The Box: netflix Announces new K-Drama series 'Notes from the last row'
Netflix
Africa: Netflix has quietly raised subscription fees for South African users by up to 20%, though its basic plan has stayed the same. The streaming giant confirmed the hike without prior announcement, marking its second price increase since launching locally in 2016. This comes just as competitor MultiChoice prepares its annual DStv and Showmax rate adjustments starting April 2025. Unlike the previous 2021 adjustment, these new prices significantly outpace South Africa's inflation rate.
Choi Min-sik - Han Myung-Gu
Asia: Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s (Pulse and Tokyo Sonata) thriller Cloud hits U.S. theaters on Friday, July 18, 2025, starting in New York and expanding nationwide afterwards. Starring Masaki Suda and Kotone Furukawa, the film follows Yoshii, a Tokyo factory worker entangled in black-market scams before retreating from society only to encounter dangerous events. Produced by Nikkatsu, the film became Japan's Oscar submission after premiering at Venice and Toronto.
Netflix unveiled a new Korean drama titled Notes from the Last Row starring Choi Min-sik as Heo Mun-oh, a bitter literature professor drawn to a gifted but enigmatic student, Lee Kang (Choi Hyun-wook). Based on the Spanish play El Chico de la última fila, the film follows Mun-oh as private lessons with Kang rekindle his lost passion for writing. Directed by Kim Gyu-tae, the cast includes Huh Joon-ho as Mun-oh’s successful writer friend, with Kim Yun-jin as his wife.
Netflix is also developing a new Korean original thriller, The Rat, starring Ryu Jun-yeol as Moon-jae, a reclusive novelist whose life unravels when a mysterious entity steals his identity. Sul Kyung-gu plays No-ja, a loan shark-turned-detective drawn into Moon-jae's quest. Based on the webtoon Field Mouse, the story reimagines a Korean folktale about transformation.
Netflix has now started filming Lovestuck, a Korean romantic comedy reuniting director Kim Jang-han (My Demon) and writer Mo Ji-hye after four years. The series stars Jung Hae-in as a reformed gang member turned boxing coach who reconnects with prosecutor Ha-young, his forgotten first love, when she loses her memory during an investigation. To shield her from danger, he weaves a lie that could alter both their futures. Produced by Studio S, this marks Jung Hae-in's return to the romance genre after Something in the Rain.
Warner Bros. Discovery is teaming up with Japan's U-Next to bring premium Japanese dramas to Max subscribers worldwide, including the U.S. and Southeast Asia. This expands their existing deal that previously brought Max content to Japanese viewers through U-Next. The partnership will now showcase Japan's top series globally while maintaining Max as the exclusive HBO hub in Japan. It follows last year's successful launch of simultaneous releases like The Last of Us Season 2 in Japan. The move highlights WBD's strategy of blending international and regional content across its streaming platforms.
Anne Watanabe - Pascal Le Segretain
Europe: Anne Watanabe (Cube, Stay Mum) and Jasper Pääkkönen (BlacKkKlansman, Vikings) headline Blood & Sweat, an international crime drama co-produced by Japan's Wowow and Finland's Nelonen. The eight-episode series follows detectives from both countries investigating cross-border serial murders. Production partners include AX-ON (Japan) and ICS Nordic (Finland), with Canada's Boat Rocker handling global distribution. The show pairs Watanabe's Japanese investigator with Pääkkönen's Finnish counterpart as cultural differences collide during their joint case. This marks a unique collaboration between Asian and European production teams for the thriller.
