Absurd Netflix Comedy Drama Finds Romance In The Most Unlikely Place
Everyone, even Netflix, was surprised by the report on the sheer number of foreign-language productions US residents consume. Apparently, these productions account for one-third of all the content Netflix streamed to its US subscribers, and South Korean cinematography and television were on the top of the list. Then, just a few months later, Chicken Nugget landed on Netflix as part of the streamer’s attempt to satiate the hunger (pun intended) of not just the US subscribers but global subscribers as well.
Chicken Nugget
For those who missed this oddball of a release—and we can’t really blame you, it doesn’t compare to Squid Game—Chicken Nugget’s narrative revolves around Choi Min-ah, a girl who has been turned into a chicken nugget.
Now, we’re not discussing the Sausage Party-style anthropomorphic or animated version of a chicken nugget, but a regular piece of chicken meat that was once a human girl. Admittedly, she still retains some perception of her surroundings but absolutely has no ability to communicate with anyone. Not really the liveliest of narratives, right?
The Mystery
That’s because the main beat of Chicken Nugget comes from Seon-man and Go Beak-joong, Min-ah’s father and her dorky admirer, respectively. The unlikely duo spends the series trying to solve the mystery behind the chicken nugget machine that caused Min-ah to turn into a chicken nugget and bring her back into her human form.
Of course, Min-ah’s life inside the nugget is also explored, and it seemingly parodies Matthew McConaughey’s behavior inside the black hole in 2014’s Interstellar.
Strong In The Beginning And End
Though silly, Chicken Nugget is actually a story about the power of love, following one’s dreams, a silly fight scene, breaking the fourth wall, and aliens—as if humans turning into chicken nuggets wasn’t silly enough. At one point, it even becomes a 19th-century period drama that would fit better into a movie format rather than a 10-episode series on Netflix.
We’re not saying that the series is bad, far from it; it just starts rather strong and ends well, but the middle is a bit boring, and you might be tempted to either fall asleep in a few mid-series episodes or just outright quit the series.
Based On A Webtoon
Chicken Nugget is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name, and it basically adapts its entire story about the struggles of a father to recover his daughter, who has been turned into a chicken nugget after entering a mysterious machine.
The series was released on Netflix in selected regions on March 15 this year.
Stream It Now
Besides offering a bizarre narrative, Chicken Nugget actually fared exceptionally well with the critics and the audiences, receiving a warm response in seven countries, including South Korea.
On top of that, it ranked 10th on Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV list for non-English releases, which is actually a feat of its own, considering just how much non-English content has made its way to the platform in recent years. Those who want to watch Chicken Nugget can stream the series via Netflix.
