I'm sorry. I was being too uptight.
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I'm sorry. I was being too uptight.
Squid Game is OVERRATED af.
Heavy Spoilers ahead!
As someone who have watched Alice in Borderland, I had great expectations from this show encouraged by the ratings everyone seemed to give it. I thought Sweet Home had quite a poor ending where the story turned from escaping from monsters to escaping from humans (with little to no monster encounters towards the end), but the ending here is just as poor. Why do these korean shows end up messing things up towards the end?
Warriors and Survior are songs that fit survival shows like Sweet Home and AoB but here? Nah. Doesn't have much going here.
I know this post is going to get negative attention and I don't care because I have to get this out of my system.
Gi-Hun
This guy cared more for the strangers (OLD MAN esp) than his own family. He didn't shed a tear or worried for his mother when Sang woo's mom mentioned how she's been missing for few days. She was ill at the time he left to play the fucking game and prioritising her health wasn't even in his bucket list when he was asked what he'd do with the money.
Had it been hinted that he had good relationship with his father and bad with his mother, that could have been made the reason why he cared so much for the old man because then the reason would be he reminded him of his dead father whom he dearly missed. Hell! Had it been his father (instead of a nameless friend) who died in the roit then it would have made sense. But plain respect and care for elderly cannot really justify the tears and lengths he went for him.
Speaking of bucket list, he didn't complete a single one in the list – starting a business his mother wanted? No. Starting over? Nope. Being a good parent? Lol as if he had time for that. He never spared a single thought for his daughter or mother throughout the story. It didn't even look like he wanted to – he only wanted to be alive. The closest he had came to thinking about his life was the fucking factory roit in which his friend died, which had been the reason why he wasn't present during the delivery of his daughter; his wife had to drag herself to the hospital all by herself. He doesn't deserve to be a father no shit. The fact that he helped everyone but himself, his family, speaks volumes of how much he cared for his family.
The Squid game caller guy literally told Gi-Hun to just get on the goddamn plane and to get a life. And he did what? he ignored it and signed himself up back to the hellhole he despised so much, all with his head held high, shoulders back, hair dyed red (which frankly is the only interesting thing about him) and motivated af to break the system. Yeah, he's a one-man army after all.
The ending of the story just ruined the show for me. Sang woo was right; he was dumb, doesn't learn from his experiences, and it was only through other's sacrifice and luck that he made it through the end AND HE DOESN'T FUCKING REALISE IT.
Sang woo
The self-sacrifice was something I can't see him doing. From the start he looked for himself first, was selfish and somewhat guilty but not so much that he'd bring himself down, and had some moments of friendship he shared with others like Ali and Gi-Hun that made him likable, but not so much that he'd put them above his own life. He was the guy who voted to continue playing Squid game because he had his priority set. Gi-hun, on the other hand, didn't want to be there and still stayed, blamed others but never himself, and was kind during the most inopportune times. He really was ready to get the old man killed and he made it seem as though he was the virtuous one when he blamed Sang woo for pushing the guy off the bridge when there was only less than 20 seconds left.
Sang-woo hated when Gi-Hun would mention his past, his achievements (I think Gi-hun did that everytime to rub it on his face, which he eventually did) as it showed how far he've fallen. Even when he had everything going for him, he was left with nothing. He had wanted to win back his pride with the reward money.
Sang woo knew what he was doing when he tricked Ali and had felt guilty but never remorseful. He went ooc route when he sacrificed his life. He killed a severely injured person in the off chance that they pose a threat to him in case they hold a majority vote, and he took his own life when there was an opportunity to kill Gi-Hun right in front of him. He didn't even look all that hurt – only his ankle got chomped on and recieved few punches in, but compared to Gi-Hun who had gotten stabbed multiple times, beaten more than he, nothing biggie. He had great opportunity to kill Gi-Hun who was showing kindness (wtf? You're the same guy who looked ready to kill him in his sleep the last episode and now you're backing off and doing the hand thing?) and I was expecting him to, but no they turned this into a typical shounen manga where friendship and suicide is above all else.
In my opinion, he was the most well-written character, right until the last game.
Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong
They both had no one to rely on who didn't look down on them for any reason like gender and nationality. When Sae-byeok approached Ji-yeong, she did because she looked alone like her. They got closer because they opened up to each other knowing one of them wouldn't make it. Ji-yeong looked like she really wanted to get to know her better, planning future, recommending places to go and things to do, but always ending with saying it wouldn't happen. She gave up wanting to proceed further in the game because the one thing she finally wanted to do after years of emptiness couldn't happen without Sae-byeok there. Their relationship moved me to tears. Even though it was a relationship that developed only over 30 minutes that ended just as fast, I felt they had the best relationship out of them all.
Ali
He was the only genuinely kind man in the place. He protected Gi-Hun from getting shot in the first game (he could have died there in that attempt) without expecting anything in return. He fought his shitty boss to be paid for his service, then karma chomped on his boss's hand and he finally got the money that was his alone. He used that money to send his wife and kid back to his homeland instead of looking forward out for himself and abandoining his family. He played the game so he could give his family a better life. He was uneducated, but he was so grateful to every little help he got and was raised with good manners that spoke volumes of his personality. Most of his lines were just him thanking others and wanting others to live. He trusted Sang-woo on the word that his plan would save both of them. If it were anyone else in the game, they would have jumped at the slight chance to save themselves even if it means eliminating the opponent without sparing a second thought no matter what kind of idea they have. I wanted him to live but of course personalities like him never last in this genre. This guy was the true cannon fodder in this show, only used to trigger emotional response out of audience. His character teaches us no matter how nice and innocent you are, people will still use your innocence.
Oh ilnam
He was the only interesting character in the show. But his character is one that is full of questions. Why did he kept mentioning his son in conversation with Gi-Hun during his final game? What happened to his son and wife? When he started this game? How and why in the world was he strong enough to play tug of war at that age? Why the fuck did he actually save Gi-Hun except for 'i had fun at your expense' reason? I was half expecting him to be Gi-Hun's father who abandoned the family in the childhood, that would have been pretty cool. Without him in picture "who is managing the games" is another question. Who was the guy that gave Gi-Hun the business card? Salesman? His son? Just a random good-looking salesman whose job description is to lure unsuspecting poverty-ridden people into his trap?
Joon-ho and his brother
Ok so you're telling me this police officer followed a van, got under it (even though the driver could see him through side mirror) and infiltrated a place where everyone is under 24/7 surveillance, and not one person noticed it until a body was recovered? Definitely believable. Every corridor and room has a camera, but the most important room that contains all important documents, manager's, is conveniently without any monitoring device.
Every object (mask, oxygen cylinder) has a sensor but this guy managed to gather days worth of evidence dressed same as them. Not only is calling police through a telephone that is connected to the enemy's network is a dumb mistake (as it could blow your cover and let them know your location), but to think it wasn't the call itself that blew his location but the position he placed the phone back that did.... Alright.
But I loved his dialogue delivery. Throwing enemy's words back at their face by turning the tables was too cool for words, and I watched each of such scenes twice for satisfaction. He faced sexual harassment and used even that to his advantage.
As for his missing brother's identity, you could see it coming from miles away. I wish they had kept the missing brother as one of the victims/players and used that to fuel Joon-ho's need to avenge his brother. Their reunion was... 50/50 at best. I still think he didn't die. We know nothing about his brother or his motivation behind being part in squid game. But we also know next to nothing about Joon-ho himself.
.
My rating: 7/10
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved this show till episode 6, it was 9.5/10 for me . But not anymore!
A lot of things ruined this show for me but this show also had its moments of greatness like the idea that every player was there willingly. Nobody forced them to be there. Voting system that allowed them to get out alive. All you have to do is to follow rules blindly and be lucky af.
This show also has a lot in common with AoB in terms of nature of games – game where you have to turn against your partner/friend, game where you have you eliminate others to get ahead, and killing spree to eliminate the weak, or in AoB's case, find the imposter.
Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency
Si, lo voglio.
Nella spasmodica attesa che Viki finisca di buttar fuori e subbi Dating in the Kitchen mi sono ritrovata a scegliere un drama come “tappabuchi” dalla mia eterna lista. Dopo Hot Stove League e Hospital Playlist avevo bisogno di una serie leggera e divertente, meglio se romantica e senza grossi drammi....e Flower Crew è giunta come una manna dal cielo.
Avevo delle aspettative molto basse e non mi aspettavo grandi cose...invece il drama mi è piaciuto molto. Si è praticamente lasciato maratonare ed io non maratono quasi mai.
Merito di una storia leggera e romantica che sa di favola perchè se quello che succede in questo drama fosse successo in altri drama più realistici, più della metà dei personaggi sarebbe morto male e di personaggi ben caratterizzati ed approfonditi. C’è romanticismo, momenti divertenti, bromance ed un pizzico di politica che negli storici si sentono male se non la inseriscono.
Ma Hoon, Do Joon e Young Soo dirigono l’agenzia matrimoniale più IN dell’intera Joseon dove si narra che tutte le coppie che da loro vengono sposate non si lascino mai. il “ finchè morte non ci separi “modello joseon
Ma Hoon è il Capo dell’agenzia ed è intelligente, macchiavellico ed un mago della pianificazione. Do Joon ricopre il ruolo dell’informatore assai affascinante - vederlo semi svestito con i capelli sciolti vale l’intero drama - mentre Young Soo è l’addetto Clio Makeup, sempre attento alle ultime mode, trucchi e tendenze. Ed è un cucciolino adorabile. ❤️
Lee Soo, un povero fabbro del villaggio si è preso incarico di stalkerare il gruppo per convincerli ad organizzargli il matrimonio con la donna che conosce e ama da una vita: Gae Ddong. Non importa quanti rifiuti il buon Soo si prenda...lui è intenzionato a sposare questa donna a dispetto di qualsiasi cosa.
Gae Ddong è, per essere gentili, una bifolca. No seriamente, questa ragazza è l’epitome della pescivendola che ti sbatte in faccia il pesce per fartelo comprare e ti urla nelle orecchie come una scimmia urlatrice. Rozza, sporca, maleducata e pure violenta. - Bonus perchè deve avere dei polmoni potentissimi per urlare così forte -
Tutto sommato, ovviamente, Gae Tong è una brava ragazza che dietro ai suoi modi poco poco scortesi, nasconde un grande cuore, il realismo di chi sa come va il mondo ed una grande testardaggine. Lei e Lee Soo si conoscono da anni, sono come una famiglia uno per l’altro ed il matrimonio pare una conseguenza logica.
Inizialmente i tre Wedding Planner - chiamati La Squadra Dei Fiori - rifiutano queste nozze ma alla fine accettano per sfinimento secondo me e preparano il matrimonio.
Ma ecco che durante la notte il Re muore, così come lascia questo triste mondo pure il Principe Ereditario. #’nacatastrofe
L’indomani, nel giorno del suo matrimonio, il povero fabbro viene rapito e portato al palazzo reale per diventare.... indovina chi? Ma il nuovo Re di Joseon!
mancano solo i bravi, Don Rodrigo e la peste e poi siamo dentro i Promessi Sposi
E Gae Ddong? e il matrimonio?
Devo ammettere una cosa: questa serie mi ha ricordato la prima metà di Hwarang. Le scenette comiche, la bromance tra i ragazzi, gli inserimenti un pò pop e moderni - come le musiche - hanno contribuito a darmi l’idea di leggerezza e divertimento.
La storia è un pò una favola romantica ma non mancano momenti più intensi e tristi grazie appunto ai personaggi così ben strutturati. Ho trovato inoltre un buon equilibrio tra le varie parti che rende il ritmo molto gradevole.
Molto carina la bromance tra i ragazzi, un amicizia consolidata che viene esplorata lungo tutta la storia nel tentativo di comprendere cosa e perchè questi ragazzi lavorino insieme.
Senza infamia e senza lode invece i villain, soliti cattivi random che agiscono sempre per i soliti motivi. Mentre invece ho apprezzato molto i personaggi secondari su cui la storia si sofferma senza approfondire troppo ma lasciando allo spettatore almeno un’idea che permette di farceli conoscere.
Un’altra cosa che ho adorato è l’attenzione che hanno dato per il ruolo delle donne. La serie è piena di figure femminili molto diverse tra loro e mi è piaciuto come Flower Crew svisceri in modo così credibile la condizione femminile nell’epoca Joseon.
Buono il cast anche se Gong Seung Yeon ( Are you human too? ) - che avevo già visto in Circle e in Only my love song - continua a non convincermi: l’ho trovata con una interpretazione troppo esagerata, come se calcasse apposta gesti e parole. Molto meglio invece Kim Min Jae ( Doctor Romantic 2 , Tempted ) che infatti si becca premio come mio attore e personaggio preferito della serie. Un’interpretazione che ho percepito convincente e credibile per il personaggio chiamato a fare.
Parlando della parte romantica.. io l’ho adorata. ❤️ Strapiena di tutti i possibili clichè - tra cui il celeberrimo “avere i piedi d’argilla “ e cadere guardaunpò tra le aitanti braccia del lead - è colma di momenti carini e teneri. L’amore viene costruito passo passo, scena per scena senza fretta.
Concludendo: Flower Crew da quello che promette, ossia l’essere una serie leggera e godibile senza drammi perfetta da vedersi quando non si ha voglia di impegnarsi ma si vuole comunque emozionarsi.
Voto: 7.8
Meno male che avevo capito sin dall’inizio che Ma Hoon era il lead. Dico meno male perchè ho letto commenti dove, giustamente, la gente ci rimaneva male nello scoprirlo. Praticamente facevi il tifo per la coppia Lee Soo e Gae Ddong senza sapere che Soo era il second lead.
E che quindi per la Sacra Legge Dei Drama la ragazza non se la sarebbe mai beccata.
Si snoda così tutto un triangolo d’amore che onestamente mi ha fatto un pò tristezza: Gae Ddong ci mette davvero poco per dimenticare Lee Soo e se da una parte questo mi rende triste per lui dall’altra ammiro come abbiano fatto capire che tra i due non ci fosse vero amore, ma più familiarità. Sin dall’inizio Gae Ddong non è convinta di questo matrimonio e si nota come non veda l’ora di salire sulla barca del lead. 😏
Il povero Re le prova tutte per tenere la donzella al suo fianco e sarò onesta...tifavo per il villain. Un conto è dare la corona ad uno che comunque ha un parente nobile o è figlio di Re. Un altro è incoronare Regina una poveraccia di campagna andando a mentire all’intera nazione. Onestamente non ci trovo nulla di romantico. Ragazzi...è un abuso di potere! Hanno ragione i due Consiglieri. 🤣
In realtà i gruppo dei Fiori e tutti i personaggi positivi, visto con l’occhio critico sono i veri villain della storia. Son dei truffatori dello Stato! 🤣
Il Re si può consolare con la consapevolezza che almeno è diventato un buon Re. Per carità Lee Soo fa dei passi da gigante nel suo ruolo istituzionale e non mi aspettavo che sin dall’inizio fosse capace di gestire “il gioco del trono”.
Però...che tristezza. Lo spettatore percepisce chiaramente la solitudine di Lee Soo ed il suo unico desiderio di stare con la ragazza che ama e che rimane fuori dal castello, ignara della vera identità del suo ex amato. E che nel frattempo si è innamorata di un’altro.
Ho amato tantissimo il personaggio di Ji Hwa ed il suo finale: questa ragazza molto orgogliosa e prepotente, con un carattere molto freddo, che vuole farsi strada nel mondo, fino a comandare lei stessa. L’idea di farla andare in giro per osservare potenziali mariti è stata geniale. Ma poi si ritrova, nel finale di serie, senza nulla in mano. Era perciò facile farle sposare il suo amato e porre fine alle sue disgrazie. Invece la sua risposta alla proposta di matrimonio è molto coerente con il suo personaggio ed il suo orgoglio.
Nota di merito anche per Young Soo è la sua storyline che oltre ad essere una sorpresa aggiunge quel pizzico di drammaticità alla storia, che non guasta mai. Lui e Gae Ddong sono una coppia comica e mi è piaciuto come il suo personaggio venga usato per rappresentare più di tutti, la dualità della tristezza e della gioia.
mood: im hwi
Sometimes I remember I have a korean oc that has two crazy boyfriends and I melt all over again *_* (dont be fooled by his baby face, he is older than he looks >:D ).
This is Young Soo, please be gentle with him (he shy).
Ps: @pongodoodle where is gabe :V
Ps 2: (referenced poses from Korean models because Young Soo is a cutie).
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Love In The Big City (2024)
I like the universe that is you.