For those who have watched the show Boyfriend on Demand, Dating Game follows a similar plot, except that this time it is from a male perspective. The plot follows Hill, a once introverted and bullied person who finds peace and confidence through a dating stimulation app with an AI heroine called Yuka. Hill even lands a job at the very company that created Yuka and soon discovers that the company is about to shut down. Things get complicated when the CEO, Junji, gives him the task of developing a new project that also stimulates romance in real life. Twist? As part of the game development, he has to date his own boss to understand how the development is to take place.
In all honesty, I didn’t find anything new in the entire show. It feels heavily borrowed from past shows. The concept of involving AI in romance has become more common than ever, and Dating Game relies big time on that. The entire plot feels very absurd in all honesty. Hill has to develop a game; he is upset about the fact that his old game is shutting down, the plot twist added by way of the CEO, all of this is an old tactic that gives us ultimately nothing to watch. Now, with all this, I need not remind you that the romance we get to see between the leads starts from being shy and awkward to gaining momentum in between. Again, while reading, I am sure you have understood how very predictable the rest of the plot is.
I was hoping for some better and more intriguing plot twists, which sadly, the makers don’t give us. Even the twists shown to us are normal, nothing that makes you jump out of your seat and wait eagerly for the next scene to follow. The fact that Boyfriend on Demand was here a few months ago makes this show a boring watch.
The pacing is so uneven that it frustrates you to the core. In some places, the scenes run so fast that you don’t know what is happening; other times, the scenes drag, and it feels as if the show won’t be getting over anytime soon. Spread over twelve episodes, for almost an hour long, the show becomes a bit difficult to catch on since the plot isn’t that interesting either. The character development hardly takes place in the span of those twelve episodes, which makes you wonder if watching The Dating Game is worth it at all. Even the so-called game that is shown to us isn’t that good and doesn’t feel real at all. For example, on Boyfriend on Demand, the game felt real for whatever reason. Here, those reasons are missing, which makes it a big-time spoiler sport. At one point, you will even question what is shown because the plot becomes confusing to watch.
So, all in all, viewers, this show can be skipped instead of the better ones that exist. Dating Game definitely had scope for improvement, but it is indeed a missed opportunity.
Final Score- [3/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times