The Atypical Family

How to fall for scammers: Bok Family edition

I started watching this drama because of the superpower aspect of the drama. I was curious about how they lost them and what special thing Da Hae will do so they regain them. Let's just say it almost fell short.

Our Atypical family has five members: Grandma (Bok Man Heum) who is the family leader and has precognitive dreams, Grand dad (Eom Soon Gu) who serves as the family pillar and a normal guy, Dad (Bok Gwi Ju) our male lead who can travel to the past and the supposed family gym runner, Aunt (Bok Dong Hee) who is a former model and can fly and the Daughter (Bok Ina) who is shy and introverted and can read minds. They all, well 3.5/5, suffer from "modern-day problems" like insomnia (grandma), bulimia (aunt), depression (dad) and smartphone addiction (daughter-she is the 0.5). I think I-na just needed a little more adult care and some therapy, then she would've been fine. They are all struggling to use their powers because of this alleged problems but spoiler, it's not, it's because they aren't happy. See, this family merely coexists with each other under the same room with grand dad trying his best to keep everything afloat. Enter Do Da Hae. She alongside her "adoptive" family run cons to get money to pay off her late dad's debt and the Boks (quick question: why didn't they take their dad's surname?? I digress) are the latest targets.

At first it seems like it will work seeing as they are practically beyond repair. But because of her fixation on playing wife and healing them, she unintentionally drags them out of the slump, and injects some happiness into them, thus curing them. She also helps them reconcile and finally care for each other thus mending the family. And she also falls in love putting the plan at risk because conflict of interest. Our unexpected second couple comes from Ina and her school crush who notices our invisible girl as much as she tries to stay hidden. He has her back and always makes her feel important.

This drama was a fun but mostly frustrating watch. Ngl, until like ep 6 ish, I was struggling to figure out how I feel about it. I was serving an interesting mid if I could say. There's fun moments and painfully obvious clichés. Not to mention the main couple's romance being outshone by the Kids. I won't talk about how the writer gaslighted (?) us into rooting for the main couple's romance after all the things Da Hae did to manipulate them or even how Ina's supposed friend turned best friend turned BULLY was just not happy about her not talking which is why she humiliated her like that..😑😑🙄🙄.
Not the biggest fan of the ending because it just raised more questions and I wish our young couple deserved more screen time.

Read More

maybe turning 16 eps dramas into 12 eps dramas is a good idea

This drama was a roller coaster of emotions. I have several complaints about subplots. Spacing at times was over the place. Why did they waste so much time on BDH's cheating husband or BIN's bully (who was pampered by writers)? Give me a good reason why Ina was forced to forgive a girl who bullied her out of the blue because others ignored her (as they should). Dohee deserved so much more and I wish that we had a better insight into her life after dropping that sorry excuse of a man. I can't believe that they dragged these story lines until the last episode. I've made my remarks previously on how leads chemistry isn't chemistrying but it's not actors' fault that their characters got together so late on the series. Also, I don't think the ending is open. It was pretty straightforward. The couple had a child (5 y.o in a clip) and Gwiju was pulled into his memory of them. Although, I wish that they would've had one episode to explain how BGJ survived the fire and maybe how their family earned superpowers in general.

Read More

A story that grows on you

Unlike other fantasy kdramas, it starts slow, but builds with an engaging story, atmosphere, and music. The first few episodes are weighed down by cliched fatphobic humor, but the characters and their dynamics become increasingly captivating. While the FL's styling shines, the ML's look, especially the hairstyle, is a constant source of amusement (one can only hope for a change!). The drama is melancholic, focusing on family over romance, yet the romantic moments and kisses are impactful. The exceptional child actress portraying the ML's daughter steals the show. The flawed, relatable characters grow and find redemption by the satisfyingly tied-up HEA in just 12 episodes, despite minor plot inconsistencies.

Even if the plot doesn't grab you, the show's mesmerizing cinematography is a must-see. It's a visual treat!
(not to forget the wonderful performance by actor Roy Choi who played FL's uncle – he deserves a main role of his own)

Read More

A fun and weird experience, not necessarily a memorable one

Each member of the Bok family had a unique special power that they lost due to modern life crises. One day, the grandparents arrange a second marriage for their son/single father, Gwi Ju (Jang Ki Yong), with Da Hee (Chun Woo Hee) who might be able to bring their powers back. However, she and her family's true intention is to take them for all their worth.

Just like the title, the vibe and characters of Atypical Family are unique. Certain things gave me cringe, like the obesity portrayal throughout the story and the one-note annoying characters, but the plot’s unpredictability and the complex flawed characters managed to keep me tuned in each week.

Gwi Ju and Ina's father-daughter bonding were heartfelt, and I love the developing friendship between Da Hee and Gwi Ju’s sister, Dong Hee. The chemistry between Da Hee and Gwi Ju was great, although at first I wasn’t rooting for their romance. Sometimes the pacing was slow, but it is never boring because the hijinks were hilarious! XD

I didn’t like how they keep throwing-in angsty cliffhangers in many episodes towards the ending, which makes the story felt drawn-out, but in the end it was very heartwarming. Overall, it was quite a fun watch!

Read More

One time watch worthy

What I liked:
-Interesting Plot:"Aytical Family" weaves a captivating storyline that keeps viewers engaged from start to finish. The narrative intricacies are compelling and draw you into the characters' lives.

- **Second Couple (Teen Couple):** The dynamics of the teen couple were particularly enjoyable. Their youthful romance brought a refreshing contrast to the more serious main plot.

- **No Excessive Twists:** Unlike many dramas that rely heavily on convoluted twists and turns, "Aytical Family" maintained a straightforward storyline. This approach kept the drama believable and easy to follow, enhancing the viewing experience.

**What I Didn't Like:**

- **Bit Slow:** At times, the pacing felt a little sluggish. Certain scenes dragged on longer than necessary, which occasionally affected the overall momentum of the drama.

Overall, "Aytical Family" is a solid drama with an engaging plot and charming characters. Despite its slower pace at times, it remains an enjoyable watch, particularly for those who appreciate a balance between drama and romance without an overabundance of plot twists.

Read More

sigh, okay...

FIRST of all, jang ki yong what the hell? genuinely, what the actual fuck. alas, i'll come back to this question very soon.

second of all, can we leave time travel k-drama plots behind us? i think we got our fill, & we do not need to see it for another..decade, at least!
— to come back to the story, i think that the side characters of this drama really saved face. claudia kim's character, although amazing for a really long duration of the show, somehow gets a really whimsical plotline & development somewhere around the end of the season. some things just refuse to make sense, but the question that bugs me the most is why the lesbian erasure? you build up a genuine story that has a root, a heavy ass trunk && a crown and you throw it away...what for? to fit a heteronormative standard? sure, okay. fuck you though.

— when it comes to our main couple, i simply couldn't see it. i didn't hate the entire con artist / rich clueless man trope, but it lost appeal as quickly as it earned some. mind you, i was extremely excited to see jang ki yong in another role, but this is potentially the worst role of his career. at the beginning everything's fine, and you're trying to overlook his responses because of his trauma & mental battles, but some things just get fuuucking old. and these writers dragged it so long; they sucked every drop out of the 'helpless dad' trope. grow a fucking backbone, you're not 12.
— and the prepubescent adolescent, ina, pissed me off! but alas, like father, like daughter. some therapy wouldn't hurt their wallets.

—quite frankly, to wrap it up...it was boring, predictable && extremely unreasonable. even the generous 12-episode format felt like too long. ew.

Read More

In general I liked it a lot.

At first I thought it was just going to be a fantasy drama but it's more than that.

I liked that it was short and that it told you a very concise story. It is well written in such a way that time travel does not become a difficult knot to understand, the other powers are well explained so that you do not get lost with them.

I liked everyone's acting, the side stories were developed well and also had a purpose and a happy ending.

I liked that the characters grew a lot and you identify with them a little, they warm your heart.
What I didn't like so much was the "mom" who owned the sauna, I feel that she left her role as antagonist very quickly, she changed her mind and sides very quickly, I felt that the efforts of the other characters were in vain

The ending was a bit bold but they pulled it off well, it's a good ending.

Read More

If "Parasite" included superpower and romance elements

More like a dysfunctional group.
At its core this is nothing but a 12 episode series about the love story between a conman and her victim. So other than the superpower aspect, the story isn't anything new. I guess most of us watch it just to see how the writers melded these elements together.
- a cuckolded man with a hero complex who tries to betray his family in order to get laid
- an unhealthy woman in denial of her weight
- a cranky insomniac
- a woman with Stockholm syndrome
- cringey teenage love with a touchy-feely boy
-
This series was definitely a fun ride - some scenes I found cringey because they seemed forced in order to fit the storyline - easily skippable. The series is a bit overhyped thanks to socmed content creator wannabes sharing clips of the series. But in the end there's nothing special about it.

All in all a great watch after you have suspended your disbelief.

Read More