Reviews

FRUSTRATING!!!!

I actually liked this in the beginning, but it fell through for me from episode 52, and mostly because of the Demon Emperor and Bai Yao Yao. I really thought BYY and Xu Xuan were the most tragic characters in this story, but no, it's the Demon Emperor. And it's the same situation for me as with Ashes of Love and Ruanyu. Both characters did things that were inexcusable, but in the end, it was their fates that led them to those ends. Thing is, if it was the leads with an unfair fate, you know they're more likely to get to their happy ending than other side characters, even less villain characters. But their happy ending with the DE's ending could not make me happy.

I really hate it when they do this to a character, not exactly good but not necessarily the big evil of the world. I know it should count as good writing that even the villain is multi-faceted, but then we have an idiot like Taotie running around through the whole series and only dies out around episode 50 as well, and he was annoying for most of the time he was on screen, only his death made him somewhat sympathetic. But usually, I can accept a villain's death/tragic end no matter how sympathetic I feel towards them because they deserved it by their actions, but I just could not accept it in this case, and it's mostly because of BYY. Everyone in this world made mistakes in one way or another BYY herself made mistakes, and she championed for others who had done the same. But somehow the DE is supposed to be the biggest villain in this story and I just don't see it.

Do people just not know how to talk? How to communicate? HOW TO FREAKING EMPATHIZE!!! If someone other than his subordinates had done that for him, and especially BYY who he actually cared about, then I might have been able to accept it, but her attitude just made me dislike her character.

Even Jin Mi in Ashes of Love had some final words for Ruanyu when she was dying. But then she'd actually known him from the beginning. I didn't even finish that series, but watched a lot of clips that made me stop watching in the first 10 episodes because I knew I'd be hurting at the end for Ruanyu instead of being happy for her and Xu Feng.

Bai Yao Yao was a frustrating character in the beginning. It was understandable that she made mistakes because she didn't understand, having only just transformed into a human. But by around episode 52 when things go head to head with the demon emperor, I just can't like her anymore. She will literally empathize with every other character, no matter what evil they've done or atrocities they've committed, but she was in a position to do something about the Demon Emperor and she had zero empathy. SHE EVEN SHOWS EMPATHY TOWARDS TAOTIE OF ALL CREATURES! The entire time they met him in episode 54, she and Xu Xuan talk about how Taotie got HER into trouble and gave them a hard time, but no talk about the many people that ended up dying thanks to the plague he spread, not to mention the ones he killed personally.

And, when she had the moment to play it smart with the Demon Emperor, she completely threw it. When he, Xu Xuan and Qi Xiao(? I can never remember Ling Chu's reincarnated name) were in the temple and he started the Lotus Fire with his blood and flesh so all three of them could burn, she decided to drain water from West Lake to put out the fire and save Xu Xuan. She was TOLD that it would have consequences for the mortals, but she didn't care. When she could have literally asked the DE to give her his heart so she could stab it, and he likely would have agreed because he was dying anyway, after transferring his fate, and the fate he stole from Qi Xiao to her. In the end, there was a flood in the city, and her stupidity caused the death of many, including the baby of Xu Xuan's older human sister. She caused this knowingly for her own selfishness instead of being a bit crafty with the demon emperor, or at least trying to understand him and his motivations and working a way around it, she chose the selfish route and hurt a lot of people. Many died, others were injured, there were losses. Because demons came out to help, there was understanding with the humans, but I truly don't think it would have lasted THAT long for it to have been a true benefit after all that was sacrificed. (Episode 56.)

Because of this, seeing her beating herself up in guilt afterward, I just didn't care. Because from the beginning (though she did grow to learn better just not enough) Bai Yao Yao and Xiao Qing (green snake) failed to think of the consequences. They thought they would be the only ones affected and so, in the moment, acted impulsively with bravery, but when others were affected/needed to fix their fuckups, they cried and threw tantrums.

The Demon Emperor is just such a tragic character, and I wish he got fleshed out more in the story. Especially his relationship with his brother. In the beginning, we learn that he plans to go against the heavens because of how the demon clan was treated. And it turns out later he and the Heavenly Emperor are twins, but he got the shorter end of the stick because Fate. And I honestly think Fate was the biggest villain in this story (even Taotie and Leng Ning were just annoyances that dragged on for way too long. I was sick of them both by episode 40.) Because of his fate, he had to be tossed to the mortal realm by his brother. Because of fate, he got picked up by BYY beside Zi Xuan so she could nourish his broken soul, causing him to think the love and care she sent toward Zi Xuan was meant for him. It's so obvious that this is a being that didn't know how to love because he was never shown love in his life, and the first time he was, in his 10,000 years of life, he fell in love, but she was in love with someone else. I didn't want him for her, I just wanted him to be happy, or for someone to at least feel some empathy for him in his dying moment. After all the people he killed personally, even Taotie had that. So even the leads having a tragic ending was just fine for me and I hate tragic endings with a passion.

There's so much I could rant about, but I just really hate tragic characters. Because they're never treated well, and never have a good ending, at the end of a story, they're what I think about more than the leads being happy. If the tragic character has to suffer, then let everyone else suffer, too.

As for BYY, I get it's a normal thing. people are hypocritical whether they notice it, or admit it or not. But I hate how there's such a difference between what she says, her principles, what she does, and how she acts.

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"Sorry for lying."

I first heard about the Liar Game while Imawa no Kuni No Alice trended back in December 2020. I decided to watch this while the Squid Game hype was ongoing as I've seen several people prefer Liar Game as the top choice when it comes to games involving mind tricks.

☆ The first episode almost had a comedic effect on me. Kanzaki Nao-san, a girl who is so used to believing everyone and speaking the truth that she is nicknamed as "stupidly honest". When she receives a letter and a box with 100 million yen, she accidentally agrees to participate in the "Liar Game". The first task involved stealing your opponent's 100 million yen or losing the game and returning the 100 million you owned as a form of debt payment. She is relieved to find out that her 'opponent' was her old middle school teacher. Discussing the issue with him, it's not long before she is tricked out of her own 100 million yen by him. Now at the verge of being a victim with a 100 million yen debt, she takes a desperate action: begging for help from a con artist who was fresh out of jail.

☆ I did not see what was coming. As I was not well informed about the plot, I was blind to several things that happened. But, the hero himself deserves his own paragraph. Akiyama Shimichi, who was jailed for three years for defrauding a pyramid scheme organization, is astounded by Nao-chan's stupid honesty. The exact moment that he gets down to help her is the point where the drama changes tracks. He is no ordinary or extra talented hero; he is plain experienced con artist who was also possibly a valedictorian of his University. His method is not exactly simple, but it's evident that most of his skills are acquired from experience. Intelligent and meticulous in his game, he wove plans involving tricks and deception so much that by the end of the drama, I did not trust a single one of his actions. He was pretty much ruthless till the very end. Nothing magical changed him. He had his own judgements and plans when it came to everyone.

☆ The games: the only thing I can proudly boast about is that I successfully managed to pass the Trail game in Round 2. If that counts. The trouble with this drama is that it keeps you at the edge of your toes, playing the game right along with the actual players. And there was no loophole out of any of them. Everyone of them required pre-planning as to what the players were betting on: losing or winning? Both of the choices had their own drawbacks. And in a room full of people desperately trying to avoid a debt stricken condition, how could one guarantee that no one would lie to win? If Akiyama-kun wasn't there, 60% of the cast, including our heroine Nao-chan might've 100% ended up in debt. But, that doesn't mean that the other players are imbeciles. Though not on the level of a well experienced con artist, they knew their tricks well. But, same as before, I did not trust a single player by the end of the drama.
The timing of each game was really reasonable. But, it also showed how much our mind convolutes itself during critical moments. Though the games were pretty simple, what mattered was the result or the choice that each made, making the final decision absolutely nerve wracking to watch.

☆ What I found particularly striking about it was the unpolished and raw storyline. The plot and games were on point. No draggy episodes, no moments of intense emotions. The story was also insane when required. It pretty much puts the female lead through a duck press multiple times until the very end. All characters go through moments of doubt and despair. I found the punishment of living with a monumental debt even more intense than instant death. It was something that could lead to psychological distress and possibly a life of depression. The purpose of the Liar Game was intensely explored during the final few episodes.

● The Drawbacks:

☆ Nao-chan is incredibly naïve. She is called stupid multiple times and very reasonably so. The good thing about her was how she handled matters and was mature enough, unlike many female leads, who are just noisy.

☆ The *bad guys* of the drama or the villains of the moment were really comical or anger inducing. Almost a combined eight minutes were spent on the overdramatized laughter and tears.

☆ Liar Game was released in 2007, 14 years before this review. Unlike the more well polished production that all recent dramas have, this one appears distinctly outdated. The colour grading seems off in several places. It had freeze frames, close up shots, and effects that me me mad.

While there is a high chance this drama will get buried as the years go by, I'm glad that I finally decided to watch it. It was a well planned and excellently executed drama that would be remembered by the ones who saw it.

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the story is actually not bad, even though the ending is... ,, but the storyline is not clear, it seems very perfunctory,,

what to expect from a 24 episode drama? it's impossible to have clear details,

The interesting of the story in this drama starts at the end of the drama


Watching until the end i don't know how old they are, this is my main questions from the beginning of the story ,because always birthday birthday and birthday ,,don't know how old they are when she go to westernstate(xizhou),how long time ,, and how much time has passed, but when the young emperor died they said he was 19 years old,and he reign when 6 years old,, when emperor 6 years old it was half a year from Shiyi's 10th birthday, which means they were 4-5 years apart, if the emperor was 19 at that time, it meant that shiyi was 23 years old? did they not take that into account?,, and zhoushencheng said he and she age difference is not more than 10 years,that mean 9++ ZCS maybe 31 years old?


when i just met shiyi everyone in the manor already understood the sign language,, well i pretended not to see it

And what the mean of lotus painting?

All incident happen suddenly!

Death is necessary, but is it a bit too perfunctory?


The story ,,saying what and doing what ,different !

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That's the embodiment of sweetness and warmth.

I guess the only way to let go of this drama is to write a review about it because otherwise I wouldn't be able to move on and start something else, not that it's a bad thing but I'm really too much in love with ARRTI at the moment. Honestly it's been 3 years I haven't written a single review so I can tell you that to come back and write one today is such a big achievement and only proves to me how much attached, in love and invested I was with the story, its characters and everything else.

I wanna start by saying that what got me interested in the drama is the 90s setting, I'm a real sucker for that time period especially in school dramas so when I read it was mostly set in 1997/1999 which is the case for most of the drama (if I remember correctly we move to the second millenium around ep 24 so I was completely satisfied because in most school dramas only 1 quarter of the drama takes place in the late 90s which is so frustrating. And to be honest I think that the 90s settings, props and decors were realistically depicted, from the fashion to the culture (music, movies ...) and the technology of that time, it was as I remember them from my childhood days. And to me that matters a lot because if I feel like it's not well represented it would have lessened my interest and love for the drama so really a big thumb up to the production behind this unforgettable and wonderful drama.

It'll be hard to express my thoughts into words and what truly made me fall in love with ARRTI but all throughout my watching journey I was comparing it to "When We Were Young" (2018) and thought it would never surpass that drama which was my fave chinese school drama until I finished " A River Run Through It" however my heart just loves ARRTI so unconditionally which made me realise how stuck and in love I am with it, I can now say proudly that it's the best Youth drama I've ever watched and definitely in my top of 2021, that's how well written and breathtaking it is.
The reason why I'm so emotionally invested is because this drama made feel utterly and completely happy while I was having a difficult time, it made me forget about my harsh reality and brought me happy tears, smiles and laughters for about 30 hours, and for a drama to make me feel that way it can only be a good one in my standards. It's rare going through such feelings during your watching experience, it's something to cherish from the bottom of your heart and that's why I felt the need right now to write about it and tell how awesome, heartwarming and stimulating this show is because it can definitely brighten up someone's day like it did for me. I'm so grateful toward the actors, the production and everyone behind the success of this drama because it made my viewing experience so much more meaningful.

Regarding the story, I don't have much to say, I've seen similar shows like this one and I know that it will either be a hit or a miss but this time what made it a success for me is:
*The realistic portrayal of the characters and how natural they were with each other.
*The relatable relationship between the main characters and their parents, I particularly love the squabbles between Shi Yi and his father, I encountered similar things when I was younger with my mum who was often chasing after my siblings and I with a broom in a serious but still in a funny way. Not to forget XiaoJu's issues with her mother regarding her mum's preference for her brother over her, it was so realistically portrayed that it hurts.
*The authentic settings, I absolutely love their neighborhood, it looks so 90s and so real, everyone knows each other and helps each other, it brings so much nostalgia.
* The beautiful and convincing friendship between all of them: Shi Yi, Xiao Ju, Le Tao, Bao Bao, Cheng Lang, Lin You and Huang Jun. They're all good and wonderful in their own way.
* The Music, the songs and the bgms I particularly love Datu/XiaoJu's song " Do you Know I'm waiting for you?" which is so touching and beautiful, same with Huang Jun/Le Tao's song. And not to forget that bgm with those weird sound effetcs with that bleating sheep sound, it cracked me up for real :p.

And now the most important part for me and what got me truly addicted and obsessed: the friendship between Lu Shiyi and Xia Xiaoju. They were definitely the highlight of the drama for me, it's true Shiyi is my fave character of the drama and he's the one who made it even more special in my eyes but his relationship with Xiaoju was just so beautiful and inspiring to watch, a lot to learn from them both: their interactions, their understanding of each other, their care and unconditional love for each other was just portrayed in such a way that you can only believe it's true. Shiyi did a lot for XiaoJu, he was always there for her in her saddest and most painful time but Xiaoju was always there for him helping him and comforting him when he needed it the most. They just complement each other so well, Shiyi is naughty, playful, funny, positive and caring and Xiaoju is calm, serious a little bit pessimistic yet very cute and supportive of her friends.

{SPOILERS] If I were to mention about the things I didn't like, I would say sometimes it looks a little bit cliché but afterall it's a school drama, to this day I haven't found one where I told myself "yeah that's how it was during my high shcool days" but maybe because In western countries the education is different from what it is in Asian countries, I don't know.
Of course the last few episodes were a little bit disappointing but I've seen so many more Chinese dramas with frustrating ending with annoying decisions taken by the leads that I didn't feel bothered it by certain turn of events.
Also though I really like Le Tao with Xiaoju and the others I didn't like how she hit Huang Jun no matter how wrong he might have been toward her, it's something that truly bothered me, it's a tendency that she had all throughout the drama with guys. {END OF SPOILERS]


I guess when I feel bored I'll come back to this drama as it not only brought me happiness, laughters and inspiration but also beautiful and positive messages about life and its ups and downs and that with effort and confidence we can achieve whatever we want to. I really loved seeing all of them evolving into mature, strong and independent persons who didn't give up after one failure.
And obviously I would recommend to watch this drama for all those who are looking for a realistic story with genuine and touching characters that will grow on you and make you feel immensely happy and crazy. Last but not the least the best character of the year definitely goes to Shiyi, I can't count how many times I replayed his crazy and funny scenes while he was playing with Xiaoju's nerves but my it was so hilarious and heartening ♥♥
I'll remember A River Runs Through it for all the sweetness I got from it ♥.

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As much as the plot was cliché, there are some things we need to point out about this show.

A lot of people think the plot is pretty cliché.
Irrational, domineering boss ML and a starstruck ordinary girl FL. Contract Marriage. And Girl-Pretends-To-Be-A-Boy RP.

But I think some things need clarification.

1)The title is "Cute Programmer". I don't get why some people misunderstood the story to be about programming.
(=... =) when the title clearly hints that the story is about The Programmer. The CUTE PROGRAMMER, Lu Li, to be exact.

2)People called Luli, "the doormat FL". That's just so obvious that these viewers watched the show but never bothered to understand the plotline or the character settings.
This is a story about Luli who falls in love with a man. A man who lost his trust with anyone. A man who does not understand or refuse to understand social context more than he does 1s and 0s.
Imagine, if Lu Li could've just walked away when it was easier said and done. Then what about the years of affection she had cultivated for YiCheng? Was that a lie? A joke? A playtime series that took her entire youth?
Is it love if you could just walk away because everyone said you should?

3) Sure, Yi Cheng's character is annoying. And he treated Lu Li badly. But think about it.
His father never supported his dreams and his career. Constantly using his company and investment as a hostage and force YiCheng to what they want.
His first love and the only woman he allowed in his life,apart from codes, betrayed him, stole his work and sold it to the enemy.
It'll be weird if he didn't put up walls and kept angst at bay after all that, especially with his character setting.
But that wasn't the point, was it?
The point was how the "cute progammer" Lu Li's presence changed him and thawed the ice.

4) To be honest, this show is very lighthearted. Despite all the cliché drama obviously pitched into this show, it wasn't a heavy series to watch. They manage to pull your emotions up when it starts to get strained because of the main leads' conflicts.

5)The side couples are interesting and yet didn't hog the screen time meant for the main leads. But had enough exposure to cultivate their own romances.

6)I've seen a lot of Zhao Lin's other works. And honestly, this was not his first time playing the assholish, arrogant husband that only realized how he loved his martyr wife when she left him.
If you alao have, then you'd understand how good this was compared to his previous works. His previous works were dragging and prolonged the drama for aesthetics. And was truly stressing and emotionally draining. But "Cute Programmer", despite the drama, never dwelled in it. And character and plot development were pretty fast-paced but never rushed.

I gave the story a 9 because the story was really cute if not for the cliché parts.
The acting and actors are all chef's kisses. Especially because I'm a fan of Bambi and Zhao Lin's works.
Soundtrack wise, could've been better but definitely a 9.
Wouldn't say it's good enough to rewatch. But I think I can see myself rewatching one more time, but never more.
All in all this was a pretty good drama.

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it didn't work for me.

I was looking for something light when I came across this drama, but I don't think it lived up to my expectations. despite being cute, I don't think it fulfills the role of a romcom well, being very irritating and dragging. I'm going to bring my detailed opinion so that you can understand my point.

about the plot: the plot is very poorly scripted. half of the drama is totally empty, nothing much happens, and the subplots that could be put to good use were left for the last episodes, making everything very superficial and rushed. I know it's supposed to be a light drama, I didn't expect any revealing plots, but I think the background should at least support a plot that's interesting to watch, things just drag on after a few episodes.

in addition, none of the couples know how to dialogue and the amount of shallow fights and disagreements that could be easily resolved with a simple conversation take 90% of the drama time, which made me almost give up on watching, honestly.

about romance: the couple has incredible chemistry and made me smile like a fool for their scenes, they were refreshing and the hight point of this drama (maybe the only point?)

about the main characters: the construction of the female protagonist is terrible, almost non-existent, her personality is generic, the magic formula of cdramas: naive, clumsy and with little intelligence (it didn't work very well this time, I was really irritated with her in several moments). it bothered me a lot as she doesn't have her own development, lasting and well-structured achievements. everything involves the protagonist and his relationship with him.

yes, the male protagonist is cute and much deeper than the FL, but irritating at times. I really couldn't stand him talking about statistical data and stuffing math into everything anymore. besides being pretty unbearable at first.

about the secondary: they have an underdeveloped story (and even kind of boring, I confess) and the only people I really liked were the protagonist's sister and the grandfather of ML, who is a sweet. otherwise they weren't memorable and they didn't even have enough screen time for me to get attached.

overall conclusion: was one of the weakest crdramas I've ever watched, but I think it would work for someone looking for something cliche, fast and with a cute romance, but that's all.

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a sensitive, sweet and musical melodrama.

this drama is, for sure, an affection for the soul. the whole plot is developed in such a sensitive and careful way that it's practically impossible for you not to cling to the characters, not feel what they're going through. it's beautiful from start to finish.

I cannot fail to emphasize how park eun bin's performance was simply impeccable. I smiled when she smiled, and cried even more when she was sad. chae song-ah became one of my favorite protagonists, with all her kindness and sincerity. it was amazing to see how honest she was about her feelings. it was liberating to see his maturity, his careful way of making decisions, of thinking about his well-being. I could spend hours talking about how amazing this character is.

kim min-jae was not far behind. his character was complex, reserved and also wounded. it was impossible not to feel compassion for our pianist. to see him keeping so much to himself, it suffocated me, it was extremely sad. I'm glad things have improved. it was a caress in the heart to watch him so light, happy in the last episode. despite some bad attitudes having upset me, they were important for her maturation.

lee jung-kyung left me confused about my feelings about her. while I felt anger at her inconsequential attitudes, I saw that she was not a bad person and had empathy for the difficult times she went through. in the end, I ended up just being happy that the character was able to pursue her career as a teacher, she really has a vocation for that. han hyun-ho suffered a lot, it was visible how he loved lee jung-kyung, I cheered a lot for his happiness, he deserved a lot, for everything he went through.

I would also like to talk about how the production of the drama related the characters' feelings to the objects. I thought this was brilliant. the handkerchief, the suitcase with old memories, the sheet music, the musical instruments. the way they associated agonies, memories and doubts to these utensils was memorable, in addition to the music, a key point of this work of art.

about the ending: it was perfect, i can't imagine a better one. it was realistic, sincere and moving. nothing was loose, conflicts were resolved. the couple's chemistry in the scenes warmed my heart with melted butter, I feel fulfilled. I cried a lot, I confess, but I also got my cheeks aching from smiling so much. it was worth it after all.

finally, to prevent this comment from getting even bigger, I can only say that this series has become one of my favorites, for all the care and love they put into the script. it was beautiful to follow this story. this drama will be engraved in my heart, along with all its teachings ❤️.

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Great script, Intriguing, and lovable characters!!

I got hooked on Episode 1. This drama is the perfect combination of great storytelling, comedy, love, and empowerment. The actor/actresses chosen are so perfect for their roles and really bring the characters to life. I love this show because it has serious, tear-jerking moments but also very fun comedy thrown in appropriately.

The storyline is interesting and I love it when the female lead is strong, smart, independent, and confident. You feel empowered just watching her scenes--Peng Xiao Rang did a fantastic job displaying her character, Jun Jiu Ling. She is a strong character that you can't help but love. Her pairing with Zhu Zan (played by Jin Han) matches so well and their personality compliments each other. She is more serious with a lot of burden on her shoulders, but then Zhu Zhan's casual and comedic self shows up, teases her, makes her laugh, and help to make her feel more at ease. Their love is so cute and endearing, I love it.

If you love a good story, with strong main leads, and wonderful character development then definitely give this a try!! It's hard not to love to show. It's serious, but funny and has moments where you laugh but also cry.

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Theme - Social Justice

Everything you read about this series is probably accurate. But there is just SOMETHING about this series that is so incredibly endearing and fun to watch. Its message, plain and simple, is social justice. Kudos! They presented that by introducing 3 cute and adorable BL couples. Realistic? No, but so much fun to watch. It is implausible, silly at times, but so entertaining. There is also something about the series in Northern Thailand that makes them so genuine, real, and simply fun to watch. It is not deeply character driven but I did not care. The story is poignant even if it is unrealistic. The relationships are slow to develop but again, I did not care. I related to all of them in some way. In addition, watch it simply for Grandma. I want her as my Grandma! Pay no attention to any of us - just watch and be entertained!
If you want to see my full review, go to BLBliss.com.

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Emotionally captivating, but lacks depth.

Advertised and hyped up as one of the most thrilling survival series, I decided to watch it to see what the fuss was all about. While I enjoyed all the episodes, I have to say, for Korean Drama standards, the plot falls way below expectations. Plus, the bar was set already high for Squid Game as there are well written predecessors of the same genre.

☆ The drama is buoyed by the excellent and admirable performances of the cast, who did a wonderful job portraying the variety of characters. I stuck through for them. But, I did not have anyone that I was particularly fond of or attached to.

☆ The sets were brilliant in a dark manner. The production value of Kdramas rarely disappoint.

Now…

☆ I am definitely among the minority here, but the plot was really lacking, especially since it's a Korean Drama. SG depends on the strengh of it's characters. It attempts to emotionally pull you in. (And it seems to have succeeded, considering the hype.) Out of most of the countries I've watched, Korean Dramas, if given the right script and a good planning, usually produce excellent shows that are highly satisfying, regardless of their one hour long duration. While I understand the intention of letting the horror of the childrens' games in the drama sink deep, the backstory or motive behind the organizers of the game seems to be added almost as an afterthought. Game after game would be going on, but I was interested in only one plot thread involving No. 29 Guard. Ofcourse, they writers chose a trope for several character arcs.
The Games themselves were not intense, but it was the price that had to be paid for failure that was horrible. At one point, I stopped expecting anything different since most of the players made it out purely because of dumb luck or experience. There were some scenes and gore that as @WandeRer mentioned in his review: gratuitous. They served little to no purpose at all or even if I was interested in it, I got no proper explanation. I even felt that some deaths were added on for the sake of shock value.

☆The last three episodes are the ones I enjoyed the least. There seemed to be a sudden twist for one character in particular. Not to mention, some of the explanations were highly unconvincing to me. Maybe the writers are hoping to tie up a few loose threads in the second season. But, I don't know if I'd watch it.


☆ The OST, unfortunately for me, did not do the trick. This might be a result of me not having any particular attachment to any characters, but some scenes that were supposed to rile up intense emotions fell flat. I couldn't get the right 'survival' or 'thrilling' vibes that I was supposed to be feeling. Regular Kdramas such as Flower of Evil or Strangers From Hell managed to pull that in a better way according to me. I was more focussed on guessing who was going to come out alive since many of the actions' by the characters were predictable. All that remained was how long they survived.


☆ I've been seeing people compare it to Imawa No Kuni No Alice, but I see nothing similar among them except for the 'survival game' theme. I've also heard that the script writer was inspired by a few TV shows, one of them being the Liar Game. While I can definitely see the influence, I can't compare any of them since the purpose behind each is entirely different.

☆ Squid Game is not a bad drama. It's a decent watch. Long time watchers of this genre would find nothing new since Survival Games all have their own tropes. I can see that the hype surrounding it is by most people who accidentally stumbled upon KDramas for the first time or are new to this genre.

It all comes down to personal preference at the end. I enjoyed it, but the plot, particularly the last bit, managed to render the drama's build-up to almost nothing. It didn't have enough momentum to tempt me into watching a second season, unfortunately.

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Very overrated.

I’m still not understanding where the high ratings are coming from. The plot/premise of the overall K-drama is fairly predictable and the lack of twists, surprises and the fireworks a GREAT K-drama (or any drama series) brings to the audience are all lacking. I thought perhaps the second season would be different than the first (I was aware that the first season was cut short due to the Pandemic), but no, nothing. Same. In fact, worse because we knew how average the first season was already.. and the second season is the same, drab of the first season. I typically turn off about 15 minutes into the episodes as it’s the same thing from the previous episode… some annoying side characters, very annoying patients (or their parents), etc.

I think the key characters are charming and I really love the fab five as the core group, but this drama ends there and falls flat. Just nice, background noise while you work on something else, or web browse.

If you really want to know what I’m talking about… compare this to “Vincenzo” or “Racket Boys”.

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Fun to watch drama (drama without the drama !!!)

Overall - 9 out of 10
Fun to watch drama (drama without the drama !!!)

PLOT - 5 stars: Well written and directed, very interesting investigations leading to the main plot
CAST - 5 stars: Great chemistry between main couple as well as the supporting cast

(-1) for better dialogs/conversation (Script writer)

I really like the 5 of them sitting at dining table & discussing the investigation. Each of them may come from a dis-functional family but together, they create friendship and trust. They support one another, provide a helping hand when needed and build their relationship from the family meal. There are mis-understanding and obstacles but they use love and trust to resolve instead of hatred or jealousy.

Best kissing scenes in all Cdrama !!!

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