Netflix series ‘Squid Game Season 2’ has revealed the points of favorable reviews from global viewers by region.

‘Squid Game 2’ is once again heralding a syndrome by recording 1st place in the global TOP 10 of the Netflix series category on December 29 (1st place on the worldwide charts in 93 countries including the US, France, Mexico, UK, Hong Kong, and Turkey). The narrative that explores human nature such as desire, survival, and morality forms a consensus across cultures and countries, while also leading to an impressive phenomenon of slightly unique interpretations and empathy in each culture, drawing attention.

● EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa): Pay attention to the powerful message that induces self-reflection and the brutal narrative of ‘Squid Game 2’ that maximizes it!

Viewers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa are paying attention to and praising the human characters and social messages that ‘Squid Game 2’ portrays, as well as the brutal story development that maximizes it.

“‘Squid Game 2’ has a meaning that is more than just a thriller. It deals with various social issues such as social division and inequality between characters. Through this, the morality and lessons the drama conveys create a story that resonates globally within a Korean context.” (French media_Le Figaro)

“The dark and cruel storytelling and critical perspective on capitalism are fascinating. ‘How would I have acted if I were there?’, ‘Is the world really this bad?’ (German media_RND.DE)

“Director Hwang Dong-hyuk explores human psychology and the reasons why we become cruel to ourselves and others” (Spanish media_LA RAZÓN), “He maximizes emotions by creating a sense of despair and endless heroism toward humans in a large and repeated way” (Italian media_GQITALIA.IT)

“It reflects reality more shockingly and sharply than Season 1” (Benelux media_Bright) Reviews like this draw attention to the strong message of ‘Squid Game 2’, which makes us chew on reality and induce self-reflection. In addition, the British media Games Radar gave it a perfect score of 5 points, saying, “One of the most amazing shows you can watch right now, with dark plot twists and original game elements.” and the Polish media GAZETA said, “If you found Season 1 extremely brutal and shocking, you‘d better fasten your seatbelt. Season 2 is bloodier, more action-packed, and more tense. You won’t be able to look away.” These reviews show the explosive response from viewers to “Squid Game 2,” which maximizes the fun of the genre.


● LATAM (Latin America): A barrage of rave reviews for characters with strong personalities who draw emotional empathy with their unique charm!

In the Latin American region, the characters who add unique charm to the story and draw emotional empathy are receiving rave reviews. Brazilian media Metrópoles, Argentine media Micropsia, and Chilean media La Cuarta commented, “In season 2, the conflict expands, but the villains are depicted in a more humane way” (Brazilian media_Metrópoles), “The participants’ diverse positions, their choices, and the challenges they face against the powerful are more clearly shown” (Argentine media_Micropsia), and “The human aspects and conflicts of each character are depicted in depth, drawing emotional empathy from the audience. The psychological profiles of new characters, including the villain character, differentiate the show from season 2 and leave a strong impression” (Chilean media_La Cuarta), raising expectations for the character narrative of ‘Squid Game 2’ which goes beyond the simple structure of good and evil and delicately depicts the emotions of humans struggling in the face of capitalism.


● APAC (Asia-Pacific): From the ultimate immersion provided by a story based on universal emotions felt by people of the same culture to the shocking tension provided by a new game!

‘Squid Game 2’ is drawing great sympathy from Asia-Pacific viewers located in the same region as Korea and is receiving attention. “It depicts a critique of human nature and the struggles of the weak at the bottom of society. The cruelty of sacrificing one‘s life if one fails and abandoning human nature for high performance. ‘Squid Game 2’ weaves together unbearable pain and sadness”(Taiwanese media_Vision Magazine)

“We are constantly manipulated like puppets to pursue more, and are told the lie that the reason people fail is because they are lazy, weak, or stupid. This is a hamster wheel that repeats itself, pitting the public against each other and preventing them from pointing out who is truly responsible for the current situation. This is where the brilliance of ‘Squid Game’ lies. It is a meticulously produced and intense series that satisfies all the expectations, while its thematic foundation is urgent social criticism.” (Australian media_The Nightly) reviews show that the themes of competition and survival that run throughout the ‘Squid Game’ series have resonated with the universal cultural sentiments of the Asia-Pacific region, creating a high level of empathy.

In addition, many Asian viewers have found and found interesting games similar to traditional Malaysian games such as ‘Gasing’top spinning’ and ‘Batu Seremban’; and reactions such as “The dramatic development that surpasses the previous season and the introduction of new characters have been wonderfully upgraded, completing a fresh story” (Japanese media_GQJAPAN) have also drawn attention to the freshness of the new story and characters.

● UCAN (United States, Canada): Entertaining elements unique to Season 2 brought by the new game! Dynamic fun from the fast-paced development and intense narrative!

Viewers in North America are giving enthusiastic reviews of the entertaining elements they can feel in Season 2. In particular, the appeal of Season 1, which expressed the universal era that anyone can relate to through the survival genre, has been born as a more expanded and deeper story in Season 2, drawing positive responses from viewers. “A more brutal, expanded, and completely immersive story. “It raises expectations for season 3” (American media_Variety), “A thriller that expands the world of Netflix’s most popular series of all time, “Squid Game”, and mixes it with more brutality” (American media_The Verge)

“‘Squid Game 2’ introduces a new perspective to the existing survival game, adding depth and richness” (American media_VOGUE) Such favorable reviews prove the hot interest of viewers around the world in “Squid Game 2”, which has returned with a more intense and dynamic story. Also, they analyzed that “‘Squid Game 2’ popularity will be just as good as Season 1” (American media_Forbes), and paid attention to the enthusiastic response to Season 2.

‘Squid Game 2’ is a story about ‘Ki-hoon’ (played by Lee Jung-jae), who vows revenge and returns to participate in the game, and the fierce confrontation between ‘Frontman’ (played by Lee Byung-hun) who greets him, and the real game that begins again. It is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix. ‘Squid Game Season 3’ will be released in 2025.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com