kisui is Ranting about Squid Game (Netflix)
This rant might contain spoilers. This rant might also contain sensitive topic.
This time we'll be talking about Squid Game Netflix Series. The popular series hit over 100 millions views worldwide. This Korean Series is about financially desperate people being invited to play Korean regional kiddie games for billions of Won (Korean currency) which turned out to be games of death where people bet on their lives to win that billions Won. To be honest, the series is not bad at all (the 1st season). As casual viewer, I would recommend it, though I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. Korea is really popular right now, with the k-pop, k-drama, and beauty product. But doesn't mean if something is Korean, it is automatically perfect. People keeps calling it a MASTERPIECE and that is one of my biggest GRIPE! But I will try to be less subjective in this rant (but since this is rant, don't expect much).
Personally, as avid reader (especially manga), death game is popular genre of Japanese Media, like Battle Royale, Alice in Borderland, As the Gods Will which also birthed many live action adaptations, so it is not exactly news. Do also note, there are tons of similarities between As the Gods Will with Squid Games. It even became a hot topic of plagiarism. The producer deflects it by saying he has finished writing Squid Games by 2009 while As the Gods Will was produced in 2011. To be honest, personally, the similarities are a lot. It might be attributed to coincidence due to both countries having similar Kiddie games. Now, I don't want to accuse it is plagiarized, but if you want to delve deeper into this topic, please dig deeper and just don't believe something is source of truth because it is Korean. But all I can say is.... STOP PUTTING KOREAN THING ON PEDESTAL JUST BECAUSE IT IS KOREAN.
Continuing on, as death game genre, Squid Game really can't help but to be simple since the premise is Kiddie Game. Rock Paper Scissors, Tag, Hopscotch, Tug of War are the kind of games in the series. Unfortunately, this is what it fells through. For Example in Hunger Games, the players must compete in different areas with each own challenge while hunting each others using might and mettle. In Squid Games, there's no surprise other than the death punishment. There's no room for mettle since the game is played straightforwardly. There are some tactics admittedly, but as the game moves forward especially in Season 2 and Season 3, all wits and intellect are pushed away to death. LIKE IN 1 OF THE GAME, 5 PEOPLE PLOTTED TO PUSH SOMEONE OF THE CLIFF IN FRONT OF THE SAID PERSON THAN THEY EXPECTED THE SAID PERSON TO COME TO THEM AND FALL INTO THEIR TRAP! WHEN THE TRAP GOT REVERSED BY LUCK! THEY LIE SAYING "OH, WE NEVER PLAN TO KILL YOU FROM THE START!" EXPECTING THE EX-VICTIM TO BELIEVE THEM! THEN REPEAT THIS EVERY EPISODE! HOW CAN PEOPLE BE THAT STUPID. MORE LIKE HOW CAN 100 PEOPLE BE THAT SAME BRAND OF STUPID! Personally, any game genre should have people who can "game" or find out how to "game". Just making it straightforward for the drama, you can call this a good drama but not a good death game genre.
Now, you might argue that it is good because it combines death game with Korean Style social strata commentaries (ala Parasite). The Rich holds the game to watch people struggling as entertainment. Again, this is not new, there are many one, like massively popular Hunger Games. Social issues exist around the world, maybe more so with Chaebol (Korean super-rich conglomerates) in Korea. Squid Game shows the rich as perverted, can't be touched, without common sense while the poor stays poor clawing against each others for survival and greed. Again, as avid reader (including Manhwa which is Korean Comic), this kind of thing is really common in Korean Media. The concept is not bad but the problem is the execution. The Rich people is represented by westerner wearing animal mask and tux, with a really bad acting! They doesn't seem believable at all not even as caricature. People see those and laugh, not become incited or reflecting. While the poor, they keep flip flopping without any explanation. One time they are crying to get out of the game, while the other, they keep begging to keep being into the game. And no, we're not talking about survivorship rush. It might be that but since it is badly executed, ALL WE CAN SEE IS PEOPLE WHO KEEP CRYING EVERY 1 MINUTE FOR THE SAKE OF MELODRAMANA.
Now ignoring all the genre above and focusing this series as melodrama genre might be better. All the people do is crying, no one is smart or have the capabilities to learn. The people here keeps making the same mistake, charging into things with 0 plan or 1 plan with no plan B then panics (and cry) when the plan A doesn't work. To be honest, it works well for a while at least for 1 season. But they reused the same formula for 2nd season, using main character from 1st season (the one that survived and got revelation on how stupid he was) and remove all that character growth just for the sake of drama. And! Repeat that for another 3rd season and of course! ADD A BABY! YES, A BABY IN THE DEATH GAME! IT MUST MAKE THE VIEWERS HEARTS STRING! OHHHH! WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE POOR BABY! IF 99 PEOPLE DYING AND CRYING IS NOT SAD ENOUGH, A BABY WILL! THE SHOCK VALUE WILL INCREASES TOO! OH NO! WILL THE BABY DIE OR NOT! WHO CARES ABOUT ALL THE PLOT WE HAVE BUILT AS LONG AS THE BABY SURVIVE! There are supposed to be 100 participants in the game but there are only two flavors, cowards and people who would like and kill (including killing the baby) for money. And all of them cries in each episode. Why plot when we can have crying people (and a baby)?
On the bright side, Squid game has high budget for death game series. So the production value is good, they have good music, good props and settings and decent actors. The producers also did good in the cinematography. While some scene can be questionable, most of the scene and cuts can easily be enjoyed without issues. Unfortunately due to the repeat formula, I can only recommend the first season. The second and third season clearly just moneymilking from the fans. Ugh, I really hate the third season because they increased the melodrama by adding A BABY.
I would rate the first season 6/10, the second season 4/10 and the third season 1/10.