This review may contain spoilers
funsies kdrama def recommend
family by choice is a fun drama centered around the relationships of haejun, juwon, and sanha who have a sibling-like bond but have no blood relation to one another.what this drama does great:
- gives us a multifaceted view of all the main characters. we're able to see life/the timeline of the drama from all 3 of them which i thought was great! getting to know each character felt so personal.
- haejun and juwon's dad had some of the most sob-worthy scenes ever. their relationship was so heartwarming. haejun's healing journey was so great to watch and also to see dal and him help each other through hardships throughout their lives.
- their take on familial troubles wasn't shallow and actually felt very realistic.
- every episode while all having pretty sad moments at times always felt really giddy it's just a really fun watch overall it makes you wish you could be there too
- NO love triangle thank the lords
what could've been done better:
- while sanha's 14 year long or however many year long crush on sanha was well drawn out, we never got that from juwon. it was just her being flustered by sanha's confession(s) and then dating him. i wish they could've either added scenes where maybe in their younger years she thought of him that way too or have done like flashback scenes idk it just. for a childhood friends to lovers trope was not a very deep romantic relationship
- haejun's america storyline was idk all over the place and needed better integration to the plot. also similar to my issue w juwon he should've had a gradual liking to dal while im happy they got together at the end he literally said in that ep that they aren't good together and then later asked her out
overall lovedddd this show chaeyeon is such an amazing actress
Was this review helpful to you?
it was decent but maybe not for me
the leads def have chemistry but something abt their interactions leading up to becoming a couple and as one just felt either awkward to me. i've never really enjoyed wu lei in the romance genre and i just don't think hes to my taste in terms of acting which is fine lol also wang xing yue is too distracting for me to care abt anything else idk the couple just was a bit mid same w the plotWas this review helpful to you?
it's a good drama overall but everyone's missing the point of it, + why there was lost potential
before i get into my review i need to explain why i think everyone's just completely missed the intention of the drama. it's not meant to be like previous KBS school series. it's not plot heavy and intense but that's the POINT. they don't want a crazy drama they just want a cute, simple one that highlights the characters, their interactions, and their personalities; hence why there are SO many common kdrama tropes in here. if you're watching this focusing on the plot you don't know what' really going on. i loved this show. it's right up my alley of trope-y dramas with the VERY basic second lead (which is never overdone because it really doesn't get old) and the whole best friend dead and blaming each other (this is not a spoiler. this will not change anything for you dw) and then the poor second fl who's mean who becomes nicer etc etc. i also love dramas abt school corruption lol it's just an interesting concept. again, this show was about the characters themselves and NOT the plot. the cast overall was good but i felt the girl who played jiwon needs some work but i still realyl liked it :D the entire cast is gorgeous and the school n all that all look very satisfying i liked the concept of nulji high alot. kijoon's grandpa was one of the best too :Dokay this part is going to include spoilers:
i feel like there was just soo much lost potential with this drama, if they focused a little more on the students rather than the teachers. like how jaehee wanted to make friends and did everything she could to show that she's not the bad person she used to be known for and that she's not for the corruption she benefits from. also the whole divorced teachers thing. it was an interesting concept but they didn't really finish it off well. also jiwon was extremely boring? this entire show i feel like kijoon youngjoo and seoyoung are the only leads with any sort of character development and a sort of "history" we know nothing abt jiwon. also her pouty personality definitely gets boring but it definitely gives me reason to not have wanted her to end up with youngjoo it wouldve been so awkward. i love the childhood friends to lovers concept but i think youngjoo and seoyoung's trope works even better. both with a traumatizing past of losing loved ones, he met her at seoyoungs orphanage and she fell in love immediately. its just so cute dude i like it and how they always got flustered in ep 15 i love them together sooo much they bounce off each other so well truly,
Was this review helpful to you?
WELL YES
this drama was a great way to start 2025!great plot setup, great leads and side chars. jiyun is like my ideal fl character lol i love her she’s smart and that ceo archetype but without the terrible grasp of emotions. peak maturity!! ntm the perfection that is the ml as well. :”) only major criticism i have is i felt the plot w the “antagonists” was very loose. did not even feel like much happened there but it’s fine cuz the process of eunho and jiyun meeting and falling in love was so enjoyableWas this review helpful to you?
