Starlitelet
Mellow Land
This review may contain spoilers
Great suspense throughout, but the ending was not worth it.
The show hooks you right away within the first episode, but as the climax comes into play and the cards are laid out, you realize how the show took the cheap and easy route.
The characters don't make sense, especially Gi Eun and Sang Woo. Their character developments change drastically out of nowhere, and it's apparent towards the end.
Since when was Gi Eun so heroic? Ok, let's say he cared about his daughter, and now that he has won the game, he is going to abandon her again? I really don't buy that his character is going to fight for justice, since he has been a weakling and won a lot of the games by sheer luck. He also seem to have forgotten that he got into the game for his daughter. Throughout the series, Gi Eun was portrayed as a coward and has relied on others to win the game, so I don't get what he's thinking to go back. What is he going to do anyway? WHO TOLD HIM TO SIGN UP FOR THEM, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE? Don't blame the game, but the player.
Since when did Sang Woo feel remorseful? It's not within his character to stab himself. He didn't even feel bad when he let Ali die or when he killed Sae Byeok. So what gave him the sudden change of heart?
The reveal of player 1 was really a cop out and is supposed to add shock factor, but it was so cheap and obvious. It has been done a million times already. It felt forced, and I did not buy into his motivations. Also, the game preaches equality, but the old man keeps helping out our main guy on multiple occasions. The rules don't seem to matter.
We also don't get closure from the cop and his supposedly Front Man brother, which shows that they are heavily reliant on a second season.
I had other nitpicks with the other characters, but it was more obvious towards the end where the flaws lie with implausible character development.
In retrospect, the show has a good way of hooking you in and keeping you on your toes since you want to see how the characters will get out, and the games were enjoyable to watch for the most part. The actors did a fine job, and I think it's within the culture to have exaggerated characters. The plot has a weird way of grabbing your attention and makes you want to binge it, but it is a cheap thrill like Money Heist. Ultimately, the ending kind of ruined it for me, since it went against everything that was within its message and having the characters change 180 did not help. If it had ended similarly to Parasite, where Gi Eun is sent back to society, but he is still not happy because money and greed don't buy happiness then it works out. But this ending? CHEAP.
6.5.
The characters don't make sense, especially Gi Eun and Sang Woo. Their character developments change drastically out of nowhere, and it's apparent towards the end.
Since when was Gi Eun so heroic? Ok, let's say he cared about his daughter, and now that he has won the game, he is going to abandon her again? I really don't buy that his character is going to fight for justice, since he has been a weakling and won a lot of the games by sheer luck. He also seem to have forgotten that he got into the game for his daughter. Throughout the series, Gi Eun was portrayed as a coward and has relied on others to win the game, so I don't get what he's thinking to go back. What is he going to do anyway? WHO TOLD HIM TO SIGN UP FOR THEM, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE? Don't blame the game, but the player.
Since when did Sang Woo feel remorseful? It's not within his character to stab himself. He didn't even feel bad when he let Ali die or when he killed Sae Byeok. So what gave him the sudden change of heart?
The reveal of player 1 was really a cop out and is supposed to add shock factor, but it was so cheap and obvious. It has been done a million times already. It felt forced, and I did not buy into his motivations. Also, the game preaches equality, but the old man keeps helping out our main guy on multiple occasions. The rules don't seem to matter.
We also don't get closure from the cop and his supposedly Front Man brother, which shows that they are heavily reliant on a second season.
I had other nitpicks with the other characters, but it was more obvious towards the end where the flaws lie with implausible character development.
In retrospect, the show has a good way of hooking you in and keeping you on your toes since you want to see how the characters will get out, and the games were enjoyable to watch for the most part. The actors did a fine job, and I think it's within the culture to have exaggerated characters. The plot has a weird way of grabbing your attention and makes you want to binge it, but it is a cheap thrill like Money Heist. Ultimately, the ending kind of ruined it for me, since it went against everything that was within its message and having the characters change 180 did not help. If it had ended similarly to Parasite, where Gi Eun is sent back to society, but he is still not happy because money and greed don't buy happiness then it works out. But this ending? CHEAP.
6.5.
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