Freshness and Fun Fall Short of Previous Work, Criticism Follows
Also Weakened by Being Released Just Over Ten Days Ago
Netflix original 'Ojingeo Game' Season 2 faced disappointment at the Golden Globe Awards in the United States. On the 5th (local time), at the 82nd ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles (LA), it was nominated for Best TV Series Drama but failed to win.
The honor went to Disney+'s 'Shogun,' which had been considered a strong contender. The drama, set in 1600s Japan, is based on James Clavell's novel of the same name. It swept the major categories that day, including Best Actor (Sanada Hiroyuki), Best Actress (Sawai Anna), and Best Supporting Actor (Asano Tadanobu). This work also dominated the drama categories at last September's Emmy Awards, winning nineteen trophies.
'Ojingeo Game' Season 2 was insufficient to topple the dominance of 'Shogun.' Above all, it received criticism for lacking the freshness and fun of its predecessor. On the American film and drama rating website Rotten Tomatoes, the critics' score was 85%, lower than the original's 95%. The audience's Popcorn Index was also 64%, far below the original's 83%. It faced criticism for being a bridge-like story leading to Season 3 and for lacking completeness.
Another weakness was that it had only been released for just over ten days. 'Ojingeo Game' Season 2 began airing on the 26th of last month, but it was nominated for Best Drama earlier, on the 9th of last month. Due to this unusual early nomination, some questioned whether the focus was more on promoting the awards ceremony than on thorough review.
Before the ceremony, director Hwang Dong-hyuk told foreign media, "I do not have high expectations for winning." He said, "I gave up hope when deciding to split the story into Seasons 2 and 3," adding, "If I were aiming for an award, I think I could try to conclude all the stories I want to tell in Season 3."
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