Oh My Geum Bi (2016)

Imma start this review on a positive note because I’m tired of all the crying. Where are all my melodrama fans at? Gather up, Oh My Geum Bi is easily one of the best melodramas of 2016 and one of the most beautiful, heart-breaking and heart-warming dramas I’ve ever watched. And there I was bitchin about how 2016 lacked proper melos; thank you Geum bi, thank you!

Story
Oh My Geum Bi tells a beautiful story of affection, devotion, forgiveness, becoming a better person, letting go and growing up. It’s a very simple story about a little girl who suffers from a terminal illness and has a very bad history with abandonment while she’s thrown at the hands of a clueless swindler who doesn’t know what to do with her. The story is quite predictable but the key point here is the simplicity and the chemistry among the actors that makes this drama grow into something unexpectedly special.

But, what made Geum Bi so particular? It just felt so real.

We are all born perfect and beautiful, without a trace of hatred, meanness, deviousness avarice or anything similar; and yet slowly we become that and so much more, why? We are born perfect and instead of keeping that, we are belittling it to the point we are nothing like that masterpiece we once were.

People are defined by their experiences. We’ve all been through some kind of trauma while growing up, either at home (most usually) or at school, or even later, that made us think lowly of ourselves, hate ourselves, hurt ourselves, have social issues and be afraid of people, want to hurt them back ect. Something scarred us, ruined the purity and instead of covering that scar, help it heal, we build on it. We build our lives on all the shit that happened to us, and deep inside we stay in that moment forever and we start hurting each other thinking this is the only way to survive. What does it take for the harming to stop? It takes another perfect human being, a kid, to remind us what we actually were and what we lost.

Geum Bi gave me hope that there is a way for everyone to regain the lost happiness, the lost innocence, the lost positivity and purity. This is why Geum Bi was special because it showed that we are all perfect, but we’ve just… forgotten about it.

I consider this drama a very heavy and depressing melodrama. I wouldn’t recommend marathoning if you’re a softie like me. Getting attached to the characters came way faster than expected, every character has a sad story, a trauma of some sorts if you may, that directed their life completely. Geum bi helps them work through these issues and see their selves in a whole new positive light. It’s amazing to want to change for a special person, isn’t it?

Best part of the drama is the character development. Geum Bi founds herself in the midst of crazy situations and scary self-obsessed people. And yet, being her flawless perfect self as a kid she finds a way to pass that light to them, inspire and motivate them to become better, and they thrive; inspirational and beautiful in every way.

Another amazing part of the drama was the family bond. The fact that blood is only the loosest way to define family and that people who love you will stick with your through thick and thin no matter what. They are out there; it’s time we found them!

The drama is full with heart-warming and extremely meaningful moments, outdoors among grown-ups, in the house as a family and at the school between kids. It shocked me how kids even with their silly beefs and complaints they would stick to each other when it’s needed, they are considerate and helpful expecting no compensation while grown-ups would only scheme and plot against each other no matter what. Why? The drama puts everything in perspective. It is incredible and worth noting to mention how Geum Bi changes literally everyone around her with the way she acts. And this was enough for me to overlook some convenient or inconsistent writing here and there.

During the later episodes we get to see how difficult it is to live with a person with special needs and the drama overall sends a strong and meaningful message against discrimination of the inclusive.

There is some subtle comedic relief thrown in there to relieve the tension, but don’t expect much.
Lastly, another thing I enjoyed was the genuine effort to make the backstories intense. There were some plot twists, some of them expected some not, but what I want to point out is the good writing here. There wasn’t a dull moment while everything had a meaning.

Geum Bi taught me the meaning of true deep unconditional love, what it looks like and what it can do. True love doesn’t need to be romantic to change you, to reinvent and enlighten you. I sincerely hope we all get to find our Geum Bi in this life.

Acting
Heo Jung Eum won best young actress award in KBS drama awards 2016. She deserved it and that is all I’m gonna say here. Brilliant, flawless and immaculate isn’t enough to describe it. Hope we can see more of her in the future

Oh Ji Ho is a good actor, and I think he was chosen for this role because of the impeccable chemistry he had with Heo Jung Eum. It was really magical. Father-daughter feels were so real. He was good at his comedic scenes and quite emotional when he needed to be. Overall a spectacular performance.

Park Ji Hee is firstly very beautiful and secondly she has this “broken mother” aura to her therefore being a perfect fit for this role. Second time I’m seeing her in a drama and I didn’t regret a moment of it. Emotional, dramatic, motherly and loving she had it all.

Oh Yoon Ah was exceptionally good at her role as well, as well as my personal favourite Lee Ji Hoon.
Kid actor Park Min Soo left a strong impression as well.

Overall the full cast was amazing and memorable.

Recommend/Rewatch
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this to every melodrama fan. People who are into depressing stuff that feature terminal illnesses ect, you’ll love this. Family drama lovers, viewers who enjoy incredible character developments I call out to you. This is not a drama to be missed. However it can be pretty depressing, so bear that in mind. I will definitely rewatch this in the future because it was beautiful, but so heartbreaking, it’s gonna take a while.

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Oh My Geum Bi hits all the right spots in the story and the countless conflicts faced, albeit leaving some issues unresolved and the sudden change of heart of the characters, it's still forgivable because of the cast's utterly amazing performance especially of Heo Jeong Eun where she's undeniably the light of the show and the last resort of almost all the characters related to her and its beautiful to witness these characters' transformation at the end of the show.

The show too has its flaws especially of how lazy some sub plots has been resolved so easily or just in a snap, the moments where there is Chi Soo and Joo Yeong is actually one of the best moments of the show, their presence in Geum Bi's life is an escape to her illness for a while and it's touching because at second half of the show that's the part where all things will go wrong and do nothing but sympathize to Kang Hee and Hwi Cheol.

Great drama, will definitely watch again maybe in years to come, I shed too much tears in a single show, TOO MUCH just TOO MUCH

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OMGB is a well written and does not have a common plot. I think the writer did an excellent job showing the difficulties each person has to go through when there is an illness within a family. It is hard on every one and there is a lot of tears and anger, but there are also those moments of laughter and happiness that last a lifetime. I also like that the writer shows that people can change for the better when faced with adversity. I think it is just a little strange because all these swindlers, gangsters, and drunks suddenly change their life around just by knowing Geum Bi.

I wouldn't have given this as high a score it if weren't for Heo Jung Eun as Geum Bi. That little girl is an amazing actress and I enjoyed her character so much. The other actors are good too, but I didn't feel a bit of chemistry between any of them. They all seemed awkward around each other except when with Geum Bi. She is pretty much the star of the show and the reason why I watched and finished it all.

The music is awesome.

I will never rewatch this.

If you like a melodrama with hope, then this is definitely one for you.

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STORY: I love how Korean dramas have expanded farther than the typical romance and melo-drama. To be honest, I was getting sick and tired of all the stereotypical romance dramas because they are just so damn predictable and don't pull on the heartstrings as much as they used to when those kinds of stories were a trending thing. I'm so happy to see screenwriters submitting in new and FRESH drama ideas such as Oh My Geum Bi, which is a human drama. Yes, it does have a romantic element to it, but it's not the main focus of the drama. The main focus of the drama is the struggle of a little girl's diagnosis of a terrifying and incurable illness. It shows the slow progression of how the illness affects her and those around her. How her illness has affected people's lives and how she continuously struggles to cope with herself as it starts to take over her life. I loved the metaphorical representation they gave this illness as seen through Geum Bi's perspective in her mind. Kind of scary, but not terrifying. Not welcoming, but somehow comforting in it's own way. Although, I kind of wished that they didn't rush into the bad times of the illness. For 14 episodes, Geum Bi was a optimistic, level-headed and understanding child but the last two episodes seemed like they just wanted to skip to the struggling times of the illness to make things more dramatic and show a completely different Geum Bi who was more prickly, acted more her age by rebelling and yelling. It's definitely understandable that her illness would causes such behavior, I just wish it was shown more naturally through the progression of the drama instead of fast-forwarding to those hard times to make things more dramatic. Unfortunately, life doesn't have a fast-forward button and neither should representations of illnesses such as Geum Bi's. I think it would've been better to show a more natural progression of Geum Bi becoming more rebellious and behaviorally more difficult because of her illness.

ACTING/CAST: Cast was awesome! Especially Heo Jung Eun who portrayed our wonderful Geum Bi!! Her talent to perform a complex character at her age is more than impressive. Her acting was also very smooth and fluid and gave no hints of being out-of-character in her role. I gotta give props to Oh jI Ho too. He has experience with father-heavy roles in such dramas as "Single Dad in Love" and "My Little Baby" and he's always given a warm and fatherly vibe from his performances. That goes the same for "Oh My Geum Bi". I applaud his ability to mold and show different kinds of father auras though. Being a parent is always a simple yet difficult thing to represent in acting roles. Parents all have the same kind of heart, but they don't all express their affection and emotions the same way. Oh Ji Ho shows a multitude of expressions of fatherly love in 'Oh My Geum Bi' and his past dramas as well.

MUSIC: Loved the chorus song. It fit the atmosphere of an angelic yet tragic feeling of what is Geum Bi's illness. Nothing to complain about here.

OVERALL: Great low-key human drama. It had just enough drama but nothing overly-dramatic either. I like dramas like that because it tends to give off a more realistic view of how illnesses and hardships really are like in life. In real life, when you're going through a tough time, it's not really all that dramatic as you would see on TV. It's slow, quiet and unrelenting. I think drama highlighted that well. The only real "dramatic" thing in this drama was the Cha Chi Soo, our former-protagonist who was involved in some bad things and dragged Geum Bi into his world for a little bit. But other than that, really enjoyed it otherwise! I'm seeing a happy trend of these kinds of slice-of-life dramas becoming more popular in the Korean entertainment industry and really look forward to more.

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Beautifully written

OMGB is a tragic yet heartwarming story. It tells the story of a 10-year-old girl suffering from Niemann-Pick disease. A truly outstanding performance from Heo Jung-Eun. Geum-Bi makes adult choices of investing her time with immature and irresponsible adults, impacting their lives which leads to their transformation into "real" adults. The story illustrates the trials and tribulations of a Niemann-Pick disease sufferer and the people around them. I don't usually watch anything made further back than 2018, but seeing the trailer for this intrigued me and I'm glad I took the bait. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves tearjerkers.

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Really it's a very touching story

oh-my-geum-bi-oh-ji-ho-and-heo-jung-eun-7
Oh My Geum Bi is a truly beautiful drama. I have to admit, I cried in every single episode. But it’s not always for the reasons you may be thinking. The drama is about much more than a sick little girl.

At it’s core, it depicts the relationship between a father and a daughter. It’s not an easy relationship by far. They bicker like crazy, but they also genuinely love each other, and the two go on such a moving journey of healing together.
And I was completely drawn into this relationship. The drama perfectly built up the conflicts and issues between the two and then delivered completely moving and beautiful moments where the characters experienced growth. These are the times I cried. Watching a conman and a lonely child learn to become father and daughter was so moving.
But Geum Bi doesn’t just change the life of her father. She changes the lives of everyone around her. She warms the heart of Kang Hee who is filled with hurt from her past. Geum Bi gives her the chance to love again.

I think the drama shined the most when it focused on Geum Bi and Hwi Chul’s relationship. Occasionally, it spent more time on some of the other relationships than I would have liked, but this was really a small thing. Everyone that comes into contact with Geum Bi has their lives changed, so I never tired of seeing people grow.

There’s also a very sweet romance between Hwi Chul and Kang Hee. It’s a minor subplot of the drama, but it delivers some very lovely moments between two people growing to love each other through their connection to Geum Bi and eventually becoming a family in the midst of very difficult circumstances.
But yes, Geum Bi’s disease plays a large part of the drama too, and I definitely shed some serious tears over what this girl and her family were facing. There’s no way around the fact that it is truly sad to watch anyone suffer through a disease such as this, but a child suffering through it is just heartbreaking.

For those unsure as to whether you should watch because of the subject matter, hopefully this will help you decide. The bulk of the drama focuses more on the healing and relationships of those around Guem Bi. Her disease is discussed in most episodes, and she does experience minor symptoms in many of them, but it doesn’t feel like the primary part of the story.
Things don’t get too bad until the last few episodes. That is the point where we have to face the reality of Geum Bi’s disease and what it does to her mind and body. And I definitely cried through the bulk of these episodes.

The drama doesn’t shy away from tackling serious subject matters such as how children react to death. It also depicts how hard having to watch and care for a dying loved one is for the family. At times they are drawn together, but at other times, things become too difficult, and they become angry and lash out at each other.

Things aren’t sugar-coated concerning the family or Geum Bi’s reaction to the situation as well as the many difficult decisions they face regarding her treatment. It’s an incredibly difficult process for everyone involved.

Overall, Oh My Geum Bi excelled at hitting the right emotional beats to completely warm my heart while watching the relationship of a father and daughter blossom. And this special little girl transformed the lives of everyone around her.

She brought many smiles to my face, but then her harrowing journey through illness broke my heart. But even in the midst of sadness, there was always hope. This story was told so beautifully, and I’m glad I ended up giving it a chance.

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A touching story!

A hidden gem: great acting by all actors especially child the actor of Geum Bi. If you want to watch a masterpiece, sad, family drama with characters development, this is the show for you. Every line and every scene is beautifully crafted, i could really feel the emotions of the characters and their situation. As much sad it is, its even more hearting warming and endearing. Truly a beautiful articulated drama.

Geum Bi character showed that having willingness to help other will change them in a better way. I love how she changed everyone around slowly. It was great to see that.

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Beautiful and touching story with awesome acting performance by the FL child actress

I finished watching the drama up to episode 16, I was 7 years late. The last episode broke my heart, especially when Geum-Bi is on a near-death experience with Death and Mr. Fox, and with little aunt Jun Hee advising her how to go back so she can still spend more time with her Dad and Mom.

Outstanding drama, with an excellent performance by Heo Jung-Eun, the female lead actress. I can't get enough of her acting performance, her facial expressions especially her eyes. She was only 9 years old during filming, how a 9-year-old girl put up such a good acting performance baffles me. Oh Ji-Ho, Park Jin-Hee and Oh Yoon-Ah's acting performances also help to carry the show.

The drama mainly reflects the life of the FL (Geum-Bi, portrayed by Jung-Eun), who was being abandoned by her aunt after being diagnosed with the Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) and had to look for her dad who was serving time in jail. Eventually, the FL crosses paths with many other not-so-good and bad people, including a lonely woman who lost her youngest sister due to an accident, his dad's friend-turn-enemy, and her alcoholic biological mom -- and the drama beautifully shows how the FL changes all the people around her to be better, making us fall in love with her.

This dominates the first 12-13 episodes of the show, and then it changes when the FL's disease symptoms start to develop, and the last 2-3 episodes show how the FL fights for her life -- she is determined not to give up easily (despite Death and Mr. Fox encouraging her to go to the bright light at the end of the "forest tunnel" so that she can end all her pain). She still wants to live because she still wants to spend more time with her Dad and Mom.

Overall, this is a must-watch drama. It has a so-called "happy" ending (which is more of a compromise between sad and happy, to be honest), a good cast, and a good OST (I love the opera/orchestra-type chorus song). Highly recommended!

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