Squid game = a death game.

When I started my adventure with Korean productions, I was convinced that the name "drama" refers only to sweet romantic series. But it turns out that dramas can be both wrapped in sugar and blood.... 😬😅 Maybe I'll get used to it over time but so far it's pretty weird to me. But on to the series/drama! As befits Netflix, it built a huge hype around this series, so I had to see it. There was no other choice because it was everywhere 😆

I didn't know any leading actors, so recognizing my beloved Korean grandmother, Kim Young Ok, introduced me to familiar ground 💝 As always, she was sweet and encouraging 😍 I also met an actor whose next dramas I will definitely watch - those who have watched will surely know who I'm talking about! Yes Yes Wi Ha Joon who played police officer Hwang Jun Ho. WHY HE HAD NEVER POPPED UP IN ROMANCE DRAMAS?! His face would be perfect for it 😈😇

What is the game about?

It all comes to humans' greed and will to survive. Hundreds of cash-strapped people with various reasons to keep going accept a strange invitation to compete in a game. No-one knows that this childhood game will turn out into death game that only one can survive. But what wouldn't you do for 50 billion won when you have less than nothing? After a failed business venture, the debt-ridden chauffeur Seong Gi Hun agrees to take part in it despite the feeling that it is neither moral nor legal. He drops gambling life and mooches off his elderly mother to be finally able to provide for her and his estranged daughter. Among 455 other players he sees his childhood friend Cho Sang Woo.

The lead role, Seong Gi Hoon, is played by Lee Jung Jae and he does it brilliantly. The way he was showing the character's internal struggle with what is moral and what is not, what should be done and what is a step too far, was so real that me as a specatator was also thinking about it .... Would I agree to it? 😲 Would I do it? Things you never thought you will be asking yourself are suddenly taking large space in you brain. This internal struggle also makes the viewer to struggle with whether they like him or not 😬😕 I still don't know if I like him or just accept him because he's the main character of the drama.

The second important character is Cho Sang Woo, mentioned in the drama summary. This is the perfect son of my mother's friend, who graduated from the best schools, earns thousands and travels the world 😉 But this is just a facade because, like Seong Gi Hoon, he is a bankrupt who only pretends that everything is fine. The character played by Park Hae-soo was in my opinion more interesting than the main character of the story, although in many aspects they were very similar. The reason I prefer Cho Sang Woo over Seong Gi Hoon is because he at least cared about his mother and tried to use his brain to get out of his futile situation. The main character was just patheticly lucky 😒

But the one who stole the heart of probably all the viewers was Kang Sae-byeok 😍 Her story, shown relatively late in the series, was amazing and I waited until the end of the game for her to win. Although Hoyeon is a model on a daily basis, this role was really well played by her. She is one of the few models who successfully turned into actresses. I'm curious about other productions with her because the girl has talent! 😎

There are many side characters that play a smaller or larger role in the main three choices, so I won't introduce them, but I will say in general that each of them did a great job and I am full of admiration for the team. The series was not easy, rather hard to digest. Productions that are based on human morality are always difficult and can backfire on producers. Squid Game was fortunately a hit, and I've already heard about the high probability of a second season ✨

About the GAMES. I don't know who came up with the idea to turn children's games into a bloodbath, but applause for him/her. He/she totally ruined it for the next generation 😂😂 In principal the "players" suppose to be equal as they were stripped down from outside connections, money and sanity. But still some managed to cheat and the "organizers" intentionally exposed players with lower numbers to the first fire. NOT NICE! 😒

I don't know if you can say that the drama has its message because what would it be "don't throw yourself at big money because you can die"? I do not think so. Because is it one of the first Korean Netflix production it has a lot of american vibe. This is also why it is so widely propular around the world. When you would start to compare it to Goblin or It's Ok Not To Be Ok in a minute you would notice how mediocare Squid Game is. I am not denying the actors' talent because they were very good just the style was a bit off for me for korean market. So I rate this drama 6/10 but despide the odds still recommend it to watch as it is a great fun 😁