O Jogo da Morte Parte 2 (2024)

The Guests Were More Interesting Than The Mains

First off, I did not hate this drama. There is a lot to like and I found parts of the drama thoroughly entertaining. However, I kept bumping into some major problems as it went along. The main issues were… the mains; the main plot, the main characters, the main actors, and the main message.

But let me start with the things I liked. The production value is STELLAR. Every "life" felt like a different drama that was often so cinematic that each felt like their own movie. The cinematography is exquisite and creative, each life with its own vibe and theme. Some of the action sequences were incredibly exhilarating and got the blood pumping. Each incarnation and the side characters in the different lives were unique and believable. Not to mention the crazy A+ gallery of guest lead actors!

So this leads to my issues with the mains. The subplots were more compelling than the main plot. The incarnations were more deserving of life than the main character. The ML is a whiny brat. Death is boring and does very little. We would often have to cut away from some incredible story arch, only for it to end abruptly and be met with the constipated sad sac face of Choi Ye Jae and the bland and petty Death standing in an empty black room. "NOOOO!" I thought, "Go back! That was way more interesting!"

Also, I think it has to be said... Seo In Guk seems limited as an actor. Choi Si Won, Sung Hoon, Lee Jae Wook, Lee Do Hyun, and pretty much every incarnation were acting circles around him. To the point where I had trouble believing these people were the same character. After each death, we see the same forced expression from Seo In Guk, with little to no growth of his character throughout the entire drama. Shouldn't you show some change after living and dying in each life? I don't mean to be mean, It's just my natural reaction while watching the drama. I have seen him in other dramas where he had shown himself to be a capable actor who can bring a certain charm and suaveness to a role. But I can't help but think he was horribly miscast as some studious, impoverished underdog. As for Park So Dam, she is a legendary actress, one of the industry's best. I can not for the life of me understand why she chose this role. The role itself is so limiting and lacks any depth or dynamic. 99% of her role is standing in a dark room talking blandly at Seo In Guk. A complete waste of Park So Dam.

Which leads me to the main message. I have to agree with a lot of the other reviews. The message of suicide being portrayed so shallowly and haphazardly and blaming the victim is not only overly simplistic and problematic but also dangerous for anyone struggling with such real issues. Perhaps something was lost from the webtoon source material but the message spoiled an otherwise great premise.

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It did feel a bit of waste potential for the actors in the drama but it was just a short drama with lifelong lessons you could bring. I can say that it is fulfilling, but it's pretty harsh and I was scared. The ending felt a bit rushed but I like it. It means that second chances can happen. The actors are no doubt veterans already in the korean drama world and I have so much respect for them all. The song especially in the ending credits is heartwarming as well.

I would not rewatch this because I find it gruesome. Overall a great watch, I would recommend this to those who like thriller, crime dramas.

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MUST WATCH SERIES

Definitely an amazing drama to keep you awake all night . I literally watched it's first 4 eps of season 1 and when i checked for the next ones omg i literally could wait to watch it. Of course the cast is amazing but their acting took the the next level.
No matter how small or big their role was but it was great to see them in this drama. Personally , i liked the drama although their was something missing in the ending overall it is an 9/10 drama.

Though the last two episodes were drilling on the same message - suicide is a selfish act, it's not about you, you should keep on suffering for the sake of others. The only insightful part was about a suicidal salary man, who basically started the chain of events that lead ML to his own suicide


The narrative is so tightly packed that every death has a significant contribution to the story even the ones that seemingly exist in almost parallel worlds are connected to ease and perfection.

This drama does make you rethink about all you are and all you have, it makes you grateful and aware of the true miracles that god has given all of us!

I might have more to say about it later but for now I just hope whoever is reading this review does watch the drama and spares a minute to think about all the tiny miracles that surround.

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Had a lot of potential but ultimately a letdown

The drama started off strong, though I wasn’t a fan of the underlying message about suicide. The idea that “you committed suicide when life wasn’t that hard” didn’t sit well with me. Still, part one was a banger, and I found myself hooked, especially as Yijae’s character evolved. I loved watching him become more radicalized with each tribulation he faced, as his growing anger and resolve felt authentic and gripping. One of my favorite arcs was when he reconnected with Jisu. The two lifetimes that followed, where he took revenge, were satisfying and really added depth to the story. There was a real intensity in how he pursued revenge.
Even though I loved the progression, I couldn’t shake the sadness from Jisu’s death. It was a heavy blow, and while I understood it was important for Yijae’s growth, it still left me feeling heartbroken. Despite this, I enjoyed almost every one of Yijae’s reincarnations, except maybe the last one. In that final life, I had really hoped that his mother would be able to live her own life, free from the burden of struggles. Instead, Yijae ended up living through her, which left me conflicted. It felt like she never got the chance to live for herself

Another issue that started creeping in for me was about the original hosts of the bodies Yijae was taking over. At first, I was caught up in Yijae’s tribulation and didn’t think much about it. But as the story progressed, I began to feel sad for these people, especially since they just disappeared without ever knowing how their lives would have ended. They were used as vessels for Yijae’s journey, but we never really got to see any closure for them (other than the psychopath i wish all of them had a closure). The fact that their lives were erased so abruptly started to bother me as the plot moved forward.

By the end, Yijae being given a second chance at life felt like it canceled out everything he had done in other people’s bodies. It made all his previous actions seem futile, and I started to question the point of his journey. Death’s warning that Jisu would die regardless made me feel even more uneasy, as it implied that Yijae didn’t have much time left with her, which added a bittersweet tone to the ending.

Lastly, the fact that there were two psychopaths still on the loose by the end of the story left me feeling unsatisfied. It was hard to grasp how all of Yijae’s efforts could be undone so easily, and it left me wondering what the real message of the drama was. While I enjoyed many aspects of the show, the ending left me feeling frustrated and confused, as if everything Yijae had fought for ultimately didn’t matter.

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décevant...

C'est une bonne série... "Mais"...
Le postulat de départ est intéressant. Un jeune homme désemparé meurt, rencontre la mort et se voit attribué 12 autres vies (autant que sur cadran d'une horloge; décompte qui tourne dans le sens inverse des aiguille d'une montre, j'ai aimé ce détail).
J'ai trouvé que chaque vie soit interprétée par un acteurs différent (jolie performance de certains d'entre eux d'ailleurs, pour caler au tempérament du perso de départ).
j'ai aussi aimé que le personnage principal soit un peu désagréable (une tête à claque parfois). Et la mort est sympathique (^^) et le méchant est grandiose !
Par contre, j'ai clairement eut l'impression de visionner un spot publicitaire du ministère de la santé public coréen !
"Non, ne vous suicidez pas, c'est mal !" et si c'est pas le ministère de la santé, c'est l'église (catholique ou autre)
Il est vrai qu'en Corée du Sud, comme dans tous les pays occidentalisés, le taux de suicide ne cesse d'augmenter. Je comprends que ce soit un problème (ça fait désordre). Mais là, le message de propagande est un peu trop martelé, ça m'a totalement gâché la série.
Voilà pourquoi je ne mets pas une bonne note alors que la production est plutôt bonne (interprétation, prise de vue, effet spéciaux). Bref bonne série, mais que je ne regarderai pas une seconde fois (sauf cas d'ennuis profond)

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Not happy with assumptions around suicide

March 2024. Watched Parts 1 & 2 together on Prime

I thought the casting for this was incredible. So many actors I love, in one drama, was frankly too good to be true and the acting was, predictably, great.

I really enjoyed the ways in which events began to expose a troubling connection. It wasn't obvious what that was to be, however, and even when revealed, was still far from final.

There are shocks, tragedies, grief, unfairness, manipulation and the old favourite, money and power.

The struggles are real and I don't think anyone could blame Choi Yi-jae. Having said that, there were numerous times his character didn't speak up, or did some truly stupid things; where his mother was concerned, especially. It numbed my mind.

There were also moments of brilliance in the plot though, but it did vere sharply between that and "What?!", at times.

Apart from Seo In-guk, I absolutely loved Kim Jae-wook, Lee Jae-wook, Lee Do-hyun and Kim Mi-kyung in this. None of them overacted and given LJW's part, he could have. His scenes were the most visceral for me.
Nice seeing LJW and Yoo In-soo acting together again, although in vastly different roles to Alchemy of Souls.

I do wish the story had focussed less on Yi-jae as being cruelly punished and more on his realisations, growing determination and self-worth, through the trials, as being healing. Those are positive lessons to drive home.

However, I found myself getting incredibly angry at times, because instead, to me, it really felt like they were saying suicide is a selfish choice, made with no regard for those left behind and should be a punishable act.

Selfish? Perhaps that is true, but only to a point. The reason being, it is a decision very, very rarely made by someone in a normal state of mind. Suicide isn't something a happy, mentally stable, rational person, would commit.
If life has become painful, terrifying, utterly hopeless, everything else becomes irrelevant in that person's mind. Death is, indeed, no longer frightening, but an escape.
So why portray it as though it was (is) done as a normal, conscious decision, with no care for loved ones? In that frame of mind, rationality has long departed, together with being concerned about the impact on others.
Were they trying to send a message, due to the frighteningly high number of suicide cases in S.Korea? I sincerely hope not, because it's cruel (especially to those left behind) and it's wrong.

The ending was totally perplexing, to me, for one huge reason... for time to have been reversed so Yi-jae is back on the ledge before jumping, means everything that happened originally, to that point, still happened.
Therefore, without his influence and knowledge as the soul in all those bodies, the crimes committed by Park Tae-woo and Jeong Gyu-cheol would go unsolved and continue happening.

Whilst I enjoyed the many actors, characters and their stories, the plot, therefore, fell a little short and I wasn't happy, at all, with the unkind assumptions made around suicide.
I haven't seen the webtoon of the same name that this is based on and, therefore, don't know how close to it this drama is.

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JUST GO AND WATCH IT ALREADY!!!

Deaths game was a thrilling drama about a man who commits suicide and so death punishes him by making him live twelve more different lives and dying in each one of them.

But this drama was more than a fantasy about reincarnation..it was a thrilling and exciting yet emotional journey filled with lots of heartwrenching and heart warming moments.

The cast was the reason why I anticipated this drama and I don't regret doing so because they all devoured in their specific characters...the characterisation was spot on and even those with the least screen time managed to live an impact regardless...

The acting was insane the rage each one of the characters had was an absolute delight and it was a strong factor that added to the beauty of the series.

The story was exciting intense but emotional and also a bit funny ( but not so funny) it was mostly an emotional roller coaster but I loved the dialogue and the life lessons the drama was trying to put across.

What more have I not said, I highly recommend this if you are looking for a short yet satisfying drama to watch!!!

You should go in with a box of tissues though because you'll need it other than that I ABSOLUTELY LOVED EVERY BIT OF THIS DRAMA.

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