KDrama Review: Modern Farmer: "Farmers Can’t Be Modern"

****SPOILERS****

River Song Doctor Who

So, some time ago, I decided to watch this Korean drama titled Modern Farmer because my friend said that it was funny and she wanted someone to talk with about the drama. I of course was all for it, like “WHOOO NEW DRAMA!!” This drama starred Lee Hong Ki the lead singer of the Korean band FT Island (Who if you haven’t heard of you should totally check them out. His voice is amazing).

FT Island 

It also starred Park Min Woo who was in the other drama Flower Boy Ramen shop, which I hated, but that’s another blog post, there was also Lee Si Eon and Kwak Dong Yeon. As well as Honey Lee (that is not her real name). Min A from AOA and Park Jin Joo who is in a lot of dramas actually. Of course that wasn’t that whole cast, just the people that I think are worth mentioning.

Anyway, let me think… the plot of this drama… Hong Ki’s character whose name is Min Ki was in a band with his friends and they were called I believe Excellent Souls or something like that. Please correct me if I am wrong. The band disbanded and they went their separate ways, some of them still talking to each other, only excluding one member. Min Ki is serious debt and owes a lot of money to some loan sharks and when his grandmother dies he inherits her land. His grandmother lived in his home town which was pretty much farm country, so he gathers the band under the false pretense that they are going to grow cabbages to make a new album when in reality it’s so he can get out of debt and pay back the loan sharks. There he is reunited with his first love.

The drama started off good, it was really weird, not like all the other drama’s I have watched so it was pretty into it. Although it seemed predictable.

They were going to be successful and make money but then poof half the money is gone because Min Ki took it to pay off his debts and the rest of them find out and boom the end, but twist in turn they forgive him and they become a band again and he falls for his first love all over again.

Well, I was half right, okay more like, ¼ right. Although the drama was funny and quirky. I feel like it sort of left the plot behind. Which was him making cabbages to PAY OFF HIS DEBT. Granted he got closer to his band mates again, but they never found out about his debt. I guess you could call that a good thing, but after his one segment in the drama it was never talked about again and the loan shark like… didn’t exist in the drama again. Which was weird to me, because I’m just saying if I was a loan shark, I would have scrambled his brains so I could get my money back. On top of that there was this girl trying to find some hidden money in the all the farmers fields, I didn’t even understand her purpose except for being the love interest for this other character who had an illness.

Each character had their own problems they were dealing with and you know that makes sense because each individual has their own issues, but it would, most of the time take priority over the entire plot. So, Min Ki is supposed to grow cabbages with his band mates to pay off his debt, and they do, but of course they run into issues like any farmer would, but that would fade into the background for a little bit. Yes you can't make the whole drama about him paying off his debt, but they never talked about it again. DID HE EVER PAY OFF HIS DEBT? On top of that, the reason this one guy in the show didn't talk, didn't make any sense at all, like yes tragedy, but... you suddenly lose the will and power to speak ever again? Even to your daughter? I didn't get it, but if you do, keep watching. 

Also, not sure this is relevant, but one of the characters, the one with the illness looked much older than the rest of the group. When I looked it up he was like 32, not saying there is anything wrong with that, but you could tell, I just wished they decided to cast someone who looked younger, or... was younger. 

It was kind of all over the place if you ask me, but it didn’t make me like it any less, well okay it did just a little. I wanted some consistency, but they kept pulling this weird background story and not explaining it well at all. They would give a half ass explanation and then would be like there you go now you have some sort of idea. THE ENDING was not good at all, not even a little bit, but it fit the dramas quirky style.

Sorry about some of the spoilers, hopefully this review doesn’t make you not want to watch it or stop watching it if you already are, because no matter what I say about it, I still enjoyed my time watching it. Honestly, I enjoyed the singing bits a lot, and it was pretty funny, but it a serious corny way, like very corny, but it kept me laughing and hooked, because obviously finished then entire drama.

This is also where I learned the term  괜찮아 [gwenchana.] If you watched this you know what I mean.

I give the drama 2.5 G-Dragon heads out of 5 

But seriously, farmers can’t be modern.

Check out Modern Farmer on DramaFever!!! >>>> Modern Farmer