I miss the old days' dramas/movies that focus on telling a story without having to consider the censorship, investors' ROI, etc.. I thought that is lost in the current times of commercialism and instant success. The Victims' Game gave me hope there is still a place in Asia where director and scriptwriter can focus on how to tell a story, how to do it in the most effective way... Maybe it had to restrain itself in some scenes, but what it has achieved in the final product is worth commending on.

The Victims' Game is a Taiwan drama produced in collaboration with Netflix, and it is like the older sibling of 13 Reasons Why. 13 Reasons Why targets teenagers and school bullying; The Victims' Game targets adults, specifically adults dealing with past traumas and present devastating circumstances.

I reserve my highest praise for the props and settings. Production really spent time into making the story as realistic as possible, all the dead bodies and blood look very real. And that helps to pull me into the world that it has built, 1st half of the drama felt like I was watching a reality show or documentary. The dual-language of Mandarin and Hokkien, the cussing, the smoking, and (I think) all the actors' spoke their own lines? Most of the dialogues sounded like it was recorded on set. The acting was a bit uneven, but the essential cast, the core of the story, put in a brilliant performance! I especially appreciate the casting of Moon Lee... she has still some baby fat on her (face) and that added to the realism she is a teenager.

I must also mention on the storytelling.... The storytelling, how it tackles the topic of suicide.... sure, there are some typical tropes and clichés in the plot, but the storytelling is so effective and powerful that those tropey scenes made me cried the hardest.... I usually pay attention to plot holes, but for this drama, I hadn't notice any. Too tired out from absorbing the stories that the drama has packed into a short 8 hours.

The script might appear to be frivolous in its treatment of the victims... we do not know much about the victims' stories. Not sure if it is the intention of the production to hold back on their stories for 2nd season development, or--- if the intended audience is people with suicidal thoughts? Then this manner of storytelling is very appropriate. The details and realism in the dead bodies, how they died and their last moments and thoughts, the grief of the people that they left behind.... these are details that would matter to someone who is suicidal. Such scenes and dialogues have a "wake up" effect on those who are in pain and suicidal (but do not have medical conditions). The realism of death is a good "wake up" call. Not lengthy stories about others' pain, how they reach the suicidal stage.... That said, I do not understand the relevance of including in society topics of employment abuse, elderly abuse at nursing home? That felt extra and unnecessary...

Special mention on the scene between Hsu Hai-Yin and Li Ya-Chun in the last episode. That scene was the production's message to viewers, the suicide prevention message. But the dialogues are so good, I didn't felt I was being lectured on. The ending might have been quite light-handed (everything ties up too neatly), but after such a heavy 7 episodes, it is quite a relief and felt appropriate. Looking forward to its season 2 in 2022.