Cheer Up, Mr. Kim! Drama

Photo: hancinema.net

I've started watching this drama in March and it's June now.  I'm done with episode 90 and I'm stuck and can't watch anymore since I'm waiting for the english subs.  I don't mind the little break since I was doing the marathon drama watching, at least 4 episodes per night.  Each episode is approximately 30 minutes long.  There was a 2 week break because I had to wait for episodes 80-90 to be uploaded with english subs.  I do hope the subbers continue to sub this drama and not leave a bunch of us hanging without any closure.  I can wait as long as eventually it gets done.  I heard that there are not much subbers now to sub all the ShinHwa shows since their comeback.

This "family" drama is finished in Korea.  I thought there were only 113 episodes but in searching around the net, I found out that this is 124 episodes long.  Wow.  Based on the ratings, majority of the episodes has been number one.  Kim Dongwan had won the 2012 KBS Drama Award for Excellent Actor (Drama Series). By the way, what they call a family drama doesn't mean the whole family can watch this.  I think they mean that it has family situations, so the young kids may not enjoy this drama as much as the older viewers.

To summarize the drama.  Kim Dongwan plays a single guy, Kim Tae Pyung, who cleans apartments. He had taken a job as a housekeeper since he couldn't get anymore jobs to clean apartments.  He is also a guardian of four children, none of which are his.  He spends most of his life struggling to take care of the children, to the neglect of his own life.  So now you see him in his thirties balancing the children, his job and dating, which he never experience before since he was struggling to support the children.

The four children in his care are Tae Pyung's niece, Hee Rae, a high schooler who was abandon by his brother's wife after she gave birth to Hee Rae. Tae Pyung's brother has already died in an accident by the time the Tae Pyung's sister-in-law gave birth.  Song Ah, the youngest girl, was given to Tae Pyung to care for since Song Ah's parents are struggling to make ends meet. Chul Ryong, a North Korean college student and the eldest, is looking for his brother who, I think, defected to South Korea.  Their parents had died because Chul Ryong's brother left North Korea.  The three kids were already in Tae Pyung's care when the drama first starts.  Later in the drama, Tae Pyung ends up caring for Joo Sung, a high schooler and the same age as Hee Rae and also in the same homeroom class in school.

Although this drama is suppose to be mainly about Mr Kim and his struggles, the main story line is about Hong Hae Sook, a mother who is trying to take over control of Healing Water. Healing Water is a company that her husband was the CEO but had to step down because of health reasons.  When he was ailing, Hae Sook took care of running the company until her husband could return but he ended up being too sick to work again.  Her husband Boo Jang wanted his son Gun Wook, who was studying in America for years, to take over the CEO position.  Hae Sook wants the CEO position and both Boo Jang / Gun Wook, who returns to Korea, tries every way to take that position away from her.

The women in Tae Pyung's life are Ji Young who lives downstairs with her family in the same home that Tae Pyung family moves into.  Ji Young, a divorcee, always liked  Tae Pyung when they were young.  Ji Young is also the daughter of Tae Pyung's mentor, Kyeong Sool who lives with Ji Young.  There is also, Woo Kyeong a homeroom and PE teacher at the school Hee Rae goes to. Ji Young is also the school's nurse at the same school.

Just a warning, from the beginning, it seems as though the acting is very stiff with the actors.  What I found funny was it's the kids in the drama that seems to act more naturally than the adults. They have more range of emotions and doesn't seem like they are acting.  The other actors usually  look awkward with each other or very monotone in their acting. They always seem to have the same expression throughout the drama.

Up to episode 90, I find Tae Pyung to be very likable and not irritating, unlike the other characters.  I get so annoyed by some of the things the other characters do it's so frustrating.  In reality, it would be so nice to have a guy who can clean, cook and take care of the kids without complaining but just do it because it needs to be done.  He has his pride but it is overridden by the  fact that he needs to care for his kids.  So being a housekeeper, normally a "woman's" job, isn't something that he would look down on.  He has told others, who questions his choice of "career" and looks down on him, that it's a job that pays.  As long as he does a good job he's not ashamed of it. You can tell he takes pride in his work but also wished he was more educated and has a better job.  Also, I do like how he handles himself in a crisis.  He will get upset but he does try to think logically.  A few times he does let his emotions decide on his choices but you see his struggle in trying to do his best.

I won't do a episode by episode description of this drama like how I did The Romantic and The Idol but I'll tell you my opinion of each character in another blog, unless someone wants me to write about this drama, I will. Hmmm...this is getting long.

Watch Cheer up! Mr Kim if you can. If anyone knows where I can watch the remaining 91+ episode subbed let me know.  I'm dying to know what happens, it's getting exciting now.