3 Years Later, Netflix's Addictive 2-Season Action Fantasy Thriller Is Still a 10/10 Rewatch

Apr 12, 2026 - 07:30

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3 Years Later, Netflix's Addictive 2-Season Action Fantasy Thriller Is Still a 10/10 Rewatch

Published Apr 11, 2026, 10:50 PM EDT

An experienced Editor representing Canada via Screen Rant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.

His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.

Netflix has never exactly been short on exciting limited-run adventures enjoyed by audiences across the globe. This can include fantasy romps like the live-action One Piece adaptation, or complex and dense action-packed journeys like Alchemy of Souls. In fact, Netflix continues to release exciting new action debuts and returns seemingly every month. But looking back, one 2020-2023 series truly deserves revisiting years later in its excellent blend of affable characters, approachable urban fantasy elements, and a combination of action and drama that put one particular star in the global spotlight.

Netflix's Top-Tier Action Fantasy Series Doubles Down on Demon Hunters

But It Doesn't Drop the K-Pop Outright

The Uncanny Counter introduces viewers to the fictional Korean city of Jungjin where So Mun, a high school boy, grows up raised by his grandparents after a car accident in his childhood killed his parents and left him crippled. A natural artist with a love for drawing and conceiving superheroes with his friends, Mun is a natural underdog willing to stand up for those he cares about, even when facing bullies who take full advantage of his disability. But soon, Mun would find a way to protect those around him from unseen threats, as part of a team hiding in plain sight, running a local noodle restaurant.

Eonni's Noodles conceals plenty beyond their peculiar staff's affinity for red tracksuits. Secretly a team of demon hunters known as Counters, new recruits usually join their fold by being recruited while in a comatose state, recruited by strange spirits from a dreamlike realm known as Yung, a dreamlike boundary world between the afterlife and the land of the living. After one of their kind is murdered by a particularly powerful evil spirit hiding, and his soul eaten, his partner, Wi-gen, struggles to find a similarly comatose new recruit, settling for Mun instead.

The team of Counters' most recent roster, before their most recent casualty opened up a spot for Mun, was the following:

Do Ha-na (played by Kim Se-jeong)
Ga Mo-tak (played by Yoo Jun-sang)
Chu Mae-ok (played by Yeom Hye-ran)
Jang Cheol-joong [deceased in premiere] (played by Sung Ji-ru)

The result is rather interesting: Mun's hair spontaneously becomes curly like the rest of the Eonni's Gang, signifying his inhabiting Yung spirit while he grapples with a sudden onset of enormous strength. Initially balking at the idea of being recruited into the Counters, especially in light of their rules, Mun is given the chance by Wi-gen to join and embrace his powers. Due to his innate sense of justice kicking in, being able to have a tangible impact on the world and prevent evil spirits from harming others, finding a support system within the Counters, and simply having the choice at all, Mun gladly accepts.

The Counters abide by certain rules which, depending on their Yung partner, will be enforced with varying degrees of consistency. These include expectations to keep their Counter identity largely concealed; not to involve themselves with typical human affairs; and the general mission to catch evil spirits and send them back to the afterlife.

These rules embody a contract agreed to in exchange for being given extraordinary strength and powers including a Territory, which functions as a barrier to trap evil spirits within.

The result is spectacular. Mun's powers begin developing strongly, with him having full use of his previously-crippled leg to pull off feats of athleticism rivaled only by the deceased Counter he replaced. While the Counters predominantly use close combat martial arts against the evil spirits they face, Mun and his team each have unique powers.

While each have varying degrees of superhuman strength and athleticism, Mun can eventually summon the Territory at will and exercise feats in psychokinesis and psychometry. Ha-na's psychometry is particularly strong, to the point she can sense evil spirits earlier and farther away than anyone. Mae-ok's healing capabilities enable Mun to walk again, while Mo-tak and the group's benefactor (and fellow inactive Counter) Choi Jang-mul have similarly well-rounded capabilities. There's even a new addition in The Uncanny Counter season 2, adding to the delightful found family dynamic of this series.

The Uncanny Counter Is Uniquely Memorable as an Action-Fantasy K-Drama

Generally speaking, many K-dramas can easily leave a lasting impression on their viewers. Whether it's a song like "Wish" from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha living on forever as a musical gem and meme soundtrack, or immortal lines adored by fighting girls worldwide that, indeed, "You got this", The Uncanny Counter is as addictive as it is memorable all the same.

One particular moment etched into fans' brains was a rather fanservicey instance from season 1, episode #2, in which Kim Se-jeong's performance of Ha-na is given the slo-mo treatment as Mun, clearly taken aback by her allure, sees her warming up before sparring. The Uncanny Counter doesn't even have much explicit romance across either season, but this didn't stop Se-jeong, already an established member of the K-pop scene, from leaving a lasting impression on her new fans.

But make no mistake: Ha-na will thrash anyone who gets too close, as Mun knows, and will continue to witness through two seasons of badass Ha-na moments. After all, Kim Se-jeong is a fighting girl, as would be revisited in a particularly iconic 2022 manhwa adaptation.

With 28 Episodes Total, The Uncanny Counter Is a Mandatory Feel-Good Netflix Experience

Beyond the typical gimmicks of a superhero-esque live-action Netflix series, The Uncanny Counter features excellent growth across its core and supporting characters. So Mun soon finds out the death of his parents was a more complicated incident than he previously believed. Each of the Counters shoulders their own trauma from a past life. Mun's grandparents carry unresolved anguish from his parents' passing.

Even the initial monster-of-the-week confrontations between the evil spirits and the murderers/unstable people bearing killing intent on whom they prey are rich with rewarding developments and, of course, fantastic fights. Past the Covid era, The Uncanny Counter's themes of empowerment, justice, and family either found or bound by blood still hold up very well as each of its characters ultimately embark on their own journeys of healing. It's remarkable just how much action K-dramas uphold this trend, with another hit in 2023 subsequently dropping a second season this month without abandoning its more positive tones.

By the season 1 finale, characters' powers are more fully explored, with a cathartic showdown bringing the team together and addressing their individual sorrows in the process. Confronting these evil spirits, after all, often means addressing the pain of those they torment or possess outright. By season 2, as the production values noticeably find an upgrade, alongside wardrobes, hair, and makeup, the climactic final battles with powerful, even incomprehensibly dangerous spirits, feel particularly satisfying to watch unfold. Not everyone survives this series, and some fatalities are particularly bloody, but The Uncanny Counter refuses to leave viewers in an abyss, going out on a high note that still lands well years later.