WARNING: MAY CONTAIN LIGHT SPOILERS
K-DRAMAS have been on our radar for many years now. Many of them have made us laugh, cry, and feel butterflies in our stomachs while watching them. Yet, Netflix’s latest installment, “Chicken Nugget”, takes it to a whole new level.
“Chicken Nugget” is a new comedy-mystery drama series inspired by a WEBTOON of the same name. It is about Choi Sun-man (played by Ryu Seung-ryong) and Ko Baek Joong (played by Ahn Jae-hong) who go on a crazy adventure to save Choi Sun-man’s daughter Min-Ah (played by Kim Yoo-Jung) who was mysteriously turned into a chicken nugget. The WEBTOON-based drama premiered last March 15 and has already skyrocketed on Netflix Philippines’s Top 10 list, ranking number 4 on the list.
The drama is filled with traditional comedic situations, mysterious characters, exciting cameos and shout-outs, and of course traditional K-drama elements.
COMEDY
From its opening scene, the drama shows all its wacky and comedic elements through Baek Joong’s opening dance as he tries to write a new song. Then the drama proceeds to show all the wacky characters we will be involved with such as our two leads played by Ahn Jae-hong who you may recognize from shows like “Reply 1988” and “Be Melodramatic” as well as Ryu Seung-ryong who is best known for acting in “Miracle in Cell No.7” and “Moving”. Then we are thrust into our main problem with the transformation of Choi Sun-man’s daughter, Min-Ah, into a chicken nugget which happens when she enters a machine that she thought would help with fatigue.
After that scene, it is one wacky adventure after another with our two leads trying various ways to get Min-Ah back. Some adventures they go on lead them to look for needles in haystacks, getting stuck in places, and parodies of dramatic situations. Then we meet other wacky characters with even crazier backstories and motivations.
The drama also inserts funny pop culture references to K-pop and other K-dramas. One such reference is the drama “Be Melodramatic” which was played in the drama. Another reference calls out Idol-actor Cha Eunwoo as someone who Ko Baek Joong shouts out as he tries the machine.
MYSTERY
In the beginning, we see more of the comedic side of this comedy mystery with laugh-out-loud-worthy scenes and exaggerated spoofs. But towards the middle, the mystery side comes out as our two leads try to find a way to save Min-Ah. Yet, throughout the show, they meet more mysterious characters that raise more questions than answers which could help them.
Then as we reach our climax, everything begins to make sense as the questions slowly get answers through long expositions the characters make, which can slow down the pacing of the show but the lively animations keep the momentum alive.
CAMEOS
The show also features many interesting cameos from different celebrities such as Kim Tae-hoon who plays an important role in the show (which is revealed in later episodes. He is well-known for his role in “My Demon” where he starred alongside Kim Yoo-Jung. He is also known for his roles in “Reply 1988” and “Navillera”.
Another interesting feature is GOT7’s Park Jinyoung who many people know as an actor as well as an idol, best known for his roles in “He is Psychometric” and has also appeared in “The Legend of The Blue Sea”.
Their cameos, along with many others, provided some funny and important plot points that helped answer key character and plot questions.
K-DRAMA
Though the show is a unique piece, there are still some familiar Kdrama elements all fans can enjoy.
First, we have the characters who all though are funny, but also are well-developed characters with complete backstories which we learn throughout the show and add important elements to the plot.
There are also heart-wrenching scenes that can bring out the waterworks for people with the thought-provoking decisions that characters have to make. It also helps that the themes in the show, such as familial love, are relatable to anyone who watches. It allows us to feel what the characters are feeling as well as understand the great lengths they would go to to save their loved ones.
It also has romantic elements such as dramatic meetings of past lovers which were equally tear-jerking and bring out the laughs. It also features the potential blossoming of new love in the brightest aesthetics and the most comedic of circumstances. It also has the traditional flashbacks to the Joseon era which is used to explain backstories and flash-forwards to characters’ futures as part of its finale.
The Kdrama, “Chicken Nugget”, is a fun and wacky adventure that also leaves viewers questioning what and why. It also deals with a lot of relatable themes such as family through its well-developed characters. It also has many new additions that allow new viewers to enjoy and it is not as long as a usual Kdrama with only ten 30-minute episodes that keep the action fast-paced and interesting. Yet, there are many standard Kdrama elements that can keep fans entertained as well.
