“The Body of the Century”, Netflix
In this thug reality show, as in many Korean TV products, you won’t find much sophistication, yet the whole world buys Korean series. This is what happens when a government invests in its television instead of trying to shut it down.For several years now, since the uncontrollably violent “Squid Game,” I’ve been trying to crack the South Korean drama/reality show code and failing.
How – I ask – do they allow themselves to behave like this, talk like this, and in general to consume this bloody butcher’s product, and how do they manage, the next morning, to get up and invent new cell phones and fighter jets. The gap between the shallowness and wildness in the living room at home in the evening and the technological excellence in the morning in the laboratory is in my eyes unfathomable.
And yet, it exists. And not just surviving day by day, but also thriving and conquering all of Asia. In “The Body of the Century”, the new series that appeared on Netflix, at least according to its first episodes, the participants are required to simply walk away. 100 participants, men and women, in excellent physical shape, face grueling challenges, where along the way they must also beat their opponents in order to survive and win the coveted title and of course a cash prize.
No pretense. There are no embellishments. There is no Bolo tribe and Zulu tribe on the island in the Philippines. They leave strategies to other countries. There are beatings. The use of weapons – at least according to the opening – is prohibited, but apart from this unfortunate restriction – the way is open. Like in a hotel in Eilat on the weekend: let’s hit. Someone who doesn’t really salivate, say, at the stage where the two competitors are trying to get one power ball and are getting beaten up, and is basically more of a type of the physics shows “How the Universe Works” on the National Geographic Channel, may get a little bored here. not even a little.
But “The Body of the Century” provides at least a partial glimpse into the depths of the Korean psyche that is willing to settle for such meager entertainment, and in the morning, as mentioned, returns to the laboratory to invent the next Samsung model. And the solution is quite simple: this is what Mr. Chin Chen Chun wants. Give him childish dialogue, give him a plot about as sophisticated as third graders talk, and he’s happy. That’s how it’s built. Maybe this is how he was trained from a young age, maybe consuming sophisticated entertainment after a hard day in the lab tires him out. At home, he probably wants the image that is projected at him from the black rectangle not to fry his mind. which will be lower than the Dead Sea. And only for you to walk in front of your eyes.
And it works. South Korean television products flourish in their country and conquer other countries as well. And this prosperity was not born out of nowhere. In a government decision a few years ago, unlike another well-known country that is driven by narrow-mindedness, lack of far-sightedness, and above all evil revenge, very large sums of money were transferred to be earmarked for television work, and the fruits are being reaped by South Korea and its citizens reaped by the people of the industry in recent years: an abundance of comedies, action dramas and suspense And more and more conquer hearts inside and outside the country and provide pride and a good livelihood to their creators.
Personally, I stopped watching “The Squid Game” after a single episode. I allocated two chapters to “The Body of the Century” and will not return to it. Just, as they say, not my cup of tea. However, it is hard not to envy the sympathetic and constructive approach of the South Korean government, which is motivated by the prosperity of its citizens. Just imagine what would have happened if, say, the corporation had broadcast our own Zionist “squid game”.
Only from the screams of Zahva Galon the hearing would be damaged. And Shlomo Karai would even shave for joy in preparation for his appearances on every possible channel, where he would declare that this was another reason to close the corporation. And Abi Maoz would claim to take down, cut down and stab in place of a legacy plan for the heroism of King David. Did you think the “body of the century” was in Korea? The body of the century is here.
see or give up: A question of taste. Worth a look. In general, Korean TV is worth a look. Just to upset Krei.