Squid Game

The drama is very good but not excellent, I didn't find a story or script in the subject
The series is about group ofpeople and these people are either poor or have debts that they cannot bury, so an organization run by rich people decides to play with the feelings of those people and drag them behind their need for money.
These people are taken to un island where survival games begin
These games are childhood games that were played pin Korea in the past, if you lose in them, you will be executed
In the series, you can expect what will happen, especially when you know the game, you will know how the events will unfold
This drama show the dark side of the people, and they can do everything for surviving even killing each other, or frind betray his friend, killing people with cold blood
Play with them like they are nothing
This is really sad to see humans do things like that ...

For me, the series was fun, but there is no story in it, like I am watching some kind of entertainment TV show
It's not the best Korean drama i see...... there is a lot of Korean or Chinese drama are amazing than it

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A brilliant show fully worth watching

This is a show that is simultaneously brutal and beautiful in its depiction and execution. It's a fantastic metaphor for capitalism and the illusion of autonomy, the compulsion to survive that drives the poorest when their supposed freedoms and choices are constrained by a need to survive. Anyone could have left the game but out in the real world, the pressures would not let them. So they stayed and played.

I thought Gi-Hun was a weak and unsympathetic character, I didn't like the actor's constipated expressions at everything and I thought the support cast was better in terms of sympathetic characters and acting. The plot itself was formulaic but still great. Lot of the deaths were foreshadowed but that often made the prelude thick with emotional suspense and a desperation to be proven wrong. The games were brutal and I thought in particular that episodes 4 and 7 were masterful.

Again, I felt let down by the main character and I also found everything on the side with the undercover policeman to be an unnecessary addition which could instead have been devoted to fleshing out the back stories of some of the other characters. I found the North Korean defector (sorry i can't remember her name) the most interesting whilst Ali and the old man were the most endearing. This show really though could only be endured if you hated the characters. As soon as you began liking someone, they were bound to die.

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the plot and cast are great. this show might be the best in 2021 (so far) and it is also the best action-thriller. even better than taxi driver or penthouse. the soundtrack is mostly instrumentals and there are not many with singers singing but it also gives that bone-chilling feeling as if u are there yourself. what I will say for the rewatch value is that if u have a strong stomach and if u are used to watching shows like this, then go ahead. but overall is a 10/10 for me. but also do keep in mind that this show contains a high amount of violence and gore. so, if you're underage, u might want to try other dramas with lesser violence.

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Love-hate relationship

One of the most important elements to a successful drama is how satisfying /fulfilling the ending is.

It's not about what we might think is fair but what makes us exhale in ease at the end feeling it's finally wrapped and tucked nicely in our memory.

That wasn't the case here.

-We follow an mc who is very poor, very in debt, has an ill mother and a lonely daughter who will be taken away from him forever if he doesn't do anything.

None of that gets even remotely solved! Zero!

-We grew to know and love characters like Saebyeok and her scattered family and her last hope to bring them together.

Again, NOTHING CHANGES!
*well except a very very weak last minute forced scene that had no absolute value!

- We're introduced to a police officer who we expect to be the end of this organization. But guess what he adds to the story?
Right, NOTHING!

We, as viewers, are attached to these characters, feeling what they feel. We, and them, endured the horrors of the game bc of a purpose. We wanted them to achieve their goals, we wanted to see them happy at last. or at the very least for something to change!!

But to make all of these stories and characters and games and twists and emotional manipulation to keep everything exactly the way it is, is just weak writing in my opinion.

Even if they were planning on a season 2 from the start, (which I really hope so, for their sake. Otherwise this was the worst drama ending I've ever seen) they should've made it a little more (or any) satisfying to the viewers. They sacrificed the ending for s1 to build for a s2. But even that was very poorly written and executed.

The drama was great in the beginning, amazing even. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time, binging episode after another in anticipation. That's why I can't give it a lower rating.

All was great until the last two episodes or the last one really. It left me confused, mad and disappointed. And all I could think was "wth did I just watch?"

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Brutal, bloody, beautifull yet probably overhyped..

This drama was awful to watch but has pretty high entertainment value, some parts where good, others mediocre, it did leave me guessing (some theories where right others wrong) and did keep me on my toes at times. It does have some interesting issues and does make you feel stuff... but not to much. And it definitely did leave room for more seasons as well as had me closing my eyes a lot. It is utterly brutal in some scenes that did both gross me out and just made me feel pain... a lot of pain, impressive painful pain.

What ups the score for this otherwise pretty okay but not worth the hype drama is the beautiful combination of brutality and childrens games with extremely well (mis)fitted OST, something that I personally am a complete sucker for and the fact that my very picky and hard to get to watch K-dramas with husband said it was the best K-drama he had seen. the visuals here are just stunning (unless they are gross) and the contrast is just so good and hits all the right spots for me. I also liked to hate most of the characters and did enjoy some great (dark) humor and one liners from some of the contestants.

So this is not something for the faint hearted but for those of you with a somewhat bloody darkside this may just hit the spot. Just don´t get to attached to anyone....

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Pretty average

Not so impressive but it's a decent watchable series, the main thing that i felt was its too dragging except when your not in the gaming situation. The story didn't emotionally connected to me. Comparing to Alice in Borderland this series lacks in many factors.

The whole situation not look very serious or intense in so many points, it makes sense only after the episode 7. Everything was predictable may be not in the case of that 2nd cameo also the things that happening in the finale Episode. Not much edge of the seat moments whole things looks nothing new. E08 was my favourite, i only got tensed in that episode, the 5th game was really exciting. It not necessary to forcefully make love, that intimate scene looks not apt to the situation.

I don't know why but i kept comparing this to Alice in Borderland throughout the whole series, may be i expected something different. And the finale Episode was the most irritating one.. its dragging like crazy. Definitely left the gate open for a new season no surprise for there but need to improve a lot if it renewing it again...

strictly personal opinion,

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Deserved the 'Starting Hype'

While I wouldn't say it's in my 'Top 10' of all time, I can say that Squid Game, unlike many other series, managed to deliver in it's hype which it had received since day one, providing top-notch production quality, sensational acting and character development, alongside a concept that was extremely interesting. One of the key things here, the character development, worked perfectly with the story theme: the fact that, in face of money, even your best friend can become your worst enemy if you need to survive etc.

Casting choices were absolutely perfect, and while I was the tiniest bit disappointed with the direction of the final episode (funnily enough the same sort of feeling I had with one of Lee Jung Jae's previous projects known as Chief of Staff) - I understand why it was done.

One other thing I really like about Squid Game is how easy it was to watch. I normally am not interested in re-watching dramas, but with Squid Game, I don't think that's the case - even when I know who survives and who doesn't. Two words: great writing. Here's another four words: check Squid Game out.

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Why would a Goodie do-Gooder go back to the sloutherhouse?

Normally I don't watch romance-less thriller kdramas, because they almost always suck. They are often full of immersion breaking sloppy writing and have many incredibly silly scenes. I feel that Squid Game certainly has them both. The characterization of the ML and of quite a few other contestants had some major problems. Personally I always hated it, when a random moron wins against smarter, more motivated opponents in a setting like this, however the ML's actions often felt arbitrary, beyond just an idiot's actions. Then again the whole thing is FULL of plotholes on a fundamental level, so the players frequently acting out of character is not even the biggest problem here, although Cho Sang Woo's death is just ridiculously stupid. All that he has sacrificed to win, for THAT to end up happening, well done! (evilME would have just thrown the knife for W45.000.000.000) Also what's the deal with the policeman's plotline, is there really a point beyond giving mental demons to his brother in season2?

The ending is trash of course, the minor cliffhanger is so bad that it's difficult to put into words. The final post-game twist is almost intelligence insulting too, especially considering how I went back and looked at what happened before frame by frame and it just doesn't make any sense. (pink solder raised the gun > the camera moved out of sight > boom > back in sight > man seemingly down) This is a preproduced drama and all the episodes were released on the same day, so the assumption that the audience would just forget about past details is just wrong.

The base ideas behind the show are pretty good, I guess the creator took Liar Game as the main inspiration & borrowed some ideas from Hunger Games and other Battle Royale titles. Mixing all that up with Korean children's games worked a lot better than I thought it possibly could have.
It's rare that a Korean TV show has one person as the director and the screenwriter. Hwang Dong Hyuk may have done a pretty bad job as a writer, but as a director I can only praise him. It's incredible how he succeeded to make the MOST BORING GAMES EVER exciting on TV. I found the tug of war game especially impressive. I have played tug of war many times & also I have seen tug of war on Running Man countless times, I have never thought rope pulling could be this exciting..

The best things about the show are of course the incredible sets, the symbology, the OST and the incredible cinematography.
I think the art director may have contributed more to this show's success than the director/screenwriter himself. I may have disliked many things about this show, but there were moments here and there, when I felt almost astonished at what I was seeing on screen. I do understand why Squid Game has become a worldwide sensation.

People talk about this show being the big hit it is, because of the human side of it, due to all the social interactions the contestants had with each other between the games. I'm not sure if I agree, most characters could not have been more two dimensional. Though certainly the actors did an excellent job showing a wide array of authentic emotions.

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Most English speaking characters were cringeworthy as usual. They could have done much better in that regard, considering it's a Netflix production. The silly dubbed accents were not even the worst part, but rather the whole VIP member commentary in the last 2 episodes could not have been more out of place.
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If we consider kdrama a genre, not just "korean made TV drama", then Squid Game is not a kdrama. It breaks several kdrama taboos, such as it has a Hollywood like explicit sex scene (not counting the gay foreigner thing), a lot of blood & most importantly the main characters are not astonishingly beautiful people. Personally I don't particularly mind, I'm just a little surprised by it all. I guess this is a real Netflix production with the western audiences in mind, perhaps Korea only embraced it, because it has become a huge worldwide sensation.

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Win or Lose it all

I watched this show when it came out from everyone talking about it, they seemed to enjoy it a lot so i did watched it too.
I have to say the story line is very interesting, win money by playing childhood games.
All these persons in needs need money and they are really to do anything to get it, even getting eliminated as the drama says.
The more you see money at your reach the more you want to get it, they just kept on going, no matter what!
The acting is really great! All the different characters are really unique to get to know and follow.
The games were also chose as a way to make them easy for everyone to understand them so we can focus on the rest of the story and the characters.
Although I really liked the drama, I do have to say that I am not a big fan of the ending and which for something different.

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it was worth the hype that it got

the show is so good, very well done compared to many other netflix series. the plot is so full of mystery and creativity, while i know many people did guess about who the cop's brother is etc but there is also things that you cant guess, for exemple it was surprising about how in ep 2 they went back to their old life before going back again in the game that was not expected. the games were really entertaining and horrifying in the same time as its childhood games used like that

the whole hiarchy about the pink soldiers too is really cool, about how the circle ones are the workers, the triangle ones are the army and the square are the managers,then the front man then the host which is on top.there is also a lot of hidden signs in the serie that you cant find easily ,about how the old man is behind it all and how the games are on the wall and its really cool.
now lets talk about the cast, i dont think there is a better cast than this, the acting is really on top. ep 6? seriously you cant stop the tears, you find yourself so attached to the characters which is something you dont find in every serie. it shows you as well how humans behave when they are desperate so you see a lot of different behaviors from those who sacrifice themselves to those who trick others to survive and its true that every one deal with those situations differently depending on their mental health and their personality. the only thing to criticize here is the vips acting,its cringy and doesnt look realistic to me but again its a korean show so they probably werent aware of it, also if the vips are full of foreign people who dont all speak english fluenty then it could turn cringy, i just dont think that all of them are american.

the last thing i want to mention is the music, its so so goooooood, the "pink soldier" song is so addicting and there is other songs that are also so cool.
overall the show deserve the hype and you can feel that there is a lot of effort behind it im happy when people who worked so hard got what they deserved, for now i can only wish that season 2 dont be rushed, i want them to take their time and make a good plot i dont want it poorly done because season 1 really give high expectations

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