‘Squid Game’ wins: Which series, films, and lyrics did Filipinos search most in 2021?

MANILA, Philippines – The results are in! Google has revealed 2021’s Year in Search, and we’ve got the top 10 most searched series, movies, and song lyrics by Filipinos from the past year.

It’s no surprise that Netflix’s hit Korean thriller series Squid Game reigns the list for top trending series this year, but did you expect that Arthur Nery’s single “Pagsamo” would be the top search query in the Philippines for music lyrics? As for movies, Disney’s Southeast Asian-inspired Raya and The Last Dragon topped the list for 2021.

Here are the rest of the Philippines’ top search queries for series, movies, and song lyrics – we’re pretty sure you contributed to many of these!

The couch potato’s list: Top 10 series, shows

Viral hit show Squid Game – the dark series about debt and deadly children’s games – made it to the top of the list, while South Korean K-drama True Beauty, starring Moon Ga-young, Cha Eun-woo, Hwang In-youp, and Park Yoo-na, followed in second place.

As expected, K-drama fever took the country by storm again this year – in third place was Vincenzo, starring Song Joong-ki as the titular character; and in in fourth was Han So-hee and Song Kang‘s Nevertheless. The title in fifth place, combo-breaker Falling Into Your Smile, is a 2021 Chinese drama about the world of e-sports, featuring all-male team captain Lu Si Cheng and amateur girl gamer Tong Yao. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, the hit romantic drama starring Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a, landed in sixth place.

Period teen drama Bridgerton made it to the list in seventh place, followed by Netflix’s first Filipino anime series Trese in eighth place. The last two spots go to Mr. Queen, a K-drama set in the Joseon era starring Hye-Sun Shin, Kim Jung-hyun, Seol In-ah, and Jae-won Lee; and to the Japanese dystopian thriller Alice in Borderland.

Sing-along must-haves: Top 10 song lyrics

When it came top search queries for lyrics, local artist Arthur Nery’s “Pagsamo” dominated the list, followed by American R&B singer Giveon’s “Heartbreak Anniversary” single. In third place was “Crazier,” presumably by Taylor Swift.

OPM steals the show for fourth, fifth, and sixth place – it’s “Panalo” by Ez Mil, “Paubaya” by Moira Dela Torre, and “Mapa” by Ben&Ben and SB19.

Olivia Rodrigo’s hit song “Driver’s License” took seventh place, followed by Taylor Swift’s gut-wrenching heartbreak anthem “All Too Well” and Dua Lipa’s dance floor bop “Levitating” in ninth place. Olivia Rodrigo rounded up the list with her betrayal ballad “Traitor” in last place.

Silver screen faves: Top 10 movies

In first place was Disney’s 2021 Asian-led animated film, Raya and the Last Dragon, set in the fantasy world of Kumandra. In second place was Zac Snyder’s Netflix zombie heist thriller, Army of the Dead, and in third was Marvel’s female solo superhero blockbuster, Black Widow, starring Scarlet Johansson.

Another Netflix heist film, Red Notice, took fourth spot, which starred an A-list cast of Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson, and Ryan Reynolds. In fifth place was the only Filipino film on the list – Yam Laranas’ Death of a Girlfriend, starring Diego Loyzaga, AJ Raval, Arnold Reyes, and Raul Morit. 

Marvel’s first Asian-led superhero blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was the sixth most searched film, while Army of the Dead prequel Army of Thieves took the seventh spot.

Japanese period action-adventure film Ruruoni Kenshin, which is based on the equally popular manga, ranked eighth on the list, followed by the remake of 1996 hit movie, Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring basketball superstar LeBron James and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang. In last place was Disney’s Cruella live-action remake, starring Emma Stone as the titular villainess, also called Estella Miller, who is an aspiring fashion designer set in London in the 1970s. – Rappler.com