Modern Farmer (2014)

This drama is basically a fish out of water concept combined with music and humor. Modern Farmer is easily one of the funniest dramas that I have ever watched, I found myself laughing to the point of tears several times. This was due to the massive amount of pop culture references sprinkled throughout as well as the quirky characters. The wide array of fun and interesting people in the village as well as their interactions with each other and the band members were easily the highlight of the series. One of the most glaring flaws of this drama is the central romance, it really did not work. This is not due to the actor's abilities but due to poor casting choices. Lee Hong Ki is supposed to be playing a character older than he actually is but he unfortunately has a baby face and looks younger than his current 24 years. Lee Honey is a beautiful actress but she looks her age and is supposed to be playing a character very close in age to Hong Ki, this doesn't work and the age gap is obviously apparent. Besides that fact which other dramas have dealt with before, is that the two actors don't have a lot of chemistry. The whole romance is put on the back burner for most of the drama and only becomes a central focus during the latter half. Since so little effort is put into developing the romantic aspect of their relationship, it just never feels authentic when it actually happens. Also, the story is pretty lackluster and almost becomes an afterthought, the character interactions and reactions are the main focus of the drama. As such, whatever little plot exists developed at an extremely slow pace. I was hoping that the last 3 minutes of the last episode were a dream because that ending seemed really odd, lazily written, slightly depressing, and surprisingly realistic given that the entire drama never shot for a true to life scenario. This drama is great if you are in the mood for something light and funny, but look elsewhere for a substantial plot and romance.

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I read what I wrote below and thought “Omo, I such a fangirl!”, But aren’t we all?

Being a fan of Hong Ki since his brilliant characterization of Jeremy, I have waited for him to shine again, this time on the front stage. Alas, the dramas and movies that he participated in weren't all that bad, but didn’t satisfy me. I was hoping for more. And finally I got it with Modern Farmer.

The main role suits Hong Ki splendidly. He get to use his funny faces, mischievous looks, adorable smiles, and even some manly strength and seriousness. He is able to bring out his village swag very naturally and he nails yet another epic bus scene ^_^.

But Hong Ki is not the only leverage of this drama. Moving the action to the country, gave it a refreshing feeling and let me explore a part of Korean culture, I didn’t know much about. The cast members were able to bring a whole ensemble of colorful and unique characters, that escaped from typical drama cliches.

And the heroine! A beautiful country flower (that’s what I kept calling her in my head), that turned out to be a strong and independent woman. It was she who kept saving the boys, not the other way around. That’s extremely rare in Dramaland, so kudos for that.

I was impressed how well written and sensible the story was. In many ways it reminded of a family drama - usually 50+ episodes- compressed into 20-ep. format with the benefit of cutting out the most annoying, dramatic things and leaving only the fun and heartwarming ones. Focusing on comedy did well for the show. Although it went overboard with peeing jokes at some point, it got me giggling most of the time. The writers didn’t give up on exploring various human relations, however, romantic and other, so it didn’t feel as shallow, as some comedies are.

As for the music, it’s a 10+. Classic rock hits often enforced the humor. The whole concept of the protagonists being hard-rock musicians also fit in nicely. And Hong Ki’s song “When love comes” reminded me why I fell for his voice many years ago. (OK, so I started with fan-girling and ended with fan-girling.. FANGIRL4LIFE ^_^)

If you bored with typical drama schematics, I recommend you to watch this as it is definitely something different.

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