The original script of “Squid Game” screened by Netflix on September 17 was once uninterested. For ten years, this dystopian Korean drama about survival games has been considered absurd and unrealistic, but it is now expected to top Netflix’s all-time ratings champion. In the past ten years, local Korean film and television companies have refused to accept the filming of this fictional TV series on the grounds of absurdity and unreality.
Popular all over the world, creating a ratings myth
But now, “Squid Game” has become a phenomenal drama: TikTok videos of children’s games are spreading wildly online, and online retailers are also rushing to sell Halloween costumes in the episodes.
The show ranks first in views in more than 90 countries, including the United States, which surprised even Netflix executives.
Minyoung Kim, director of creative activities in the Asia-Pacific region of Netflix, said that from all aspects, the total watch time of this Korean drama and the number of users who watched at least two minutes are expected to exceed Netflix’s current record-“Bridgerton (Bridgerton) )” and “Lupin”.
Netflix’s “Squid Game” trailer released on YouTube has more than 14 million views, more than twice the number of the above two shows.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Kim said:
“Squid Game” continues to be popular all over the world, and we have never seen any work so popular as it is.
Kim also said that although the show is very Korean, it is more attractive on a global scale because it raises a simple moral question: Who are we?
‘We are not horses, we are human beings. ‘She said,’This is the question that the show really wants to throw at you. ‘
Professor Kim, who has published a book on the Korean music industry, said:
South Korea is no longer a country where only a certain fan culture exists.
It is a major cultural center and its position on the Hollywood and Billboard rankings continues to rise.
Netflix started its business in South Korea in 2016, and it has introduced more than 80 Korean movies and TV series. In the past two years, the number of Americans watching Korean dramas has doubled.
About 95% of the viewers of “Squid Game” are in countries other than South Korea. Netflix said that the series has been translated into 31 languages and dubbed into 13 languages.
This achievement also represents the return of Netflix’s investment in Korean film and television over the years. Netflix said that from 2015 to 2020, it has invested about 700 million U.S. dollars in Korean movies and TV series. This year alone, Netflix plans to invest 500 million US dollars.
As “Squid Game” is so popular, Netflix is also facing unprecedented competition. Competitors are looking for original works that can attract the attention of global audiences and make their works stand out.
On Friday, Netflix’s stock price closed at $613.15. It has risen by more than 4% since the “Squid Game” fire in the past few days, and has risen by nearly 20% year-to-date.
Run through the story with children’s games
This South Korean TV series is based on a cruel survival game. The content is extremely violent and thrilling, showing the cruelty of capitalist society and exposing the ugly side of human nature.
The story takes place on an isolated island. 456 players who fell into despair due to debt received a mysterious invitation to participate in a survival game. If you win six rounds of the game, the winner will receive 45.6 billion won (about 39 million U.S. dollars) in prize money, and the loser will pay the price of life.
The game items are traditional Korean children’s games, such as’One Two Three Wooden People’ and so on.
According to BBC reports, Huang Dong Hyuk, director of “Squid Game”, said in an interview:
It is the irony of adults who can’t see hope risking their lives to participate in a children’s game that attracts people’s attention.
Experts also attribute the success of the play to the character design, many of which are marginal figures in society.
The key to a big victory: crossing cultural differences
Although the play is mainly based on Korean childhood games, it can cross cultural differences and resonate with audiences in other countries.
Scholars analyze that this is because the theme of the play allows people to easily’empathize’, so cultural differences will not affect the audience’s feelings.
According to a report by Deutsche Welle, Erik Paolo Capistrano, an associate professor at the University of the Philippines who has been studying Korean pop culture for many years, pointed out that the audience realized that these people may exist in society, and their stories are so true that they must do these terrible things in order to escape poverty. , Willingly accept harsh conditions.
He observed:’Many Filipinos connect the plot of’Squid Game’ with their current understanding of their own society. ‘
Lin Youyi, an assistant professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature, National Chengchi University, Taiwan, also said that in order for people at the bottom to get money and show the ugliness and glory of human nature, audiences can not only see exciting games, but also the competition between people in the bottom society. And contention, these’discussing human nature and social issues have escaped the social framework of South Korea, and people from different countries can resonate with their own experience’.
Lin Yooyi analyzed that these elements are combined with the Korean Wave and spread to European and American countries. For Western audiences, this is a novel oriental or Korean element. They will hope to learn more about Eastern culture through drama.
While showing humanity, the play also throws another social issue to the audience-fairness and justice.
The person in charge of the game competition in the play once said: “The people who participate in the game are equal. This is because we want to give people who are unfairly treated and discriminated in the outside world a last chance to win fair competition. ‘
South Korean psychiatrist Li Iljun told Deutsche Welle: “Squid game” is very exciting, but it does touch the deep-rooted sense of collapse and powerlessness in our society’s subconscious mind. ‘He pointed out that the’Squid Game’ provides an opportunity for reflection, allowing us to think about whether everyone has an equal opportunity in the highly competitive system of modern capitalist society, and whether everyone can achieve success by relying on their own ability, without the need for others. Human sacrifice or tactics.
Li Yiting, an exchange student from Taiwan, China who went to South Korea as an exchange student, pointed out that in the process of receiving education and growing up, he was taught to emphasize the importance of fairness and justice, but in fact there are still many inequalities and privileges in society. The play makes us feel’realism and reality’, and then reflect and resonate.
Jin Pingjiang, a professor at the Department of Global Cultural Content at Sangmyung University in South Korea, told the BBC: “The characters in the play seem to arouse the sympathy of people, especially the younger generation who often feel alienated and resentful. ‘
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