Tales from the Ragged Edge

So, I know superheroes. I have been a superhero dork since I was a kid. DC, Marvel, the various indies through the years. I absolutely love superheroes. Writing superhero novels and short fiction has been a huge part of my life as an author, making up more than half of my output over the last 20 years.

If there was a superhero based RPG, chances are I bought it at some point. Movies, TV shows, whatever I could get I ingested.

And let’s be honest here–a lot of it was BAD. The Captain America made for TV movie in the 1970s? Bad. The Barb Wire movie based on the Dark Horse character starring Pamela Anderson? Bad. Steel starring Shaquile O’Neal? Oh you bet it was bad, but I saw it in a theater anyway.

We’ve been kind of lucky in the last, oh, fifteen years or so. Hollywood caught up and started adapting more and more things. More and more heroes got their shot. And yeah, some of it was just horrible. But a lot of it was fun. And some of it was pretty damn great.
That said, I have been getting kind of bored with a lot of what’s been coming out lately, particularly from DC and Marvel. I mean, it’s nice that they’re trying, and some of them have had great setups before they fall apart in the third act. But I haven’t been excited about them for a while now.

Does that help establish my superhero geek bonafides? I hope so. Good.
So folks, I mean it when I say this, I have just finished watching what I feel is the best superhero story that’s ever been filmed. No. It is not from DC or Marvel. No, it has zero recognizable or established heroes. And no. It is not in English.

It is the 2023 Korean drama MOVING which is available to stream on Hulu. It is 20 episodes long and is packed with more ambition, heart, humor, action, and tension working together for a story that is not only epic, but also deeply human. I cannot stress enough how this show is an absoulte treasure. A gem that shows the power of superhero storytelling that understands that at the end of the day if your story isn’t about people you care about, what are you even doing? No multi-billion dollar budget can save something that’s hollow and soul-less.

I could tell you what it’s about. I could link to a trailer. But trust me when I say that if you love superheros. Heck, if you even just LIKE them, go in blind. Queue it up. Make some damn popcorn. And prepare to be amazed. Because MOVING Is the best superhero story I’ve ever seen filmed.

And it isn’t even close.