What if Squid Game was rated PG?

Hello,

Recently, I had a random vision of what it would be like if Squid Game was adapted in an old anime style targeted to young adults. So instead of eliminated players being killed on-screen, they are ejected from the game in some cartoonish way (thinking of Team Rocket blasting off). The guards still use guns, but they are more like the guns of the old G.I. Joe cartoon, which act more like energy weapons that injure or incapacitate people without showing any blood.

There is exactly one sex scene across both seasons of Squid Game, and it feels rather unnecessary for the plot. We already knew that Han Mi-nyeo was flirting with Deoksu in order to join his gang and get his protection, and their trip to the bathroom could easily be mentioned but never shown.

Generally speaking, the plot of Squid Game is almost too simplistic; it can be summarized in one sentence: a series of contestants compete in a game show where eliminated players are killed off for real. The plot is so simple, in my opinion, that the show has to lean heavily into characterizations and character arcs in order to keep their adult audience interested (which it does very effectively).

But because the simple premise so effectively captures the imagination, that's probably why a lot of underaged people have seeped into Squid Game's fanbase (which is unfortunate). But because of that, maybe it would be better to actually have a show with the same plot but targeted to a younger demographic.

One could further argue that the moral lessons of Squid Game are something we would prefer the younger generation should internalize: that ruthlessly competing against others is a toxic mindset, and we should instead be working together against an unfair system.