Why BLACKPINK Jisoo’s Character In The Highly-Anticipated K-Movie Adaptation of “Omniscient Reader” Is Raising Concerns Already
The 2018 Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, also known as the globally localized title Omniscient Reader, is one of South Korea’s most successful web novels published on the platform Munpia, with celebrated adaptations into a webtoon, an anime TV series, and even a blockbuster movie.
That said, the K-Movie version, now called The Prophet: Omniscient Reader—the first live-action adaptation of a modern fantasy web novel in South Korea—has finally unveiled its first teaser since announcing its production in September 2019.
However, a glimpse of one of the characters is already raising concerns amid heightened anticipation for the movie.
Character Lee Ji Hye, played by BLACKPINK member-turned-actress Jisoo, can be spotted holding up a gun around the 00:20 mark. This split-second scene has sparked a tremendous amount of discussion online among fans of the original web novel and the webtoon adaptation.
In the web novel, Lee Ji Hye is a character who wields a sword because her “sponsor” is the “Maritime War God,” undoubtedly based on General Yi Sun Sin.
The concept of sponsorship plays a huge part in the plot development, according to the fans.
So, seeing Jisoo hold up and aim a gun, fans couldn’t help but feel thrown off.
- “Well, this sucks.”
- “WTH? The sword comes with a lot of meaning.”
- “Ji Hye wields a sword because her sponsor is General Yi Sun Sin. Why would the movie adaptation change that setting to her using a gun?”
- “I’m just not going to watch it.”
- “I mean… Were we really expecting Jisoo to pull off sword-fighting action scenes?”
- “Sigh… I guess I’m not watching this.”
- “I can’t help but think it was because the production company wanted to play it safe for premiering in Japan, too. It’s not for a Korean audience. It’s to sell internationally. F*ck.”
- “But… getting rid of the idea of constellation sponsorships basically destroys the core of Omniscient Reader.”
- “So a character whose sponsor is General Yi Sun Sin, who was shot to death by the way, is now using a gun…? Make it make sense, LMAO.”
- “Naver doing Naver things…”
- “It could be that just Lee Ji Hye’s sponsor is different in the movie adaptation…”
Still, Omniscient Reader fans from all over the world remain hopeful as the production has been reported to have cost over ₩30.0 billion KRW (about $20.8 million USD) and look forward to the July 2025 premiere.
Meanwhile, Jisoo’s acting in her latest K-Drama, Newtopia, has garnered some scathing reviews. Read more:
