Liar Game, Korean version - Final Thoughts/Review (with a tiny tiny bit of spoilers)
Finally got a chance to post this! :D So I finished watching the korean version of Liar Game last weekend. And it was almost as good as the original. And that right there is a pretty high praise. ;)
First of all, even though I don't really want to admit it, there's always been a side of me that strays away from korean dramas mainly because I am loyal to Jdramas. Hahaha. But srsly, there has always been a big difference between Kdramas and Jdramas, as if you can tell which one's which with just the flow of the story. And as I've mentioned in my previous post, I watched Liar Game Korean simply because it is a remake of my favorite drama. Let me just say that this drama is far from the failure I thought it would be.
The plot: Though the drama is another adaptation of the manga, it is vvvvvv different from the original. One major difference is that the Liar Game is not an underground operation but rather, a television show. This turned me off initially because the very essence of the original version lies in the suspense from knowing that the organization behind is a true evil. The famale lead, Nam Da Jung(Nao's counterpart) joins the game by her own free will. She, like all other contestants are all currently in a huge debt and sees the game show as a way to repay their debts. Some of the rules weren't clear though. From what I understood, players will only go in debt if they were given prize money in advance and fail to return it after losing (like when they immediately spend it, otherwise they're safe) orrrr win prize money and fail to return it should they decide to forfeit. There is no hidden traps in the games where the television profits instead.
The first, second and revival round games were pretty much the same from the japanese version with just a few modifications. After that though, things start to become even more different than the Jdrama. They created a new game(as far as I know, it isn't in the manga either though I've only read up to chapter 146 of the manga) called the Presidential game. The contraband game they used was the second one in the jdrama(the one with katsuragi, not yokoya). Also, the 17 poker is played as a revival round by 3 people -- 2 minor characters + the villain, and the final game is the russian roulette.
The biggest difference in plot is the fact that the game is personal. And this personal reason behind the game is where the story ultimately revolves around. I guess I could say this one has more drama. The games were not the highlight of the show, though it does play a big part. There was less suspense in the beginning as characters reveal their plan early in the game unlike in the jversion where it makes you wonder what exactly happened (SPOILER: example of this is when male lead immediately told female lead why something was wrong when losers of the second round did not throw a fit after losing and that there is a traitor in their team)
HOWEVER, MAJOR SUSPENSE OCCURS WITHIN THE LAST 2 EPISODES. Like srsly, i felt sorry for my heart for having to go through that hahaha.
The characters: I know I said that the reason I would continue watching was because of the male lead, Lee Sang Yoon, but that only got me so far. The genius part of his role wasn't very--, well, genius-y. Unlike in the Jversion where Akiyama is portrayed as unbeatable with always a no-fail plan, Professor Ha(male lead) was more vulnerable, losing in more than one occassion. Judge me if you will, but my favorite character was no doubt the villain, Do Young/Shin Sung Rok(SSR). He was the one who carried the show. Hats off to him for being an amazing actor. There were scenes where he was really really creepy. I read somewhere that he used to be troubled in real life because whenever he laughed genuinely, people around him were creeped out lol. That's how good of an actor he is. And if you look for off-cam pics of the show, SSR looks soooo cute!!! Ahhh~ hahaha
Anyw, another character I liked is the guy who was accused of being X in the second round(yes, they chose a male for the role unlike the female in the jversion). He's apparently new to acting, but his role in the Liar Game exposed him and it seems he has a lot of fans now. I can totally see a love triangle happening with him and the two leads.
**I also have to add that this version was more ummm technologically advanced? Players were notified via cellphone and votations in the second and revival round were also through phones.
**this version definitely had more romance. A++++++
**the japanese version was darker but it was also more natural in the comedy (the korean version didn't have the S or M question which I was actually waiting for /lololol)
**SOME of the games were either not explained properly or dumbed down compared to the jdrama(sorry, but it's true :/)
**for the sound, good choice for background music, but there were times when it was loud even though characters were talking(or was it just me?)
**I LOOOOVED THE PLOT TWIST. I can't stress this enough. I think the writers were amazing for being able to think outside of the box and make use of the concept of Liar Game for something different.
The final verdict: despite all my hesitations and initial negative comments on this drama, I can wholeheartedly say that this was a really really good watch. I admit that halfway through, I seriously considered stopping because the show was too dragging and I thought I already knew what would happen in the following games. I even rewatched clips of the jdrama because I suddenly missed how good it was compared to the korean version. I also watched Liar Game Reborn in between a certain episode because I missed Akiyama's awesomeness. In the end, I am super glad I decided to finish it. I loved how they didn't make the korean version just another version of the jdrama. It's like a totally different show with a totally different plot mixed with the games of the original Liar game. This show definitely deserved more attention. Also, SSR needs more recognition, people! Probably the main thing I am disappointed about is their decision to make a second season. They could have ended it with everyone having peace in their hearts X) (SPOILER ALERT: i wish it ended with SSR finally admitting he lost and the only reason he did those evil things is because he loved his "mom" too much he still couldn't accept she did that to him, then everyone forgives him and everyone lives happily ever after the end, ne?)
Again, this was a GREAT show. I recommend it to anyone who is willing to watch a korean drama(because I know this isn't every jdrama lover's cup of tea). Though I'm worried the second season woudn't be as good as this first season, I would still watch it when it comes out, and hopefully, I'm wrong again in thinking it's going to be a failure :))
Oh, here's a picture of SSR, the villain of the show:
see? he doesn't always look evil!~
Seems like season 2 is confirmed and from season 1's ending, looks like Liar Game Korean is finally going to be darker and more evil since it would actually be illegal this time and not a tv show. Looking forward to it! :))
First of all, even though I don't really want to admit it, there's always been a side of me that strays away from korean dramas mainly because I am loyal to Jdramas. Hahaha. But srsly, there has always been a big difference between Kdramas and Jdramas, as if you can tell which one's which with just the flow of the story. And as I've mentioned in my previous post, I watched Liar Game Korean simply because it is a remake of my favorite drama. Let me just say that this drama is far from the failure I thought it would be.
The plot: Though the drama is another adaptation of the manga, it is vvvvvv different from the original. One major difference is that the Liar Game is not an underground operation but rather, a television show. This turned me off initially because the very essence of the original version lies in the suspense from knowing that the organization behind is a true evil. The famale lead, Nam Da Jung(Nao's counterpart) joins the game by her own free will. She, like all other contestants are all currently in a huge debt and sees the game show as a way to repay their debts. Some of the rules weren't clear though. From what I understood, players will only go in debt if they were given prize money in advance and fail to return it after losing (like when they immediately spend it, otherwise they're safe) orrrr win prize money and fail to return it should they decide to forfeit. There is no hidden traps in the games where the television profits instead.
The first, second and revival round games were pretty much the same from the japanese version with just a few modifications. After that though, things start to become even more different than the Jdrama. They created a new game(as far as I know, it isn't in the manga either though I've only read up to chapter 146 of the manga) called the Presidential game. The contraband game they used was the second one in the jdrama(the one with katsuragi, not yokoya). Also, the 17 poker is played as a revival round by 3 people -- 2 minor characters + the villain, and the final game is the russian roulette.
The biggest difference in plot is the fact that the game is personal. And this personal reason behind the game is where the story ultimately revolves around. I guess I could say this one has more drama. The games were not the highlight of the show, though it does play a big part. There was less suspense in the beginning as characters reveal their plan early in the game unlike in the jversion where it makes you wonder what exactly happened (SPOILER: example of this is when male lead immediately told female lead why something was wrong when losers of the second round did not throw a fit after losing and that there is a traitor in their team)
HOWEVER, MAJOR SUSPENSE OCCURS WITHIN THE LAST 2 EPISODES. Like srsly, i felt sorry for my heart for having to go through that hahaha.
The characters: I know I said that the reason I would continue watching was because of the male lead, Lee Sang Yoon, but that only got me so far. The genius part of his role wasn't very--, well, genius-y. Unlike in the Jversion where Akiyama is portrayed as unbeatable with always a no-fail plan, Professor Ha(male lead) was more vulnerable, losing in more than one occassion. Judge me if you will, but my favorite character was no doubt the villain, Do Young/Shin Sung Rok(SSR). He was the one who carried the show. Hats off to him for being an amazing actor. There were scenes where he was really really creepy. I read somewhere that he used to be troubled in real life because whenever he laughed genuinely, people around him were creeped out lol. That's how good of an actor he is. And if you look for off-cam pics of the show, SSR looks soooo cute!!! Ahhh~ hahaha
Anyw, another character I liked is the guy who was accused of being X in the second round(yes, they chose a male for the role unlike the female in the jversion). He's apparently new to acting, but his role in the Liar Game exposed him and it seems he has a lot of fans now. I can totally see a love triangle happening with him and the two leads.
**I also have to add that this version was more ummm technologically advanced? Players were notified via cellphone and votations in the second and revival round were also through phones.
**this version definitely had more romance. A++++++
**the japanese version was darker but it was also more natural in the comedy (the korean version didn't have the S or M question which I was actually waiting for /lololol)
**SOME of the games were either not explained properly or dumbed down compared to the jdrama(sorry, but it's true :/)
**for the sound, good choice for background music, but there were times when it was loud even though characters were talking(or was it just me?)
**I LOOOOVED THE PLOT TWIST. I can't stress this enough. I think the writers were amazing for being able to think outside of the box and make use of the concept of Liar Game for something different.
The final verdict: despite all my hesitations and initial negative comments on this drama, I can wholeheartedly say that this was a really really good watch. I admit that halfway through, I seriously considered stopping because the show was too dragging and I thought I already knew what would happen in the following games. I even rewatched clips of the jdrama because I suddenly missed how good it was compared to the korean version. I also watched Liar Game Reborn in between a certain episode because I missed Akiyama's awesomeness. In the end, I am super glad I decided to finish it. I loved how they didn't make the korean version just another version of the jdrama. It's like a totally different show with a totally different plot mixed with the games of the original Liar game. This show definitely deserved more attention. Also, SSR needs more recognition, people! Probably the main thing I am disappointed about is their decision to make a second season. They could have ended it with everyone having peace in their hearts X) (SPOILER ALERT: i wish it ended with SSR finally admitting he lost and the only reason he did those evil things is because he loved his "mom" too much he still couldn't accept she did that to him, then everyone forgives him and everyone lives happily ever after the end, ne?)
Again, this was a GREAT show. I recommend it to anyone who is willing to watch a korean drama(because I know this isn't every jdrama lover's cup of tea). Though I'm worried the second season woudn't be as good as this first season, I would still watch it when it comes out, and hopefully, I'm wrong again in thinking it's going to be a failure :))
Oh, here's a picture of SSR, the villain of the show:
see? he doesn't always look evil!~
Seems like season 2 is confirmed and from season 1's ending, looks like Liar Game Korean is finally going to be darker and more evil since it would actually be illegal this time and not a tv show. Looking forward to it! :))