Squid Game: Did Korean Drama Have Its Evangelion Moment?

I did not expect to be writing a follow up essay so soon. In the interest of complete honesty, I did not expect to be writing this at all. Especially with the way things work now. Roughly 10 months ago I opined that in order for the medium of Korean drama to be refreshed, it needed a work similar in quality and popularity to the of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the earth-shattering, industry-defining juggernaut whose impact on the medium of anime is still felt to this day. Out of nowhere (as these things seemingly always seem to be) Squid Game, at the time of writing, is well on it’s way becoming Netflix’s most viewed series of all time. That’s right. More than Orange Is The New Black, more than Stranger Things, more than Bridgerton. So with these uncharted waters for a Korean drama being as massively popular as it is, it’s almost time to, if not answer the question, at least ask and ponder it as a starting point: did Korean drama have its Evangelion moment?

Before we get into the very speculative and non-definitive answers, let’s provide a recap for those unaware (which at this point in time feels like no one). Squid Game, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk (who I can’t help but feel good for) is a survival-thriller series about a mysterious contest in which 456 players, all from different walks of life, all dealing with massive, crippling debt problems are invited to partake in a series of games with the potential of a gigantic monetary payout. Hwang had conceived of the idea based on his own economic struggles early in life as well as the class disparity within Korea.

It certainly makes it’s intentions and influences apparent from the get-go, drawing inspiration from the Japanese masterpieces “Battle Royale” and “Liar Game” but is able to rise above those influences to create something that is able to stand on it’s own two legs. 

The golden, glistening piggy bank glows above the players’ heads, the sunshine of capital granting eternal hope to the rabble beneath it. These people aren’t dimensionless (at least most the important ones aren’t) each as equally responsible and not responsible for their place in this anxious lobby. The masked guards watching over them only say as much as they need to through filtered voice, keeping the disorientation of the contestants at a level just enough to the point where they never get comfortable with their surroundings or each other. 

There’s a line from the Christopher Nolan film, The Dark Knight that comes to mind: “The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased, unprejudiced, fair.” But is that the case here?

Most certainly not, as with anything regarding believably flawed human beings, large liberties are taken. A twisted representation of the concept of equality comparatively to what we think it would look like out in the real world. A distortion of luck egalitarianism where each person has the opportunity to exploit others’ weaknesses to their advantage. An allegory of how the wealthy use their wits to continue to stay on top of others. A morally grey stew of life and death. Tricking each other in equal measure. Equality. The manipulation of the term in modern society as we know it. Human’s cannot find meaning in life simply chasing after monetary value. Modern society seems to have lost sight of this. With all of the social media clout chasers and multibillion dollar CEOs. Their transactional relationships trickle down to us, they turn us against each other just as their interests change hands along with their value. The rich are cruel and increasingly distanced from reality, but the poor are just as complicit in tearing each other down for their own gain, be it emotionally or monetarily.

It’s a shame that the blight on its execution ends up being larger than one would have hoped. Its inconsistent pacing, contrived plot devices, moments of predictability scattered throughout its mystery, and telegraphed writing sequences are too large to ignore. There is beauty amongst these flaws, just as they is beauty in the flawed humans who created this work. If it’s greatest crime is being very good rather than transcendentally great that’s far less of an infraction than 90% of everything, provided you subscribe to that theory.

Oh, right, we had a question to answer too soon didn’t we? In terms of quality Squid Game is no Evangelion, and in fairness to the latter it is not trying to be. They are very much apples and oranges. Whereas it MAY be Evangelion in terms of its impact, popularity, and staying power as it directly relates to the medium it is in. If I can draw an important parallel between the mediums of Korean drama and anime again. It is very much like Attack On Titan. Massively popular and has a global reach beyond its niche audience. But like Evangelion it’s popularity may inspire those that oversee these projects into existence to allow more works like it to exist than previously before. It could even radically shift the Korean drama hierarchy. Korean drama has always valued a unified vision, so the fact that it was directed and written by a singular person isn’t necessarily groundbreaking. The tolerance which studio executives have for artistic vision may be pushed higher because Squid Game is very much conceived from an artful perspective, as Neon Genesis Evangelion did in its day. Granted Evangelion had to go through a lot of international licensing red-tape, the likes of which Squid Game would have never had to having been funded by Netflix, so its path to international popularity was far more likely.

Ultimately time will show us how the landscape has changed since it’s heyday, being a much better judge than any singular opinion or prediction. Since I’ve been following Korean drama I’ve been wondering what would happen if something like Squid Game were to happen. Theorizing in my head what it would look like and what kind of impact it would have on the artistic landscape. It’s entirely possible that now I know, and it is an exciting and hopeful place to be, the likes of which I have never before felt. I can only hope the future holds more inspiration than imitation.