Stuck at Home; Keeping myself sane

I have some Asian TV shows to binge watch whilst stuck at home, some of which might provide some future gaming inspiration for you. I’ve selected some shows that are currently available to watch on the apps Netflix and Viki. Most are either Chinese or Korean, though there is one from Japan and another from Taiwan.

Nokdu Flower (Netflix)

Set during the Donghak Peasant Revolution which took place from 1894-1895. Two half-brothers fight on opposite sides of this rebellion. Baek Yi Kang is the first son of an important family. His father is wealthy, and he is notorious as a local government officer. But Yi Kang’s mother is from the the lowest class. Due to his mother’s low social class, people look down on Baek Yi Kang. Song Ja In is the only daughter for the head of a large peddlers group. She is the owner of Jeonjoo Yeokak, which sells merchandise and is also an inn. She has courage, stays calm under pressure and has charisma. Song Ja in dreams of becoming the best merchant in Joseon.

The show follows the lives of two brothers during the Donghak Revolt, who end up on opposite sides to each other. Though fictional the background of the revolution is based in fact, all the key members of the Donghak leadership were real individuals. The revolution is used to drive along the story of these two brothers, whose destiny seems ill fated. The show is well produced and gives an insight to the plight of Korea just as the 19^th Century is slowly coming to an end and the inevitable take over of the country by Japan.  The series highlights the struggle of old Korea against the influence of the modern West along with the growing conflict with Japan.

I enjoyed this show, and I could see potential gaming ideas springing from the series, especially skirmish games between Korean factions and the Japanese. It’s a definite show to watch for those interested in historical gaming.

Alice in Borderland (Netflix)

Alice is a Japanese science fiction suspense-thriller drama streaming television series based on the manga of the same name by Haro Aso. The series stars Kento Yamazaki as Arisu, a young man who finds himself lost in an abandoned Tokyo alongside his best friends, Chōta (Yûki Morinaga) and Karube (Keita Machida). As they begin their search for civilization, the trio quickly finds out that they are trapped in a city in which they are forced to participate in risky, violent, and dangerous games in order to survive.

The show follows Arisu trying to survive in this surreal gaming environment, every time a player survives a game his/her visa gets extended. If they fail to extend the visa, they are killed by the mysterious game controllers. This means in order to survive the players are forced into potentially life-threatening games where they could be killed.

At times this show moves into the dark side, but dosen’t stay there, which I found interesting. It makes the series much more interesting to watch. There are also plenty of humorous moments in the show which pulls it away from the darker side and thus makes it a far less depressing dystopian TV show compared to others. It’s a very slick, well-choreographed action show and the games they’re forced to play are unpredictable and dangerous, but the fact that the players are under resourced going into them makes it much more enjoyable to watch when the over come the odds to win.

The Uncanny Counter (Netflix)

Uncanny is a South Korean television series starring Jo Byung-gyu, Yoo Jun-sang, Kim Se-jeong and Yeom Hye-ran. Based on the Daum webtoon Amazing Rumor by Jang Yi, it centers on the titular character So Mun, a crippled high school boy who is enlisted to be part of the Counters, a group of demon-hunters who search for and fight against evil spirits that escape from the afterlife to prey on humans.

The counters are effectively Grim Reapers trying to catch evil spirits who have entered the bodies of individuals who have committed violent acts of crime. This is an action sci-fi adventure show in a similar vein to Heroes, where the main characters have superhuman powers, and which the main character So Mun struggles to harness his. It’s a light-hearted show with some great action sequences, and plenty of martial arts fight scenes.  There are plenty of light-hearted moments in the show that adds some comedic elements, though I wouldn’t say this was a comedy, it’s action-based drama that tries to be humorous in places. Though its well worth a watch.

Futmalls (Netflix)

Investigation into a series of strange cases leads police Zhao Xu Zhen to a mysterious website called “Futmalls.com,” which claims to be from the future. Customers can buy anything from the site, including future love, fame, or beauty. The product is non-refundable. And the price is unimaginable.

This was one of the more intriguing shows I watched recently, it’s a Sci-Fi crime horror TV series set-in modern-day Taiwan, where people can unknowingly purchase items from the future, though there may be consequences in doing so. It’s an interesting concept where vulnerable individuals are targeted to purchase items from the website, which end up with extreme consequences. This is one of the first Taiwanese shows I’ve watched and was really pleased with the result. It’s well written, edited and produced. It’s one of the more thought-provoking Sci-Fi’s I’ve seen in a while. It’s a definite one to watch, though I was disappointed it was only 8 episodes.

Sweet Home (Netflix)

This is an apocalyptic horror South Korean television series starring Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook and Lee Si-young. Based on the Line Webtoon of the same name by Kim Kan-bi and Hwang Young-chan, which recorded over 1.2 billion net views. Following the death of his family in an accident, loner Cha Hyun-soo moves to a new apartment. His quiet life is soon disrupted by strange incidents that start occurring in his new building. As people turn into monsters which take the form of their hidden desires, Hyun-soo and other residents try to survive.

Most of the action takes place in and around the apartment block that our band of survivors are trapped in. Unlike recent shows like the Walking Dead the villains aren’t zombies but a wide variety of monsters, which makes a nice change. This isn’t a gritty post apocalypse horror fest like walking Dead, but a more tongue in cheek monster horror. There are some gritty moments but overall, it didn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a fun watch, with plenty of action, twists and turns stuffed with monster mayhem at every turn.