Didn’t Fulfil It’s Own Potential But It’s Still A Decent Series
The first four or five episodes were well paced, intriguing and had strong storytelling. The plot and the explanations were believable and exciting. I really thought it was going to be a 9 or a 9.5 drama. Unfortunately, after episode 5, what I can only describe as plot-holes everywhere, brought the story and execution down to an 8.5 and at times an 8. The intrigue was still there but if you have to dumb down your smartest character just for the plot; then you are doing something wrong. This pretty much remains the issue for the rest of the series. Although the intrigue remains and the premise continues to be smart-ish with a few twist and turns; it gets harder and harder to overlook the things that don’t make sense or that are allowed to be sloppy for the sake of moving the plot forward.Though I will still rate this an 8.5, I’m disappointed that the creators fumbled this one when it could have been a 9.5 or even a 10/10 show.
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I loved how the romance was only hinted at and wasn't the focus. Don't get me wrong, I love romance in dramas. But this was refreshing because the lack of a romantic subplot meant the leads were able to focus on the game and the game alone without any distractions.
I loved how woo jin helped turn nam da jung's so called 'weakness' to trust in others, into great strength. I loved how he played by her rules, which he didn't even believe in initially, and still ended up winning. I loved how he didn't try to force her to deceive others. I was afraid when I first started watching this that we'd have our hero showing he frustration at our heroine's trustful nature and make her change it by showing her how deception can be more advantageous (I'm not familiar with the original source material so I though this might be how it'll go) but man I was pleasantly surprised! He knows she has her morals. That she can't and won't. And he decides to change his rules so that she wont have to change anything about herself. He lets himself be the 'vicious dog' when the situation demands it so that she won't have to do something she cannot
I loved how NDJ never considers changing herself. She is confident that her morals are her strength. She very rarely doubts her trusting nature which is why her character is no mere damsel in distress. It was a powerful moment in the end, when faced with so much evidence, she still trusts WJ because she knows him well enough.
I loved jamie and I loved dal goo.
And I loved Do young. Possibly the best villain ever. Because he doesn't try to get anyone's sympathy. He's charming. He's devious. He's manipulative. And I want to see more of such villains in kdramas. That can make you feel their pain without shedding tears.
It's rare to find a show that has you hooked from beginning to end with no boring moments. This was such a show.
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I haven't read the manga or watched the Japanese version, but I will because this drama is simply amazing. I don't know why I haven't watched this until now.
I'm a big fan of kdramas, but the acting in this drama is awesome. The cast is so good that it looks like the actors were made for this drama. It is one of the best dramas. I don't know if this drama has an award, but deserve one. I don't know what to say more because this drama played with my brain a lot. I fangirled so hard and there were so many plot twists. Underrated!!
I highly recommend this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Strong start, but fails to follow through
What is a real shame about this show, is that it had the makings of greatness. I couldn't stop raving about -- and bingewatching -- the first few episodes. The plot was strong, the mystery kept me begging for more, and it set up various threads that I literally couldn't wait to see untangled.But once you reach the halfway mark, and more specifically, once you get to about episode 7, the initial sense of enthusiasm quickly wanes. The writing becomes a mess and the potential falls through, never to be seen again.
Things that make the first impression so good and then completely unravel:
- The games
At first they seem pretty well-thought out and have you excitedly wonder if there could be a 'winning strategy'. However, as the show goes on, the games become lacklustre and by the end of the show the writers hardly seem to care about the games anymore. More time is spent on melodrama and the overarching mystery plot, and the games become an afterthought, with a rinse-and-repeat sort of pattern. The final games aren't even about lying anymore. (Most notably the Russian Roulette game and the Poker17 one, but arguably also the Border Patrol one.) And it quickly becomes obvious what the results of the game will be, even if you're not quite sure how they'll get there. (Nam Da Jung urges to all help each other, the odds are stacked against her team, but then Ha Woo Jin swoops in to save the day.)
- The characters
Strong female characters don't necessarily have to be physically strong or ruthless or highly intelligent in order to be a smart character. In this case, Nam Da Jung's strength as a character comes from her kindness. Except, instead of it being her defining trait, it becomes her sole trait, and it devolves into a ready-made excuse for a sort of naivety bordering on stupidity. She fades away into Ha Woo Jin's shadow and is utterly unable to think for herself. She becomes a very passive victim who undergoes the plot but whom the secondary characters grow to love -- I say 'grow to', but there is no proper evolution when it comes to this, they just do a total 180° between one episode and the next.
Kang Do Yeong who seems undefeatable gains most of his 'wow'-effect through the sheer stupidity of the secondary characters. Seriously, if you (re-)watch this show, pay special attention to it, and notice how none of the secondary characters have to think for themselves for a moment, and when they do, 95% of the time it's so they can fuck up and stack the odds against Nam Da Jung so Ha Woo Jin can have his savior-moment again. Kang Do Yeong's character is not very rounded. His backstory to become a villain is lazily written and as a villain he is fairly predictable.
Ha Woo Jin's actor is pretty good, but by the end of the show his character becomes a shadow of who he started out as. I have the least to say about him, because I really did like his acting, and compared to the other 2 mains and to the secondary characters, his character was the best of the bunch.
Long story short, they start off the show with offering a bunch of different threads and the unspoken promise that it's all going to lead to something more, but when it comes to actually following through, they leave half of the threads dangling, unsolved. In general, it's like they put in the effort to hook the audience in and then took the audience's investment for granted and couldn't be bothered to come up with more than a hand-wavey vague explanation for the unveiling of the backstory and the resolution.
The reason why I still gave 6.5/10 stars, is because I genuinely did like the first half of the show and Ha Woo Jin.
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now: 7.0
im leaving the high rating since i "loved" it before??? picking it up back after 2 yrs in my dropped list, idk why i dropped it in the first place i should've continued it since it had a good twisted ending !!! also i haven't watched the japanese version & manga.
the story itself is brilliant, it questions on how you should trust the ppl around you whether it'll benefit you or not, will you cooperate or betray others in terms of money?; however the acting ruins it (this is an "old/2014" kdrama so it's acceptable) nam da jung will probably annoy the hell out of you but bare w it. another thing i'd like to discuss is the music lmao they went overboard w that one but it worked bc my heart kept pounding everytime the suspense sound comes.
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The story line was awesome, I haven't watched the Japanese version or read the Manga so I can't compare. This drama always kept me in the edge of my seat, especially the last few episodes. I was low key hoping that they would kiss in the last episode.
The acting and cast is perfect. Kang Do young is really like a psychopath, his laugh/smiles always scares me. I love his acting so much, I hope he gets more lead roles in the future. The female lead is naive but not in a stupid way (like most female leads in kdramas). I love how she became more confident in the end. Cha Woo Jin was also super cool. I love how in the end he held Da Jung hand, a cute flash back from when they first met.
The music suited the situation/scenario. Most of the music was just instrumental.
Re watch value is definitely 10/10!! The ending is a cliff hanger, season 2 plss!!
"Only you can stop your own betrayal so make a choice. When you walk out the door, what kind of person you want to be" ~Nam Da Jung
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The premise of this drama is pretty interesting, and the first scene immediately hooked me in. Initially, I didn't care for the opening credits, but it actually grew quite a bit on me; I feel that it captures the essence of the series very well. The music is decent – it effectively builds suspense and creates a dark, tense atmosphere. There was one instrumental track I particularly enjoyed that played during the more dramatic scenes that I found vaguely reminiscent of Moby's “Extreme Ways.”
Kim So Eun is believable as the exceptionally kind, compassionate, and gullible main character, Nam Da Jung. Like other viewers, I often felt that her naivete was too extreme, especially after being duped a few times, and especially considering the fact that she is participating in a reality TV show fully aware that the objective is to deceive other contestants to reach the end goal. Fortunately, she does get a bit smarter as the show progresses, but she retains a unreasonable degree of idealism in the midst of a pretty cutthroat environment. On the other hand, her warmth, generosity, and innocent charm is so disarming that other contestants and viewers of the reality show can't help but be affected, which ironically ends up making her one of the most powerful players – so much so that she even threatens to undermine Liar Game's supposition that everyone will throw their morals out the window if the payoff is big enough.
Cha Woo Jin is a stoic antihero with a very cynical outlook, and he initially looks down on Da Jung for her unrelenting willingness to trust other people, even when it is unwarranted. Nevertheless, despite generally maintaining his aloof demeanor, he quickly becomes emotionally attached to her. He enters the competition for personal reasons, but he continuously chooses to protect her despite the fact that they are technically adversaries. Prospective viewers should be aware that there is really not much at all in the way of romance in this show. At most, there is a hint of attraction and potential for romance between Woo Jin and Da Jung. They have a cute, sweet dynamic, but this isn't the show for you if you need romance to be a prominent or main element of the storyline.
I appreciated that the other contestants of "Liar Game" are quite a diverse group. They're not all young and conventionally attractive, nor are they all vicious or one-dimensional. While the story doesn't go into very much depth with their personal histories, each character adds something unique and interesting to the group dynamic. A couple of the more prominent supporting characters (Da Jung's close friend who sort of acts as a surrogate dad, Jo Dal Goo, and one of the fiercest competitors, Jamie) actually have some decent character development.
The storyline is interesting, even if a bit bizarre by the end. I enjoyed the antagonistic dynamic between Woo Jin and Do Young; they are well-matched opponents. However, the games themselves were really less interesting to watch than I'd hoped. The explanation of the rules were almost always too long and felt tedious to get through, killing the momentum. Moreover, some of the games felt like they were stretched out longer than necessary, and I struggled to stay interested. Some of the games were more interesting than others, though – and regardless, it was still typically interesting to watch the characters adapt to new circumstances and interact with one another.
I would recommend this drama if the premise generally appeals to you and you don't mind the lack of romance. It's a pretty fun show overall, and it's short. However, it is intentionally left open-ended; although the plot of this drama can mostly be considered concluded, the ending is, in a way, also a beginning, as it sets the stage for a new story arc. This drama was made in 2014, and it is now (as of this writing) 2019. It seems very unlikely that there will be another season, which is unfortunate. Even so, I'm glad to have seen it. It wasn't so interesting that I am inclined to go read the manga or watch the Japanese drama, but I'd definitely watch a second season if it were to ever get made.
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This review may contain spoilers
Well Liar Game, congrats because I was hooked on you for the majority of the show. It is very good television. I enjoyed the character dynamics between the competitors. Obviously it was the big 3 leads that stood out though, with Nam Da Jung as the kind and trusting girl, and the battle of the brains with Ha Woo-Jin and Kang Do-Young. I did find the backstory with them as kids to be a bit…strange? But oh well, we’ll go with it. Isn’t she like 19 and a uni student while Woo Jin is like 30 and a professor?? But in the flashback they’re around the same age? How does that work???
But I think my biggest pet-peeve was when
(spoiler!!!)
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Jamie dragged Nam Da Jung through the mud, slandering her for being a so-called ‘slut’. Apparently she's sleeping around with Ha Woo Jin and Do-young to do well in the game, and Jamie tossed her photoshoot photos on the floor as 'proof'. After that, everybody turns against her without even giving her a chance to explain herself. But the thing that bugged me wasn’t that, it was that Da Jung literally never says “Oh actually guys, I was ordered to do that photoshoot as part of my TV contract, and I haven’t been sleeping around with anybody, what a load of bs” she just lets them all hate her??! Just throws in the towel and is like ‘well, that’s it for me! guess i’ll go cry’ Girl get a GRIP
But that's not even the worst part!! The worst part is how this issue is never resolved?? At least certainly not on SCREEN
At some point after the whole giving stars round of the game where Woo Jin saves her ass, everybody is just suddenly back on board and they are all buddies again?? Like, did they watch the episode at home after it aired, where it showed the scene with Jaime and Da Jung talking and Jaime is like “I know it's all bs lololol, but I gotta find a way to save myself, sorry not sorry”
Even if that’s the case, where’s my scene with all the contestants lining up to say sorry they condemned her and almost caused her to be eliminated, because they believed Jaime (Jaime - the one known to be a lying, conniving witch who is known to betray any and everybody for her own gain) and her bullshit story?? Where’s that scene???????
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Anyways, now that I’ve got that off my chest, I did enjoy the rest of the show. It was fun watching round after round of Liar Game to see people try to outsmart one another. It’s interesting because things that you would think are simple: the minority wins game, the stars game, the president game, and the countries at war game, are all simple in premise but all contestants use their brains to think of all the ways to ensure their victory. They use maths and ideas to win, and think outside the box.
I did think Woo Jin and Da Jung had such good chemistry though. If it were any other drama, they did so many things that would be included in a lead-up to a budding romance. From him saving her from those drunk guys hitting on her, to saving/helping her in the game, that near kiss in the car when the cops showed up, and how he said he was her dog and he would protect his master (rawr). Just a few examples. I think the writers should have made a slight confirmation in the final episode that they were going to/are a canon couple. Even just a kiss in the distance would have been enough lol. I’m sure if there was a season 2, they would develop it a bit more. The show was alright without the romance of course, but it wouldn’t have hurt to add but a teensy weensy bit more you know?
On the whole, it was a very good drama. One you watch for good quality entertainment and plot.
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This review may contain spoilers
intense watch but plot has unrealistic lines
This is good drama, at list it picks you up and is intense, game is interesting, but there are plot holes. Yes, they are in every drama, but I think here quite important parts of story are unrealistic and unbelievable: reason Woo Jin was pulled in game (even if someone wanted him in game, there would be so many ways, but calculate so complicated way is just unreal), his hate and obsession to Kang Do Yeong rom the very beginning, with no reason he starts investigation.FL is too unrealistic naive and stupid and for some reasons everyone want to help her, and really smart genius coldhearted guys are interested with her persona, why?
Also the drama has lack of deep relationships. yes, romance isn't necessary in dramas like this, but there must be some emotional relationships, story needs that part too, without interesting and emotional relationships, chemistry drama becomes dry. hate, love, strong friendship, trust/loyalty but with reasons, so we could trust and feel this relationships. random people playing together and every relationship is only for game, and the ones which aren't for game are so unbelievable and dry...
Best part of the drama is Shin Sung Rok,
his acting (as actors acting and characters acting) his crazy charisma, facial expressions, everything about this actor and character is perfect!
though why is he soo bad and villain is also not believable. because drama and protogonist needs villain? then make some realism, show me why is one smart guy, even liar and manipulator so bad, why is this game something evil? and his maker devil? this is just reality show, if people except to be part of it, they should except it's rules. show and it's maker saying "this is game of lies and manipulations" so what? is this criminal? if you (for example FL) are so good and angel, why you are playing it and then critic, also searching some conspiracy theories behind it...
ML and SML, Woo Jin and Kang Do Yeong and even Jamie (she did worst things than Doyeong) are basically same, they are very smart, coldminded, they manipulated and lied to other players (this is the game!), maybe in their souls they are different and Woo Jin is better poerson, but in game and in events what we see Kang Do Yeong didn't do anything worse, so why is only he evil and someone who should be lost and betrayed from everyone? drama doesn't gives believable reasons.
Somehow everyone, players and all other characters, everyone hate Kang Do Yeong, are against him and look at him like worst enemy. WHY? he isn't nice person but no one in this show (except stupid FL) is angel, so why is he only evil? why everyone fights him so aggressively? even at the end, when we know what hell he gone through noone compassions him but hates him more
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Questionable adaptation
The drama lacked the Korean flavor in its adaptation from the original Japanese one. Usually when the source is Japanese, the adaptation will take the core idea and add its Korean spin but not in this one. This feels like it was fully produced by Japan but with Korean cast. From writing to dialogue, characters and editing, even the teaser at the very last scene. Speaking of the cast, this is Kim So Eun worst performance, I've seen from her other roles and she's usually better than this, I don't why she's like that here.Was this review helpful to you?
