Hollywood-K-Drama crossover? To All The Boys spin-off XO, Kitty goes to Seoul to find romance and more
XO Kitty trailer takes romance to Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Netflix
Netflix just dropped the latest trailer to XO, Kitty, a 10-episode spinoff series of To All the Boys focusing on Lara Jean's (Lana Condor) matchmaking sister Kitty Song Covey (Anna Cathcart). And the result is Kitty traveling halfway across the world from Oregon, US to Seoul, South Korea.
Is Netflix bringing a Hollywood rom-com and K-Drama crossover? That's what the comment section is flooded with!
xo kitty hollywood kdrama crossover
— ً (@makemeshotup) April 26, 2023
What is Kitty doing in Korea?
It has been four years since the youngest Song Covey sister Kitty was seen in To All the Boys. She was just a side character then, a cupid for her sister Lara Jean. But now, Kitty has got the main character energy and the showrunners are going all out to explore her own love story. But who would've thought that Kitty's story will be set in Seoul?
As the new trailer teases, 16-year-old Kitty heads to Seoul to attend KISS (Korea Independent School, Seoul). It just so happens that her long-distance boyfriend of four years from Korea, Dae (played by Minyeong Choi) goes to the same school.
How did Kitty end up in Seoul with her boyfriend? Well, the trailer includes some archival clips of the time Lara Jean, Kitty, and Margot went to Seoul for a trip to reconnect with the memories of their mother. And that's where Kitty met Dae.
But for Kitty, life in Seoul and meeting Dae doesn't exactly go as she had expected. Turns out, Dae has another girlfriend. Now what?
"This isn't all about a boy. I'm ready to start experiencing new things. I want my own adventure," Kitty says in the teaser.
The trailer seems to reveal much of what comes after Kitty realises her romance with Dae wasn't all that she thought it would be. Be it straddling a guy who isn't Dae, drinking with friends (we don't know if it's alcohol), or dealing with the popular kids at school, some fans are wondering whether the trailer has already given away the whole movie.
But KISS is also the school, Kitty and Lara Jean's mother went to. So, there are some revelations in the store for Kitty's character and for us.
Anna Cathcart is reprising her role as Kitty in the series, John Corbett also returns as Kitty's father Dan Covey, and Sarayu Blue reprises her role as Dan's partner Trina. The cast includes Gia Kim as Yuri, Sang Heon Lee as Min-ho, Anthony Kevyan as Q, Peter Thurnwald as Alex, Yunjin Kim as Jina, and more.
K-Drama vibe or Emily in Paris cringe show?
The whole Hollywood-style teenage romance meets K-Drama has the attention of both K-Drama and Hollywood rom-com fans. The series gives a look at the K-Drama world through the eyes of a foreigner, something that K-Drama international fans would definitely appreciate. How does non-Korean find love in Seoul?
However, Hollywood high school rom-com and K-Dramas sit on polar ends when it comes to relationship growth. In a typical K-Drama, you won't find the main characters even kissing till maybe episode 6 or 8. But Hollywood romances go all out in the first few instances of the characters meeting.
I hope XO, Kitty isn’t going to be like Emily in Paris. Seriously. It better have genuine kdrama vibes and none of that “keep the Asianness to a minimum, we don’t want to scare off our white audience” vibes TATBILB had 🙂
— Natalia Wi 娜塔丽亚🐰 (@natatheweaver) April 18, 2023
Some fans are also worried that XO, Kitty may end up being Emily in Paris cringe show, with cultural assassination. Fans are already asking why everyone at KISS is speaking English with an American accent. We get that it's an international school, but the American accent is still unexplained.
But we can't wait to see what XO, Kitty makers bring to the screens. The series drops on Netflix on May 18.