“Death is only an ‘insignificant’ tool to end my suffering.” – Choi Yi-Jae

“Death’s Game” is a web series based on a webtoon by the same name, fully released on Jan. 5. Directed by Ha Byeong-hoon, the series is divided into two parts, each part consisting of four episodes.

The series follows Choi Yi-jae’s afterlife, who committed suicide after being unable to find a job and kicked out of his house due to rent issues. However, upon reaching the afterworld, a human grim reaper named Death became insulted that Choi took his own life instead of living out his full life, so Death sentenced him to twelve times of reincarnation. If he were to die by a natural cause in the reincarnated lives, he would be allowed to go to heaven.

Since Death reincarnates Yi-jae to people who are expected to die quickly, the series progressively becomes more action-packed as Yi-jae attempts to outsmart Death with information from his failed reincarnations.

Part 1 thus covers Yi-jae’s backstory in conjunction with the reincarnations, while Part 2 covers more of his schemes with the reincarnations and his takeaways from all those reincarnations, making this a series with action, thriller, and mystery elements while remaining emotionally impactful.

While the series may seem closer to an action or thriller series, a recurring theme is how one’s pain and suffering do not stop with suicide; it causes emotional and psychological harm to loved ones that people who commit suicide may not realize. The series elegantly intertwines Yi-jae’s actions in the reincarnated lives, affecting his future reincarnations and allowing the viewer to understand how each action one takes can influence someone entirely unrelated.

Viewers acclaimed the series for differentiating itself and resolving some of the issues from the original webtoon. However, some claim problems with the series’ pacing, as the lives of each reincarnation are not fully developed and have a feel of Yi-jae suffering through set lives instead of him deciding his fate. Furthermore, Part 1 is more contextual to detail Yi-jae’s backstory, as opposed to Part 2 where the pacing becomes significantly faster, which may lead some viewers quitting the series in Part 1 where the story can feel dull.

Overall, this series is recommended for people who are interested in a short action and thriller series, with an added mystery and revenge plot. It brings light to the Korea’s societal problems, especially concerning unemployment in the 20s and 30s and the pressures that push people to suicide.