Mama (2014)

Realistic acting with exceptional storytelling. The drama is a story of love, sacrifices and forgiveness.

Everyone of us goes out everyday, carries the risk that we are unable to go back home. If you think of it that way, knowing you do not have much time left to live is a blessing, given you can overcome the fear of leaving your loved ones. Having a heavy philosophical content, the drama manages to deliver the growth of each characters and valuable lessons without preaching.

As everyone is connected, one's significant life event does not affect that person alone but everyone around them. The same thing happened to successful single mother Han Seung Hee. Her health situation urges her to reflect on her life and widen her social circle as she realises her old way of living cannot give her son another mother. As a consequences, She makes her choices that impacts all those around her. Whether her choices were right or wrong, I believe each one of us has their own judgements however it is undeniable that everything she did was out of love for her son. The most important thing is that she is a mother. She grows as a mother and everyone else also grows.

The beautiful thing about the drama is that it is realistic though the plot exaggerates at some parts to highlight the moral lessons to be learnt. Life goes on, everyone has to part and everything changes. That is the reality. As much as the story is about Han Seung Hee who is a dying mother, it is also about other people and how they prepare to move on with their life after she dies. I love the ending because it shows life continues and even though it may be incomplete, love and forgiveness fill up the space.

Overall the casts deliver solid and convincing acting, especially Song Yoon Ah. I truly lived in their world. Yoon Chang Young and Hong Jun Hyun did a great job as sons, gave audiences the alternatives and outcomes of different choices made by mothers. Other actors performed well though I believe there are room for improvements for supporting actors.

It was a fun rides with lessons to learn on the way. I recommend anyone who are looking for a slice a life kind of story. For people who are scared of the sadness, personally the reason I cried while watching was because it is touching, not because it is sad.

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Be prepared to cry a lot in this drama. You will also most definitely need to watch something really funny right after this even if you do not marathon the drama in two or three days. Be prepared to cry a lot for all the main leads and for an ending that does not quite make up for all the trauma you were put through. If you watched it for Hong Jong Hyun, keep in mind the story is called Mama, and so, he will not be in as much as you would like and wish. Go watch him in wgm after you watch this, that could sure help your crying spell.

But, also keep in mind that not all of the characters make sense with their actions. Some you will hate one moment and love the next. A lot the story drama would have been solved if people just were open with each other and told the truth even half the time. I can't guarantee this is the right drama for you, think carefully before you start.

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A UNIQUE PLOT

First of all, I watch this because Park Seo Jun appeared in this drama.

It is a unique family drama because of its plot. At the start it seemed like it is a revenge or the other woman themed drama, but it's not. It is about the life of a single mother who is dying and planning for his only son's future family. Moreover, it's also about a son from a single parenthood searching for his other parent to complete his self. The plot is really an interesting to watch.

Han Seung Hee is such a brave woman being all alone most of her life. I admire herfor being a fighter.

Han Geu Roo is such a charming boy. I love his maturity and development as son to his mother.

Seo Ji Eun is a warm hearted woman. I learned not to hate her during her doomsdays instead I understood her.

Moon Tae Joo is very weak in terms of making decisions in life. Maybe he is unlucky in some things or it's because of her nosy mother.

Ku Ji Sub is a hero to the mother and son. I really wanted him to marry Seung Hee because he deserves to be a guardian for Geu Roo.

The moments I love in this drama and striked through my heart are:

1. When Geu Roo asked his mom to live with her after his father failed to show to him.
2. When Tae Joo had dinner with Geu Roo as Bo Na's father instead of being his own father.
2. When Gue Roo called Tae Joo "appa".
3. When Seung Hee asked Ji Sub to marry her.
4. When Geu Roo cried in Ji Sub's shoulder as they ride in motorcycle twice.
5. When Seung Hee told Geu Roo about her condition.

There are so many lessons in this drama.

1. Parent's divorce affects their children so much like Han Se.
2. What goes around comes around like what happened to Han Se's mother and Ji eun's sister in law.

To be honest, I was so annoyed to the gossiper's mother and Ji Eun's sister in law just because they are not threat to the main characters' lives. I just hate what they do. Poor ahjummas.

I felt so pissed off to Tae Joo's mother. All she thinks is herself. I can't bear to see her very sorry when she found out Seung Hee's illness.

I am convinced about the friendship of Seung Hee and Ji Eun. Their friendship might be short lived but it was sincere and true.

At first, I thought it will be a story of regrets like the son being so bad to his mother until her death but I was so glad it was not the story went. Their life being mother and son was full of love and care.

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Decent tear-jerker

It's pretty clear what you are getting yourself into and it delivers just that to a certain extent. I personally found it unnecessarily long. Which is why it took a more melodrama route than a familial/drama route. Which is also why it took some time to get to the point. It does nothing new, however, it remains a decent tear-jerker. That final scene on the motorcycle was a nice touch.

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Mama (2014), is a drama that is on the longer side for me, 24 episodes. I found it pleasant, and frustrating at the same time. It has elements that I enjoy, such as the acting, anticipation, and the music that plays at the right moments. Also, there are the bad elements, the overused characters that pop in here and there, and there are some that I just get annoyed by. To be honest, I am able to overlook these elements however, as I truly enjoyed this drama, and the leads were a definite plus. They did an incredible job, with acting that I found to be profound. It is honestly a family drama, and some cliches are here and there. I found it to be a good introduction for me into this genre, and I am excited for more.

In general, this is a drama that has its fans and detractors. Some will be able to overlook the glaring issues, while others will get sick and drop this show. In the end, its a show that is based on preference, and I honestly liked it. However, there were some elements that I would object to, but nonetheless, its a fine drama.

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