A Time Called You (2023)

How to Ruin a Timeloop Concept in the Finale aka The Dog Dies I Guess

Just in case the spoiler warning above was not noted, this review is almost nothing but spoilers for the final episode so be warned and proceed with the appropriate caution.

Briefly, "A Time Called You" has eleven very solid, consistently paced, smartly acted, lushly photographed and skillfully directed episodes. Jeon Yeo Been is better as Jun Hee than as Min Ju. Ahn Hyo Seop is as good here as he's been in any show. He's not an easy sell as a teenager, but in K Drama Land, that's just the part of the terrain that we trod. There's some other nice casting for supporting roles. In fact, there isn't a below the bar performance to be found. It is somewhat disappointing that Seo Ye Hwa and Jang Hye Jin don't figure more prominently in the meat of the narrative. But that is somewhat made up for by Rowoon's cameo.

And props to the writers, director and editor for setting up the finale with a deft minuet between the time periods where characters are hopping back and forth. Although familiarity with the source material seems to have dampened some reviewers enthusiasm, having no such background found this production to be one of the more consistently enjoyable ones of recent vintage.

Until the finale.

The finale is when the timeloop malpractice bomb explodes.

Grievances:

1. A timeloop is already a do-over. Once you get a single do-over, that should be it. No do-overs of part of the first do-over. But after the excruciating exposition of exactly how Min Ju dies which is directly tied to Jun Hee's time travel, Jun Hee gets to try again and this time saves Min Ju.

2. Once Min Ju is saved, with the aid of In Kyu by the way, these two have about twenty seconds of resolution where Min Ju seems to have been won over by In Kyu and like everything is just jolly even though she was suicidally depressed earlier in the episode.

3. While Min Ju and In Kyu get short shrift, there are painfully extended scenes in the past era of Jun Hee in Min Ju's body and Si Heon traveling to and cavorting at the beach in the sand and in the water and watching the sunset. It's a necessary part of the narrative, but it feels like it consumes the entire second half of the finale.

4. Well, except for the showoff sequence of CGI dissolves that follows that goes on and on and on.

5. So the leads reunite for a moment of silence (yes, no words are exchanged in the street as the snow falls) and credits roll. It is quite the anticlimactic moment.

6. Where are Min Ju and In Kyu in this new future? No idea.

7. Did Park Hyuk Kwon's uncle character still open a cafe in Seoul? No idea. If he did, are the two leads somehow connected to it? Obviously no idea.

8. If nothing else in the future matters, why does it matter that Si Heon is now running a webcomic startup? No idea.

9. The real gear grinder is that of all the dramas where there is a completely unnecessary, unsatisfying and unconvincing rehabilitation arc of the villain at the end, this is the show where THE CONTEXT COMPELLED FOR SUCH AN ARC TO HAPPEN. IS Min Jin Woong's Oh Chan Young still a psychopath? Presumably Oh Chan Hee doesn't end up committed to an asylum, but his fate is completely left up to the viewer to determine. And as Oh Chan Young before the magic CGI dissolve had already killed the family dog before his journey via cassette to the past, we have no reason to think that he didn't still do it in the new post no-suicide-timeline. And since Chan Young killed the family dog, then that means that the family Mom is still going to freak out and since Chan Young is a psychopath, does Chan Young eventually move on to killing his mom? Is that how the universes balance out? Min Ju lives but Mrs. Oh dies?

But after careful consideration, the only conclusion can be that the dog is definitely dead.

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ambiguous ending

I was honestly expecting so much from the drama. I haven't watched the original Taiwanese version of the drama but I saw on the reviews that it was better, so if you wanna watch this, I think it's better to watch the original version.

I had too many questions left unanswered at the end of the drama. Like what happened to the original Koo Yeon Jun's soul if both of the souls in the body belonged to Nam Si Heon? And they showed only the place where Kwon Min Ju soul hid when Han Jun Hee took over but what about Oh Chan Hee? he was the elder brother but in the past, the elder brother's body had Oh Chan Yeong's soul.

The time loop was confusing and ambiguous. I liked the direction that the story was meant to go, but I didn't like the way it was shown in the drama.

We also didn't get to see what ending Jung In Kyu and Kwon Min Ju got. I mean, if they really ended up dating, then did the two best friends end up dating doppelgangers with the same face or what?

I liked the songs and the acting , and I felt like Ahn Hyo Seop had more chemistry with Rowoon than Jeon Yeo Been. I was invested in their cameo story.

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It's a mess of fiction

This is a mess of fiction & fantasy both with time travel twist. Doesn't really need a love triangle or murder mystery plot, either keep it a murder mystery or Love triangle FGS!!.

2 timeliness should have been enough. Who styled #AhnHyoSeop btw? Fire him/her. #JeonYeoBeen tried hard to strike balance between her getups & timelines.

This 90's nostalgia & time travel during coma or being hospitalized is long used Kdrama thing. In this show the third timeline between the 90's & present was confusing. This show didn't chemistrfy either & has V low repeat value.

I need that Walkman though.

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Not impressed

Like others I didn’t know it was a remake. I started watching it because of Ahn Hyo Seop and the fact that it was a time travel story.
I have very mixed feelings about this drama though.
On the plus side: good acting, good cinematography, nice ensemble, 12 episodes were more than enough. Thank god it wasn’t 16.
On the minus side: the plot is so complicated and twisted ! I thought it was a bit too much and the time travelling music drove me insane.
I still watched the 12 episodes trying to imagine how the two leads will eventually be reunited. I didn’t see the end coming as I thought Nam Si Hon would have used the Walkman to travel.
Still… it was a bit of a Meh! For me.

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Remake Woes

I am writing this review as someone who has already seen the OG. The formula for creating a remake has a lot to do with how the production recreates the same plot but with an original essence. Sadly, the actors fail this drama more than the production.

Yeo Been does a fantastic job of understanding the character and delivering as both Jun Hee/Min Joo. I like her interpretation of both the characters. You can feel the difference in the plight of both the characters through her, and she makes the drama more watchable than anyone else.

Kang Hoon also does a decent job In Kyu; however, Ahn Hyo Seop fails to deliver. I think he failed to understand the nuances of his character and oftentimes comes across as stiff. There isn't a major distinction between his interpretations of Yeon Jun/Si Heon. If you have watched the OG, you will find yourself comparing him to Greg Hsu, who did a fantastic job at conveying different emotions/characters. With Ahn Hyo Seop, you will at times find yourself confused about which character of the two Yeon Jun/Si Heon he is trying to portray as the climax approaches.

Overall, this may be a redundant watch for anyone who has already seen the OG; however, you might enjoy it if you haven't seen the OG. There aren't any major changes from the OG plot, which is regretful as at least some changes would've made this watch a lot more interesting. It was as if I already knew what was about to happen at each moment, some plot changes would've made the drama a lot more original to itself. The cinematography and direction, however, do not disappoint. None of the shots look "cheap" or ridiculous, which they did at times in the OG. It is a decent one-time watch.

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My Disappointment Is Immeasurable And My Day Is Ruined ( WATCH THE ORIGINAL )

What a horrible remake of a legendary script and such a great drama from 2020.
This drama is broken.
From script to screenplay to the main plot which involves ( time travel) everything is compromised, and the sole focus is on melodramatic romance which is ironically half baked in itself.
Horrendous.

And this is not the actor's fault, it's the director.
Just imagine if you had the opportunity to create a remake of such a great script, Nothing could go wrong if you inherited the direction but Nah, they had to insert the typical Korean flavour of melodrama in a time travel thriller, can you imagine?
I'm so disappointed I don't even want to write this review.
The times when you expect the best from the Korean drama industry are when they disappoint you the most .
The script has so many gaps, and once completed you don't feel the connection at all.
It's broken.
Even the side characters, oh yeah I completely forgot about them.
These guys abandoned them, with zero focus on side characters, can you imagine?

I wish I could shoot the director, and I'm not even kidding .

Don't watch this.
Just watch the original version of this drama named 'Someday or One Day' if you still haven't.
There are two versions of it.
Watch the drama first, the movie is secondary and is based on an alternate universe.

Overall, this drama lacks the charisma the original has.
Not a worthy remake at all.
I'm not saying this can't be watched, but why compromise on quality when you've something 1000 times better?

It's not everyday Taiwan produces a better script, acting, direction and songs than South Korea
.
' Someday or One day ' was the drama of the year 2020, and definitely deserves to be seen ahead of this.

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Feels like an adaptation

Before I start, I do want to say that I have watched the original Taiwanese drama and it's one of my favorites. There's definitely gonna be some bias there but either way, my review and rating will be more about this drama as an adaptation and less about its source material (how the plot is written, etc.).

In terms of the plot...well it already has my favorite type of time-traveling where everything is a singular timeline, and it has one of the most heart-wrenching twists I'd ever seen. I do feel like sometimes it got a lot more confusing than the original did; they left out some scenes of the characters just hanging out, or having important conversations, and overall just paced it differently because they had one less episode. Either way, I sometimes wondered if I would be more confused if I hadn't had pre-existing knowledge.

As an adaptation, though, it really is just missing some of the beats that the original nailed. I felt like we got a lot less time to watch the characters come to term with their emotions. The grief of Jun-hee, the playful innocence between the trio, and the tension over the attacks...everything just felt...less. I never really felt the stakes, or felt the gut-wrenching bittersweetness of unrequited love and all the pain that comes with it.

This is partly saved by JYB's acting, which is fantastic. But I can't help but feel like we only got to see the tip of her acting chops. The acting of the ML (AHS) was pretty good also, the ML is a lot more "cool" in this one and I absolutely missed the playfulness and the life in the original. Both the leads felt mellowed out as a result of both acting and script. Since this IS an adaptation, that's fine — but I definitely just prefer the character dynamics in the original where we really got to feel how much they enjoyed spending time with each other.

I also think the OST is just okay here. In the original, the cassette song was a core part, but really so were all the other songs as well. In this one, the soundtrack really just doesn't give you the same feeling of nostalgia.

The vibe of nostalgia really is missing from a lot of this show. I think the cinematography was really good, but sometimes the different timelines weren't that clear both visually and atmospherically; I don't think this one captured the feeling of the past and all the longing that comes with it.

Overall, I still do think this was a good adaptation but I think someone going into it fresh might appreciate it more than someone who has watched the T-drama. It is pretty one-to-one, which is a double-edged sword for the following reason:

Still, although a lot of scenes were directly taken from the original, the flow wasn't necessarily done well, landing this drama in an awkward position:
- If someone watched this for the first time, I really think they would enjoy it and my 5.5 should have 0 bearing on it.
- However, if someone WANTED to watch this story but hasn't yet, I would absolutely 100% recommend the original instead.
- And if someone had already watched the original and wanted to see it adapted...this MIGHT be a good watch, but personally I'd still recommend just rewatching the original again.

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Here for Jeon Yeon Been only :)

If you watch this drama because wanna know how FL saved her late boyfriend by time traveling, you're not gonna find it. FL traveled to the past to save Minju LOL. Both the director and writer are failed to deliver the story. Here is why:

The writer developed the story really well when Jun Hee trapped in Minju's body, but not when Si Heon trapped in Yeon Jun's. Why i wanted it to be developed? Because, when i reached 9th or 10th episode, i was sad knowing that actually, Jun Hee has been loving Si Heon who trapped in Yeon Jun's body all along. That's why, imo, this time travel is also meaningful for Si Heon, not only Jun Hee buttt again, Si Heon's story wasn't really developed by the writer.

There were some parts i wish they developed for instance; I want Si Heon, who just trapped in Yeon Jun's body in 2007, to be as crazy as Jun Hee who always talks about the time travel. I also need their lovey dovey moments during that year to develop, so that when Yeon Jun died in 2022, we as viewer will feel the grief Jun Hee experiences. Why we should feel Junhee's grief as viewer? IMO and from my POV, this time travel is to satisfy JunHee's grief, because she is able to meet someone who resembles her late boyfriend, not because she wanted to prevent her late boyfriend from dying, she's just happy meeting Si Heon who resembles Yeon Jun.

If only the writer focused on Si Heon's time travel and developed the story from Si Heon's POV started from episode 6, i think it would be so much better. Because it's gonna make sense why Yeon Jun and Junhee met in university and then they fell in love, same goes with Junhee, it's gonna make sense to us why Junhee time travel to the past and met Si Heon.. But in the end, the writer makes us think that JunHee did time travel to save Minju, like for what? She's not a part of Junhee's life in the future, she's also not a threat for Junhee's life both in the past and future. Si Heon also never liked Minju in the past. So whyyyyy towards the end of the drama, the writer focused on saving Minju????? Hello, writernim???

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Let's talk about the cast. When i watched the first episode where Si Heon, In Kyu and Minju were punished for being late. I knew right away they cast the wrong ML :p just my opinion, i have Nam Joo Hyuk in my head the moment i see Si Heon who was so friendly, cheeky and playful. Throughout the drama i was like, oh i wish it's NJH.

AHS is suitable being cold and cool just like Seo Woo Jin on Dr. Romantic (i don't watch Business Proposal, tho). Or i can say, he's kinda failed to be Si Heon, there's still Seo Woo Jin vibe on him. Therefore, as for the character, imo, there seems no contrast between ML and SML. Because SML is portrayed to be quiet and a loner.

What made me staying until the end was only for Jeon Yeon Been. Unfortunately, imho, she still looks too old for a high school student (don't get me wrong, i'm a fan of her). Compare to AHS, which all of sudden NJH popped in my mind, i didn't have any name popped up in my head as to who is better portraying JunHee and MinJu.

Speaking of JYB's acting? 8.5/10. I was in awe on episode 11 or 12 i forgot, when Jun Hee sat in Si Heon study desk, immersed in his drawing and all of sudden it took her back to the future. After few minutes, she traveled back to the past and suddenly stood then hugged Si Heon without saying a word. By the way she walked,I knew right away it was Min Ju, no longer Jun Hee, even with her gesture, she proved how good actress she is. (if you have watched 'till the end, you know which scene i talked about).

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The director could not bring the best out of the cast (?)

In ATCY mostly i'm not satisfied with Ahn Hyeo Seop acting, he's good on Dr. Romantic 2 and 3, but not here. I know he is supposed to be bubbly and friendly as Si Heon, but still no fun...

Director should be really detailed in directing the actors to be similar to the role they take part in. Until the end of the episode, only Yeon Been is the star, even i watched on Netflix she said there was line she changed so that fit with the circumstance. Showing how immerse she is in her role as both Junhee and Minju. It takes two to tango, not only the director but also the actors who are willing to do more.

Behind the scene of every drama has been my favorite since i'm in kdrama land. Because as a viewer, i learn how the director direct the drama. For instance, when i watched bts of Vincenzo, how the director wasn't satisfied with actors' intonation and gesture, she would told the actors to perfecting certain part.

To conclude, as someone who never watched the original version, this is 7.5/10 from me.

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Everything and more

This drama right here is a masterpiece. It’s one of those very good dramas that come once in 6-7 years . It may sound like I’m exaggerating but honestly I felt a lot of emotions while watching this .

It wasn’t perfect though as there were some loopholes here and there but not enough to deny or distract us from how much of a good drama it is .

I’ll totally recommend this drama to anyone and I’ll add it to my 2016 list of best dramas released . All the actors did a great job .

It’s a solid 9/10 for me .
For the best watching experience I’ll suggest you watch it on 1.5x speed but watch it on normal speed when the main leads hyo seop and yeo been are together in a scene ❤️
Their chemistry is everything and more ❤️

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they made it so complicated that it ended up not making any sense

the cast and their acting was amazing but i'm gonna be very honest and say, the story just got worse and worse as the episode went by. they made it so complicated by making the main couple and even the psycho killer be able to time travel. the romantic scenes lost its spark for me because 99% of the time i didnt know who's who. it icks me to think that junhee (or was it minju? lol) might be kissing somebody else that isnt her lover which to be frank at episode 10 i dont even know anymore if it was yeonjun or siheon that she fell inlove with in the first place. i get it that maybe they were going for the "even if we're two worlds apart we will find each other and love each other" trope thats why both junhee (minju) and siheon (yeonjun) can time travel but when it was revealed that the psycho killer can time travel too and on top of that chan hui wasnt actually the killer but actually it was chanyeong his little brother who happens to look exactly the same as chan hui even if they arent twins???? jesus christ its all just nonsense at that point. anyway, the ost gather my tears by seo jiwon was good tho, i loved it. also, i didnt watch the taiwanese version so this opinion is solely based and about the korean one.

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