"I hope they pull it off" - Fans react as the Japanese adaptation of the highly-acclaimed South Korean series Beyond Evil is set to premiere in July 

On April 23, 2025, OSEN reported that SLL's popular television series, Beyond Evil, is getting a Japanese remake and is set to premiere on WOWOW, Japan's top satellite broadcasting channel.

The remake marks the first time a thriller series produced by SLL has been adapted into Japanese. As reported by the same publication, WOWOW directly approached SLL to propose the remake. The remake of Beyond Evil will retain the original narrative and title but will be tailored to local Japanese tastes and character settings.

The Japanese remake's cast includes notable names like Ken Yasuda and Koshi Mizukami, and it will be directed by Kosuke Suzuki and Tatsuya.

As reported by Mantan, Ken Yasuda will portray Togashi Hiroyuki, who is a police officer who was previously suspected in a disappearance case. Koshi Mizukami, on the other hand, will portray Yashiro Masato, who is a high-achieving police bureaucrat and a University of Tokyo law graduate. A teaser trailer has also been released on social media.

Fans took to social media to express their thoughts on the upcoming Japanese remake. A fan remarked that it is their favourite drama series and hoped that they could pull it off.

"This is my fav crime dramaa I hope they pull it off. Good luck," commented a fan on X.

Similar reactions continued on X, where one fan anticipated the drama while another had higher hopes for the Japanese version.

"The original was so perfect aaaa anticipating how the j version will adapt this award winning drama!!" exclaimed another fan.

"I really love the chemistry between 2 leads in Beyond evil and that’s the strong point for the original. so I have a little bit high hope for JP version bc the screen writer used to write (Maou 2008) bromance Kr adaptation from 20 ep to 11 ep Jp ver and he did a very good one," remarked a fan on X.

"Hoo... finally, the cast is revealed. Well, if you have watched Ken Yasuda's repetoir, you will know he is perfect for the role! Koshi Mizukami in Lesson in Murder also makes me believe in this cast. And... this is WOWOW production!" commented another fan.

More reactions flowed on X, where a fan assured others that the adaptation will not be "disappointing," while another fan was excited to see Yasuda Ken in the lead role.

"beyond evil nation wake up?? japanese adaptation is finally here?? hopefully it'll live up to the original!!" reacted a fan.

"for the fans of beyond the evil, i can assure you the japanese adaptation won't be disappointing since wowow took the project. wowow is known as the ocn version of japan," wrote a fan on X.

"Yasuda ken as the MAIN main lead in beyond evil remake!?!? daayyuum been a while since i saw him in serious role. This is gonna be good," added another fan.

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More about JTBC's drama series, Beyond Evil

The drama series Beyond Evil, starring Shin Ha-kyun and Yeo Jin-goo, aired on JTBC in 2021. The series received seven nominations at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. It also won three awards, which were Best Drama, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor for Shin Ha-kyun. The series is also a finalist for the Baeksang Arts Award Grand Prize in television.

Beyond Evil revolves around two policemen, Lee Dong-sik and Han Joo-won, from the Manyang Police Substation. The duo breaks the law to catch a serial killer. As they dig deeper into the case, they start to question the innocence of everyone, including their own.

The plot does bear some similarity to Korea's Hwaseong serial murder case. However, the series is entirely fictional. The similarities likely draw inspiration from Memories of Murder by Bong Joon-ho, released in 2003.

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The Japanese remake of the drama series, Beyond Evil, is all set to broadcast in July 2025