Basic Info.

​"Donghyun, a student enduring relentless bullying at school, finds his life upended when a sudden earthquake causes the school to collapse, leaving the world in ruins. In Part 1, the narrative centers on the students' desperate struggle for survival while trapped in the basement. In Part 2, the story shifts as the main characters escape the school and face new challenges in the outside world. Concrete Utopia is an adaptation of Part 2 of The Joyful Outcast. While the original story follows the protagonist, Seo Dong-hyeon, entering Woogyeong Apartment and confronting overwhelming fear, the movie focuses on the formation of a new societal order within Imperial Palace Apartment immediately after the disaster."​

Additional Info.

​"As the author mentioned in his afterword, Joyful Bullying was initially conceived as a four-panel comic about a protagonist who lives happily despite being bullied, with no apocalyptic elements. Later, the apocalyptic setting was added, transforming the story into its current form. While the title retained its original intention, the content of the work evolved in a completely different direction. In the original scenario, the story was centered on a student named Hye-won, who, like in the current version, survives and finds herself in a strange apartment. However, as the plot expanded, Hye-won’s role diminished. The movie title Concrete Utopia was borrowed from the book Concrete Utopia by Professor Park Hae-cheon of Dongyang University. Initially used only as a working title, it was ultimately chosen as the official name because it aligned well with the movie's theme. The book examines Korea's apartment culture, analyzing how apartments became a symbol of the middle class. In the film, the Imperial Apartment is not merely a backdrop but is directed as though each unit represents a distinct character, adding depth to the story’s setting."​