Squid Game
PLAYGROUND MURDERS
In Squid Game, a group of 456 people, in debt and desperate, are lured into a bloodgulching survival game where they have a shot at walking away with 45.6 billion Korean won ($39 million) if they win a series of six games. The twist? They die if they lose.
The games are simple - they are childhood games that the players grew
up playing. And that surprising element of innocent child's play with
violent deaths has caused viewers to sit up.
There's also the element of nostalgia. For example, the Dalgona
honeycomb challenge featured in episode three is one that most
Koreans remember playing when they were kids.
In the challenge, players must carefully cut out a shape from a paper-thin
sheet of honeycomb candy using a needle. If you get a very intricate
shape and the candy cracks, you lose.
CHARACTERS LIKE YOU AND ME
Experts also attribute the show's success to its characters, many of
whom are marginalised members of society.
Though they are all linked by huge money troubles, they come from all
walks of life.
The lead, for example, is an unemployed man with a gambling problem
who struggles to gain respect from his family. Through the game, he
meets a young North Korean defector with a tragic background, and a
Pakistani labourer who is mistreated by his employers.
RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT
Western media outlets have drawn comparisons between Squid Game
and Parasite, the Oscar-winning 2019 Korean film that also looked at the
wealth disparity and unfairness of society.
But in east Asia, viewers have pointed out how the show bears
similarities with the 2014 Japanese film As The Gods Will. The movie is
centred on high schoolers but it follows a comparable storyline, and
some have even accused Squid Game of plagiarism.
For example, As The Gods Will also features the traditional children's
game "Red Light, Green Light". In one of the most famous scenes from
Squid Game, a giant robot girl uses her laser eyes to spot players who
have lost the game. They are then killed.
In any case, all the hype surrounding his show has led to calls for a
second season. But fans may have to wait a long time for that.
