(Credits: Netflix)

Netflix doesn’t believe in pigeonholing its craft. Each and every quarter, the streaming giant takes a step forward in its diversity of representation, in turn, ensuring its global reach. Of course, English-speaking titles never go out of style. But even the non-English speaking titles continuously break the leg. Amid the buzz of Squid Game season three, another South Korean Netflix series is reigning on the Netflix charts, making it a must-watch series worldwide. And it’s none other than Choi Sung-eun’s Mercy for None.

Mercy for None is currently dominating the global top ten non-English series Netflix chart, standing at number one in the week dated June 9th to June 15th. It’s the most popular show in nine countries. And just for this week, Mercy for None has earned 7.6million viewership, leaving every competitor behind. For those unaware, Yoo Ki-seong has written the action noir series for Netflix. The show has an all-star cast starring So Ji-sub, Huh Joon-ho, and Jo Han-chul, among others.

The most intriguing part is that Mercy for None was released merely two weeks ago on June 6th. And has been making its presence known on the charts ever since. The Netflix series is built on the shadows of retribution. Mercy for None follows Nam Gi-jun, who is an ex-criminal gang enforcer. Although he has long left his checkered history behind, it all comes back to haunt him over a decade later when his younger brother is murdered without mercy.

According to a synopsis provided by Variety, Gi-jun’s triumph in a battle concluded the long-standing power struggle between Seoul’s gangs. Despite his reputation, what made him step back was his brother Giseok, who had risen through the ranks of the rival gang. He left his rap sheet to avoid fighting Giseok. However, 15 years after escaping his life as a ruthless enforcer, Gi-jun is pulled back into the dark underworld.

On the eve of Giseok’s retirement, he is gunned down in a relentless ambush. Subsequently, Gi-jun is not only forced to confront the demons he thought he’d left behind. But driven by vengeance and consumed by fury, he descends back into the depths of organised crime, hell bent on exacting a bloody revenge on whoever is responsible for his brother’s death.

Now, Gi-jun has one vendetta: to find his brother’s killers. But his gut instincts suggest that the perpetrator is closer than he thinks. And essentially, it revolves around a brother’s death and debt that ends in a bloodbath. Trend-wise, action thrillers have been performing really well on Netflix, especially since the last quarter. And given the reception, the streaming mogul is far from slowing down.

Mercy for None is based on Oh Se-hyung and Kim Geun-tae’s webtoon Plaza Wars: Mercy for None. The webtoon already has a cult following in Korea and other parts of the world. Streaming adaptations usually get fans a bit too nervous, in case it doesn’t do justice to the original. But now its live-action adaptation is mirroring the success on Netflix, and the charts don’t lie.