Fazzoletti a portata di mano, un drama davvero imperdibile ed emozionante
Serie che - ho avuto modo di leggere - è il remake del drama "Go Ahead" e da molti non ritenuta all'altezza dell'originale. Personalmente, allora, posso solo che essere felice di aver visto questa serie per prima, così da non dover fare paragoni e poterla apprezzare pienamente. Il drama pone al centro non i consulenti due protagonisti, ma un'intera famiglia "allargata": i personaggi principali sono infatti diversi e il tema dei legami è al centro della storia, unitamente alla definizione del concetto di "famiglia". Nel dettaglio si intrecciano tre famiglie intese nel senso tradizionale, tutte provate da situazioni difficili, dalla mancanza di uno dei genitori, aspetto che sembra diventare un'etichetta a vita di fronte a tutti gli altri, alla frattura non risanabile di chi ha perso una sorella/figlia, dove poi il dolore e la depressione inferiscono crudelmente, al tema dell'abbandono inaspettato e senza spiegazioni. Dalle ceneri di tutte queste "famiglie" fatte a pezzi si forma un nuovo tipo di famiglia, dove l'affetto conta più del sangue. Motore catalizzante di questo nucleo insolito e allargato è Yan Jeong Jae, interpretato da un attore che mostra sempre grandi capacità. La storia è complessa ma al tempo stesso ben equilibrata, e può essere apprezzata da diversi punti di vista: il legame che unisce i tre "fratelli", quasi a formare uno schieramento che si supporta e si difende l'un l'altro di fronte al giudizio prevenuto degli altri compagni di studi/vicini di casa; le singole vicende legate al loro passato, che riemergono l'una dopo l'altra, tra padri/madri che ricompaiono destabilizzando di volta in volta l'equilibrio a fatica raggiunto dalla "famiglia per scelta", mostrando dolorosamente come sia difficile in realtà voltare davvero pagina rispetto a certi legami e come a volte dietro al rancore palesato nell'età ormai adulta si celi un bambino sofferente ma ancora aggrappato all'illusione e alla segreta - quasi inconsapevole - speranza del ritorno della madre che lo ha abbandonato/rifiutato/incolpato. Mi è piaciuto molto come sono stati caratterizzati i tre ragazzi e soprattutto che non ci sia davvero l'ombra del classico triangolo amoroso, aspetto che non mi fa mai impazzire e che spesso trovo davvero superfluo, perchè davvero se c'è una buona trama non serve costringere i due giovani di turno a contendersi la fanciulla che completa il trio. Il loro legame evolve, tra equilibri che si frantumano e si ricompongono, vengono messi alla prova da situazioni spesso esterne e sulle quali arrivano a prendere anche posizioni differenti che li porta a uno scontro/confronto mai però definitivo o insuperabile. E' qualcosa di molto più sano e bello da guardare rispetto al cliché della rivalità che si trascina per tutta una serie per poi risolversi in modo a volte banale. Del resto, fin da piccolo, Hai Jun non si attacca in maniera specifica a Ju Won bensì vede lei e il padre come la sua nuova famiglia e per lui il grande valore e supporto è sentire di farne parte. Diverso invece il rapporto tra Ju Won e San Ha, dove già nella tenera adolescenza per San Ha è chiaro che Ju Won rappresenta per lui "la persona", quella fondamentale, che pone al centro del suo mondo. Loro due regalano anche il romance alla serie, non una storia travolgente da batticuore continuo, ma sicuramente sentita e soprattutto profonda, anche per via delle relazioni intrecciate per anni tra loro e con gli altri membri che li circondano. Ammetto che sono stati davvero molti gli episodi che sono riusciti a commuovermi, spesso per situazioni e temi molto diversi l'uno dall'altro ma che tutti si ricollegano all'importanza e profondità della relazione e dei legami tra le persone. Quindi, con una buona scorta di fazzoletti a portata di mano, una serie da non perdere, emozionante e ricca in termini di contenuti.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Worth a watch with better and worse things.
Personally I am a fan of Go Ahead. The bonds, the friends and family connections and yes even the romance because from my pov, Ling Xiao loved JianJian all his life and never considered her as a sibling. Now to make more sense, about why this worth your time and what I personally thought was did wrong lets list it out..The Good:
1. Actors did an incredible job. Absolutely made me cry a million tears just like original did. The dads were perfect and so were other, well mostly.
2. The romantic angle of Sanha and Juwon, romance was done better in this one somehow, more mature, more stable and more heart fluttering.
3. The second pairing, thank the lords for that. I wanted the best friend to fulfill her first love and I am glad they got their chance here.
4. Better ML. While Ling Xiao was good but Sanha is incredible, he is more vocal about his feelings, he lashes out when he should and also InYoup for this role was perfect. He did it more justice than the OG. For me he carried the show with the two dads. And his character was the one that made this adaption more on a good side that OG.
5. FL's career choice. I loved how she ended up as baker because she loved cakes and also how they put the sports injury line because that broke my heart.
6. Bromance, in this one brothers were better connected and more comfortable with each other. Well done!
The Bad:
1. FL. I love the actress but Juwon's character was a downgrade for me from Jian Jian. The school Juwon is not as bubbly and quirky, and the adult one is also not as good but still better. She was not as charming at the OG FL for me.
2. The living in Seoul and not meeting for 10 years with a girl you love so dearly, umm...should have send him abroad tbh to make this more believable.
3. Leaving out the adult friendships of females from the OG. I wanted to see that because I absolutely adored it.
4. The SL, he was good but compared to OG, wasn't as mature which I kinda missed.
5. Reunion and FLs reaction. It feels like FL didn't grew up all those 10 years and still whines like that. Any aspect connected to FL was better in OG.
And since Good is a bit more than Bad, I would recommend it. I binged it and it made me cry. Loved bits of it, just didn't end up loving it as much as the Go Ahead.
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#haedal4ever
nunca assisti a obra original, mas fui assisti os primeiros eps dessa adaptação e eu fiquei tão impactada pela história que já fui emocionada dizendo que seria meu top 3 do ano.E de fato, foi uma história linda, muito gostosinha de acompanhar e com várias cenas que me marcaram, mas que com o tempo ficou claro que uma adaptação de 16 episódios seria muito pouco pra uma história que originalmente foi feita em 40+ episódios. Infelizmente o maior defeito foi realmente esse, o que é uma pena, porque eu sei que se tivesse um pouco mais de tempo o desenvolvimento seria muito melhor.
Além disso, o arco de redenção final da mãe do Sanha foi completamente desnecessário, já que não tinha nada no mundo capaz de mudar a minha opinião (acredito que a de todo mundo) sobre ela. Acho que esse tempo que deram de tela pra ela podia ser trocado por cenas do Haejun e da Dal que na >minha opinião< foram o melhor casal (torci horrores e senti falta de mais ceninhas, não vou mentir)
De forma geral, sou uma grande fã de dramas familiares e family by choice aqueceu meu coração, não entrou pro meu top 3, mas com certeza estará no meu top 10 do ano!
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heartwarming & comforting <3
Having watched Go Ahead multiple times and loving it deeply (my comfort drama fr) I was super excited for this remake and thank god, it did not disappoint! While it didn’t quite evoke the same level of love I had for the original, it maintained the central plot while adding its own charming twists. From the casting to the cinematography, this was a well-done and enjoyable watch. I can confidently say it was a successful remake and a beautiful story worth watching and deserving of recognition 🌟
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Interesting premise
I am not going to wade into the "which is better, the original Chinese drama or this" controversy. I have never watched the Chinese original (and don't intend to) so I can't comment.The only thing I want to touch on is the mental and social commentary stemming from this drama. First, I find it interesting that this 'alternative' family arrangement has been highlighted, perhaps as the writer's hope that single-parent families and alternative family arrangements will one day become normalised in Korea. It is often not their fault that such families end up the way they are, and they shouldn't face discrimination because of it. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a happy 'standard' family and as society, we shouldn't comment on what makes another family happy.
Second, what really bugs me is the lack of acknowledgement of mental health. San Ha's mom clearly has narcissistic personality disorder in the way that she manipulates everyone around her and never admits her responsibility for her own situation. Threatening suicide is one such example of manipulation. She needs psychiatric care. This in turn has caused San Ha untold mental anguish as manifested through his constant anxiety and insomnia. Just 'talking it out' won't make either sets of symptoms go away. This is unrealistic and I wished the drama could have handled it better.
Especially in a high pressure society like SK where there is already such a high incidence of suicide and other undiagnosed mental health ailments, this is the best opportunity to normalise help-seeking. As a doctor, Sanha really should have known better than to play to manipulation. There isn't even a need to make a big deal out of it - him putting his mom in a psychiatric ward would have made me feel so much better about her ending rather than letting her run away again!
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it gets better!!!
alright so im 12 episodes in and can i just tell you this show took a dramatic turn for me halfway through. i was thinking about dropping this show when i was around ep 6-7 because i couldn’t connect properly with the characters but oh GOD.all of a sudden im sobbing my eyes out and can’t stop watching it. first of all i just wanna say i LOVE the relationship between kang haejun and juwon’s father. i feel like they have the most beautiful relationship amongst everyone and i cry every single time i see them together. the way juwon’s father truly raised haejun as his real son and cares so much about him melts my heart.
HWANG INYEOP. oh my god this man is absolutely insane. HE IS SUCH A GREAT ACTOR IM ACTUALLY IN SHAMBLES. his acting skills are so underrated in the kdrama world. the way he portrayed sanha’s character SO WELL, i was crying along with him. also, he is such a TEASE when it comes to juwon. he was literally giving me butterflies i haven’t felt in a LONG TIME. AND OBVIOUSLY HE IS SO HANDSOME I WAS SCREAMING INTO MY PILLOW EVERY NOW AND THEN
in conclusion, it gets better. i didn’t expect to be hooked so tightly when i first started the show. just hold on and enjoy the journey together with the characters.
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Sesuai judulnya, memilih keluarga. Tiga anak yang punya keluarga disfungsional memutuskan menjadi "keluarga" walau dengan marga yang beda. Ih aku nangis, apalagi tiap scene mereka sarapan sebelum berangkat sekolah HUHUHU. Sejujurnya, kurang sreg sama chemistry kakak-adek naik tingkat jadi couple. Tapi puas sama endingnya, ngga dipaksakan sama sekali❤️❤️
Andai di dunia ini bisa ya seperti judulnya, memilih sendiri keluarga kita. Atau sebenernya, kita yang ngga sadar. Selama ini punya orang-orang tanpa ikatan darah yang sayangnya lebih dari keluarga kita sendiri🥹🥹
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Ella y la versión china
Decidí esperar a verla al saber que era un remake de la serie china "Sigue adelante".Me gusta ver las fuentes originales antes que las versiones.
Creo que esta, "Familia por elección", gana en simplicidad. Las series chinas (casi todas de las que yo he visto, que son pocas en comparación con las coreanas) suelen tener demasiados personajes e historias paralelas y dispersas.
Esta versión también gana en finales cerrados y consumados.
Pero, personalmente creo que la china gana en varios aspectos:
Actuación: De los cinco personajes principales, el padre cocinero su hija y el hijo del policía son mucho mejores en la china que en la coreana. El hijo adoptado y el padre policía están ahí ahí: En algunos momentos superan unos y en otros los otros.
Guion: Aunque más que el guion es la profundización en la psicología de los personajes, sus heridas, sus sufrimientos, sus dudas y reflexiones sobre la familia, el sentido de la vida, el perdón, la justicia, el sufrimiento, el amor....Las dificultades de educar a una chica entre dos padres y dos hermanos mayores todos varones...Me quedo con la china.
Ambientación: Después de ver la china, la coreana cuesta creer que no estás en un decorado. En la china te sentías completamente en casa... Esa mesa plegable para comer que se quitaba cuando no hacía falta y podía convertirse de cuadrada a redonda en función de que comieran los cinco o no...Esa media cortina entre la cocina y el comedor...
Creo que las dos merecen la pena ser vistas.
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Starts strong with great characters and back stories, but themes and sublime moments are too watered down by the end . . .The inevitable comparison to 'Go Ahead' is at the end of this review.
Can you have a sunny, optimistic future after a traumatic and unconventional childhood? The answer is a resounding 'yes.' The theme simple: hold tight to the people in your life who want to see you happy and healthy - and run away from people who don't believe in you and wish you would fail.
The romantic suspense is addictive: we the audience can tell that Sanha is over the moon for Juwon. But Juwon has no idea. There's a bit of a 'forbidden romance' factor as well.
Once the primary romantic storyline is resolved, between the two of them, then moves to the difficult bit. How to address the lasting trauma that these characters suffered in childhood? This is completely soft-balled. Sanha's mother just fades away, as does Haejun's father. Sanha's taking of sleeping pills is waived away by learning the joys of drinking.
The acting is great - I especially liked Haejun's characterisation. The production values, music and pacing are all decent, and occasionally there would be a cinematic moment. But, the highlight of the show is the depiction of toxic/traumatic family relationships, finding your 'found' family and the romantic storylines. I just wish it hadn't turned so saccharinely, unrealistically sweet in the last 4 episodes.
COMPARISON TO 'GO AHEAD'
Go Ahead was one of my top dramas of all time until the last 5-10 episodes. It was much more raw, and much more realistic about surviving toxic and traumatic relationships than Family By Choice. So much so that it should come with trigger warnings. It also was less literal and a bit more sublime. While I really hated the plot resolutions, the last scene of Go Ahead will stay in my mind forever.
In Go Ahead there were two strong sources of tension/suspense. One the romance, but the second was whether the Sanha character would be able to thrive or if he was going to sink and drown.
One of the most emotionally touching scenes in Go Ahead, was when he scrambles in a panic to explain to the Juwon character that he'd take anything she is willing to give, it doesn't have to be romance, it can be friendship, it can be anything - that in the years they've been apart the only light in the darkness was imagining seeing her again.
Instead of saying that is romantic, she starts to cry, and she hadn't realised things had been so bad between him and his mom, that she hadn't seen how bad things were for him, how had none of them seen?? How had they let him suffer all these years??
In comparison, in Family By Choice, Juwon goes to her dad and asks if it's OK and normal that Sanha and Juwon feel like no one in the world exists but each other. Instead of her Dad warning her about 'romeo and juliet' type romances, he instead reassures her that it's normal.
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Family is not always made by blood, but by heart❤️
Family by Choice tells the heartfelt story of Kim San-ha, Yoon Ju-won, and Kang Hae-jun, three individuals who, though unrelated by blood, forge an unbreakable bond during their teenage years. Raised under the devoted care of Ju-won’s father, Yoon Jeong-jae, who owns a Kalguksu restaurant, and San-ha’s father, Kim Dae-wook, they grow up together as family. Despite the absence of their mothers, the two fathers create a nurturing and joyful environment for the trio. However, circumstances pull San-ha and Hae-jun away from their close-knit family, forcing them to part ways. A decade later, the three reunite, uncovering long-buried memories and rekindling the profound connections that shaped their lives.The first two episodes were great, I enjoyed them a lot. The drama doesn't make sense, first their parents left ML and in the next episode they keep coming back one by one, it's annoying. I'm especially bothered by Kim San Ha's mom, I don't understand her, actually she wanted happiness so she divorced Kim San Ha's father and left her son and married someone else, then after 10 years she came back to their lives and destroyed their peace and happiness and blamed them for Kim San Ha's younger sister's death, later her second husband died in an accident, she blames Kim San Ha and her ex-husband for everything.
After the leap I found it a bit more interesting to watch, personally I loved the chemistry between 1st couple and 2nd couple.
At the end it doesn't matter if the family is related by blood or not, it only matters that they love each other and respect each other and this drama gives a warm love and proves again that it doesn't matter if your caste or blood is different, it only matters that you love each other and care for each other.
Family is not always made by blood, but by heart ❤️
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A Fantastic remake
This is one of the best dramas I have watched till now. Beautifully done. Couldn't be any better. I just loved each and every episode of it.I have watch Go Ahead. No doubt the main story is just amazing. Not a typical story line. I loved Go Ahead as well. But Family by Choice not only took the strong points of the GA but corrected the wrongs in the GA.
If you have seen Go Ahead, then its a must. Go Ahead with it.
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A beautiful drama on family
This might be my first romance drama that I am rating a 10 maybe because it is more about family and that is what I loved most about it. It's not a proper comedy or romcom but it does make you smile and laugh as much as it might make you tear up. It is endearing as a story about family and I genuinely wanted to hug the male leads several times for struggling so much as kids. I loved their bonding through their individual struggles and looking out for each other. I am glad I started watching late and binged it because it made it more enjoyable than if I had to wait weekly.Sometimes kdramas get boring but I didn't find myself bored with this one at any point. I loved it from start to finish. There are plenty of cute romance moments but it was really the trio that I fell for. The cast was exceptional in their portrayals. I felt their emotions and found myself relating to how they were feeling in that situation I loved the dads and every kid would want fathers who can take on a proper role of childcare and bonding with their children without relying on remarriage to another women and pass on their responsibilities to her in such situations. It was quite wholesome for that reason.
Although the child actors are only seen in the first 2 episodes (if I am not mistaken), they did a wonderful job as well and were truly adorable.
The OST is quite nice even and enjoyable though I normally don't like slow Korean songs.
If you don't mind getting a little emotional and a plot about family with a slow build up to romance, Family By Choice might appeal to you as much as it did to me.
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