Family's Honor (2008)

Family’s Honor tells the story of two families; the noble Has and the nouveau riche Lees.

The Ha family follows traditions that one doesn’t encounter often in modern day dramas and that was one of the most interesting concepts of the show. From holiday celebrations, weddings and funerals, to the etiquette that they practice in their everyday life and their conducting behavior, they give this drama a strong beginning just by being in it. Add one of the most adorable grandfathers that you’ve ever encountered in kdramaland and you have a winner.

On the other hand, the Lee family is crude and they happen to be the owners of the most kitsch sitting room that I’ve ever been unfortunate enough to behold, BUT Park Shi Hoo plays their eldest son so who cares about the golden armchairs?

The plot is mostly focused on the romantic relationships that involve the members of the two families and there are interesting sub-plots here and there that make Family’s Honor a smooth ride despite its long length.

What could be a drawback for some viewers, is the personality of the Ha daughter. Yoon Jung Hee did an amazing job with her part and she’s not your average kdrama heroine, but I suspect that her constant melancholy and seriousness might be considered a tad tiring after a while. Fortunately for her (and for us) Park Shi Hoo plays one of the two men who are after her heart, and his character has such an outgoing personality and charisma that you can’t help but root for the unlikely pair.

The entire casting was spot-on anyway. From the main to the secondary characters I can’t possibly bring myself to imagine other actors playing their parts; they practically owned them.

Not much to say about the music, I hardly ever notice it, but I did find myself whistling the ending song on my way to work the other day, and I almost chocked when I heard a traditional Greek song playing in the background.

Overall I’m giving it a high rating for originality, a well written plot and endearing characters.

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