Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk

Composer: Jung Jae-Il

Release Date: Sep. 17, 2021

Netflix Rating: TV-MA

Starring: Lee Jung-Jae (Seong Gi-Hung), Hoyeon Jung (Sae-Byeok), Park Hae Soo (Cho Sang-Woo), Wi Ha-joon (Joon-ho), Anupam Tripathi (Abdul Ali) and Oh Yeong-su (Oh Il-nam)

Our rating: A+

Quickly growing in popularity since its release, “Squid Game” is Netflix’s newest K-drama series. This gory drama follows a middle aged South Korean man named Seong Gi-Hung who is millions of Won (the Korean currency) in debt as he competes in a series of games to try and win a prize against hundreds of others in his same financial situation. Within a week of the series being released, it rose to the number one spot of Netflix and has even received a 100% on rotten tomatoes. This show displays excellent scenes of drama, action and character development which enhance the quality of the show making it a must watch for anyone looking for a great and fairly short story.

The first thing that this show does excellently is its subversion of the audience’s expectation at every chance. For example, as the participants of the game wake up to commence the first game, it is presented as an innocent game that they used to play as children. The first game was a game of “ed light, green light with a colorful set and field to play on, so naturally some of the participants did not take the game too seriously. However, after seeing that the first person to break the rules is instantly shot and killed, both the audience and the players realize that this game would not be as simple as it was presented to be.

The settings of each game and the entire game area were also built in a way to look playful and innocent. The settings of all the games was a peaceful environment giving a contrasting sense of ease for such a horrific game. Even the building that the players were kept in seemed very peaceful, although the games were anything but that to further emphasize the disconnection of the games and the settings they were held in.

The shock of seeing hundreds of people eliminated in the first game set a tone for the rest of the series showing that it would not hold back in the amount of bloodshed that would be shown. This made it feel as if no character was ever safe and that even the main group of characters were vulnerable to the game.

“I just started watching the show after most of my friends told me to start it. I’m only two episodes in and I love the show,” Senior Isabella Flores said.

The acting of all the characters was flawless and all the actors felt as if they were very comfortable in the characters that they played. Every decision, line of dialogue and action of all the characters felt as if it was justified by the personalities of the characters. Some characters were presented as charismatic and caring, so it made sense when they cooperated with other players and often tried to help others. Other characters were shown to be ruthless and mean so it made sense when they did not try and save someone or betrayed another player.

There are very few things that were bad about the show. The usual flaw in many shows like this, where players have to figure out a game, is that many characters die in pointless ways and their deaths could have been easily avoided. However, this show was able to not fall into this trap. The ending did feel a bit rushed and did not make too much sense, but this is acceptable for now since it is just the first season.

Overall, this show is almost perfect. Every aspect of the show enhances its quality and provides an excellent story. “Squid Game” is available on Netflix and has nine episodes which are each about 50 minutes long. This show is a must watch and although season two has not been confirmed, it is very likely that it will happen, seeing the overwhelmingly positive feedback from viewers.