Korean Drama - The Manipulated

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안녕하세요

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こんにちは

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The Manipulated is a 2025 South Korean action thriller drama, written by Oh Sang Ho and directed by Park Shin Woo and Kim Chang Ju.

The series aired on Disney+ November 5 - December 3, 2025, it has 12 episodes.

Main Cast:

Ji Chang Wook as Park Jae Jung

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Doh Kyung Soo as An Yo Han

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Kim Jong Soo as No Yong Sik

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Jo Yoon Su as No Eun Bi

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Lee Kwang Soo as Baek Do Kyoung

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Supporting Cast:

Yang Dong Geun as Yeo Deok Su

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Kim Jae Chul as Yang Chul Hwan

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Eum Moon Suk as Do Gang Jae

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Lee Jae Kyoon as Koo Ji Yong

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Lee Seo Hwan as Park Han Hee

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Lee Sung Woo as Hwang Il Guk

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Ahn Ji Ho as Park Tae Jin

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Kwon Da Ham as Woo Jung

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Kim Jung Heon as Jung Soo

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Lee Suk Hyeong as Dae Hoon

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Pyo Ye Jin as Song Su Ji

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Kim Joong Hee as Kim Sang Rak

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Jeong In Ji as Nanny

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Bae Na Ra as Woo Min Hyung

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Lee Hyun Jin as Chung Ri

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Han Ji Hyo as Lee Sun Ah

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Do Yun Jin as Han Byeol

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The series is based on the film Fabricate City, which Oh Sang Ho co-wrote and starred Ji Chang Wook.

Tae Joong is an ordinary man living an ordinary type of life. But, his life changes.

One day, he unjustly gets involved in a heinous crime and he is sent to prison.

Tae Joong discovers that everything was planned by Yohan and he carries out revenge on Yohan.

Disney+ Singapore

I decided to watch this on a whim because I was familiar with a few of the cast members and I was blown away by a few of them as I wasn't used to them acting as the characters they were playing.

The show itself was really good, it didn't take me long to finish watching it as I was hooked. I will admit that I did nearly stop watching during the first few episodes, as they were really difficult to watch, but I'm glad I pushed through and continued because it did really have me on the edge of my seat and wanting to continue at the end of each episode.

I absolutely loved Ji Chang Wook as Park Jae Jung, I know he's known for his roles, especially when it comes to action, but for me, he was on another level in this drama. From the first to last episode, I felt all his emotions, but watching him in those first few episodes, while difficult and traumatising to watch, he really did an amazing job.

I thought Doh Kyung Soo was amazing as An Yo Han, I joked that I now know why the rest of EXO are scared of him, because he plays crazy extremely well. He even scared and creeped me out.

I really liked Kim Jong Soo as No Yong Sik, I really loved the friendship between Jae Jung and Yong Sik, and there were times I was scared what would happen to him and how it would affect Jae Jung.

I thought Jo Yoon Su did a really great job as No Eun Bi. I initially didn't like her as she seemed to push the people closest to her away, but the more we got to know her, we knew why she acted the way she did.

Lee Kwang Soo was amazing as Baek Do Kyoung, he's the typical character that comes from money and power, which means he believes he can do anything and get away with it, even committing murder. Even as he loses power, he still believes he can get away with his crimes.

I thought Yang Dong Geun was amazing as Yeo Deok Su, I didn't even realise that he played the son in season 2 of Squid Game. It really shows how he can pull off any role and character.

I really liked Kim Jae Chul as Yang Chul Hwan, for me, he was the character that gave me hope for Jae Jung throughout the show. It was sometime hit or miss on whether he would believe Jae Jung, but he also seemed to lean on trusting what he said.

I was surprised to see Bae Na Ra as Woo Min Hyung as I'd not long finished Would You Marry Me, in which he also appears in. While the characters I've seen him play have been of similar roles. Woo Min Hyung is definitely the best I've seen so far as like Yo Han, he's on the crazy side and seems to revel in cleaning up messes and being a hitman for hire.

I highly recommend this drama, I'll just say to be prepared for the first few episodes and push through them. Once you get past that initial trauma, you'll be on the edge of your seat even more.

The casting is amazing as is the story, even if it seems a little far-fetched at times. It's also scary to think there are probably people like this in real life.

Have you watched The Manipulated?

Were you a fan of the cast?

Did you enjoy the plot?

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Korean Drama - Squid Game S2

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こんにちは

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Squid Game is a South Korean Netflix Original survival drama series, written and directed by Hwang Dong Hyuk. The second season was released on the 26th of December, 2024.

Season 2 has 7 episodes.

Main Cast:

Lee Jung Jae as Seong Gi Hun

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Gong Yoo as The Recruiter

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Lee Byung Hun as Front Man

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Im Si Wan as Lee Myung Gi

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Kang Ha Neul as Kang Dae Ho

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Wi Ha Joon as Hwang Jun Ho

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Park Gyu Young as Kang No Eul

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Lee Jin Wook as Park Gyeong Seok

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Park Sung Hoon as Cho Hyun Ju

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Yang Dong Geun as Park Yong Sik

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Kang Ae Shim as Jang Geum Ja

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Song Young Chang as Im Jeong Dae

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Lee Seo Hwan as Park Jung Bae

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Chae Gook Hee as Seon Nyeo

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David Lee as Min Su

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Roh Jae Won as Nam Gyu

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Jo Yuri as Kim Jun Hee

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Supporting Cast:

Park Hee Soon as Masked Officer

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Lee Sang Jun as Pink Soldier Manager

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Jeon Seok Ho as Choi Woo Seok

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Choi Seung Hyun (T.O.P) as Choi Su Bong aka Thanos

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Woo Ji An as Semi

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Kim Si Eun as Kim Young Mi

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Oh Dal Su as Sea Captain Park

Kang Sung Wook as Gyeong Su

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Lee Sung Woo as Kim Yeong Sam

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Guest Cast:

Park Hye Jin as Sang Woo's Mother

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Park Si Wan as Kang Cheol (Sae Byeok's Brother)

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Sung Do Hyun as Mercenary Kim

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Kim Pub Lae as Mr. Kim

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Song Ji Woo as Kang Mina

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Lee Joo Sil as Park Mal Soon

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Late October 2021, Hwang Dong Hyuk stated that he was in discussions with Netflix regarding a second season. He further stated in December 2021, that he was also discussing a third season. Netflix confirmed season 2 in June, 2022.

The principal photography for the second season was scheduled to start in July, 2023 and was expected to last for at least 10 months.

Filming was reportedly underway in August, 2023. The filming wrapped in July, 2024 and was filmed back-to-back along with the third season.

Within the first 3 days of release, the second season had 68 million views, exceeding the highest premiere viewership for Netflix held by the first season of Wednesday at 50.1 million views during it's premiere week.

According to Netflix, the season tanked at No.1 in 92 countries.

Set 4 years after Seong Gi Hun won the Squid Game, giving up on going to America and returning to the games with the intent of stopping them once and for all. He once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of ₩45.6 billion.

A side plot of the season sees Hwang Jun Ho trying to locate Gi Hun with the help of hired mercenaries.

Netflix

This post has been a long time coming. I've been meaning to make this post for quite some time, but I never really got round to finish writing it. Which is surprising with how much I enjoyed watching it.

I want to say we completed season 2 in a least 48 hours, I don't think we completed it in one day but I can't really remember.

I think the cast did an amazing job yet again and I loved the new additions to the cast, they really added more to this season and I think like everyone else when it came to the characters as horrible as he seemed to be, I loved Thanos he definitely added comedy to an otherwise dark series. I liked that the story continue off from the first season and while giving us a new storyline we had continuation from season 1, even when it came to the first game. For me it shows that even when we're familiar with something we've experienced in the past, there's nothing to say that it will be different the next time round.

Lee Jung Jae yet again blew me away in his role as Seong Gi Hun. His main goal in this season is to get back into the games and try and put an end to them all, while trying to help others playing the games to survive.

Gong Yoo returns this season as the recruiter and personally I think he's just as crazy as those who created the games. It was nice to see him return, he plays crazy way to well.

At the end of season 1 we got the reveal of who is the person behind the front man, so it was nice to see Lee Byung Hun return as the Front Man, but it was also nice to see him entangle himself with the rest of the players and become a player himself. Even if it was only to get to Gi Hun and watch him break.

Im Si Wan was a good addition as Lee Myung Gi. we find out that he scams people and it was interesting to see how even in this type of setting he would still try to scam people. For me his character was all about how he could get himself out of these situations, and it didn't matter who he took on to get to the end. I think even though his reasons were right, I think I only need to say Unni and we know when we started to dislike him.

I really liked Kang Ha Neul as Kang Dae Ho, I think out of the whole Squid Game series, his character still has a lot of mystery as we never really go much backstory. All we had for him was our own interpretations. For me he was raised to believe that men had to act and be a certain way, which is why we see him shift between his emotions, especially in the final few episodes when his fight or flight reactions come into play.

It was nice to see Wi Ha Joon return as Hwang Jun Ho, but honestly I'm not sure why as we didn't really see much of him. It was nice to see him helping Gi Hun, but his goals were more to get to his brother than stop what was happening. I think like Gi Hun he wants complete closure and won't stop until that's happened.

I loved the addition of Park Gyu Young as Kang No Eul, with her character we get to see more on the pink soldier's side. You can tell she's more of a fighter, even when she's forced to return for a new set of games.

I loved Lee Jin Wook as Park Gyeong Seok. He's a father that will do anything and everything to help his sick daughter, even if it means the outcome is his death. We see this towards he end when he joins forces with Gi Hun in an attempt to take down the guards. He seems to be very accepting of everyone.

I think for me this season, the main show stealer and the one everyone roots for was Park Sung Hoon as Cho Hyun Ju. He was amazing in his role and I think he was a good representative for people in the LGBTQ community. He definitely stole the show for me.

I think Yang Dong Geun was another great addition as Park Yong Sik, while he's in plenty of debt, he joins the games to get the money he needs and stop relying on her to help him, but what he doesn't know is she's there too.

Whish leads me into another new addition, Kang Ae Shim as Jang Geum Ja. No matter how much of her money he's taken, she continues to want to help her son, which is why she joins the games. She seems to be accepting of all people and seems to make a connections with Hyun Ju and Jun Hee.

I loved Lee Seo Hwan as Park Jung Bae. I was hoping history didn't repeat itself with one of Gi Hun's friends being in the games again. It seems that even though they don't tell each other everything they still have a strong bond and he trusts Gi hun's decisions.

I think I need to mention Chae Gook Hee as Seon Nyeo, because I know we all hated her. Which means she really put life into her character, she did an amazing job. I won't deny that I wished for her end with each game.

I really liked David Lee as Min Su. He's such a timid and naive character, he's the typical character that sticks with the strongest to keep himself alive, even when it means betraying someone that would always have his back. We do see that his guilt eats away at him, for me this shows that he's never been in a situation that's taught him to fight back. He just takes it as it is, which makes him a pushover and easily manipulated.

Another mention that is needed is Roh Jae Won as Nam Gyu. Another character that I couldn't help but hate. His character is like a sheep and follows Thanos around as he believes he's more dangerous as an enemy than an ally. But really we know he follows him for what he has.

I loved Jo Yuri as Kim Jun Hee. She's pregnant and believes herself to be a hinderance in the games, but there's always someone around her to make sure she makes it through. We learn that she's had a relationship with Lee Myung Gi and is the father of her baby. But there is no love lost between them as she was also one of the people he scammed.

I really liked Jeon Seok Ho as Choi Woo Seok. I honestly think he thought Gi Hun was a raving lunatic, until he witnesses first hand what the recruiter is capable of. After that he's all in when it comes to helping Gu Hun complete his mission.

Finally I have to mention Choi Seung Hyun (T.O.P) as Choi Su Bong aka Thanos. I think after Hyun Ju, Thanos was another of the fan favourites. I think he was meant to to be a character we didn't like but you couldn't help but love him. I think out of all the characters Thanos was the most versatile character. He had a mischievous side as well as a softer side. I think this role was the perfect comeback for him, and while people looked at the negatives of his character, I personally think he saw it as a way of not only accepting his past, but that he's moved on an not going to let people use it against him anymore. In a way he was taking control back from the public.

I will always recommend this drama and even with all the heartbreak, would happily watch it all again. This show has had such an amazing cast ensemble that brings something to the series. You can't help but hold your breath when it comes to their life and death situations.

Have you watched Season 2 of Squid Gamed?

Were you a fan of the cast?

Did you enjoy the plot?

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye