According to “Squid Game: The Netflix show adding murder to playground nostalgia” (Yip & Lee, 2021), Squid Game, a Korean thriller, is successful because of its visuals, characters, and relatability. Centered around a survival game, 456 contestants have to compete in games to have the chance to win 36 million dollars; however, if they lose, they will be brutally murdered. While some are accusing the show of plagiarism, the director has denied all the accusations saying that it was because of the genre that made the shows similar. One of the attractions of the show is the mixture between the competitiveness between the characters, and the irony that the games they are desperately competing in to win money are innocent childlike games. Some games in the show hold some nostalgia for many people, such as the Dalgona honeycomb challenge. Another star attraction is the relatability of the competitors. Most of them are people who are a nuisance to society, and in desperate need of money. According to Kim Pyeong-gang, individuals, especially of a younger generation, who routinely experience “alienation” and “resentment” from society, appear to relate more with the characters. In the competitive environment of East Asia, many have felt that no matter how much work they do, it is impossible for everyone to succeed. The games represent the opposite. Everyone of the competitors who have faced discrimination in society are all on the same level in the game, and all have the same chance to win.
Reference
Yip. W. & Lee, W. (2021, October 1). Squid Game: The Netflix show adding murder to playground nostalgia. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58729766
I had been seeing Squid Game as a trending show on NetFlix the last month or so, but since it didn't sound like something I would enjoy, I hadn't watched it, but after reading reading Yujin's paragraph and also seeing it mentioned so favourably in the source that I summarized, I decided to give it a go.
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch the whole series in one day, but am well into it now, and can appreciate why it's so popular. I went to sleep last night much later than I should have, and it's all the fault of the K-drama, a driver of yet more hallyu, as that new OED lets me express it.
There was a less favourable attitude reported in the Bangkok Post this morning: "Police warn 'Squid Game' viewers", but I'm not going to let that stop me relaxing with another episode right now. But hopefully only one episode tonight.
I find myself in the same place with Peter. I have seen it being so popular on the social media this month, but still had not watch it yet. After I had read your summarizing paragraph and the original article, I decide to watch it in order to keep up with the trends.
ReplyDeleteThis made me slept at 3AM last night as I watched the whole series in one day. It was very enjoyable to watch
Like Yok, I finished watching the very enjoyable Squid Game last night, but since I had already watched a few episodes over the previous two days, I was able to finish around midnight and then get to sleep. I hadn't planned to watch so much in one session, but as it got closer to the end, I really did want to see how it turned out.
DeleteI think I might now watch it again, but not today. As Yujin's paragraph tells us, it's not only very entertaining, but gives us a lot to think about. What really caught my interest last night and kept me watching to the end was the arrival of the VIPs, who had only been spoken about in the previous episodes. But I don't want to spoil it for those who have not already watched it, so won't say any more about the plot that kept up me up when I should have been asleep, or perhaps working.
I saw it the night the series was published on Netflix and finished it in the morning the next day. I still do not understand why this series is so popular. In my opinion, Korean series are very good for drama movie, showing unequal and how gambling-addicted and scammers are, but their games leave me a little disappointed because they are so simple in comparison to Alice in Borderland. Anyways, due to their games being so simple, it might be the reason why many people easily get it and also make them easy to emulate in real life, like some café in France or somewhere.
ReplyDeleteIn the part where they was accused the show of plagiarism, I find some similarities between the first games of "Squid Game" called "a i u e o" and "As the Gods Will". The concepts of the games are very similar. This might be why they are accused of plagiarism.