Once Again (2020)

Great surprise despite the slow start

For someone who went into watching this without knowing what to expect and instead decided to watch this to see if dramas with a huge amount of episodes can remain entertaining, I was greatly surprised with 'Once Again', despite a really rocky, slow start. However, after the rocky start, I would say nearly all episodes kept me highly entertained and made me want to watch more. Sure, some episodes were slower than others, but I was still entertained. When it comes to the family genre, since I don't really seek out dramas specifically in this genre, I recommend watching this if you are new to this type of genre.

I loved nearly every single character, and the fact that many characters had their own times to shine respectively made this such a great drama. There were a couple of storylines that I did not like, mainly due to reasons of cringe. However, apart from that, I would say that I enjoyed all other storylines. The moral of this drama is perfect. Also, it shows what life is all about. The ups, the downs, the good times, and the bad. The hardships and the opportunities.

While I knew a few members of the cast, I was also unfamiliar with a few. However, after watching this drama, I can clearly say that I am a fan of everyone, and I am looking forward to seeing them in other dramas in the future! Some of the cast members have made me such a fan that I will be actively seeking to watch a drama that they are starring in.

The OST was also good, perhaps a little overplayed at some points, but all the songs involved were really captivating. The re-watch value.. I have inflated it a little. Basically, I probably wouldn't watch this drama from start to finish again, but I wanted to give a high re-watch value based on the fact that, for so many episodes, except from the rocky start, kept me entertained. That is something only a select few can achieve for me nowadays.

All in all, I recommend 'Once Again', especially if you haven't watched many dramas in the family genre before! This would be the perfect start!

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50 hours long but worth it

This is the first time I've written a review here. I am so appreciative of the reviews on MDL and the time people take to write them, so I wanted to do my part and encourage people to watch this excellent drama! Fifty hours for a single drama (100 half-hour episodes) seemed intimidating, but this show is very binge-worthy! The story flows so well, with so many moving parts all fitting neatly together, I just kept clicking on the next episode.

The drama centers on the Song family and their neighbors at Yongju market, where the family has a fried chicken shop. While the series abounds in staples of a kdrama rom-com (a contract relationship, fake girlfriend, lost sibling, and an imposter relative, etc, etc), the characters were incredibly well-written and relatable, with realistic problems.

The family members include:
Patriarch Song Young Dal: generous and good-hearted (though a skinflint with the family budget), he carries a burden of guilt from childhood for leaving his sister when they were orphaned and he was unable to care for her.

Mother Jang Ok Boon: hot tempered yet fiercely protective of her children, three of whom are still living at home.

Oldest child and only son Song Joon Sun, a stuntman who has inherited his father's good heart. His generous impulses have ruined him financially and wrecked his marriage.

Oldest daughter Song Ga Hee, who left her cheating husband and is struggling to support her son.

Middle daughter Song Na Hee, a pediatrician with her husband Yoon Gyu Jin in the same profession. Her parents are very proud of her career and stable marriage, and consider her the most successful of their children. However, not all is as it seems.

Youngest daughter Song Da Hee, who is engaged to a fiancé with social and financial advantages. Here as well things don't turn out quite as expected.

Everyone has obstacles to overcome and issues to resolve., and manages to grow working through these personal challenges as the story goes on.

I would say Song Na Hee and her husband Yoon Gyu Jin are the primary characters. Their marriage is strained by life events and affected by their poor communication. Song Na Hee is whip smart, logical and emotionally distant. Yoon Gyu Jin is popular and friendly but not very mature. Their love story is touching and painful. You really feel for both of them.

My favorite romance by far is that of Da Hee, the youngest daughter, and Yoon Jae Suk, who is actually Yoon Gyu Jin's brother. They are both lovable goofballs. Their love story is so cute and quite a counterpoint to Na Hee and Gyu Jin, as they seem so attuned to each other's feelings and so kind and supportive of each other. I just loved it and admit I went back and re-watched all their scenes. They were just so hilarious together.

There are many other minor characters with their own story lines, all entertaining and nicely integrated into the overall plot. The humor was fantastic, and the actors were so well cast.

OST: I really liked the music, and I normally don't even pay attention to the sound track at all. I actually downloaded two of the songs: Love is Danger by Raina & Song Yu Vin, and Spring Breeze by Lee Moon See.

I rated the show 9.5 - some of the storylines were a little predictable, or too neatly tied up in the end, so not a perfect 10.

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If you're looking for a heart-felt and easy-going family drama, this is it! After finishing family drama "아이가 다섯 (Five Enough)" and "아버지가 이상해 (My Father is Strange)", I couldn't find a family drama I was willing to commit to until this one. Like most family dramas, the drama covers family and societal themes and issues, but with "한 번 다녀왔습니다 (Once Again)", those issues were not explored as deeply as I thought they'd be. Whether this is a pro or con depends on the viewer. I personally think unraveling those themes further (particularly, divorce) would have elevated the drama, however, I enjoyed the dramas as is anyway.

Initially, I enjoyed the set-up for the main characters, Na Hee and Gyu Jin. Over time, however, I found them to be overbearing and frankly, frustrating. I became more attracted to the supporting characters and their developmental arcs, particularly Oh Yoon Ah's character (Ga Hee) and Lee Cho Hee's character (Da Hee). While it is hard to say how things will turn out, given the drama is still airing, I find them to be much more interesting than the main characters (for now).

I am a sucker for dramas with lots of side plots and non-nuclear family structures, so this was a hit for me. The original soundtracks are also really good (check out "눈 감아도 눈을 떠도 (When I Close My Eyes)", the second soundtrack and my personal favourite)). If you guys are looking for a comedic and light-hearted 주말 드라마 and are happy to invest in a 100-episode journey, I highly recommend "Once Again".

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Drama familiar pra aquecer o coração

Este é segundo drama mais longo que assisto e posso dizer que eu não sou uma grande fã desse formato e por isso eu fiquei muito receosa em começar por conta do número de episódios, mas a história parecia ser muito interessante e ainda bem que comecei, pois só posso dizer que eu tive uma surpresa maravilhosa. O drama é longo? Sim. Mas posso afirmar que ele não fica ruim em nenhum episódio. Obviamente tem uns arcos que são um pouco chatos e as vezes até lentos, mas nem se compara com o tanto de cenas boas que o drama tem. Foi um prazer gigantesco acompanhar em 100 episódios a história da família Song.

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This was an unexpected surprise for me. My first weekend drama and a first longer drama. The message of it hit the spot for me, I was having (and still in way am) a harder time at work than usual -I think that most of us do right now - and for a time this was the only escape for me. I am still hoping it will all pass and this drama gave me a bit of hope. Once Again was the highlight of my day, the only couple of minutes that I was able to smile and loved it to pieces.

What this drama does so well is the early development of the individual stories of each character. Some have a later arrival than others and the perspective often changes, giving more screen time to those who are in more eventful moments and it steers away from those, whose story needs a little more time. I had no idea how I did it, but I watched the first 30 episodes in eight days. This is something I almost never do. TV is always a reward for me but this made my self-control just fly out of the window.

My hunger for the series slowed down when the events in some storylines kept hitting the peek. I often found myself quite emotional and having quite a dramatic situation on my hands irl, I just needed to calm down a bit. This wasn't due to the tempo of the drama, I think that it was very stable throughout the series and it kept it's pace until the end. Slowing down in watching it made me appreciate it much more, and I was also finally able to see the details that make this drama so great.

The drama finishes with a couple of episodes that are pure fan-service and it does not leave any storyline hanging. This makes Once Again incredibly rewarding and the 50+ hours of it totally worth it.

The cast of the drama is pretty much phenomenal. Even the children, who are often sore spots in dramas, are tolerable here. To be honest, there isn't one performance that I wouldn't enjoy. I especially liked the two mother figures - Kim Bo Yun and Cha Hwa Yun were incredible - there are plenty of moments where they let you love to hate them. The four siblings and Yoon brothers carry most of the drama though, and they are doing it admirably. Also, Lee Sang Yi smiles so brightly, that I am pretty sure I saved some money on my electricity bill due to not needing to have my light on while watching his laughter in the drama.

The story comments on many elements of daily life in South Korea and especially on the common theme of appearances in front of others. I think that everyone could relate to it and while there was not anything groundbreaking in terms of storytelling here, the dialogue is written so well that the drama is addicting and it will keep you coming back for more. The Song siblings are also very human and I think that every viewer will see elements of himself/herself in at least one of them. They are also #squadgoals.

The OST was nice and Lee Moon Sae's song, often featured in ending sequence, will be stuck in your head for weeks. Trust me.

I am so happy I gave this one a go. The number of episodes might seem intimidating but... It's just so worth it. I cannot wait to come back to this a rewatch not only my favourite moments, but probably the whole series again.

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One of KBS's Best Weekend Family Dramas

Wow. What an amazing series.

Given the inconsistent quality of the last 2 years of KBS Weekenders, it's fair to say "They don't make them like this anymore".

And although I didn't like the 'fake aunt' story arc, this show managed to keep the story-line fun and entertaining thru all 50 hour-long episodes. Which nowadays is a lost art. And they did this DESPITE it being made during the pandemic (which I had completely forgotten about until it was mentioned in the closing credits!).

Other notable achievements:
Having multiple couples. Instead of the usual KBS primary/secondary couples, this show had several with their own theme:
The Doctors (lead couple?) - NH & GJ had to learn how much they loved each other by getting divorced.
The Sadoons - DH & JS proved to us that Love Conquers All.
The First Borns - SJ & HG to never give up on the person you love.
The Age Gap - GH & HS made us think outside the box and that friends can make the best lovers if we are bold enough

And yet, there are MORE couples:
Butcher/Sister in Law - They overcame their bickering past to wind up together (although exactly HOW this happened is somewhat strained, vis-a-vis ChoYeon's appearance.)
Kimbap Lady/Producer - sometimes marriage ISN'T the answer for an older couple.
The "upstairs boys"/Unnie's Girls - window dressing, but still nice to see them paired up.

That's a LOT of couples to keep track of and yet, it worked. Which is pretty AMAZING given you have only 50 hours of airtime.

Oddly, the thing that stood out to me the most was how satisfying and correct the kimbap/producer arc played out. Marriage wasn't necessary and she was happy being with him; a believable decision given her character and past. BRAVO to the writer for this.

What would I have liked to have changed? 2 things:
1. I wanted better closure for GH/HS. He got his Olympic Medal and I would have liked them to announce their relationship to her parents. I think THAT would have made a funny epilogue - one last look of shock on her mom & dad's faces.
2. I found the character of HyunGung to be most interesting. I wish we'd seen more of her development...I'm assuming her parents had passed away, given how she spoke of them as a protective fence. Her counsel was sought after twice by NH, so it seems they were very close...but she wasn't with the other sisters? She was never included in any of the sisterly gatherings, which I felt was odd. I felt that she & GH should have had a very close relationship as well.

Otherwise, this was a thoroughly enjoyable show. I'm glad I watched it and you will be too! I think the 8.6 rating here is too low. I'd give it a solid 9.

Thanks for reading!

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Best family drama ever, it's as simple as that

Where to start ? Once again is a gem, the kind of drama you bump into every 10 years. It's so perfect. Let's list the qualities of this drama :
- Story : the story is about people who 'failed' their first marriage and given the importance of that in Korea, it's hard for them to get another chance. The show is perfect at giving hope and good feelings about it. It's absolutely lovely seeing every character rebuild their life and overcoming hardships. The only draggy moment was the fake sister storyline, but fortunately it wasn't there so long. That's the reason it's a 9.5 and not a 10.

- Characters : they're all so endearing, so well-built... I love them so much, each one has its own personality, its own qualities and defects, and its own development. I loved the market atmosphere and side characters were really funny. Okja... lol.

- Music : this OST in on my daily playlist. What more can I say ?

- Comedy : it's very funny and the humour is totally my type.

Anyway, I love the Song family and I feel like it's mine.

This drama can't be toped.

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The best family drama that i have ever watched..!!!

A drama with 100 episodes that i never thought i would finish, but here i am rewiewing it. The first thing that i have to say is that every single ep is worth watching. It's ok to spent this amount of time if it's such a great drama.

Sooo.. this drama starts with the Song family which includes the mother the father and four adult kids( 3 women and 1 man).
The Song family has a really stressful life and goes through a lot of unpleasant events. This drama has a refreshing story with all kind of relationships. Also deals with real life problems.

Half through the drama you might start thinking what else can it show. But trust me it's keep geting better because sudently it brings you more unexpected problems, that the family has to deal. More family issues are created and of course more romance.

Overall ,I would recommend this drama to everyone because it has a great balance between a romance an a family drama.

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its like a warm hug

Why is this drama not mentioned more often in ‘to watch’ lists?? I’m going to start a petition and spread the word, more people need to watch this!

This show made me smile, laugh, cry, go ‘ooh’ and ‘aaaw’ so many times. It was funny, romantic and so, so full of love.
Not love just romantically, but family wise. It is almost a commercial for having a big family at home. I felt a little bit of ‘empty nest syndrome’
towards the end!

Also, the chemistry between all main characters was, to me, amazing. The scenes with Gyu-Jin and Jae-Sook were hilarious, the casting was so good!!

I just love love loveeeed this show so much! Will definitely rewatch it!!

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Great Family Drama!

Kuddos to the writers! From the start to the end I simply couldn't stop watching this show.

At the beginning, the highlight of the story was Song family's youngest daughter engagement was completely destroyed by her cheating fiancee. The shameless and disgusting guy was cheating on her right after the engagement / wedding party. I felt super bad for her but at the same time, I wish she would punch or slap the horrible guy. Too bad she just left and broke the news to the family that she wants an annulment. And as fate has it, she meets her hero when she goes through a horrible event. I was overjoyed when the sisters and brother kicked the ex-boyfriend's ass! I think the second sister did the best! Spray painted on the idiot's brand new car.

Initially, I didn't like the male lead, Jae Sook cause he was such a joker and love to prank poor Da Hae but when he was serious with Da Hae, I gave him super bonus points! Loved how he later punched the ex-boyfriend.

Gyi Jun, the eldest brother who is also the second sister's husband...is terrible. Overall, I disliked his character the most! I understand that he was going through a tough time and blamed his wife for her miscarriage but he is so childish. I also cannot believe that this couple didn't tell anyone about the miscarriage. He is a replica of his mother!

I love Ga Hae and Hyo Sin, the best couple. I wish they got married....but that's really too much to wish for? Hyo Sin is adorable and sweet. Too bad the story didn't develop further than him admitting her to be his girlfriend.

The brother is cool but a little too silly and a bit dumb. I guess he's just more brutish and muscle power type. So he kept making mistakes and cause his wife to drop him. He's just really lucky to have his parents and sisters to help him out. He is really good with his two daughters so he won good points!

I just think the father Mr Song and the real sister are too good to be true! Oh well, it's just drama.

Overall, well worth my time watching this series.

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"Família" - Titãs

“Once Again” acompanha o dia a dia da família Song e como eles lidam com os problemas corriqueiros da vida e permanecem unidos em todas as circunstâncias. É um dorama lindo e leve que trata sobre família, amizade, companheirismo. Realmente a entidade “família” é a grande protagonista deste dorama, que apesar de levar o nome “Divorciados” aqui no brasil, mostra que nem sempre o divórcio é a solução dos problemas conjugais e que, às vezes, vale à pena batalhar pela relação.

Eu sei que é do formato do show, mas a minha única reclamação é a quantidade de episódios. Em alguns momentos, senti um leve desgaste na história, como se os roteiristas não soubessem mais o que inserir para manter os 50 episódios. Creio que o dorama teria se beneficiado se tivesse sido reduzido, mas isso não foi algo que chegou a prejudicar a minha experiência.

De modo geral, “Once Again” emociona, te faz rir e te relembra da importância de se ter uma família unida e presente na sua vida, mesmo quando eles são um pouco inconvenientes.

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