Flash Review: Five Children [Five Enough]

When you think about it, family dramas are pretty expensive in drama hour terms, aren’t they? I mean, they cost the equivalent of at least 3 whole prime-time mini-series’ worth of drama hours, after all.

Which is why, even though I really enjoy a good family drama every once in a while – not the makjang-fests where screaming, scheming, kimchi slaps, birth secrets and trucks of doom are regular everyday features, but the kind of family drama that’s warm, comforting, hopeful and tends to make you feel all toasty-warm inside – I don’t often actually commit to one.

This is one of those rare times where I did commit myself to one, and I’m super pleased to report that Five Children is solidly worth the drama hour spendage.

STUFF I LIKED

Generally speaking, the big thing that I like about Five Children, is that it manages to feel everyday-real and aspirationally-simple-treacly at the same time. Let me explain.

With a long run of 54 episodes, Show has room to take things slowly, and relationships evolve at a more real-time pace than the typical 16-episode trendy. Instead of just the big romantic milestones we often get in shorter series, we also get to see our characters inch forwards and backwards in their interactions with one another, and in this sense, the vicarious journey feels more real and everyday.

At the same time, I also like the idealistic sort of sheen Show paints over its story and characters.

I mean, yes, there are difficulties and there is angst, and our characters do struggle and cry, BUT, there’s also an enduring positivity in many of our characters that I found appealing and quite aspirational.

It made me feel like we could all learn a little something from our characters; to live life more cheerfully and tenaciously; to laugh at life more easily.

With a large cast and many inter-weaving relationships, it’s hard to talk about every character and relationship in this show. So I’m just going to pick the major, most obvious ones, and divvy them up into the ones I liked more, and the ones I liked less.

Sang Tae & Mi Jung

From the get-go, I was most interested in the development of our main OTP relationship, from their initial just-business work interactions, to their initial attraction, to general sense of confusion, to their courtship, to marriage and all the milestones in-between.

I found it refreshing to have a second-marriage type of romance in dramaland, considering how one of the most enduring paragons of Hallyu is the idea of the Everlasting First Love.

This is another thing that made Show feel closer to real life; it doesn’t cling to the Neverending Virtue of the First Love, but instead explores and embraces the possibilities of a second chance at love and happiness.

I liked both leads on their own – he’s a doting single dad, she’s an extremely capable (love that) single mom – but I liked them even more together.

Both are such warm, kind, caring characters that I just wanted them to have all the good things, including each other.

I particularly loved Ahn Jae Wook’s kind eyes and warm crinkly smile, and So Yoo Jin’s wonderfully bright, winsome smile. There was more than one occasion when I looked at them together on my screen and thought, “Ah.. #relationshipgoals.”

Their new family

Beyond the sweet feels of the OTP loveline, I really appreciated that Show explored the challenges they faced, in merging their two families.

In the second half of its run, Show takes care to explore the various facets of these challenges, like the dynamic of friends becoming siblings, and the friction born out of different upbringing and habits, as well as the bemusing discomfort of getting used to a new parent, and we get narrative arcs of varying sizes as we delve into the nitty-gritty daily stresses of the two families learning to be one.

Of course, in line with Show’s bent for idealism and simplicity, these problems sometimes get solved quite quickly and easily.

While this sometimes felt too easy to be true, it did also effectively hit home the idea that not everything has to be complicated; that if we are willing to laugh at life a little more, and let go a little more, life can be simpler and happier. Which I actually enjoyed very well.

Sang Min & Yeon Tae

The loveline between Sang Min (Sung Hoon) and Yeon Tae (Shin Hye Sun) is more typical of the lovelines we tend to see in dramaland.

He, the prickly golf star, being drawn to her, the shy, disinterested teacher, is a dynamic that we’ve all seen more than once before. Show treats it with enough humor and quirkiness, though, that I found myself nicely entertained by this pair of lovebirds.

Big shout-out to Sung Hoon and Shin Hye Sun, who both display a commitment and knack for comedy.

I was especially pleasantly surprised by Sung Hoon, for so competently bringing the funny, since my main impression of him in Noble, My Love and Oh My Venus was that he’s very good-looking, but leans on the stiff side, with his delivery.

Somehow, in this show, whatever stiffness he might have displayed worked really well with his character, and felt more like something that was integral to the character, than a delivery flaw.

Together, Sung Hoon and Shin Hye Sun served up some of the best nervous, discombobulated reaction faces in the show, and as a couple, they grew on me very well indeed.

Sang Tae’s parents

For some strange reason, dramaland’s full of terrible parents, so it’s always refreshing to have drama parents who are actually nice. In this case, Sang Tae’s parents (Jang Yong and Park Hye Sook) stood out for me as a shining example of nice, loving parents.

Sure, they aren’t perfect, and there were times when Mom wasn’t as accepting nor gracious as her sons would have liked, but I found her feelings and decisions understandable, and her eventual turnarounds, genuine.

Plus, the spots of friction also added a nice touch of realism to the parents; it made me feel like, “Ah, perhaps it IS possible to have such nice, kind parents, in dramaland AND in real life.”

I also just have to say, the casting director did a fantastic job casting Jang Yong and Ahn Jae Wook as father and son. I mean, aren’t their kind eyes and warm smiles almost identical?

STUFF I LIKED LESS

As with all shows, there were things that I didn’t like so much in this show as well.

What’s different in this case, though, is that more often than not, the characters and relationships that rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning, eventually grew on me, in spite of myself.

Ho Tae & Soon Young

I have to admit that in the earlier episodes, I found the loveline between Ho Tae (Shim Hyung Tak) and Soon Young (Shim Yi Young) alternately tiresome and boring.

I found Ho Tae, with his penniless-bum-with-a-movie-director-dream sort of character, whiny and unrealistic, and [MINOR SPOILER] I found his first-loves-reunited arc with Soon Young predictable and clichéd. [END SPOILER]

As we got deeper into the episodes, though, I grew rather affectionate of these characters, and sometimes, I even felt a tiny bit proud of Ho Tae, for learning to put his family first, and his dreams, second.

Tae Min & Jin Joo

Similarly, I wasn’t terribly interested in the loveline between golden-boy Tae Min (Ahn Woo Yeon) and spoilt-princess Jin Joo (Im Soo Hyang).

I found both characters rather stereotypical and stock, and their romance, rather bland. To me, Tae Min felt rather dull and uninteresting, as the golden boy who was pretty much perfect in every way.

And I found Jin Joo’s pampered, clueless ways exasperating and even borderline obnoxious at times.

While I never got to the point of actually enjoying this couple, I did find myself softening towards them, especially in the later episodes, when Jin Joo demonstrates the most character growth.

Sang Tae’s in-laws

Sang Tae’s in-laws (Choi Jung Woo and Song Ok Sook) are the requisite meddling parents in this drama world, and I hafta say, they do a really good job of it.

From blustery shouting, to self-focused moaning, to actual hair-pulling, these two spared no effort in their meddling ways. In the earlier stretch of the show, I felt suitably annoyed and aggravated at them, for their self-centered, clueless, intrusive ways.

Show does a good job, though, of turning these characters around so that by the end of the show, they’d grown on me quite nicely.

I mean, Mom-in-law never actually becomes sweet and lovable, but, y’know, I grew tolerant and even a tiny bit fond of her, the way you might become a little fond of the prickly, grumpy diva of an office cat that you have no choice but to share space with.

I did genuinely enjoy Dad-in-law’s growing bond with Mi Jung’s kids in the latter episodes, though.

Tae Min’s Mom 

Perhaps the only parent in this drama world who didn’t quite manage to endear herself to me by the end of the show, is Tae Min’s mom (Park Hae Mi).

I understood her reasoning, and I appreciated the fact that she softened somewhat in the last few episodes, but I found her two-faced behavior highly unacceptable, and her stubborn defense of said behavior, quite disgraceful, to be honest.

Still, Show doesn’t present her in a completely hateful light, and by the end of the drama, I disliked her less than I did prior. I guess that’s something?

In Chul & So Young

Way up there on the Annoying Scale, together with Sang Tae’s in-laws, are In Chul and So Young (Kwon Oh Joong and Wang Bit Na).

As Mi Jung’s ex-husband and Mi Jung’s ex-bestie respectively – who broke up her marriage with their adulterous affair, no less – I couldn’t ever understand their gall at planting themselves in Mi Jung’s neighborhood, and insisting on their right to receive her understanding, help and compassion.

They often came off as self-righteous and clueless, and really rather irritating, if I’m being honest.

As befits a family drama that stands for and promotes family values, it should come as no surprise that things don’t end that well for this couple. I can’t say I was too upset about that. 😉

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [MINOR SPOILERS]

Of course, all’s well that ends well in this drama world, and even the last-minute threat of darkness on Mi Jung’s health is quite swiftly dealt with and dissipated. We get happy endings and relatively neat bows all-around, as we get ready to bid these characters farewell.

For me, the most satisfying part of the finale, was seeing how Sang Tae and Mi Jung’s kids all came to fully embrace their non-bio parent.

Show had allowed us to see how this hadn’t been an easy journey, so it had felt extra gratifying to me, to see the kids start to use and embrace the terms “Appa” and “Omma” with Sang Tae and Mi Jung, instead of the earlier “Ahjusshi” and “Ahjumma.”

It felt hard-earned and true, and I felt genuinely touched by this family’s progress, all powered by Sang Tae and Mi Jung’s patience, long-suffering and unflagging kindness. Love.

All in all, Five Children isn’t all that inventive nor revolutionary in its writing and execution, but I truly enjoyed how heartfelt it was, particularly in exploring a mature love relationship, and how that needed to expand to include and embrace the families tied to it, for a true, long-term happy-ever-after.

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Show leans a touch treacly at times, but overall, is a good, solid, warms-my-heart serving of family goodness.

FINAL GRADE: B+

TEASER:

MV:

EPISODE 1:

Thanks to KBS World, all the episodes are available on YouTube, subbed and in HD. How convenient! Here’s episode 1, in case you’d like to dip your toes in right away. You’re welcome. 😉

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Beez
Beez
4 years ago

I was looking back through some of your old reviews of my favorite shows. I don’t know if anybody cares at this point, but i’m going to post my observation about something in this drama that was hinted at but dropped and i think it would’ve explained a lot about Tae Min and Sang Min’s mom.

First, Tae min and Sang min go out of their way to call each other “Brother” in English and in their phones’ i.d’s and go out of their way to emphasize that they’re brothers. At first I thought nothing of it but at one point, after Yeon tae sees Sang min’s cell receive a call from “Brother”, Sang Min starts to tell Yeon tae a “family secret” but he’s interrupted. Then we see the boys’ mom and dad arrive at the airport and mom basically ignores Sang Min and embraces Tae min. Throughout the drama the two young men mention frequently that Tae min and mom are especially close and mom only has disparaging things to say about Sang min. They mention that mom depends on Tae min for everything, which is odd because Tae min is unemployed (until very recently) and receives tuition and lives off Sang min so why is she depending on Tae min? If anything, mom and dad both rely on Sang min to support their youngest in every way possible, including when Tae min was in high school.

I came to the conclusion that they were leading up to Sang min and Tae min being step or half brothers. I thought it would be an example for the kids of the newly blended family of
Sang Tae & Mi Jung.

This doesn’t mean I think Tae min and Sang min’s mom is any less horrible. I just think the Show had that storyline but didn’t pursue it as Kdramas so often do. I think they start storylines for characters just in case they need filler and when that’s not necessary, we viewers sometimes bear the brunt of hanging storylines.

kfangurl
4 years ago
Reply to  Beez

Oh, I don’t remember these details at all, but how interesting! Thanks for sharing, Beez! It does sound like they were looking to reveal that Sang Min and Tae Min were half or step brothers, or not actually blood related at all. I doubt it was put there as potential filler if needed, though. Possibly audience reaction favored another narrative arc, and that brotherhood arc was dropped in favor of the other, probably romance-centered arc. That does tend to happen, with the live shoot system, with minor arcs getting more screen time because audiences find it cute and appealing.

Kathleen Tham
Kathleen Tham
5 years ago

Yes, nice drama to catch my heart for keep on watching the serial repeatedly.

kfangurl
5 years ago
Reply to  Kathleen Tham

It’s a sweet drama indeed, I’m glad you’re loving it Kathleen! 🙂

MICHAEL CAVALLARO
MICHAEL CAVALLARO
6 years ago

I was wondering if in South Korea, that, having the son in law remarry after having his wife pass away, would really cut off the old in laws? I thought it was really thoughtful and lovely how the new wife did not do this. She recognized that the children and the former wife’s parents should maintain their relationship. I think that “uncles”, “aunts” and “grandparents” can be also be non relatives who take a positive interest in the well being of a child. We have a family friend who has become a honorary family member for his 30+ years of caring about my children and grandchild. I was really touched by the rich girl who turned into a really good person after overcoming her hardships. Also, that she remained friends with her friend/in law despite taking away the man that she loved (unknowingly). It was a well written drama of the type that you really hate to see end.

kfangurl
6 years ago

Hi there Michael! Great to see you, as always 🙂 I’m sorry this reply is so late, I’ve been under the weather for the last couple of weeks, and therefore let way too many things fall by the wayside – if only for a while. I’m glad you enjoyed this drama, it’s really one of the more heartwarming family dramas I’ve watched.

I’m not 100% sure what the societal norms are in Korea regarding the parents of a late spouse. The impression that I get from the dramas that I’ve seen, is that while the surviving spouse might continue to visit the old in-laws for a time, that it’s accepted that after some time, the surviving spouse is likely to move on, and therefore eventually cut off these ties. In this context, it really is extra heartwarming that this was treated differently in this show. 🙂

neurodiagnostics2017
neurodiagnostics2017
6 years ago

I’m in the middle of this drama and enjoying it. One thing I’ve noticed is how often they use a certain word. They set the world record for “Aigoo’s” said, and I’m not even half way through the episodes yet 🙂

kfangurl
6 years ago

Hehe! I didn’t notice that either! I’m guessing many of the aigoo’s must be coming from the grandmother? 😆 Great that you’re enjoying this one, it really is one of the more solidly heartwarming family dramas I’ve seen. <3

beez
beez
6 years ago

While my crack is definitely the Sung Hoon and Shin Hye Sun couple, So Yoo Jin’s character was a delight and absolutely wonderful. I will never forget her hutzpuh as she snatched her ex’s car keys (and car) when he wasn’t sending child support; and her goofy joy at having a boyfriend. Also her realness when playing games with the kids (before they actually became her step children). She was never a pushover to her elders yet she always respectful. She’s the character I admire most in all Kdrama.

kfangurl
6 years ago
Reply to  beez

Ah yes, she really is an awesome character, particularly in a kdrama landscape where female characters have tended to be painted in more long-suffering Candy type colors. I actually enjoyed her loveline more than the Sung Hoon and Shin Hye Sun couple, though I know those two were definitely the crowd favorite. It just felt refreshing to see such kind, mature people navigate their second chance at love. <3

beez
beez
6 years ago
Reply to  kfangurl

Totally agree!

Kat
Kat
6 years ago

I am very tentative about the 50 plus episode family dramas, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Yes, to AJW’s eyes. I do feel the drama is kind of sending a message about acceptance of blended families in Korea and if that’s the way of the future there, perhaps this is a good thing. About the film maker brother: he drove me crazy, but I realized it was because I’ve known people who are always looking for the perfect job and perfect situation while leaching off other people. I skipped through a lot of his story arc in the beginning but eventually warmed up to him as he basically kind of grew up.

With regard to the ex-husband, I have mixed feelings. The guy made a mess of things, but I just think it is not that easy to replace what kids feel for their father even if the new husband is super fantastic. It was simplistic and I get it. There is a price to be paid for bad behavior, but it made it all a little too tied up in a bow for me. Still such a solid watch and definitely a break out for Sung Hoon who has always been a bit cardboard for me. As always great review.

PS: I see people mention Ojakgyo Brothers so maybe I should check this out.

kfangurl
6 years ago
Reply to  Kat

Glad you enjoyed this one, Kat, despite your general caution with family dramas! Five Children really surprised me with how watchable and warm it was, in spite of its tendency for being slightly simplistic and treacly. And I absolutely agree that the ex-husband arc was treated in an overly simplistic way. To just pack him off to the countryside seemed odd, and to not give him a chance to see his kids before his departure, seemed really heartless. That didn’t sit well for me. But, I shrugged it off in order to enjoy the rest of the show, which I did like. And yes, Sung Hoon was a nice surprise in this! He definitely did much better here than I expected; hopefully this bodes well for his future roles!

I do recommend Ojakgyo Brothers if you’re looking for a warm family drama. I also highly recommend Life Is Beautiful – that one is my all-time favorite family drama. So warm that I never wanted it to end! ❤

bugs_bunny
bugs_bunny
7 years ago

this is one of the family dramas i really liked, just coz they have a capable female lead, mi jung, she rocks!!! she has a hidden ‘stash’ in her drawers, gets angry like a normal person, actually good in her job and tries her best for her children, especially sang tae’s. i luv how they managed to show how they became one unit, i wish the episodes were actually longer just to show the day-to-day struggles of a blended family…

thanks for the review:)

kfangurl
6 years ago
Reply to  bugs_bunny

Oh yes, Mi Jung rocks! I love that she’s so capable and strong. And yes, it would’ve been nice if they’d shown more of the complexities of becoming a blended family.. As it is, it does lie on the simplistic side of things. But somehow, that simplicity and sweetness felt aspirational instead of dumb, so I give Show points for that! 😉

Islander_58North
Islander_58North
7 years ago

Watched this on Viki.com, so it quickly became addictive! (My son: “Oh, mom’s doing crack again.”) Great review here. I also loved Sang Min and Yeon Tae…dorkiest couple ever! Together, they became rather normal people…would have loved to had a scene more after they were married. Really appreciated the growth in Jin Joo…early on we learned she was real. Turns out she was smart, loyal and hardworking, who knew? And the 2nd floor grandparents…they really grew on me after wanting to kill them! All in all, really enjoyable watch with a fabulous cast!

kfangurl
6 years ago

I’m glad you liked this one, Islander!! 🙂 It’s really one of the better family dramas I’ve seen! And yes, the characters just grow on you. I even ended up being somewhat fond of the second floor grandparents, despite finding them very annoying to start with!

My2Girls
My2Girls
7 years ago

Timescout You will like this if you liked Ojakgyo Brothers. OB was the last family drama I really enjoyed before watching Five Enough. It has a lot of the same elements.

shamrockmom3
7 years ago

A definite winner for me. I agree with everything you wrote, but wanted to also mention that not only did Sung Hoon step up his acting, but he has some comedic gifts too! Who knew he could be so funny? The bubble bath scene was especially good.
I enjoyed this show too as my 4 grandparents were quite a bit like the grandparents on this show. It must be a cross-cultural thing!

kfangurl
6 years ago
Reply to  shamrockmom3

Oh yes, Sung Hoon definitely brought the funny! His discombobulated faces were the best! 😂 Glad you enjoyed this one, shamrockmom! 🙂

Timescout
7 years ago

I’ve seen mixed reactions to Five Children. Some loved it wholly, others hated parts of it and some got bored with the length and filler. I’ve also seen comments about only sticking to it for Sang Min & Yeon Tae’s storyline. Guess that’s a pretty normal for most longer dramas, unless they are Six Flying Dragons. XD

I haven’t watched a good family drama since… well, Ojakgyo Brothers, I guess. Mainly because most of them tend to be “makjang-fests where screaming, scheming, kimchi slaps, birth secrets and trucks of doom are regular everyday features”. Life is too short to waste on dramas like that. 🙂 The thing is, traditional family dramas didn’t use to be like that. Overblown makjang was almost solely the feature of long week-enders.

It’s funny but I think even ‘President’ is actually more like a family drama than many that carry the ‘family drama’ moniker and it’s a political one. Oh, and I loved Fermentation Family for it’s warmth and ‘made family’ premise and I don’t think it can be categorised as a proper family drama either.

kfangurl
6 years ago
Reply to  Timescout

Since you enjoyed Ojakgyo Brothers, I do think you’d enjoy Five Children, Timescout! Provided you’re in a similar sort of mood, that is. It’s got the same warmth. This one really grew on me, much like OB. 🙂