1DEATH'S GAME - A MUCH NEEDED PERSPECTIVE TO LIFE !
I still haven't processed this drama through and through and ig in the hope of being able to make the most out of it I am writing this review. To say that it's a MUST WATCH would be such an understatement because you'll sincerely be missing out so much.I am not a webtoon reader so I didn't know what was in stock for me but to say that I am overwhelmed by the amount of emotions I felt in such a short span would be the most just way of saying I LOVED IT TO EVERY BIT!
I don't know what other people are feeling about it but to me most of it was unpredictable even tho I guessed the last episode correct it didn't really drag me away from the drama I give that to the acting because I don't really fan girl predictable stuff.
THE CAST - IS MAGIC ! to all the cameos, all the episodic narratives, to all the emotions that they bring out to the screen it just pure treat to every drama lover there is.
The perspective to every character was so beautifully done that it felt like I went through all the 12 lives and that I was just given a piece of their memory and told to live out the rest. I became an assailant, a victim, a survivor, a savior and most of it all I became a human!
I realized that meaning of life is not in being able to live as the wealthiest person or as anyone else but you. There's no one else like you and to think that you are the only one suffering and every other being seems to be having a fate that you would wish for, is the most useless thought to ever exist.
The narrative is so tightly packed that every death has a significant contribution to the story even the ones that seemingly exist in almost parallel worlds are connected to ease and perfection.
This drama does make you rethink about all you are and all you have, it makes you grateful and aware of the true miracles that god has given all of us!
I might have more to say about it later but for now I just hope whoever is reading this review does watch the drama and spares a minute to think about all the tiny miracles that surround.
my fav lines from the drama would be-
"A persons character is determined not by the belief they hold, but by the actions over the course of their lifetime ."
"As i disappeared from this world, my death remained behind with those who loved me . "
"Your sins will end up finding their way back to you so don't ever commit them ."
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This review may contain spoilers
Controversial drama with disappointing ending
This drama has stellar cast and production quality is superb, but the plot and message behind it are very controversial, to say the least.The first 4 episodes were a solid 9, though heavy-handed, insensitive religious patronizing can be clearly seen from the very beginning. But after episode 5 it rapidly went downhill. Episode 6 was like those countless crime dramas about exaggerated corruption and untouchable chaebols with over the top acting and resolutions. Very meh.
And the last two episodes were drilling on the same message - suicide is a selfish act, it's not about you, you should keep on suffering for the sake of others. The only insightful part was about a suicidal salary man, who basically started the chain of events that lead ML to his own suicide - it showed ML the ugly reality of that dream he so desperately wanted to have, the one the government and society kept on brainwashing him to strive for since he went to school. But they never delved anywhere further with that. Instead of guilt shaming ML with his mother for the whole episode they should have explored what ML really wanted in life, how can he be true to himself like he said he wanted to. Is being a cog in an uncaring corporate machine what people really should strive for in life? Just such a waste of potential here narrative wise.
But as it is, this drama didn't try looking into the cause, didn't try to resolve any of the problems SK's society has that leads people to commit a staggering amount of suicides every year, like poverty and unemployment, it just tried to guilt shame suiciders through religious and societal dogmas. Makes one think that it was sponsored by SK's government, who seems to be impotent in solving this serious country wide issue and now just resorts to such cheap shots like this drama. Maybe it will work better on Asian audience with their traditionally communal mentality, but it's a very hard sell for individualistic West.
The suicide topic here is viewed from such narrow perspective, it really started to piss me off by the end. No exploration of mental health state of suicidal people or various circumstances that lead to this hard decision. Yeah, in ML's case perhaps he was too rash in attempting suicide since he had a caring mother and a girlfriend (though seeing how lonely he was with his problems at the beginning, these people have shown him lack of moral support when he really needed it, and his mother was later shown hoarding money for him, which she should have given him years ago to help cover his education debts he was paying off for many years). But what about people who have no such people in their lives? What about terminally ill/severely crippled/mentally unwell people who see themselves as burden to their relatives and society? What about kids being beaten by their own drunkard parents and nobody cares? What about people who are living in miserable poverty with no hope for a better future? They should also keep on suffering for the sake of others and their country or go to hell? So many unique lives with unique problems, but this drama had no compassion or desire to explore any of that. It's like that cartoon meme: Nope, stop talking, go to hell.
As for the ending, well, ML got a second chance in life and that's a win (?). But consequently it also invalidated everything ML did in other people’s bodies and all those who were supposed to die will die, including his girlfriend, and all the bad guys, including two serial killer psychos, will still be walking scott free.
So all in all, this drama just left me kinda perplexed as to how to score it, because, on the one hand, the quality and cast were superb, but controversial message and disappointing ending made me feel like I've wasted my time watching this.
I guess I'll score episodes 1-5 with 8.5 and 6-8 with 7.0.
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Honestly, I can't even say they meant well
Here's the thing, I HATE what this drama says about suicide. It basically tells anyone who's suicidal to rethink their decision because it's "selfish." That they would be a selfish person for experiencing deep suffering/depression and not being able to take anymore. That their loved ones being in despair due to their passing is more important than what they're going through. Fucking excuse me?First off, fuck that message. What a shitty and inaccurate thing to say. What's next, you're going to tell people with clinical depression to not be depressed because they're bringing down the mood?!
Second off, saying that is not even helpful. You shouldn't be convincing someone to live for others because what happens when those people are no longer around? A person needs to learn to live for themself.
This all felt like a demeaning slap in the face to mental health and people's struggles generally. I was just waiting for someone to say, "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps."
The only thing I appreciated and enjoyed about this was the action. Because when it was all chase scenes, murders, and new unique stories it was legitimately entertaining. If this was about Death being some cruel game master and went more the route of Alice in Borderland, I would find it not only palatable but worthwhile to recommend. As it stands, due to its messaging, I can't. Skip this one, my dear MDLers.
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I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE
As a non webtoon reader, I'M in complete shock after watching s1 [2daysago] and s2 did justice to all the roll coaster of emotions I have gone through!!! MAIN ML (seo in guk) nailed his character, and also all the other characters are perfect in their own way!! I can't really tell maybe they should have done this or that!!EACH AND EVERYONE DONE JUSTICE TO THEIR CHARACTER. FROM THE STORY, THEIR PERFORMANCE TO THE ENDING ..EVERYTHING IS JUST SOO PERFECT.
If you didn't watch until now, do give it a try!! You will not regret it ;) just make sure you have plenty of tissues...
Here are few lines from the series I want to share..
If you're still hesitating
I hope you find the courage
To stand up again
And overcome it :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Yet another highly praised show that failed to resonate with me.
As a piece of entertainment, it is more than decent. But it is unsatisfactory in the messages it is trying to get across. It raised very important problems, such as being driven into a corner by a competitive society and being stuck in a poverty cycle, and feeling oppressed and helpless as a youth. These are extremely prevalent and sensitive issues in SK and other countries. The show offers a message that comes from good intentions, but it is over simplified and maybe even insensitive towards depression and mental illness. Throughout the show, there is no empathy offered to the main character's suffering, but rather a lingering feeling of "your pain is bearable compared to many others who have suffered so much more than you". Which is obviously distasteful and wrong in many ways. It's classic victim blaming, coming from an outsider's POV.Furthermore, it ultimately does not provide any tangible solutions to any of the main character's problems and he will realistically end up in the exact same place. In the end, he's just back to square one with the wounds of living multiple lives and with the guilt of hurting others with his decision. There is no accountability for the further damage to his mental state. I can't help but feel that if that was the route the show was going to take, it shouldn't have presented such severe societal issues through the main character's story in the first place.
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IF YOU'RE STILL HESITATING I HOPE YOU FIND THE COURAGE TO STAND UP AGAIN
You will end up crying rethinking the problems that you made so huge in your head are not that huge compared to what your loved ones will feel after you decide to give up because of those problems. This story gives a reality check to you about the consequences of selfish decisions which you thought wouldn't affect anyone.This drama has the perfect runtime which gives the right amount of information required and the story progression does not end up looking rushed or slow. The acting was one of the main reasons behind such perfect execution. The ending made me realize that I need to appreciate my present, even though we may face some obstacles here and there still, is there anyone in this world who hasn't faced any hardship whatsoever?
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This review may contain spoilers
"Humans don't recognize an opportunity even when it's handed to them"
Death’s Game Part 2 came out of the gate strong, stronger than part one. The question continued to be whether Choi Yi Jae would win the game and what did that really mean?Starting the second part with Kim Jae Wook playing an evil artist is never a bad place to begin. He has a dangerous intensity hiding behind that chiseled beauty. Once again Choi Yi Jae is thrown into seemingly disparate lives with the orders that he cannot kill-others or himself. This ultimatum becomes more difficult with each life he leaps into. As he discovers the deadly tentacles of Taekang Group’s Park Tae Woo and how it has affected his life and of those he loves, he ventures near the precipice of hell.
The guest stars in Part 2 were even stronger than Part 1. Kim Mi Kyung finally had a chance to shine in the drama as Choi’s mother. The strong older actors threatened to outshine Seo In Guk as the lives he was reincarnated in. The production values were once again high as well.
I was completely absorbed in this tale of what seemed like revenge more than a journey into the soul. The elements of the revenge story were tied together nicely as Choi used what he learned in each life to bring down Park. Ultimately, the game was about Choi Yi Jae’s life. With the pieces finally in place to end a murderer’s reign of terror I still wondered if Choi had learned anything about himself and what the point of the reincarnations was. He was a difficult character to like. Self-absorbed, self-pitying, and arrogant he took a long time to understand that his actions had consequences for others.
***Spoilerish comments below***
Finally, the story took a turn into a path toward enlightenment. He hadn’t learned much in 11 of his lives, only in the last one did he understand what true pain was. I was actually quite disappointed in the final minutes of the drama that undid everything prior to it. And I’m not sure about the message on suicide. Torture people into understanding how their actions have effects on others and that some people have it worse than them? When a person is seriously depressed and suicidal, they may not be able to see that. Therapy and medications, interventions and social/financial assistance may be more helpful than the threat of a worse hell than the one they are in.
The ahjussis and ahjummas did an amazing job bringing their characters to life as well as Kim Jae Wook. The story brought all the revenge pieces together in a satisfying manner although they never did answer who the woman was that died at the bottom of the building with Choi which was disappointing. I honestly thought her death was one of the reasons he was being punished. The last episode was deeply moving in regards to a mother’s enduring love and sacrifice. Having learned how to live his life without being in constant fear of failure and rejection, I only hope Choi Yi Jae took what he learned about the people with their lives in the balance and reached out to help at least a few of them or else it feels like everything he went through was for nothing, to say nothing of the murderous Park Tae Woo being on the loose again. Death’s Game P2 progressed in a strong, emotional gait to the end and then left me disillusioned with the final outcome.
5 Jan 2024
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This review may contain spoilers
Suicide Shaming and Very Base Level Takes on Mental Health-Lost opportunity for deeper disscussions
This whole show rubbed me the wrong way and it wasn't until I finished that I realized why--suicide shaming. There was an opportunity to really delve into mental health and suicide but instead, the story focuses on a surface-level approach of "suicide affects those around you, more than the victim themselves" INSTEAD of focusing on the actually environment that led up to the suicide, the main character is instead punished and shamed for his actions. I'm not here to argue that suicide is a good option, of course, it isn't, but to completely gloss over just how tough the main character's life was, does such a disservice.It was such a typical and predictable ending, I was hoping they would've had a more nuanced take- but I guess not. The only thing that made this show good was the acting, and honestly, it feels wasted on a surface-level plot, the actors were seriously so amazing in each role. The shifts from their 'real' character, to the one that the main character takes on are very well done.
The whole premise was a good one, but executed poorly.
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This review may contain spoilers
Just finished the series. As a loyal Kdrama fan, this drama was a beautiful addition to my favourite dramas. It was indeed a fun ride filled with twists and turns, I loved how fast-paced it was. It felt like it had everything a show needed, The twist after twist had blown my mind and heart again and again throughout all episodes. This series is the mixture of drama, fantasy, comedy, suspense, thriller and action. Full of crucial life lessons, realization and tackled different issues happening in our society even right now.(child abuse, bullying, corrupt law authorities, injustices, unemployment, not giving importance and enough credits to the workers etc) Also currently reading the webtoon version. So far, I personally prefers the series more than the webtoon (though it's just me, still recommending y'all to read the webtoon if you're interested, I'm enjoying it rn). The series has more depth and emotion put into each of the characters story and the whole plot in general. The casting for Yee Jae, his mother, Ji soo, Jin Tae, Jae Seop, Hyuk Soo, Joo Hoon, Tae Sang, Geonwoo, Death, etc... was too good to be true too. (I have a love-hate relationship with the casting crews, they're doing their jobs real good). Was this review helpful to you?
A show that praises one thing and then does the opposite for 8 episodes
I can't help but feel like this show is some really unwise propaganda against suicide, especially considering the country that it comes from, but that's not even the point. Regardless if that was the goal of the show or not, the constant victim blaming and shaming towards suicide is just not it.Technically speaking this show is really good. From the acting to the cinematography, the timing and the music, even the story is engaging and has a really good premise, but I can't give it a good score when the core idea is "you are selfish if you kill yourself".
This is obviously written by someone who has never dealt with these types of feelings, which I'm glad they haven't, but then why write about something you don't fully understand? Not only that but they did it while looking down on anyone who has ever considered it.
It should be obvious that someone doesn't want to kill themselves on a random wednesday just because. Imagine how much pain, suffering, guilt (because yes, believe it or not they usually do think about the people they leave behind, and that's one of the reasons why making the decision can be so hard) and self-shame they already feel, to have other people come and point fingers saying how weak you are, how self centered, how little your problems matter and to "get tough because life is hard and other people have it worse".
For a show that praises so much selflessness and understanding of other's suffering, a show that shames the main character for their egotistical decisions, they really showed no empathy towards him or anyone who has thought about dying. Ironic.
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"In the end, we arrive at the beginning." – Birdy
At first, I was a little worried about the direction the drama was going to take, when I noticed some different things about the webtoon. But everything went well and went much further. I believe that what made a big difference in quality was the impeccable casting, it couldn't be bad with this strong cast.I found it interesting that they included a character from the webtoon in his 12th life, it was very significant and helped connect the story. I felt that there could have been a little more development in the relationship between the police officer and his partner's family, like in the webtoon. These are the things that made me take half a star (which isn't much).
The title of this review is an lyric from a song called "Celestial Dancers" by Birdy and I think it really fits with the story of this drama. In the end, we really arrive at the beginning.
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A very well crafted drama
“People are happiest when they can truly be themselves. In the end, life would be meaningless if you can never really be yourself.”Ultimately, life would lack meaning if authenticity is denied. This sentiment encapsulates the essence of the drama's journey. The latter half delves into Choi Yi Jae's remaining life, leading to a climactic resolution that leaves us questioning whether he will attain the happiness Ji Su had wished for. The effectiveness of the second half lies in its exploration of the core characters, particularly Yi Jae and Tae Woo. The plot's pacing is adeptly executed, seamlessly alternating between acceleration and deceleration as required. The final two episodes left a profound impact on me, sparking contemplation on various themes. The entire cast and crew deserve commendation for their outstanding performances and meticulous execution.
Credit is due to the casting team for selecting the right actors and the entire crew for carrying the drama with precision. This is undoubtedly a must-watch, and I assure you that you won't regret investing your time in it.
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