Squid Game

[eagleday]

some stories are death games first and foremost, and the focus is on that aspect and the puzzles etc.

squid game is a story about south korean society's relationship w capitalism and the US and how that affects people first and foremost, using a death game as a vessel, so the emphasis is on making sure the components fit that

also you have to look at the broader context when it comes to how shows end up handling things like gayness. none of the players or guards had any indication that they were into the same gender, and the only one we did get was a decadent, evil rich man. while that does not necessarily stand out as over homophobia, it is at best unfortunate, and when taken in with the broader context of people from centuries ago to today seeing homosexuality and bisexuality as an expression of decadence, it definitely has issues

Oh I see. I thought the privilege and capitalism context outweigh the anti-gay slur, hence acceptable.

[Kuromi]

I guess I might be in the minority here as people generally tend to love the show, but I just felt like it was pretty stale. The acting it just mediocre, and the characters are really just cardboard cutouts in terms of depth (a good guy, a smart guy, a tricky rebel girl etc). Don't even get me started on the VIPs. And the main message of the show (wealth corrupts people!!) is so overused and plain it's not even funny.

Now don't get me wrong, I still liked the show as it has some nice aesthetics and the games are interesting. It's just I don't think it deserves the hype and acclaim it gets.

[swede]

I guess I might be in the minority here as people generally tend to love the show, but I just felt like it was pretty stale. The acting it just mediocre, and the characters are really just cardboard cutouts in terms of depth (a good guy, a smart guy, a tricky rebel girl etc). Don't even get me started on the VIPs. And the main message of the show (wealth corrupts people!!) is so overused and plain it's not even funny.

Now don't get me wrong, I still liked the show as it has some nice aesthetics and the games are interesting. It's just I don't think it deserves the hype and acclaim it gets.

I liked the show, but yeah. The acting of the VIPs was atrocious. Couldn't stand their shitty acting.

[JoyousLemons]

I guess I might be in the minority here as people generally tend to love the show, but I just felt like it was pretty stale. The acting it just mediocre, and the characters are really just cardboard cutouts in terms of depth (a good guy, a smart guy, a tricky rebel girl etc). Don't even get me started on the VIPs. And the main message of the show (wealth corrupts people!!) is so overused and plain it's not even funny.

Now don't get me wrong, I still liked the show as it has some nice aesthetics and the games are interesting. It's just I don't think it deserves the hype and acclaim it gets.

What are you talking about the acting was great

[Infinity Biscuit]

"good guy", "smart guy", and "tricky rebel girl" are so far removed from the three characters that it took me a bit to understand whom they were meant for at first. every character in fiction is a cardboard cutout if you ignore most of their characterisation!

and the theme isn't that "wealth corrupts people" it's that the capitalist system imposed upon South Korean society for the benefit of the wealthy in the United States causes effectively-inescapable misery for countless people and that the mythology set up to let the oppressed believe they can make it to the top if they just work hard (as sang-woo tries to justify his actions with) is used to have those at the bottom compete and tear each other down

and maybe "rich people rigged the game to exploit the rest" isn't subverting any big tropes or whatever but it's going to be an evocative place to tell stories from for as long as it remains relevant! I'd rather an effective story w a powerful message than just making a twist for the sake of a twist

the vips weren't great actors but like I give it slack bc they're foreigners both in and out of the show. most of us here are native English speakers watching a show made in Korea, so the English language acting is gonna stand out much more to us than the original audience. 

[guspoa]

I also don't really understand the hype i mean don't get me wrong, i liked the show overall but I don't get why it became the most watched show in the world.

[Kuromi]

"good guy", "smart guy", and "tricky rebel girl" are so far removed from the three characters that it took me a bit to understand whom they were meant for at first. every character in fiction is a cardboard cutout if you ignore most of their characterisation!

and the theme isn't that "wealth corrupts people" it's that the capitalist system imposed upon South Korean society for the benefit of the wealthy in the United States causes effectively-inescapable misery for countless people and that the mythology set up to let the oppressed believe they can make it to the top if they just work hard (as sang-woo tries to justify his actions with) is used to have those at the bottom compete and tear each other down

and maybe "rich people rigged the game to exploit the rest" isn't subverting any big tropes or whatever but it's going to be an evocative place to tell stories from for as long as it remains relevant! I'd rather an effective story w a powerful message than just making a twist for the sake of a twist

the vips weren't great actors but like I give it slack bc they're foreigners both in and out of the show. most of us here are native English speakers watching a show made in Korea, so the English language acting is gonna stand out much more to us than the original audience.

I'm pretty sure you can set the exact same game in almost any country (including the US) as it's not a problem to find a couple hundred people neck deep in debt and desperate enough to risk their lives for the money, so I don't think it's tied to SK in any way.

As for the characters, I think they are cutouts simply because they literally have one trait that defines their entire personality. They hardly change throughout the show, and most of them don't have any sort of arc (aside from the two main guys whose arcs literally happen in the last several episodes and are not only tied to each other, but are also super predictable and simply boring). Then there are characters who exist solely to give us some exposition, like the cop who gets thrown way the moment the show doesn't need him.

[JohnNotJack]

Honestly, I don't think it was as memorable as people were hyping it up to be, it was 'unique' (I say that in apostrophes since it was HEAVILY based off of a manga), but the writing kinda fell apart towards the end, loose ends of storylines, completely disregarding the initial point it was trying to make to fit the story they chose to tell, etc.

[eagleday]

"but are also super predictable..."

Ah yes, I realized it, to the point I could guess the sole survivor somewhere in the middle episode. That's why I keep referring to "Alice in Borderland". That's one heck of a brain twist.

[coveredinsand]

Anyone else watch it all in one siting ?