My personal opinion and the impact of the worldwide phenomenon
Everyone is talking about the Netflix series Squid Game, but is it as good as it seems? I wanted to know myself, so I binged it last weekend. My answer: yes, it is.
Before I share my opinion, let's talk about Squid Game’s impact. According to the BBC, “The Korean drama was watched by 111 million users in its first 28 days, knocking Bridgerton (82 million) off the top spot,” and making it “Netflix's biggest ever series launch.” However, the show’s impact is not limited to its number of viewers.
Squid Game’s influence can also be seen in sales. Forbes states that “Sales for white slip-on Vans sneakers spiked 7,800% since the show’s debut,” and “Sales for Dalgona, the brittle Korean candy featured on the show, are up big, with one vendor reporting a 250% increase in sales.” The memes are also abundant. Not only that, but cast members have also blown up. As stated by Forbes, HoYeon Jung, a breakout star from the show’s success, saw her Instagram following go from 400,000 to 18.9 million and won deals with Adidas and Louis Vuitton.
Behind the scenes of tug-of-war scene in Squid Game (before&afters)
Now, let's get to my love letter. I was thrilled to watch the show after hearing so much about it. Even my parents had seen it before me! I watched it with my younger brother in two days and the experience was astounding. Like my dad said, “I wish I could watch it again for the first time.” Squid Game is like a breath of fresh air to me since I haven't seen any Korean series other than this one. Foreign shows are always interesting to me, but this one was different due to its violent nature.
The range of emotions I felt while watching this show is worrying: sadness, shock, disbelief, hope, happiness, and more. The actors did an incredible job! Squid Game was HoYeon Jung’s acting debut, which is very inspirational since she did a breathtaking performance. She is the model-turned-actress who played Kang Sae-byeok, one of my favorite characters in the show.
The cast behind the scenes of Squid Game (People)
The costume design caught my eye. The tracksuits the characters wear in the game are simple, but stylish. The bad guys’ costumes were also not disappointing: the red jumpsuits make them identifiable, and the masks in the show make them look scary and inhumane. The set design was jaw dropping and the writing phenomenal.
An element of the show that I appreciated while watching it was how much I learned about Korean culture. Of course, the show is Korean, but since the plot revolved around Korean children's games, I felt that I learned more about their culture. Not only that, but the way the children’s games are implemented are ironic and the production was cleverly done. The plot twists are mind bending and you will question who you should sympathize with.
One of the countless Squid Game memes (digitalmomblog)