Heracin

To be honest, I was part of the people that find that season 1 of Squid Game was enough by itself and did not warrant a continuation. However, I still decided to watch the season 2 to see what it was about. Overall, I have the same take away than for the original show: great production value but some flaws in the writing and pacing. There is also of course less of an effect of surprise and an impact that when season 1 was released, as the concept is not new anymore.

The ensemble cast remains solid. There a couple of actors that I found were a bit overplaying their roles : T.O.P (as the rapper) and Chae Gook Hee (as the shaman) were clearly doing too much in a almost caricatural way. But there were also a couple of great addition to the cast that did an excellent job in portraying their characters, giving them layers that I think were not necessarily detailed by the script: Kang Ha Neul, Yim Si Wan and Park Sung Hoon.

Production value is impressive. There is a clear cinematography that leaves an impact with the gore and bloody details on top of colorful and childish decors. The soundtrack was quite good in fitting with the angsty vibe of the story.

I would recommend this to people if you have seen the first season of course. I think this season 2 is beneath season 1 but it seems also to be just an introduction to season 3 which I hope will be reaping the benefits of all what's established by the season 2. The production value is still very impressive, there are some ups and downs in terms of writing with less effect of surprise and a filler side quest out of the game.