Already the end of another year. I definitely think 2021 has gone by so fast. I managed to watch Squid Game after much hype over the months internationally (and seeing a few idols mention it on their live broadcasts).
Squid Game (2021): Playing old children's games for a big sum of money and the losers are eliminated. Survival of the fittest. It's brutal mind games to no end. I would definitely say this was worth the hype and entertainment. I was engrossed to the point of managing to watch the first season rather quickly. The cameos of two veteran actors caught me off guard.
I thought the beginning was a bit slow but once the pace picked up and the players started to compete, it got more interesting. There is much to unpack with the discrimination side of things (I think we can safely say the migrant prejudice and slight gay nod come to light but let's not forget that rather terrifying moment in episode 7 with Hwang Junho*). Ali Abdul is probably one of the MVP in this series and the discrimination towards South Asian and South East Asian migrant workers is common unfortunately. I've seen my relatives hire South East Asian maids to help in their households and how fellow East Asians look at those who are darker skinned. Wasn't also impressed with how the female characters were treated and some shafted like that. Player 1 was an MVP in his own right until that discovery in the last episode. Just wow. He was a mastermind.
I do wonder about season 2. Some things can be further explored so I would be interested in the likes of the Front Man's history and how he became that figure.
*I agree with some of the comments regarding the casting of the (mostly White) actors. It was just a tad cringeworthy. I'm not even going to refer to their mannerisms and how they're those kinds of men who would want pretty boys to do their bidding. I really was holding my breath when Junho was subjected to that particular act but he managed to stop himself and beat the pervert (I just went YES!!).
The Rose release "Beauty And The Beast". Boy it's been a while since I listened to them, let alone dived into the pop rock sound since they are currently enlisted in the military - aside from Woosung. I'm loving their prince-like clothes in the music video. Very dashing.
The Boyz's last single "Maverick" earned them more wins than before and once you listen to the song you may understand why. It has a catchy beat after repeated listens and a bit more hard/in your face compared to their previous singles. Drink It still owns my heart in 2021 but Maverick is climbing up there in my likes.