"The Silent Sea," starring Gong Yoo and Bae Doona, keeps the ball rolling as it advances in Netflix's Top TV Shows worldwide rankings. The mystery sci-fi series shows a modest improvement as it climbs to third place.
Based on flixpatrol.com's daily chart, the eight-part episode Kdrama entered the chart at seventh place during its premiere and jumped to fourth place on December 26.
Slowly but surely, "The Silent Sea" moved to the third spot and is also the top tv show in nine countries, including South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines.
With the rom-com series "Emily in Paris" dominating the chart, it is safe to say that Gong Yoo and Bae Doona's Kdrama reign in most Asian countries.
This is despite the mixed reviews from critics and reaction from viewers as the star-studded Netflix series is being compared from the success of other hit Kdramas such as "Squid Game," "My Name," "Hellbound," and "D.P."
'The Silent Sea' Garners Mixed Reviews from Critics
The American media outlet, Variety noted that viewers will be "satisfied" with the sci-fi series genre, especially with its impressive visuals and production set up but also mentioned that the "eight episodes can feel boring and slow."
On the other hand, Hong Kong media outlet, The South China Morning Post criticized "the Silent Sea" and named it as "Netflix's latest failure," pointing out that the drama only focuses on "showing emotional conclusions."
As for the netizens, they lauded the cast members' portrayal and the unexpected twist that the Kdrama offered.
Meet 'The Silent Sea' Cast
The latest sci-fi series focuses on the elite space crew's mission to retrieve a sample in hopes of alleviating the scarcity of food and water.
Due to the rapid climate change, it left the Earth reduced its water supply up to 40 percent, leaving the government to provide the essential needs based on a particular classification.
IN CASE YOU MISSED: Gong Yoo and Bae Doona's 'The Silent Sea' Hits with Negative Reviews + Dubbed as Netflix's 'Latest Fail'
To prevent the Earth from reaching a total depletion of natural supplies, Korea's Space Committee sent a group of elite astronauts on a top-secret mission.
The expedition will be at the abandoned lunar base, the Balhae station located at the "silent sea."
Gong Yoo took the role of Captain Han Yun Jae with his right hand Chief Gong Soo Hyuk, played by Lee Moo Saeng.
Lee Joon played Lieutenant Ryu Tae Suk, a senior engineer who volunteered to join the special mission despite a life-threatening task.
Bae Doona transformed into a hotshot astrobiologist while Kim Sun Young portrays the team medic, Doctor Hong Ga Young.
Lee Sung Wook joins the cast as the aircraft's pilot Kim Hee Sun with his co-pilot Lee Gi Su, played by Choi Young Woo.
According to reports, it took the production team two years to build the set and one year to shoot the eight-part episode Kdrama.
In an interview, "The Silent Sea," director Choi Hang Yong revealed that the team faced many challenges, especially during the production-one of which was the lunar environment.
Executive producer Jung Woo Sung also expressed the same thought and noted, "Creating the surface of the moon was really a challenge because there's nothing there. There are just a few rocks there, and soil maybe. And that part was the most difficult."
