JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Is WJSN Bona's Pyramid Game new Squid Game? Decoding similarities between the two survival Korean series
Pyramid Game, the ongoing drama starring WJSN Bona, is being dubbed as he new Squid Game. Know details about the reasons below.
Pyramid Game premiered on February 29, 2024, on its original network TVING, and is currently ongoing with releasing episodes every Thursday. Based on a popular Naver webtoon, the series boasts its distinguishing narrative with a refreshing cast lineup including WJSN member Bona, Crash Course in Romance’s Ryu Da Bin, IVE’s Wonyoung’s sister Jang Da Ah, actress Shin Seul Ki, Kang Na Eon, and many more rising stars.
The series delivers a fresh take on the school violence theme, which has been rarely seen in K-dramas, garnering exceptional attention - students of Baekyon Girls’ High School choose an outcast through a voting system, that is known as Pyramid Game.
Today, we will take a look at the topic everyone is talking about - “Is Pyramid Game the new Squid Game?”. Here’s more than one reason we think it might just be a descent of the globally hit series.
1. Similarities in dramas' titles - Pyramid Game and Squid Game
This one comes off as very obvious as both Netflix’s Squid Game and the ongoing drama Pyramid Game share visible similarities between their names. Squid Game revolves around the sole subject of playing a game that is a brutal edition of a Korean childhood game of the same name. 
Similarly, Pyramid Game also centers on a game of the same name developed and played by the students of Baekyon Girls’ High School.
2. Survival-based themes in Pyramid Game and Squid Game
Both series follow survival pursuits, that depict the winners and losers participating in a game very much like their lives depending on it.
In Squid Game, attendees incapable of surviving get shot off, while in Pyramid Game, students who end up in the outcast group, become the regular victim of brutal bullying attempted by the ones at the top of the pyramid.
2. Depiction of social power dynamics in Pyramid Game and Squid Game
One of the main reasons for Squid Game’s worldwide wild success was its metaphorical narrative, which shows the naked truth of social power dynamics. Pyramid Game serves as a parallel commentary on hierarchy and power differences between the affluent and unprivileged classes.
This school-violence series unfolds how economic background becomes a weakness for the students attending the school, as girls coming from wealthy backgrounds hold a higher place. While the game offers an opportunity for students to vote for an outcast, it’s not a call for equality. The rich students always stay on the top and choose a victim from the weak ones.
The rest of the students follow the system silently for their own safety, while also being a bystander to brutal bullying attempted by the ones at the top of the pyramid. In one episode, the lead character Sung Soo Ji’s (Played by Bona) father says, “Hierarchy is everywhere, school is just a reflection of society.”
If you recall Squid Game accurately, you will remember that the series is solely based on a similar subject of shady corporations playing with the poor's lives with the greed of money in a capitalist world filled with power-hungry monsters.
3. Imperfect lead characters
While most of us Korean drama lovers love to see an ace character leading the drama, both Pyramid Game and Squid Gamedrifts off from that narrative.
In Squid Game, we have seen how the lead characters are not perfect. While at many times, we have sympathized with their actions, there have been instances of us against them as well.
Pyramid Gais also delivers a glimpse of the realistic character arcs of the main roles. Through the episodes released so far, the series brilliantly attempts to show the main characters gradually maturing in each scene. The protagonist Sung Soo Ji really is a reflection of an actual high schooler, who makes a lot of bad decisions, but also good ones, shaping a perfect balance, helping us, the viewers sympathize with her better.
4. Brutal narratives that will make your hair stand out
As much as we hate violence in real life, we love to consume it on-screen. And lately, K-series with brutal narratives have been rising in popularity.
The hit series Squid Game also delivered an unfiltered look at the ferocious psyche of human beings.
Pyramid Game follows the same motif by showing us the absolute evil side of school violence. The series doesn’t shy away from making our hair stand out with the victims getting bullied most viciously- from coerced into eating maggots to brutally punched, kicked, and more.
The graphical scenes also help us resonate better when these villains end up meeting a justified end.
While these are just a few reasons we think Pyramid Game can be dubbed as the new Squid Game, we are not the only ones. According to many experts, the school thriller drama has true potential to surge to fame similar to the previously-hit Korean series.
So, while you wait for season 2 of Squid Game, tune in and binge-watch Pyramid Game to find out further resemblances between the two psychological thriller shows.
Stay updated with the latest Hallyu news on: Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat
ALSO READ: Is WJSN Bona starring Pyramid Game sapphic K-drama? Fans root for two GL couples
Latest Articles
