The Netflix series “Sweet Home,” starring Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Si-young, Lee Do-hyun, Park Gyu-young, and Go Min-si, launched its third season on July 19. The story takes place in an apocalyptic world where people turn into monsters due to their evil desires, a phenomenon called “monstrification”.
Adapted from the webtoon of the same name, published between 2017 and 2020 with 140 chapters over 12 volumes, the series has generated a lot of anticipation among fans. The webtoon, written by Kim Carnby and illustrated by Hwang Young-chan, was adapted by Hong So-ri, Kim Hyung-min, and Park So-jung for Netflix.
Throughout the three seasons, fans have noticed several differences between the original webtoon and the adaptation. Here are the main ones:
1. Cha Hyun-su and Lee Eun-hyuk’s relationship
In the webtoon, Cha Hyun-su (Song Kang) and Lee Eun-hyuk (Lee Do-hyun) become friends through their love for the anime “Maria From the Sky.” Their plan to watch the film in live-action is interrupted by the apocalypse. In the Netflix series, they are not friends and speak very little to each other. However, in season 3, they meet again in a funny fight where Lee Eun-hyuk asks Cha Hyun-su if she missed him.
2. Cha Hyun-su’s love interest
In the webtoon, Yoon Ji-su (Park Gyu-young) is Cha Hyun-su’s love interest. In the series, this dynamic changes, and it is Lee Eun-yu (Go Min-si) who is Cha Hyun-su’s love interest. Additionally, Yoon Ji-su and Cha Hyun-su barely interact in the series.
3. Character names
In the Netflix adaptation, several character names were changed. For example, Hyun-Cha becomes Cha Hyun-su, Eun Lee becomes Lee Eun-yu, Hyuk Lee becomes Lee Eun-hyuk, and Wook Pyeon becomes Pyeon Sang-wook. In the webtoon, Wook Pyeon is a former police officer misunderstood as a gangster, but shown as a kind-hearted person. The series does not give this context for Pyeon Sang-wook, presenting him as a mysterious man.
4. Seo Yi-kyung, a new character
Seo Yi-kyung (Lee Si-young) is a character introduced in the Netflix adaptation. She is absent from the webtoon. In the series, she is a firefighter expert in martial arts and pregnant with her fiancé, Nam Sang-won, who turns into a monster. In the second season, she gives birth to a special monster child, Seo Yi-su, who plays an important role in the final season.
5. Neohumans and the military
The second season of the Netflix series introduces military personnel who protect the survivors, which is not present in the webtoon. Additionally, Lee Eun-hyuk transforms into a monster in the webtoon, but in the series, he becomes a neohuman. Yoon Ji-su and Lee Eun-yu show symptoms of transforming into monsters, but only Lee Eun-yu becomes a neohuman. In the webtoon, neither was supposed to become a monster.
Season 3 of “Sweet Home” is now available to stream on Netflix.