This is usually my type of dramas and I could really compare it to 365: Repeat The Year which is also a korean drama but at the same time it has it's own originality.
The scenes where pretty harsh for me as watcher, I was not ready and it came as a shock. It comes off as like a japanese drama or movie storyline that is why I would say it has that different feeling into it compared to what I usually encounter in korean dramas.
Actors in the drama are veteran, all are great. One of the best line up korean dramas have done in a while.
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Hunger games 2.0 GONE WRONG justice for SAEBYEOK
I know korea is still a mysoginistic society until now because there government doesnt want women to have power and more equal rights than men and thats the sad truth of the society, but judging the story it felt flat for me the beginning episodes are great BUT after episode 5 it felt DRAGGY and SLOW and i get the betrayal of friends part but i think it feels so injustice of the other characters especially Ali they didi him dirty and still koreans always look down dark or brown skinned people i hate it here and still racist to foreigners ngl though and the ending is still open ended so weed a 2nd season to answer all the several plotholes of previous episodes. Acting is PHENOMENAL HANDS DOWN especially SAEBYEOK i love her role in this its giving me katnis everdeen vibes heheheh purr and GIHUN too i love his kind honest protagonist and especially the front man i love villainess of the characters, high budget production, outfits stages evrything: felt flat for the OST i need lisas money fpr the ost of the 2nd season please it matches the series. Thats all!! yall should watch Alice in borderland it has better plot than the squid game purr.Was this review helpful to you?
Banger
Terrific show man wow. Didn’t go past episode 2 when the show came out 4 years ago cause it was right after I moved away for uni and was way too homesick and couldn’t concentrate on much. With season 3 dropping now I thought why not hop on the hype train, and I’m really glad I did!Even though I had a lot spoiled for me, this is for the most part a very tightly written show that perfectly showcases different parts of the human psyche and how screwed up wealth inequality in modern society is and how that affects us as individuals.
Gi-Hun, Sae-Byeok, and Sang-Woo were definitely the standouts. Their respective actors did phenomenal jobs playing their roles with so much sincerity that I couldn’t help but feel fully heartbroken by the time the finale finished.
The big twist reveal I wasn’t really a fan of tbh, didn’t do much for me, but that’s just a minor complaint in what was otherwise a very engaging, attention-grabbing show that had me on the edge of my seat up till 4 AM binging the next episode.
Great stuff! Excited to eventually get to S2 and 3.
Final Rating- 9/10
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It's Good but that ending NO!!!
Well, overall a good series but not a fan of this ending and not sure why there should be a 2nd season as other suggest/would like.What I didn't like the most was that it seemed uncharacteristic for Sang Woo to do what he did at the end. He had been ruthlessly playing the game from the start so why the hell didn't he at least attempt to kill Gi Hun one more time when he 'quit' the game especially since he had clearly harbored a grudge against him since they were young b/c of his trusting, gullible nature.
Gi Hun is a ne'er-do-well. Pretty much living off his mother his whole life. Never being a good enough father to his daughter and then choosing that at the end??? WTF ????
Didn't like the fact that we didn't get Frontman's backstory and why after winning the game he became that guy and how the hell can he shoot his baby brother AISH!!!
So glad that screeching hag and that gangster died they were the worst. Having foreigners be the VIPs is low hanging fruit but I digress.
Also, can we get a squid game with rich people as the damn contestants - ALL BEING EQUAL and all. I mean the Front Man continued to perpetuate the lie that inside the "games" it's equal, above board and essentially fair b/c everyone starts off on the same footing but they had been manipulating the games from the start.
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Good plot, interesting but not a good ending.
Maybe it’s just me but it’s too overrated.I just watch it now to kill time and I really enjoyed it. There are sad relatable scenes and I love that each characters have worthy stories to tell. The game concept is nice too. Playing games you played when you were little. All seems easy but when you lose you also lose your life. The concept of game is good until the players decided to kill each other to win. Well, that adds the intensity of the drama. The detective/ police officer is also smart but didn’t end so well.
Anyway, overall I enjoyed it but not that much. And the ending sucks.
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Easy to binge
Action, a lot of death, sad deaths, betrayal, interesting side story of a detective, annoying characters, everyone dies besides one winner, end of the game but start of a new one, ended but season 2 coming.It was a quick watch and a little emotional when a character you got attached to died. But the games were interesting when it was associated with determining life and death.
If you don’t like anything with blood and something dark then this isn’t the best option since the whole point of the games were to eliminate as many people each round.
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Give it a chance
I must confess that I was a little bored watching the first two episodes. It felt as if the runtime was too long and I wasn't just thinking to myself "this could have easily be shown in 30 minutes"... But from there, suddenly the almost 1 hour felt like 30 minutes and I just wanted more and more. You have to watch it!The story is very interesting, despite having some plotholes. They ended up not going anywhere with the organ trafficking arc. I was a bit confused but I quickly forgot about it when watching the rest of the drama. I have a few questions concerning the logic of the Squid Game, logistics and all that I can't just write down here as to not to spoil the experience for those wanting to watch the show. Numbers 101 and 212 will forever be on my heart 💓Was this review helpful to you?
The pacing is a bit confused...
I watched this a while ago, but I'm only putting this review here now. If you haven't watched it yet, it's definitely worth it. Pretty much everything is perfect, except that it is too long. One or two episodes inbetween could easily be shortened or removed entirely. The ending also let me down a bit, but season 2 hopefully will explain more of why the ending was the way it was. Be mindful though that it is gory and blood with many horror elements. Not exactly a lighhearted watch. What blew me away the most is the acting and I found many of my new favorite kdrama actors through this show. Would for sure recommend!Was this review helpful to you?
beyond the fame, there’s something way deeper
this drama is so freaking good, like the storyline is perfect and kinda different from the usual stuff. you really get attached to every single character, and it’s mad interesting to watch them grow as the game goes on. this masterpiece shows human cruelty on every level, and how far people’ll go when they’re desperate, stuck in a system that’s crushing them.Gihun is propably the most lovable character, even though honestly they’re all so endearing. watching his spark fade little by little as the game goes on is kinda fascinating. every death hits harder everytime and makes you really think about what life is all about . i love the bond between the players it’s so cute how they help each other even with all the nasty betrayals happening. now let's talk about that plot twist? the craziest and most unexpected thing ever. nobody saw it coming or could’ve guessed it. even years after finishing the season, i still get chills thinking about it. that twist ain’t something you forget easy.
all the tears i shed, i can say this drama ain’t just violent, it’s a deep reflection on human nature, capitalism, and how society can dehumanize the most vulnerable for the pleasure of the rich. this show reveals the harsh cruelty the world faces.
after watching all the seasons, i still think the season 1 is the most complete and the best one. i could watch it like 500 times. huge respect to Hwang Donghyuk for this masterpiece.
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This reminds me of Maze Runner but in Money Heist X P.E Class costumes
I thought it would be interesting from start to end but nah I was wrong.I thought it would be very new and different from other k-thriller dramas but nah I was wrong again. It is actually a clever idea to combine two phenomenal movies' ideas into 1 drama, and the idea of using childhood games as the main focus here is insane. I never thought child's games could be this dangerous. Set aside the clever idea, I personally hate the "blood" they're using, it looks too fake.
To be honest...
I really loved the overall drama...at first, but I lost bit by bit of my interest after the 1st half of the total episodes. As the episodes went on, this drama felt ordinary and bland. I became numb seeing their fighting and killing scenes, it happened too often and became boring (not to mention the ridiculous blood they're using, too watery!). I expect this drama to be different but it turns out as one of Netflix's typical k-crime action thriller drama with a hanging ending and lots of untold truth. Maybe there'd be S2? that'd be good, I'm not that interested tho.
Conclusion: that's okay, just give it a go, it's exciting.
Last but not least, WI HA JOON I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!
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Please Include Cha Eunwoo in Season 2!
Liar Game and Alice in borderland have greater Strategical Depth compared to Squid Game but Squid Game stands out in Cinematography just like most Korean shows in Netflix. I hope they will add a genius player next time which is really a player. I really enjoyed it nonetheless.Add more antiheroes next time . Add more interesting characters and focus on their dark/boring lives and how the game will change them. Focus on character development.
Please include Im Siwan or Cha Eunwoo next Season. I love to see my favorite actors.
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Works because capitalism doesn't
I want to start off by saying that this is more a think piece than a legit critique of the show. You don't need me to tell you that this show is good, you've probably heard that before. But in case you want to hear me say it again: Yes it's good. It's fantastic.I discovered my love for Korean cinema with Bong Joon-ho. So mý approach to Koreas movies and dramas has always been a political one and it's what I appreciate most about this country's media.
This is on every level a more than competent show, acting, writing, cinematography-wise. But its brilliancy lies in its portrayal of the struggles of the working class.
Squid Game is not subtle with its portrayal and criticism of South Korea’s economy. The entire competition as shown in the show is held by the elites, who watch poor people killing each other for entertainment. The super-rich organizers have become so detached from everything, that the suffering of regular working-class people has become funny for them. We see rich men enjoying expensive whiskey and making jokes while the people in front of them are dying. The participants of the game are no longer human to them, in fact it gets literally said out loud, that they bet on them like they’re horses. It starts with them only getting referred to by numbers. And with each game, the players get more and more de-humanized, more and more alienated. The competition and brutality is what the game thrives on. It’s why the organizers deliberately give the participants less food, to “weed out the weaker ones”.
But there is more subtext to Squid Game, which makes it so brilliant. None of the contestants have been “forced” to play. Unlike in titles with similar premises the characters are here according to their free will. In fact, after the first game, they vote whether they want to continue the games, and the majority votes for no. And yet they still return. Because they have nothing out there waiting for them. In the real world, they have no real, tangible opportunity, to earn the money they need to restore their life, but in this brutal competition, they do. They can turn the cash down. They can leave the competition. But as participant Mi-nyeo beautifully puts it: “It’s just as bad out there as it is in here.” And that’s the thing, no one is forced to take part in this- and yet they are. Because their circumstances leave them no choice. Because partaking in capitalism is not a free choice, it’s the illusion of free choice. They’re playing a game of survival, no matter if they’re in the real world or in the game. But here at least, winning seems more realistic.
The harsh reality of capitalism also plays a big role in multiple backstories of our leads. Gi-hun, our protagonist, is unable to get back on his two feet after losing his job. Not only that but he is also traumatized after watching a friend and colleague die through police brutality at a strike.
We have Ali Abdul, an exploited Pakistani immigrant, who basically has no rights as a worker in Korea, since he’s there illegally. Kang Sae-byeok also fled to the South half-island from the North hoping for a better life, but finds herself disillusioned and trapped in poverty. The players of the competition can only exist because of capitalism. They are not unique and unlikely cases but part of a structural problem.
The idea behind the games is to give the participants one last fair chance to success. The frontman says out loud, that he wants a fair competition. In the real world the players of the game have been discriminated, based on their social status, based on their gender, based on ethnicity. But in this game where they play seemingly arbitrary games, everyone is supposed to have equal chances.
But do they?
Even though every single player could, in theory, make it through the majority of the games unscathed, how high their chances are is almost entirely based on circumstances that pretty much are out of their control.
Just like in Squid Game, whoever gets the advantages in life is based in arbitrary factors. In which family or country, we are born in as well as dumb luck. It's the meritocracy lie, the lie of the American dream gamified. Haven’t we all been reassured time and time again, by the 1%, that our system is fair and just, even though it clearly isn’t? The prize money is just hanging there, barely unattainable yet sufficiently close enough to see it and we keep telling ourselves, that we will get there if we push ourselves just enough.
Then there are the guards of the competition, dressed in menacing red robs. Though it’s easy to hate them since we constantly see them actively taking the lives of players on screen, there is subtlety in their portrayal, showing that they too simply are clogs in a machine with basically zero autonomy. Aside from, you know, constant murder, their schedule reminded me of that of an average warehouse employee. Their schedule is tight and strict and they’re not allowed to ask questions. A disembodied voice tells them what to do, when to eat or sleep, not all that different from the schedule of an Amazon warehouse worker.
In an environment as brutal and bloody as the one in Squid Game, kindness is a privilege that is impossible to afford. To make it through, you have to play dirty. Everyone who is kind and trusting by nature, like fan-favorite Ali, gets crossed. Many people have stated, that Squid Game makes a thesis of human nature.
But Squid Game isn’t as much about human nature as it is about the circumstances our players are put in. Except for a few exceptions, like the over-the-top evil mafia boss and his goons, the participants are neither good nor evil, they’re desperate. And they want to survive. It simply shows what happens to people who have nothing to lose.
Our hero doesn’t get as far as he does because he is kind, or because he is witty, but based on luck and technicalities. But his soft heart is the reason why he is left a broken man, unwilling to even touch his prize money. Humans aren’t good or evil by nature, but you won’t make it to the top through honest work or good character.
Korea isn't the thriving capitalist utopia that we imagine it to be. Korea's economic growth lies on the exploited working class, which works an average of 52 hours per week. In comparison to other countries, unions are weak. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have consistently denounced the situation of workers. Kang Sea-Byeok, the Korea from North Korea in the Series, was hoping for a better life in the South. But when asked if that wish came true, she simply stays quiet. Kang Sae-byeoks story is not an unrealistic one. Many North Korean refugees live as second-class citizens. Forever strangers living in a country that speaks the same language as their homeland.
The fates of Gi-hun, Ali etc. are familiar to many Koreans, but claiming that Squid Game’s scenario is only applicable to Korea, would be a false deduction. Many American critics have now taken it upon themselves to praise Squid Game for its portrayal of South Korean workers specifically. Fact is, that Squid Game works because capitalism has failed everywhere it’s been tried. It’s certainly not a coincidence that the two Korean pieces of media that have reached the biggest global success are both deeply anti-capitalist.
One of the elites in the show watching the competition live, states that South Korea's games are the best ones, in a throw-away line, implying that South Korea isn’t the only country that organizes games like this one. Meaning that, in the world of Squid Game, what we see on screen is supposed to be happening all around the world.
It’s one of the most telling lines of the show. Explaining Squid Game’s success despite all its cultural differences is simple: We all speak the same language under capitalism.
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