One of the best kdramas of 2023
I am honestly left empty after finishing this series, especially after following it since it started airing.I’ve become a hyunwook fan since weak hero class and started following his work ever since and was so excited when i saw this promoted.
Especially since i saw that this show would be time travel!!! I LOVED IT!!!
The way the plot moved and how well everything was flowing, the friendships the tropes literally everything!!
I cried so much at how well the actors conveyed their emotions and also, i am just so happy to see deaf people and sign language representation. The fact that the actors learned it is so special, it made me want to learn it myself.
Such a beautiful show, it’s a show you just have to watch really…
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The challenges of youth and the optimistic outlook for the future
“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧? 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩. 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙄 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚, 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚.”– 𝘏𝘢 𝘌𝘶𝘯 𝘎𝘺𝘦𝘰𝘭
I kind of wish I could meet my parents when they were younger. That'd be cool, right? There are some plot holes in the show, but honestly, it’s still a really good drama. It makes you think about how our parents have their own stories and perspectives. I wonder how many of us really try to understand them. Plus, you get a glimpse into the lives of CODA, youth, parental relationship, first love etc . They’re all flawed in their own way, but they’re working to become better versions of themselves.
Oh, and the music? Really good.
It's actually inspired me to learn sign language.
Cons:
The time travel part wasn't well explained(which is a common problem in many time travel dramas.)
There were some little errors between scenes.For example, the male lead has a guitar in one scene, but in the next, he’s ruining without it. Although it’s a minor detail, if you pay close attention, it can be distracting.
The male lead is way too persistent with the second female lead.Sometimes it felt like they were throwing in romance with the main female lead just for the kid's sake. But, hey, I get it they were trying to show that first love craziness. Lol.
The ending felt rushed and overly optimistic. I was actually curious about the second female lead's family and how she’d get along with her parents in the future.
Overall, I’d give it an 8.7 out of 10.
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Super Sweet, Super Funny Drama
This is the first drama in a long while that I have absolutely sailed through because I was enjoying it so much.The cast is phenomenal, and I mean all of them. I will say that ML's mom from the past, Cheong-Ah (Shin Eun-Soo) did really start getting on my nerves. I understand she had a horrible childhood, but even when the boy she likes finally starts to do nice things for her, rescue her, etc., she storms off grumpy. She stormed off on Se Kyung (Seol In Ah) when they were all at that cabin and I was like, "Wow I don't even know what she's mad about this time!" Legitimately. I still have no idea even after I played it back. That got old quickly.
My only real complaint about this show is that it got incredibly difficult to follow the story near the beginning. and even more difficult to figure out who is who and when we're in the past vs the future. It made things very confusing for a good awhile. Not to mention, I suppose it's a key part of the explanation of the plot, but the fact that Se Kyung and her daughter were both played by the same actress (Seol In Ah), made it even worse in the beginning since I was already struggling with so many people and never being sure what year it was. lol
One more very minor complaint is that some of the plot lines, certain scenes, etc., just drag on too long for no reason. I found myself skipping forward in 10 second increments quite a bit. They had some of those moments where they're meant to sit quietly for dramatic effect, but there were too many and they went on for too long at times. Felt like lazy filler.
Oh, I also wish Eun Gyeol (Ryeoun) and Se Kyung (Seol In Ah) had pieced together that they were both from the future, must sooner than they did. I mean Squid Games? And not even a question from him. Could've been really cool if Ha Yi Chan (Choi Hyun Wook) actually did believe Eun Gyeol about being from the future. Obviously it ruins part of the magic and story, but I feel like that would've been fun.
The ending did seem a bit rushed. Considering how many times I hit the skip ahead 10 seconds button, I feel like they definitely could have used their time better. I wasn't sure how it would work with Cheong Ah not being told by her father what happened to Yi Chan, and being whisked off to America, but I am happy with the ending. Especially that dad got to live the life he wanted, at least to some degree.
I had high hopes for this as it had a 9.2 rating when I started it, and I've noticed people on here are not as generous as I am with my ratings, and I was right. It was a phenomenal drama.
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The best drama out there
definitely my favourite kdrama of all time.this is the BEST drama out there, everything about it is perfect
the plot is so unique and well-written, like how tf did someone come up with a masterpiece like that???
this show has everything: comedy, nostalgia, romance, family, friendship, time-travel, disability
watching it will really make it get to you, you'll want to start a band of your own and experience a love story like that.
one character specifically is what makes it so special: ha yichan.
this guy is the LIFE of this show omg, he's so funny and adorable, and choi hyunwook did a great job acting as him
one flaw, is the last episode, because its so rushed and it feels like there's so much that they missed in it -- but I see it as because the plot is so complex, that's how they had to do it I guess? it was a vague ending though, we didn't see what happened after eungyeol went to the future for example or why ha yichan named his kid after his friend (son from the future) but..
its such a beautifully written and beautiful show in general.
ill never get over it too
live, laugh, twinkling watermelon
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Perfection
Truth to be told, I had no expectations when I started watching this. It was a random pick on a Sunday evening when I was bored. But God, did I expect it to be this good? Hell nah.I'll be blunt. The first to episodes were boring and confusing. I was questioning who was the lead, who is this, who is that and all sort of things. But as I said, I was bored and kept watching.
But once he travelled back in time, I was laughing my lungs out and was itching to watch the next episode. I have not once pulled an all-nighter for a show. But I did for this one cause it was THAT good. I usually take upto a week to finish a show. This took me 3 days.
Go watch it people, it is one of the best drama I watched.
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A masterpiece of a drama
Everything was done perfectly in this drama. This is the first time I'm not writing any negatives for a drama.I usually steer away from school dramas and time travel since the former is always cheesy for me and the latter is usually full of angst. But this show had the perfect harmony of warm, angsty, cute, romantic and mystey vibes. The writer needs a standing ovation for making such a brilliant story. No! All the crew members and actors need a standing ovation for this.
Everything in this show was perfect. The story, world building, casting of the actors, character growth...... everything was perfect. Special mention to the actors who showed wonderful acting. Seeing them made me emotional and after finishing this show the vibes still lingered which is what you want from a good show. The chemistry between the characters were great and it was just so great to see disability representation done carefully and with appreciation.
Nothing can stop me from praising this show. If I'm allowed to be selfish, I just wanted another episode for the epilogue or an extended ending to see everyone's life in 2023. But still nothing to complain. But I wonder why this show isn't mentioned much in korea ? I mean, i regularly watch K-shows and it seems like this drama didn't trend among koreans like it was with international fans. If it's true, then koreans really missed out on such a hidden gem. This needs more recognition.
Overall, a wonderful example of what makes a drama a great show. Nothing but respect for the people who worked on this. 10/10.
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A little Treasure
Anyone who sees the 10 stars I gave might think that I am biased or that I may be a fan of one of the actors (which I am now after watching this). and maybe I am high on my emotions after just finishing this drama. Who knows.
I knew this drama was going to be special from the first couple of minutes of the first episode. I can't even make a proper review due to how much this drama means to me.
Some things come to you at the right time and heal your soul. It's so beautiful and full of hope and love. It made me reflect on my own life.
From the casting to the story and the music, everything was done with so much care. You can tell everyone involved in the production did their best to make this special.
I like many genres but somehow my favorite dramas always end up being stories about families, friendships, and people trying and chasing their dreams. And this one had all the above along with romance but romance wasn't the main point of the show. I think what this comes down to is a story about a father and a son. And it was so lovely to watch.
I cried and laughed a lot while watching it . I loved every moment. This drama is my little treasure that I found this year and I love it dearly.
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Refreshing yet frustrating one-time watch
Well-executed timelapse, family trauma, okay-ish romance, great banter between ML and FL.Great acting. Music not to my taste. Refreshing friendship. It was nice to watch a youth drama for a change, but the slow pacing tested my patience. Well-rounded female lead, but it also had me enraged over everything she had to endure growing up. Her struggles were hard to watch at times, and I couldn’t help but be frustrated. The emotional weight made it a bit too much for a rewatch, and once you know the plot, there’s little left to revisit. That said, as a one-time watch, it’s definitely worth experiencing. Most imp- Happy ending.
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A must watch kdrama with a lot of depth
As soon as I saw the trailer for this kdrama I knew I would be a big fan of it.But ngl, after starting the first episode I thought it was a bit slow. That was until the show picked up. Then on it was a weekly painful wait for this show to release as I loved every bit off it.
This drama had a lot of big strengths, one of them being the extremely strong cast. Usually in some dramas I tend to forget about the side characters but particularly in this drama all of them have Soo much depth, that I loved every bit off it. Must I add more about the chemistry between the main leads ( all of them ) and their acting. Perfect in all sense.
The ost in this drama was amazing too. All of the different songs in the drama were very vibey and I thought it fit perfectly with the premise. The sets of the drama along with the funny moments just added even more to such an amazing drama.
My only wish was that the final episode was longer and explored a bit more. But apart from that such a big fan of the drama and cannot recommend it more.
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The Best Coming of Age Drama I've Seen In Ages
**This is just my opinion. I truly appreciate all of the hard work and dedication that went into the production of this drama. Thank you.**To be honest, I wasn't expecting a lot when I started watching this series. I wasn't familiar with the actors and I'm not a fan of time travel in stories. I decided to watch it because I was curious about Eun Gyeol's story. I'm very glad that I did and couldn't recommend it more highly.
It has a phenomenal cast, is very well written and has a beautiful soundtrack. It is heartwarming, funny, sad, suspenseful and ultimately satisfying. I laughed out loud and was moved to actual tears several times, a rarity for me. Viki has the lyrics to the songs translated as well so those of us who don't speak Korean are able to better appreciate the music. If you're interested in knowing them, as I am, I'd recommend watching it on there.
There are already reviews that are very detailed about the plot and characters and I've no desire to ruin it for anyone. If I were to change one thing about the drama, I would simply ask that there be more of it. Especially the ending which felt a little rushed.
I was happy that the writers, cast and production people made a series about a CODA student and his family in such a respectful, yet natural way. It was very well done.
All of the cast did an absolutely fantastic job, especially Ryeoun, who played Ha Eun Gyeoul, Choi Hyun Wook, who played Ha Lee Chan, Shin Eun Soo, who played Yoon Cheong Ah, and Seoul In Ah, who played Choi Se Kyeong. Jung Hyun Joon, who played Ha Eun Gyeoul as a child, and Choi Won Young, who played the older Lee Chan, were amazing as well.
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A beautiful story
Honestly, I'd put off watching this. Not because I thought I wasn't going to like it, because I knew I would, which is why I left it for a year on my to watch list. I wanted a time to savor it. Stupid me though decided to binge it during high stress this week though.So first, take my advice and savor this if you haven't watched it yet, because it deserves full appreciation.
Now onto the spoiler review.
Cast:
Well done. Honestly, I'd only recently started to get into Ryeoun (Adult Trainee ep 3-5 is amazing), and I'd been a fan of Choi Hyun Wook since 2521. I knew they were going to give me stellar performances. And they delivered. They played the father-son/bromance so well. They had such beautiful vulnerable moments that left me gasping. They played amazing as leads. But I think the star of this show, for me, was Shin Eun Soo. She conveyed so much with her expressions. I was always waiting for more scenes with her. As a cast, they all did phenomenally well. I loved the band, who gave so much camaraderie and youthfulness to the show and the grandmother who supported them. They all complimented each other very well. The chemistry was wonderful.
Story:
The show is about living and shining in your youth, and how you overcome your obstacles. But it's also about having a fulfilling adulthood - your life isn't over after highschool, and I think the end really emphasizes that. HEG's parents still existed in the present, and they still shined brightly.
The story starts by showing us HEG's struggle throughout his childhood as he was his parents interpreter and their only link to the outside. It's a heavy burden to put on a child's shoulders, and you can tell that it isn't one intentionally done. Largely it's because of the lack of support, the feeling of being ostracized when you are disabled, and the lack of resources when you are poor (which, unless you are a wealthy heir, is very hard to overcome when you are disabled). It is clear that HEG feels burdened and doesn't want to - he loves his family. And it is also clear that he is unable to communicate with them despite being their only link to communicate. We know as an audience that if he expressed himself, his family would be understanding and supportive, but to him, it's almost insurmountable to actually be selfish.
HEG's chance to go back in time allows him to connect with his parents for the first time, and really speak to them and learn about them. He gets the opportunity to express himself and be accepted, and to right the wrongs in his parents past, saving them and himself.
I love that the story makes HYC's accident a fixed point. I think that it's important to show that it wasn't something in his destiny that needed fixing.
Music:
Very 90s with a hint of modern. I was a big fan. And you can see that they had great stage presence during their shows. I loved HEG busking on the street in the first episode and I think their charisma was very well done to portray them as musicians.
Cinematography
Very bright and youthful, even in the moments that were sad. There was always the draw to the light.
Rewatch value:
First I'm going to watch all the fan edits, then I'll rewatch.
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Best Drama I've seen in a very long time.
The last time I was this attached to a show's characters was reply 1988. Everything from the story progression, to the music, cinematography, emotional depth was on point.This story took us on a journey of knowing what is really worth in life, and that sometimes you just have to live in the moment and do what you can.
All the actors did an amazing job. The chemistry between everyone was on point, especially between Lee Chan and Eun Gyeol. I love that the ending was picture perfect and exactly what everyone deserved.
The comedic timings of all the characters especially Lee Chan were fantastic.
I can keep going on and on about this show, but most importantly, this shows puts things into perspective for everyone and is relatable no matter who you are. If you are looking for a little slice of life, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS.
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