The following article contains mild spoilers for Netflix’s Squid Game.
Netflix’s Korean dystopian drama Squid Game seems to have taken over the internet, with thousands of fans talking about it on social media. Released on the streaming service on September 17, the series is on its way to become the most-watched non-English show globally and the steamer’s biggest original series of all time. But, why is it so popular?
Within a few days of its release, Squid Game was the most popular series on Netflix in more than 90 countries. It has resulted in several social media memes, is expected to be the inspiration for multiple Halloween costumes this year, and probably comes up at least once in every social conversation these days. It is interesting to see that a Korean violent-thriller series is being appreciated world over. It seems like television has truly transcended cultures.
The premise of the show is quite simple. A group of 456 people are lured into playing some survival-style games and they have a chance to win billions of Korean won if they win a series of six games. There’s just one condition - if they lose, they die. The series follows protagonist Seong Gi-Hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, as he participates in these games. Viewers know that only one person can win the prize, meaning all the other contestants will die.
The concept of Squid Game isn’t new, though. For years, television has produced similar content, with a theme of survival being at the epicenter. Several shows on Netflix also fall in the same genre, with people forced to play games of some sort and many being eliminated as the tournament progresses. But, none of them seem to have gained the same level of fan following as Squid Game.
In the past few years, Netflix has been investing a lot in foreign language content, with Korean dramas being a huge chunk of it. Since 2015, the streamer has spent more than $1 billion on Korean television series alone, according to a report published by Bloomberg. Korean dramas and films have been gaining popularity among international audiences over the past few years, and the ongoing pandemic has only helped in boosting their viewership.
Parasite, a Korean dark-comedy thriller, is a true testament of how content from the region has gained popularity. It is the first South Korean film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is important to note that similar to Parasite, Squid Game also looks at issues in Korean society, such as wealth or class disparity and capitalism.
In the series, it is obvious that the society is divided into districts and socio-economic classes. The games seem to be the only fair place for the contestants, with the emphasis being on how they are all equal. There are dialogues that talk about how all the participants, who have received unequal treatment in the real world, have one chance to win a fair competition.
With its relatable characters, popular children’s games, striking visuals, and horrific deaths, Squid Game sets itself apart from the other Korean dramas available to stream on Netflix. It is the first Korean show to break through to foreign audiences at such a large scale, and is even driving viewers to other similar East Asian content. Similar to Parasite, fans of the series are expecting the show to win some global awards in the near future.
Before its release, there was hardly any publicity of Squid Game and the widespread popularity is largely credited to word of mouth. When people first watched it, they posted raving reviews on social media, which began an entire conversation about the series’ plot and twists. It was like a domino effect, with more people hopping onto the bandwagon just to see what the hype was about. Netflix didn’t have to worry about advertising the series, as social media users did the perfect job of publicizing it. Squid Game has become so popular that the number briefly shown on the mysterious card given to potential players has led to one South Korean woman receiving thousands of phone calls and messages from fans.
Suddenly, the Korean thriller was competing against some of the most popular English series on Netflix, such as Bridgerton, The Witcher, and Stranger Things. Several videos have been shared online since the series premiered of people replicating the games that the characters on the show must play. The most popular ones are the “Red Light, Green Light” game, with the giant animatronic doll that detects people’s movements, and the honeycomb cookie. In the latter, the players were given a cookie, known as the “dalgona candy,” which is made of brown sugar and baking soda. They then had to cut shapes out of it, including a circle, triangle, star, and an umbrella. If their cookie breaks, they’re eliminated.
Cosplayers have also started replicating the looks of the different characters. One cosplayer nailed the look of the animatronic doll in the “Red Light, Green Light” game, and several others have already perfected the look of the participants and soldiers. Many people are already talking about dressing up as one of the characters from Squid Game for Halloween.
Another reason why Squid Game has gained so much popularity is the easy access to audiences. The series has been filmed in Korean, but Netflix has dubbed the show in 34 languages, and even provides subtitles in 37 languages. Providing several language options is something that Netflix has mastered over the years. Shows like Lupin, which is originally in French, and Money Heist, which is originally in Spanish, are great examples of the same. Both the series are among the top watched shows on the streaming service. However, there was the issue of Netflix botching the English subtitles on Squid Game, with many Twitter users complaining about the English closed-captioning changing the meaning of some of the dialogues.
The characters on Squid Game are also quite relatable, too. All of them are in dire consequences and seem to be desperate to earn money so they can pay off their debt. But, many of the main characters have families that they need to support and their emotional backstories are bound to tug at viewers’ hearts. Whether it is an unemployed man with a gambling problem, a North Korean defector struggling to support her brother, or a Pakistani labor worker trying to make ends meet, there are characters from all walks of life.
The most interesting aspect about Squid Game is that the creator Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote the script for the series back in 2009. He tried to sell it to several Korean production studios, but the violent nature of the series discouraged the buyers. In 2019, Netflix came across Hwang’s script and decided to produce it as an original series. What was initially meant to be a film is now one of the most-watched nine-episode series around the globe.
Fans are now calling for a second season, especially with the first season ending on a cliffhanger. But, it seems like they will have to wait a while as Hwang has not developed any plans to take the series further. Whether there is a second season or not, Squid Game doesn’t seem to be going off the top 10 list on Netflix for a while.
Squid Game is streaming on Netflix.