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‘Snowdrop’: Blackpink Jisoo’s acting dissed, Disney+ daily users count down by 40%

Aside from the political debate that the K-drama ‘Snowdrop’ is involved in, Jisoo’s acting skills is being judged harshly online

After a lot of back and forth, the K-drama featuring one of the four biggest female idols in the world, Kim Jisoo of Blackpink, was finally released. But it seems like the K-drama ‘Snowdrop’ was ill-fated from the start. Fans and non-fans alike are blaming Jisoo for her irrational decision of picking this drama, despite having read the script. Fans of Korean culture know that South Korean citizens are extremely sensitive about their country's history. When Jisoo became the lead character in the drama, 'Snowdrop' increased its global visibility. But many eyes in Korea would not like their history being raked up and scrutinized internationally, all thanks to a drama that many say portrays historical events inaccurately.

The first two episodes of ‘Snowdrop’ released last weekend on December 18. Right from the initial episode, there have been many critics who have addressed the historical inaccuracies in the plot of the show. In addition, there are a good chunk of viewers now discussing how Jisoo’s acting seems out of the place. This is Jisoo’s first acting role where she plays the main lead of the show but fans noticed how her expressions seemed exaggerated and out of place given the slow pace of the drama. Fans of the show also pointed how Jisoo’s performance was lacking in terms of vocalization and pronunciation as well.

Jisoo was already on the backfoot due to the domestic backlash against ‘Snowdrop’. Criticism of her acting prowess has further tarnished the public image of the idol. Fans are discussing online how Jisoo should’ve thought better before picking the role.

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While Jisoo’s acting as well as her choice of drama to make her debut as a lead actress is being questioned, another news source has revealed that something unexpected has happened since the release of the show. The show ‘Snowdrop’ which airs on the JTBC network is also simultaneously being broadcast for international fans on Disney+. During the initial release of the drama, it was expected that international fans would rush to Disney+ to view Jisoo’s drama, boosting their daily views. But the opposite has happened.

According to industry reports from December 20, various online communities banded together to boycott ‘Snowdrop’. It is reported that these users are particularly against the streaming of the drama on the international streaming network, Disney+, which recently launched its Korean edition. Due to the backlash, Disney+ recorded a new low rating of 310,00 daily active users as of December 2021, in comparison to November 2021’s figure of 590,000 daily active users. Online users are blaming the streaming service for not doing enough research before choosing ‘Snowdrop’ as their first K-drama to launch Disney+ in South Korea.

Sponsors drop out as 'Snowdrop' bombs

As if all this backlash was not enough, it is reported that a number of the active sponsors of the JTBC K-drama ‘Snowdrop’ have dropped out of promoting the show. As Korean culture is sensitive about public image, it is very common for brands to drop artists and projects based on how the public reacts. A key indicator of the public mood is the online petition with 300,000 signatures in which Korean fans have demanded ‘Snowdrop’ be canceled. Atleast a dozen brands have dropped out of promoting the K-drama after the petition gained steam.

A few of the companies that dropped out of promoting ‘Snowdrop’ are Ssarijai Rice cake Company as well as Heungil Furniture. A representative from Ssarijai Rice cake company said, “After watching the first episode of Snowdrop, we also thought that the viewers may become concerned about the historical controversy, so we asked the drama team to stop the sponsorship and our products will not appear from the third episode.” Other sponsors like P&J Group; the fashion brand, Ganisong; Tea brand Teazen; pottery brand Dopyeongyo, Dyson, Downy, mattress company Sono Season as well as Hans Electronics are among the many brands that have stopped sponsoring the show.

Jisoo's acting scrutinized

While Jisoo's skills are being praised by her fans, her acting is being critiqued by the show's viewers. One of them said, "In conclusion Jisoo can't dance, can't sing , can't act! She tanked completely lol." In contrast, a Jisoo fan spoke in her favor saying, "Mocking jisoo’s voice isn’t going to make her a bad actor, y’all just cant find anything else to drag her for. her voice is pretty and has nothing to do with her acting skills like?" But other Twitter users called out Jisoo fans. One user said, "Jisoo's acting is so bad the fans should really just be objective about it... Like it's fine for your fav to flop at something... Stop being embarrassing."

One fan said, "Yes, Knetz are talking about that part, Jisoo's acting skills and voice really too bad in that part, I can't hear clearly what she said in that part." One fan pointed how Jisoo is being dragged for the failure of the show saying, "I feel bad for jisoo, I feel like the directors used her Intl popularity as an excuse to let this drama get a pass I wish she had started with a lighthearted drama for her acting debut instead of getting into this type of mess."