Pyramid Game (2024)

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Were you a strategic mastermind in high school? Intelligent enough to build and maintain your own little North Korea in your class and astute enough to instigate a rebellion and tear the empire down? Was your entire school full of lesbians? I don't think so. And that's why we have K-dramas - to see these wild exciting plots come to life!

Since the emphasis on the "game" is stated right in the drama title, I felt compelled to compare just how much of a game was the bullying system that Baek Ha Rin created. If we take Johan Huizinga's play theory, the first element of the equation doesn't seem to match. In his definition, a play:
1. Is a voluntary activity.
2. Separated from ordinary life.
3. Has a distinct location and duration.
4. Demands absolute order.
5. Connected with no material interest.

But weren't you free to not download the Pyramid Game app? Myeong Ja Eun automatically becomes one of the victims when she declines to participate in the voting. If you're punished for not playing, that's not really a game anymore, is it? If Pyramid Game was never a game in the first place, it means that Ha Rin's superiority to the rest of the class was superficial, she wasn't even a charismatic leader. This imitation of freedom is often executed in authoritarian and totalitarian states, and all of them are held up by fear, not the mythical "respect" for the dictator.

Rather than having to deal with a consolidated cult, Seong Soo Ji parachutes in a fertile soil for a coup d'etat, and it makes her task in the drama easier. The main part of the story is Soo Ji navigating her way through the new class in the all-girls school that she transferred to. The whole drama is one big trigger warning for violence and school bullying, and you should consider that before watching. The scenes of violence evoked such primary rage in me, good thing they are only on screen. The scale of violence is almost equal to The Glory, and the eerily smooth intro with cool colors and definite shapes is certainly inspired by it.

The best part of the drama is THE GIRLS. Literally every communication between any of them is low-key or high-key sapphic. Our fantastic couple Lim Ye Rim and Shim Eun Jeong steal the spotlight every other episode. Bona's fiery eyes were a whole another character on their own, but my favorite actress is Oh Se Eun playing a firecracker Song Jae Hyeong with a thing for muscular shoulders. She's such a playful and bright little fox, she caught my attention earlier with her memorable performance in Duty After School.

There are many things that felt off in this drama, including the superficial introduction of the prisoner's dilemma, and there's a lot I can't put my finger on. But I don't feel the need to emphasize the bad parts if this beautiful lesbian world is spinning and making us happy!

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SUJAEUN LET ME INNNNN

the brainrot is real with this one the acting is flawless the friendship between suji jaeun yerim jaehyeong jiae was great .. all 500 gay coded dynamics were delishus with a special shoutout to my sujaeun ... yerim eunjung too .... yerim suji ... suji doa .... i could go on idgaf ! everyone was effing great in this especially daah shes a little genius actress im afraid .. a little bit upset about the fact that harins motivation was changed from the webtoon so it felt a lot more bland than it would've if they had followed the webtoon ..... also the fact that they made jaehyeong a bg stan shes a lesbian and a wizone PLEASE all in all i love this silly little show and i hope we get more or i'll just end it all. STRONGLY STRONGLYYYY suggest reading the webtoon if u liked it because u learn a lot more abt everyone's motivations and dynamics :]

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Predator or Prey, what shall it be?

Pyramid Game, so far the 4 episodes are well executed. It gives that mystery action kind of vibes too it. It's layering of certain points in each episode was handled beautifully. From someone who easily understands the plot before more information is given where as even tho this plot isn't difficult to comprehend the twists itself will have u shocked momentarily and craving for more.

Edited- 7/03/2024
Literally just watched episode 5&6 I'm sending praises to the writters, producers everyone that worked hard on this drama.
It's been a while since I've had a thrilling excitement for a drama .
The character the developments are wonder the various actors executed their roles perfectly. This drama just goes to show that sometimes we need certain people to bring out the best in us and have our backs.

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Finally, an actually interesting thriller.

(No spoilers.)

I was so excited to see the adaption of one of my favourite webtoons The Pyramid Game coming to the live screen, even more when it was announced with only 10 episodes. (No episode was filler. It was all just so brilliant and tightly woven.) And now, after finally completing it, I can confidently that this IS the thriller of 2024.

This drama actually captures the themes of social hierarchy and the bystander effect so well. It left me anxious, crying from joy and both shock, on the edge of my seat with how each episodes end, and deep in contemplation.

We are able to examine the other characters through the lens of the outsider/new student, aka our main character. Because of this, this show is able to do things that other "psychological dramas w high school students" can't.

We actually do have morally ambigious characters. We get to root for them. Pray for them. Watch them suffer. Watch others suffer. Watch the complex relationships unravel. And its all done so succinctly in 10 episodes.

The antagonist is a fresh face: one can argue her acting is a little stiff, but it's actually her microexpressions that deepen her character even further. She becomes the bane of the show, the bane of the main characters' existences. She's truly a 'villian' - her presence feels eerily untouchable, and that's because of how the drama cleverly portrays her to us, the audience, and to the main characters.

I think the acting and the choice of cast was also extremely clever. They felt so real and young, and thats what we NEEDED. They are teenagers - they are still learning, still maturing. They're going to be selfish, they're going to make stupid, impossible decisions.

I seriously reccommend this. Unlike the other dramas that try to capture this level of thriller and drama amongst high school students, this one creates a contained level of world-building that doesn't rely on typical misunderstandings or miscommunication tropes to prolong the suffering.

The only fault I can find with this is the difference between the webtoon and the drama in terms of the climax at Episode 9. The webtoon properly evaluates and expands on the world-building in a way that 10 episodes can't.

And yet, 10 episodes was enough to do it all. Definitely going to give this a rewatch.

--

Additionally, as this drama is set in an all-girls school, we can enjoy the complexities of girlhood and lesbian relationships without the interference of men and the male gaze. So happy omg :]

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So good, highly suggest you watch this!

In the beginning the bullying was extremely hard to sit through but I realized overtime that they wanted to showcase the intensity for a reason. That being said, once sooji joined the class and her instinct catching on I was so immersed in her perspective that It drew my attention. The friendship and relationships that are formed is one of the most powerful parts of the show, I cried lots when the main friend group stuck by eachothers side throughout. and of course sooji and jaeun’s precious friendship, how they always wanted to protect eachother. The ending was not rushed at all and felt like It didn’t miss a single thing. Highly recommend and this drama will be dearly missed by me

++ haerin’s was truly TERRIFYING. i dont think i’ve seen many actresses be able to express and truly embody a psychopath quite like jang da a. was so impressing and even the soundtrack for her was scary.😭 well done

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The ending CARRIED

So I went into this show with high expectations, because I'd seen everybody hyping it up and even comparing it to THE weak hero class 1. Of course I was let down from the start. It didn't come close to the latter show, but that's okay. I thought the concept was really interesting. The cast was just okay at first (I'm not the biggest fan of the fl). The pacing was also my biggest issue with the show. It was only 10 episodes, but honestly it should've been 6... The story was simple but stretched out for no reason, so it wasn't super entertaining. I was ready to give this a 5-6/10 but thank god that ending came and saved this thing. Every loose end got connected and all of the characters had a satisfying end to their story. By then I also came to appreciate the characters and their motivations more!

Story/characters: 16/20
Acting: 7,5/10
Music: 7,5/10
Visuals: 7/10
Replay: 5/10
Entertainment: 12/20
Pacing: 12/20
Impact: 22/30
Overall: 7/10

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A focus on girl politics and bystanders of bullying

I absolutely love the female lead, her character is so realistic and refreshing from the usual heroine tropes.
Actually all the other characters were neatly fleshed out and were not just one dimensional.
The cast absolutely delivers on the acting.
Especially the FL and the main antagonist, I can't believe I haven't seen much of them before.

This absolutely delivers into the craziness of girl politics. Like with a guys bullying story, the victim just goes through a training arc gets strong and beats up the bullies and takes revenge. But with so much passive aggressiveness rooted in the girl world, it ain't that simple for the victim.
The story puts a light on the usual circumstances of a bully victim by exaggerating it into a game, where no matter how fair the rules seem to be, you just can't get out.

Mainly I would like to appreciate the writing, yes I know it's based on a webtoon and ya this appreciation goes to them.
Nowadays so many copy paste cliched tropes are going around that I went into this with low expectations too but slowly it established itself as a complete standout.
Definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to watch some thrilling high school bully take down story.

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One of Best drama I ever watched

I usually never write reviews. Guess this is the first time. Guys, just go ahead and watch. It's one of the best dramas i ever watched. I really wish for a season 2. Sung soo ji as an adult. It will be a hit. Just a high schooler with her wits, guts and help from friends cleaned an entire school. She is really one of the best character. I admire her. Not like she's perfect. But she is strong, brave, dare to think, dare to do anything she can to solve the issue. She didn't just stay the same as she is in the first episode, she evolved, improved and got better. This teaches you a lot. The concept is just mind blowing. A pyramid.. You know the one who is in the bottom can be the one who gets to new heights as long you are brave enough to face everything. Just great. Ost is also good. Higher 🎶🎧.

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