Truly not that bad
A Hundred Memories has been receiving a lot of flack, much of it, imo, unfair.I think many complaints you'll read will be because viewers either A) expected the show to go against the typical kdrama formula, hoping for something AHM just wasn't going to give, or B) have, naturally, chosen a side in the love triangle(s), and are unhappy with the outcome(s).
But it's important to keep in mind that fans of each female lead feel their favorite character was mistreated the most, so in that regard, weren't the 2 FLs treated quite equally?
I think the focus of the first half of the show at 19 years old, is on choosing friendship and getting through tough times together. The focus of the second half at 26, is on choosing yourself, overcoming insecurities, and learning that you can stand on your own.
No character or relationship is all that thoroughly developed. There was much left unexplored. The final ep tried to cram in too much at once. I can't help but think this drama is another victim of the new 12-episode model in Korea.
But I'd say all the actors and their characters are great, and this often-charming drama is worth a watch if you try to appreciate every character.
Was this review helpful to you?
not bad but not good
Honestly the starting was good i thought it'll be about friendship then out of nowwhere jp came i shipped jp and jh so bad anyways jh suffered alot idk why ppl are hating her?yongsik was the only guy who deserved jh yr had family almost everything the whole miss korea thing there was no reason for it and why they jh brother again??what he did in the story? ma seong cheol and jeong bun marriage was so random i liked the last scene but there was no point of making it like this it couldve been much more better dramaWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Hundred Memories, Only a Few Worth Keeping
Disclaimer: I went into this drama with unusually high expectations. The time period was exactly the kind of setting I love, the premise appeared fresh, and, most importantly, it featured one of my favorite actresses, Shin Ye Eun, in a role that promised emotional depth and quiet strength.Acting / Cast
The cast is, without question, the drama’s strongest asset. Shin Ye Eun delivers a compelling performance as Seo Jong Hui, a woman carrying the weight of a tragic past yet presenting herself as capable, resilient, and fiercely protective of the vulnerable. Her character instantly drew me in. She balances mystery, moral conflict, and emotional restraint in a way that anchors the entire show.
Kim Da Mi, as Ko Yeong Rye, initially adds an interesting contrast as a timid young woman from a financially struggling family. However, her indecisiveness and self-effacing nature quickly became exhausting. Her constant willingness to sacrifice herself for nearly anyone in her vicinity felt less like a character trait and more like a narrative burden.
What surprised me most is that despite my issues with Yeong Rye’s characterization, Ye Eun and Da Mi have genuinely strong on-screen chemistry — arguably the best dynamic in the entire series. Their early interactions are engaging, natural, and brimming with understated tension. I honestly enjoyed those first episodes largely because of how well they played off each other.
Then, unfortunately, the male lead enters the picture. Heo Nam Jun’s Han Jae Pil begins as a promising, layered character, but the writing strips him of nuance with every episode. His emotional volatility and constant “love reversals” made him increasingly frustrating to watch. He isn’t a red flag, exactly — more someone who is addicted to feeling things for the sake of emotional stimulation. His bond with Jong Hui dissolves the moment it becomes inconvenient for the plot. His pursuit of Yeong Rye feels transactional, almost like he’s checking obligations off a list rather than falling in love.
By the end, the love triangle not only weakens the cast dynamic — it actively damages it.
Score: 8/10
Writing
This is where the drama falters most. The setup is undeniably strong: Two female bus conductors navigating the tight constraints of 1980s Korean society — family expectations, economic hardship, danger on the job, and personal dreams. Their contrasting personalities create a natural balance and enormous potential for character development, social commentary, and a deeply textured friendship arc.
But instead of cultivating that foundation, the writing gradually funnels everything into a conventional, unnecessary love triangle that diminishes both women and overshadows their personal journeys. The hints of complex female friendship — and even potential queer subtext — are abandoned without payoff. Their bond, which initially felt layered and quietly intimate, becomes flattened into cliché “love rivalry” tropes that strip both characters of individuality.
The drama repeatedly suggests it wants to explore themes like:
– women’s solidarity
– social class struggles
– the emotional cost of survival
– the contradictions of female independence in a conservative era
But none of these threads are given real development. There is no narrative build-up, no clear motivation, and ultimately no cohesive message. By the time the finale arrives, the story feels like it has taken a hundred illogical routes, losing sight of what made it compelling in the first place.
Most disappointing is the ending: the writers chose the most predictable path by pairing the main couple, despite their stark lack of romantic chemistry. Jong-hui and Yeong-rye worked far better as a mirroring duo, and ironically, the two women had more chemistry with each other than had with the male lead.
Score: 5/10
Direction / SFX / Music
The direction is serviceable but inconsistent. The early episodes are atmospheric and grounded, effectively capturing the social rhythms of the 1980s. As the drama falls deeper into melodrama, though, the direction becomes flatter, as if following the writing into less inspired territory. Cinematography and set design are solid throughout — enough to make the period feel lived-in rather than decorative. The OST did not particularly stand out to me, it was fine but rarely enhanced the emotional beats.
Score: 7/10
A Hundred Memories could have been something special: a textured portrayal of two women balancing friendship, duty, and desire in a turbulent era. The setting is promising, the cast talented, and the initial chemistry — especially between the two female leads — is genuinely compelling. But the drama ultimately sacrifices its uniqueness for a tired romantic framework, reducing its protagonists to conventional tropes and abandoning the themes that could have made it memorable.
I would recommend it only with caveats:
Watch it for Shin Ye Eun, for the early episodes, and for the glimpses of what it almost became. But be prepared — the story loses its way long before the end.
Overall score: 8/10
Was this review helpful to you?
Confused who is the actual FL
This drama started off so great with the two FL friendships, struggles, family life, dreams, hopes and ambitions. The entire narrative as to why JH disappeared was not addressed properly. YR seems to have not shared the fact that JH left to save YR’s life with anyone, including JP. The 7 year time jump with the JP and YR suddenly being so close felt forced. The whole JP being so crazy in love with YR after JH showed up made no sense. JH was JP’s first love and he didn’t even bat an eyelid when he found out JH vanished because of YR and broke up with him because YR was in love with him. It’s like she absolutely didn’t matter. YR and Jung Hyun felt more organic and I rooted for them more than YR-JP. JH and YS felt more organic and heartwarming. It felt so incomplete that they didn’t show them getting together. Also, even though YR is supposed to be FL JH carried the show. The fact that everyone was mad at JH when YR was in the hospital made no sense. That was absolutely not JH’s fault and moreover she literally did something similar for YR without any recognition or acknowledgment by anyone. JH was so ready to sacrifice everything for YR’s family and their friends but they all treated JH as an afterthought (except YS who was the only one who valued or recognized her). Overall the drama started of with so much potential, great actors, excellent cinematography and realistic 80’s depiction. It was disappointing how hodgepodge the second half was.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Never ever break up a friendship because of a man!
Lets get to the review!Chemistry checks for me (IMO)
Koh Yeong rye x jeong hyeon (even if it was one sided on his side)
Seo Jong Hee x Ko Yeong Sik (i didnt quiet feel her chemistry with Jae Pil)
—Koh Yeong Rye x Seo Jong Hee
This is the friendship i want in my life without a man in the middle ofc (i dont fight over men LOL). This is real friendship. I didnt want their friendship to end over a man… (still on ep 10). Seo jong hee not only is in a love triangle but also being triple threatened 😟. The dude from cheongah bus coming for her and yeong rye, her adoptive mom might be a bad influence, her brother… omg miss girl. Lets go back to their friendship after ep.6 i think the show started showing elements of jealousy (Not envy!) from seo jong hee side.. i was like NO! PLEASE NO! mind you i am typing this after i finished ep 10 i dont want a friendship break up guys! Friendship break up hurt way way more than a relationship break up :c.
Going back to the time of cheongah bus whats been happening with kwon hae ja the one who ended up in a horrific workplace accident? I still cannot believe some companies try to dodge responsibility even if what happened was this horrific like not even an ounce of guilt?! Tbh am i the only one who saw the clip before it was revealed that she was the one in the accident i almost thought it was koh yeong rye!!!!
*AFTER COMPLETING EP 11+12*
We see kwon hae ja in the audience during the miss korea pageant show 👏.The miss korea pageant stage literally left me on the edge of my seat like why tf is that stupid personnel manager thinking she ruined his life? He ruined it himself… and then when he stabs yeong hye and the camera pans out there is literally someone still taking pictures of whats happening while she fights for her life on the floor 🤓 (I HOPE SOMEBODY ELSE NOTICED!!!!
Ep 12 many comments said this and i fully agree. The beach scene where jong hee was thirdwheeling the ML and FL was so so painfully awkward…
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It's good until time skip
They build up ml & long haired pretty well & suddenly time skip & ml already fall for short haired. That's the problem here. We don't see any development in their relationship that's why we can't support the end couple.Tbh, I ship short hair with every male character except ml. Same goes to long hair. (I forgot their name mb). In another word, i ship ml with NO ONE 😭
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Not for everyone
I just recently rewatched this drama and I wanted to share my opinion on it. This drama is not for everyone so you might like it and not really like it at the same time. It’s was ok for me at first but then I realized maybe it’s was because I had too much expectation on it that why I didn’t like it but then i rewatched it with low expectations and then I realized it was not that bad of a drama. I love the female lead character from the beginning to the end and I love the fact that main lead was able to cherish her before it’s was too late. Also the second female lead was also okay for me because she realized how precious her friend is which can be related sometimes to real life situations.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
AKU BERTAHAN DEMI YEONGSIK
ni drama banyak banget lewat di tiktok tapi aku mau keep sampe kelar dulu eh ternyata orang orang pada tim timan. aku agak trauma kalo udah tim timan begonoh jadinya ngulur buat nonton ini. tapi kemaren gabut and akhirnya ke tonton lah drama ini. awalnya juga tertarik gegara ada bapak namjun disini, tapi ternyata dia ngeselin banget bjir karakternya. jujur benci namjun sama dami banget disini gatau kenapa, bawaannya mau skip scene mereka terus bahkan sampe mau aku drop dramanya. eh TETAPI taunya ada youngsik oppa yang bikin aku jatuh suka disini. yang paling disayangin tuh KENAPA SCREENTIME MEREKA DIKIT BANGET HELLO??????? AKU NONTON SAMPE HABIS DEMI THIS CUTIES TAPI TERNYATA SAMPE AKHIR MASIH KAGA JELAS NI BEDUA GIMANA HUBUNGANNYA HADEH...Was this review helpful to you?
Reply 1988 vibes
Sweet, emotional and nostalgic like pages from someone's old diary. I was happy with the end game couple. If the story has taken a different route I wouldn't have liked it. I adored the FL, the actress did a good job portraying the character. The plot is centered more on the friendship of the two women rather than the romance between ml/fl. Nice production and script. It gave Reply 1988 vibes without the comedy. I don't know if the writers are the same or something. HEAWas this review helpful to you?
Started well but turned into Love Triangle chaos -- First half suffered
A Disappointed first half.Was expected something new kind the story presentation from this known storyline with engaging characters. Engaging characters are there but after 6 eps it turned out same love triangle and even the characters fell short but Kim Da Mi & Shin Ye-Eun somehow saves the drama. From the story we've seen too many a love story traingles between two best friends and a sacrifice. However 6 more episodes are left now kinda excited to watch what new turns the story takes, but even after first half now here if there will be a another love triangle then drama might just collapse under its own weight.
I did loved the characters design of Jeong Hee and Yeong Rye and female leads dorm setup is engaging and kinda relief from love triangle chaos. But one major flaw is the ML character missed the arc, like he's the centre of the drama between the female leads, he should have been given a strong arc to match the quality character design like Jeong Hee and Yeong Rye but instead his character is really poorly written like a glass being emptied of its juice. So, was expecting a decent character development on male lead character.
10/10 aspects
• Kim Da Mi & Shin Ye-Eun acting
• OST
• production design
• plot flow
Was this review helpful to you?
A Hundred Memories (2025) Review
9.6/10 ~ The moral of this story hits hard: sometimes, the ones you truly love are already right in front of you, you just fail to see them. So, choose wisely. From the very start, I sensed something tragic brewing, the kind of emotional gut-punch only a K-drama can deliver, and I was right. Yet, despite the heartbreak, A Hundred Memories stands as a worthy and deeply moving follow-up, crafted with authenticity and emotional precision.The cinematography embraces a “normal” visual approach: crisp, clear, and perfectly color-balanced, giving the drama a raw, realistic charm. Beneath that simplicity lies the spirit of a tingly visual and moral adventure, where friendship evolves into something resembling family. The chemistry between the characters feels lived-in, genuine, and quietly powerful.
Though the final episode leans toward the cliché and predictable side, it still lands on a hopeful, heartwarming note. And honestly? After all that emotional turbulence, a happy ending feels like the closure we deserve.
Was this review helpful to you?
Despite low ratings on MDL, Loved it! Go with an open mind!
I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. The first 6-7 episodes went like a breeze. The friendship dynamic was really great to watch. Loved almost all the side characters. Enjoyed the ending. Everyone more or less got a happy ending in my book. I was scared it might go the "you and everything else" route but thankfully it didn't. Would have loved to see more of the reconciliation and return of the friendship maybe another episode rather than a 5 minute epilogue. But overall had a good time with this drama maybe since I binged it at one go without waiting every week. I would suggest to go with an open mind with this drama without carrying about the ratings and judge for yourself!Was this review helpful to you?
