very much the bridge to get to the finale but i still had fun
not as entertaining as the first season but then, how could it be? we already know the gag so i guess the challenge for this show was to sustain it and i acknowledge that that's hard. i think it still had its charm and fun moments but i did feel like it is very much the middle season. the bridge to get to the climax which means the pacing here really started slow for me. we didn't get new insights to the game or story. we're still almost at the same place we were when the first season ended... pretty much? i mean we got a new perspective with park gyuyoung's character as one of the pink-tracksuit army but again, not enough insight.we got a bunch of new characters. acting-wise, i have no complaints here. they delivered in that category alright but these characters are mostly unforgettable. i think it's a mistake not to give them some sort of background stories just like what they did in the first season, even just a little. instead, a lot of the character are already connected somehow and the background stories are just off the screen. the conflicts and fights didn't feel as impactful and this resulted in me not caring much who dies next. well, i do care (especially to that mom who is also a senior! my queen!) but not as intensely as i wanted to. i want to be moved emotionally and to feel hurt and sad. i guess kang haneul's character might be my favorite one but shout out to TOP (man, i haven't seen this guy in years!). and the controversial one which is park sunghoon's trans woman character. i acknowledge this is a step forward in korean media but overall, they really didn't do much with that storyline so there's nothing much to say anyway. both things can be true.
back in season 1, my favorite parts where the games to be honest because it was just entertaining to watch and fun. the betrayals, the desperation, when characters suddenly switched, the drama and conflicts and chaos etc. that was just fun to watch for me back then (hey it was 2020. i needed entertainment lol). i'm glad they changed some of the games but of course, that first one remained. i get it, it was iconic. i just think this was all creative how they incorporated children's games. and i just love the sets and visuals of it all. but i think i'm in the minority because from what i gathered, the part where the contestants vote whether they continue the game or not is the more popular one because that scenes really got a lot of screen time.
but they did leave some mystery with whatever's happening on that boat with junho and i did like the twist with player 001 being there in the trenches with them. i wish he played more mind games with them to be honest lol still... it had its fun moments despite losing the shock factor. i am still gonna be seated for that third season so
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Cliffhanging just because it can
It seems like the writer is still very obsessed with the world inside the game instead of the other way around despite of its narrative at the beginning was to focus on bringing down the game, but that got lost onto nowhere way until the final episode just for it to be served as the cliffhanger for the next season, and there's totally no resolution of any sorts while it keeps putting in more questions that overweights what the premise was originally intended for.Was this review helpful to you?
New Characters, Games, Twists & POV - But No Progress in Storyline | Filler Season
With all the marketing hype around Season 2, I wondered if it was truly remarkable or just overhyped due to a lack of substantial plot. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the latter, feeling more like a bridge to Season 3. As a die-hard fan since Season 1, I eagerly anticipated Season 2 for its deeper story and new character journeys. While it had binge-worthy moments, it ultimately left me feeling a bit cheated, as it answered no questions and the story didn't progress as expected for a sequel.What I Liked in S2
➥ Biggest Thrill: Discovering Player 001 (no spoilers, but it's an early twist and the best one!).
➥ Overall Games/Thrills & Suspense: Maintains the same intensity as Season 1.
➥ New Characters: Offers glimpses into the Pink Soldiers, Front Man, and Recruiter's perspectives. Wi Ha Joon's police character reveals the game's ecosystem is larger than expected.
➥ Relationships: Explores the dynamics of being pitted against family, friends, and lovers in a survival game, highlighting how humanity can deteriorate under pressure.
➥ Best Character: Park Sung Hoon's portrayal of an ex-army man/trans woman is compelling. His character arc and acting are excellent, and the off-game challenges faced by a trans woman are well depicted. Also, kudos to mother/son characters - done well!
What I Disliked:
➥ Lack of Answers: No insights on why the game started, how soldiers are selected, or why Front Man joined. We only get glimpses of their backstories and therefore the story has not made any substantial progress.
➥ Under-utilized Characters: Too many characters, but none leave a strong impression. Big names like Im Siwan, Kang Ha Neul, Park Gyu Young, Lee Jin Wook, and Wi Ha Joon feel underused. Perhaps they’ll have bigger roles in Season 3, but this season lacked enough development time for them.
➥ Non-sensical Antagonists: TOP and Noh Jae Won, and other players who take the role of antagonists felt underused again. Their role seemed more comedic than having the negative aura something that S1 antagonists carried out very well.
Overall:
I really hope the next season provides answers and better utilizes the characters. This one seemed directionless, produced mainly to capitalize on the hype and global sensation the show has become. Even the characters' plans in the show felt futile. While I love the show, its brand, and marketing, a compelling story is crucial for it to succeed and for me to like and rate it higher.
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Great potential but missed the shot
They had the time, money, cast and producers but they did not solved that puzzle.The thene was set, as the anticipation but already at the first ep you could sniff out 90% of what was to follow, from who was the villain to who wss to die.
From first to last, especially the last episode felt like a hard squeezed tube that only left a drizzle of what it could had been.
Last ep wasn't even a filler,it was more a never ending b-roll.
The fighting scenes felt way too forced and way prolonged.
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Slightly..disappointing
I've waited for it since the previous season finished.The storyline somewhat repeats itself (granted that it's the same game), like the relationship MC has with both 001s.
So many characters got added, but didn't get fleshed out enough (i.e. 011). For 095's death scene I felt bad, but not nearly enough as bad as I had felt for Ali's (still hurts my heart to this day The games felt novel and really interesting, I liked the new characters and how their relationships developed. (Absolutely despised TOP's character, he's a menace... TT)
With the outside intervention and frontman, I'm intrigued to see where the next season is going!
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An easy binge watch
I had liked S1 until they introduced the worst foreign actors and voiceovers who played the wealthy sponsors of the game. That ruined the entire season for me by making the show laughable and stupid. S2 eliminated that problem so in a way I did enjoy this more than S1, but it did lack in a lot of ways compared to S1.LIKES:
1) The peek into the staff of squid game. I liked the introduction of Park Gyu Young's character. We get to see a glimpse of the people behind the mask
2) Gong Yoo's character expansion. Those were some fun scenes
3) The Front Man's involvement - that kept the plot interesting
4) The carousel game - I liked the intensity in that game which brought out people's true traits
5) The feisty mother character player 149 - she adds some heart amongst the greed
6) TOP's weird druggie character - while I don't like the bully, I did find his tripped out moments funny
DISLIKES:
1) The intensity didn't feel as strong as S1 esp with the games except for the carousel game
2) The weird shift in the middle eps where the tone felt almost comical instead of seriously intense. It was odd and disruptive to the momentum
3) Wi Ha Jun's whole arc felt very lackluster. His storyline didn't really add to the story at all.
4) The supporting characters development felt underwhelming and underdeveloped.
5) The casting of more recognizable faces. I actually liked how S1 had only a few main stars and the rest were not that famous. In my mind, it made the characters a little more believable. S2, it took me longer to believe the acting from the recognizable faces
Overall though, this was an easy binge watch that can be done in a day. Just note, that this is only Part 1 and not a complete story. Season 3 will be Part 2 and will hopefully give us all the answers we need.
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kinda felt like a mat being laid out for season3 that's to come in 2025
felt like a filler season for S3. kinda skipped through it alot and didnt get attacged to the characters as much as season1. i miss sae byeok, ali and others. anyways, this one really felt like a bridge that'll lead us up to S3 storyline. couldve been way better. alot of things from last season were repeated like the characters had similar nature to the old characters. also, the front man coming down to play himself is so strange, like why did he want to come all the way to play when he couldve just watched?also, a really big cliffhanger ending as they killed the one single person i liked out of all the new players, Jung bae. i felt like he was the past warmhearted and kind personality of Gi hun before he won the game.
Also, the recruiter played by Gong yoo was a total psycopath and a nutjob. like the bread scene, the russian roulette and the way he killed himself. also this little detail that they included of the recruiter being a scared for a few secs before be actually killed himself, this showed that he was actually human but this game twisted him up to such extent that theres no coming back from it now.
Also, the acting was top notch, the cast was amazing!! Hyun-ju was so badass. Park Sung hoon really popped off in this one!! Only issue is that the season could be longer and a better ending could've been given.
Also, the rebellion was useless and stupid. like the people with guns were only 7-8, and the soldiers are more than the total players. easily about 100-200 soldiers could be there even more I guess. idrk what were they thinking becoming the hero with limited ammo.
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He forgot to read "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu
Well, it's complicated.Let me try to explain. The plot was intricate and creative. The characters are all high calibre. However, I found that having finished the series I was unsure if I really enjoyed it or not.
Good storyline, great cliffhanger at the end, plot twists and boring games. It was a good story, just not quite what I was hoping for.
I really enjoyed Squid Game1 and was very excited to watch the sequel. Unfortunately, I found myself really struggling with this series. The atmosphere and tension that made season 1 so compelling is sadly largely absent here. It was well thoughtfully and very obviously well written out and executed, but for me it was too much slowly. It felt kinda dull for most of the show and didn’t really catch my attention until about 3 episode in.
There are some characters and relationships that I liked, but honestly so much of this just fell so disappointingly flat for me.
I guess that is all a matter of personal taste, though.
I'd really like to rate this season one higher, as it had a lot of interesting stuff I enjoyed in it.
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Did I like it?? Yes...Maybe...
First things first season 2 did not come up to the level of season 1..season 1 was wayyyyy good it created a global impact!!did season 2 live upto the expectations od season 1?? No it did not...It is definitely a good watch setting up the atmosphere for season 3.The cast was definitely expensive 🙃 and refreshing, everyone did play thier role well. The story in itself was all over the place, it was squid game at one point then it became money heist...lol... I thought if the games are same won't it be boring??but season 2 had new games it was refreshing. The cinematography, background score like last time is soo good.
Squid game season 2 is a very good watch if you liked season 1 you will definitely like season 2. Do give it a watch.
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Middle seasons are always messy- let's keep patience
I must say, it is yet again proved that middle season's are always messy, feel incomplete and literally like they are going nowhere. Why? Because things start at a standstill and they end at yet another standstill.I felt that there were too many familiar faces, so I was kind of bouncing whenever I saw one of them, as if I have met someone from my apartment -"Oh even he is here, even she is here".
The series was quite engaging (not as crazy as first one) though many parts were quite predictable due to 1st season itself. I feel that the tension about the games was less in this was because- 1. There was someone who knew exactly what the motive of the games was, 2. Unity and cowardly betrayals that didn't give much impact.
(LITTLE SPOILER HERE)
But the highlight of the season and the reason for 1 additional star in all criteria- Park Sung Hoon. I am amazed how he chose this very role as an image breaker. It won my heart for various reasons- it's a transwoman character yet she has charm and depth, next is the person who performed it so well, I was all the while just admiring him with almost tears in my eyes like thanks for not being a psycho here😭.
Second, Gong Yoo. Amazing to watch him being a psycho on the other hand. His eyes robbed all my attention, where I was really wondering what this character is made of, what it's past might really have been.
Overall, I can see why people are disappointed, but this 2nd season is clearly better Gyeongseong creature 2 where I was in utter amazement as to how they could test our patience for this.
I hope the 3rd season comes with maybe not a bang one end, but please with a plausible and convincing end, even if it has death. We'll take it if it is worth it. Unnecessary killings will not be entertained.
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Worth the hype? YES
i watched s1 with no expectations loved it, and watched it with a lot of expectations still loved it from start it starts hooking u never drops in the ways, they added a lot of thinks packed up all are in the right direction some pros and cons are therecons are negligible just few words sit back and watch it ur going to love it
ur going to have the thrill factor, suspense, coincedce as all the satisfying.
some disappointments are
1. there is another season i thought they would finish up here but nope
2. some of the chracters which are negative and postive doesn't have much impact i thought it got wasted.
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Quit game
im not sure how to describe this, but the best word i can find is "nothing".Story :
so the story basically the mc trying to stop the "game" once and for all, but somehow endedup inside of it. i mean mc knew best that the game wont stop as long as there is a "client" that sponsors the game. so why ? why get in the game ? there are no guarantee that the "client" is on the island. in the end, the game ended up in a riot between players and staffs. why raise the weapon ? he knew the plan busted so bail out with as much people as possible is top priority. like mc doesnt even know what is he doing anymore, nothing changes, history repeated itself.
and the characters is pretty shite, hard to remember. i'll try my best at least with the "main roles":
-Mc : i dont think the mc knew what he is doing.
-The cop : what is he even doing ?. you are a cop, you work with evidence. you got plenty recruiter corpse, mr.kim corpse, soldiers corpse. why is he a cop in the first place if he cant see this ?
-Player no.230 : the joker of the game, special role yet pretty much got nohing, i cant see he barely can act.
-Player no.120 : got decent character, well your typical woke representative. somehow an allrounder that can do everything that makes me think he(she? they?) plays mc, however the biggest hypocrite in the series. playing heroes risking people life just because you want to cut your pp ? what a joke.
-the other players that on the main role list : why are they even considered main role ? some had some backgrounds but too insignificant. its okay for supporting but main role ?, is it becaus of the poster ?.
-Guard girl : decent character, but at wrong series. if i were the writer i would have keep this one as mc for a spin-off story as the guard pov
*special note : the recruiter has no significant story yet damn the actor is good, short but so memorable.
Acting :
the panicking player on the first game acting is awkward, toilet battle is awkward, im pretty sure the night riot is awkward too but the blinking lights saved it. my acting score is purely for the mc and recruiter russian roulette, just for that scene its worth high score. that was freaking good
Music :
that theme song, come on its a sequel know its iconic but atleast it should be rearranged or remixed or anything. and for the first game why flymetothemoon ? i believe there are a lot of old korean song that would fit better, arirang alone for example if it could be rearranged into a deadly vibe song it would be so cool.
and nah doubt will ever rewatch this, or even unless you got somehow fomo about it dont even start. the only factor of rewatching this is how good s3 is, yet even if its good still likely wont rewatch this
overall :
nothing in it, no story development no good character. not a thing just a hype thing. oh just 1 good thing, the picture pretty good they took the shot nicely or at least some of it does. not worth much of a try but well. thumbs up for the promotion team good job really, since this series is popular lets go milk this franchise until its dried out
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