Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you turned into a chicken nugget for five days?
In Netflix’s new Korean series, Chicken Nugget, one of the protagonists, Choi Min-ah, has the misfortune of becoming a chicken nugget.
The show follows Min-ah’s widower father, Choi Seon-man — who owns a company called “More than Machines” — and Baek-joong, a music-loving, yellow pants-wearing intern at the company. Baek-joong also has a secret but obvious crush on Min-ah.
When Baek-joong arrives at work one day, he brings a large box inside, believing it’s a machine that helps fatigue. Separately, Min-ah comes to the company for lunch with her father and brings chicken nuggets.
After hearing what the machine is for, Min-ah decides to get inside and test it. Baek-joong, with a chicken nugget on a skewer, walks over to check in on her and accidentally drops the nugget on the floor. For some reason, it startles her and she blurts out “the chicken nugget!”
Next thing you know, she’s a chicken nugget.
From that point forward, Seon-man and Baek-joong desperately search for answers on where the machine came from and how to turn Min-ah back into a human.
The show carries more than mystery. With wacky characters ranging from an eccentric scientist to a passionate food critic to purple aliens, the 10-episode South Korean series perfectly blends comedy, drama, action and science-fiction.
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I originally didn’t hold high hopes for the show, anticipating cringe-worthy acting and a plot lacking direction. But I’m delighted I gave it a chance. The mysterious machine stirred curiosity in everyone, including me, as I tried to understand how the machine worked before it was revealed.
Popular Korean series usually contain cheesy romance or intense crime, but I was impressed by this series’ science-fiction elements.
Although introducing extraterrestrial machinery and life initially seemed random, the show would have been incomplete without them.
The alien characters were as entertaining to watch as they were intriguing to learn about. Even their comically silly appearance added to the charm.
The visual effects equally shined throughout the show. Baek-joong’s flashbacks tinted with a yellow hue perfectly tied into his bright personality and pants. The show even had a robot dog who can electrocute people with its bites and a robot ladybug who can shoot lasers.
In addition to the main storyline and Seon-man’s character — who I respect the most out of the cast — the subplot about the odd owners of Baekjung Chicken Nuggets and their odd origins made for an interesting addition to the story.
Though all the characters cursed a lot — except Min-ah for obvious reasons — the vulgarity only enhanced the series’ humor and emphasized their intense emotions, whether it was regarding the machine or getting Min-ah back to herself.
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The best part of the show is the epic showdown between Seon-man, Baek-joong, Dr. Yoo In-Won, his nephew and the alien restaurant owners. It was the most entertaining fight I’ve ever witnessed. Especially when one of the aliens pulled out a BTS move. No one on Earth would mess with BTS.
The show also had minor plot twists like when scientist Dr. Yoo In-Won drugged Seon-man because he doesn’t want them to turn Min-ah back yet and the last episode taking place 50 years into the future.
Speaking of the ending, it’s my one complaint. One of the aliens gives Baek-joong a button that would allow him to rewind time back to a specific point he wished to go back to. The catch? No one will remember what has happened since the selected point. Baek-joong chooses to go back to the day Min-ah came to have lunch with them.
If no one remembers what happened, how are they going to stop her from becoming a chicken nugget again?
Other than that, Chicken Nugget is a binge-worthy series. It truly is a comedy with elements of every genre that will have you wanting more. I even cried of laughter and sadness. The episodes range from 28 to 36 minutes, making it a quick watch.