Netflix Squid Game

[Angela Channing]

Everyone seems to be talking about this Korean Netflix drama series so I thought I would give it a watch and all the hype and excitement around it is justified. It's brilliant. I'm about halfway through the series and it's totally gripping. The premise is a group of people who are heavily in debt are invited to play a series of children's games to win millions of dollars but the catch is if they lose they are killed. There's a lot of suspense and edge of seat moments and the acting is so good that you really sense the tension that the characters are going through.

I can't recommend this series enough.

 

[Ome]

I wasn’t immediately taken in because I struggled with the dubbing, but it was far too fascinating for me to give up and now I’m hooked.

 

[Emelee]

My 11 year old pupils talk about this and want me to watch it. After telling them that they're too young to be watching this, I told them I'd give it a try.

 

[Pamela_E]

I am on episode 2, I love it. How do Netflix manage to get so many must watch, talk about shows?

 

[Crimson]

I wasn’t immediately taken in because I struggled with the dubbing

Yes, that was a problem for me at first too. Even with my tendency to not really watch TV while watching TV (I multitask a lot), I found the dubbing to be distracting. Although not as comically bad as old GODZILLA movies, many of the English voices didn't match the actors and I suspected things were getting lost in translation. (Which was apparently true.)

Once past that, I found it to be gruesome, addictive fun. Nine episodes might have been too much; my interest peaked with episode 6 and the last few episodes felt dragged out.

 

[Pamela_E]

why are you watching a dubbed version? Sub-titles are so much better.

 

[Angela Channing]

why are you watching a dubbed version? Sub-titles are so much better.

I generally prefer subtitles to dubbing so I can get more of a sense of the emotion in the performance of the original actors. Also, when shows are dubbed they change some of the dialogue to fit better with the mouth positions but this sometimes subtly changes the meaning of certain lines. An example I saw online was a scene in which a female character works out how to complete a challenges and is dubbed as saying "I'm not a genius, but I still got it work out" when the actual dialogue was "I am very smart. I just never got a chance to study". The original dialogue is more of a commentary on the inequalities that exist in society which is in keeping with the anti-capitalism undertones of the series and this is lost in the dubbed version.

 

[Pamela_E]

I generally prefer subtitles to dubbing so I can get more of a sense of the emotion in the performance of the original actors. Also, when shows are dubbed they change some of the dialogue to fit better with the mouth positions but this sometimes subtly changes the meaning of certain lines. An example I saw online was a scene in which a female character works out how to complete a challenges and is dubbed as saying "I'm not a genius, but I still got it work out" when the actual dialogue was "I am very smart. I just never got a chance to study". The original dialogue is more of a commentary on the inequalities that exist in society which is in keeping with the anti-capitalism undertones of the series and this is lost in the dubbed version.

Yes, I struggle with dubbing. I get taken back to Monkey back in the day, although i guess that is now part of it's charm.

But that show left me with nightmares

 

[Ome]

I went with the subtitles in the end b because it felt like some of the voice actors were thinking they were working on some animated series, probably The Clone Wars.


I enjoyed the whole season but felt the ending lacked any punch.

 

[Angela Channing]

I enjoyed the whole season but felt the ending lacked any punch.

I think this a problem with many series because they feel the need to keep the storyline open for a potential second season rather than playing out to a satisfactory conclusion.

 

[Emelee]

So I watched the 2 first episodes tonight. I will absolutely watch the rest. The last 20 minutes of episode 1 were terrific! After episode 2, it made sense for them all to return to the game. Hellish lives aren't much to fight for.

I watch with subtitles. I cannot stand dubbing. Swedish tv/film usually have subtitles. The dubbing is mainly in kids shows as they can't read well, or at all. Original spoken language is always best with 1 exception. The shows I grew up with and got used to the dubbing will still remain best with dubbing. Ducktales and Winnie the Pooh and a number of Disney films much be with Swedish voices!!!!

 

[Willie Oleson]

I've watched some clips on youtube. How is this even remotely fascinating or exciting?
The only thing that looks cool are some of the set designs. The combination of characters is as cookie-cutter as the Spice Girls.

But I have great respect for Netflix's PR. This is quite an achievement.

 

[Ome]

How is this even remotely fascinating or exciting?

Our daughter watched it first and kept going on at us to watch it. I saw a few bits here and there from when she was watching it, and what I saw did not appeal to me at all.

Maybe this is a case of trying out the first episode to get a true feeling of the show. Sometimes a few YT clips can give the wrong impression. Not that I have any idea what videos you did watch.

That is certainly a factor for me and my enjoyment, fascination with the show.

 

[Emelee]

No show will ever appeal to all. I think you may need to like the slightly absurd, the dark, the egoistic loser type of characters and have a fascination for how docile bodies cave to the anonymous "big brother" to enjoy a series like this. It's gritty.

As a huge fan of Franz Kafka, Edgar Allen Poe and Oscar Wilde, this series appeals to me.