Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Is Eyeing a Live-Action Debut, But a New Trailer Has Fans Worried About a Big Change
The live-action adaptation of the popular Webtoon, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, is just around the corner, coming up in July 2025, and recently, the film titled Omniscient Reader: The Prophet released a new trailer published on the official YouTube channel of the Korean distributor Lotte Entertainment, revealing more details about the story. But the film produced by Munpia continues to spark debate among fans and fuel controversy due to changes to the source material, with the latest being a character redesign that surprised fans.
While the first trailer caused backlash due to the changes made by the adaptation, like the inclusion of firearms in the story and the lack of major aspects of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint's plot, things aren't looking as great for the film adaptation in the new teaser. Even though the adaptation confirmed the inclusion of an important character with a first sneak peek of Bihyung, the dokkaebi received a noticeable makeover compared to his design in the manhwa, which wasn’t well received by fans.
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Live-Action’s New Trailer Disappoints With Bihyung's Design
The Live-Action Adaptation Showcases a Major Makeover From the Dokkaebi’s Design in the Manhwa
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’s film's new trailer received criticism due to the total makeover of the dokkaebi Bihyung. The dokkaebis are inspired by a creature from Korean folklore and are small beings that act as moderators of the streaming channel for the constellations. The first that appears in the story is Bihyung, who is in charge of Kim Dokja’s channel, whose design as a low-grade was characterized by its white fur, small yellow horns, and black robe.
However, though the live-action only gives a glimpse at him by presenting him as a hologram, Bihyung's design is completely different, having a sort of cape instead of a robe and two shades of color, with a blush tone for the body and pink for the face. This design, in addition to having rigid movement in the short teaser, has made Bihyung look more like a stuffed animal than a real creature. Furthermore, his color and collar have made fans compare him to Doraemon.
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Adaptation Fails to Generate Hype Among Manhwa Fans
From Casting to Characterization, The Live-Action Hasn't Lived up To Fans' Expectations
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’s live-action has been criticized by fans of the source material since the announcement of its casting, like the selection of the popular star Lee Min Ho as Yoo Jongkyuk, since the character is supposed to be far more imposing and intimidating than the protagonist, but the actor is shorter than Ahn Hyo Seop, who plays Kim Dokja. Yet, the most striking difference that failed to do justice to Kim Dokja's character is that he is portrayed as being scared in the live-action and begs Yoo Jonghyuk when he was confident and calm in the manhwa.
Also, Kim Ra-On's casting became a hot topic since the child actor looks far younger than the character, Lee Gilyoung, who was designed as a pre-teen in the manhwa. As a result, Lee Gilyoung appears to be more childish in the film adaptation, which will clash with his original personality in the source material, proven by how in the trailer he is shown making a sort of antenna with his fingers, when the character doesn't need to make a special signal to use his Interspecies Communication skill in the manhwa.
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Likewise, Lee Ji-hye is a teenager in the story but is played by Jisoo from the K-pop group BLACKPINK, who is in her thirties. However, the most noticeable change in Jihye's character is that she is portrayed using a gun when she is a skilled swordmaster in the story due to having the Maritime War God as her constellation, who is based on the Korean hero Yi Sun Shin.
Omniscient Reader: The Prophet Might Be Far From Being Faithfull to the Source Material
Even With Good Visuals, The Story Has Been Changed to Appeal to a Broader Public
There are also changes teased in Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Live Action, like the modification of the first scenario name from "Proof of Value" to "Kill or be killed," when the original name has context within the story as it's based on proving the worth of the character to the constellations. This made many fans wonder if the constellations might have been adapted superficially or scratched from the live-action film. These changes, in addition to the choice of title for the film, Omniscient Reader: The Prophet, hint that the adaptation has omitted several aspects of the plot to make the live-action version less complex.
This decision could be to cover the 551 chapters of the novel in the five-film series or appeal to a broader public, as the film is the highest-budgeted film in South Korea in 2025, listed at 30 billion won. However, it has brought concern to the fans of the source material, who don't feel it would do justice to the story. Nevertheless. Those intrigued by the story have the perfect window of opportunity to check out the original story ahead of its live-action release.
Source: Lotte Entertainment YouTube Channel
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