It’s surprising that a Korean show has become the number one show in America, but “Squid Game” is just that good. 

Debuting on Sept. 17, “Squid Game” has since grown to be the most popular TV show in over 90 countries, according to NBC, and it has broken the record for Netflix’s biggest series launch. 

It’s about a group of 456 indebted South Koreans who are invited to play a series of games, and if they win, their debts will be forgiven and they will become extremely rich.

This proposition seems harmless, but as the contestants quickly find out, the punishment for losing is death. 

As the show continues, new games are introduced and more contestants are eliminated (literally). With each elimination, the prize money increases, and the remaining contestants become more eager to win. 

Out of the original contestants, the show focuses on six main characters, slowly revealing information about how the prize money will benefit these contestants and their families. 

It becomes easy to root for multiple of these main characters, but in the end, only one will make it out alive. 

The plot itself is already fascinating, but two aspects of the show bring it to the next level. 

The first is the types of games these contestants play. Out of all the games the producers could have chosen, they decided on children’s games, like red-light green-light and tug-of-war.

While competing, these players face childhood memories of these once peaceful games. As they remember the joy these games used to bring, they now have to play them in a life or death situation. 

This mixture of innocence with death is ironic and terrifying, but its effect is absolutely brilliant. 

The second brilliant aspect of “Squid Game” is the way it desensitizes its viewers from reality. This is accomplished through its blunt portrayal of death. As more characters die, the weight of death softens, and the mass loss of life becomes almost casual. 

The success of “Squid Game” is well-deserved with its fascinating plot and eerie vibes, and it foreshadows the future of the entertainment industry. 

According to Netflix, 95% of the show’s viewers come from outside South Korea. This statistic indicates that a film industry, which has been dominated by Hollywood for so long, is finally expanding, and K-Dramas like “Squid Game” are becoming more popular. 

This idea is supported by the success of the Korean film “Parasite,” which became popular across the world and won six Academy Awards, including an Best Picture in 2020. 

Breaking records and setting a precedent for the future of film, “Squid Game” is not a show you want to miss.