My Perfect Stranger

Clever mystery (s) Heart warming Friendships. Well balanced thriller . Slow paced

While not the sort of drama I normally enjoy, I ended up liking it. This reminded me of Inspector Koo, with it's surprising cleverness and keeping me guessing throughout the series.
The warm fuzzies come from friendships & parent child relationships more than any romance. The romance is so slight that I don't think the word even applies ! Disappointingly, there wasn't even one kiss between the main couple, (though they do get thier happy ending). For all that this was about solving multiple murders, it was really well balanced. The murders being done off screen for the most part. There were only a few scary bits and they were in Ep 13-15 where there are some violent scenes that are pretty hard to take-people getting beat up to a pulp & abducted. I found it impressive that there were so many suspects & that so many characters were evil, just in different ways. The pacing was slow but it keeps the murders from being oppressively overshadowing the story. The whole thing was an unexpected surprise. Ends well too.

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the murder mystery for me was the least interesting thing this drama has going for it

I sort of accidentally spoiled myself the identity of the killer midway through the series but was still able to enjoy it so much!!
the “I time travelled to help change the life of my parents for the better and stop them becoming the people who raised me” has to be one of my favorite tropes ever. every eldest daughter’s wet dream.
there was somethings that were left unexplained, and the main couple seemed emotionally distant and didn’t have much chemistry but then again everything else was so good that I was willing to let it slide.
really loved this drama it was gripping and interesting. definitely a 8.5/9

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A must watch!

I binge watched this drama in just 3 days and it was that good.

The whole premise was already interesting to me since I love time traveling related stuffs especially to the past of course.

The whole serial killer plotline to family struggles and misunderstanding everything was pure emotional. Even though I kinda guessed all the suspense early in the stage as soon as the murderer was introduced to the story and everything else included, the plot played out so well that i was jutted in my seat to see how the story unfolds.

The writer did an amazing job for the flow of the story and the casts were perfect. The family members from past to present looked like they were family visually as well as their acting was nice.

I loved how the relationships of the parents and daughter, grandfather and grandson everything played out so well including the romance. It wasn't 'outofnowhere i fell in love with u at first sight' kind of drama but it was deep. The most I adored was how Yoon Young and her father's relation sorted out and how she understood his own share of struggle that made him the way he is in the present.

The drama's message too could be comprehended on own's perspective. But for me it was on a positive note, no matter how much we struggle now, we can always change our future by doing the work on our present. Everything we do now we will get the result in our future good/bad.

You should definitely watch this drama if you want thriller, romance, comedy and friendship all in one place.

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A Time-Loop Mystery That’s Riveting… Until Plot Holes Crash the Car

"Time travel? Check. Serial killer? Check. Brain cells? Tragically left in 1987." 🚗🕳️
My Perfect Stranger : 7/10 or even 6/10 (i wonna be generous)– A Murder Mystery With Heart, Nostalgia, and a Plot That Occasionally Forgets How Logic Works

✨ THE GOOD:
Time-travel with trauma – A red car, a dead future, and two sad people emotionally speed-running through 1987? Inject it.
The ‘80s vibes were immaculate – School uniforms, cassette players, and small-town gossip hotter than the serial killer trail.
Mystery pacing (sometimes) – Episodes 5–6 and 11–12 had us gasping like we forgot to breathe.
Side characters > main couple – The villagers had more depth, emotion, and screen presence than the romance did.

🧠 THE “HELLO? ANYONE HOME?” MOMENTS:
Stupid decisions galore – “Let’s confront a killer… alone… at night… unarmed.” Sure, what could go wrong?
Ending = CTRL+Z panic – The big reveal hit like a wet sock. Rushed, sloppy, and deeply unearned.
Tone rollercoaster – Some scenes screamed thriller, others screamed "Hallmark in hell." No warning, no seatbelt.

💞 THE “ROMANCE? WHERE?” FACTOR:
More lab partners than lovers – The leads had chemistry, but only if you count shared trauma and awkward eye contact.
Slow burn, no payoff – Like watching two introverts try to flirt via passive-aggressive time-jumps.

🎯 VERDICT:
"Like opening a vintage murder novel, only to find someone scribbled over the ending with a crayon."

Watch if: You love mystery thrillers with emotional depth, time-travel chaos, and small-town drama that lowkey slaps.
Skip if: You need smart characters, logical pacing, or an ending that respects the first 14 episodes.

Best paired with: 🕰️ A detective corkboard, an existential crisis, and a helmet for the plot whiplash.

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One of the most interesting Dramas in 2023

No.Let me rephrase it.
One of the most interesting premises in 2023...

Lets break it into some smaller parts.

Music:Although i finished it few minutes ago,honestly i don't remember any piece of music,melody or tune.I wasn't distracted by it but i never felt that added something to the Drama.Dull and totally forgettable.

Production was excellent.The direction always gave the right mysterious and suspenseful vibes.Great camera use, too.But what really stands out is the gorgeous,stunning and absolutely brilliant cinematography.The use of lights and shadows,the color tones,everything was such a treat!

Cast & Acting.Iam not really sure how i feel about it.I always have faith in Korean actors to deliver, so i can't say acting failed me here.But it wasn't super exciting and memorable eiher.Sometimes felt flat but not in any case bad.

Story/plot & characters:

This is not a 10.Definitely not.Is not a 9 either.Not to me.
But is a solid 8 and i will explain why.

Ok first of all i have to warn you.
If you are like me who absolutely loves psychological thrillers,heavy plot,dark and twisted story , deep, troubled and insane characters...this is not the case.If you are looking for something like this do not have your hopes high because you will be disappointed.

I started this because iam a crazy fan of Time Travel,Mystery,Serial killers and any dark story.
After finishing it(just a while ago)i can say this was the most fluffy,sweet and adorable crime/mystery/murder Drama i have ever watched.
For my taste this is not good!Lol.But i loved My Perfect Stranger,kept my interest all the way and never bored me,although it was nothing like i was expecting before i started it.

Iam aware the Time Travel type Drama is not an easy theme to create and develop a fully satisfying story.There are always plot holes,issues with the time line and all these.Iam too familiar so i can't judge it harshly.
But the story is engaging,making you dive into it really easy and fast.It is very clear why the time travel happens,why our male lead returned to the past and how the female lead got involved into this too.In other words is an easy to follow story and as ive wrote in another related review,i was too happy the time travel device was a car.(yes ofc Back to the Future huge fan here!)
I don't want to give away any spoilers.Is the kind of series you really have to go blindly into.The main question here is of course "who is the murderer"

So from episode 1 until the very late episodes the writer have you guessing and squishing your brains and making you losing your sleep on your trying to figure out who the hell done those murders!I was like this for many eps in a row.And then i tried to focus on the motive and not the actual killer.And then i gave up.Lmao.Iam too stubborn to quit but i was frustrated for not been able to solve the puzzle.And this is the main reason this drama is so good and the writer did an excellent job to make a story so interesting and enjoyable at the same time.

So why i gave an 8 instead of a perfect 10 or a great 9?
This Drama can easily be somewhere between 7 to 10 depending on what you expect,how much you like time travel series,how heavy you want the plot,if you pay attention to the details,if you love airtight stories and so many other variables.

My Perfect Stranger is the kind of drama which has an interesting story to tell.Is all about the story.Actually it has nothing to do with the characters,as all of them are here to tell and present the story itself.So the characters are the narrative tools.
And this is one of the main reasons i deducted points and gave an 8.
There is no depth or any kind of character development.They are ordinary,simple people living ordinary simple life.Yes of course our main leads are smart and brave enough to get themselves into this mess,but you know, iam sure we all are looking for that one magnificent character to instantly fall inlove with!Here i couldn't find the One!

The only one that got my attention and if i had to choose my fave, would be her,Go Mi Sook.She was evil in her way and the actress who portrayed her did an excellent job.I wish she had more screen time,though.

Iam taking about the characters but i haven't mentioned the main villain yet...No i will not reveal his/her identity,of course not.But i was disappointed by this char as i have never before with any other crime drama.Not only because he/she wasn't the psycho i wanted to see(hahaha)but mostly because the reason/motive for all the murders was such a bummer!Again i cannot say more to spoil anything,iam just justifying my rate.At the end you will be left with few unanswered questions,but is ok i guess.

All in all is a good drama.It has a bit of everything.Time travel,mystery,serial killings,heart warming family bonds,friendships and a sweet romance which doesn't overlap the story.
It wasn't what i wanted to watch when i started it but i never,not once, thought to drop it.
Go for it,it has many to offer if you like to watch something different.

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"The present is the past to your future"

I have watched many time-travel series, but more of a different era for no apparent reason. But this drama, has given the ML the purpose to travel back when he was not even born.
The first episode felt long because it tried to establish the connection of the two leads.

The Story
First, we should not take it seriously as in changing history. It is fiction, so I take it as a creative work of the writer to use the time-travel to solve various crimes. As the ML is from the future, he knows what may happen, but as he tried to save lives, somehow, what was the original time and scene of the crimes committed were altered. And there is no way that they can keep their secret be revealed to a few. Somehow there is redemption in the end, an understanding of their past parents/ grandparents and the hope of a better future. Somehow their "meddling" made a positive difference to their families.

The Actors
I like Jin Ki Joo. She never disappoints me in her acting. I have seen her in several dramas, and she has the right expressions in each situation.
As for Kim Dong Wook, it is my first time seeing him. I think he is suited for this kind of drama - investigative and crime solving. I just don't feel so much the love between these two leads. Perhaps it is because of the family background before they went to 1987.
The supporting actors - played vital roles in the story. We may not understand the why's of the bad characters in this drama, and somehow it is implicitly told that they became like that because of their own family's ways.

For me this time-travel drama is just for entertainment. But we can learn from it on how we live our lives in the present. I like what Yoon Young said to Mi Suk - that she can be better, "the present is the past to your future." We should not beat ourselves over past wrongs. Instead, we live today with better choices to be a better future self.

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A lackluster attempt at a time travel murder mystery

The drama has an interesting idea that gets lost between multiple character arcs, loose ends, and a draggy plot. The main characters are likable, but everything else is longwinded and forgettable.

One of the biggest issues is too many characters to keep track of. The writers thought it was necessary to drag out the plot by giving each character a meaningless story arc. And, the characters that are actually interesting are reduced to tropey stereotypes. Go Mi Suk is built up to be a super manipulative sociopath who has a keen sense for people's weakness to be used against them. But, she is reduced to a typical troubled teenager who acts up because of family problems and whose only transgression is plagiarism. The murderer is supposed to be a big bad mysterious villain but he turns out to be a stupid, self-serving kid with mommy issues.

If you expect a grand love story, you won't find it here. Yun Hae Jun and Baek Yun Yeong have no romantic chemistry until the very last episode. A lot of their interactions in 1987 are filled with infantile conversations about food and going to nice places. Only towards the end do they start acting like a couple.

The ending is very sweet and satisfying. Everything returns to its rightful place and mom achieves her life-long dream.

Overall, the drama has its good moments, but for the most part it is very draggy. I ended up fast-forwarding through a lot of scenes past episode 10 because I was bored out of my mind. The murder mystery was no longer mysterious and most characters were bland.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " My Perfect Stranger " is a time travel mystery drama with a suspenseful plot.

The drama handles the time travel perfectly without overcomplicating things. The family drama was also quite touching and often offered a lot of emotional scenes.

The mystery, in addition, was intriguing and wasn't easy to guess who was the serial killer.

However, the romance was not necessary for the story, as the plot focused more on solving the criminal case, thus, having the two main characters sharing only a few romantic moments together, which didn't justify the love story.

On the other hand, the performances were quite enjoyable.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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It's worth it

I love this story. It's amazing and worth watching. I am excited to keep watching it and idk who is the culprit yet. I just wish for a happy ending. The chem between the leads are great, and I hope for them to get back to the future and see the changes they made. I honestly loved the start of the show, and I hope it does not drop in quality as it keeps going.

As for the supporting roles, I can't forgive that girl... Regardless of your stupid family, you should not put people into hard times. I am honestly trying to fill up the 500 characters limit to write a review on here. I don't know why that's a requirement, but anyway, it's a great drama, and you should take the time to watch it.

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I regret not watching this sooner ?

My Perfect Stranger was absolutely amazing
I regret not watching it sooner
It kinda have a unique storyline
It's one of those rare shows that stays with you long after you've finished watching. If you're looking for something incredible, don't miss out on this amazing Kdrama 🤩

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