“무궁화 꽃이 피었습니다”

(Translation: The Hibiscus Flowers Bloomed)

The phrase that has been stuck in the heads of fans of the international sensation Squid Game: a nail-biting show about 456 debt-ridden individuals who unknowingly accept an invitation to compete in deadly children’s games for a large cash prize. 

Once a rejected show, Squid Game has now taken its place as a top 10 show on Netflix. It’s found itself to be a recent hot topic with tons of fan art, TikToks, and has even been parodied recently on Saturday Night Live. 

 We don’t want to spoil anything, as it is a show you just have to watch. However, we’ll give you a taste of what you’re in for in case the peer pressure hasn’t gotten to you yet.

Not only is it a show about people getting killed from childhood games they once loved to play, but also it gets into the real issues which are based on what’s happening today, such as debt crimes and the homeless population in South Korea. 

We follow each character as they try to survive the games and their outside lives as well. We learn their stories, traumas, and grow attached to them as they grow closer to each other as well. The main characters have their own sad, gray life outside of the game, from gambling addictions to being an escapee from North Korea. 

The workers are sorted by the shapes on their masks: circle, triangle, and square. The circle workers carry away the players after they’re killed, triangle workers are to kill them, and squares are the highest authority and manage the CCTV.

The sets of  Squid Game show different scenes of the idea of childhood, such as the “Red Light Green Light” game it’s known for, and the playground where they cut out the perfect shape from dalgona.

Each episode creates a new unsettling nostalgic environment with tense situations. Every game raises the stakes higher and higher for the protagonists.

It also switches scenes from the game to the outside world where you can see the reality of the characters that need the money to pay off their debts. 

Squid Game has a bit of a slow start, but eventually it keeps you on the edge of your seat anticipating what will happen next. It ends on a cliffhanger which will hopefully lead to more seasons. Netflix would be making a mistake to not continue it.