I think the right place at the right time argument is so true yet also I think not only that Squid Game reached wider audience (thank you netflix) but also it does feel like it's made for wider audience.

Tho I do agree with the argument on how Netflix basically butchered the dialogues (matter of factly, I think it's not only on Squid Game but also every show they sub, even the romcoms on the lighter side) I still doesn't think it excuse some dissapointment. Yes, the dialogue in korean sounds much better but story wise..... I don't know.... I just feel like it didn't leave any impression...

Also i think another reason that it blew up because it is rich of puzzles and symbolism which viewers can talk about and take a part of, i mean everybody LOVES that

i hv yet to watch it (an am not sure if i can handle knowing it has blood and gore)... but i am happy that people around started watching and talking abt Kdramas in general when my attempts to make them watch failed in last many years..
so as Kdramas devotee its a good thing without a doubt.
and thanks for sharing this lovely article abt Squid Game's success.. it will help me decide to watch it.

It's good storytelling and entertainment for sure. We were made to care about the individual players because we'd been introduced to them early on. Another element is the suspense in the simple games when the stakes were so high. It appealed to a younger demographic too, and I think they are tuned into games and life and death competitions. In addition, games are allegories of the game of life, and we saw what happens, even when everyone starts on an equal footing (purportedly). It also had the feel of being a microcosm of rl in an experimental way. Then there was the humanness of the characters, for good and bad. There was warmth too. It had heavy moral tones by the end, addressing the question of whether we as individuals bother about others who are in difficulties: is it everyone for themselves or are there any, or even one or two, who would care to reach out to help. And the thing I love most about kdramas- the full spectrum of emotions were represented.

Personally, the violence almost stopped me watching, but I had to watch to see what was so compelling about it. I only hope people now discover some of the really wonderful dramas that are out there.

I wrote this comment in another post and I believe it applies here as well:

I find the handwringing by kdrama viewers over Netflix "polluting" kdramas to be wholly misplaced. Netflix is creating Korean shows for the global audience, not for the Korean audience. Those are two different audience groups with separate tastes. Netflix KR's original series are so different from your classic kdramas that they should be thought of separately. Regular Korean networks will keep churning out classic kdramas for the purist viewers.

3 more thoughts:

1) Netflix is now the mechanism for the Hallyu wave, and it is able to push Hallyu to a scale it wasn't able to achieve before, which is GLOBAL instead of just Asia. The South Korean government should be giving Netflix some tax breaks or something to show appreciation.
2) I don't think it's a given that there will be legions of new kdramas viewers, since again, Netflix KR and the classic kdramas are night-and-day. (Can't imagine Squid Game viewers going for stuff like Yumi's Cells or Dali & Cocky Prince). You might have a subset start to dip their toes further into the kdrama territory.
3) Netflix has disrupted the dynamics of kdrama celebrity. Unlike domestic channels, Netflix doesn't rely on casting idols or big names in order to get viewership and PPL deals. Netflix has the power to MAKE superstars overnight, so all it needs is good script, directing, and people who can act. I wonder if domestic channels are soon going to have to compete against Netflix for actors, writers, directors, and producers. If I was in the industry, I would prioritize a Netflix deal because a) it pays well, and b) one good project and I'll be looking at global superstardom.

In my country Nigeria here, the fan fever is really high. Some of my friends who I could have sworn will only watch anything Korean in their next life are filling my status and Tiktok with their own version of Squid Game.

To my own surprise, I still haven't watched it yet. I don't really know what's keeping me from watching but I love the fever it's creating in my country.

I think the strength of Squid Game was its visual, it was really appealing plus a short story made easy to binge.

Luck always is a factor.

But for me, Netflix's gems were Move to Heaven and D.P. this year.

IMO, Netflix's marketing strategy also made a difference. They use a variety of media (not just online) to reach a wider audience who otherwise would not have otherwise bothered. For example, Netflix Philippines placed an actual RedLight GreenLight doll , complete with rotating head and scary red eyes in front of a mall just across a pedestrian lane. It became a curiousity as people started posting photos, and then all of a sudden, it became a must-go spot, while still observing social distancing of course. They also placed a lot of local content mixed with scenes from the show, in you tube, a lot of posters , etc. Of course the actual show itself deserves the credit but first, people need to get curious, and that is what effective marketing could influence.

The success is due to the fact that Squid Games is a very Westernized product in terms of (lack of) values. While many fans of Korean or Chinese dramas fail to admit it, what drives us to love non-Western dramas is the fact that the stories are imbued with a moral sense akin to traditional religious themes.

Celebration of the family, exaltation of the difference between men and women and mutual completion, purity and innocence, honesty and moral rectitude, respect for parents. This is what many of us have found in kdrama.

Unfortunately, today's drift of Western products tends towards nihilism, violence, pornography and depravity. It is obvious that many are attracted to it. What I think is that if a lot of people healed My Mister or even What's Wrong With Secretary Kim then they would stop being attracted only to Western content. But it is obvious that the pendulum is not facing this direction.

I can’t help wishing it had been something more wholesome which had gone global. I end up feeling gloomy when stuff which goes viral is usually gory, scary or explicit.
Or am I being pessimistic?

Totally agree about being territorial xD But I don't tell my friends about my opinion and keep my mouth shut. I'll let them explore Kdramaland on their own and if they seek some recommendations, won't hesitate to tell my faves.

I do feel excited on what this brings to the K-industry and it looks like the filming aspect is also different (Na PD's Game Caterer with the PDs) as to how diff it is, no idea but hopefully for the better. For both the casts and crew.

And then about the subtitle part, may Netflix fix or give more time to their subbers to be able to bring out or closer to the context of what the drama really tries to convey. Considering the conversation that's going on, I can only hope.

One important element is I think the success of Parasite. It both primed an international audience to see Korean cultural product as quality entertainment - rather than its historical (and we know somewhat misplaced) image of crazed Makjang and shallow romcoms - and clearly resonated with people also tired of the horrors of late stage capitalism.

I can't explain (or even quite fathom) why Squid Game has had such an extraordinary cultural impact instead of, say, Extracurricular, which was the superior show. (Perhaps because on paper the story it's telling is much more straightforward and it can be more easily watched without deeper analysis).

Except that those things that make it quintessentially Korean happen to be things that also speak profoundly to the international audience that already embraced Parasite.

I think timing definitely played a part in Squid Game's success. Five years or even two years ago I'm not sure if it would have taken off like it has as there is no denying TikTok has generated a massive amount of interest in the show. One of the reasons the Deadly Games genre is popular is the "What if I" factor that very much lends itself to social media.

I'd say people have found Squid Game to be well made and compelling too. Four non-kdrama fans that I know watched Squid Game, and it has been interesting to hear their reactions vs. the reactions of DB. On a whole, I would say Beanies response was tepid, but my real life peeps had strong emotional responses to the drama, very much caring about the characters.

I know there are strong feelings about Netflix on this site. I'm not worried about losing traditional k-dramas as those are the networks' bread and butter, but I do like that Netflix has offered a new frontier, where by all accounts, creators have more freedom. I think the resulting content has still been very Korean, but with themes more often seen in Korean films. I know the writer of Squid Game spent 10 years trying to get it made. I wonder if he ever considered turning it into a movie. It would have been a box office hit, methinks. Oh well, it turned out for the t, becoming an international success.

This article is spot on..lol especially with those of us who have been around for a decade and more...just three months ago I was asking my friends (forcing more like) to watch kdrama. I would go through my 150+ titles list to cherry pick the best ones, and feel so apprehensive that I'd give them an unfair representation of kdrama and they won't become fans. But wow, how the tide has turned...i find myself being like stay off my happy place. What if kdramas lose their essence (there has to be something) as they try to cater to a wider audience...on the other hand content and characters might become more diverse as we have seen in the last two three years. I do find myself acting uppity lol and saying things like I've been here since days of Dae Jang Geum and k***asian, m**sian and other god given websites

Thanks @missvictrix for bringing this discussion to Dramabeans. Like many Beanies I ceased mentioning Kdramas to my friend/colleague circle long ago. We are all aware that Korean content is always underpinned with a sense of humanity, as in "we're all in this together". While Squid Game is n ot my preferred genre I started watching by shear happenstance.
On vacation we stumbled on a tiny Korean take-away joint in a strip mall. The owner asked if I'd ever visited Korea and my response was no, but I was a superfan of K-dramas. She asked if I'd seen Parasite (twice in theaters) and then ordered me and her clerk to watch Squid Game.
Like many Beanies I like to dive deep so I watched two eps and then read every review or article, from critics, financial analysts and social commentary, that I could find online. The most illuminating to me was a discussion of "predatory capitalism" in a Salon piece by Melanie McFarland. https://www.salon.com/2021/10/02/squid-game-netflix-debt-predatory-capitalism/
I intend to continue watching one episode per day so I can discuss it with my nieces and nephews.

I think several factors are in play. First, COVID home boredom allowed many viewers to take a chance on Squid Game. Second, it is a familiar Hunger Games/Battle Royale premise to a broader audience. Third, the general global economy has taken a bite out of the middle and lower classes. There is a connection with the plight of the poor characters. Fourth, the distribution channel made it accessible to more people than a normal Korean TV licensing deal. Fifth, the quality of filmmaking makes people want to discuss the story.

I think there’s a general shift towards English speaking audiences being more open to things in other languages (plus of course dubbed), probably partly because it’s easier to access now, and pandemic means we watch more tv so it’s a way of finding something new. At this point people are watching Squid Games because people are watching Squid Games and they want to be part of it. I would be surprised if it led many into being habitual kdrama viewers - possibly more inclined to check out if one pops up in their recommendations but not seeking out.

I think that we will see more K-drama fans in part because, have watched one show on Netflix they can access others also available there- and some of those are very good. I also think that the success of PARASITE adds to peoples awareness as well- disposing them to think of Kdrama as a whole in a favorable light. In a similar way BTS prepared the way for the worldwide success of BLACKPINK- which is why Netflix actually has an hour and a half documentary on them. Although, unlike BTS, McDonalds has not yet run a special BLACKPINK happy meal.

But I think that there is also another factor at work here: The sterility of so much of the programming in the US and other places. Kdramas are not out to preach the most recent politically correct message nor are they aiming at some lowest common denominator in the hopes of a series which will last 10 years. Kdramaland has not forgotten that the mission of entertainment is TO ENTERTAIN. This is actually the common denominator of both BTS and SQUID GAME.

Economics dictates that the success of SQUID GAME and the financial rewards of appealing to a broader international audience will probably lead to many kdramas being fashioned with that in mind. I think that this will be OK as long as the writers, actors and directors do not forget that the only real mission they have is to entertain.

I'm going to be a dissenting voice here, and say that I think this might be a one-off, an accident of time and place rather than a sign of things to come. I don't think the flood gates for Korean content are about to open, or at least not more than they did 18 months ago, when Parasite was everywhere.

Squid Game works partly because its content speaks to viewers in an era when millions feel some degree of desperation, isolation, and just being stretched to exhaustion by the pandemic, by politics, etc, Some people use drama series as escape (perhaps explaining the success of dramas like Bridgerton and Crash Landing on You in 2020). Other people need to have their experiences validated by vicarious suffering, I guess. Enter Squid Game, a series that combines the wretched premise of Battle Royale with the competitive zeal of sports and the gore of the average slasher film. Every Korean series, even if produced exclusively for Netflix, isn't going to check all those boxes. Heck, Netflix's own DP, every bit as dark and intense as Squid Game but without the leavening of SG's occasional humor, did not turn into a runaway hit.

I think Netflix will continue to invest in Korean content because there's a huge demand for it in places where Netflix is trying to grow its audience. The platform has 28 million subscribers in Asia, a number Netflix wants to grow to 100 million in the next few years. Korean content is the leading edge of that growth. But that doesn't mean every Korean production has to do (or is even intended to do) Squid Game-type numbers.

Even since I''ve been watching k-dramas and k-film, I've been asking myself the same questions, "What is it about this that keeps me coming back?" When I think I've bottomed out, I start on something else that hooks me in. Why? What keeps me coming back for more?

I took time to read about the history and eventually decided that Korean culture is not only characterised by originality but also by clever adaptation, by borrowing, refashioning, and reinvigorating.
On top of that, Korean cultural production (and even reproduction) infuses a unique aesthetic that shows up in form, colour, music and in the emotional landscape.

So every time someone says, "that's been done before", I say to myself, "yes, but not quite like this". It's different and unexpected and often surprisingly life affirming.

Alice in Borderland seems to be pretty popular too, kinda same theme, watched neither, just looking at what is trending on YouTube

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/09/netflixs-squid-game-owes-its-popularity-to-anxieties-of-modern-life?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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I expected Squid Game to blow up, but not like this. Overall, I agree with your opinion about this being released at the right time and at the right place. Also, this feels like Parasite all over again; Squid Games talks about social issues that everyone can feel (read: something Westerners can relate to) and it's packed with such an "exciting" packaging (the whole game concept). Everyone can understand it despite it being an Asian content that "forces" a lot of people to read subtitles. There are a lot of symbolism and theories so those added to the fun as well.

As someone who's been here a long time and has watched a number of shows with similar concepts, I have to say that I wasn't really satisfied with Squid Game. I found the whole concept "basic" (although I know the creation process must've been very complicated) and the execution didn't offer anything new either. Maybe I've watched too many shows like this (Liar Game, Alice in Borderland--which I also found boring, esp towards the end--, Battle Royale... as well as Hunger Games, etc), but I think the main problems were the pacing (some episodes were be super slow that I glanced at the remaining duration, some passed so quickly) and the characters (The Good One, The Kind-but-Cunning-One, The Crazy One..). I felt little to no affection towards them, and their actions were pretty much predictable. Some of the sub-plots went on too long and ended up anti-climatic, and well... the whole story felt predictable. During the final episode, I found myself scrolling through Twitter instead of watching the final battle (which was supposed to be the climax) so I think that spoke a lot.

I love that the actors catapulted to stardom, though. They all deserved it, although now I think I have to settle with the fact that I'm not a fan of Wi Hajoon. I've given him a lot chances, but he never managed to leave a deep impression (it's just me though!)

P.S. I totally get the whole "get off my lawn!" feeling, I think I feel that too (experienced the same thing with post-BTS K-pop). But I'm happy that everyone appreciates all the content now!