Death's Game Part 2 (2024)

DEATH'S GAME - A MUCH NEEDED PERSPECTIVE TO LIFE !

I still haven't processed this drama through and through and ig in the hope of being able to make the most out of it I am writing this review. To say that it's a MUST WATCH would be such an understatement because you'll sincerely be missing out so much.

I am not a webtoon reader so I didn't know what was in stock for me but to say that I am overwhelmed by the amount of emotions I felt in such a short span would be the most just way of saying I LOVED IT TO EVERY BIT!

I don't know what other people are feeling about it but to me most of it was unpredictable even tho I guessed the last episode correct it didn't really drag me away from the drama I give that to the acting because I don't really fan girl predictable stuff.

THE CAST - IS MAGIC ! to all the cameos, all the episodic narratives, to all the emotions that they bring out to the screen it just pure treat to every drama lover there is.

The perspective to every character was so beautifully done that it felt like I went through all the 12 lives and that I was just given a piece of their memory and told to live out the rest. I became an assailant, a victim, a survivor, a savior and most of it all I became a human!

I realized that meaning of life is not in being able to live as the wealthiest person or as anyone else but you. There's no one else like you and to think that you are the only one suffering and every other being seems to be having a fate that you would wish for, is the most useless thought to ever exist.

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.


my fav lines from the drama would be-

"A persons character is determined not by the belief they hold, but by the actions over the course of their lifetime ."

"As i disappeared from this world, my death remained behind with those who loved me . "

"Your sins will end up finding their way back to you so don't ever commit them ."

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IF YOU'RE STILL HESITATING I HOPE YOU FIND THE COURAGE TO STAND UP AGAIN

You will end up crying rethinking the problems that you made so huge in your head are not that huge compared to what your loved ones will feel after you decide to give up because of those problems. This story gives a reality check to you about the consequences of selfish decisions which you thought wouldn't affect anyone.
This drama has the perfect runtime which gives the right amount of information required and the story progression does not end up looking rushed or slow. The acting was one of the main reasons behind such perfect execution. The ending made me realize that I need to appreciate my present, even though we may face some obstacles here and there still, is there anyone in this world who hasn't faced any hardship whatsoever?

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Controversial drama with disappointing ending

This drama has stellar cast and production quality is superb, but the plot and message behind it are very controversial, to say the least.

The first 4 episodes were a solid 9, though heavy-handed, insensitive religious patronizing can be clearly seen from the very beginning. But after episode 5 it rapidly went downhill. Episode 6 was like those countless crime dramas about exaggerated corruption and untouchable chaebols with over the top acting and resolutions. Very meh.
And 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 - it showed ML the ugly reality of that dream he so desperately wanted to have, the one the government and society kept on brainwashing him to strive for since he went to school. But they never delved anywhere further with that. Instead of guilt shaming ML with his mother for the whole episode they should have explored what ML really wanted in life, how can he be true to himself like he said he wanted to. Is being a cog in an uncaring corporate machine what people really should strive for in life? Just such a waste of potential here narrative wise.

But as it is, this drama didn't try looking into the cause, didn't try to resolve any of the problems SK's society has that leads people to commit a staggering amount of suicides every year, like poverty and unemployment, it just tried to guilt shame suiciders through religious and societal dogmas. Makes one think that it was sponsored by SK's government, who seems to be impotent in solving this serious country wide issue and now just resorts to such cheap shots like this drama. Maybe it will work better on Asian audience with their traditionally communal mentality, but it's a very hard sell for individualistic West.

The suicide topic here is viewed from such narrow perspective, it really started to piss me off by the end. No exploration of mental health state of suicidal people or various circumstances that lead to this hard decision. Yeah, in ML's case perhaps he was too rash in attempting suicide since he had a caring mother and a girlfriend (though seeing how lonely he was with his problems at the beginning, these people have shown him lack of moral support when he really needed it, and his mother was later shown hoarding money for him, which she should have given him years ago to help cover his education debts he was paying off for many years). But what about people who have no such people in their lives? What about terminally ill/severely crippled/mentally unwell people who see themselves as burden to their relatives and society? What about kids being beaten by their own drunkard parents and nobody cares? What about people who are living in miserable poverty with no hope for a better future? They should also keep on suffering for the sake of others and their country or go to hell? So many unique lives with unique problems, but this drama had no compassion or desire to explore any of that. It's like that cartoon meme: Nope, stop talking, go to hell.

As for the ending, well, ML got a second chance in life and that's a win (?). But consequently it also invalidated everything ML did in other people’s bodies and all those who were supposed to die will die, including his girlfriend, and all the bad guys, including two serial killer psychos, will still be walking scott free.
So all in all, this drama just left me kinda perplexed as to how to score it, because, on the one hand, the quality and cast were superb, but controversial message and disappointing ending made me feel like I've wasted my time watching this.
I guess I'll score episodes 1-5 with 8.5 and 6-8 with 7.0.

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I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE

As a non webtoon reader, I'M in complete shock after watching s1 [2daysago] and s2 did justice to all the roll coaster of emotions I have gone through!!! MAIN ML (seo in guk) nailed his character, and also all the other characters are perfect in their own way!! I can't really tell maybe they should have done this or that!!

EACH AND EVERYONE DONE JUSTICE TO THEIR CHARACTER. FROM THE STORY, THEIR PERFORMANCE TO THE ENDING ..EVERYTHING IS JUST SOO PERFECT.

If you didn't watch until now, do give it a try!! You will not regret it ;) just make sure you have plenty of tissues...

Here are few lines from the series I want to share..


If you're still hesitating

I hope you find the courage

To stand up again

And overcome it :)

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"Humans don't recognize an opportunity even when it's handed to them"

Death’s Game Part 2 came out of the gate strong, stronger than part one. The question continued to be whether Choi Yi Jae would win the game and what did that really mean?

Starting the second part with Kim Jae Wook playing an evil artist is never a bad place to begin. He has a dangerous intensity hiding behind that chiseled beauty. Once again Choi Yi Jae is thrown into seemingly disparate lives with the orders that he cannot kill-others or himself. This ultimatum becomes more difficult with each life he leaps into. As he discovers the deadly tentacles of Taekang Group’s Park Tae Woo and how it has affected his life and of those he loves, he ventures near the precipice of hell.

The guest stars in Part 2 were even stronger than Part 1. Kim Mi Kyung finally had a chance to shine in the drama as Choi’s mother. The strong older actors threatened to outshine Seo In Guk as the lives he was reincarnated in. The production values were once again high as well.

I was completely absorbed in this tale of what seemed like revenge more than a journey into the soul. The elements of the revenge story were tied together nicely as Choi used what he learned in each life to bring down Park. Ultimately, the game was about Choi Yi Jae’s life. With the pieces finally in place to end a murderer’s reign of terror I still wondered if Choi had learned anything about himself and what the point of the reincarnations was. He was a difficult character to like. Self-absorbed, self-pitying, and arrogant he took a long time to understand that his actions had consequences for others.

***Spoilerish comments below***

Finally, the story took a turn into a path toward enlightenment. He hadn’t learned much in 11 of his lives, only in the last one did he understand what true pain was. I was actually quite disappointed in the final minutes of the drama that undid everything prior to it. And I’m not sure about the message on suicide. Torture people into understanding how their actions have effects on others and that some people have it worse than them? When a person is seriously depressed and suicidal, they may not be able to see that. Therapy and medications, interventions and social/financial assistance may be more helpful than the threat of a worse hell than the one they are in.

The ahjussis and ahjummas did an amazing job bringing their characters to life as well as Kim Jae Wook. The story brought all the revenge pieces together in a satisfying manner although they never did answer who the woman was that died at the bottom of the building with Choi which was disappointing. I honestly thought her death was one of the reasons he was being punished. The last episode was deeply moving in regards to a mother’s enduring love and sacrifice. Having learned how to live his life without being in constant fear of failure and rejection, I only hope Choi Yi Jae took what he learned about the people with their lives in the balance and reached out to help at least a few of them or else it feels like everything he went through was for nothing, to say nothing of the murderous Park Tae Woo being on the loose again. Death’s Game P2 progressed in a strong, emotional gait to the end and then left me disillusioned with the final outcome.

5 Jan 2024

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Yet another highly praised show that failed to resonate with me.

As a piece of entertainment, it is more than decent. But it is unsatisfactory in the messages it is trying to get across. It raised very important problems, such as being driven into a corner by a competitive society and being stuck in a poverty cycle, and feeling oppressed and helpless as a youth. These are extremely prevalent and sensitive issues in SK and other countries. The show offers a message that comes from good intentions, but it is over simplified and maybe even insensitive towards depression and mental illness. Throughout the show, there is no empathy offered to the main character's suffering, but rather a lingering feeling of "your pain is bearable compared to many others who have suffered so much more than you". Which is obviously distasteful and wrong in many ways. It's classic victim blaming, coming from an outsider's POV.

Furthermore, it ultimately does not provide any tangible solutions to any of the main character's problems and he will realistically end up in the exact same place. In the end, he's just back to square one with the wounds of living multiple lives and with the guilt of hurting others with his decision. There is no accountability for the further damage to his mental state. I can't help but feel that if that was the route the show was going to take, it shouldn't have presented such severe societal issues through the main character's story in the first place.

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Suicide Shaming and Very Base Level Takes on Mental Health-Lost opportunity for deeper disscussions

This whole show rubbed me the wrong way and it wasn't until I finished that I realized why--suicide shaming. There was an opportunity to really delve into mental health and suicide but instead, the story focuses on a surface-level approach of "suicide affects those around you, more than the victim themselves" INSTEAD of focusing on the actually environment that led up to the suicide, the main character is instead punished and shamed for his actions. I'm not here to argue that suicide is a good option, of course, it isn't, but to completely gloss over just how tough the main character's life was, does such a disservice.

It was such a typical and predictable ending, I was hoping they would've had a more nuanced take- but I guess not. The only thing that made this show good was the acting, and honestly, it feels wasted on a surface-level plot, the actors were seriously so amazing in each role. The shifts from their 'real' character, to the one that the main character takes on are very well done.

The whole premise was a good one, but executed poorly.

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Honestly, I can't even say they meant well

Here's the thing, I HATE what this drama says about suicide. It basically tells anyone who's suicidal to rethink their decision because it's "selfish." That they would be a selfish person for experiencing deep suffering/depression and not being able to take anymore. That their loved ones being in despair due to their passing is more important than what they're going through. Fucking excuse me?

First off, fuck that message. What a shitty and inaccurate thing to say. What's next, you're going to tell people with clinical depression to not be depressed because they're bringing down the mood?!

Second off, saying that is not even helpful. You shouldn't be convincing someone to live for others because what happens when those people are no longer around? A person needs to learn to live for themself.

This all felt like a demeaning slap in the face to mental health and people's struggles generally. I was just waiting for someone to say, "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps."

The only thing I appreciated and enjoyed about this was the action. Because when it was all chase scenes, murders, and new unique stories it was legitimately entertaining. If this was about Death being some cruel game master and went more the route of Alice in Borderland, I would find it not only palatable but worthwhile to recommend. As it stands, due to its messaging, I can't. Skip this one, my dear MDLers.

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A very well crafted drama

“People are happiest when they can truly be themselves. In the end, life would be meaningless if you can never really be yourself.”

Ultimately, life would lack meaning if authenticity is denied. This sentiment encapsulates the essence of the drama's journey. The latter half delves into Choi Yi Jae's remaining life, leading to a climactic resolution that leaves us questioning whether he will attain the happiness Ji Su had wished for. The effectiveness of the second half lies in its exploration of the core characters, particularly Yi Jae and Tae Woo. The plot's pacing is adeptly executed, seamlessly alternating between acceleration and deceleration as required. The final two episodes left a profound impact on me, sparking contemplation on various themes. The entire cast and crew deserve commendation for their outstanding performances and meticulous execution.

Credit is due to the casting team for selecting the right actors and the entire crew for carrying the drama with precision. This is undoubtedly a must-watch, and I assure you that you won't regret investing your time in it.

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"In the end, we arrive at the beginning." – Birdy

At first, I was a little worried about the direction the drama was going to take, when I noticed some different things about the webtoon. But everything went well and went much further. I believe that what made a big difference in quality was the impeccable casting, it couldn't be bad with this strong cast.

I found it interesting that they included a character from the webtoon in his 12th life, it was very significant and helped connect the story. I felt that there could have been a little more development in the relationship between the police officer and his partner's family, like in the webtoon. These are the things that made me take half a star (which isn't much).

The title of this review is an lyric from a song called "Celestial Dancers" by Birdy and I think it really fits with the story of this drama. In the end, we really arrive at the beginning.

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That was a headache

I don’t think I’ve ever been more conflicted about whether I like a show than I have with this one. My head is pounding just trying to figure out how to describe my entire view of this show, so if my review sounds like I’m just yapping, that is why.

Part 1 of this show gave an extremely promising start, especially the pilot episode. It had a great introduction to our main cast, a good amount of foreshadowing, a great setup for future character development, and also had a dark comedic undertone. In a sense, it reminded me of the movie Parasite. I’d also like to mention the phenomenal acting of the whole cast, especially those who played the reincarnations of Yi Jae.

All the compliments I gave for part 1 pretty much go towards part 2 as well. With that being said, however, I disagree with the way the show handled the topic of suicide. With a subject matter as sensitive as suicide, it is extremely important to handle the topic with respect and consideration, especially if the ‘moral of the story’ being conveyed revolves around the subject of suicide. In this case, the moral of the story was essentially to be appreciative of what you have. That is not at all a message I disagree with; in fact, I think it’s a good message to convey when writing a story on the topic of suicide. However, the way the show conveyed that message was by remaining completely insensitive and apathetic toward Yi Jae’s situation that drove him to commit suicide. Instead, they only focused on the pain Yi Jae caused his loved ones to feel due to him taking his own life. I believe it’s a great idea to focus on the hurt of his loved ones, but not when the writing makes that its only focus, especially when another point the story was attempting to make was that Yi Jae should’ve considered how his loved ones would feel if he were to take his own life, making him out to essentially be selfish and inconsiderate with no redeeming qualities. If the writers are trying to make the point that he should’ve put himself in their shoes before taking his own life, then I find it hypocritical that they don’t do the same with Yi Jae. They shame him for not focusing on the positives he had in his life, yet when he does something as commendable as saving another person’s life while risking his own, they shame him for that too. This hypocrisy and disrespect towards the topic of suicide diminishes the strength of each message the story was attempting to send, as each message stems from the writers’ insensitive way of trying to make a point. It is not at all impossible to convey all the messages they were trying to convey without attempting to prove it by completely ignoring the circumstances that led him to commit suicide, while also shaming him for doing so.

However, that is just my take on how they handled the topic of suicide. I personally am sensitive to the topic, but I don’t at all disagree with any of the messages the story carries. In fact, I admire the story’s take on the topic of suicide, and I do realize that there was good intent behind each message, despite the harsh way they conveyed it. I just personally wish the story would’ve taken a moment to realize that Yi Jae did give life a chance; even after his life went to shit, he spent 10 whole years giving it a chance, but life continued to fail him. I believe if they wanted to fully go with the idea of him being the personification of ego and greed, then it would’ve been better to portray his character the same way the Webtoon did before he took his own life. Not as hardworking, taking the easy way out each time, etc. For me, it just hurts to see a character who genuinely worked extremely hard but only given shit back in return, which is what led him make such a decision, and then be shamed for it as if he didn’t work hard from the beginning. I’m not saying he was right in taking his own life, someone taking their own life will always be the worst choice that could be made no matter the circumstance. However, I believe there could’ve been a better way to go about things.

Now that I’ve discussed the main issue, I’ll just mention some minor issues I had with the story. Some parts of the plot were a bit incoherent, specifically the plot point where Yi Jae was explaining how he organized this whole scheme on how to kill Tae Woo while bypassing Death’s rules. I’m not sure if I’m just stupid or lacking sleep, but those entire 5 minutes made absolutely no sense. I’d also like to lastly mention an inconsistency with the foreshadowing. Again, I could just be stupid, but in part 1, they seemed to imply that when Yi Jae jumped off the building, his body had hit someone, specifically a kid. However, this was never picked back up again, which makes me believe that the writers either chose to discard that idea because it would overly complicate the story, or that the teddy bear panel at the crime scene and the conversation between those two police officers discussing the dead body of a kid was just completely pointless, lmao.

Anyways, with all that being said, is this a recommendable show? I believe so, if you’re not sensitive to the topic of suicide, that is. It is quite an interesting story with commendable acting partnering it. It also has quite a bit of dark humor, especially in part 1, so if that’s what you’re into, I’d say give it a shot. However, if you’d like to watch a show that explored the topic of suicide well and that was even more entertaining than this show, I would like to recommend “The Fallen High School Girl and the Irresponsible Teacher.” Quite a silly and long title, Ik lmao, but it definitely was a very memorable story.

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Meh, it was good, not amazing

Death’s game

I thought the concept was interesting. I like stories that take on the supernatural, so it picked my interest quite fast. The main downpoint for me would be the whole suicide is a sin thing, I’ve never been a fan of this and it comes as insensitive most of the time. This time, surprise, it’s the same, it annoyed the crap out of me. Still think it did better than tomorrow on that subject, but barely. I still find myself enjoying quite a lot of this drama woudl probably rate it higher if I went with feeling, but objectively there are a lot of points that must be talked about.

-My life was hell every day (MC)
-How about the real hell ? (Death)

The ending was predictable. I wished it to go in another direction, but it chose the most predictable path.

The Story:

The main character sees himself as a failure. He ultimately kills himself after a series of hardships and misunderstandings. Death is not pleased with this at all, intercept his soul before going to hell, to prove a point, I guess. He is destined by Death to die 12 other times. Death puts his soul in the body of a person about to die, if he can prevent his death, he gets to keep living the rest of his life in the body he saved. Simple enough.

Some points are unbelievable, especially in the 4th episode.

1-      He was in a relationship for 7 years, but doesn’t know his girlfriend’s brother ?

2-      7 years and he is not living with her? it’s easier to be two, than one on rent.

I disliked that the baby story was only there to point out that at least MC has a mom who loves him. It could have been easily the most horrifying live in any episode but was brushed aside so quickly it made no impact.

The moral of the story could have been better than blaming the MC for the heartbreaks of the people he left behind. He took control of many lives where money was a key point in their life and ended up killing them. The 11th life should have been an eye's opener for MC ; the man lived the life he wanted, job, marriage, and kids, but it didn’t mean everything was going well for the guy. He wasted his chance and triggered his misfortune by killing the guy.

It was also ridiculous to put him in the body of his mother. 1-Nobody wants to see their mom naked (just kidding) 2-he lived more years as her than he as himself lol. Why, because he doesn’t want the body of his mom to die, not his mom, just the body, she is already dead.

I get it was to connect him with his mother, but I still laughed and it failed to bring the tears where there should have been.

Will his girlfriend die like she was destined to on the side of the road? will the Evil Chebol and the serial killer go unpunished? Does he retain the 32 years and 12 deaths in his memory, or just the feeling of it remaining, pushing him in the right direction? Unclear.

Suicide is a heavy topic, and this drama is not doing a good job of tackling it. The Problems that the MC faced are never put up front, never brought to light to help him fix them.
The resolution boils down to ‘’Dying = people sad = by the way you go to hell too’’

The ending is quite underwhelming. 

Pro :

+good actors
+The concept is interesting and original.  (it feels webtony, guess it was a webcomic)

Con

+ The chebol plot point was unnecessary.
+ Suicide is seen as egoistical/ sin.
+ the constant gaslighting of the character about his problem not being real.

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