Shows Watched in 2025 with Reviews

Completed January 02, 2025

SPOILER ALERT

I had never watched Squid Game before, but with the release of Season 2, I finally gave it a go. Despite the countless spoilers circulating online, the drama remains a captivating experience.

Watching it all at once, the story truly focuses on Seong Gi Hun’s journey as Player 456. In such a short time, you grow attached to the various characters, only to witness them tragically die at the hands of the pink-suited soldiers. While the outcome is somewhat predictable from the beginning, the discovery of each game and the participants' ingenious strategies are incredibly engaging, pulling you deep into the Squid Game universe.

This twisted "game" that sorts South Korean citizens annually is as cruel as it is fascinating.

I particularly loved the parallel story of Hwang Jun Ho, which offers a glimpse into the dark backstage of Squid Game beyond its colorful sets. The tragic fates of Kang Sae Byeok (067), Ali (199), and Ji Yeong (240) left a strong impression.

Hats off to everyone behind this drama for their phenomenal work! From the cast to the set design, costumes, special effects, and the soundtrack by Jung Jaeil—it was all absolutely stunning.

Completed January 03, 2025

SPOILER ALERT

First of all, despite the negative opinions I’ve seen here and there, I really enjoyed this season—even more than the first.

The first two episodes focus on Seong Gi Hun’s hunt for the Recruiter. I particularly liked these episodes because they clearly show Seong Gi Hun's determination and the massive resources he uses to track him down. The three-year time jump was necessary for the drama's coherence, especially considering the actor’s visible aging, which ties perfectly to the trauma of Squid Game that still haunts him. Gong Yoo is phenomenal as the Recruiter, playing the villain to perfection by showing no emotion whatsoever. The game has consumed him so much that it makes you question if he’s even human.

The two new games are well-designed, adding tension and focusing much more on teamwork and the mental aspects of survival. The new voting rule after each game is brilliant, introducing an additional layer of strategy and tension among the players.

This season introduces characters reminiscent of Season 1, even Player 001’s counterpart appears, a worker in the Squid Game system—it’s surprising Seong Gi doesn’t make the connection at all....

Meanwhile, we follow Kang No Eul working behind the scenes of Squid Game as one of the triangles. It’s always fascinating to see the game from an outsider’s perspective, though his role hasn’t been fully explored yet, much like Hwang Jun Ho, who’s been aimlessly circling the same plotline since the games began. To make matters worse, there’s a traitor in the team… Things might have gone differently if Jun Ho had just told Seong Gi the Front Man’s identity at the start of the season!
Also, the rebellion against the pink-suited soldiers is honestly badass.
On top of that, the production quality remains outstanding, with great actors, beautifully detailed sets, an impactful soundtrack, and top-notch special effects.

Completed January 04, 2025

SPOILER ALERT

I devoured the first 10 episodes. Very good episodes that are easy to watch. The two main actors perform excellently, and the story is engaging. However, it seems that with each episode, unnecessary details are added, making one wonder why... The characters are in constant danger, without respite; they practically have a subscription to the hospital...
What happened to Ji Sang U and Na Yu Ri's show (by the way, in the end, these two characters served NO PURPOSE AT ALL)?

But what was the point of the entire last episode, seriously?? They just needed to have the villain die, END OF STORY.
Why make the male lead disappear? Sure, you feel sorry for the female lead, but you've known her since childhood, been married for 3 YEARS, and you know she knows the story, so WHY???? What he didn't want to experience—living in uncertainty, not knowing if his wife is alive—he ends up imposing on HIS OWN WIFE! The entire last episode is filled with confusion, shifting from dream to reality, past to present, without any transition, making it incomprehensible. It was just ridiculous; throughout the episode, I wondered where it was heading, and then the part in Africa, seriously??

Everything was going well; why half-ruin the drama at the end? Might as well have stopped at episode 11 or skipped directly to the end of the last episode...

Completed February 03, 2025

VERY MINNOR SPOILER

So… how to say it…
There were good things… and a LOT of bad things.
There were very good episodes where it didn’t feel like a typical KBS weekend drama, mostly in the second half. BUT seriously, the characters were sometimes so dumb, not noticing OBVIOUS THINGS and apologizing for ANYTHING. They were all miserable, no exceptions.

The script really lowered the ranking of the drama. Every set was good, like the street in a studio or even the shots that removed the weekend drama aspect, but the story was so poor, and some episodes were boring. The mothers of both the ML and the FL were horrible to watch.

AND WHY THIS HAIRCUT FOR DA RIM IN THE FIRST 30 EPISODES?! Fortunately, they changed it for the last episodes.

All the siblings looked so great in their younger versions… The Seogang Apparel arc was the most fun to watch, and there was finally some hype in this drama, but it quickly evaporated because of Mu Rim’s mother-in-law. YES, AGAIN, A MOTHER!! No, but seriously, can’t we have some peace? It’s not because it’s "only" 36 episodes that we can’t have at least one good episode without bad writing and with an intelligent character.

Not the worst weekend drama, but not the best…

Completed February 15, 2025

SPOILER ALERT

I watched the drama in three days, and everything about it is purely positive.

The mystery is well maintained throughout the drama, making us doubt the culprit until the very end. I especially love when a group of friends comes together to make a plan, like in Pyramid Game, and this drama gave me those kinds of moments that I love. Plus, I’m glad that the writers didn’t focus too much on the chemistry between the two main leads. In my opinion, that would have lowered the overall quality of the drama.

As for the characters, I really appreciated that Ok Chan Mi’s shooting skill was actually utilized to its full potential rather than just being a random excuse for her to join the school. Seok Jae Beom’s double personality was well introduced, but I wish it had been developed even more. However, one BIG issue in this drama is the communication between the characters—it’s absolutely CATASTROPHIC!

Another frustrating point: the police is incredibly STUPID and SLOW-MINDED. In the end, they discovered NOTHING ALONE significant except for a few minor details.
Some inconsistencies also bothered me. For example, how is it possible that, in the end, Ok Chan Mi and Seok Jae Beom are literally FIGHTING IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, in front of EVERYONE, in a PUBLIC port, and NOBODY intervenes or calls the police???

Finally, a special mention to WooYeon—it’s great to see her pursuing a career in acting, and the various references to WooAh were fun to spot.

Completed March 22, 2025

Review Soon!

Completed April 06, 2025

Review Soon!