[Notes on Chasing Dramas] A rare Korean survival drama that is too famous but still worth watching - "Squid Game"

Drama name: "Squid Game" (오징어게임)
Language: Korean Episodes: 9 (one season)
Year of broadcast: 2021

Taking survival games as the main axis, exploring the ugliness and limits of human nature, the genre of "Squid Game" is rare in Korean dramas, and the upsurge caused by the broadcast has been praised by Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos as a platform for years. The most successful representation ever. In the play, Lee Jung-jae plays a divorced old man, but by chance, he gets the chance to participate in a survival game. As long as he wins, he can get a sky-high bonus. Through Lee Jung-jae's chance encounter with his childhood playmate Cao Sang-woo (played by Park Hae-soo), and the interaction between the two during the game, the play explores the struggle and cruelty of people in the face of interests, and the "survival of the weak" becomes the "survival of the strong". "Entertainment", and criticized the current social situation of South Korea's strong food and money supremacy.

Although it has received a lot of responses, "Squid Game" has been controversial since its broadcast. In addition to using actual phone numbers and deposit accounts, even the most basic ideas are similar to the Japanese drama "The Kingdom of Now". and the film "Listen to the Word of God". However, apart from the fact that the game belongs to the traditional Korean children's play, "Squid Game" is much "ordinary" compared with the "supernatural power" in the two works, especially the elimination method is relatively less bloody and Terrible, so for viewers who don't like horror elements, the viewing experience of "Squid Game" may be very different.

In many film critics, "Squid Game" is called a "magic drama", but the author believes that such a statement is somewhat overrated. In addition to the fact that the rules of the game are sometimes difficult to understand, when some characters are portrayed by words and deeds, they are too deliberate, causing the audience to become impatient. In addition, as some film critics said, it is obviously a survival game, but it lacks the element of "wisdom", which also makes the content of "Squid Game" less exciting. But overall, the rhythm of "Squid Game" is not slow, and several key scenes do depict the sinister nature of human nature. As a new topic of Korean drama after the end of "Doctor Wise Life 2", it can be regarded as a slight relief from the drama shortage. 's sketches.

"Squid Game" short story: Cheng Qixun pays tribute to labor

As the plot progresses, the protagonist Cheng Qixun once said that he was an employee who was fired by the automobile company 10 years ago. At that time, the South Korean domestic car company "Ssangyong" made organizational adjustments without consultation, triggering as many as 600 employees to strike for 76 days, and 64 people were arrested by the police during the process.

For not being forgotten, and even becoming the protagonist of a popular Korean drama, the former Ssangyong employee who was fired at that time also expressed his gratitude to the director through the media. And such an arrangement may also be the best example of the fact that small shrimps can still fight against big whales in the order of "Squid Game".