Pyramid Game (2024)

Psychological warfare game

It's interesting that the drama posits Soo Ji who is middleclass be the one that successfully fights back against the heiress bully Ha Rin. Ha Rin hand selected her to be in her class because of her background, mistaking her for easy to control. Soo Ji's sole familial connection actually doesn't have any thing that can be used against her aside from some easily disproven rumors. Soo Ji is financially stable, has good grades, and her largely absent military father has pushed her to be the utmost versatile independent problem solver for everything other than physical self defense. I don't think this guy will ever understand how neglectful he's been even after seeing what kind of bully she's actually been dealing with all on her own. I really like that Soo Ji is no saint, she just wants to stay in the middle, strategically forming surface level friendships until she can safely move onto whichever new school in the city her dad moves them to next. Even facing the violence that she'll be complicit in enabling in the pyramid game, she just wants to stay in the middle as well, but her conscience is challenged by Ja Eun, and finally uses her brain power for the greater good.

Soo Ji's cleverness and Ha Rin's cunning is a great match throughout the show. Everyone is involved in the plot in an interesting way and I like how there are moments where it shows the light of true friendship in between all the darkness that envelops the class because of the pyramid game. I quite enjoyed the paintball scene where they broke the prisoner game by turning the paintball shots on themselves, but it's not quite realistic that they were shooting each other for fun. Those paint pellets really hurt, especially at such close distance. One of them is for real all kinds of freaky though lol. I like how Woo Ri has her own storyline that goes beyond just being the first victim, but she gets to be a hero too. She tracked Ye Lim's stalking behavior albeit when she was doing her own borderline stalking behavior and broke through her agoraphobia to save her former classmate and later spoke out publicly about the pyramid game. Her brother is nice, supporting his sister and also Soo Ji and the other students as one of the rare adults who care.

Some weak parts of the show is definitely how conveniently Ja Eun gets interrupted every single time she's about to tell Soo Ji what happened between her and Ha Rin that makes her hate her so much. It's so inorganic and obvious of the show to stretch out that plot point. That's very sloppy writing indeed. It turned out that it wasn't even the only reason, so they still had something to reveal at the end. Instead it always looked like Soo Ji is missing some crucial information whenever she formulated her plans. There was no need for the principle to be so cartoony when no one else acts like that. Ha Rin's final play to make Ja Eun watch her die was pretty weak, as is her comeuppance having her adoption dissolved. Da Yun continuing to be abused by her dad who gets to comeuppances like that is the punishment she deserves for being abusive to others. Perhaps that is part of the story where the ones at the very top continue to have their way and new ones like the rich twins that move into the class arrive to replace the top of the pyramid. Soo Ji is ready to take them down though.

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ဇာတ်ကားကို ဇာတ်ကားလိုပဲ ကြည့်ပါ

ကြည့်ကောင်းပါတယ် ၊ တစ်ပိုင်းပြီး တစ်ပိုင်း ဆက်ကြည့်‌ချင်နေတာ ၊ ဇာတ်လမ်းဇာတ်ကွက်လည်းကောင်းပါတယ် ၊ မင်းသမီးတွေ သရုပ်ဆောင်တာလည်း ကောင်းတယ် ၊ ဇာတ်လမ်းဇာတ်ကွက်ကတော့ ရိုးရှင်းပါတယ် ၊ ဒါပေမဲ့ တကယ့်လက်တွေ့ဘဝနဲ့ ယှဉ်ပြီး ကြည့်မယ်ဆိုရင်တော့ အဓိပ္ပာယ် သိပ်မရှိဘူးပေါ့ ၊ ဇာတ်ကားထဲက ဘဝနဲ့ ကြည့်မယ်ဆိုရင်တော့ တကယ် ကကြည့်လို့ကောင်းပါတယ် ၊ တစ်ပိုင်းနဲ့ တစ်ပိုင်း ပျင်းဖို့ကောင်းတဲ့နေရာမရှိဘူး

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The best drama of the year, without a doubt!

I really had high expectations for this drama because it was only about women.
Don't get me wrong, I like romance but in this drama there was no place for men or fighting over men. It was a sinister battle between women.

It's really interesting that they will use the concept of the pyramid. Because that's really what happens in all aspects of life. Whoever possesses wealth, power and beauty are above others. And the lowest of us must survive, as the protagonist and her friends did.

There is no black or white here, there are nuances in some characters. Many girls did not want to play this game but they had to do so to survive the macabre game that the antagonist had created.

I love Sooji's intelligence. At first she is strong and tries to survive, after seeing Myung Ja Eun she changes her focus and knows that she needs to destroy the game that Ha Rin created so that she can receive punishment from her and end the bullying.
The actress really did a great job. Although her personality is calm, upon being involved in this game and being a victim, she is extremely intelligent to little by little build a rebellion among the girls and cause Har Rin's pyramid to be destroyed little by little. It is too satisfying to see how she and her friends triumph in the end and give Ha rin a game over.

Not only does it show intense bullying, but it also makes me think that sometimes women are our own worst enemies.

I was very happy to see that a teacher really cared about what was happening and didn't really care about losing her job if she had to protect one of her students.
She didn't turn a blind eye to what was happening, like other teachers.

I'm didn't take it as a really feminist drama, perhaps a little because they showed the love relationship between two girls (I loved that), but as a rebellion against bullying and her own parents who put everything they wanted into their daughters.

I also love both reflections that the protagonist makes. The first is a talk she has with Myung Ja, which makes her understand that it doesn't matter that she led Ha Rin to be the way she was. It had no justification, in the end she was just a harasser who made excuses for her past, which was not as serious as what she did, to be a harasser and rely on "I was also a victim once."

The second reflection that I really liked was that she was also a spectator. This happens when she sees a group of girls walk past her, who were clearly harassing a girl. In the past she wouldn't have cared, because she just wanted to have a peaceful school life and not get involved in those problems (there she recognizes that she was also a spectator) but now she turned around to face these situations and save someone who is being harassed.

I also liked that each girl who stayed by Sooji's side took it as a lost dream or losing privileges from their parents, because they believed that since they were spectators, they also deserved punishment. For looking into the past and doing nothing to stop it.

It is clearly seen at the end that two twins enter, ready to play the pyramid game again, but when Sooji sees them and smiles, you know that won't happen again. She won't let it happen again. She is ready for another battle, but this time she is not alone, this time she has her friends on her side to stop this.

The performances were perfect. I read that some actresses were just making their acting debut, but they really did an impeccable job.

The soundtrack made you feel tense all the time not knowing what twist the plot was going to take, because there really are no cliché twists here. There are twists here that you don't even expect to happen and that leaves you trapped in each chapter.

The cinematography is perfect too.

There's really nothing wrong that I've found. Or maybe it is... that it is so underflown! This drama is really much better and superior than many dramas we have been watching so far and it is not that popular. That bothers me a lot!


In general, I stick with this reflection: "If you see that someone is a victim of abuse, don't look to the side, go and help them. Who knows if tomorrow you won't be in their place."

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My last time watching series about bullying?

I watched this as it's recommended by my younger brother and I had little hopes. And my hunch is correct. Now that I finished ep 1, I decided it's not for me. My brother really enjoyed it but as for me I have many complaints. Like any other shows about bullying, i hate when the main character does not immediately fights back the moment the bullying first starts or just transfer schools, or tell your parents, or teachers. I hate watching them get hurt many times before taking any actions. Like my God, just one punch to the face to make it even and just transfer schools! Maybe because my standard for shows like this is Weak Hero Class 1 and that one is so satisfying even just at ep 1. This one is like same stories with other bullying shows but just a little bit fancy twist like having a nonsense game to justify or decide who should they bully. So many students who are eye witnesses to such bullying and no one decides to step up. So unrealistic! maybe because where I grew up, this type of issue is never a problem. I asked my brother for spoilers if the bullies will at least suffer the same amount of physical pain the main charc experienced by the end, and he answered "No, it's more like a mind game not action". That's why i decided that if there is not at least one bully who gets punched in the face and have their teeth flying in the air by the end of the show, then I won't continue watching it, just a waste of time. This show isn't for me who hates same old dumb reasons why the mc can't find back the very first time they got bullied. No hate to the drama I bet others really like it like my brother, me personally, am just tired of this kind of story flow. To those who experience this kind of bullying at school, please fight back or tell your parents, no harm with relying on your parents for this kind of thing.

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A very refreshing watch.

I don’t usually leave reviews but this drama is absolutely amazing.

I’ve been dropping a lot of dramas lately because most of them were boring and weren’t thrilling enough. But this drama is so well executed.

First the cast; I really liked Bona in 2521 and I watched this drama because of her, before I started the show I wasn’t sure if should watch it or not because every time I watch the show because of the actor, it ends up being boring, but this one was different. The actor who portrayed Baek Ha Rin was so good, I’m honestly surprised that this was her first drama. Even though this show had a lot of rookie actors everyone acted and portrayed their character really well.

The story was so well executed and each episode just made you want to keep watching. The ending of each episode was left on a semi-cliffhanger making you want to watch more and more. The music/sound effects were well chosen, it made the show even more thrilling to watch, and the intro music was so good, it fits in with the drama so well.

Although I don’t think this show needs a season 2, I would sure love to see one. This cast and story is so refreshing to watch. I definitely recommend this.

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Satisfying from beginning to end

I loved that there were only 10 episodes - meaning every episode was fast paced, jet pack full of storyline - they don’t prolong anything unnecessarily.

The acting truly is 10 out of 10 - Besides Bona and a few others, there are a bunch of new ish actresses but they were all so superb! Main antagonist was so chilling as a villain - I truly believed she’s a psychopath. She makes these micro-expressions that are so subtle but relays her feelings clearly to the viewer. I also absolutely LOVED Bona’s character here - I love that she was a strong protagonist, cold on the outside but marshmallowy on the inside, no-nonsense or bullsh** about her - she sees everyone for who they are, calls a spade a spade, calculating - but loved her character development throughout as she learns to let people in and trust people.

General storyline was interesting - got me hooked in every episode.

Give it a go, you’ll enjoy it!

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A show where you can predict every step, yet its still fun to watch

How often did you come across a show where the plot and so called 'plot-twists' were so obvious and easy to predict, yet the show was so enjoyable to watch, it didn't really matter anyway? Well, Pyramid Game is another one of those shows and I absolutely loved it!

The main reason I liked the show, is because I think societies with strict hierarchies are very interesting to look at, because the dynamics are so much different than when the hierarchy is immediately obvious. Now, I wouldn't wish to live in such a society (unless I'm somewhere near the top), because its very punishing. For this reason, people from the bottom layers of the hierarchy, are likely to want to: A. Move Up (obviously) or B. Destroy the hierarchy. Unless the society is sufficiently small enough, B is not feasible, but a classroom with 25 or so people, is small enough. Sung Soo Ji, the transfer student, tries to turn B into a reality, which shakes up the entire hierarchy, this is what's interesting.

I admit, after watching the first episode, I was quite disappointed, I thought the hierarchy would be more objective, like taking into account grades, looks, etc. But no, it was all a scheme, a scheme to bully people, or rather, one specific person. I was somewhat turned off, but I continued, and by episode 3/4 I didn't think about it anymore, the show succeeded in making this approach interesting to me as well. I realized that having objective ways of measuring categories to classify people is not necessary to enjoy the hierarchical dynamics shown in such stories.

In any case, regardless of the setting, the OST and especially the main theme were amazing. I listened to the main theme every day since I started watching the show until I finished it. The somewhat dramatic style of music that makes you feel like something is going down, that's what makes people hyped. Also special mention to the actress of Baek Ha Rin, Jang Da A. She's the older sister of Jang Won Young, member of idol group Ive. It's her first appearance as actress and she played her part very well. I could feel/see the hysterical moment of Ha Rin even when they weren't obvious.

Of course, there were also some things I didn't like about the show:

1. Myung Ja Eun.... She was probably the most frustrating character I've ever seen in any show.... The entirety of the show she acted as if she was confused. She has no personality, which could make sense considering she may have developed a personality disorder, or is in the process of developing one due to the circumstances she's been in the past year or so. In any case, regardless of the justification, it's infuriating to watch her, I hate her character.

2. The portrayal of psychopathy. At the end of the show, it was revealed (implied) that Baek Ha Rin was a psychopath. I completely disagree with the decision to use this as some justification to create the plot for this show. The combination of psychopathy + childhood bullying Baek Ha Rin faced is the justification the author thought it needed to have Baek Ha Rin create such a sadistic and extreme game. This decision is either forced, which would just be lazy, or it arises from a lack of understanding of psychopathy. Let me explain why I disagree with the portrayal.

So psychopaths are born, from a young age, you can already see some signs that hint to lack of remorse, anger outbursts, violence, lack of empathy, etc. This already applies to extremely young ages (4-12). As an example, I quote: "When Ted Bundy was 3 years old, he reportedly took all the knives from the kitchen and placed them around the body of his sleeping aunt, with the blades pointing towards her. His aunt woke up to find young Ted Bundy standing beside her bed, smiling, as if waiting for her reaction." This is of course an extreme example, but I want to point out that even at young ages, you may be able to see psychopathy.

I did not see any psychopathic tendencies from Baek Ha Rin when she was a little kid. She was thoughtful, wanting to give Ja Eun something (I forgot what). She wasn't aggressive, didn't bully the kids back who bullied her. She didn't seem to have any aggressive outbursts either.

Ha Rin was an Orphan, experienced childhood bullying, ended up at a family who didn't love her at all, the grandma of the family also had some anti-social tendencies and her only friend did not stand up for her when she needed her most. No wonder Ha Rin developed anti-social behavior, this does not seem like a psychopath, but more like a sociopath.

Furthermore, psychopaths aren't sadistic, yes some are, but most aren't, they are two separate conditions. To me, Ha Rin clearly developed sadistic behavior due to her childhood related trauma. Therefore, I think Baek Ha Rin became a sociopath with sadistic tendencies.

The reason I want to make a point out of this, is because people will see Ha Rin as being born bad, instead of becoming bad. This is how I interpreted it.

3. Lack of character development. Now I don't really think of this as a big negative, especially because I understand that such a show cannot be made much longer without losing its appeal, but some characters, like Doo Ah and Kim Da Yeon had a lot of potential for better character development.

4. It felt like Sung Soo Ji won every single battle and Baek Ha Rin wasn't even a match for her. The battle for the destruction of the pyramid game was one-sided. Every time Ha Rin tried to bring something to the table, Soo Ji had a counter for it, she never actually won any of the 'matches'. This made Ha Rin look less capable, and is probably some missed potential to make the fight more memorable than it was.

5. I didn't really like the ending, where the new sisters of the school wanted to reignite the pyramid game.

Regardless of the negatives, I still give the show a 10/10, because of the enjoyment I had while watching this show.

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Nothing special

Bound to deal with the bullying issue from the start. But is it worth watching?

How could anyone not like Bona as the main role? But we expected some feminine Weak Hero Class here, so the disappointment is great. Instead, she's just a common girl who's a bit smarter than others, that's all.

The main antagonist has a very weak motivation. Ha Rin is not a pshycho, and not well motivated either. The writer probably tried to avoid extremes. As a result, the story is plagued by holes.

Fun to watch, but nothing special. Enjoy without expecting miracles.

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Sigh

Koreans do love the sight of their own self-imposed suffering, however, this drama was inexplicably terrible at eliciting any sympathy and it might have had a more negative impact that even my regard for the well being of the characters (and by extension, Korean citizens) is at rock bottom. I just don't care if they push themselves to death or whatever other fun ways they devise to bully and hate on others in their society.


Perhaps if they try hard enough, Korea as a country might implode and reset itself. Anyway, the drama was melodramatic for no reason at all and I hoped they'd all die.



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