Pork cutlet or tonkatsu (돈까스) should be a national dish in South Korea. It is the equivalent of the American hamburger. It is literally on every corner of the country and delicious! We love that some Korean dramas are named after their best-loved dishes. We have seen the release of Chicken Nugget (2024) and now July has seen the release of The Pork Cutlets (나는 돈가스가 싫어요). Let's see if this K-drama is as tasty as it sounds!
In a highly saturated market, with many new dramas being released almost daily, this drama had to stand out, and of course, the name helped it do that. However, it also needed some well-known stars in the cast. The main cast members of this new drama are
Jung Sang Hoon (Longing For You 2023) and Jeon Hye Bin (Kiss Sixth Sense 2022)
Let's check out a teaser!
The Pork Cutlets is a human comedy that depicts the humorous story of Onghwa Village and its village chief Jung Ja Wang (Jung Sang Hoon), who championed a neutering surgery for the village’s Casanova dog Baek Gu, only to end up getting a vasectomy himself overnight. Now, I a comedy drama is always good, and I think it is funny how some of these events were supposed to happen in just one night. Having watched the teasers, I will be tuning in!
This drama premiered on July 5 and 6 and is only for two episodes, for this special comical release.
I have watched both episodes, and in my opinion, I think it was a good move to host this as solely a 2 part special.
In episode one we start with the head of the village, Jung Ja Wang (Jung Sang-hoon), on the loudspeaker looking for a dog named Baekgu. We learn that Baekgu is quite a player, having pups all over town and upsetting all the neighbors. And since the village chief’s name means “sperm king,” it seems like Baekgu isn’t the only one who’s spreading his seed. For me, it was really nice to see Korea's national dog ,the Jindo, star in this series, as I also have a Jindo mix, and the dog featured reminded me of my dog!
Later, before the TV crew has a chance to arrive to do the story on Baekgu, Ja Wang gets drunk on ginseng homebrew and lets Baekgu off his leash. In his mind, there’s still hope for Baekgu and there’s no reason to put him through what he and Bok Cheol have just endured.
The next morning, when the TV crew is there and the dog is missing, Ja Wang finds himself on a sudden mission to find Baekgu. But with flyers all over town and pork cutlets left out as bait, months pass (the twins are born) and there’s still no sign of him. It’s a big deal because now the town’s yam sales are wrapped up in finding this dog.
For me, I think having a TV crew, while trying to have a re-election campaign, get a vasectomy and neuter my dog, would all be a little too much, and I think it's comical how it was all handled on the show, which of course makes this 2 part series a success.
Full of wacky humor, puny wordplay, and enough innuendo around chili peppers to last a lifetime, the two-episode drama scores highest in the convivial connections between the villagers and the way adversaries become easy friends. It’s a bit basic and a little loud, but its upbeat tone and offbeat comedy are enough to push it forward and make the time pass quickly.
Overall, I loved this series, and I think it screams everything about a more rural Korean community and local culture outside of the big cities!
Did you tune in to watch this new exciting K-drama? Let us know in the comments below!
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