A Prefabricated Family (2024)

Documentation

I watched the drama after it finished and I think that helped me in liking and focusing on the drama more. No stops no nothing just hours of watching. What also really made it enjoyable was the cast. I've seen them from the start of their acting careers. Which is a little bit crazy cause it was only by coincidence that I saw there first gigs as supporting or side characters. I also saw the dating show that Seo Ji Hye joined in years ago and she resembles her characters to a degree, very cute and a little bit naive. It just fascinates me that I grew up with there career's, which is similar to seeing child actors getting older. About the story, I really enjoyed it, that's it, it picks up the pace quite a bit after the time skip. Also the romance is quite fast, which is acceptable as their is a ten episode set up for them to be in a relationship. Really enjoyed side characters like the grandma and Huiju. After a long time of watching dramas ever since I was a kid, I mostly get annoyed with how bad a plot or how bad the editing is rather than intentionally annoying characters. The chemistry between all four was amazing, pretty much the highlight. Also the improvement of the girls in acting was great to see. I wish they the girls could get casted more. Everything was good or great so yeah. This is a great recommendation for beginners. It's not too draggy but not too fast. Also wish the second couple had more screen time such cuties.

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Great remake of a great original...

I was a bit reluctant to watch this since I loved the original drama, for its portrayal of the less fit mother, toxic relationships and found family. So much that it made way to most of my series articles abut family relationships in dramaland. But with that said I did have some issues with the original, issues that I did not have with the remake.

If you have seen the original and loved the story, you will probably love this one as it has just enough (very slight) differences to make you, or at leas me wonder how will they handle XYZ scene... While still sticking to the original story.

The acting and casting is really good, the chemistry is there and while I admit I loved the male lead in the C a lot more this one does a decent job, balanced up by the male leads who I enjoyed watching slightly more then the ones in the C. So basically they made up for it.


For those who have not seen the original C, this is drama that portrays family and bonds from many different perspectives and shows great contrast between different ways to be a parents well. I loved how this drama showed both the scares, pressure and pain created by the combination societies prejudice, expectations about parenthood and lets face it bad parenting as well as the sheltering/compensating affects of the good parenting, the found family and friendships can create.

The first time I saw this story I was obviously upset about some of the parts but it was also the first time I saw a character portrayed that was so close to my own mother, that I could overlook all the issues I had with it...

A good drama, an easy binge, but also a painful watch that is bound to make you feel a lot of things...

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ILLOGICAL

Haven't seen the original and don't plan to do so. I'm reviewing this as a stand alone series.
I'm a sucker for family centered dramas and the concept of being a family by choice not blood relation or marriage is interesting but nothing makes sense here. Even if I haven't seen the og I can clearly see they had a hard time putting everything in 16 episodes. Its too fast paced for its story. It looks like they had a list of all the plot points of the story and they were going through them to make sure they included everything without bothering to give them any explanations or enough screen time. Everything is eighter half baked or ignored.

San has mom is one of the most disgusting characters in kdrama I've ever seen. A whole psychopath. She comes and goes as she pleases and says and does whatever she wants without any consideration. She is self centered, manipulative and violent. My blood pressure went to the roof any time she was on screen. They never try to help us understand her character. I don't think anyone had the slightest idea about who this women was or what she wanted, not even the writers. Her presence is really over powering but we get to the last episode and there isn't any time left to make any sense of this story so the writers just physically remove her from the story where she moves to England. The AUDACITY. So what now? She has moved her living place many times and it never helped. She can comeback any time she wants. We never see her get redemption. We also never see her get the sweet sweet karma. The way they handled it is just infuriating.

San ha never gets a real confrontation nor any closure. His relationship with his parent is as broken as ever at the end. He is one of the main characters for god sake.

San has dad is a cowardly sad excuse of a man that didn't have the gut to stand up for his son or himself, never made any effort to understand his own son and just hide himself behind his ex wife or Jowons dad. They tried to glaze over his share in San has problems by turning him into a dorky goofball but I don't buy it.

jowon is such an annoying character both as kid and a teenager. I can understand kid Jowon but when she grew up she was straight up gaslighting her family members with all her nonsense and not once she was called out on it. Thankfully that habit doesn't stay in adult Jowon but now she's just bland. Im not sure if its the way the story is written or the way she is played by the actor but I know I just didn't care about her at all.

Hae joon is a weird character. He is warm, kind, friendly, popular and athletic. At times he could be very intelligent, confident and out spoken. He could say what ever he felt and thought. Other times he had two digit IQ level, completely oblivious to most simple things in his surrounding or having random outbursts of emotion that no one seem to be able to help. He was very hot and cold. Don't get me wrong I like him the most out of the main trio, he is quite charming but I think they went overboard in some aspect when writing him

Dal is fine. Seen many other characters like her in kdrama land. its quite cliche but I don't hate it. She and Hae joon were cute as a couple. Wished we saw more of them

This couldve been alot better if it was longer I think. I hated almost all of the characters behavior right from the start but I had hope that it would get better. it never happened.

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Who cares about the original?

It's natural for adaptations to differ significantly from the original (because why else would anyone want to adapt?!) and it's equally natural for those who have seen the first iteration to compare the following ones. What matters is judging each on its own terms and contexts. I haven't seen the original but I also don't care about a single review that finds this kdrama pale in comparison. In fact, I would say that I've been distracted by such reviews, and this is the danger of reading reviews while one is still watching the drama, because it prevents me from judging it on my own terms.

This easily is one of the loveliest, heartfelt dramas with emotions running the entire gamut of laughter and tears and empathy.

I have two main sticking points in the storyline:
1. The villainisation of all the mothers (regardless of how it concludes and may recuperate them [still on episode 13]). While I very much appreciate the unusual portrayal of maternal and understanding fathers, it grates on me that it's the mothers who get caught between extremes of good or evil, and then you are left with comparing the good mother vs the bad mother. For ex: why does Sanha's mother have to be so obsessive and 'hysterical', we're never told.
2. Kim Sanha being too perfect in all respects compared to the clutzy, simpleminded Hae Jun--nothing in his character development particularly showed why this would be the case. He was sensitive, but how come so perfect? And why doesn't Hae Jun become emotionally intelligent until so much later? Was a bit frustrating.

Apart from this, I do love everything about the show--the cast, the pace, the atmosphere--it is pure comfort, slice of life, family, genre kdrama at its best. I look forward to the concluding episodes!

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LOVE IT

I was about to watch Go Ahead earlier this year because of all the great reviews but didn't because of Song Weilong. Personally I just cannot deal with his one wooden expression for everything so I left it and am so glad I did!

Because then I can enjoy FbC with AHS who is actually really good and the story (although does feel rushed) is going great for me.

I love the relationship between Haejun and Juwon's father the most. Also enjoying his interactions with Park Dal. I guess I'm a new fan of Bae Hyeon Seong!!

I'm a bit conflicted about Juwon's character. Her younger self was so fiesty, opinionated and just great but they made the older Juwon a bit whiny and princess-y. hmm..

San-Ha's mum: I haven't watched Go Ahead myself and not sure what the ending like is for her. But honestly, I'm praying for all the bad things for her and that San Ha should just abandon her. She's a hateful character who abandoned her children, caused the death of one and blamed the other. Then she abandoned him and came back expecting his apology. Then gets into an accident and expects him to look after her. This is so messed up and out of the world level of narcissism. I would really hate it if they let her "regret things and change her way", a bit too late tbh. She doesn't deserve a redemption arc..

Will update once I finish it.

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cutting a complex & powerful story in half - remake lacks depth of the original

I watched Go Ahead a year ago & felt it was one of the best modern C-dramas I've seen, with a compelling, human story of the most difficult childhood traumas of abandonment & betrayal & how it affects everyone involved. The strength & power of a "family unit", in which ever way that can be defined, is one that works when the children matter. So it was with much anticipation that I started watching this K remake, knowing that it would require much skill to match the quality & spirit of the C original. The fact that this drama can cross borders to be retold in another country & culture only shows that this is simply an amazing story.

The premise of the drama is complex: 3 broken families coalesce into one, with two dads working together to raise 3 kids. The story spans 20 years of their lives. It's an intricate & emotional exploration of the meaning of family & what constitutes being a parent.

The most significant role, in terms of importance & performance, is the character of the 1st father Yoon Jeong Jae. He is the family glue who has the most compassion & understanding, which enables him to take Hae Jun under his wing, as well as look out for San Ha in addition to raising his daughter. Choi Won Young does a decent job of conveying Yoon's quiet & steady strength in protecting the 3 kids from all the forces aiming to attack & separate them for not being a "real" family.

The influence of growing up in an all male household might be the equivalent of being raised by wolves, which the baby of the family, Ju Won, is perfectly suited to tackle with her fearlessness & spunk. However, as a major milestone in a girl's life, I notice references to menstruation is a line K-dramas don't seem to cross, but C-dramas have no qualms about it whatsoever. In Go Ahead, Jian Jian's femininity is thrown in everyone's faces when she proudly announces the arrival of her 1st period, at the breakfast table, no less. It's a very funny scene. The ensuing awkwardness highlights her father's realization of his limitations in being a father to a daughter, but also shows the complete trust she has in her family. Although older in real life, the baby-faced Tan SongYun played a much more convincing mischievous imp (one who pulls down her brother's pants as a prank) than Jung Chae Yeon in their character's teen years. This character was much livelier in the original version.

This K remake is only half the total length of the C original, so I expected a much more condensed version with fewer characters & secondary arcs. One of the things I liked about GA was the time it took to develop each of the characters & give much depth to all of the background stories. No single character's trajedy is less than another's, but FBC still managed to cover all the major conflicts & plot developments. In the final 1/3 of the series with the kids as adults, however, I felt a separation from the original as FBC took on a more typical K romance vibe. What made GA special was that it was not typical.

There were more differences in storyline detail, perhaps to match specific aspects of the culture in Korea such as compulsory military service, but I think some of the spirit of the original was lost. A big difference between the productions was in Kang Hae Jun's story. His character's falling out with his birth father while abroad was not mentioned in the remake. In GA it was pivotal in his return home & wanting to become independent rather than relying on his father's money. In GA, he is the one setting up his own bakery, while in the remake he seems to drift aimlessly day to day without purpose or determination. This is a huge change in character.

By the last few episodes, each character comes to the point from where they have reconciled with their pasts & are able to move forward to happiness. Along the way, a lot of time is spent on questions of belonging & the pacing slowed in spite of having to condense the original story. The drama lost cohesion, like so much of the original story was cut out & couldn't be filled back in.

The concept of filial piety has only served to make parents treat their biological children as if they owe them, which makes the parent-child bond merely transactional. And yet, we expect the parent-child bond to be unconditional. These two situations cannot co-exist. In the end, the family that is one by choice is the one that's indestructable. This remake can certainly stand on its own as a good show but I prefer the C version for it's depth & heart.

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Struggling with this remake

This review is an ongoing reflection, likely influenced by my personal bias against remakes, particularly K-drama adaptations. I’ve never been a fan of remakes, and I hold a special place in my heart for Go Ahead, which makes me cautious about this remake. However, I decided to give it a chance, especially after seeing the cast, particularly Hwang In Youp as the lead.

As of episode four, here are my thoughts:

What I Appreciate:
• The similarities to the original Chinese drama, like the noodle shop, the store's placement, and the open rooftop.
• The female lead's character is more upbeat and cheerful a bit more feminine, a difference from the Chinese drama. I love that she also knows what she wants.

Challenges I’m Facing:
• The shift in genre: This remake leans more toward fun and comedy, aiming for a rom-com vibe. I read an article indicating that it will focus more on romance than family, which disappoints me. Given the title "Family by Choice," I hoped for a stronger emphasis on familial bonds, but it doesn’t feel like a family dynamic so far.
• In the original, Tan had a more tomboyish personality and treated the boys like brothers, which added to the family feel.
• The foreshadowing of Tan’s love for hard candies and the male lead’s eventual career choice.
• The opening song: As I mentioned in my brief review of Go Ahead, the opening song was a highlight for me, something I looked forward to in each episode.
• The length of the K-drama: Condensing the depth of 40 episodes into 16 inevitably leaves out many beloved details, resulting in a loss of emotional build-up and relationship development.

I’m trying to approach this series with an open mind, but I know I’ll likely compare it to the original. So far, I’m not loving it, leading me to rate it 5/10. There are many elements working against it, and I'm struggling to find aspects I enjoy in this remake.

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Better Than Go Ahead

Just finished the drama so my opinion is fresh when I write this.

I watched Go Ahead a few weeks back while this kdrama was still airing. And guys, I'd say the cdrama is good as it is and the kdrama is good in its very own way.

Things I love here are:
1. How they have fit 40 eps in 16. I mean the character deletions and additions are on point.
(Unfortunately , Sanha's mom had to stay here for the plot ).
2. The relationship between haejun and dal.
3. The way there is not an actual love triangle but a more family based plot.
4. The close knit bond between Haejun and Sanha as brothers cause I think the original drama didn't potray that too well.

I love the part where Haejun opposes to Sanha and Juwon being together, in a funny way. I love those banters. Its so funny in the last episode he found out where Juwon was all night LMAO.

I also really like listening to the Southern/Busan satoori is so soothing to my ears. Particularly, Haejun's satoori is so pleasing.

Overall, a must watch drama. I really liked it.

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Perfect Example of How to spoil an lovely Adorable story to a uncomfortable drama

The KDrama started with beautiful caring simple yet beautiful and pure concept of a family where kids not related by blood started living emotionally and share there relationship as pure brother and sister till their teens and schooling. This a clearly evidently mentioned many times in starting 6-7 episodes that they share brother and sister emotions and relation. The story was adorable.

But the story started becoming uncomfortable to watch with family when a brother falls in love with his sister and started looking his sister as lover. May be in many countries, regions and cultures this relation is seen as forbidden.

A family exist when their is emotional attachment and caring among the relations, it doesn't matter whether they are blood related or not. How could a brother emotion changes to lovers emotion for his sister? Isn't it a taboo relation? Its a disturbing relationship. Majority will agree it will impact the mindset of brothers and sisters in a family watching this KDrama. The story becomes even sickening when the sister says her brother that she looks him as oppa (big brother) and still weird minded oppa trying to persuade his sister to change the relationship from siblings to lovers by starting it over again.

I don't understand how actors (Hwang In-youp and Jung Chae-Yeon) accepted such forbidden relation concepts? Are they so desperate to make money and agreed to do the Kdrama?

If the story demanded the romantic relation the director of the KDrama should have taken care of the script and should not have mentioned the relation as brother and sister between the two characters right from the beginning, then this would have been one of the all time great KDrama.

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