Pyramid Game (2024)

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.

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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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brilliant binged in 2.5 days, lesbians. gl coded. i live!!!!!

captivating story, super addictive.

I'm sure everyone can say that the acting is brilliant, I was terrified of the antagonist i was oooooo babes pls ur terrifying me now 😭😭 female lead and I thought while the plot was a bit cheesy I thought it was very entertaining. It had social commentary and themes of female friendship, bullying, guilt, and responsibility. I loved the main character, very refreshing perspective and grounded. Female characters often seem to have one definite characteristic and lack depth sometimes. They're were many characters and main ones, but it felt like each had their chance to shine, every character is distinct. The dynamics were adorable and realistic. Literally a canon lesbian relationship here, it's not subtle but at the same time it is in a way. It felt like I got to see natural female relationships form, and develop, struggle in amist of chaos. The writers understood how teenage girls act and showed it well with the girls' dynamic. While it had dark themes, it was cutely wholesome and thillerish at the same time. OVERALL WOULD RECC!!!

It ended crazy a bit annoyingly but that might mean a second season, thank you lesbians!!

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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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A very well done bullying and revenge drama

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean psychological thriller drama with 10, 49-64 minute episodes. It is based on a web toon of the same name.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Seong Soo-ji (Kim Ji-yeon) is a military child who has moved around her entire life and thinks she has the new student thing down. But that all changes when she enters an all girl school where the students in her class are playing a very dark game called the Pyramid Game. The “game” creates a stratified hieracrchy where those at the top of the pyramid can order and direct horrific acts of bullying and violence. As a new student, Soo-ji immediately finds herself at the bottom of the pyramid which means she is a target at the outset. Her father told her they would be moving on in about three months which seemed easy enough to survive until she became an unwilling participant of the game. To “win” and put an end to the “game” Seong Su-ji must figure out who started this game and why and among the girls around her, who all seem to be playing roles, who is actually good and who created and is perpetuation the evil “game”.


Review

This is a very well done bully and revenge theme drama.  They mostly skip the romance although there are a few characters where something seems to develop.  If you have read the web toon it sticks closely to that script with a variation at the ending.  The actors they cast fit very well with the way the characters are depicted in the manga.  I highly recommend this to anyone that likes this genre, is a fan of any of the actors, or are looking for something where there is little to no romance.  I would watch it again as it has a lot of depth and complexity.

 Spoilers

 It ends happy with all major plot points resolved.  Two aspects of the ending that I wasn’t as happy with are first, I though they could have easily made the relationship between Jo Seung Hwa (Jo Dong In), the convenience store worker and brother of the student severely bullied, and Seong Su Ji (Bona).  And I seriously disliked they introduced two new characters, twins, whom the school was renamed after, who were suggesting they wanted to play the Pyramid Game.  That was completely unnecessary.  And stupid.  First, you have Seong Su Ji in that class and she would never allow it to even start.  And, the rest of the class has already seen how the game can be stopped.  So, I think that the producers did that to open the door for a second season but a second season does not make sense with the same main characters in the mix. 

 I wish Soo Ji’s father, Sung Hee-Seok (Choi Dae-Chul) would have seen video of teacher Im Ju-Hyung (Choi Sung-won) smacking on his daughter.  We saw him getting arrested, but we could assume that was for the cheating and bribery and perhaps allowing the bullying.  But he should have been called out for the stuff he himself directly did to the students. 

 #PyramidGame #KimJiYeon. #JoDongIn #ChoiDaeChul.

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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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High School Drama that shows Societal Complexities

I was hesitant to start this drama when it came out all because it might just be another high school drama. It was not. I finished this one in just 3 days whereas my usual was a week or two for short dramas, sometimes to a month for a full-length (16 episodes, 1 hr 15 min run time). I was shocked that it had several elements and not just youthful elements. It really showed that adults can influence their children and as these children learn from adults, in turn, that's how they are as they grow. Yet, these adults wonder how they could have raised such children. Well?

It was fast-paced and just had the right amount of episodes to fit all the things I needed to see. It does not really offer a good ending but I believe that's just how it could have that "happy ending" in reflection to real-life happenings. Despite having the option to escape things, the powerful, the rich, and those who have more resources and connection ALWAYS find their way out.

I already know that the protagonist will overcome things but getting there, it was thrilling! Just when you think she gets it, she doesn't. The solution was easy to end it all but getting there, as life always is, is complicated, or rather, we always try to complicate things before stopping them. This is also one of the best dramas for me this 2024.

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Being a monster is infectious

WHAT. A. SHOW.
Do you like 8-10 episode long mystery storylines with revenge plots, plot twists and a range of character storylines?
Did you like The Glory, Celebrity, Battle Royale and Squid Game?

Consider this somehow a decent mix of elements from each, combining to give you a twist-filled drama that also serves as a social commentary on bullying and the hierarchy world.

I thoroughly enjoyed each episode, rather appreciated the character development and the dynamics.

I do wish there was more to say on certain aspects, making it difficult for me to say it was 10/10.

a 9/10 from me!

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FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS READ THE WEBTOON - AMAZING

i watched this drama, as you can tell, because i was a daily reader of the completed webtoon series of the same name that this drama was based upon. as someone who reads both webtoon and watches kdramas frequently, i often get disappointed by crap adaptations that deviate entirely from the plot (true beauty does this, worst kdrama ive watched by far)
so when i watched this adaptation, i was pleasantly surprised by how close this was to the webtoon! the castings were spot on, the plot was nicely reshaped into a ten-episode format, and the main events were the exact same. i enjoyed jang da-ah as ha-rin and bona as sung soo-ji, i think they have nice coordination as actors and suit their respective roles perfectly. the casting of eun-byeol was INCREDIBLE - how could one play out a characters role so perfectly! she looks exactly like drawn eunbyeol in the webtoon- i instantly knew it was her. whilst pyramid game deviates ever so slightly from the webtoon, it is a very very good watch, and i can imagine how good this must be for anyone who hasnt read it. this is a MUST WATCH for anyone who is a fan of school and psychological themes!!!! and obviously, as per the webtoon, the ending is immaculate- no loose ends over here, my friends!!

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