Fun until the last Third

So, I totally got addicted to My Sweet Mobster when watching the first episode and it felt like an eternity when waiting for the new episodes each week. In the first half, I was so sure this would be a 10 Star series for me but unfortunately I had to remove a couple of points.

Let's first get into the great stuff:

- The FL : I loved her storyline, which felt totally unique. Usually, we get FLs with the "very unique and totally uncommon in KDrama-World" occupations such as doctor, prosecutor, lawyer, office worker etc.. So I found it very refreshing that in this one, our FL is a video-creator for children. This seemed also so fitting to how her character was written and the way she was styled. I liked seeing working hard to create great videos while keeping the children's interests in mind and not becoming a sellout in the industry.
Overall, I enjoyed watching her on screen a lot and enjoyed her interactions with the other characters. I'm definitely going to keep my eyes on any future projects of the actress.

- The ML: Well, he's candy for the eyes and I guess everyone will agree with that. I'm also kind of a sucker for the stoic and strong with a soft heart trope-ML, so that was a win in my books. He also was written as a deep character who is caring and wants to change the life of people for the better. He's also one of the funniest characters on screen - something I did not expect having watched some of the actor's previous works. How he kept a balance between this comedic side of his character and also the serious CEO type was great to watch.

- The Deer Guys (aka Sausage-Squad): I absolutely loved watching the guys' interactions, especially Jae Su and Man Ho. They brought in the feeling of the found family concept and always kept me entertained with their bickering. The writer did a great job explaining some of their backstory, though it could've been better paced. I would have also loved to see more of the above two guys, I absolutely adore them just as they do their Little Rat! They elevated the scenes they were in and it always gave me a warm feeling when seeing the whole Deer family together.

- The 2nd ML: I liked how he cared for the FL and how he overcame his distaste for the ML in order to protect her. He get's a few points removed though for wanting to pursue the FL after she made clear she is not in love with him and for kinda being a creep in watching children's shows. One of my favourite scenes however, was the comment battle between him and the ML.

- The chemistry between FL and ML: their chemistry was amazing and their interactions made my heart flutter.


And now for the bad (or at least the not-so-great):

- Kang Ye Na: Her character feels kinda meaningless and for me could've been removed from the story. I thought that once her backstory was revealed, I understood her for a second and it gave her more depth. However, that was just for the first time they showed that one background scene. I just couldn't sympathise with her once she just could not stop approaching the ML and don't get me started on her contract conditions! Like that's a way to force someone who does not care for you to spend time with you! In responds to my distaste for her, I also did not care about any kind of romance sub-plot with Dong Hyuk (who was also my least favourite Deer member).

- The best friend: I also did not care for her and her sub-plot romance with Hyun Jin. Their romance had no depth in the beginning, so I did not care and never started to care. Her interactions with the FL also did not feel deep and I didn't believe that they're best friends. The pregnancy sub-plot was kinda interesting, but I felt that, as this was just a sub-sub-plot, there couldn't enough time be spent on it to make it meaningful or offer commentary. I also found it quite cheap how they just kinda fell in love in an instance, once they found out about the pregnancy.

- Go Yang Hui (aka the Cat-"villain"): he was a goofball, not a villain. They did manage to make him a total turn-off, to the extend though that I actually had to skip his scenes as he was an unbearable character for me. I understand that the drama is supposed to be comedy, but I would have liked a more serious villain, where I could feel like the FL and the Deer-guys were actually in danger for a second.

- The Gang-background: That, I found interesting at first, but it became a bore the more the drama went on. I feel like there was never a sense of enough urgency for me and the very childish set-up of Mr. Cat as a villain made it feel like watching a horrible children's animations trying to portray an evil gang, not an evil gang itself.

- The ML's father: I just didn't care, maybe because they showed some of the childhood scenes etc. too often. Actually, I also began skipping through his scenes.

- And now to something I didn't think I would say when starting the series: The relationship between FL and ML:

My heart fluttered in the first half whenever they interacted with each other and I just wanted them to find out that the ML was the childhood Oppa. And I soo waited for the love confession and was curious how their relationship would turn out. However, I was disappointed on that front. The finger-hearts and nervousness was adorable for the first time they acted like that, but as it kept going like this, I just felt turned off. Like, we're talking about the relationship of two adults in their thirties. The romance though felt like watching two thirteen year olds having a crush for the first time! I wanted a more mature romance and more skin contact and maybe some sexual tension. It just felt off watching the ML, an ex-gang member and successful CEO in his late thirties, to act like a teenage simp in love who never was in the sphere of another woman before!
That was a great let-down for me. I do find that the longing and pining before two characters actually start dating is more interesting in most dramas, but this was a total failure on the relationship for me.
Also, the totally unnecessary but thankfully very short third act breakup. Never been a fan of this trope and also wasn't here.

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Enjoyable Family Drama

So i'm kind of a sucker for long weekend family dramas and have watched quite a few already. I went into 'Rascal Sons" with little expectations as it's an older show but I basically fell in love with the characters from the beginning.

Story: It focuses around three brothers and their romantic lives and family ties. Eldest brother and single father Hyeongi falls for single mom Inuk quite quickly and they have to overcome the usual obstacles in form of the mother-in-law until they can get married. Middle son Mingi has a secret crush on his best friend's fiance, but doesn't want to destroy his friendship. He later meets a younger girl, Yuri, and they have a fun time bickering with each other. Youngest brother Seungi was my least favorite, although played by one of my favorite actors. He is married but cheats with everything that wears a skirt and only realizes his love for his wife after they divorce.

Positives: the relationships between the lovers and family and friendship were all portrayed very believable. Also, usually in longer dramas and weekly ones there are always certain characters that are just infuriating and have no chance for redemption. This is not the case here, Seungi was obviously a bad husband but a loving father and brother. The mother and father-in-law had their mean moments but they were very human and enjoyable to watch. There really wasn't anyone I wanted to slap like usual. Also I liked that the story focused on 'normal' people. There is no rich chaebol family and the poor damsel in distress.

Negatives: There were a few episodes before the halfway mark that were a bit stretched and I skipped through some scenes. Also, Mingi's best friend plays an important role in the beginning, but gets forgotten by the end. The actress who played his fiance was also my least favorite character as she always had the same facial expression; I couldn't bond with her character even though she had a tragic back story. Also, there's some kind of twist thrown in and a cancer scare at episode 40 that I could've done without. It just added some unnecessary drama to get it to the 50ep mark.

All in all: I had a fun time watching the show and rooted for all characters. It was great to observe the family dynamics and had a good balance between romance, comedy and drama. Definitely recommend for fans of family dramas that don't want to watch another chaebol guy getting together with a poor girl.

8/10

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