Squid Game

Tv shows come and go, on and off of various TV streaming services. However, this recent TV show became Netflix’s No. 1 most-watched show or film ever recorded. Shows can interest people through their irrational fantasies like fairies, vampires, or supernatural characteristics — but Squid Game in particular engrossed 142 million households worldwide in the first 28 days since its release with its deep anxiety, vulnerability, and its dystopian attributes. 

Unlike any other show, Squid Game exhibits a violent community filled with people forced to fight to the death amongst the community’s poverty. It’s a sensation, it’s popular, it’s trendy. But why?

This Korean thriller crowded its nine hour-long episodes with Korean-filled talent and nature disregarding any foreign characteristics that, say, Americans would have enjoyed. Therefore, the global popularity of this film can be described as unprecedented. 

One thought behind the fame of this film is the rather grotesque contest the actors compete in. Competing for $38 million, the actors turn against one another to be the one winner; the only one who gets to live. Also known as “red light, green light”, the deadly game has the district racing to the giant robotic girl for the monetary prize and the prize of life. This unique approach unexpectedly electrified all other parts of the world other than just South Korea. 

The film’s distinct scenes also played a role in its popularity. The different behaviors in the show were followed by Twitter and Tiktok, making it trendy on various other platforms. There was one action in particular that spread drastically to social platforms: cutting shapes out of dalgona candy without breaking it. The Squid Game lovers quickly brought this challenge to social media, trying it themselves.

This dystopian thriller was filled with anxiety and vulnerability that interested cultures around the world, but also demonstrated that non-English-language shows are on the rise, and aren’t stopping anytime soon.