“Squid Game” took the world by storm as it debuted on Netflix at the #1 spot and maintained that spot for about a month. Every scene of the show travels rapidly through the Internet as people formulate theories, draw fanart and review and analyze its every second. “Squid Game” centers on a group of adults in South Korea who are in immense debt, and in order to rise out of this debt, they choose to participate in children’s games to win a large cash prize. On a deeper level, the show tackles complex themes such as class division and capitalism.

Multiple reviewers praise the show by saying how they enjoyed the unpredictable plot twists, amazing acting and effort that went into producing even the tiniest details of the show, such as utilizing specific music for the goal of foreshadowing future events.

On the other hand, multiple Castilleja students have stated that they enjoyed the characters most of all but found the gore to be a bit frightening and did not enjoy the bathroom sex scene.

A majority of Castilleja students agree that the show was an enjoyable watch, but did not deserve the immensely high praise that many reviewers gave it.

At Castilleja, “Squid Game” has become a staple conversation topic as multiple students have discussed the characters and the shocking ending of the show. When talking to three students, Deeksha Venkat ‘27, Dineo Molotsi ‘25 and Priscilla Chan ‘25, about their overall thoughts about “Squid Game”, Priscilla said, “In general the show was pretty decent and I liked the plot, but I didn’t like the goryness nor the bathroom scene.” This reaction seems to be the general consensus as Molotsi ‘25 stated how they “started watching it with a friend, but they couldn’t handle the violence.”

As Dineo said, “I kept seeing it all over the Internet, social media, and all my friends were talking about it.” Dineo highlighted the immense influence “Squid Game” has had on the world, mostly as a result of its rapid spread throughout the Internet. On the other hand, multiple students heard about it through their peers as Molotsi said how “a lot of my friends started to watch it and recommended it to me. They’ve given me good recommendations in the past, so I decided to start watching it with a friend.”

Dineo commented how “I think partially because of “Squid Game,” people at Casti have become more aware that there are things outside of western media.” Over the past couple years, students at Castilleja have become increasingly aware of media outside of the U.S. Some examples are the success of bands including K-pop superstars Blackpink and BTS, the Korean movie, “Parasite,” and the latest international success the K-drama “Squid Game.”

Students have reflected on how “Squid Game” has changed their perspectives and the effect they noticed on the Castilleja community. Priscilla commented how “a lot of people are talking about it and have become more aware of the less fortunate,” and Dineo added on by saying that “Casti’s become more aware of the themes of the show such as classism,” as shown through the comparisons between the players and the VIPs who are quite comical characters but still get the point across.

Though it is still too early to see whether “Squid Game” and its overarching themes will stick in the minds of the Castilleja community, “Squid Game” has definitely assisted in opening many people’s eyes to the world of non-western media. Without a doubt, “Squid Game” will remain a TV show that countless people revisit for its complex plot, multi-faceted characters and themes that reveal larger trends about the world we live in today.