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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 😭
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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?
Beautiful Story of Life, Love, and Friendship
I'm only writing a review because the top reviews feel like they were written by children who lack the attention span to absorb a series like this. The focus of A Hundred Memories is on two women, both struggling in life, who become each others support system. The characters are beautifully drawn, their personalities wonderfully complimentary.The romance is a secondary focus and used mostly to shed light on the relationship between the two women. If you're looking for a romantic kdrama, this might not be the best choice. This is about the bonds of friendship and the many ways in which life will test those bonds.
Both women have wonderful arcs. Both actresses delivered fantastic performances. And the period setting was lush and immersive. If you enjoy stories about women, sisterhood, and found families - this one is for you.
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This friendship has many phases .
This is one of my favorite dramas; I simply loved the cinematography, story, and cast ( Shin Yeeun and Kim Dami will always be some of my favorite actresses )They have a very complicated friendship... There were times when Jonghui felt like everything revolved around her, and that her problems were more important than anyone else's. Youngrye sometimes seemed a bit "slow".
But despite the difficulties, they always had a beautiful friendship, and I think it accurately represented reality when we talk about jealousy or envy ( as if they were each other's "lacy" ).
I LOVED Jonghui and Yeongsik, they had SO MUCH potential to be one of the best K-drama couples of 2025!
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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
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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.
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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?
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Not Worth the Hype
A Hundred Memories starts off strong, following two women from different worlds brought together by harsh circumstances and a shared dream for a better tomorrow. The show initially captures the beauty and complexity of female friendship; the joy, love, affection, admiration, envy, pity, hope, ambition, and sacrifice that make such relationships so layered and unforgettable.It shines brightest when it focuses on the bond between the leads like Shin Ye-eun’s character helping with Kim Da-mi’s mother’s treatment, or Kim Da-mi taking the diarrhea pill to prove her friend’s innocence. Those moments were heartfelt, showing the depth and trust between them.
It’s a shame that what began as a story about women’s struggles and resilience in the 1980s gradually shifts focus. The moment a male lead appears, admired by both women, the story loses its direction. The friendship that once felt authentic turns into a predictable love triangle, and that’s where it lost me.
Shin Ye-eun is perfectly cast as the beautiful, smart, and strong-willed, a woman whose world doesn’t revolve around a man. Kim Da-mi, however, still struggles with her overly childish delivery, which feels out of place for such an emotionally heavy story.
A Hundred Memories had all the elements to become a heartfelt tale of sisterhood and survival. Instead, it settles for the same old romance clichés.
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A Hundred Memories
This review covers the pivotal first six episodes of 'A Hundred Memories,' examining its unique setting, the intricate plot progression, character dynamics, and the controversial mid-series twist.Setting the Scene: Nostalgia and Working-Class Youth
'A Hundred Memories' immediately captivates by immersing viewers in 1980s South Korea, specifically focusing on the strenuous, yet close-knit, lives of bus conductresses at Cheonga Transportation. The initial episodes are visually stunning, masterfully capturing a genuine sense of nostalgia through period-accurate fashion and cinematography. The tone is a compelling blend of slice-of-life youth drama and commentary on social issues, highlighting the hardships and camaraderie of working-class life, particularly in terms of labor conditions and the restrictive gender roles of the era. This unique backdrop makes the drama a distinct and pleasant early watch.
Plot Dynamics: Love, Loyalty, and Loss
The first half of the series diligently establishes the core emotional conflict: the tension between deep friendship and emerging first loves. The story centers on the intense bond between the two leads: Go Young-rye and Seo Jong-hee. The introduction of Han Jae-pil, a wealthy amateur boxer with a painful family past and a dynamic character who disrupts their world. While Young-rye harbors an unrequited crush, Jae-pil is initially drawn to Jong-hee and Jong-hee to him. Young-rye suppresses her feelings, a choice that underscores her profound loyalty to her friend.
The Catalyst for Chaos, the narrative turns sharply with a series of escalating crises:
Trauma Resurfaces: Jong-hee's traumatic past is exposed when her violent, abusive brother attacks her publicly. Jae-pil intervenes, resulting in a physical altercation where the brother is stabbed (a non-fatal but serious crime).
The Confession and Breakup: Jong-hee discovers Young-rye’s hidden feelings for Jae-pil. In a moment of complex emotion, Jong-hee breaks up with Jae-pil to protect her friendship with Young-rye, just as Young-rye had done.
The Work Incident: Amidst this personal chaos, Young-rye experiences backlash after successfully organizing a strike that wins better work conditions and work compensation for a colleague who was hurt on the job. Because of this, her boss harbours ill feelings towards her and accuses her of stealing. When he attacks her, Jong-hee steps in and stabs the boss with a pen to protect Young-rye. Fearing severe consequences, a panicked Young-rye urges Jong-hee to run away and disappear, promising to take responsibility. Jong-hee reluctantly flees, leaving everything behind. This devastating event triggers a seven-year skip. This narrative device has been the drama's most contentious point, as it feels so forced, highly dramatic, and life-altering, solely to justify separating the central characters and resetting the romantic chessboard.
The sudden shift felt like a disappointing leap into conventional melodrama, abandoning the initial charm of the youth slice-of-life genre. And perhaps that is intentional, forcing us viewers to wonder how the characters' relationships evolve after the seven-year time jump. I, for one, would love to see Go Young-rye come to realize how precious Jeong Hyeon is and how much more deserving he is of her love. I find him genuine with his love for her and her family.
Detailed Character Analysis
Go Young-rye (Played by Kim Da-mi)
Go Young-rye is the central protagonist and emotional anchor of the story. She is intelligent, responsible, and fiercely loyal, constantly battling her circumstances to be a pillar for her family. She is defined by her immense emotional capacity, which enables her to organize a successful work strike while simultaneously sacrificing her first love for the sake of her friend. Her defining moment is her frantic decision to force Jong-hee to flee, a choice that burdens her with immense guilt. After the seven-year skip, she is shown to be inseparable from her best friend Jae-pil. This closeness suggests her original, suppressed feelings may now be realized, which might set up a complex, guilt-ridden reunion.
Seo Jong-hee (Played by Shin Ye-eun)
Seo Jong-hee is a charismatic, confident, and slightly mysterious friend. She finds a genuine, deep, and healing bond in Young-rye's friendship after fleeing what we come to realize is an abusive family past. She quickly develops a romantic connection with Han Jae-pil after confirming that her friend didn't have feelings for him. Her sudden forced departure after she stabbed her and Young-re’s boss to save her friend's life is the central tragedy of the first half. She is seemingly absent for the subsequent seven years, but her eventual, hinted return is the key plot device for the second half, I believe, which is destined to force a confrontation about broken loyalties, lost time, and the painful consequences of the decisions the two friends make to save each other’s lives.
Han Jae-pil (Played by Heo Nam-jun, just wow)
Han Jae-pil is the wealthy heir and aspiring amateur boxer who carries his own emotional wounds. He is the unintentional object of affection for both friends, forming the love triangle. He shows genuine interest in and sincere feelings for Jong-hee, actively protecting her from her abusive brother. After seven years, he now seems to be best friends with Young-rye. His post-jump development would seem to revolve around the ambiguity of his current feelings: is his connection to Young-rye purely platonic loyalty and shared history, or has his feelings evolved in the vacuum left by Jong-hee? His emotional state is the time bomb set to explode upon Jong-hee's unexpected reappearance.
Ko Yeong Sik (Played by Jeon Sung Woo)
Ko Yeong Sik is the older brother of the female protagonist. He is a highly capable student attending a prestigious university to study law. He embodies the complex archetype of the "hope of the family" brother. On the surface, he can be blunt and grumpy, but this shell conceals a deep sense of responsibility. He is carrying the weight of his family's collective hopes, financially supported by Young-rye's sacrifices. He provides the emotional justification for Young-rye's dedication and appears to be developing a soft, complicating affection for Jong-hee before the time jump. I'm just not sure how this translates after the jump, if at all.
Jeong Hyeon (Played by Kim Jung Hyun, I adore him)
Jeong Hyeon is Ko Yeong Sik's best friend and fellow law student from a wealthy chaebol family. He harbors a quiet, unrequited love for his friend's sister. A deceptive nonchalance characterizes his personality; he is always watching and ready to step in to support Young-rye when needed, which makes him a hero in my eyes. His steady, hidden affection positions him as a reliable contender, a character whose feelings for Young-rye are unclouded by the guilt and complex history that ties her to Jae-pil and Jong-hee. My hope is that Young-rye wakes up to his genuine love for her and her family. He is far more deserving of it. At least this is what I hope the second half and seven-year jump bring to this story.
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This review may contain spoilers
IGNORE THE HATERS THIS IS GAS
If you're thinking of starting this drama but saw the low ratings, START THIS DRAMA. Don't let the low ratings stop you. It's definitely underrated.The first hate train is probably because of the plot but I think that's very surface level thinking (please don't hate me lol). The viewers just need to understand that the story is based on women who both had difficult lives and made choices they believed was the best for them at the time. And the plot centres around the fate tying both of them together and navigating through the choices they made. They are not perfect people, and that's okay.
The second hate train is most likely about the ending and I'm not saying that the viewers are wrong and I completely disagree... but read my review below first lol.
Onto my review:
Overall, I enjoyed all the episodes, from start to finish. Waiting for the episodes each week was a pain but it was all worth it in the end. I would say that I'm somewhat satisfied with the ending. It definitely was a tad bit rushed IMO but they I guess managed to tie everything together so I'm not completely mad about it. Both Jeong Hee and Yeong Rye's wishes came true, and their friendship now stronger than ever. I did wish that they made this a 16 episode drama instead so we could get more of the story post Miss Korea finale, but with 12 episodes, they did well. Instead of the wedding, I would've preferred more of Jeong Hee and Yeong Rye (and Jae Pil) since they didn't show a proper conversation between them (especially since the last one between YR and JH was literally JH crashing out on YR lol).
The pacing of the drama was not the worst- the first half during the bus days and a time skip for the second half. I enjoyed both settings and I thought the time skip was done well. However, I wish there was just a little more between JH and YR before the one year time skip though. Just one conversation or anything. Don't get me wrong, the one year time skip was alright- I liked how we saw both girls achieving their dreams and them still being great friends. But this one minor detail just made it feel like the ending was missing a teeny tiny something (hence the 9.5/10).
That all being said, the ending still isn't the worst IMO because of YR's speech during the Miss Korea finale. It held a lot of significance and meaning, and was the perfect response to JH's confession about her difficulties and envy towards YR's life. When YR was saying all of that, JH's facial expression was definitely showing exactly what we wanted to see- understanding and a possibility of reconciliation between the two- since YR was saying exactly what JH wanted to hear. It's like they were finishing their conversation from that night on the stage. And I while I wished for a proper make up conversation between YR and JH, this was enough. The viewers are probably mad because of JH's regret for not verbally saying that she's sorry to YR, and therefore projecting JH's regret into the ending being bad. But I just want to say, even if they did have a convo after YR got better, what more was there to say? These two already know each other SO WELL no words are needed to be said since they understand each other anyway. Conversation or not, they're staying friends for life lol.
The choice of actors and their acting were all great too. Kim Da Mi was superb (and pretty) like usual and Shin Ye Eun too! Heo Nam Jun (fine shyt) was good too idk why people thought his acting was bad. Everyone was great at acting- I was invested during the whole drama so I saw no flaws.
Last thing to note, and I'm going to reiterate this, so please keep in mind that THIS IS A DRAMA ABOUT FRIENDSHIP. People complaining about someone stealing their friend's boyfriend or dreams are crazy. Let me just put this out there: Just because they want the same guy or the path to achieving their respective dreams are the same, is it really necessary for one of them to back down? Two words, fair play. Just compete, easy as that. See where his heart lies- that girl wins. See who the judges pick- that girl wins. Let nature take its course, that way, there are no hard feelings and both of them can just be genuinely happy for each other. (JH and YR get it... why couldn't the viewers?)
p.s. Our underdog Jeong Hyeon. What a green flag. I wish nothing but the best for this fictional character.
p.p.s. The real winner of this drama: Sang Cheol. Walking away from the love triangle was definitely the best decision- seeing how happy he is lol.
p.p.p.s. Yeong Sik and Jeong Hee... I clocked it since she went over to their house the first time. Wish we got a tiny bit more than the one second of hand holding tho lol.
Plot rant:
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Like okay, I get it. It definitely was insane that JH went and got with JP when she knew YR had feelings for him first but like he was interested in her so I don't see why that is a problem- since both of the girls liked him. And when the time skip happened, JH was out of the picture for SEVEN WHOLE YEARS like come on now... I don't see why JP can't like YR. I mean him and YR hang out all the time. Its been SO long his feelings for JH are gone why does it matter. YR was never a potential love interest for him in the beginning, but she is now. "Oh but YR can't be with him since JH and him had something" let's be real they weren't even dating (not a kiss or nothing) and she liked him for over seven years- who cares about JH! Both of them didn't even know if JH was going to come back so why does it matter.
However, when JH came back and asked YR to help her get back with JP... that was crazy work. But kudos to YR for setting it straight with JH (I did wish she said that seven years ago tho). I understand JH though. She had to leave her life behind and try to survive and now, coming back and seeing people from your past again... I mean, I would be longing for everything back too! But seeing how cozy your friend is your ex and then asking her to help get him back... yea... no. She needed that reality check.
As for the Miss Korea thing- YR "stealing" JH's dream? YR had NO IDEA JH was participating but even so, why can't she compete? Her dream is to attend university and JH's dream is to be Miss Korea, the path might intersect but why does someone have to back down just because their friend wants it too? Like bffr. And JH joining the contest because she found out YR was competing? LOL who gaf. She was given the opportunity, why can't she take it.
THE JAE PIL HATE??!! My man did nothing wrong. JP liked JH and therefore never considered YR a love interest in the beginning. Jae Pil's feelings towards YR in the beginning was like YR's to Jeong Hyeon. She just never considered Jeong Hyeon as a potential love interest. AND THAT'S FINE. And SEVEN WHOLE YEARS LATER he likes YR. Boo hoo its been seven years get over it lol. When JH came back into the picture its not like his feelings for YR was wavering. He just never went for YR because of how precious she was as his friend. But he got a reality check when Jeong Hyeon approached him and said he'll steal her away if he continues wavering. And so JP went to get the girl. Its as simple as that.
anyway thanks for reading my review <3
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Dont get fooled by bad reviews here!
I almost believed the people here who speak so badly of this drama. I was so afraid it would be the classic cliché where a friendship breaks down because of love, but it's the complete opposite. It breaks with many clichés that I'm already tired of in Korean dramas, like first love from childhood or the rival becoming unbearable because of jealousy. What a great work, full of freshness, memorable, well-developed characters, setting, and story in just 12 episodes! Now it's competing for my Korean drama of the year alongside Goodboy. And this is coming from someone who has seen more than 200 K-dramas.Was this review helpful to you?
