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“Is it harder to live 50 years as a human or, is it harder to live five days being a chicken nugget?”
Chicken Nugget (2024), written and directed by Lee Byeong Heon is based on the Webtoon of the same name by Park Ji Dok.
Choi Min Ah (Kim Yoo Jung) accidentally gets turned into a chicken nugget when she visits her dad’s (Choi Seon Man played by Ryu Seung Ryong) technology company – More Than Machines. The company’s intern Go Baek Joong (Ahn Jae Hong) witnesses the event and together he and Seon Man work together to investigate why this machine came to be delivered to them and how to turn Choi Min Ah back to herself.
I would like to preface, the western concept of a chicken nugget is completely different to what we see on screen here. What Min Ah turns into is ‘Dakgangjeong’, which is fried chicken glazed with a sticky, sweet and spicy sauce.
Mishaps and more mishaps occur as these two idiots try to find information. They’re really endearing and we see how much the pair love Min Ah throughout the drama. I especially loved the flashbacks of Seon Man bringing Min Ah up as how he cared for and looked after her were portrayed in such a lovely way.
On the surface, a woman getting turned into a chicken nugget is weird, but that’s not the weirdest thing to happen, by far! The pacing is incredibly fast throughout the first nine episodes and I think that really helps hide the plot holes. The somewhat frenzied energy, which is a staple of the webtoon adaptations, mixed with the plot twists meant I had to know what was going to happen next.
The fact that it’s only 10 episodes and each is about 30mins was perfect for the mood I am currently in. I have found it so hard to commit to a drama recently, but the blend of genres of Chicken Nugget was another factor that kept me invested in watching. Obviously, the main genres are comedy and sci-fi, but there are also elements of mystery and historical (Sageuk).
The comedy was a mixed bag, but for the most part I had a great time! There were some incredibly funny moments, which included a whole host of cameos, my favourite being Jung Ho Yeon as Hong Cha. And while most of it is absurd, there were some important themes of parenthood and pacifism/anti-war sprinkled throughout.
The biggest problem was the ending. Episode 10 flipped between the current and a future timeline which really off balanced the pacing. It was the first time I felt myself getting a little bored and uninterested as there was a distinct lack of the absurd humour (and really any humour). It also meant that my brain had time to really think about the plot and meant my questions were at the forefront of my mind and unanswered at end.
Overall, this was fun! Ahn Jae Hong is precious and I love an idiot duo. The acting and production was great and the webtoon adaptation genre in Korea has such a distinct and creative style.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Thanks for reading!
I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe ♥
DramaRambles 🌸 