Netflix has been releasing a lot of good content recently which is getting people back into the fun of binge watching. However, one particularly Korean show is receiving much popularity and is catching eyes from people all around the world – Squid Game.

Squid game is a show where hundreds of cash-strapped contestants accept an invitation to compete in children’s games for a tempting prize, but the stakes are deadly. All of the contestants are in some kind of debt which made them apply for the tempting prize. If one of the contestants were to lose the game, it would cost their life. Every elimination adds more money to the cash prize. The idea that one’s life would be worth such an amount of money would cause some to have the intent of killing to win, making it even more intense.

There are many characters you would hate and some you would get completely attached to. The fact that this all takes place through children’s games is what’s catching most people’s attention. Some games include, red light-green light, honeycomb carving, and squid game, a very physical korean children’s game where one has to stop the other from reaching the head of a drawn squid.

Thepparit Sysounthone, a Wayne Hills student shared his thoughts on the plot , saying, “The coolest part is definitely the fact they’re playing children’s games. Some scenes make me wonder how they came up with such creative sets.”

The pacing of the show is done well, with nine episodes being 45 minutes to an hour each. There are other interesting characters other than the contestants that keep you invested and on the edge of your seat. Kareem Rifai, a Wayne Hills student cited his favorite character, saying, “I like contestant number 1. He’s funny and very unaware of what’s going on around him which sort of keeps you attached to him.”

The show gained popularity through Tiktok and Instagram  with people making skits or attempting to do one of the challenges. The actors gained plenty of followers over the past few weeks with one of them gaining 2-3 million in just a few days. It’s incredible to see Korean culture spread fast and far among us. With Korean films like Parasite being top 10 on Netflix’ trending in 2020 as well as #Alive being a popular movie, it’s good to know creativity between different cultures are endless.

As exciting and adrenalizing the show sounds, the show really goes in depth on many of the characters struggles, showing how they got there and what they’re competing for. The show never keeps you bored from start to finish and it’s overall a good show to binge and kill some time.