This review may contain spoilers
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.
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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