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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows "Squid Game." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ These photos, provided by Netflix, show Netflix original series "Squid Game." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Sep. 30 (Yonhap) -- Foreign medias are hastening to cover in their articles the South Korean series “Squid Game” which is on 1st rank for Netflix’s world top contents.
UK daily news media The Guardian looked deep into the background of the remarkable global success writing an article, “Squid Game: the hellish horrorshow taking the whole world by storm” on the 28th (local time).
The participants of “Squid Game,” a 9-episode Netflix series, compete in survival games to win the prize money of 45.6 billion won. They have to 'survive' the games as losers are killed instantly.
“The nine-part series is the first Korean show to reach the top spot on the streaming platform in the US, and is currently number one in the UK,” said The Guardian.
“Its success won’t come as a surprise to a generation of viewers who got hooked on murderous dystopian series The Hunger Games and cult favorite Battle Royale.”
But Squid Game’s backdrop is South Korea’s present-day, very real wealth inequality, The Guardian pointed out as the difference of the series.
The media also spotted that both “Parasite,” winner of 2019’s Oscar Award, and “Squid Game” feature two separate classes.
“Yes, the games are terrifying but how much worse are they than the half-lives of those living in interminable debt?”
“An episode of backstories makes it clear that anyone can fall into debt through bad luck,” said The Guardian.
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| ▲ These photos, provided by Netflix, show Netflix original series "Squid Game." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
US CNN started their article “’Squid Game’: What it is and why you will be obsessed with it” saying, “Netflix’s latest hit really kills” on the 29th.
“’Squid Game’ is a South Korean fictional drama in which contestants who are deeply in debt play children’s games in order to win a ton of cash,” said the media.
“To say the horror series is causing a buzz would be an understatement.”
“It’s a bit of a phenomenon much like the South Korean film ‘Parasite’ turned out to be,” commented CNN.
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| ▲ These photos, provided by Netflix, show Netflix original series "Squid Game." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Deadline, an American media featuring breaking Hollywood news, assumed that the series’ groundbreaking popularity marking top spot for US Netflix ranks was possible due to the trend of openly accepting non-English-language contents among American watchers.
The media sees the series as a milestone for Korean original dramas.
“Squid Game also is benefiting from the rising popularity ㅡ and acceptance ㅡ of non-English-language content among U.S viewers,”
“91% of Netflix’s US members have chosen to watch at least one non-English-language title in the past year. The ramp-up is even more dramatic for K-dramas, whose US viewership has jumped over 200% between 2019 and 2020,” reported Deadline.
French channel BFM TV has also spotlighted the series saying, “The first Korean series to put up its title on Netflix top 10.”
“It astonished the critics and the viewers.”
The media introduced squid game is the most popular game in Korea in the 1970s and said that the game was the perfect metaphor for the drama’s message in that the game required strategic thoughts.
“The series is very crafty carrying the tension from the start to end and shows cruelty hardly seen in films,” commented BFM.
They also added that Korean culture’s popularity these days, from BTS to “Parasite” and webtoons, is unprecedented.
The article featuring “Squid Game,” a huge global sensation regardless of country, became BFM TV’s official website’s the most read article of the morning on the 29th.
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