An actor who started out knowing only the kana has Japanese viewers calling his Japanese the best they have heard in a Korean drama. Jin Seon-kyu plays deputy governor-general Sato Shin-ichi in tvN's 100 Days of Lies, and the show climbed from 5.3% to 7.6% in two episodes.
From kana basics to the number two in the Government-General
Jin's Sato is Japanese but was raised in Korea, so much of his dialogue is in Japanese. He says he began with only hiragana and katakana.
In January he lived in Japan for two months, memorising the script about seven hours a day, and kept up online lessons with Japanese teachers. "If I didn't, I felt I couldn't keep up, so I practiced as much as I could," he said.
What Japanese viewers said
Right after the premiere, Japanese netizens wrote that his pronunciation and intonation were the best they had seen in a Korean drama. One said the lines were clear enough to follow without subtitles.
He reportedly worked on rhythm and period nuance, not just memorising lines.
A pickpocket takes on the Government-General
It is set in colonial-era Gyeongseong. Top pickpocket Lee Ga-kyung (Kim Yoo-jung) infiltrates the Government-General's office disguised as an interpreter trainee, and a 100-day espionage romance with elite interpreter Kim Tae-woong / Sato Hideo (Park Jin-young) follows.
Yoo In-sik and Kim Yoon-jin direct; Ryu Bo-ri wrote it. She describes it as a story where "a pickpocket girl the world looks down on shakes the Government-General at the top of that world."
7.6% in two episodes
Per Nielsen Korea (paid platforms), episode 2 averaged 7.6% nationwide with a peak of 8.5%, up 2.3 points from 5.3% for episode 1. It ranked first in its slot across cable and general channels.
In the Seoul metro area it averaged 8.3%, peaking at 9.4%.
How to catch up
It airs Saturdays and Sundays at 9:10 p.m. on tvN, with episode 3 on Saturday, Oct. 17. It also streams on TVING and Netflix.
To judge Jin's Japanese yourself, listen to the original audio.
