Squid Game: A Sensational Netflix Hit

Are you bored and running out of shows to watch? I have a show for you! A popular k-drama on Netflix named Squid Game, directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, is about a South Korean survival game. The story centers around a large group of people who are selected to complete in a series of common childhood games. Each player who wins gets amount of money. If they lose any of these games, they are eliminated (AKA killed). More money gets added to the prize amount for every person that’s eliminated. Only one person can leave with the prize money.

The main group of characters are Seong-GiHun (player 456) played by Lee Jung-jae, Cho Sang-woo (player 218) played by Park Hae-soo, Kang sae-Byeok (player 067) played by Jung Ho-yeon, Oh Il-nam (player 001) played by O Yeong-su, Jang Deok-su (player 101) played by Heo Sung-tae, Abdul Ali (player 199) played by Anupam Tripathi, Han Mi-nyeo (player 212) played by Kim Joo-ryoung, Hwang Jun-ho (police officer) played by Wi Ha-joon. Alongside the characters is supporting cast of amazing actors.

The actors are absolutely astonishing. You can feel every emotion they express as if you were there. They evoke sympathy and develop a personality that we either fall in love with or dislike. It makes the show so much better when you have that one character you love or dislike.

I enjoyed that there was rarely a dull moment on the show. It was filled with suspenseful moments and plot twists. The writing is wonderful and the surprise at the endings of some episodes always leaves you wanting more. My favorite plot twists are the ones in the last few episodes.

The costume designers of this Netflix series seem to have a lower budget for costumes. The players wear a green tracksuit with their number on the left chest area and a pair of white vans. They stay in this costume for most of the game portion in the show. The costumes don’t really have much flare, and There aren’t many outfit changes throughout. There a few in the beginning and the end. The staff members, who are also known as the “pink soldiers”, also have a plain costume. They wear a pink painters zip up suit and a helmet with a shape on it that determines their rank (Circles, Triangles or Squares). They wear this for the entirety of the show.

One of the weak points is the English dub. The show’s original language is Korean which can include English subtitles, but also you have the option to watch just it in English. However, the voiceovers don’t match with the emotion of the actors. It would have made the watching experience fun if there was more tone changes in the voiceover for people who prefer the English. It felt more authentic to watch it in it’s original language over the English dub.

Overall, I recommend watching Squid Game, it was a really entertaining series. It keeps you intrigued throughout until the moment the credits roll. The idea of a Korean survival game where they play childhood games is genius. If you enjoy suspense and violence, then this is the show for you!