Leaf

I'm very glad that he's being cast in new projects! Given that Shen Yilang's entire character is about how he's brilliantly talented, but repeatedly fell just short of becoming a professional due to how he kept psyching himself out, I... would have to imagine that a lot of that probably hit close to home for someone who was performing his very first role. Keep on acting; I believe in you ❤️

I am astounded at how hard they pushed the product placement in this for something this short. This level of shamelessness deserves a medal in and of itself tbh

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about how the "what's it like being a girl trying to compete in a sport that's male-dominated" theme was handled overall, but one scene that really stuck out me as interesting was how when Tong Yao first moved into the ZGDX base and her provided room was /completely/ covered from top to bottom in frilly decor that was all pink and she was mortified... Ah... I really felt that, personally. (Obviously there's nothing wrong with being a girl that likes pink, but that's not my point.) I can definitely speak from my experience that cis men in these communities can frequently act like that. It blows my mind how much I think it genuinely does not cross their minds at all how it can come across as belittling, infantilizing, and othering. In the context of this drama, did they mean well? Absolutely, but that still doesn't change that acting as if "girl" is a monolith with universal preferences can be condescending. (... Though if it was me, I did like the flamingo part of the decor, I will say that lol)

Give it another 6 to 8 years and he will be cast as a lead in something big I promise this

Thank you! 😁 They have had their own little corner of my brain since January, though this was to be expected because never have I so quickly looked at a single promotional image and two words (“time loop”) and knew immediately that this was exactly the kind of thing I would like lmao

"If I exist for Hikaru's sake, then Hikaru will in turn exist for someone else's sake." The drama incorporated this line straight out of the manga, but... the way it adds to it the emotional weight of tying it to how Shi Guang lighted the birthday candles is incredibly brilliant. "One candle is used to light up the other." There's the obvious literal meaning in how his name means 'light', and how the entire point of this story is how Shi Guang impacts the lives of everyone around him for the better.

But even more than that? It's the fact that Chu Ying has his big, three-lifetimes-long, one thousand year revelation in this specific moment. He realizes everything when he sees him smiling as he presents the cake to him. This one small gesture that he did for him out of the bottom of his heart... it means everything in the world to him.

This is going to sound so cheesy, but I feel the same way that Chu Ying does. I'm a lifelong fan of the animanga, and because of that I have such a hard time wrapping my head around every little thing this adaptation does and the fact that it even exists at all in the first place. Never could I have imagined that they would take something that I already held so near to my heart and transform it into something that would make me fall in love with it even dearer. But because of that? It makes me feel blessed that I got to exist in this lifetime where I was given the opportunity to meet Shi Guang. His smile gets me, every time.

I rewatched episode 32, and I of course have so, so many thoughts, and strong feelings that can't be quite turned into words. I feel like this drama may just be the most genuine and heartfelt thing I've ever seen in my life. But to try to get the most important thoughts written down:

Aw, thank you! <3 You're in luck then because I've actually written a few fics :') (spoilers in link) https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProtectingHeart/works?fandom_id=70435357 I do want to write more eventually, too. Most specifically one where our leads get to spend the day catching a break for once because they certainly need it lmao

I mean this with the utmost affection, but I just think it is incredibly funny how (due to their... unique circumstances, obviously) they went through the stages of their relationship completely out of order.

Imagine you meet a guy that goes from being a stranger to someone that makes it abundantly clear how much he would prioritize you over himself. Someone who makes the decision to go and take down an explosive all by himself and only makes a simple plea to you: "Run." Someone who is able to ignore his own stab wound, only so he can yell at the top of his lungs to have someone help and do something, anything, to prevent you from being hurt. Someone who crosses the line of vulnerability to outright tell you in a trembling, yet sincere voice that a promise to save your life matters more to him than him being able to save his own.

Then imagine that he's officially your boyfriend now. You're grabbing lunch together. You both truly love each other, but it's incredibly awkward trying to build up a relationship without the immediate threat of an explosion looming over it. You're both holding the fancy drinks you ordered and are looking down at the table in front of you. You remember ever word he said and action he did while you were looping, and just how much he meant it. He asks you, "Soooo.... um..... do you, like, have any hobbies....?"

I was kinda invested in the lead couple at first, like I thought that they kept the "Watch/Peony" as their names in each other's contacts was cute. To be fair, with what the entire plot is, there was never really the time for romance, but... around the half way point I felt like his character's relevance became just being someone that was there...?

i got more enjoyment playing the koalanyan side quest in yokai watch 3 that’s a tie-in to this movie than i got out of actually watching this movie

Yeah I figured, but in my defense I adored specifically the sunflower scene too much 😂

i’m trying to figure out how i feel about this show, i gave it a 9/10 but that’s me feeling like i’m being generous

there is a lot that i really liked here! i think xing kelei can be a very fine romantic and that’s sweet! i think the whole love-at-first-sight thing is fine, but my problem is that in the middle, it felt like it got more tell-not-show?? like okay i get that the entire point is that the nature of their jobs means that they can’t spend time together often, but it got to a point where it felt like the narrative decided to cause problems and not let the leads catch a break… Because Reasons? (the secondary leads being in the exact same boat doesn’t help either…)

and also, i do like the credits song, but it felt like they went a liiiittle overboard with pulling it out whenever anything vaguely romantic happened just so they could go 🎵love indeed exists🎶 … even if i do think that’s cute lol

Yeah, that’s true! I do kinda wish we at least found out what Shiqing’s major is (it’s especially odd when she does ask what WMM’s is without saying her own), but ah well it’s fine that it’s left up to interpretation.

Shiqing throws away her phone so she can’t be tracked either. Then she says, “No matter what, I’ll be with you.”

The tone is already firmly established as “it’s really just you and me against the world” as things go as horribly wrong for the leads as they possibly could.

And… Shiqing simply says that. She doesn’t say it in a tone like she’s trying to reassure or comfort him. She just says it plainly, like it’s an obvious, irrefutable fact. (And it’s because it *is*!)

Xiao Heyun already feels incredibly guilty towards her. A few loops back, even though he was coming from a completely understandable point of view, he immediately regretted how she said “You’re right. There’s no need to get two people involved.” the instant those words left her mouth. More importantly, the loop directly before this one, he helplessly watched her get stabbed in the neck. When they already know who the culprit is, when they’ve already come this far, it still feels like they can’t do anything! This is a guy that’s tried to shield this girl from explosions, sure, it made no difference probably, but he did that out of instinct anyways!

So in this scene, the way he reacts? He makes direct eye contact with her like he’s wordlessly trying to see if she said is the truth. His mouth is still open slightly like he’s trying to come up with something to say, something to refute her statement with, his eyes frantically dart around to suggest he’s really trying to come up with anything he could possibly say, but… then he closes his mouth. There’s nothing that he /can/ say. He then copies how she looks away, signaling that this conversation is over.

And there’s the BGM. Before Shiqing said that, all you could hear was the loud whirring of the tires of the truck they’re stowed away on. But then in that exact instant, the whirring starts to fade out, and instead you hear a very slow and powerful piece, representing the way his heart strings are being tugged.

Ironically, for a show where nearly the entire premise is the leads extensively digging into the lives of all of the other passengers and their families, we know very little about the kinds of lives our leads live (when they’re not stuck in a time loop, that is). But the way he reacted here? It gives me the impression that he’s never had someone say anything like that about him in his entire life. That’s why he reacted so strongly.

It’s because he realizes that she’s truly serious about wanting to protect him, the same way he is for her.

It’s so good. I love this show so, so much.

Because this one simple scene in episode 9 had such a strong emotional impact, I couldn't get it out of my head. An analysis!

1. The drama spares no expense to repeatedly emphasizes that Saeroyi is someone who values his morals above all else. He is someone who has a very clear vision of what he wants Danbam to be, and what it represents. Then he says that his dream is to franchise Danbam. Aren’t… these two extremely contrasting points? Y’know, with what franchising *means*?? I thought this would be a major plot point in proving how he can reconcile having these two points co-exist, but… no? That didn’t happen?

All that really happens is that Yi-seo drops off a binder and says “Here you go, Boss! I put together a guide on interior design and our menu!” There’s also the very brief plot line about their difficulties in getting an financial investor so that they can expand, and that’s… it. Even after the time skip and we see all of the little dots on the map about how Danbam has apparently expanded to countries all over the world, there isn’t any sort of conflict in the ideas of “I want to run my company with strong morals” and “I want other people to run restaurants with my brand name.”

When they start talking about franchising, he was right in saying that they should do it slowly and pick the people that are going to be running these restaurants very carefully. But then Yi-seo goes “lol we should open a bunch at once actually just trust me” and then he decides that beating Jangga is more important, I guess?

2. I like Toni. Sure, there’s a moral to be had in how he and his grandma reconcile after all of these years. But the whole way his character is treated just feels? Off??

Maybe I’m just forgetting something but. I like Hyun-yi a lot. I think the scene where Saeroyi puts his complete trust in her by giving her an entire month’s salary (and then doubles it!) is probably my favorite scene in the whole show. He’s supposed to be someone that deeply cares for and respects his employees!

So with Toni. He’s the last major character introduced, and he’s hired after Danbam starts taking off and they just need an extra pair of hands around to help. Saeroyi says “If you like working here, then learn English.” … WHAT? I thought the entire point they were trying to push with his character was pushing *against* this expectation that foreigners must speak English, and as he says over and over again he isn’t even a foreigner because he IS Korean???

Like, if you want someone that speaks English to help with business, that’s completely fine! If he wanted to make a blanket statement to his employees “hey, if anyone can pick up English, that would help” that would also be fine! But don’t say that to your new employee right AFTER you hire him?! Don’t single him out?!

And to make it worse… he does actually speak seemingly fluent English in the ending. It would be completely different if that was something he just genuinely wanted to learn himself, but the way it’s framed feels like it’s rewarding Saeroyi for being a hypocrite. Oookay then…

Also. He just has close to zero screen time after the time skip. It does highly imply that Hyun-yi and Seung-kwon do hook up and I think they’re cute together good for them, but they get their date at the expense of Toni’s getting dumped at the last second because…?? Why not… just let the four of them go on a double date… Especially because with introducing a new character in the last five minutes just so Soo-ah won’t be tragically single for life seems like they were committed to just hooking up everyone??

3. I’m not even going to begin to get into the “romance” because I can’t salvage any of that but I do want to say. What in the WORLD was up with the scene where Saeroyi tells Geun-soo “just fyi I like Yi-seo now kthxbai!” because ESPECIALLY after the heart-to-heart they had earlier where he says “actually, I think you work at Danbam because you’re looking for a shoulder to lean on” and acts so much like the father figure he never had to him. So to repeat again. WHAT???

At least. At least Geun-soo’s face in that scene said it all that he was horribly, Horribly confused because oh boy that was the look I had on my face too.

This drama just made me confused because I thought it would be an incredibly straightforward feels-good show with the theme of "those who are underprivileged in society come together to prove that they can make it", but by the end... I don't even know WHAT this turned into? I very quickly came to the realization after finishing it that. Wow. There's like Nothing in the entirety of the last fourth that I like at all??

The "romance" (if it can even be called that) subplot is the biggest offender of what went wrong. The entire time while watching the show I felt this nagging thought at the back of my head "in the end, the way I feel about this show is so heavily going to be affected by the way this subplot ends" and then it... did what I didn't want to happen...

Some other thoughts:

Nope, one isn't given! Neither is one given for why XHY's condition is getting worse through the loops but hers isn't. I feel like some simple hand wave-y explanation of "because these people need to be saved, the supernatural phenomenon of the loop occurs" would have been fine, but oh well it is what it is lol

i kinda wish that during the proposal at the end, they did a callback to the scene in episode one where he reassures her that it’s okay to unfurl her hand finger-by-finger to let go of the grenade, except instead this time, he puts the ring on her. that would have been cute, i think :’)