The “thanks for playing with me” line was probably the best line I’ve ever heard in any media (second is Ali screaming brother after sang woo betrayed him). It’s just so emotional and powerful, it’s just the last words of a woman that had nothing to live for, and decided to give that life to someone who could use it
for me it was the "everything is going to be alright" from Il-Nam that made me burst into tears (i was already crying by that point, but that broke the camel's back), I had suspected he was faking his dementia for the second part of their game, and expected him to give up the last marble willingly at the end, but that only made the moment all the more tragic when it came.
@@angelic252 At the time, I almost felt as if Il-Nam were speaking to the audience when he said that. Just like you, I was already in tears by that point, and him saying "it's going to be alright" felt like the show was trying to comfort me. Not sure if that was their intention, but yeah, that line broke me
To me when that girl said that to Sae byeok I feel like she just started to have something to live for, I feel like after chatting with Sae Byeok and learning about her as a person she wanted to live. She kept saying lets go to Jeju Island together and get drinks etc, it was like she forgot about the fact that one of them will die. Sae Byeok kept reminding her and it was like she snapped back to reality. All she needed was a friend, she was lonely after her parents died. She had no one and she is probably poor too, I can see how she went to the Squid Game. She wanted to die until she befriended Sae Byeok. It sucks.
When squid game got popular, I mocked it and was making fun of it. After some days, I kinda got interested, so I chose to watch the trailer and when I did, I was shocked of how good it was, so that’s where I became a big fan of the show. I just finished the series now and the ending was sad and myesterious
Imo, Saebyok's victory would not have emphasized how hollow and deceiving the whole premise of squid game actually is. It makes more symbolic, or allegorical sense for Gihun, who was able to remain who he was until the end, to win the prize. Only to learn that what he had won by stepping over others' dead bodies, means nothing, now that his mother is dead. There was never meant to be a winner.
I liked the way saebyeok got a shard of glass and got injured, people call it unfair but thats what I liked about her death... I mean it just showed how some people always get the shorter end of the stick no matter how much effort they put in! Her character had always faced bad luck, the bad luck of being born in North Korea, the bad luck of loosing her mother, the bad luck of not being able to provider for her brother, the bad luck of being scammed when she wanted to get her mother back, the bad luck of having to deal with goons and the bad luck of having to choose squid game and the bad luck of being stabbed even tho she qualified for next round! That shard of glass was the personification of her misfortune! As sad as it was, I felt it was fitting for her character
this series is not overrated to some sort (atleast for me). it actually deserves its popularity. it has a deep meaning beyond those scenes and this depicts people in different situations at the same time. many people can relate to the characters situation and that's why many liked it.
Nah, I personally think this is overrated. Although this has more effort as said in the interview, there are other similar shows that have those things. But it's not as popular as this.
@@ze-prestooo Literally anything that is popular will be seen as overrated... at the end of the day you have to ask yourself if its really ovverated or not. Its easy to find series that are overrated, a lot harder to find ones that are underrated
To be kinda fair to Sang-Woo's choice to throw the glass maker: 1. It was a 50-50 chance that the glass he landed on; would be fine, he just got unlucky. 2. He wouldn't have had to hurry him up if Deok-Su didn't take so damn long to get out of the way. As much as I understood the need for the crazy chick to go out in style, the entire time she was monologuing; all I could think about was how much time was on the clock and every second counted. If I were that close to the finish line, only to have the person in front of me stall like this...I'd get desperate too. It's easy to call yourself a morally good person in theory, but likely none of us will ever face a situation like this and find out for sure. 3. As mentioned, they only JUST made it over the finish line before the timer ran out. They ALL would've died if Sang-Woo didn't make that choice. He can go fuck himself for betraying Ali and killing Sae Byeok though.
He stood by his principles by suiciding though. His reasoning the whole time was why give up after all we've been through. After all the despicable things he'd done to get to where he was, he knew it would be wrong to drop out at that stage.
@@aubri9578 no he was saving himself they just happened to benefit. He could have jumped on one of those himself to figured it out but he sacrificed someone else. When he ask the protagonist" why are you complaining you lived" he still says "what you did was wrong, he - glass maker- would have had to make a choice in the end" . Taking that choice from him still makes him a killer.
I think my favourite thing about this show being so loved worldwide is that it is breaking through the culture and language barrier. I don't remember a time that the west so embraced a subtitled show.
Yeah that’s why I really wasn’t expecting this hype. There have been shows that are just as good that were Asian but they didn’t get this main stream recognition. And while it’s awful, there is at least the option of watching a dub.
The whole series is so grey area-ed that it makes you feel guilty for empathising with characters. Even sometimes making you second guessing if they chose right. Everything is in suspense. I don't know how to descripe it though. Just so complicated.
Yeah. Like how I get pissed off with Sang Woo for being a ruthless asshole one second and sympathize with him the next. Yes, he screwed sweet guy Ali over and stabbed tough girl in the neck but when I came to think about it, he doesn’t exactly owe them anything and given the circumstance they were all in, he just did what he had to do. That’s why this series is so good, it’s a grey area of mental and moral acrobatics.
It’s actually not. The über rich don’t have to play they just enjoy and especially judge the „others“. They are the bad people. Everybody else had to deal with their shit. Like in real life the über rich could change the world and choose not too. They don’t pay taxes, they destroy the earth and are corrupt as hell.
Along with episode 6, episode 2 was really depressing too. When everyone went back to their regular lives, their poverty/debt made them go back to imminent death. Also, my take on Saebyeok’s death, it comes to show that if the poor, especially if they are women, start to get ahead and climb the social/economic ladder, they will have large set backs more often than not (glass ceiling). Reminds me of KiJung/Jessica in Parasite, also another South Korean production.
The death in that episode that hit me hardest didn’t even happen on-screen. Imagine getting paired up against your significant other in a life or death game. Because you chose to be their partner. Haunting.
Cool story, my mom was born and raised in Korea. We watched the show together, and she had lots of nostalgia with the squid game, dalgona, marbles, and other games she played as a child in the 70s and early 80s.
I think the glass had to be blown up otherwise they could safely cross the bridge with all the time in the world and no pressure. The presence of timer and explosion threatened death to everyone if they didn’t hurry.
Yes. I actually didn't see the show and do not even plan to. Seems to me too tough to watch and invest in. But i know the plot, saw some scenes and think it's incredible. 🙂
This is why I love the show so much, I have never been angry at a character because of their actions but this show made me so mad at the main characters childhood friend but at the end when he said I’m sorry and killed himself it made me so sad this show has so much control on what we think of characters
My mom never cared for asian dramas. When I asked her to watch this series with me, she rolled her eyes but agreed. We binged the entire series in a day; she fell in love with the characters, held my hand as we watched the games, and cried when her favourite character was killed. After we finished, she apologized for ever denying me to watch a drama with me, and asked if we could watch another drama together.
"Squid Game" Became The Most Watched Show in Netflix's History-- 10/15/2021 "Squid Game" Become The Most Watched Show in RU-vid's History-11/10/2021 *Squid Game" surpassed the best US HBO drama "Game of Thrones" accumulated for 10 years in RU-vid views in just 8 weeks with 17 Billion Views .-11/10/202
‘Squid Game’: Dystopian at its best---Boston University Squid Game~ Their determination was so realistic and rooted in problems that we face as a society today. Even though this show is dystopian, it felt as if I were looking into a mirror. Every drive and motivation was authentic and genuine. Nothing felt forced. What also stood out to me about the show was the atmosphere. Every show has a certain ambiance to it that makes it distinctive in its own way. “Squid Game” did just that. It had a chilling aesthetic to it - one that looked calm and peaceful on the outside but hid darker secrets beneath its facade. Every episode had something sinister to it, but it was never revealed in the opening minutes. This show’s range of emotion still blows my mind whenever I think about it. One minute I was laughing. The next, I was on the edge of my seat. By the end, I was a sobbing mess. But what made me fall in love with this show was how human it made me feel. Throughout the series, some moments are driven by such cruelty and greed and elicit such deep rage. All you can do is sit there and wonder how in the world someone has the capacity for such evil. It pushes the limits for both the viewers and the characters and puts one overarching question into perspective: how far will you go for money? This is a work of bleak, honest art. It doesn’t hold back, which is something I can fully appreciate. Violence, madness and brutality are all treated as frightening symbols that are never censored. There were definitely moments where I felt extremely uncomfortable - that’s only further evidence of how special this show is. I can say with full confidence this was one of the best series I’ve watched this year. That’s saying a lot, considering how obsessed I was with the Marvel Studios’ TV shows like “WandaVision” and “Loki,” but “Squid Game” exceeded all my expectations and made me hungry for more content. To me, a show is a cinematic masterpiece when I finish it and am left feeling an emptiness that just screams: ‘what do I do with my life now?’ Well, it’s been over a week, and I’m still feeling that hollowness. If that doesn’t pay tribute to the phenomenon that is this show, then I don’t know what will. Go stream “Squid Game” on Netflix. That is an order. And trust me, it’s an order you’ll want to follow. Open your laptop, prepare a few snacks and get a giant jug of water to rehydrate yourself after you bawl until you can’t breathe. I’m so excited for you. Happy crying.
I usually hate shows as the cinematography is always weak, the acting can be bland and the writing is boring but squid game was on another level. The acting was top tier and the writing was so unpredictable and the suspense was unreal and the cinematography was genuinely amazing and soundtrack is also amazing. By far the greatest show I’ve ever scene.
I don’t hate Sung Woo for the same reason people think. I hate him for this. Sung Woo: Gi Hun… Gi-Hun: Yeah? Sung Woo: Never mind. Like bra, why’d you even say anything? Then he does it again. Sung Woo: Gi Hun… Gi-Hun: Yeah? Sung Woo: Never mind.
I think it was showing his inner struggle to be a good person. He lost that struggle for his soul right there, and he became basically a villain after that.
The crying was not low-key on my end. I feel like I owe an apology to my neighbors. ….for those who have seen the American version of The Office, Dwight Schrute’s howls of sadness ain’t got nothing on me!!
I think even if sae byeok didn't get wounded they'd still have to fight after the dinner that's why they were given knives. It'll still be one on one in the final game. Maybe they made it that way to further show how heartless sang woo has become.
Yep. I believe regardless of her wounding she would have died. Not because they wanted a 1 vs 1 in squid game but because his character development and gi hun’s character development were reaching a peak. Sae byeok’s had already peaked and hence there wasn’t much for her to give.
Spoiler/ Life advice People like Ali often don't survive in real life and are often stepping stones for more ambitious people who are focused on their goals. Being nice doesn't guarantee you success. You need to set boundaries, and trust and lookout for yourself and immediate family first or you will be fked over like Ali.
And that's the sad truth about life, one thing is to be nice and polite but people need to learn to set boundaries and learn to say "No", especially to people who take advantage of their kindness.
This is statisticly untrue, depending on what you mean by success. But let's say it's true it stands to reason that you should forgive people there evil actions as it's in there nature.
I think the best approach is the way Sae Byeok was after opening up to Ji Yeong, she was open enough to befriend Gi Hun & Ji Yeong but not naive, she never trusted Sang woo and didn't reveal her vulnerability to those she didn't know. Unfortunately the glass shard did her in, so she didn't get to continue on after her character development
I disagree wholeheartedly regarding the winner. The man who won the game is the RIGHTFUL winner: Seong Gi- hun He is the rightful winner because he had a HIGHER conscious more than the average person. He was looking out for others welfare and well being, while the young lady had concern for her brother's life. She had no real thoughts outside of that until she met the young girl that sacrificed her life for her (because of the brother). The protagonist (the affable lead character) had an impassioned cause especially after meeting up with the old man at the end of the series. He became impassioned when he saw a player on the subway station and his recruiter and he warned him and turned his back on meeting with his daughter in the US, only to go back into the games with his righteous indignation toward the games. She would have simply taken the prize money and got her brother and moved on. The Higher calling won over, many simple people are placed in extraordinary circumstances to make extraordinary changes in impossible situations.
Oh wow, I didn't think of that "literally stepping over the bodies of the players who died so you could live thing." Nice touch. And yes the design was incredible! But why do some people make a big deal about Gi-Hun not doing anything for a year? He was drowning in trauma. Not just from the games and watching people die all around him (he was already having flashbacks duting the games so it kind of hinted at how bad off he was going to be by the end) and survivor's guilt but then to come home and find his mother died alone on the floor? Are you kidding me? To go through all that with no friends or family to pull him out of it, a year can go by like one really long god damn horrible day. Believe me, I've been, well not there, but I get it. The card, seeing Il-Nam again, it was the something different, the something that made him feel anything again even if it was anger and betrayal that he needed to wake him up from that numb auto-pilot state that you can so easily fall into after trauma.
Like the other players killed other for their benefits, Gihoon had been stealing from mom, gambled with her money, which eventually killed her because she couldnt afford treatment.
Because people like to have a "happy ending" where everything goes back to where it should be and "everything is alright" even after pointless death, destruction and extreme poverty. I think the show ending is perfectly in consonance with the show's narrative.
@@nikichae The point of him finding his mother dead on the floor after winning enough money to save her life was that it was his actions that had essentially killed her. He had cancelled their medical insurance and he was gambling the little money they both earned in their respective jobs which forced her to work more. But she obviously still loved him enough to let him live in her house and he obviously loved her enough to risk his life winning cash to support and treat her diabetes. That’s why her dying alone without giving them both any closure is so heartbreaking and makes it even more understandable why Gi-hun was so utterly despondent for a year.
The people complaining he did nothing for a year have never gone through genuine trauma. I had been through traumas, severe ones, but 2020 broke me as a person. Some very bad things happened, some due to my own actions. That guilt, trauma, and loss..... it lead me to a deep depression where I did absolutely nothing for a year and 2 months. Nothing. I went from being fit to obese, gaining 30 pounds. I literally broke out in psoriasis as a result of the stress, my hair was along and unkempt, I was beyond broke, deep in depbt. My hygiene horrible, not showing for a couple weeks at a time. I was filthy, uncared for, fat, useless and abusing drugs and alcohol. Much like the main character, only after a psychological breakthrough and a friend of mine offering me a job, did I begin to change my place in life. I also have a new hairstyle. I lost weight, showered and cleaned up, and now have a new overriding goal in life. The people bitching.... they don't understand yet.
No one had to die on the glass bridge if the first person had tied themselves to a jacket and the one behind them held onto it, the second person could possible pull up the first from a broken tile, since the safe tiles can hold two people.
They would have just changed something. The actual point wasn't to have a competition, it was to entertain bored rich people. Probably they'd shoot the person that broke through the glass and *remind* the players that the rules state that those who break through the glass are eliminated.
It would be great to see the game in other seasons where no one playing has any plot armor. It would be great to see someone try my idea, only to pull down the person behind them with them, or for the person behind the jumper, to just let go of jacket if the glass breaks to save their own balance. They each had a couple of shoes with them too. The rules said to remove their shoes, but didn't state they had to leave them behind. I like the idea of people getting further in things by working together. Imagine if 10 people to the final game and they all chose offense, or all but one chose offense. I hope these same games are explored more in later seasons because there is so much more the show can do with each one.
@@leftofyou true plus if I was a VIP that show of brain would incaptivate me more than some people jumping and falling All I know is if I'm stuck in a survival game I'm sticking to you xD
I love Sang-Woo, and here’s why: He demonstrated the essentiality of looking out for yourself in a life or death scenario. He survived until the final game because of his tactics, he is living proof that smarts beats brain any day in a survival situation. Also, he demonstrated the extent to which humans can be deceitful. If a human is threatened with death, they will do ANYTHING to stay alive, including killing other people. He is living proof of the assertion that in a survival situation, that you CANNOT trust other people, unless if you’re forced to play with other people to survive. Other than that, you CANNOT trust ANYONE because they may have bad intentions for you, like Sang-Woo
If you ever seen english conversation skits in educational videos in Asia, it's the same bad, cheesy, tacky acting. I think koreans just hire English teachers or American expats no necessarily professional establish actors. I think these american actors would get hired for movie roles after doing these educational videos.
I've watched many many SG analysis/essay videos, but this is the most well put together one. You cover so much details, info and opinion, and so we'll edited!
I just want to point out when he mentioned glass shattering scene....its actually important because it is to tell the viewers that thier was time limit as well like the other games...and all the participants have to complete that game within the time frame otherwise all die.also nobody talks about that man who knew how to distinguish between the glasses strength. He didn't open his mouth until the situation was brought upon him. Shattering all glasses with blast is important.
fun fact:the actor for sae-byeok kept crying at the scene with marbles,and because the scene where sae-byeok asks ji-yeong to join her was filmed after,they were genuinely holding in a cry at that scene.
Actually, I believe that Il-Nam would have given his marbles to anyone, no matter how good or bad they were. The reason for that is because the following game required guessing and luck in order to pass, and even assuming that Il-Nam knew which glass tiles to step on, there was still the risk of tripping or being pushed by the others, which was out of the control of the guards. My assumption is that every time Il-Nam reached the marble game in the previous years that he played, he would not get picked by anyone (since most people don't want an old man as a partner), and he would be announced as eliminated as to not continue to the next game. While the case was not the same this time, and he had to give away his marbles in order to get himself eliminated and avoid the dangerous game that was out of his control that followed. Edit: Since this is also just a show, it's entirely possible that the writers didn't consider what would happen if Il-Nam reached the glass stepping game and my theory is completely irrelevant. They might have also planned to remove the character before it because they realized the risk of the glass game, but didn't specifically want to make his elimination something like a master plan by the people running the games.
Yo Fang, I'm only halfway into your video at this writing but you have captured so beautifully the heart's soundings of the characters. Would totally love to hear how you saw each episode individually if you ever decided to do that. Keep up the amazing content!
I was just about to comment about the glass explosion but im glad you said it because it’s so true, it comPLETELY goes against all that lip service about fAiRnESs 🙄🙄🙄
Glass needs to break somehow when the timer ends so people don’t stay chilling on the glass panels after the timer ends lol and they won’t have the guards go on the glass because they could get pushed off
@@LizardKingRequiem that’s a good point but to me, the entire competition wasn’t fair to begin with. It’s just an illusion of fairness when in fact, the entire game is solely for the rich people’s entertainment. For instance, the lack of food (1 egg and a soda), killing each other at night without stopping them… those weren’t even part of the 6 games.
That's the point. The games aren't fair: natural advantages such as strength and intelligence are unaccounted for, while natural advantages such as expertise are inexplicably neutralized. A person can absolutely seduce or manipulate their way into a win, but a person is not allowed to put their knowledge into practice... There's also the fact that every single one of those games is also simultaneously dependent on luck (specially because you don't know the game beforehand)... The point of the games (and the glass shatter) is to really hit home that what matters is the illusion of fairness, not the actual fairness of the games.
The best series/movies are the ones that you go into cold and unconvinced of what to expect especially if it’s foreign and you come out totally sucked in and hooked on it. This was definitely that for me. This is a phenomenon not just a series it’s gripping and captivating. I loved it all throughout but the ending was a bit weak. The last game was pretty disappointing compared to the rest. Basically came down to a squabble between 2 guys. That and the fact that after going through all that what person in their right mind wouldn’t of gotten on the plane to depart for a new life especially after so many broken promises to your child. So the last game and him not getting on the plane and as you pointed out having the north Korean girl injured by the exploding glass were my only complaints. Otherwise this series nailed it. Finally something worth the hype.
🔥🔥Squid Game’: Dystopian at its best---Boston University Squid Game~ Their determination was so realistic and rooted in problems that we face as a society today. Even though this show is dystopian, it felt as if I were looking into a mirror. Every drive and motivation was authentic and genuine. Nothing felt forced. What also stood out to me about the show was the atmosphere. Every show has a certain ambiance to it that makes it distinctive in its own way. “Squid Game” did just that. It had a chilling aesthetic to it - one that looked calm and peaceful on the outside but hid darker secrets beneath its facade. Every episode had something sinister to it, but it was never revealed in the opening minutes. This show’s range of emotion still blows my mind whenever I think about it. One minute I was laughing. The next, I was on the edge of my seat. By the end, I was a sobbing mess. But what made me fall in love with this show was how human it made me feel. Throughout the series, some moments are driven by such cruelty and greed and elicit such deep rage. All you can do is sit there and wonder how in the world someone has the capacity for such evil. It pushes the limits for both the viewers and the characters and puts one overarching question into perspective: how far will you go for money? This is a work of bleak, honest art. It doesn’t hold back, which is something I can fully appreciate. Violence, madness and brutality are all treated as frightening symbols that are never censored. There were definitely moments where I felt extremely uncomfortable - that’s only further evidence of how special this show is. I can say with full confidence this was one of the best series I’ve watched this year. That’s saying a lot, considering how obsessed I was with the Marvel Studios’ TV shows like “WandaVision” and “Loki,” but “Squid Game” exceeded all my expectations and made me hungry for more content. To me, a show is a cinematic masterpiece when I finish it and am left feeling an emptiness that just screams: ‘what do I do with my life now?’ Well, it’s been over a week, and I’m still feeling that hollowness. If that doesn’t pay tribute to the phenomenon that is this show, then I don’t know what will. Go stream “Squid Game” on Netflix. That is an order. And trust me, it’s an order you’ll want to follow. Open your laptop, prepare a few snacks and get a giant jug of water to rehydrate yourself after you bawl until you can’t breathe. I’m so excited for you. Happy crying.
I only cried at her characters death, I mean I felt emotional at everyone’s death but her death was the most impactful and brought tears, she had nothing to live for... I think that was the saddest part cause at least the others had something to hold onto, something to fight for but she was so alone...ahh it still hurts! Also I find it Interesting that they made her characters abusive father an extremely so called religious person, cause hating him made her hate religion too and often for lonely people at least thinking their is someone looking out for them, you know god is still a sort of hope and relief, she didn’t even have that! So sad
@@astraeanatsuki3231 i related to her father story and thats also a reason i'm not religious myself, i dont hate religion but i dont like it and i related to her character so much in that aspect. i cried too LMAO prolly too much when she died but her death had meaning and i really enjoyed the episodes we had her in :(
As someone who is usually on the dub train and watches all my anime in dub, I have to say that live action is better in subbed. And its clear, the english actirs arent there on set, its harder for them to really get into character and understand what they are doing and how the scene works and with a live action, this is crucial as it’s real people so we expect real and authentic reactions. I am not however one of the snobs who think that dubbed is for losers because everyone has their preference and some people find it difficult to watch with subtitles. I just think that if you can watch with subtitles you may as well because you get the full essence and package with the original
It probably due the writing of the story and development between the mind you have Gi hun friend who goes from logical into a sociopath and the girl whose name I can't remember goes from lone soldier to working with people
Pretty much the only thing I genuinely disliked about the show was that Deok-su ended up feeling like wasted potential. He was built up as a good antagonist, only for him to never really be a problem for the main characters beyond "is a bit of a dick" and then he got reduced to......just being a generic coward, which felt like a meh direction for the character. I especially wasn't a fan of the fact that Mi-nyeo was just....allowed to survive the marble game, despite not being picked. It felt super forced, and the explanation given in the show was really weak imo, since it was only done to later kill off Deok-su in the next game. I also wasn't a fan of the fact that him being warned that his "team" may betray him ended up entirely inconsequential aside from as a means to get him to call off that night's attack, because I had hoped it would've gone more places. Overall, I did still absolutely adore the show, I even didn't mind the VIPs, but there was just that one bit that stood out to me. This is just my perspective obvs, and if anyone has other thoughts, I'd love to hear them!
It's interesting because what I like about Deok-su is the fact that he is a coward and fears death maybe more than anyone there. To me it makes his character so much better than if he was just "the bad tough guy". I wasn't bothered by Mi-nyeo just surviving the marbles game because I thought it showcased how much bullshit that talk about fairness and equality really was.
Yo this video is majorly overlooked! More people need to watch this, cos you dun need to watch any other video essays after this! I know, I've watched tonnes before getting here!
The glass explosion really pissed me off. Just randomly hurting the remaining contestants through no fault of their own seemed to break somewhat with the earlier methodology.
I like that in the first part of the series they are constantly showing Samsung phones like S6(or S7 idk) and Note 10+, but on the Island Apple brings some money to the table and people there start using iPhones. Or it is an allegory to Android being the good side and IOS being the bad side.
Sae-byeok got fucked over and it was bullshit. What an awful way to go out, they literally had to cheat her out of a proper ending. :( The show was amazing on the whole though, as was this analysis!
Yeah kind of :( more interesting backstory than gi hun imo, there's a few theories floating around for season 2 but they'd have to make something believeable to bring her back. Definitely be in flashbacks at min in season 2 though if they do it
The reason Sae Byeok's death is what it is, I think, has to be to show the system, in fact, not being just at all. If they really needed her dead, they could've easily just made her fall, or made her get killed off, because she tried to attack Sang Woo. The reason she dies from the glass has to have a purpose, and I think the point is to show that in the game that is supposedly so fair (that is also somewhat representative of modern capitalist societies) they really don't care if you die for a reason that is completely independent from your own fault.
Not to be limited to just high quality soap operas, the South Korean movie industry is now in the realm of high quality blockbusters impressively pulling in money from outside Korea. I congratulate those that worked on this project.
Episode 6 killed me so much that just seeing the scenes from it again and hearing you speak of it is making me cry all over again. The sacrifice one is the one that absolutely DESTROYED me. This show is so well thought out. Giving us characters to love, and then killing almost all of them is what truly hurt. Most of the time, a few die, or none in American media. But this show did such a good job with introducing characters and then making us connect with them just to rip them away without hesitation.
@@ALDO_GOODENS how is this show not “woke” the reason it’s so popular is because it’s an allegory for our hyper-capitalist society how is that not woke ?
@@XxriflashxX Because it’s good. I associate w0ke with shoe-horned, ham-fisted, poorly-conceived story telling and hypocritical virtue signaling. This show doesn’t do any of that, in my opinion.
@@ALDO_GOODENS that’s just bad writings and virtue signaling, squid games is good and doesn’t shove it’s message down your throat so it doesn’t seem “woke” but I does have a very progressive message at least in my interpretation
I love that no one is too innocent or too evil... there's a background story to them which make them human. Nobody is perfect and their own free will that made them who they are. It's beautifully written, so detailed down to the way they die based on their own karma.
A lot of people bring up Hunger Game and Battle Royal, but I thought of the Truman show. In a sense that Truman, who had thought he was making choices on his own, was actually just under the control of the director of the show. His life was manipulated for the fun of viewers. The VIPs watching the game for entertainment is actually implying the viewers watching the show. Same thing was implied by the guards watching Truman show changing the channel.
I just finished this show last night, and it’s so good. I wasn’t expecting to get so into the series, but it was so well done and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The characters, the plot, the themes of the show were amazing and so well executed. Very excited for season 2!!!
Sang-woo was just as generous. Helping Ali was the same as helping the cat. Ripping off ali was the same as ripping off the man with dementia and not even lending him one marble. The killing of the girl was no different than the main character planning to kill Sang-woo while hes asleep. The only difference is he doesn't pretend hes a good guy while the main character does
I hate when anytime something, becomes super popular, some people because they, “don’t follow a trend.” They call it overrated, which isn’t true, just because you don’t like something, does mean it’s overrated. It just means you don’t like it, and there’s nothing wrong with it, as there is nothing wrong with liking a popular show/movie.
067 getting injured by the glass was a low point on the series for me. As grimy and disgusting as the Squid Game concept is, the theatrics of "look what could have happened" as the bridge shattered impacted the show's genuine attempt at making the game fair. 'Fairness' is a term used by Front Man himself to describe the games. She could've died the way she did anyway without this happening. It created sympathy for a character that everyone already cared for. I thought it damaged the legitimacy of the Games for the sake of random showmanship.
i feel like ji yeong had the saddest death in the whole series because of how the two of them became so close during that and the conversations and them talking about getting out together is so upsetting and the husband and wife was also sad
Saebyok as a winner is what American show would have. It would be "the good triunph through sacrifice for others" story we had for decades. The series as a whole would be exponentialy weak if it took that route
This series had depth and draws you in with each player in such a short time. I felt connected to each player and I was very surprised. Absolutely loved. It….I have to watch it again, I want more and can’t wait to see what direction they take now.
Episode 6 is perhaps the best single TV episode ever made, the moment when the show went from clever entertainment to genuine work of art. One of the rare times watching TV that I have ever been utterly astonished.
Thanks for putting the music choices in the description! I was wondering where I've heard the music during Saebyeok's time was, and using Angel Beats was perfect!
I wasn’t super into the Ilnam twist. I get why they did it, however episode 6 was really heartbreaking and it felt a little undermining. I do think that Ilnam intended to die. Since he was going to die anyways, he though he might as well have some fun. I also do believe that everything with his illness (e.g memory loss or bed wetting) was real, other than during the marble game. Also, considering what the front man said about equality, I also doubt that Ilnam knew what he was going to play considering that it would take some of the fun out of the game. He would’ve been killed, he just happened to be eliminated in a situation where he could be saved and so he was. I honestly doubt the workers even knew he was a part of the grand scheme. The only thing that bothered me was the meaningless of Ilnam’s sacrifice and his bind to Gi-hun. I don’t think the stakes in the games changed. I’m not super mad about the twist, I just think there could’ve been better ways to use the last 30 minutes of the show that fit better.
This is a perfect series / movie, great script, direction, cinematography, pacing, acting, editing and production design. Even the super minor characters are just incredibly memorable, their faces stick in my mind. Like Amadeus, Goodfellas, Hidden Fortress in my other perfect movies.
For cultural children's games, I wondered what would a Mexican version would be, and I remembered how we used to sing Víbora de la Mar. I thought the lyrics were chilling when put into a life or death context, and it turns out, that's actually the title of Squid Games in Mexico lol For the curious, the lyrics go something like: the snake of the sea, the snake of the sea, you can cross this bridge. Those in front keep running faster while those behind stay behind, behind, behind.
I don't want to edit my original post because I don't want to make it too long, but I have to add the following: The actor who played 456 thought his character was unlikeable, so he asked the director to add some things like feeding the ally cat. Very cool, imo There's a girl on TikTok providing more context for foreign audiences. Ali's walk home would have been either a 7 hour walk or 7 hour drive... To add to the gravity of his situation and why the other player gave him money for the bus route. Another thing she explained is that the closer people become, they refer to each other as "brother" and "sister". So when they partnered up and Ali was given permission to address him as "brother". Ali's last words were "brother?". That's just even more heartbreaking and adds to the gravity of the relationship and betrayal. I also wouldn't say he "chose evil", rather, looking at things in black and white and abandoning morality was a necessity in his eyes order to win. Betraying Ali was his lesson. I mean, he was already shady before the cookie game began when he said "nevermind" to his childhood friend.
I think the reason it is popular is because we all love survival stories but this one is different because they are surviving to get money which we all want so we know there working towards something great instead of just surviving so it has the appeal of survival story and the lust to win money we get from reality TV shows like survivor. Also the simplicity of the children games you played as a kid make it easy for us to see ourselves in that situation trying to win rather than other survival stories were you can,t imagine doing backflips and using guns.
With the VIPs I was watching an interview with the director/creator and he said "Its really hard to find good English actors in South Korea". Yup, it shows. I mean I guess to keep things in budget you aren't going to want to fly a bunch of actors in from overseas and probably have to pay them more than you would the local cast, better to look locally. They are definitely the weakest performances in the show.
Some of the english translations lost a lot of meanings with the Korean. For example, Han Mi-Nyeo's lines where she says things such as her being "I'm pretty smart." (When she was begging to have a partner), She actually says something along the lines of, "I'm pretty smart, I just never went to school" (To Improve) But this was taken from another video, so..
