Mr. Plankton

A road trip to remember

If you're tired of the same old rom-com formula, then this drama is definitely worth watching.. The road-trip journey, with the characters constantly on the run, led to some genuinely hilarious moments that had me thoroughly entertained. The pacing is mostly fast and engaging, although it does slow down a bit in the final episodes.

I love-hate relationship dynamic between Jae-mi and Hae-Jo was quite different from other romcoms. Bcz their relationship was kinda of toxic. The way they kept gravitating back to each other made their story unique I guess !!

I really liked Heung's character, even though his fate was pretty much the same as every classic second lead.i wish he had received a better ending. Some people may disagree, but I actually saw chemistry between him and Jae-mi. What surprised me most is that I never expected to take him or his character seriously. Yet somewhere along the way, I found myself rooting for him without even realizing he was the second lead. That alone speaks volumes about the actor's performance.

The actress who played Jae-mi did a decent job. At times she was way too loud, maybe that’s how her character was suppose to be !! She embodied the character and made Jae-mi feel incredibly real..

My biggest disappointment was the reunion between Hae Jo and his father. Considering how much of the story revolved around Hae Jo searching for his biological father, the payoff felt surprisingly underwhelming. The drama ultimately emphasizes that the man who raised him was his true father, which is a beautiful message. However, their reunion was so brief and emotionally muted that it lacked the impact it deserved. I was also left wondering why his father had become so distant and neglectful in the first place, something the drama didn’t properly addressed.

I would've loved to see more of Hae Jo's little sister as well. Their conversation was one of my favorite scenes, and I felt there was more to explore there. And Johna!! Absolute scene-stealer. I loved every moment he was on screen.

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How can something so heartbreaking be so beautiful?

I wasn't prepared for the emotional rollercoaster this love story would take me on.

Woo Do Hwan's performance as Hae Jo was so raw, so layered, and so utterly convincing that it was difficult not to feel stirred by his internal conflict, helplessness, and emotional turmoil throughout his wild adventure into nowhere, searching for love and meaning before the end of his life. As the viewer, we not only sympathize with the plight of his character, but we become so invested in trying to get to know and understand him that we get completely lost in the storyline, secretly hoping that he would find a resolution that wouldn't make his destination so heartbreaking.

Of course, Lee You Mi's performance as Cho Jae Mi and Oh Jung Se's performance as Eo Heung were fantastic as well. In fact, the whole cast did a stellar job, and I was simply blown away by absolutely everything this show had to offer.

It's funny because at first, I kept reading comments saying that there was a sad ending, and somehow I mistook that to mean the ending left the audience feeling unsatisfied and without closure. However, after giving it a watch, I realized that the ending was actually quite tastefully done. After all, not every show can end with the protagonist miraculously being cured of a terminal illness and running off into the sunset without a care in the world. Sometimes it's nice to let the viewer imagine the outcome they want. For example, we can imagine that perhaps Cho Jae Mi discovers that she did become pregnant after all, carrying on Hae Jo's legacy, or whatever other type of ending helps us feel better after seeing Hae Jo close his eyes. Perhaps they did it that way so they could produce a season 2 if the show is successful enough.

All I can say is that Mr. Plankton is definitely about the journey and not the destination... and what a wonderful journey it was! Yes, you will shed a tear (shhhh... just let it happen), but there are also plenty of laughs and thrilling moments too. I rated it as a 9/10 to avoid seeming biased... but deep down I want to give it a full ten stars and type my review using caps-lock so it's abundantly clear that Mr. Plankton is a masterpiece that deserves all the hype.

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POV: your sleep paralysis demon comes back into your life

I have terrible mixed feelings about this drama but probably not for what you think.

In short:
- traumatic on a personnal level
- annoying choices from the scriptors
- Woo Dohwan being his majestic self as usual (in french we say " the bread of the bakery")

Now for the full review:

The first time I watched it, I really wanted to like it but I just couldn't.

First of all I started to watch it because of Woo Dowhan which is simply my favorite actor all times. But this time his incredible acting ability may have been what made me feel uneasy. The toxicness of his character was too much to handle for me at the point that it was hard to watch without wanting to cry.

Maybe the show hurted me personnally because of a past experience but still I think WDH's performance was what made it so hurtfull (so this is not a diss toward him but the opposite). I felt like I was watching a depiction of my own life at some point, and it's probably why this show is so popular, a lot of the viewers could relate to the female lead since we almost all have experienced disppointing/traumatic relationships and felt like someone was playing with us.

Regarding the plot there were a few things that didn't felt right with me.

First of all the fact that Hae Jo was selfish enough to make a comeback into Jae Mi's life, knowing that he was dying and that he didn't deserve her after he destroyed her in the past.

But most importantly I could not stand how Eo Heung was treated by the show. I get the fact that sometimes you are not the right person for the person you want, and I'm not saying that Jae Mi should have forced herself to stay with Eo Heung, but she could have handled the situation better. She clearly knew the extent of her romantic feelings for him (which is to say 0%, I don't care that she had "affection" for him) from the begining AND she knew the moment Hae Jo popped back into her life like a sleep paralysis demon, that she would follow him to the end of the planet. But she still made Eo heung suffer because she could not make her decision.

BUT the worse in all of this, is how the scriptors of the show settled the situation. Why did they make Eo heung accept the situation by staying on good terms with the couple, when he clearly should have protected himself toward such disrespect he suffered. It made him pass for a stupid character who could not stand for himself (and the little time he spent in his room angry toward her doesn't make up for it). In my opinion he should have hold more grudges. Nobody is that nice in real life, his character was not credible at all in my opinion.

Anyway, to conclude it was very hard to watch the first time and after I finished I was so frustrated and confused because it made me pity myself

BUT

seeing how the show gained popularity and how people didn't seem to mind that Hae Jo was a complete *******, I decided to rewatch it but this time being aware of the toxicity of this drama. And this time I could fully enjoy the romance without wanting to k my self lol.

So yes this show is great, with great actors, great cinematography, and yes despite everything I still think they are endgame like all of you (but still the most toxic couple ever u_u).

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The Most Seemingly Insignificant Things Turn Out To Be The Most Important Ones

I have to admit, I only watched this for Woo Do Hwan. I came into this blind so I didn't know what to expect. This is probably one of the weirdest Korean rom-coms I've ever seen! But that's not to say that I didn't like it because I did to some extent. I didn't drop or watch it in installments so that counts for something. When I get bored with a drama, I would usually take a break from it and pick it up again days or even months later, or just drop it completely. That didn't happen with this.

The story follows Hae Jo, a runaway whose father practically discards him when he discovers Hae Jo isn't his biological son. He comes to believe that his life is an accident and that whatever happiness he might find is borrowed and temporary. Hence, he has issues with commitment and permanence. Woo Do Hwan plays this role to a tee. Very few actors can pull off an anti-hero type of character and remain sympathetic. His Hae Jo is a selfish jerk and yet you find redeeming qualities in him. You wanna punch him one minute but hug him the next. Do Hwan carries this show, imho. But that's not to discount the rest of the cast. I think they're great too. It's just that this is a Woo Do Hwan drama through and through. And if the lead role had been played by a lesser actor, it wouldn't have worked as well, I believe.

Plotwise, it's pretty angsty. Not that I avoid that sort of thing or have problems with sad endings. In fact, I rather liked how it ends. He came from thinking his life meant nothing to wanting to live because he realized his life is worth living. That to me is a powerful message. It's a story about life, love, regrets, second chances, and endings.

The production is more than decent with the music particularly standing out to me. I would've given this drama a higher rating if it had been shorter. They could've chopped it down to just 8 episodes and it wouldn't have affected the story at all. Too many unnecessary scenes that don't contribute much to the overall plot. My biggest beef with this drama though, is the toxic nature of the main couple's relationship and the constant ridiculousness and nonsensical behaviors of the characters. It drove me nuts! And that's why I only gave this an 8 out of 10.

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Beautiful and irritating simultaneously

PROS: Unique idea, good acting, on point soundtrack, beautiful cinematography. Good recommendation for people who enjoy crying and suffering while watching. Kim Hae-sook and Oh Jung-se are a quality guarantee in the cast.

CONS: There are some parts of the story that irritated me. Why did Hae-jo automatically assume he inherited the disease from his father, and not his mother? Why was Jae-mi in the clinic to begin with? Menopause symptoms? She was acting as if she was pregnant already and even asked the doctor if there was any possibility for her to get pregnant in three days, although obvious she never intended to sleep with Heung to begin with. What happened to the bag filled with money that Jae-mi had? What's up with Jae-mi's life in general - does she have no friends? No job? No apartment? There is a time space between her break up with Hae-jo and her meeting Heung, what was she even doing during that time? How did Hae-jo find her biological mother?

Jae-mi and Hae-jo's relationship being a middle point between healthy and unhealthy is obvious and I don't think their bond is meant to be romanticized, but Ko Mun-young was also abusive towards Moon Gang-tae at IOTNBO so I guess the screenwriter has a type. Heung has the best character arc and, although I am not in favor of age-gap relationships and Jae-mi never truly loved him and would be unhappy at his house, he was the most sympathetic character and the one that grew more as a person.

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Oh Jung Se Never Misses

One thing I didn't really support was the male lead's decision. It felt selfish, even if I understood where he was coming from. Knowing he was going to die anyway, he didn't seem to care about the consequences his actions would have on the people around him. Thankfully, he eventually realized the impact of what he was doing, but it took him a while to get there.

Jae Mi was honestly the character I felt the most sorry for. At first, I thought her dream of becoming a mother was a bit unrealistic, but the more I learned about her, the more it made sense. She grew up without experiencing the warmth of a real family, so her desire to create one of her own was actually heartbreaking.

The real MVP for me, though, was Heung. He was incredibly kind, thoughtful, and considerate throughout the series. Yes, he could be childish at times, but that mostly came from the way he was raised and his complicated relationship with his mother. Out of everyone in the cast, he ended up being my favorite character.

An honorable mention goes to Madam Bong Suk. Her relationship with Hae Jo was one of the most touching parts of the series. Their bond felt genuine, heartfelt, and added a lot of emotional depth to the story.

Another thing I really loved was the OST. Every song fit the mood perfectly and made the emotional scenes even more impactful. Visually, the series was also beautifully shot, with plenty of memorable cinematography.

Overall, I thought this was a solid watch. The story wasn't groundbreaking, but it was heartfelt enough to keep me invested, and the performances elevated the material. And as always, Oh Jung Se delivered another outstanding performance. He's one of those actors who never disappoints.

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Very watchable

Feb 2025
Overall a pretty good watch; some laughs and some heart string plucking moments. Loved the cast, but not all the characters!

I found Hae-joo (WDH), to be pretty selfish really and aspects of the way WDH played him in certain situations, reminded me of his character Si-hyeon in Tempted/The Great Seducer.

He could be shockingly cold and hurtful, yet looking the way he does, with that bad-boy vibe, is incredibly alluring. He also instils great confidence at times. A dangerous combo.

FL character, Jae-mi, is quite sweet, and absolutely craves love, a family, and stability. Consequently she puts up with far more than most rational people ever would!

Both of them carry heavy baggage, which is their great dividing rift. I doubted Hae-joo would ever have approached Jae-mi again, if not for his diagnosis, and subsequent plan for his remaining days.

I felt for Eo Heung (OJS), who was the polar opposite of Hae-joo. However, he was far too naive and gullible. He lacked self-confidence for 90% of the drama, but then found amazing courage and confidence the rest of the time. I think I felt for him most.

Besides being amusing and quirky, it's also sometimes very violent, often OTT, but mostly incredibly watchable!

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Netflix hits a home run

I’ve been waiting for months to be able to give an enthusiastic endorsement of a (recent) K-drama. Now I can. This series is laugh-out-loud funny. But it also has more depth and originality than the fare we’ve been served up lately by Netflix and others.

It’s nice to see a female lead in a K-drama who shows some agency and energy. Some of what she does is misguided, but so what? She’s a fully formed human being. I can think of other series–IT’S OK, THAT’S LOVE and MY DEAREST come to mind--featuring strong female leads. But most K-drama heroines seem like passive players in their own lives. Not this one.

Woo Do-Hwan commands the screen and gives a nuanced, affecting perfomance.

Crazy hilarity abounds. Some of it works, some–not so much. Nobody’s perfect in this drama. Characters hurt each other–but eventually understand that the secret to a meaningful life is to love another flawed person more than yourself. (Nobody hits you over the head with this message–but it’s subtly implied.)

Because the writers are willing to take risks, believability flies out the window here and there. Another problem is with the editing. There are a lot of slow sections that could have been tightened up. I loved the way the soundtrack moved from classical, to folk, to rock. I especially liked the music played when the credits rolled at the end of each episode--always a pleasant surprise. Kudos,

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