An addictive family melodrama teeming with villains, family secrets, greed, jealousy, evil stepmother and siblings, kidnapping, parents and children torn away from each other, coincidences galore, unrequited love, and a brother against brother battle over birthrights. It pits good against evil. The bad characters are so, so bad that you really can't take it too seriously. And they get away with so much for so long. I don't think I have ever hated any drama villains as much as I do the villains in King Baker Kim Tak Goo. The good characters represent the hope that goodness and sincerity and the underdog can prevail in the face of overwhelming adversity. But with all this drama, my favorite part of the story is Tak Goo striving to learn the art of baking and the master's baking competition. I had a hard time watching the first part of the drama which sets up the characters and the villains because I can't stand watching bad things happen to little kids. And the villains do so many despicable things that I had an upset feeling in my stomach watching it. I almost dropped it. But after getting through the beginning, I enjoyed the middle and end of the drama. Though Kim Tak Gu is so good that he's very unrealistic, I have a soft spot for him because I like to believe that the qualities of hopefulness and goodness can actually be such a strength in life. Though much of this is a stereotypical melodrama / soap opera with the archetypal good and bad characters and over-the-top plot, the baking story element gives it something different and refreshing. And without giving away the story, there are certain elements that didn't turn out in the stereotypical way as well -which I appreciated. Enjoyed this overall.