Short and Sweet

I decided to watch this drama thinking that it was a romantic comedy. It does actually start out as such, but unfortunately, like most dramas, it skews into the usual theatrical story. I just wanted to watch a cutesy drama featuring princes turning into cats, but even that is shoved aside fairly quickly.

That being said, it's not a bad drama. I'm actually grateful that it's so short, considering the fact that Chinese dramas tend to drag out a lot. The characters are well written and the comedy is also well done. The FL is very cute, and does not seem annoying in any way. I definitely kept going because of her. It just... throws in a whole lot of mystery and political intrigue that sort of throws you off if you weren't expecting it.

But all in all, a short and pleasant watch. Just not what I initially anticipated.

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A Recommended Watch - Especially for the Acting

This series has a little bit of everything - good and less-than.

I think the premise is relatively standard. It's a survival horror/death game type deal, however, with the participants being there of their own free will. Yes, even after the killing starts. The team does a very good job of building the tension during the first half, but as the number of participants decreases, so does the coherency of the plot. I think this drama could have used a couple of more episodes, maybe 2-3 more, to progress and conclude the plot better. There are a lot of the participants who have interesting backstories and possibilities for torture. What about the married couple who had decided to join? There could have been plenty more scenes showing the pain characters like them would have felt. The husband is forced to kill his wife in one of the games, and we see nothing of it? How can you leave something like that out? What about Mi Nyeo who has a baby? It's mentioned twice and never addressed again. The doctor harvesting organs? What was that about?

The story gives a lot of focus on the main three characters, but even that isn't a lot. But how can you give any more depth when you have so little time to do it? Gi Hoon and Sae Byeok definitely get the most development. Sang Woo is rather quickly made out to be a manipulative villain, and it never goes beyond that. Gi Hoon and Sang Woo's past seems so dishonest when you know how SW is. SW's betrayal feels genuinely weak, because the viewer already knew what kind of person he was.

At times, I feel like the production team was so obsessed with making this big story, that they sacrificed the plot and characters along the way. Everything just feels rushed and sort of incomplete. There are certain times where an incomplete story works out really well, but here it just seems lacking. Sure, there are some tragic deaths in this, but they just did not have the impact they'd have if you knew the characters a little better. The B-plot, even with it's lacks, was actually a lot more interesting to me than the A-plot.

Of course, I can't leave out the things I liked: The casting and acting is AMAZING. I love how the different characters interact with one another, and how everyone bond over their shared situation. But they were still different from one another. Some are in debt because they're shitty people, and some are just trying to save their loved ones. It makes for an interesting dynamic. The actors go all out, and I love it. Especially Mi Nyeo - I love how unhinged she is. Big kudos to the amazing actress. Everyone is great in this, no matter their role.

I also want to mention the set design. I normally hate the survival game genre for how boringly realistic it can be. However, I adore the visual theme that was used for this drama. The bright colors, and the focus on children's playgrounds really emphasizes the disparity between the basic premise of the games, and what actually goes on in them. I mean, the people betting on the players are supposed to be having fun, so of course the surroundings should be fun looking!

As I said in the beginning, this series has it's good and not-so-good sides, but I definitely feel that they are worth living with. I do recommend watching this series, especially for the characters and acting. If there will be a season 2, I'll be looking forward to see how some of the unanswered questions are dealt with. If there won't be a continuation, I won't be disappointed. I'm content either way.

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