perfect a remake could be!
The performances are stellar, particularly from the lead trio, whose chemistry drives the narrative. The writing beautifully tackles themes of abandonment, resilience, and the importance of chosen family, making the series relatable and inspiring.However, the drama does face minor drawbacks, such as pacing issues in the middle episodes and reliance on familiar Kdrama tropes. Despite these, its heartfelt storytelling and emotional authenticity make it a standout. Fans of family-centric dramas and emotional narratives will find Family by Choice an unforgettable watch.
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True Family is Not One of Blood
Heartwarming story spiced with light humour. I especially enjoyed the performances of Hwang In-youp, Bae Hyun-sung and Jung Chae-yeon. This serie, it showed how siblings though not by blood, but true affection can have a profound effect on each other in a positive way. The absolutely cute child actors deserve praise for their enthusiasm and youthful brightness!Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Absolutely INCREDIBLE!!
Thank you Kdramaland for NOT throwing a side plot of creepy murder into this show. It was raw and packed full pf emotions from the very start. The character development was stellar, the casting A plus.Love, pain, family, bonding, small town drama at its finest.
I don’t cry much in dramas, but happy tears poured down my face at the end of this show.
We’ve had at most 4-5 10 star worthy dramas come out of Korea in 2024, and this is certainly one of them.
It felt different, unique and apart from the absolutely horrendous mother of ML, I feel like we pretty much steered clear of the usual tropes too.
Don’t miss this one. It’s a much watch.
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Found family will always heal the soul
This show is a sweet slice of life about struggle and finding a home and overcoming difficulties. Three children raised as siblings but not by blood find themselves navigating life without mothers and with prejudices placed on them due to their circumstances that were beyond their control. Ju Won who lost her mother before she even knew her to death, San Ha whose mother abandoned him after being stuck in her own grief, and Hae Jun who was left behind and taken in by a stranger. All three raised by Ju Won and San Ha's fathers creating a tight knit family of 5 for 10 years. But as life has a tendency to do things begin to unravel when the boys are seniors in high school and getting ready to graduate. They find their situations changing again and taking them in different directions separating the three 'siblings' for 10 years before the two men find their way back home.I actually really liked this show a lot. It was really very beautiful and acted very well. The child actors in the beginning were fantastic and the adult actors all embodied their roles with near perfection. The drama also makes a point to show early on in the series the difference in how Ju Won treats San Ha and Hae Jun while growing up which makes the romance later in the story more palatable for some viewers. I like how their struggles are often handled with grace and understanding between the close knit family of 5.
I also like how they made this story their own but stayed true to the characters and their personalities. Ju Won here is much more reserved in this version and I actually like that for her character. She doesn't come off as spoiled or naive but strong and independent which makes sense and fits perfectly as someone that was raised by someone that loved them so well and worked so hard. She learned from him and met her own difficulties with determination and grace. I also prefer this version of Hae Jun as well. His trauma of being abandoned and feeling like he had to earn a place and the way that trauma molded him works here. He is strong and soft hearted like Ju Won's father who raised him but his fear of being thrown away is shown to perfection here. I also really loved Dal in this show and wish she had been shown more, especially her interactions with Hae Jun which were some of my favorite. I actually preferred this pair over Ju Won and San Ha.
What did not land perfectly for me was the chemistry for the romance and I will forever hate San Ha's mother no matter version I watch. I watched this show through the eyes of having seen the original so that knowledge I think fills in some gaps that may be missing in this show because of the shorter run time. There were some things that felt rushed and others that felt too slow. Like the wedding at the ending felt rushed and unnecessary though I thought the same in the original. The last episode also felt so long and boring to me which is not a good feeling when it comes to a finale.
But overall I enjoyed this and would recommend for the found family and even for the dialogue. Some of the advice given to the characters throughout the show hits emotionally even to the viewers who may be able to see themselves in some of the aspects of the characters. Well written script, seasoned actors that are great at their craft, beautiful OST, and stunning visuals make for a good show.
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Are all Mothers bad?
So I watched ep 6 last evening and I"m very frustrated that ALL the adult Female characters are cruel and uncaring to their children. Although I understand that the writers are trying to explain the difficulties these teenagers are facing, is it really necessary that all the mothers are portrayed in this way? Both Father figures are portrayed as nothing short of saints! Two mothers abandoned their sons, and the 3rd is cruel and constantly humiliates her teenage daughter in front of her friends. One mother left her child because of grief and the other because of financial difficulties, and this is supposed to explain their cruelty even 10 years after leaving. Even the aunt of one of the teenagers is thoughtless towards her nephew, implying that he is a burden to the father figure who raised him. Up until ep6 I have loved this drama. However, if the storyline continues to portray the women in this drama as cruel, heartless and selfish with no redeeming factors, I don't think I will be able to continue to watch it as I feel the writers must hate mothers and women in general.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Family by choice
At first I was very excited, but after I saw this far. I'm still surprised by the story which seems to have a lot of jumps in it. Yes I have watched the previous version.What I regret is that this is a family drama as the title suggests. However, I feel a little disappointed about the emphasis on family.In fact, I think that from the start, this drama adaptation actually emphasized the love triangle between the actors. That's the first one, the second one is the character of the main character, seriously I read the novel and the character doesn't match, come on.Well, even so, this drama is quite good, not too bad. But to watch it again, I prefer to watch the original version.
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Ultimate k-drama!
The drama of "family by choice" taps into one of the most powerful and nuanced themes in human relationships—the ability to form deep, meaningful connections beyond the boundaries of blood ties. What makes this type of story so compelling is the emotional complexity that comes with choosing your own "family." It's a blend of vulnerability, loyalty, and the search for belonging, often portrayed through characters who are either estranged from their biological families or who have been through significant personal loss or trauma. From an insight-driven perspective, these dramas typically highlight the struggles of acceptance, the pain of rejection, and the beauty of finding solace in unexpected places. It shows that love is not a birthright but something that can be nurtured and earned. The conflicts in these stories are often internal, as characters wrestle with societal expectations, personal insecurities, and the challenge of trusting others who have no legal or blood-based obligation to them.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
He Mei was bolder and kinda diva (as she should) while Kang Seo Hyun is more reserved character, I think both really match Li Hai Chao and Yun Jung Jae, cause despite both are The Dads, but their characters were totally different
and it took me until the very last episode to realized Dal = Yue Liang (Ming Yue's nickname)
many said FBC would do romance better than Go Ahead, I don't agree
because what people dislike about XiaoJian still happened to SanWon
Zi Qiu's arc doesn't need romance, and despite it's good to see HaeDal ended up together, but Hae Jun was way too dense, not just in romance but in general
and Yun Jung Jae Kang Seo Hyun wasn't developed as good as Li Hai Chao and He Mei (that I personally think they were also rushed)
personally i watch this to see how it would developed HaeDal and Jung Jae Seo Hyun but it kinda let down despite them being cute couples
I'm not liking Kim Dae Wook as much as I love Ling He Ping, but he was so funny in last 4 episodes, he should've got more funny scenes just like Ling He Ping, and poor man still pining over his ex, but glad he choose his sanity first
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Disappointed
BORRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGG, NO ENERGY IN THE DRAMA...FALLS FLAT ON FACE...😔ANOTHER RUINED VERSION OF A FANTASTIC CDRAMA BY KDRAMA FRATERNITY.
Characters are lacking enthusiasm, Energy...
FL is so so so dull not even close to Tang Song.
Tang Song energy was completely different that was some other level.
All other characters are dull too. Only enjoyed the children characters
Dropped
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Not for everyone!
I totally understand that everyone has different tastes when it comes to shows. I've watched up to episode 3, but I found it difficult to continue past episode 4. While I recognize that this is a remake, I must admit it feels a bit lackluster to me. The acting is decent, but the storyline just hasn’t really captured my interest. I hope you understand!Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
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Hwang Inyoup finally gets the girl~
I watched this series unbiasedly, without thinking there was an original and I liked it alot. I feel that many who are comparing with the OG might not be enjoying it as much, which is a real pity. Why must you torture yourself and take out the enjoyment upon yourself? lolGiven the length of the series the writers and actors/actresses did their best to showcase the story. 3 kids who had similar issues with abandonment, raised by single fathers, grew up with trauma and still tried their best to be ‘happy’. Their fathers did their utmost best to make it feel like a family, and the 3 siblings also contributed. Individually, each kid is not able to express their concerns openly given the fact that other siblings are also going through rough times. They bottled up everything and burdened themselves. On the surface, they feel like a family, but deep down, everyone has their demons. I think they did a great job showcasing that throughout the show. And whenever shit hits the fan, they were always there for each other, and that’s what matters.
This series isn’t a masterpiece or a 10/10, however it was satisfying enough to watch. I do think the finale episode was rushed, jammed in a lot of situations to make a happy ending. On an overall scale of the series- it was a good 8/10. It would have been great if they extended the show for 4 more episodes, just to flesh out some things. My man Hwang Inyoup finally is the lead and gets the girl, so it’s a 8.5/10 for me (:.
Overall, I advise anyone watching this series to not think of the original story. But to view this as its own version, a kdrama version, and really take in the story, the struggle, and the bonds that these 3 kids and their family shared. Just follow the story and enjoy the moment. I liked it.
Also, bring some tissues.
===Spoilers=== a longer ranting
I don’t think Sanha and Juwon relationship is rushed in an overall sense. Sanha has liked Juwon since their childhood days and the drama gave us many subtle hints regarding it. She relies on him more than she knows. When she’s in trouble, she’s more afraid that Sanha will get upset than Haejun. When he confessed in episode 10, her reaction was perfectly normal. It’s sudden, and also ‘what comes after this?’. She really didn’t want to lose him. She was nonchalant when Haejun said they should get married because that idea was far fetched. However, it was different when Sanha did it. She only realized later that she truly liked him as a man rather than ‘brother’.
Haejun and Dal relationship is perfectly where it should have been. In the phase of ‘I didn’t know your feelings 10 years ago, however now that I know, I would like to really know you. So let’s start dating’- and that’s what dating is, to know more about the person. The only regret is that I think there should be more screen time for Dal and Haejun, more butterfly moments. But I guess they did not write that in because it would conflict with Haejun’s personality- he’s oblivious to these kinds of things. More moments will give him hints.
I understand Juwon’s father when he hesitates for approval. Sanha held alot of responsibilities, some even he shouldn’t be responsible for. Of all their years together, he never voiced it out or asked for support. Juwon’s father lives with them but he truly never knew of the internal struggles of Sanha, since he does not open up. So if Juwon and Sanha have a fight, Sanha won’t likely be open up to Juwon’s father- in that sense, it seems like he had lost a son.
Haejun loves both of his siblings and he always wanted a place to belong to, as being abandoned by his father AND mother since young. I understand his need to be within the family, similarly with Juwon, but the difference is- he doesn’t wish to be abandoned again. That’s why he felt so angry and sad when Juwon and Sanha dated. He felt left out. When his mom came back, he was truly overjoyed because if his Dad and Mom got married, it would finally fulfill his wish. It was a happy occasion, but indeed a rush to the finale.
I think if this series had 4 more episodes, some of these issues could be ironed out and be digestible throughout each episode, making more sense. However with 16 episodes compared to 40 episodes of the original, they did well for the story itself.
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Korean Vs Chinese Versions.. Same but Different
To avoid getting yelled at by cyber warriors, I’ll keep it short.K version:
short and sweet
More like neighbors than family which helped the transition to lovers
No stupid love triangle
More on second leads
Dal power- enough said
FL is not as strong of a character, more pouty and childish
C version: in depth and longer
More like family since the build up took more time
More family scenes and more character developments but it made the transition to lovers a bit more awkward
That dreadful love triangle
More scenes for the side characters
Overall, watch both. Definitely one of the best slice of life.
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