A Prefabricated Family (2024)

Not better than the original but swoony, fluffy and charming in its own way. Worth a watch.

Full disclosure, I have seen and loved the original Chinese series "Go Ahead" from which Family By Choice is an adaptation. Therefore my review and appreciation of this version of the story, is bound to be influenced by my feelings on the original drama. Overall, even if I prefer the original series, I truly enjoy this version of this found family tale. There are even things I think the South Korean version accomplished in a neater way. Not better, but like if you would put a pretty bow on things while the Chinese drama had a less fluffy vibe, much grittier, less rom-com, more slice-of-life. I appreciate they took another approach but I cannot say that I found it better. Just different.

The South Korean series hits properly most of the beats of the original story, with some changes on storylines as well as quicker pace (which is unavoidable given that the South Korean version is made of 16 episodes of 1 hour while the Chinese version is made of 40 episodes of 45 minutes). There are some iconic elements of the original story that are missing which I found a bit of a shame but I appreciated some of the cuts they took on some of the side stories / characters. The main flaw of the story resides in its pacing : some traumatic events lived through by the characters felt too quick with the story moving on expeditiously and handling a bit too easily redemptions...Despite those flaws (which I must admit are linked to me comparing both occurrences of the story), the overall plot is still very good and I truly enjoyed the romance as well as the family arc. The trio of main characters are really likeable and form a trio that I loved throughout the full show. I will miss them for sure.

The casting was very good. I adore Hwang In Youp and I found him excellent here. He gave me butterflies in my stomach. His character felt to me like the heart of the story, even more than the heroine. She is of course key to the story and Jung Chae Yeon is super luminous in portraying her. It was my first time seeing her in a series and I will need to see her in a different role to which I'm less attached to form a clearer opinion on her acting. I was also happy to (re-)discovered Bae Hyeon Seong thanks to this drama. He did not leave me with a lasting memory from his support role in Hospital Playlist but here, he made a strong impression on me. The filial bond between him and his adoptive father is one of the best part of the series. Both actors playing fathers (Choi Won Young and Choi Moo Sung), as well as the child actress Oh Eun Seo are worth a shout out as they were amazing in those support roles.

The production value is really good. There are so many scenes that are mesmerizing, decors with flowers, pastel and bright colors participating in creating dreamy and romantic pictures. The soundtrack is really beautiful as well. There are a couple of songs that I will for sure keep listening to.

I would recommend this to people that love romantic story and found-family trope. If you enjoy protective, caring and ambiguous "big brother" character, you are in for a treat. The story is not without flaws and it pales a bit the comparison to the original drama...Still, it is worth watching if you enjoy rom-com with swoony moments, supported by a charming cast and solid production value.

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Better than the original. But just by a bit.

Beware, it’s going to be long and with spoilers!

So my test-retest reliable but I liked just a bit more the Kdrama so I gave another half point. Below will be my comparison between this version and the Cdrama.

The cons: They didn’t spend much time around their younger days and I loved it much more than the modern ones. I understand that the Cdrama was much longer but IMO they lost all the beauty of how they became a one big family. In the Kdrama they suddenly started sort of living together, and without the prior knowledge I might’ve been confused.
Their modern days wasn’t done perfectly either. It was fun watching them going between the apartments in the Cdrama and practically living all together again, but here it felt less like that, and they missed the whole thing of how they became neighbors again at the first place !
Another problem is the familiar faces of actors who are usually doing villain roles and suddenly you got to believe they’re the sweetest dads in the world. So I’m sorry but I liked the dad there more. And the Mom was much more savage here. It was painful to watch her scenes.

The pros: Real life age of actors! Seven was older than the guys, especially ML and it showed. I’m happy In Yeop was older, so I could’ve felt the chemistry more.
Also I liked that unlike the Cdrama where Seven was the glue between them, here it felt like In Hyup was the one. So he really felt like the protective older brother. He has done a terrific job.
Her friend was much integral part of the story and it was interesting they left her with the same character as she grew up and didn’t make her go against her mom like in the Cdrama. It showed much more what a sensitive and beautiful on the inside woman she is. It emphasized the growth of the 2ML (who, as he should, didn’t want the FL, even for an instance -unlike the Cdrama).

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Family by Choice é uma adaptação do drama chinês Go Ahead, um dos meus dramas chineses favoritos. Acho que a versão coreana conseguiu manter a essência a história apesar de condensar o enredo em 16 episódios.

Na versão coreana gostei bem mais da relação deles como irmãos do que do romance entre Juwon e Sanha. Com relação a romance, eu estava muito mais investida na história da Dal e Haejun do que no romance entre Juwon e Sanha. Pena que Dal e Haejun tiveram pouco tempo de tela como casal e em geral.

Jeong Jae, não importa em qual versão sempre será o pai do ano! E o ator Choi Won Young também estava maravilhoso nesse papel. No final a gente até lamenta um pouco ele ficar com a mãe do Haejun porque ele é bom demais para ela. Mas ao mesmo tempo fico feliz por ela ter uma segunda chance na vida depois de tanto azar e falta de bom senso na vida.

Resumindo é um ótimo drama familiar que vale a pena assistir.

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kim sanha eu te amo

eu sempre tive muita vontade de assistir a obra original mas sempre ficava com preguiça pq são muitos episódios. quando soube que ia ter a corena fiquei tão ansiosa, e fiquei cheia de expectativas depois que vi o elenco maravilhoso. e todas as minhas expectativas foram supridas e alcançadas. que dorama maravilhoso!!! me prendeu do início ao fim, me emocionei, sorri, fiquei com o coração quentinho e me apeguei a cada personagem, todos possuem uma linda conexão e um ótimo desenvolvimento que me deixou extremamente feliz e satisfeita!! eu amei cada detalhe de Family By Choice, cada detalhe mesmo, a fotografia, a trilha sonora, a atuação, os cenários, foi tudo lindo!
Family By Choice tem uma história linda que vale muito a pena dar uma chance e com certeza irei assistir a versão chinesa.
e não posso deixar de comentar sobre a atuação impecável do Hwang In Yeop, QUE HOMEM!!!!!! por favor coloquem esse homem em todos os doramas possíveis, ele é simplesmente maravilhoso, Kim Sanha entrou pra lista dos meus personagens favoritos.
sem dúvidas meu kdrama favorito de 2024 ♡

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main cast is SPOT-ON! off to a good start!

Hwang In Yeop totally nails the eldest sibling vibe—he’s responsible, serious, and caring, but he has this distant, mysterious vibe. Bae Hyun Sung, as the playful older brother, always has a smile on his face but you can tell he’s hiding some deeper, painful feelings. and Jung Chae Yeon is such a perfect fit for the youngest sibling! i’m really loving the trio and their dads.

i love the original Chinese drama, and since the original has 40 episodes, i’m excited to see how they’re going to pack everything into just 16 episodes. definitely looking forward to seeing how they adapt it!

btw, Bae Hyun Sung reminds me a bit of Park Bo Gum in ‘Reply 1988’ with that hairstyle and especially his eyes. is it just me? haha

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Good in the Beginning, Frizzles out Towards the End

I guess a lot was lost in translation, because remaking a 40 episodes Chinese drama into 16 episodes Korean drama isn’t an easy feat!

I read comments and reviews on MDL before I sat down to write this review and there was one thing predominantly pointed out in them- that the Korean version lacks the subtleties and family dynamics which were the highlight of the Chinese original. Frankly, I haven’t watched the Chinese drama, so I can only base my review on the Korean remake. But it does seem like there were existent discrepancies which were viable even without the comparison. The first half of the show starts off strong, the tight sibling bond between the three main characters who have no blood ties is established early on; they are each other’s staunch support and comfort zone. Bought up by two fathers in a shared household, the children never lacked love and affection; especially Kang Hae Jun who had no significant ties to either families. The fathers acted as the parental units and the children had them as well as each other while they grew up normally. Now as the storyline descends into the second half, the plot goes awry. I was slightly disappointed with the later episodes as they felt too disjointed. I’m not even sure if the remake still remained true to the original!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/11/28/family-by-choice-series-review/

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This Chinese Remake is Really Really Good in Its Own Right!

The Chinese remake, Go Ahead, was one of my most Favorite Chinese Dramas, so I was going into watching this Korean version with prejudice. Remakes more often than not are usually not that good. However, what a pleasant surprise!!!

Even knowing the overall storyline, the Korean's did a Fabulous job making this drama their own. Great cast, great acting, intense emotions. I love these type of warm family dramas vs those where everyone is busy stabbing each other in the back.

Highly recommend, I look forward to rewatching the drama again in the future along with the Chinese one.

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Definitely in my top 10 for the year!

I just finished watching, and OH MY GOSH it was SO GOOD! I understand that it's a remake, and I haven't seen the original so I can't make comparisons, but I absolutely loved this drama! The acting was outstanding! The story was interesting. The music...well, not so much, but it didn't make me want to turn it off, so that's a plus. It seemed through most of it that if I wasn't laughing or smiling ear to ear, then I was crying...but I cry every time the actors do, so make of that what you will. The family was unrealistically heartwarming, but I don't watch dramas such as this expecting realism. It's a "possible but not probable" storyline, so it's not too far out in left field. I absolutely adored all of the mains and most of the side characters. Definitely worth the watch!

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Slightly better

I found this one better than the original they warped it perfectly in just 16 episodes. Watching ML's mother's scenes were very difficult I tried to skip most of it I really wished someone to put that woman to her place and what's more annoying is that in whole drama everyone told ML to be good with her just because she is his mother and even ML was one who always felt guilty and the mother didn't change at all until the end.
The best part they did with remake was Park Dal, her character was amazing. They even gave her happy ending with 2ML by removing the love triangle and avoiding unnecessary angst.

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I’ve never seen Go Ahead but I was immediately drawn to this show after seeing the previews. Starting from the first episode I loved the characters and their little family. The main dad is so precious and he had such a great dynamic with each of the kids and the other dad as well. I think I liked the first half of this show better, which starts off when they are little kids and then focuses on them in high school. The three younger leads, San-ha, Ju-won, and Hae-jun were all such well-written characters and the actors had amazing performances. Between San-ha and Hae-Jun’s backstories I think I was crying every episode.

The first half of the show did a good job showing the connections between all of the characters and highlighting each person’s personality and backstory. When they had the two boys leave home and then the show did the time jump, it didn’t feel quite the same after. I always loved San-ha and I thought that he had good chemistry with Ju-won, but their courtship felt so extremely rushed. I didn’t have an issue with them getting together but it seemed that Ju-won had no time to process his feelings about her and then think about her own. The show was running out of episodes and needed to have them get together, so it didn’t feel organic. The show could’ve benefitted from another couple episodes. Similarly, I loved Dal and was rooting for her to get Hae-jun, but it felt like another case of not having enough time for Hae-jun to reflect on his feelings and then decide to pursue her. I did really love that couple but I would’ve liked their romance to be built up a little more.

San-ha’s mom was truly diabolical and it killed me that the show and the characters never gave her what she deserved. I know the actress did a great job because I wanted to slap her every time she appeared on the screen.

The heart of the show truly was Ju-won’s dad. His and Hae-jun’s relationship was the source of most of my tears from this show; there were so many heartwarming moments showing how much he loved his son. One of the reasons I think the show worked better for me at the beginning is that I think the strength is the portrayal of their family dynamic. Even just the scenes where they were eating dinner together were fun to watch. Even with my few issues with the last few episodes, I still really loved this show and can see a rewatch in my future!

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