By now, you probably already know that the Kdrama, Sweet Home, is based on a webtoon or manhwa. Before Sweet Home Season 2 starts, let's take a look at the series and check if it stays accurate to its source material. Sweet Home manhwa vs live action: what are the differences in both?
Why is Sweet Home Kdrama Different from the Webtoon?
While there are plenty of Kdramas adapted from a webtoon, some of them do not really stick to the story 100%. In some cases, the changes can be very minor. But there are also some Kdramas that have a different ending from their source material.
In the case of Sweet Home, the original creators of the manhwa, Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, requested Netflix to stray away from its original plot. The creators requested to do this since they were still not done producing the manhwa. Additionally, it would allow them to have more room for creativity and see another perspective.
This is why there are a number of Sweet Home manhwa vs live-action differences that you may have spotted while watching the show.
Sweet Home Manhwa vs Live Action Differences
Now that we've mentioned the reason why the Kdrama adaptation is different from the webtoon, let's take a look at what these differences are.
The Names of the Characters
Let's start with the names of the characters of the show. While these characters are essentially the same, their names have been changed.
- Hyun Cha (webtoon) - Cha Hyun-soo (Kdrama)
- Jisu Yoon (webtoon) - Yoon Ji-soo (Kdrama)
- Wook Pyeon (webtoon) - Pyeon Sang-wook (Kdrama)
- Hyuk Lee (webtoon) - Lee Eun-hyuk (Kdrama)
- Eun Lee (webtoon) - Lee Eun-yoo (Kdrama)
- Dusik Hahn (webtoon) - Han Du-sik (Kdrama)
- Jayhun (webtoon) - Jung Jae-heon (Kdrama)
- Seok Kim (webtoon) - Kim Suk-hyeon (Kdrama)
- Seon Ahn (webtoon) - Ahn Sun-yeong (Kdrama)
- Yuri Park (webtoon) - Park Yoo-ri (Kdrama)
Seo Yi-kyung
One of the biggest Sweet Home manhwa vs live-action changes you may have noticed is that Seo Yi-kyung (played by Lee Si-young) was not included in the previous section.
Although Yi-kyung is one of the major characters in the series, she is a character that is exclusive to the Kdrama.
There is no mention of a firefighter anywhere in the webtoon. Not to mention, the addition of her character helps look for what caused the disease in the first place. This is something that was not explained in the webtoon too.
Pyeon Sang-wook
Another thing that the Kdrama changed from the source material is Wook Pyeon's background.
In the Kdrama, Sang-wook (played by Lee Jin-wook) is a mysterious man with a scar on his face. It was said that he saved someone in a fire, which is where the scar comes from. However, this scar adds to his rough appearance and makes people mistake him for a gangster.
Meanwhile, the manhwa describes Wook Pyeon as a former detective who was fired after using excessive force. The manhwa continues to share that people initially think Wook Pyeon is a gangster.
In the manhwa, Wook Pyeon ends up with Yuri Park. In the Kdrama series, however, Park Yoo-ri dies in his arms in the finale. Viewers also see a different fate for the actor at the end of Sweet Home Season 1. And up to this day, there continues to be doubt whether Sang-wook is still alive.
RELATED: Sweet Home Season 2: Is Sang-wook Dead? Or Is He a Monster?
Ending
While there are other small differences between Sweet Home manhwa vs live action, they don't compare to the Kdrama's ending. This is because the ending introduces a villain called Ui-myeong, who tricks Hyun-soo into turning himself into the military.
He manages to escape by dissolving into his slime form so he can escape. But we later see him taking over Sang-wook's body and escaping with Hyun-soo.
In the manhwa, Ui-myeong is called Eun Hyuk. Eun Hyuk becomes a monster to stop Hyun Cha.
Eun Hyuk becomes a tentacled monster that covers them both, which leads to their deaths. Later on, we see two cocoons with Hyun Cha emerging from one of them.
If you watched the Kdrama, this does not happen at the end of the first season. Eun-hyuk is actually a good guy who sacrificed himself so the residents could escape. And we're still wondering whether he will be in the second season.
RELATED: Will Lee Do-Hyun Be Back in Sweet Home Season 2?
Oh, and yes, the addition of the military personnel is exclusive to the Kdrama.
With these differences, we cannot fully rely on what happens in the manhwa. Since they have two different storylines, they can be treated separately.
Hopefully, though, the Kdrama version does not stray too far from the source material so it will be easy to connect the two together.
However, having a different storyline for the live-action series gives the director plenty of room to expand the series to more seasons.
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