Death's Game Part 2 (2024)

There is only one you in the world

Part one was near perfection, and this was a masterpiece.

I'm still reeling from what I witnessed because what began as a revenge plot turned into one of the most poignant retrospect about life.

It's all too complicated to explain the experiences and emotions that Yi Jae is put through his 12 reincarnations, the pain of leaving his loved ones behind, losing someone he loves, living not knowing who he is, and living as if he isn't really living. It isn't until he finally experiences the memories and feelings of the 12 people in full does he truly start living.

Once again, the cast just, wow. I have no other words to describe how amazing this cast was. The guest stars, it is incredible how each of them portrayed their own characters, in addition to portraying their character as Yi Jae. Seo In Guk and Park Seo Dam get an extra round of applause, they played off each other so well, and boy can Seo In Guk act! Admittedly, these four episodes were much more emotional than the previous ones and he brought his A game.

This was a genuinely incredible drama, it is difficult to deal with this many genres and still provide a flawless production in just 8 episodes. However the interpretation, whatever it was that caught your attention, this is an enjoyable ride, through and through.

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I have some thoughts ig

So I did like the show itself, idk about the storyline cause I heard there was a plottwist, but if there was, I didnt see it.

There were many plotpoints I wanted that could have added more dimention to the show that never happened.

I also dont like the way the show practically guilttrips Yi Jae when he was already miserable.
The message feels very backhanded at the end because it's basically just saying. "Life sucks, but dying sucks more".

I obviously think suicide isnt the only option when you're struggling, but I dont think we should guilt the people who do not feel they have anything to live for.
Those people already get enough shit as it is

I really love the cast though so I enjoyed watching the actors in the show and I liked the fact that I could laugh at the serious plots because I already found some of the show goofy.

I do recommend watching the show though, it was very entertaining.

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An Unexamined Life

A young graduate (Seo In-guk) doing it very tough in the existential scramble for jobs, has come to the end of his tether. After several years of juggling part-time jobs and not achieving that holy grail — a corporate position at Taekang Group — he concludes that his life has been an absolute failure. From the top of a high rise, he takes the plunge, ends his life, leaving behind a loving single mother and his longtime ex-girlfriend. It is important to note that his despair is exacerbated by a particularly bad day that culminates in a break-up with his girlfriend which he initiates after seeing her with another man. One thing after another he believes that his death is the solution to all his problem and will end all the agony that paralyzes him. That is until he wakes up and finds himself in a kind of purgatorial location face to face with Death herself played by a suitably menacing Park So-dam. This begins a drawn out debate between Death and our protagonist about the value of his life and life in general.

I went into this not knowing much except the bare essentials and on hindsight the surprises increased my engagement with the plot. The element of surprise pumps an extra layer of enjoyment as there are plenty of thrills in the offing especially in the first 4 episodes aka Part 1. Be warned: It’s not for the faint-hearted. The crime elements are unyielding in this and there’s bloody violence all about in precarious situations. If violence is no barrier to entry, this can be an amazing adrenaline rush as the viewer embarks on this seemingly convoluted journey of discovery with Yee-jae who reluctantly… and often defiantly takes on each challenge to prove his case.

From the perspective of a seasoned viewer, it’s undoubtedly one of the more creative K drama endeavours I’ve seen in awhile. The plotting here is everything. On the surface it appears to be just another one of those transmigration stories that have become K drama staple but from the way it blends genres, it’s a superior work of art to all the others.

The other highlight has got to be the top tier cast. Plenty of familiar faces and the director certainly used the best of the best to optimize the storytelling. It’s also good to see the underrated Kim Ji-hoon getting a lot more work these days in these bigger high profile productions. But the star of the enterprise is the script begging the question... when was the last time a K drama had plotting this good?

My analysis — best read after viewing and not before… Spoilers ahead.

Somewhere between the third and fourth episodes, it occurs to me that Death’s Game is a darker, certainly more violent reimagining of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. And while we’re at it, why not throw in Charles Dickens’ great classic, A Christmas Carol for good measure? We know which inspired which there. So what do these stories have in common? For one they are second chance stories but the protagonists in these stories aren’t necessarily aware that they are being offered a second chance at the start. They undergo an arduous punishing journey of self-discovery that on the surface is more excruciating than edifying. If Death is to be believed, then Yee-jae is being punished for committing suicide.

But is he, really? Should we really take Death at face value or are her threats strategically made to egg him on to play the game game and force him out of his despondency? Is she manipulating him with reverse psychology. Hell awaits if he fails and it’s a terrifying thought now that he’s seen what it looks like. If punishment is really the endgame, then why take Yee-jae on this journey to solve a matter of grave injustice but to give him a glimpse of what’s life like for those who are left behind? If he was the burden he believed himself to be, why are his mother and ex-girlfriend, Ji-su still grieving for him?

Because the first “body” belongs to the second son of Taekang Group, it signals immediately that these challenges are somehow linked to Yee-jae’s life before death. But how do these pieces of the puzzle fit together? Why can’t he see the forest for the trees? Corporations in K dramas are seldom portrayed positively and yet it seems to be the dream of every university graduate to seek employment in these detached monoliths. Yee-jae attends two interviews at Taekang. The first is a write-off as a result of his encounter with a suicide victim on his way. In the second seven years later he interacts with Park Tae-woo (Kim Ji-hoon) the oldest son and CEO of Taekang Group and mistakenly assumes he has had a positive encounter with his potential employer. It’s an illusion. One of many. Park Tae-woo is a double-faced psychopath with violent tendencies. He’s a fraud. His benign public image is a cover for something far more sinister. He uses his clout as CEO of a corporation with deep pockets to pay off corrupt officials to cover up his crimes. He can use his infinite resources to engage organized crime. He sets himself above the law. He styles himself as Milton’s Satan ruling in hell. No one can get to him. Except through a miracle.

Furthermore the purpose of Taekang Group in the narrative is not only that it represents a festering merciless evil behind the facade of wealth but it is a symbol of a larger critique of materialism that drives the rat race and the participants to despair. The society in which these people live define success in terms of wealth, status, possessions. Yee-jae mentions this more than once that everyone has the same goals — a good job at a large company, marriage, children who do well at school, financial security. The reality however is that not everyone can achieve all of this. Nor might they want to. It is in the interest of these corporations with the help of governments to turn men and women into economic units — slaves of a system that tethers them to the economic engines of the nation with no regard for their spiritual, mental, physical well-being that make up the whole person. Big Business is first and foremost about profits. Governments are about control. They don’t see their clientele or electorates as individuals but entities to be exploited managed.

This perspective is given added merit by the fact that when Yee-jae finally realises that the people around him are more important to him than clinging on to wealth that’s not even his, he finally has clarity about the nature of Death’s game. It isn’t punishment per se but revelations/insights into his life that were not available to him previously. These insights serve a dual purpose insofar as they offer him an opportunity to re-evaluate his life and a compelling reason to exist. He didn’t have much by way of material wealth. In the order of things he was a “nobody” but he loved and was loved. His life had value by virtue of the fact that he was born.

In his case Yee-jae’s depression arose from unrealistic, unhealthy social values that just don’t account for individual differences and the unpredictability of life. Working for Taekang isn’t that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but it has become a lie perpetuated in his world to prop up a class based social system that devalues the “losers” based on their monetary value. This is also reiterated in the other highlighted suicide where unlike Yee-jae, the individual makes it at Taekang for a while and lives the South Korean dream only for the bubble to burst in middle age when all his accomplishments and attempts to climb up the corporate ladder are rendered meaningless in a single moment. The problem with material possessions is their transience and lifelong pursuit of them is meaningless. Our ability to cling on to them in life is tenuous at best. And no can take it with them when they die.

At the core of this is the question of what makes us human. Are we just mere bodies to be “filled” by a soul? Are we just a sum of our memories? Like in Neo in The Matrix, Yee-jae is able to “download” abilities ie. access the abilities of his “hosts” and use them for a far greater purpose that transcends the lives of any of these morally dubious men. He is able to co-opt their memories for a greater cause — justice for victims of heinous crimes.

Hence the analogue to It’s A Wonderful Life and to a lesser degree A Christmas Carol. Instead of Clarence the angel or the three Christmas ghosts, Yee-jae’s instructor and messenger is the hard task master Death who brings out the whip and cracks it with unholy glee to keep him on his toes. As with the case in these second chance stories, these men come to realise that material prosperity isn’t everything but the relationships, the people we leave behind when we die are the true legacy of our lives. It’s not punishment at all but compassion to be shown how you’ve been led astray and be given another chance to refashion one’s life not governed by the materialistic impulses of our culture.

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The game continue...

This drama leave a strong impression in the first part. And for me this drama end it with strong point. With a little dissapointment in the end...

After Choi Yi Jae (YJ) learn the thread that connect all of his 'death' he started to plan for revenge & plan everything carefully... With the plan he also unravel the big conspiracy & corruption in the police department & other important government department. Make 'him' quite important for the public.

But the reality hit him hard when he dead once again & Death asked him: "Who is he...?" Yeah... In the end whose people recognize for doing all the stuff is not YJ himself, rather the 'man' he became. And after that everything start to collapse again & make YJ doubtful & once again don't give a sh*t about his life.

YJ only start to really think about everything in the last 2 of his chance. When everything became so interesting to watch.... And in the end he finally understand what Death mean by my death remained behind with those who loved me.

By reading other review I also realize this controversial topic to begin with. With no mean to minimize all people that have depression & think about ending their life. I think this drama deliver important messages for them too... "As i disappeared from this world, my death remained behind with those who loved me"

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Don’t take anything for granted , not even your death

Second part is an emotional ride. Glad I watched this drama. I can’t believe this work is from the same director of “the sound of your heart”.some shots are beautiful but sad at the same time. Every actor did a great job. Oh Jung se did beyond the great acting as he always did before .
This is not just a drama but a lesson or a mind changer for all the people who are suffering with depression or having suicidal thoughts. Sometimes we ignore the helping hand or opportunity while indulging in our own depressive thoughts. I’m really thankful to the team for bringing this project to everyone.,as it may save at least one person who watched this. Death really gave us great lesson in this drama. Don’t ever think that death is merely a means of ending the pain. The pain will always passed on to the living..
The last episode really did squeezed my heart though.

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A Drama that SHAPED my Life :-)

LEARNING has no End !!!

At any stage of Life , each and every second , from each and every being , We can learn something .

I am a person who believes in that.
So I always questioned myself -

"What did I learn from this drama ?"
"What did I learn from this situation ?"
"What did I learn from this person ?"
"What did I learn from my Experience ?"
"What did I learn Today ?"
etc. etc.

But never ever,
Not even in my dreams,
Even for once,
Did I question myself -

"What can we learn from DEATH ?"

This DRAMA has taught me that !!!
.....................................................................................

I always heard and believed -
"We get to live only once ! "

Never did I think about -
"We have to DIE only once - was muchhh more of a blessing than living once ."
.....................................................................................

Although this drama talks about DEATH
I'm really really grateful for giving it a watch .

Because it taught me - " THE VALUE OF LIFE !!! "

P.S.- Also , It's hard to Rewatch it , because It's not a drama you can forget easily ;-)

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"내 죽음이 참을 수 없이 부끄러웠다".

Are there ANY lives not worth living? Any at all?
?️In comparison to Tomorrow that could only offer the cliche "tomorrow will be better" and more or less noticable victim blaming for giving up on your life, Death's Game, on the other hand, acknowledges the personal struggle and responsibility while encouraging you to continue fighting, to win this horrible game and rise from the ashes. Because while you continue living, you are already winning each minute of your life.

It's interesting to watch one actor playing several characters in one show, but to watch several actors playing one character together? All the Yi Jae cast had to layer Yi Jae's nature and behavior on the host personality, the owner of the new body. This task is exciting on its own, and the acting turned out phenomenal. Kim Jae Wook playing psychopath rival? That scene gave me chills, let alone the brilliantly adapted screenplay.

?️Watching the drama won't help severely depressed and suicidal people. And of course it's not meant to do that. If you're in such condition, please, try seeking help from mental health professionals.
But it can and does help those who are struggling. It killed me and put me back together piece by piece, just like Yi Jae, in the final. Immersive af.

Did you know? The name Yi Jae sounds identical to "right now" in Korean. I enjoy so much the wordplay in character names in K-dramas.

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Why what his drama split in two?

I reviewed the first half of the drama, and it was for the entirety of the drama. So, here, I'll give the Cliff's Notes version of my thoughts.

My recommendation would be watch it and decide for yourself, since everyone seems to have loved this drama. My rating is based on my feelings and does not reflect the actual quality of the drama.

Excellent cast. If you've been watching Korean dramas for any period of time, these faces will be familiar to you. I would have liked for some of the stories to have been more in depth, to develop the characters a little better. This drama was a Who's Who in drama land.

The concept was interesting. Some people had a problem that it seemed to be an anti-suicide PSA, but to me it was more about how choices we make affect others.

My biggest problem with this drama was the overabundance of violence. Many of the characters were not well developed, because of the number of bodies that he inhabited in eight short episodes.

But again, I will say, this is all just my personal opinion. Watch it, you'll probably like it.

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