Family is not always made by blood, but by heart❤️
Family by Choice tells the heartfelt story of Kim San-ha, Yoon Ju-won, and Kang Hae-jun, three individuals who, though unrelated by blood, forge an unbreakable bond during their teenage years. Raised under the devoted care of Ju-won’s father, Yoon Jeong-jae, who owns a Kalguksu restaurant, and San-ha’s father, Kim Dae-wook, they grow up together as family. Despite the absence of their mothers, the two fathers create a nurturing and joyful environment for the trio. However, circumstances pull San-ha and Hae-jun away from their close-knit family, forcing them to part ways. A decade later, the three reunite, uncovering long-buried memories and rekindling the profound connections that shaped their lives.The first two episodes were great, I enjoyed them a lot. The drama doesn't make sense, first their parents left ML and in the next episode they keep coming back one by one, it's annoying. I'm especially bothered by Kim San Ha's mom, I don't understand her, actually she wanted happiness so she divorced Kim San Ha's father and left her son and married someone else, then after 10 years she came back to their lives and destroyed their peace and happiness and blamed them for Kim San Ha's younger sister's death, later her second husband died in an accident, she blames Kim San Ha and her ex-husband for everything.
After the leap I found it a bit more interesting to watch, personally I loved the chemistry between 1st couple and 2nd couple.
At the end it doesn't matter if the family is related by blood or not, it only matters that they love each other and respect each other and this drama gives a warm love and proves again that it doesn't matter if your caste or blood is different, it only matters that you love each other and care for each other.
Family is not always made by blood, but by heart ❤️
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This review may contain spoilers
Korean Vs Chinese Versions.. Same but Different
To avoid getting yelled at by cyber warriors, I’ll keep it short.K version:
short and sweet
More like neighbors than family which helped the transition to lovers
No stupid love triangle
More on second leads
Dal power- enough said
FL is not as strong of a character, more pouty and childish
C version: in depth and longer
More like family since the build up took more time
More family scenes and more character developments but it made the transition to lovers a bit more awkward
That dreadful love triangle
More scenes for the side characters
Overall, watch both. Definitely one of the best slice of life.
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A Fantastic remake
This is one of the best dramas I have watched till now. Beautifully done. Couldn't be any better. I just loved each and every episode of it.I have watch Go Ahead. No doubt the main story is just amazing. Not a typical story line. I loved Go Ahead as well. But Family by Choice not only took the strong points of the GA but corrected the wrongs in the GA.
If you have seen Go Ahead, then its a must. Go Ahead with it.
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A beautiful drama on family
This might be my first romance drama that I am rating a 10 maybe because it is more about family and that is what I loved most about it. It's not a proper comedy or romcom but it does make you smile and laugh as much as it might make you tear up. It is endearing as a story about family and I genuinely wanted to hug the male leads several times for struggling so much as kids. I loved their bonding through their individual struggles and looking out for each other. I am glad I started watching late and binged it because it made it more enjoyable than if I had to wait weekly.Sometimes kdramas get boring but I didn't find myself bored with this one at any point. I loved it from start to finish. There are plenty of cute romance moments but it was really the trio that I fell for. The cast was exceptional in their portrayals. I felt their emotions and found myself relating to how they were feeling in that situation I loved the dads and every kid would want fathers who can take on a proper role of childcare and bonding with their children without relying on remarriage to another women and pass on their responsibilities to her in such situations. It was quite wholesome for that reason.
Although the child actors are only seen in the first 2 episodes (if I am not mistaken), they did a wonderful job as well and were truly adorable.
The OST is quite nice even and enjoyable though I normally don't like slow Korean songs.
If you don't mind getting a little emotional and a plot about family with a slow build up to romance, Family By Choice might appeal to you as much as it did to me.
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perfect a remake could be!
The performances are stellar, particularly from the lead trio, whose chemistry drives the narrative. The writing beautifully tackles themes of abandonment, resilience, and the importance of chosen family, making the series relatable and inspiring.However, the drama does face minor drawbacks, such as pacing issues in the middle episodes and reliance on familiar Kdrama tropes. Despite these, its heartfelt storytelling and emotional authenticity make it a standout. Fans of family-centric dramas and emotional narratives will find Family by Choice an unforgettable watch.
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True Family is Not One of Blood
Heartwarming story spiced with light humour. I especially enjoyed the performances of Hwang In-youp, Bae Hyun-sung and Jung Chae-yeon. This serie, it showed how siblings though not by blood, but true affection can have a profound effect on each other in a positive way. The absolutely cute child actors deserve praise for their enthusiasm and youthful brightness!Was this review helpful to you?
Absolutely INCREDIBLE!!
Thank you Kdramaland for NOT throwing a side plot of creepy murder into this show. It was raw and packed full pf emotions from the very start. The character development was stellar, the casting A plus.Love, pain, family, bonding, small town drama at its finest.
I don’t cry much in dramas, but happy tears poured down my face at the end of this show.
We’ve had at most 4-5 10 star worthy dramas come out of Korea in 2024, and this is certainly one of them.
It felt different, unique and apart from the absolutely horrendous mother of ML, I feel like we pretty much steered clear of the usual tropes too.
Don’t miss this one. It’s a much watch.
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Found family will always heal the soul
This show is a sweet slice of life about struggle and finding a home and overcoming difficulties. Three children raised as siblings but not by blood find themselves navigating life without mothers and with prejudices placed on them due to their circumstances that were beyond their control. Ju Won who lost her mother before she even knew her to death, San Ha whose mother abandoned him after being stuck in her own grief, and Hae Jun who was left behind and taken in by a stranger. All three raised by Ju Won and San Ha's fathers creating a tight knit family of 5 for 10 years. But as life has a tendency to do things begin to unravel when the boys are seniors in high school and getting ready to graduate. They find their situations changing again and taking them in different directions separating the three 'siblings' for 10 years before the two men find their way back home.I actually really liked this show a lot. It was really very beautiful and acted very well. The child actors in the beginning were fantastic and the adult actors all embodied their roles with near perfection. The drama also makes a point to show early on in the series the difference in how Ju Won treats San Ha and Hae Jun while growing up which makes the romance later in the story more palatable for some viewers. I like how their struggles are often handled with grace and understanding between the close knit family of 5.
I also like how they made this story their own but stayed true to the characters and their personalities. Ju Won here is much more reserved in this version and I actually like that for her character. She doesn't come off as spoiled or naive but strong and independent which makes sense and fits perfectly as someone that was raised by someone that loved them so well and worked so hard. She learned from him and met her own difficulties with determination and grace. I also prefer this version of Hae Jun as well. His trauma of being abandoned and feeling like he had to earn a place and the way that trauma molded him works here. He is strong and soft hearted like Ju Won's father who raised him but his fear of being thrown away is shown to perfection here. I also really loved Dal in this show and wish she had been shown more, especially her interactions with Hae Jun which were some of my favorite. I actually preferred this pair over Ju Won and San Ha.
What did not land perfectly for me was the chemistry for the romance and I will forever hate San Ha's mother no matter version I watch. I watched this show through the eyes of having seen the original so that knowledge I think fills in some gaps that may be missing in this show because of the shorter run time. There were some things that felt rushed and others that felt too slow. Like the wedding at the ending felt rushed and unnecessary though I thought the same in the original. The last episode also felt so long and boring to me which is not a good feeling when it comes to a finale.
But overall I enjoyed this and would recommend for the found family and even for the dialogue. Some of the advice given to the characters throughout the show hits emotionally even to the viewers who may be able to see themselves in some of the aspects of the characters. Well written script, seasoned actors that are great at their craft, beautiful OST, and stunning visuals make for a good show.
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Are all Mothers bad?
So I watched ep 6 last evening and I"m very frustrated that ALL the adult Female characters are cruel and uncaring to their children. Although I understand that the writers are trying to explain the difficulties these teenagers are facing, is it really necessary that all the mothers are portrayed in this way? Both Father figures are portrayed as nothing short of saints! Two mothers abandoned their sons, and the 3rd is cruel and constantly humiliates her teenage daughter in front of her friends. One mother left her child because of grief and the other because of financial difficulties, and this is supposed to explain their cruelty even 10 years after leaving. Even the aunt of one of the teenagers is thoughtless towards her nephew, implying that he is a burden to the father figure who raised him. Up until ep6 I have loved this drama. However, if the storyline continues to portray the women in this drama as cruel, heartless and selfish with no redeeming factors, I don't think I will be able to continue to watch it as I feel the writers must hate mothers and women in general.Was this review helpful to you?
Family by choice
At first I was very excited, but after I saw this far. I'm still surprised by the story which seems to have a lot of jumps in it. Yes I have watched the previous version.What I regret is that this is a family drama as the title suggests. However, I feel a little disappointed about the emphasis on family.In fact, I think that from the start, this drama adaptation actually emphasized the love triangle between the actors. That's the first one, the second one is the character of the main character, seriously I read the novel and the character doesn't match, come on.Well, even so, this drama is quite good, not too bad. But to watch it again, I prefer to watch the original version.
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Started off emgood,downhill from there
Okay, so this drama started off really good for the first few episodes. And then it just went downhill from there. I was waiting on the romance from the 2 people who are going to fall in love. I won't spoil it for those who haven't watched it but I'm on episode 10 and I still haven't gotten any romance. Also, they did this 10 year time jump and the characters look exactly the same. Not only that, but they were so close growing up together and then they just lost contact after they moved away from each other? That's pretty unbelievable. I don't think that would actually happen.They should have done only like a 4 or 5 year time jump, that would have been more believable because they still look like kids when they are supposed to be 30 years old.This show has gotten so boring. I have literally fast-forwarded the past 3 episodes because nothing major is happening. So yeah, I will force myself to keep watching, but I will not really recommend this drama.Update: finished watching and it did get better on the last 4 epiosdes. The trope with the toxic mom i just fast forwarded through every time. I cannot watch toxic people who mever change.
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Ultimate k-drama!
The drama of "family by choice" taps into one of the most powerful and nuanced themes in human relationships—the ability to form deep, meaningful connections beyond the boundaries of blood ties. What makes this type of story so compelling is the emotional complexity that comes with choosing your own "family." It's a blend of vulnerability, loyalty, and the search for belonging, often portrayed through characters who are either estranged from their biological families or who have been through significant personal loss or trauma. From an insight-driven perspective, these dramas typically highlight the struggles of acceptance, the pain of rejection, and the beauty of finding solace in unexpected places. It shows that love is not a birthright but something that can be nurtured and earned. The conflicts in these stories are often internal, as characters wrestle with societal expectations, personal insecurities, and the challenge of trusting others who have no legal or blood-based obligation to them.Was this review helpful to you?
