213. Dear My Friends 디어 마이 프렌즈 (2016) Korean

Go Hyun Jung, Kim Hye Ja, Na Moon Hee, Go Doo Shim, Park Won Sook, Youn Yuh Jung, Joo Hyun, Kim Young Ok, Shin Goo

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: C/A

I knew I would love this one, because you can't go wrong with this many veteran actors.  They are just too good at acting.  Also, the minor roles were played by peeps like Lee Kwang Soo and Jo In Sung.  Like.  I also don't think I've cried this much in a drama in a very long time.  There really wasn't a single person that I didn't like.  I thought I wasn't going to like several of the characters at first, such as Wan (who was miss bad attitude), Young Won (who seemed annoying at first), Suk Kyoon (who is an idiot) and Sung Jae (who came of as a creeper for 2 seconds), but all of their characters were so fully developed that there wasn't anyone who was not sympathetic and loved.  The relationships were all so very complicated and beautiful and crazy that I couldn't help but be sucked in.  My favorite was Choong Nam because she was smart and bad-a and I already have a halmoni crush on Youn Yuh Jung.  I loved how no nonsense and stick up for herself she was, while still having things she was sensitive and sentimental about.  It was so beautiful to see where everyone had come from, growing up through such hard times, to become the people that they were.  How their faults became so poignant and understandable when they are placed in the context of the life they had, etc.  All those deeply sad and emotional parts, that would normally be awkward or boring to me, were just heart-wrenching and beautiful and I cried and loved it all.  If this show had a fault, it would be that it was so complicated that I couldn't help but be frustrated, but that was because it was so real.  Wan complained that all the old folk's stories seemed so makjang, but they all protested that they were real and that's why we watch makjang.  Life is not beautiful, life sucks, but we still live it and make the best of it.  Despite how emotional it all was, the ending still managed to make me grin with delight because it was so beautiful.  I thoroughly enjoyed this show and wish that it had been given a little more love.  I definitely heard less about it than all those idol dramas.  I mean, it still had two sexy men in it (Kwang Soo being one of the sexiest in my opinion) but it was definitely not about that and didn't really even need it.  It was about those elders and they were all wonderful.  Heart.