This review may contain spoilers
Controversial drama with disappointing ending
Controversial drama with disappointing endingThis 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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This review may contain spoilers
‘Common stuffs become unattainable goals’ resonated within me?
It’s stressed me out everytime Yi Jae had to die in different bodies but I always look forward to his next ‘role’. I felt bad for Yi Jae tbh because I felt bad bad, he didn’t deserve this pain. But I guess this drama was about the people he left behind when he chose to die. Plus there’s something else hidden along with his death. I think he wronged someone else.So far I’m really attached to these characters:
- School student’s reincarnation, Kang Hoon nailed it of course. I can’t forget the innocent face he made when he’s confronted by the senior iljin? sneaky Yi Jae with his smart solution using high school style. The scene when he was murdered was so tragic tho, I was shocked.
- The dramatic gangster in love Jung Seung-Joo’s character, his scenes were like action movie for real with the impressive camera works for the bike chasing and action scenes. It was so cool imo but too bad he’s killed by the woman he fell in love with, poor dude. Kudos to sneaky Yi Jae for his sneaky plan to hide the money tho.
- The aspiring MMA fighter Kim Jae Wook! This is my fav reincarnation so far because he nailed the emotional acting and action scenes so well. KJW’s acting was really good here even for short appearances, he really delivered his role. I like how he taunted the fake psycho who killed his school’s student reincarnation. Dude should rot in the jail and go crazy. This reincarnation also had good plot twist about how he died. I didn’t expect the father of the hit & run victim to come and stab him. But he ended up dying in the hands of his so called prison bestie instead. Very well done reincarnation so far imo.
- The model Lee Dohyun’s character where he finally met his ex-gf and his mother. LDH nailed his emotional acting like LJW. These two had the heaviest emotional reincarnation. The last part when Ji-Su died…it was too cruel to Yi Jae.
- The baby was cute but it’s too cruel even tho they tried to make it lighter with Yi Jae’s voice over.
Seo Inguk was good, but I think he’s kinda overshadowed by his reincarnations, especially by Kim Jae Wook & Lee Dohyun. But I think he gonna have more scenes for part2, his emotional outbursts during the ending of ep4 was good, I want to see him to lash out to the Death. I can’t say much yet about Park So Dam since her scenes were so limited here, didn’t challenge her acting yet, probably she will have more parts on part2.
I think he has entanglement with Death tho. He probably wronged her somewhere. My guess was he accidentally killed her when he killed himself. I can’t wait for part 2!
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This review may contain spoilers
PERFECTION✨
The storyline, the acting, the cinematography EVERYTHING is impressive. Seo In-guk's acting skills are amazing and I felt the sorrow of his unluckiness and the other characters! Most dramas that gather all the outstanding famous actors don't go well, but this drama makes it stand out every single performance!! I absolutely love the chemistry between Yi Jae & Ji Soo, and this drama portrays life & death beautifully, also of course, So Dam nailed it too! Even in only 4 eps, I felt connected to each of the characters and their past shows how outstanding, and this drama keep me hooked! I am waiting for Part-2 :)Was this review helpful to you?
well….
they left out a lot of good characters. the serial killer, the live streamer just to name a few. it’s like they condensed 4-5 characters into 1….ugh. read the webtoon first, it’s so much better. I also think if you read the webtoon first , you will have a clue what is going on. this is a VERY watered down version of the webtoon. of course Seo In Guk is perfection! but then again? when is he not? The actors are pretty but to get the full effect of this, you have to read it ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ also….death had blond hair……Was this review helpful to you?
Fast-paced and unpredictable
This show has an amazing script. I haven't read the webtoon so I can't say how accurate this show is or how much of the script's "goodness" is due to the good quality of the webtoon, all I can say is that the script is awesome. I feel that all of Yi Jae's reincarnations will have a joint story arc since we are already seeing some of that at the end of part 1 of this series. I also like the overarching commentary about suicide and how strongly it can impact a person's loved ones and oneself if they survive the attempt. I think it was impactful and tastefully done. Other themes that this drama touches are also well done in my opinion. Please check the trigger warnings because some scenes and situations can be disturbing!!!The actors and acting are also pretty amazing.
I don't know much about camerawork and cinematography but those drone shots were cool.
I can't say that the music is very memorable but it didn't annoy me so that's that.
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I enjoyed the plot very much, despite a few boring scenes here and there. The thriller aspect kept me going, and I was constantly curious about how he would save himself each time. The cast was amazing, with many actors portraying Seo In Guk’s character, and they did a great job conveying the emotions.
The continuity of the stories was well done. Even though his soul went into different bodies, each living their own life, there was always a common thread, and we got to see what happened after their “death.” It was very interesting!
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"You've just been taking everything for granted"
Death’s Game at first glance appears to be a simple repudiation of suicide. Death’s thin skin takes it personally when Choi Yi Jae said he wasn't afraid of her and as she says, “You are guilty of coming to find me before I came to find you.” At second or even seventh glance as Choi is doomed to be reincarnated into 12 lives on the cusp of death, a grander scheme begins to reveal itself.Choi Yi Jae was having a bad week, preceded by a tough seven years. When he made the ill-fated decision to jump from a roof he found out just how bad things could get when he met a disgruntled Death who decided to teach him a lesson by having him reincarnate into 12 different lives at the end of their span. Some of the lives were over in a blink, others were further developed. Each reincarnation showed how other lives were suffering or prematurely cut off. They also showed how his own limited thinking and actions led to fateful outcomes. Choi’s myopic vision never let him see how his actions affected others or the dangers lurking about him. I’m looking forward to his growth as a character in the next four episodes.
I had not perused the cast list and was shocked at how many famous faces appeared in Choi’s different lives. These actors weren’t phoning it in either, they gave performances worthy of their own characters’ dramas. It will be interesting to watch Choi finally begin to pull together the different experiences to comprehend what he needs to learn to save his life and afterlife. He’s going to have to move past being cocky and self-absorbed if he wants to win Death’s Game. He’s finding that “wherever you go, there you are.” And I’m not sure the reason for the game is the one he thinks it is. As Choi and the audience come to see how at least some of the lives are interconnected, the goal posts may be moving in regards to what his motivations will be. Admittedly, a few of the revelations were not shocking and I was waiting on them to finally be shown. There was one that should have been a tear jerker or shocking but when it happened, I burst out laughing in the way it was overplayed. For the most part, the short life experiences were moving and effective.
Death's Game is one of those thrillers that felt more like a shell game. Nothing was quite what it seemed and I don't think the real meaning of the episodes or even his death will be fully understood until the second half plays out in January 2024. I hope the next four episodes are as tightly written and as well acted as the first four.
28 December 2023
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My opinion about series
The first thing you must know to watch this is that it isn't about something funny or entertaining like I was thinking.I want watch it because of the edit from TikTok so my first thought was like yeah this must be funny but it was just my thoughts.
In first episode I could see that this is about. My feelings change to more serious and I more thought about my currently life I have right now.
In each episode I can see the same conclusion
"What is dead to me" and in every episode I have to think about that is it. I can tell it's hard and a little scary to answer this question but you have to face it someday.
While when you will be watch it you an fell angry, lonlynes, sadness or just fell empty this emotions I had.
I can recommend you this series because you can change your time about something or someone and the most important thing you can just clear your minde and look for something with new mind.
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A bit of a frustrating watch but it has a brilliant concept
So this is sometimes incredibly dumb. Outrageously so.But it has a brilliant concept.
The biggest problem with this show is that the protagonist is… a fool. In the opening scenes, he loses all his money but it's his fault for investing in such an obvious scam. He loses his apartment because he lost all his money which was his fault. He loses his girlfriend for being literally too dumb to know and/or remember who her brother was after 7 (seven!!) years of dating. Who confuses the brother of their girlfriend with a potential lover after 7 years of relationship?
Only a fool.
Basically, we're meant to root for him because of the bad things happening to him, but he's not a down-on-his-luck guy, he's just an incredibly dense guy. Even when Death tells him how stuff works he catches on later than most would. She literally tells him that he is a dumbfuck. How are we supposed to root for him? Rofl.
Maybe it's just me who has a hard time rooting for idiots.
However, it's still entertaining to watch his progress, and he does have great character development.
_________________________________________
Stunts - 68/100
Narrative - 77/100 | It's a shame because this started out mostly great, like amazing even, the main character notwithstanding. What's most frustrating is that a majority of the glaring issues in this show are easy, minor fixes to the script. But they end up hurting the whole thing quite badly.
Fight Choreography - 68/100 | Decently brutal.
Enjoyment - 68/100 | I can see an alternate reality in which this show is a masterpiece and everybody (including me) would be raving about it. Sadly, it is not, at least to me. Too many lost opportunities. It was always at least mildly interesting though.
The school episode was particularly gripping. Leagues ahead of the others. Loved it, the student actor was amazing.
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Now that is an interesting adaptation
I have read the webtoon but the drama made it so much better. I am glad that they did not faithfully follow the webtoon but instead changed it a little to make the story flow better. The connection of the reincarnations to one person wasn't in the webtoon but was a welcome inclusion.As expected, Lee JaeWook and Lee DoHyun slayed in their roles. I was quite surprised that Yoo InSoo would fit and play his character as the weak bully so well since I never imagined he could be like that at all. He really is the kind of actor that embodies the characters he play. I loved him in Alchemy of Souls, love-hate him in The Good Bad Mother, and utterly hated him in this drama.
I never thought that they would release only the first part of the drama so I am quite disappointed right now but still they chose a great cliff hanger. I hope they release the second part soon.
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More than words can tell
I waited all year for this drama, and I can say that this wait was welcome. I don't regret having to wait, because all the expectations I had were fulfilled and even more than that, Seo Inguk and Park Sodam were incredible, and I can understand why I love them. They are actors who make your drama have another level And, in addition, the story told, I can say that it is incredible and to this day I don't have words to say my feelings about this drama because they are more than words can tell.The construction of the characters through other lives and also the construction of the protagonist's girlfriend makes people watching understand what led him to commit suicide and also understanding all the regret is very good because we have a vision that we cannot judge.
End the end of the 4th Episode gives us another vision of everything that has happened so far, it makes us question ourselves about everything we have seen so far and what could happen is a little indecipherable. We don't know how the protagonist can overcome death, but we know a path he can follow, maybe it's not enough for him to live, but maybe after all he just wants revenge and not to live.
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