Blue Tempest

Episode 2 was MUCH better, actually. I even ended up laughing and chuckling a lot. I think mid-way through the episode was when I felt more comfortable with the characters. And I suddenly want to binge it all :D

Last week, I was saying that San Ha's mom might be worse than Ling Xiao's mom. This week she proved that she is, in fact, worse than her. It is not even a question; she is out of control. In Go Ahead, she seemed more nuanced and not so spiteful, especially after she returned. Here, she seems broken beyond reason and lashes out at her son in awful ways.

Speaking of awful moms, Park Dal's mom finally became active in the chat. She joined last week but could prove that she earned her entrance to this exclusive (yet populous) club only this week. She is as aggravating as ever.

Another noteworthy development with Dal is that her crush didn't transfer to San Ha after their alone heart-to-heart talk, as was the case in Go Ahead. I guess it could still happen, but the beach scene was the perfect place to do it if the writers wanted to recreate that, but it didn't happen. Rather, they highlighted her crush on Hae Jun once again. This is a change I fully support.

A change I am conflicted about is Hae Jun becoming the stereotypical jock, in a sense. Zi Qiu was doing very well academically as well, in addition to his basketball situation. But it really doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things, as long as the writers plan his college situation well. It is just another change to his character I am side-eyeing. I am fine with him being more athleticism-oriented. I wonder if his future job will be the same though...

And the scene I am waiting for also happened: Hae Jun's birthday scene. I must admit, it didn't hit me as much as I thought it would. Because the build-up hasn't been as established as it was in Go Ahead, maybe? Less time means less room to explore these things, unfortunately. It is still good though. Maybe it will hit more in a rewatch? It definitely hits differently in Go Ahead when I binge-watch the first episodes, so Family By Choice affecting me like that would make sense too.

I actually don't know how Hae Jun's story will move forward, with him knowing about his mom's return so early. Definitely curious about that.

Time really flies by, with this story. Next week, it will be the halfway mark of the show, and I think both episodes will still cover their pre-college years. The preview was just vague enough to make me curious yet it didn't spoil what is actually going to happen.

I went into the first episode with high expectations but I can't say those were met. Most of the first episode was more frustrating than funny. I like the idea and editing style of the show, but the characters themselves haven't been attention-grabbing at all.

Sometimes you have to give a few episodes to let the characters grown on you though, with these types of shows, so I will give it another try later.

Well, Hae Jun's counterpart in the cdrama expressed his desire to date/marry the female lead not because he was "in love" with her, but he genuinely wanted to be a part of her family and not just be an outsider. He also realized this, and really, he was always more like an overprotective and indulding big brother. This pseudo-love triangle also wasn't the focus of the drama, and was in fact created by "friends" who misunderstood the situation. The character himself had a lot more important storylines independent from FL anyways, so he never felt pitiful because of the romantic storyline.

Will Hae Jun be the same? Maybe. Hae Jun so far hasn't shown even a single interest in Ju Won, and has been shown to be in actual relationships & generally more comfortable with others. This wasn't the case in Go Ahead. So, they might just do away with the pseudo-love triangle.

I also suspect the limited numbers of the kdrama might be a factor of leaving it out. Go Ahead has 46 episodes, while Family by Choice has 16 episodes.

In short, there won't be a real love triangle if it follows Go Ahead. Even if there are winks and nudges, it will probably be resolved very quickly, probably within the same episode even. And Hae Jun likely won't be the usual kicked-puppy SML that loses the triangle. He will have his own stuff, and from the looks of it, the kdrama might change his storyline a little to make it a bit happier for him.

It is my first time watching Hwang In Youp, I think, though I know him from variety shows and find him very likable. I already like his character a lot more here. (Though I will always be loyal to Zi Qiu/Hae Jun. XD) So it was a bit funny to discover that he was infamous for being the SML and many fall for him instead of ML, since his role is definitely the lead of the romantic plot in Go Ahead and is HEA is practically determined :D

No need, there won't be a real love triangle if it follows the Chinese original, in any case.

Hard to beat thoese two in those categories.

In fact, San Ha's mother might even beat Ling Xiao's mom. The potential is there.

Yet you are the one barking like a dog.

I don't hate, of course, but I will say I disagree with your take.

First of all, Hae Jun is not jealous, moody or cranky. If anything, Zi Qiu is more like that, and Hae Jun is more "sweet and kind". I mean, he wasn't even lashing out at his bio father. Can you imagine Zi Qiu like that?

The fight between Hae Jun and San Ha is literally just due to both of them pushing their buttons due to their traumas. I don't think it presents Hae Jun in a bad light at all. Both of them look quite pitiful, and I can't help but hate the circumstances that made them so sad.

Secondly, Hae Jun is obviously different than Zi Qiu, but he is still loveable in my opinion. His character journey might be different but I feel like it will still present pretty strong emotions and iconic scenes as Zi Qiu's journey did, and their destinations will be the same. Or Hae Jun might even fare out better than Zi Qiu did by the end.

Thirdly, I think their sibling-energy is quite strong. If anything, San Ha and Hae Jun seem a lot closer than Zi Qiu and Ling Xiao was. Their scenes with Ju Won are also very sibling like. We also had the "partners-in-crime" energy between Hae Jun and Ju Won and San Ha looking out for them whenever possible. There are more examples, but to me, the sibling chemistry is going well.

I do think Dae Uk doesn't seem as close to Hae Jun and Ju Won as He Ping was to Jian Jian and Zi Qiu, though. He Ping always felt like a second father to them, but Dae Uk seems more like a close uncle so far. That is a bit disappointing.

I am not going to say your disappointment is not fair. It is your right, and actuall quite understandable. But I do think the essence of the show is the same, despite the changes to some characters and omssion of good scenes. Maybe it is as you said at the end, and watching Go Ahead first might lead some to have different expectations. But I also came into this show having watched Go Ahead multiple times because of my love of the story and the characters, and I am having a lot of fun with Family by Choice still. So it is situational and obivously depends on personal taste.

I agree that the changes feel a bit like to make San Ha more likeable.

It doesn't ruin Hae Jun's character for me though. It's apparent that he is different than Zi Qiu in many aspects, but I also like this new side. Maybe you will enjoy it more if you think of them separately.

I also think it is not so bad to make San Ha more likeable than Ling Xiao was. As long as it is not at the expense of Hae Jun's place in the story, of course. As long as he is just as significant (and have the most iconic scenes with his dad) in a well-written way, I think I will be okay with the changes in Hae Jun.

Hae Jun and San Ha's relationship isn't as bad as you are fearing. They both pushed each other's buttons due to their traumas. And their biological parents' returns are causing them to act out when they otherwise wouldn't.

Although I can't say I am not cautious about the changes either.

EDIT: I am going to share my reply to the person who deleted the comment I replied in this thread chain. It was to a different comment, but I decided to post it still (in a spoiler tag). Because it might help other people disappointed or puzzled by the changes, especially in regards to Hae Jun.

Also, I can't help but feel sad about the missing dad moments. We didn't have the iconic moment of the two dads confronting Kang Hae Jun's sperm donor.

The missing moments kinda makes it seem like Dae Uk isn't as much of a dad to Hae Jun and Ju Won as He Ping was to Zi Qiu and Jian Jian.

The most significant change for me is Kang Hae Jun's character, I think. This was hinted in the first two episodes, of course, but it became pretty obvious in these two episodes.

First of all, he is (initially) not resentful towards his biological parent. This is actually understandable. This version of the drama showed his mom in more favorable right. We also didn't have that horrible image of him working up in farm fields instead of going to school as a kid, nor did the money-borrowing get constantly reminded by the gossiping grandmas. He also didn't know his father abandoned him before he was born and he wasn't told how awful he is by his grandma and aunt.

This is a very big change. In Go Ahead, He Zi Qiu was resenting his mom for abandoning him and taking money from his dad, yet he still couldn't help but miss her. He was very conflicted by his feelings and blamed himself a lot because of it.

Kang Hae Jun is missing her mom a lot, and telling himself constantly that she will come back "once she saves up" constantly. He is ignoring some of the neglectful aspects of his childhood upbringing because of that wish.

Kang Hae Jun also didn't lash out at his biological father, unlike He Zi Qiu who literally threw his biological father and his "gifts" out of the school. A part of him was even glad of his comeback initially, because that guy misled him into thinking he was happy to be aware of his existence after all these years.

Why these changes? Because Kang Hae Jun is not jaded and prickly like He Zi Qiu is.

Do I like these changes? Hm, I am conflicted.

Kang Hae Jun as a character is very easy to love. I can get behind him very easily as my my attraction to the show and his bond with his dad is still very strong. In fact, the change in his character resulted in a very sweet (yet heartbreaking) moment with his dad. I am not ashamed to admit I shed tears when he mentioned his fear of being sent to his biological father. It was a powerful scene, it did not disappoint. And the preview showed one of my favorite moments coming up, so I can't wait to watch him grow up.

He is a lot kinder and understanding, and more of a cute-whiny. All very easy to adore.

If Kang Hae Jun wasn't as lovable, I would be furious about his differences from He Zi Qiu. But I still love him a lot, so the difference between them is fine for me and makes me interested in how the show will develop him.

So, why am I so conflicted? Because it feels like those missing character traits are given to San Ha, kinda. HZQ would not stay silent when someone is badmouthing LJJ, even though it looked like LJJ was bullying that someone. He would be throwing punches instead of catching someone who implied a character deficiency in LJJ. He would not give the time of day to his biological parents.

But here, San Ha is a bit like that. San Ha makes a showing of Ju Won being blameless in front of everyone. San Ha gets offended and angry-faced when he deduces the guy interested in Ju Won indirectly insults her. San Ha is a lot more outspoken and harsh towards the biological parents who ended up abandoning them. San Ha can scream into their faces in anger and go angsty teen about it.

I am not saying those qualities weren't there for Ling Xiao either. But they were more pronounced for HZQ, more like the cornerstones of his character. San Ha being like that feels like a decision to make him more likable. (And it is kind of working, as I think I like San Ha more than I liked Ling Xiao.)

But why do I also feel like it is to make him more of an obvious choice for a romantic interest? Maybe that is my jaded side talking, but I am feeling a bit uncomfortable seeing San Ha being so involved in every significant moment of KHJ. HZQ dealt with the return of his bio father on his own, he questioned his aunt on his own (quite cleverly, actually), and was jaded and suspicious about the sudden desire for contact already. So, San Ha tagging along with Kang Hae Jun and taking on those aspects feels a bit much. Though it did make the brotherly relationship more pronounced, so I am not feeling "mad" about it either.

As I said, "conflicted". As long as Kang Hae Jun's significance doesn't feel reduced just because he is not the first romantic lead, I will be fine. HZQ wasn't the romantic lead either, but he was a very big presence in Go Ahead, maybe even the biggest.

So, as long as Kang Hae Jun is well-written and his relationship with his dad shines just as brightly, it is okay. At this moment, I am merely cautious about what "might" happen.

I am regretting my decision to watch this show live. Curse my love of Go Ahead that made me so impatient!

But for real, there are some significant changes and it makes me anxious how things will shape up later. I guess this is for the better, as it makes me curious about what will happen next and the element of surprise is there despite this being a remake. Tell that to my heart that is anxious for the characters he loves and my brain that is thinking about their future though.

It is realistic for a brother, sure, but it also implies that a significant aspect of He Zhi Qiu (uncoditional/codependent love for his dad and LJJ and intense desire to be part of the family) might be altered for Hae Jun. He doesn't have to have romantic feelings for Ju Won to not do that. (And he already knows the ex-girlfriend has a bad character in the first place.) I am currently rationalizing it as you described though.

I like the remake a lot and I am actually interested in how it changes things around. A bit below, I even kept talking how much I am looking forward to this show reaching the same destination in different ways. But not gonna lie, when I read the OP comment here, a part of me couldn't help but worry about the writing for Hae Jun. He Zi Qiu and the aspect I mention above are one of my favorite things from Go Ahead, so it would be extremely disappointing to see Hae Jun's important character traits being ignored, "especially" if it is in favor of showing San Ha's affection for Ju Won. They don't need to do that, it is pretty obvious already.

It's still a small worry though. Other than this and a few odd direction choices, I have no complaints. I am having lots of fun with it and can't wait to watch more episodes.

Hm, I think there is a misunderstanding. I like Ling Xiao, and his struggles are heartbreaking to me too. There is a lot to sympathize with in his story. And I guess Song Wei Long did well enough to conway that, I guess. I just was much more impressed with the rest of the acting that his acting didn't stand out to me. Or rather, it did, but not in a favorable way.

He is a good character, and I can definitely understand why he is many people's favorite. And that is totally fine. I just like He Zi Qiu more, specifically his relationship with his dad.

There are changes, but the spirit of the show is the same. I love Go Ahead, criticising this retelling for not being very similar to the Chinese one (which I don't agree with, but whatever) is a bit pointless, and, well, stupid. In my opinion. Some changes seem to be just because of the culture being different. Some of them are probably due to the time.

Some people have been complaining about Yun Ju Won not being as much of a tomboy as Li Jian Jian. While that rings true, I don't think this is necessarily a bad change. Also, it is not like we don't see him being feisty. She has been perfectly fine so far, and I like her as much as I like LJJ.

Kim San Ha is much more likable than Ling Xiao to me. Maybe it is the writing or the acting, but I am much more interested in how he will develop than Ling Xiao was.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't most looking forward to seeing Kang Hae Jun. I really like the actor, and He Zi Qiu was my favorite of the three in Go Ahead, and... This did not disappoint! The buildup to his character is a bit different, true. He is also more smiley here. But is not bad at all! You can see it clearly when it is to mask the pain, and the longing to be a family is still there. So, slightly different, but still the most loveable character to me. And THAT flashback scene! I'm glad it wasn't cut due to this being shorter than Go Ahead, because while my heart broke for He Zi Qiu and Kang Hae Jun, I loved experiencing the pain in a different way. I hate angst, normally, but this story has me hooked.

On the other hand, as such a big fan of Kang Hae Jun already, I couldn't help but feel that Yun Jeong Jae's "adoption" of him was a bit of a rushed sequence. Well, I guess it is normal to feel that way because this is trying to tell a similar story in 16 episodes while the Chinese original was 46 episodes. And it wasn't like it was "bad". But I would be totally down for cutting time from their adulthood scenes and focusing on the raising of the family aspect, just saying ;)

On a more positive note, a few things stand out to me so far.

Yun Jeong Jae is said to be favoring Kang Hae Jun multiple times. It didn't lead to a dramatic scene yet between Bae Hyeon Seong and Choi Won Young, but I can feel like it is coming. Aaaargh, I am so looking forward to it!!!!

The dads befriending each other got "timeskipped" but they have such a great chemistry that I can forgive not seeing it.

I also love "Family by Choice" showing the characters interacting with other people more openly. Like when Kim Dae Uk's fellow officer gets introduced as a minor character appearance, or Kang Hae Jun being more 'involved' with his classmates. In the interest of not spoiling too much, I won't say who, but I also like Yun Ju Won's comedic subplot with certain classmates.

It's a bit different from Go Ahead, sure, but I feel like both shows are trying to reach the same place but in slightly different ways. Some elements might be left out or added, but surely that is much better than following Go Ahead 1:1? I can't wait to see how they will reach some of my favorite situations. In that way, I am really hyped!

Which is honestly a relief, because some of the comments comparing it with Go Ahead were really harsh. I usually don't watch ongoing dramas with so many negative reviews (why I didn't start Love Next Door until it finished, for example) but this specific story is an exception. I simply love it sooooooo much to be away from it. And for me, it wasn't disappointing at all!! If I miss some aspects of the drama after watching this one, I will simply rewatch those scenes. I won't

And I "know" I will rewatch this Korean remake many times too. Because there are many elements I love already. Likable main trio, cute child actors, great adult actors, awesome dad-dad chemistry, Kang Hae Jun being the best (don't fight me, Hwang In Youp fans!) and a story I am so familiar with being told through a Korean perspective.

One thing that did make me raise my eyebrows are some of the directing/production choices. I am not sure how I feel about the sound placements, though I am on more accepting side of the spectrum, definitely. I don't really like how obvious they made the "main couple" though. To be fair, it is not like they are flirting- no, they definitely don't. But the movement of the camera and bgm feel a bit forced. Go Ahead was more subtle about it. Though I guess one of the reasons why might be because Son Wei Long was like a block of ice, and Hwang In Youp is definitely not that. And that is totally fine for me. Huh.

I feel like I talked a lot but kept saying the same thing. And I am all over the place with my impressions XD

In short; I am hyped. Yes, it is a bit different from Go Ahead, I feel like it has the same spirit, just slightly different roads leading to the same destination. I guess not everyone will be able to separate their love of Go Ahead while watching it, which is understandable, but I personally am eagerly waiting to see how one of my favorite stories gets retold with slight differences. It didn't disappoint me or made me long for the original. In contrast, my love for the story doubled and I am really excited to experience the same feelings again.

Here I go, being overly verbose again...

Anyways. If you are like me (a fan of the original) and are wondering if you should watch this remake, my advice: definitely watch it! Watch it and form your own opinion, and manage your expectations if you decide to stick with it.

Hm, I just finished episode 6, and wow. That was a thrilling experience.

So far, I have been really impressed with acting from everyone, and the story is also really captivating. Romance is okay, but clearly not the focus. I don't know why several people are complaining about it here, really. First of all, it is a perfectly fine romantic line. I feel like it is natural that you won't get a dedicated time to it. Because, second of all, the story hasn't been about romance. Both leads have powerful individual storylines and are acting the hell out of them, romance is barely a bonus for me.

I am clearly riding the high of the episode I just watched, but I had to get this out of my chest. If it finishes this strongly, I might bang my head against the wall for not watching this earlier.

No problem. My first post was also an intrusion into another conversation, if we look at things like that. I personally don't think it is an issue as long as the tone is civil. In fact, having different opinions often produces a healthier and more productive discussion. (Also, my last remark was more about the "new Yi Heon" thing, not really about having a discussion in general. Sorry if this came out as a wish to shut down a whole conversation XD)

At the end of the day, I really, really love Deuk Pal as a character. He really stole my heart, so even though I said I preferred no romance in the drama, I probably wouldn't end up disliking any scenario or relationship that makes him happy.

Hm, it seems I was wrong about that one. Thanks for the link and providing quotes from the production.

It certainly changes how I view the production team, but it didn't really change how I see the story. I liked it, I liked its themes and how it was acted out. I actually liked that there wasn't a romantic subplot, though my appreciation of this aspect certainly took a hit by the quote you shared. I would still happily recommend the drama to any new viewers, though with an added quote to mention that it is an adaptation of a BL original work that removed the romantic aspect in bad faith to the viewers, and the removal of the romance subplot itself improves the story for me personally.

I do strongly disagree with the "new Yi Heon" concept. His teenage body had no affect on his thinking and decision making abilities, therefore I have no problem with discounting "the body". Even if it did, the amount of difference in life experience is so much that it is still uncomfortable to imagine a romantic relationship for me.

I doubt we will agree on that point though, so I don't really see any reason to continue that particular thread of discussion.

I actually checked out a few available chapters of the original source material, and the aspects of the story I mentioned in my previous post are clearly highlighted and more focused-on, in the drama. This isn't the case of keeping everything else but excluding romance "to keep the gay away". This is a short series that clearly set out to tell a specific story, and it delivered that.

In the drama, there is no "new Yi Heon". Kim Deuk Pal retains his sense of self throughout the whole thing. There is not one point in which he doesn't think this body swap is anything but temporary. He is trying to create a good environment for Yi Heon to return to, and he clearly acknowledges his actual age and different level of maturity from the other teens, time and time again.

Also, this is a short drama. Considering that, I can't imagine a romantic relationship after a time-skip being anything but rushed and unexplored. And that would be a shame, because as it stands, this is one of the best dramas of 2024 for me, because it delivered so many strong messages through careful character development and acting performances.

From your reply to me and another person below, I suspect you envisioned a different story with Yi Heon and Se Kyung, with potentially a different twist at the end, and the story tuned out to be different than what you imagined and/or wanted. That is fair.

Personally, I thought the writers did a good job of keeping the essence of the story and being respectful to the source material in the drama (as a potential romantic relationship isn't shot down or discouraged). By virtue of its medium, length and target audience, the character portrayals in the original source were of course different. (I am also not sure if the romantic relationship in the webtoon/webnovel is also as nuanced as the situation warrants, as the well-written translations were available only for small parts of the story.)

But, that is just my opinion. Feel free to disagree.

EDIT: I will add in to say that while I loved the drama, the story and how they explored several issues could certainly be better. I am aware that it is not a perfect story or production, but I really enjoyed binge-watching this so maybe I am still riding the high of that experience.