Squid game 2021 , Season 1 Inspired By Kaiji : The Ultimate Survivor Anime ?

Contents

Imagine your fate being decided by a doll? Or some other crazy unfortunate scenarios like shattering glass as you play kids’ games?

Squid game is a Korean horror drama involving 456 cash starved contestants all who are badly in debt, and from all types of backgrounds. There are only two possible outcomes,$38 million prize money at the end or death in a flash.

Squid game
Image Credit : Deadline | Image Source : Google | Licensed By : Netflix

It is very suspenseful and will for sure keep you on the edge of your seat and Kaiji has almost the same plot. Kaiji is one of the great anime which is underrated. If you like this that means you will like it also. Even Here is a rope game also.

kaiji anime
Image Credit : Kaiji Wiki | image Source : Google | Licensed by : Madhouse

Yes it has stirred up the curiosity of all movie lovers world over,but how did it come by? Initially conceptualized in 2008, it was severally rejected over and over until it recently broke into the scene and stirred all the internet.

From multitasking as shown by writer and director Hwang Dong Ywuk, to brilliant acting by all the acts, whether seasoned or rookies such as Ho Yeon Jung, all was perfectly done and nothing was lost in translation, whether through actions or emotions. This is surely one of those shows that once they hook you,then belt up for the ride.

The series has a total of nine episodes and will eat well up to nine hours of your time. For me this is great series in Netflix and it touch the height of popularity like Money Heist.

Squid Game : All Episode Summery & Review

squid-game-1st-episode
Image Credit : Cnet | Image Source : Google | Licensed By : Netflix

The first episode involves Gi-hun,father of one though divorced with his wife who later marries to a wealthy family. She has full custody of their daughter as she obviously is better off financially.

The daughter’s birthday is fast approaching and Gi-hun needs money to buy her daughter a gift and also take her out. He is broke and only lives with his elderly mother,from whom he oftenly steals from.

He is also very chronically addicted to gambling. This sends him deeply into debt to the ruthless loan sharks. One time,he engages in a gambling contest at the race track and wins big,he even tips the attendant.

But the celebrations do not last long. He bumps into a stranger on his way out and is stolen from, without realizing it, by a North Korean pick picketer, Sae Byeok,who he later on will meet at the games.

As he tries to look for the money that he had won so as he can pay the sharks,he realizes he has got none left and begs them to let go of him. They beat him up and give him one more month before they come back for their money.

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On his way home at the subway,he meets a man who engages him in a card game in a bid to earn him quick money. He loses over and over, he allows him to slap him on the face as payment. After a long night of loses and getting bruised,he eventually wins big,the man then offers him an opportunity to get recruited into a place he can win even bigger.

He eventually agrees despite being sceptical about it at first and declining. At the pick up point,he is knocked out by a sleeping gas only for him to wake up dressed in unfamiliar green uniforms in a strange place. They are treated to three different rules of the game and are now ready to go.

SQUID-GAME-EPISODE-2
Image Credit : Decider | Image Source : Google | Licensed By : Netflix

After the first game only less than half of the contestants survive. Those who remain all want quit but are reminded of the second rule,that any member who wants to quit midway will automatically be eliminated through death.Gi-hun meets his childhood friend,Sang Woo who attended one of Korea’s most prestigious universities at the games.

Although their characters sharply contrast,they serve a purpose to achieving the intended purpose of the plot. They all,with the other players form a very impeccable team. He then chooses to engage in an enigmatic children’s game, red light green light, subconsciously though.

By round three, only 80 of the players are left. These then are divided into eight tug of war teams.After elimination,a total of 39 are left for round four.Sixteen made it to the fifth round, in which only three survived. Notably, the survivors were Gi-hun, Sang Woo and the pickpocketer Sae-byeok.

But for the latter,she was fataly wounded at the glass stepping stones’ round in which automatic weapons destroyed the playing field.Sang Woo then unceremoniously ends Sae-byeok’s run leaving just him and Gi-hun to the last round,the titular squid game.

The rules of this game are not that so clear. It is set in a rainy scene, and through and through,Sang Woo gets battered,kicked and licked by Gi-hun, but refuses to deal with a death blow, despite Gi-hun always emerging with an upper hand.

squid-game-image-3
Image Credit : Netflix | Image Source : Google | Licensed By : Netflix

Eventually Sang Woo ends his life with his own life, leaving Gi-hun as the champion. This had a devastating effect on his life.Largely distraught after the ordeal, Gi-hun does not even touch the price money that he had won for almost a year.

He then gets invited to a certain mysterious rendezvous a little later. To his surprise,the old man, Oh Il-nam, attends too. He had been previously executed in round four.

He comes to learn that although he legitimately suffered from a brain tumor,he was very rich and in fact the conceptor and main man around the show. He joined the game only to pass time and have fun. He wanted to break the monotony in his life,test if humanity still has any goodness still left in it. He engages him in one last bet but he dies just as Gi-hun wins that one.

The-Squid-Game-episode-4
Image Credit : The24 | Image Source : Google | Licensed By : Netflix

Gi-hun then takes Sae-byeok’s son from the orphanage and into the care of Sang Woo’s mother,who he also leaves half of his winnings. He had promised to take his custody.

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On his way at the airport to Los Angeles to visit his daughter,he notices the man that had recruited him into the game trying the trick on another stranger. Enraged,he snatches the calling card from the stranger and seeks to inquire who these people are and why they engage in such atrocious activities.

He is advised to go on with his journey and leave them alone but he chooses otherwise,,turns back his wheel to only him knows where…The ending is not that catchy though,the writers could surely have done a better job there.

Suide Game : Various Games in The Series – Simple but Complex and Cruel

Squid-Game-Honeycomb
Image Credit : Digitalveurope | Image Source : Google | Licensed By : Netflix

There are a total of six childhood games played in this series,but which ones are they?

The first one is red light green light,where a doll is automated to execute any kind of motions detected. It was very tense at first as most people didn’t know how to go about it. No one was supposed to move after the red light.

The second game is honeycomb candy. Trust me it only sounds beautiful when you are seeing it,not playing it. Each player here receives a tin comb imprinted with four shapes,a triangle,star, circle or umbrella.

They are required to choose a shape and extract it perfectly without breaking in under ten minutes or they are eliminated,by death. Those who chose the star and umbrella had to come up with extremely genius game plans for them to succeed. The triangle though was easier to extract.

The third game is marbles and this had no particular rules. Each player has a counterpart and they decide whatever game they play. The winner at the end of it all remains with all the twenty murbles and proceeds to the next round.

The fourth game is the tug of war. This is rather straightforward, with two teams on each side,the goal is to pull the other team over to your side across the dividing line,well not until the squid game. Here each team are put together and chained together and put at the other end of the platform,and if your team is overwhelmed you fall into a gap where you are bound to perish after the rope is cut into half.

Squid-game-glass-bridge
Image Credit : Buzzfeed | Image Source : Google | Licensed By : Netflix

The fifth game is the glass bridge.

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It is the most confusing, terrifying and messed up of all the games. It is a game of luck rather than ability. Players must jump from glass to glass over a bridge. A glass will also shatter on the weight of a player. They have a total of sixteen minutes to do all that and if they don’t beat the deadline,all the glasses shatter and they all die.

The last game is the squid game,one which gives the series its name. Players are divided into attackers and defenders and it is played on sand.

The attackers aim is to walk to the other end of the pitch on the home square with one foot and the defenders role is to prevent them from getting there. It only has one eventual winner.

Squid Game : Conclusion & My Opinion About Squid Game

squid-game ending explained
Image Credit : Indian Express | Image Source : Google | Licensed By : Netflix

These games mostly show the huge difference between the rich and the poor. For instance,the contestants are severely tricked into or forced to fight and kill one another, such as in squid game,but the real enemies are the ones who put them in there.

They also address different social commentaries such as when the North Korean is treated badly by those around her. There is also an aspect of society rot such as excessive gambling, stealing and evident societal class divisions and discriminations.

All in all,these TV series teaches us that money, doesn’t matter if big or small can ruin lives. So would you watch the squid game after going through this review or its not worth your try?

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FAQ about Squide Game :

What is the winning prize for Squid Game?

USD : $38 million
INR : 45.6 billion

Is Squid Game Similar To Kaiji ?

Yes, Squid Games concept is very similar with Kaiji anime. I think probably inspired by this underrated Anime. I recommend it to watch if you like Kaiji.

Which games played in Squid Games ?

1. Red light green light
2. Honeycomb candy
3. Marbles
4. Tug of war
5. Glass bridge
6. Squide Game

those six game played in Squid Game first season. Squid Game is count as one of the most viewed Netflix Series.

Writing Credit :

Writing and Research Credit goes to Brian Gichana. You can contact him if you like his writing. Here is his email id gichanabrian2000@gmail.com

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