Perfect emotional drama...be prepared as you will cry a lot!!!
I love it so much! It's a beautiful story with a great cast and plot that makes you binge-watch the drama in one go. The first half made me laugh, and the second half made me cry (I have never cried so much). I love their teenage love story, which was beautifully written, and you slowly get to know what happened. The length of the drama is just perfect. Until the end, I didn't know what the ending would be. I was hoping for a miracle ending, but the actual ending was even sadder, knowing that... I will not spoil the end.Finally, a proper emotional drama that I have seen in a while. It's a shame that it is not more popular, and the rating should be much higher.
This drama will stay in my memory for a very long time.
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Short but Sweet -- Heartwarming!!!
This one really got to me. It's definitely one of those dramas that tugs at your heartstrings. The whole vibe is somber but also beautiful, you know? It's all about this girl, Hee-wan, who's pretty much given up on life, and then her childhood best friend, who died years ago, shows up as a grim reaper. It sounds somewhat out there, but it's actually quite touching.Because it's only six episodes, the story remains highly focused on Hee-wan and her feelings, as well as her connection with Ram-woo, the grim reaper. You really get into their heads and feel what they're going through. It's stunning, but in a sad way, if that makes sense. The colors are soft, and everything has a dreamy, melancholic feel that perfectly suits the story.
The two leading actors, Kim Min-ha and Gong Myung, are just fantastic. Kim Min-ha perfectly captures the feeling of being utterly lost and then slowly regaining a reason to live again. And Gong Myung as the grim reaper is sweet and gentle with her. You totally buy their connection, even in this crazy situation.
What I really liked is how the show handles loss and the process of trying to accept it. It's not all doom and gloom, though. It shows how even when you know you don't have much time left, you can still find little things that make life worth living. Watching Hee-wan make her bucket list and experience those small moments was really moving.
Now, I will say that if you're looking for something extremely upbeat and happy, this might not be it. It's definitely on the sadder side. And because it's so short, I found myself wishing we could have learned a bit more about their past and perhaps seen their relationship develop a little more. Plus, the whole grim reaper thing is a big part of the story, so you have to be okay with that fantasy element.
A really poignant and sweet little drama. It prompts you to reflect on life, loss, and the significance of the people you care about. Kim Min-ha and Gong Myung are great, and even though it's a bit of a tearjerker, it's worth watching if you're in the mood for something heartfelt and a little bit different. Just grab some tissues!
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Bitter Sweet Story
The story was well-written knowing that it contains only 6 episodes to finished. Watching the first episode will make your though ask on what will be ending but it will eager you to find out what will happen (I was just lucky to finished it on one sitting as it was completed but if not, maybe I will become eager waiting another week for the next episode) and ofcourse the meaning of the drama was so good. Also, the acting feels real that makes you feel the story. Deserved to be watched ✅ and recognized as well💎Was this review helpful to you?
I cried a river
I'm here 2yrs after cdrama, i don't know how I end up to this series but I cried a river, we should never miss a chance to say how we feel and try to move on whatever happens.. I feel very touched after watching this.FL acting is very good I cried when she cried everything looked natural doesn't feel like a script I love her chubby cheeks..
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Goblin vibe
I don’t know why I feel I watched Goblin. Maybe FL’s vibe maybe Grim Reaper. Kim Min Ha is very talented artist like Kim Go Eun. I think that I cried a lot. She shows character’s pain and sadness.*
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It’s exactly a coming-of-age story. You lose a lot of things, including parts of your childhood, your live, your friend, your joy; but you keep going—you have to keep going.
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I wish happy ending. Very very happy ending. But we can say it is also happy ending right? Because a happy ending means something different to everyone.
Ram U’s mother is happy now. It is really relief.
And the music Spring is gone—it’s very nostalgic. When I listened to it, I felt like I went back ten years, maybe even more. I can’t remember exactly whenI listened this song. And other song, If You, 🥺 It is a reason my cried.
I really hope to see Gong Myung in more dramas—he’s such a great actor. Nowadays TVING’s original dramas seem to be more successful compared to dramas from other platforms. It is good for everyone.
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Don't underestimate this drama (even though its 6 eps)
As the headline says don't underestimate this diamond of a drama!! Its short, its beautiful, its bingeworthy and it'll make you tear up for sure. You experience the emotions with the female lead (who is amazing by the way, her emotional scenes just make you feel the pain with her 😩) and the love the male lead has for her. For six episodes you get a lot to unpack and feel!My favourite lines: (when you watch it for yourself these lines mean so much more with the context and scenes they're from)
"saving yourself is saving me"
"because to us, loving myself means loving you."
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did if you watch it!:)
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A perfect series, nothing less
This series is such a treat. I was warned to remember tissues while I watched, and I should have brought more. Having seen so many dramas, I am a hard critic, and this was just great.I cried, laughed, and smiled, all at once. This is the essence of life in 6 episodes. The acting was as it should be, brilliant. The music was good.
Just Great!
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not a typical review but more like how i felt watching episodes
17/04/25. just finished ep 3 and my heart hurt n bawled just like Hee wan at the end of the episode. sometimes you just need something like this so you can cry your heart out.18/04/25. just finished ep 4 and tears wont stop. and the fact when Kim ram Woo's mother realized it was her son in OR that scene hits like a truck.
18/04/25. just finished ep 5. it was so heart warming. writers n directors are playing with our emotion?
18/04/25. finished the series. kind of predicted the ending. bawled like toddler. overall it was self healing. just what you need if you're feeling depressed. as Jung Hee won who lives as Kim Ram Woo says. LIFES GOES ON
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PLEASE PREPARE YOUR TISSUES
this drama is so worth it if you want to watch a drama to cry for. especially the last ep. please please please prepare your tissues. i already warn yall. I CRIED AT EVERY DIALOGUE MY NOSE IS BLOCKED AND MY EYES ARE SWOLLEN NOW. before this i read that both of main leads dont have any chemistry. i just wanna say that youre so blind 😔👎🏻 they did a good job at casting everyone in this drama. the plot is also very heartwarming. i might rewatch this after i forgot the plot. dont hesitate to watch everyone!Was this review helpful to you?
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What love is all about
“You told me that… time finally seems to be flowing. That’s enough. Don’t forget that. Keep thinking that way. No. That’s because you’re here. No. You can do it without me, too. We created this week together.”If I had to talk about “Way Back Love” I would compare it to that comma followed by the adverb “too”. “You can do it without me, too.” That comma here takes on a symbolic meaning, becoming, in the very short break it creates in the sentence, an acknowledgement of the pain and the distress Jung Hee Wan who is also Kim Ram Woo is feeling. It also highlights the half-eaten regret voiced by Kim Ram Woo who is also Jung Hee Wan who wished he didn’t have to end his sentences with “too”. The adverb “too” contains their memories, their persevering love, the hole in their hearts that will never close. That “too” embodies how Jung Hee Wan will always miss Kim Ram Woo, will long for him as she tries to keep on living, to remember that that “too” is her strength but also a promise: the time they had won’t disappear, but the time she has now cannot be wasted.
The sentences I quoted in the beginning of this review says so much about the drama itself, but also its characters. Jung Hee Wan, Kim Ram Woo, Yoon Tae Gyeong, Lee Hong Seok, Hee Wan’s and Ram Woo’s family, they all have one thing in common: they love each other in the most genuine way. The love they give is one that pulses with every heartbeat, it’s one as malleable as clay, it transforms as the people they love grow and change. But it remains, always, everlasting. It’s a love that understands and doesn’t judge. It’s a love that brings out the best in people without trying to.
Ram Woo is a character that simply radiates kindness and Gong Yung’s embodied this trait so well with his gazes and his shy smiles. Watching him fall in love with Hee Wan warmed my heart. With only six episodes, Ram Woo and Hee Wan’s romance didn’t feel rushed at all and what a relieve it is to finally watch a drama with relationships that make sense. Their love is not told but shown in the way they look at each other, the way they talk and behave. That’s what I want more of! A simple “I love you” won’t cut it. Make me believe in the love characters share and I will stop complaining (I’ll tone it down at least). When they caught each other’s eyes during classes… Yes, I acted all silly because it was cute. It was innocent and beautiful. Them realising their feelings for each other was beautiful. And what should have become their fondest memories – the moment they voiced out their love to each other – it turned out to be the most tragic day of their lives.
Losing someone close to you is a pain so deep that words fail me. What words can come close to describing the hollow it leaves in your body and soul? When you grow up, go through the different stages of life, and they’re not by your side to live them with you. When time makes no sense to you anymore because the days feel all the same, because you see people whose life has resumed and yours has simply stopped and you don’t get it. There is nothing to understand, however finding a reason to explain what cannot be explained provides the illusion of comfort. Grief is a mystery. It’s both the purest form of love and the greatest sorrow. Kim Min Ha somehow succeeded to make us experience it and she was phenomenal. Her acting has such a rawness to it that whenever she cried, my throat tightened.
Her micro-expressions made the contrast between high-school Hee Wan and college Hee Wan all the more striking. “What happened to you, Kim Ram Woo?” Grief. One word, a thousand realities.
Since this review is a failed attempt to articulate my thoughts around this drama, I’ll simply end with what I adored: the relationship between the different characters.
The friendship between Hee Wan and Tae Gyeong and between Ram Woo and Hong Seok were such a delight to watch. Love that the drama took some time to develop their friendship despite the few episodes. One of my favourite moments in the drama is definitely the talk between Hee Wan and Hong Seok in present time, when Hong Seok gently but firmly states that he, too, did not overcome the void the passing of his best friend caused and that Hee Wan has no right to judge him on the way he lives his life. This scene was a stunning reminder of the complexity of grief and the many faces it can take.
I also loved the moments between Hee Wan and Ram Woo’s mother, Kim Jeong Seok. So often in life, you form bonds with the relatives of your friends and partners and yet when a breakup occurs, you both lose a friend or a partner and the bonds you formed with their family. This loss is rarely talked about. “She’s important to me, too.” Hee Wan’s reunion with Jeong Seok was healing to the both of them and it was beautiful to watch.
My review is repetitive but what this drama showed the viewers was nothing but beautiful. The heartfelt script allowed for complex topics to be addressed without judgement. The characters were all there to support each other. Ram Woo’s loss was a tragedy and, paradoxically, him coming back, allowing Hee Wan to starts her grieving, made her see that people might look like they have moved on but the hurt lingers. And that’s okay. Nothing will fill the void Ram Woo left in the lives of the people who loved him and this is proof of how loved he was and will always be. However, this love that started in high school, the kindness shared, the memories formed, the resolved misunderstandings, the pain experienced, Hee Wan is now able to live with it. She was always able to but Ram Woo brought the reassurance she needed. “You’re Jung Hee Wan and also Kim Ram Woo.” That kindness is something Hee Wan holds within too and it’s a flower Ram Woo wishes to see grow, even without him. “Because to us, loving myself means loving you.” Hee Wan, with her way with words, her paintings, her joy and sorrows, is someone to be treasured, by herself most importantly. This is exactly how I envision love: a feeling that, when received, helps you grow and when gone, remains a warmth in the pit of your stomach that reminds you that you are worth it and that you can do it on your own, too.
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Such a beautiful story!
God where do I start with this show... I feel so empty but complete at the same time. I love the storyline and how beautifully written it is and the actors did an amazing job at bringing the story to life (The chemistry between the actors definitely helped in this category.) I've seen some people complain about the length of the shows but I personally loved the length; It was not too long but also not short enough where I'm left questioning things or wanting more. Not only did the length of the show aid in this but also the creators of the show did an amazing job at leaving things solid and gave viewers so much closure. Although some may disagree, I think the ending was perfect, beautiful, and also made me feel the love the characters had for each other.Overall this kdrama was so so so good and I recommend everyone to watch! This is definitely one of my favorites dramas of the year and will be rewatching when I want to feel something :3
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Bittersweet and Beautiful
If you’re a fan of fantasy K-dramas with a nostalgic high school backdrop, Way Back Love hits all the right notes. After watching the first four episodes, I’m completely immersed in its premise, beautiful storytelling, stellar casting, and good soundtrack. The cinematography deserves a special shoutout too.This is my first time watching Gong Myung, and I must say, he’s a revelation. His charm and performance have truly swept me off my feet. Kim Min Ha, as always, proves her versatility and emotional depth, effortlessly drawing viewers into her character’s inner world.
With only six episodes in total and the finale airing next week, I'm both excited and anxious. There's so much left to unravel, how are they going to tie it all together in just two episodes?
The narrative’s back and forth between past and present adds an emotional layer to the storytelling, even if it gets slightly jarring at times. Still, it serves the plot well, especially in exploring the tragic yet poetic fate of Jung Hui Wan and Kim Ram Woo. One has already met his end and become a grim reaper, while the other has just a week left to live. How can they possibly find a happy ending in a world ruled by fate?
Way Back Love is a touching reminder that even in the face of doom, love can bloom and sometimes, it might just rewrite destiny.
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