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Dana

East Coast, USA

Dana

East Coast, USA
My Father Is Strange korean drama review
Completed
My Father Is Strange
1 people found this review helpful
by Dana
Feb 1, 2018
52 of 52 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
I finished this a few weeks ago, but I love all the warm fuzziness I feel when looking at the drama page.  I fell in love with every member of the MFIS family (despite the fact that I was dead set against several for so long), and each of their faces is still fresh on my mind even now.

Story:
Byun Han Soo was a quiet man who contentedly ran Daddy's Snack Shop to support his wife and four adult children.  The children bickered with each other often over sharing clothes or who had to pay when buying their parents presents, but they looked out for each other.  Na Yeong Sil happily mothered them all while trying to keep her own mother and naive brother in check.  They appeared to be content enough, but it all got thrown out the window with the arrival of a lonely and guarded yet eager idol actor, Ahn Jung Hee, and his turtle, Al.  And the best thing about MFIS was that, while there was one big misunderstanding that eventually resolved toward the end, every decision these characters made felt realistic to their personality.  The drama had the time to let them be honest.  They were so fleshed out that their decisions and logic made actual sense (it's sad how often this doesn't happen).  It wasn't like watching a shorter drama where they cram in unnecessary misunderstandings for the sake of drama.  There was time for the show to build up a character’s personality and story so that the real misunderstandings and angst could come out to play.

With a couple of exceptions, I loved the story premise and the way it played out.  I loved the one-big-happy-family feel of the drama, and it delivered everything I wanted.  The only weakness that bothered me was the lost opportunity between a few of the characters in favor of the same side plots hammered to the ground.  I’m still not sure if they just didn’t see it in the writing or if these people wouldn’t normally interact in SK.  But there were a few characters that, if they had time to spend together, would have been fire to watch.  

Acting/Cast:
This was the heart and soul of MFIS.  When the plot was on the predictable side or I was trying to get through a filler episode, the cast was why I held on so tightly.  It goes to show that tropes still can work when the cast and crew know what they're doing.

I've loved Lee Joon for awhile, but it wasn't until this drama that I grew to respect him as a multifaceted actor.  Before, I only saw him in kpop and dark roles - not that there was anything wrong with that…personally, I love a good serial killer - but I didn't think he would expand beyond that type of character.  His portrayal of Ahn Jung Hee was spot on.  Once he got comfortable, his acting grew into this natural drug that I couldn’t stop taking.  It was as if he, idol-turned-actor Lee Joon, was playing himself in the role, and it worked SO well.  And Byun Hye Young came across as a stuck up career woman that stomped on others to guard her heart, but she was smart, clever, and caring about the people she loved.  The reason I adored her was because Lee Yoo Ri had the BEST facial expressions.  She brought a quirky, sassy confidence to the role that made for some of the best comedy in the show.  Think Jun Ji Hyun in You Who Came From the Stars with more time to develop.  Even the side characters - some of which were the bane of my existence - grew on me despite my attempts to hate them.  That, for me, says a lot.

Music:

The music wasn’t memorable for me when I first heard it, but I will be the first to admit my love for it because I loved the drama.  It’s light, warm, and innocent.  If you like that sort of thing, this is a good pick for you!  (I’m all about the melancholy and orchestral music when it comes to dramas, so the fact that I still love this says a lot haha.)

Rewatch Value:

This has a pretty low rewatch value because of the length, but I will 100% rewatch my favorite scenes between my fave OTP.
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