Physical: 100 has taken the global number one spot on Netflix, just like its South Korean brethren Squid Game – and the similarities between the shows don’t end there.
Actor Seo Kang Joon poses with a fan at an autograph signing.
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Inspired by the sensitive, handsome men they see on TV in their favorite K-dramas, they travel abroad in pursuit of a ‘soft’ masculinity they say they can’t find at home.
The commentary made by the hit show may seem absurd, but it’s uncomfortably close to the truth.
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The unanticipated popularity of the Korean show ‘Squid Game’ highlights our relationship to debt and capitalism, but the contradictions extend beyond the show itself.
As the popularity of Squid Game continues to grow globally, there have been debates over the quality of the English subtitle translation - but critics are missing important context.