wonderfully goofy. Their powers often activate in ridiculous ways, even changing how we understand earlier events. The story shifts from a failed kidnapping attempt to preventing a dangerous cult from destroying Haeseong City. Along the way, Chae-ni’s love interest, Un-jeong, reveals hidden depths alongside his impressive telekinetic abilities, and they face off against some formidable superpowered enemies. All of this unfolds across eight fantastic episodes that expertly balance lighthearted fun with touching drama, particularly surrounding secrets from Chae-ni’s grandmother.

While The WONDERFools shares some similarities with Strong Girl Bong-soon, it doesn’t quite capture everything that made the original so special. The main character, Chae-ni, begins as a very difficult person, even taking a child’s snack bar to express her unhappiness. However, as she connects with a supportive group of friends and discovers her own amazing powers, she’s able to experience the things she’s always wanted. This creates a funny, exciting, and heartwarming superhero story that fans of Bong-soon – and K-dramas in general – will likely enjoy. Long before the series ends, Chae-ni and her quirky friends become a close-knit and lovable team, perfectly embodying the show’s title, The WONDERFools.

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2026-05-19 05:13