Mr. Plankton (2024)

I’ll do your homework for you

That line in episode 9. I LOST IT. Maybe it has been a rough few weeks for me, so I was already primed for something to take me over the edge. With my limited schedule as a full-time working mom, this story was a random gift from the universe and once I entered the world, I couldn’t stop until I was done, even sacrificing my rest was a small price to pay to witness their incredible journeys. I laughed. I cried. I laughed. I cried. It was amazing. It was exhilarating. The story explored multiple themes: life and death; safety and security; attachment and belongingness; restriction and liberation; losses and abandonment. These profound themes were interwoven into a story line that was light and heavy at the same time. Yes, I laughed through my tears. Be ready to experience the full range of emotions. We can be so caught up in our mundane routines that sometimes we need a refresher to shock us back into reality, to put us back on track on this continuum of space and time, and that at the core of our existence is the need to just remember that we matter, no matter how big or small. Every now and then, a story comes along that reminds us to give our eyes, “a break from the sun.” This was my break. And, I am ever so grateful… P.S. I viewed the ending of the story as a renewed beginning, that life and death is a full circle and that we need to strive to be at peace with every choice/path we take.

Lire davantage

We will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory!

We will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory! This drama leaves many lessons, leaving hurts and resentments in their rightful place, which is the past. And enjoy the things that "destiny", as Hae Jo says, is providing. And that was how, before his last journey with his beloved, he realized that there was no reason to look for answers if all that mattered was the good feeling he carried, but inside him he screamed that his father was and would always be the one who had raised him until he graduated from high school. That his great love would always be her, that his true friends were always there by his side I liked the drama, a death is sad but being abandoned is very cruel and painful!

Lire davantage

"I want to live"

With a little bit of rounding up, this is a rare 10 out of 10 Kdrama, coming late to save this kdrama draught of a year! Funny, romantic, moving but also sad. You will know the show's end at the very beginning but it still hits hard once you reach the end. While I can see the happiness in the sad ending, the sad ending is still very sad so prepare yourself to suffer but be happy about it.
Summary: The show follows unlucky people stumbling through life who just keep getting dealt awful hands by fate. I don't know how to really summarise this, it feels like there's no plot but also, there is definitely a plot and all of it is a spoiler or none of it is...I DON'T KNOW!
I actually decided to watch this because the synopsis made no sense and I wanted to see what the show was actually about. Turns out it's about...life?! I don't know, just watch it. It's such a well-told story. Almost feels like a fable! There's a magical quality to it. You don't need any information before you delve in and everything unravels very clearly. So just go watch it!
The show has some cute cliches but for the most part, avoids plot pitfalls and gives a fresh take on the road trip/journey to find oneself genre. This was just a very lovable show to watch. The characters are flawed, messy, and occasionally very broken. I don't always love the Netflix kdramas but they always have interesting character sketches, which I guess is kind of the point, and here it's no exception. The characters' personalities and trials is the highlight of the show.
Like all Kdramas, I still dislike the over-the-top fight scenes and the pace sort of slowed down between episodes 7 and 8 but it bounced back for a good closing and I like the whole thing very well.
Cast: The actors are such a highlight in this show. Most are very well-known but I didn't know anything about Lee You Mi. Everyone did a good job...I still dislike acting cute in any context so I won't pretend I liked those bits. Woo Do Hwan was very good though and I think he's gonna joining my favorite actors list now. Oh Jung Se is obviously one of the best in SK. For me, the stand out was Lee El. She was so delightful. But really everyone shone in their place.
The production was very well-done. There are a variety of locations and I think they used green screen for some but some others seemed like natural sets but regardless, everything looked equally great. The set design, the technical parts, everything was great, and the music? The music was great! They used great stuff and though they overused them, I will forgive them because the music was at least good.
Rewatch: probably not.
Overall: Watch it, it's good! prepare tissues for the ending.

Lire davantage

Bare to handle the sad ending,then go for it.

There is little impact in the story. The male protagonist discovers that he is going to die due to a genetic disease, so he embarks on a journey to find his biological father. He takes the female protagonist, who is also his ex, along with him, but the reason for this is unclear, even to him. Despite a long search, he fails to find his father. However, during this journey, they both fall in love with each other once again. The story also explores how the female protagonist copes with the truth of his impending death and how he eventually learns about his father. Despite the lack of a powerful script, the actors and direction make the drama impactful. The show captivates the audience with its gripping openings and endings in each episode. Out of curiosity, I watched it all in one go.

I will praise all the songs. they were all too good .

Lire davantage

"now that i'm facing it, it's nothing like that at all."

when a new drama with woo do hwan popped up on my netflix homepage i cheered for joy and yes he did have me giggling and twirling my hair throughout every episode so maybe this review will be a little biased.

the unpredictability of life and death is brought out in its most vibrant colours in this story. i consumed this drama within 2 days on a weekend back home from university and it was just the little adventure i needed. i loved the chaotic tangled storyline, the chemistry between the characters and the vibrancy of their world.

hae jo, born mistakenly from the wrong frozen sperm; jae mi, an orphan who's greatest wish of motherhood is crushed by premature menopause; and eo heung, a man under the heel of a 500-year-old lineage. all three characters bear a curse given to them at birth. throughout the series, we see them fight against these curses, and through this they form a tangled web of misfortune, misdemeanour and misunderstandings. this ultimately culminates in hae jo's death.

hae jo was given 3 months to live, and he sets out to find his biological father - the man who gave him his disease, his death. maybe an attempt to reckon with fate itself. in his meetings with his potential fathers, you see him question - do i look like him? do i act like him? is this the missing puzzle piece? is this the life i could have led? can i still reclaim this?

and the journey is terrible. he was given 3 months to live, and he repeatedly pushed away and abandoned the people who loved him most before welcoming them back with open arms. he raised hell to find his biological father before deciding to just forgive the father figure he had all along.

i, for one, am terrified of death. it's something which many shows and movies try to resolve or downplay: characters always tend to 'find their peace' before death and die untroubled. hae jo's death threw all of that sentiment out the window. his fear and yearning for life and for love in his final moments was heart wrenching, and refreshingly raw and honest. even hae jo, with his self-assured, aloof, detached exterior, never found peace with the idea of death. he never found a way, an answer.

an oddly comforting conclusion. there's no redemption for the fate we're handed and there's no right way to handle death. we must simply live through it!

Lire davantage

Deveria ser proibido comédia com doença terminal

Não ia falar nada, pois eu só escrevo alguma coisa por aqui quando eu gosto bastante e fico inspirada pra resenhar sobre. Mas acho que tá na hora de falar também sobre pontos de uma coisa que não me satisfez.

Mr. Plankton tem um bom elenco, posso dizer inclusive que o dohwan com esse protagonista conseguiu um dos papéis mais complexos e melhores de sua vida, porque ele realmente entregou todo o seu talento incrível na atuação. O casal tinha uma química ótima.

Mas a minha crítica vai ser totalmente pra esse roteiro. Acredito que desde o início a gente já sabe do que a trama vai tratar e como ela vai acabar. Eu só queria entender porque seria de comédia. E mais uma vez, pegam uma doença terminal e não a exploram e nem aprofundam de maneira correta porque tentam transformar tudo em uma tragédia cômica. Não sei se estavam querendo dar sentido as atitudes insensatas do protagonista só porque ele ia morrer.

Achei os acontecimentos engraçados e tudo mais, mas acho que a doença terminal foi muito jogada, assim como a complexidade do passado do protagonista, para mim o final foi aberto e é como as coisas não tivessem resolução.

Sei que tratava-se de uma história sobre jornada final, no entanto a forma como isso foi abordado é bem questionável. Algumas partes foram completamente desnecessárias e fugiam demais da realidade, então como aborda sobre um personagem que vai morrer no final (algo de cunho realista), mas aborda a doença dele com umas cenas tão irreais só pra trazer algo cômico pra história? Acho que pesaram a mão em algumas partes e as coisas acabaram ficando confusas.

Sem contar que mesmo os protagonistas possuindo uma química inegável, a pegada que ficou foi de dark romance. A forma como ele a tratava era muito tóxica e ela também o agrediu diversas vezes, mas, claro, isso era só pra deixar as coisas mais engraçadas entre eles. Mas acho que não precisava ser assim.

O roteiro tinha um potencial enorme mas não soube tratar algumas camadas delicadas do jeito certo e se perdeu na sua real proposta, que pra mim não ficou clara de qual seria.

Lire davantage

2024 unexpected gem

saw snippets on tiktok and decided to give a try. only to finish it within 2 days, enjoyed every single episode.

a solid story accompanied by stunning visual cinematography. some might think it’s choppy because some scenes doesn’t seem to add up but I didnt feel anything out of place, in fact, the consistency the drama delivered from ep1-10.

do Hwan mentioned that this drama is like a road trip. in fact from the start, the drama brought us along on their journey, wandering without destination (sailing without a map <- rmbr Start Up, anyone?). this is more about their journey rather than focus on each character and their backstory, which is why throughout the whole drama, I didn’t mind when they didn’t focus too much on their past and history because it’s all about living in the present.

some mentioned that this drama is like uncontrollably fond v2.0. that drama was pure depression. lol.

Lire davantage

Even though you know the ending it's worth the watch.

What can I say about this bitter sweet romcom. From the first episode it makes you more than aware of how this series will end, but the more you watch it the sadness you feel is not because of the ending but because of the life they ended up having and the mistakes they made along the way. The male and female leads act their heart out. Between the playful fighting, the constant chasing and running away from everyone and everything, we see a beautiful love story between two broken, and in their words, unlucky people.
We witness, through flashbacks, their first meeting. We see them fall in love and live a beautiful life together as a couple. We also see their breakup.
After they have a chance meeting at a hospital whereby they both get bad news. The male lead then kidnaps the female lead from her wedding (he wants to find his biological father, and wants to take her along for the ride), and their bitter sweet love story commences.
All I can say is, yes it is definitely a sad story (you see it from the beginning of episode one), but the traumady is not as harsh as I was expecting. It shows that as long as you are with someone you love in your final moments in this world your life would have had some meaning, and you are the luckiest person to have lived.
If you want a typical happy ending story (boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married) then don't watch this drama.
If you want to watch a bitter sweet love story, that looks at all aspects of love (family, friends who are like family, partners who become your family) then this is the series to watch. Well worth the 10/10 stars 🌟 🤩

Lire davantage

VINTAGE KDRAMA FEELS !!!

This show is has every element that all classic dramas has ,

First of all , the freaking chemistry between main leads , be it Hae jo and jo jae mi or jo jae mi and heung or heung and hae jo.
Also , the Bong suk and hae jo scenes were very well made and enjoyed each moment of them.

I really liked it , it's been a long time since i being watched a kdrama this real quick.

This show remained me why l like watching kdrama : ) . Thank you! Mr Plankton.

The male lead Hae Jo :

Bro has fun ( jae mi ) , brother ( heung) , luck ( bong) , friend (kkari) and in the end he, himself and his dream !!! So this has to be
a good ending drama for sure,..

Lire davantage