littleberry09

Way overrated is actually being kind

I'll start off by saying I actually love fantasy and time travel is not something I'm against watching. But this drama just did not cut it for me, and the hype it gets made me more disappointed that I did not end up watching some great romance - indeed it turned into a thriller more than half way through.

It's anti-climatic, illogical, and thoroughly full of clichés throughout. I do like the odd cliché but this went beyond that, and I think would only appeal to literal teenagers just like Sol and Sunjae in the past. It's very *2013 Wattpad romance* and probably not for adults today.

Time travel doesn't include logic anyway but this felt like a whole other level of illogical with unnecessary twists and turns. It was also unnerving how badly the FL screwed it up and doesn't learn from her previous mistakes. She took time travel for granted and as if it was to be played with, she never had a firm plan in her mind of what she had to do. It grew tiring the third and final time she returned and still made stupid mistakes, including being reckless and going out alone at night when she was fully aware a serial killer was after her. The serial killer is another thing in an endless list of overused tropes here - this drama was SOLD as a romance, yet it seems the writers must have been bored as it turned into the serial killer taking centre stage and his only purpose to be the main barrier between the leads. It could have been a full on thriller by that point.

i do think they tried hard with what they were given for romance and chemistry - Immediately on Ep 2 I felt their romance *could* have great potential, and I can see at points where the actors tried their absolute best with it. Later on I actually liked 2-3 scenes such as when she meets him on the bridge with the yellow umbrella 15 years later, and also when he says to her he is willing to go through every aspect with her to change their fates. But overall their romance came off immature and not well thought out; you end up feeling sorry for poor Sunjae-ah as she repeatedly makes bad decisions that also affect him and doesn't communicate her plans with him. I don't think she deserved him at all, other than the fact she was a 34 year old in a 19 year old's body (🚩🚩🚩), she doesn't learn from her mistakes and comes off even more childish than him, who was actually the 19 year old. You might understand why he likes her as a hormonal teenager, but that's just giving the benefit of doubt a little.

Neither was the acting anything special, it seems Kim Hye-yoon was either very loud and bubbly or fully in tears, with no inbetween. Byeon Woo-seok was definitely the better one of the pair, and you can feel his range given how hard he tries to make the chemistry between them work. But even then he was a pretty plain character who's prime role was to be a lovesick puppy for Sol. I think I came out of this drama liking the secondary characters more, especially her Mother, his Dad, and the 2ML.

To be honest it's like the 2nd half really affected the drama overall and how it was perceived. This is where the plot and writing went completely off the rails - Sol the FL was outright making bad decisions by this time, to the point Ep 11 till about Ep 14 were painful to watch. She deliberately creates misunderstandings between them, and leaves Sunjae-ah adrift with trying to save her which ends up harming him instead. The entire purpose of her character was to save him, but ironically it was her OWN bad decisions which end up harming him!

You have to go into this drama with a large amount of scepticism and low expectations, and know that it's largely not going to make sense as there's many little plotholes they don't answer. It was medicore for a one-time watch, and I can definitely say I won't be watching this drama again.

The only 10/10 I have given is for the OST which was truly deserving of praise 👏. But I've given this drama a rating of 4/10 as the plot holes and 2nd half reduces it's quality by a lot. Even then this drama wouldn't be so overly popular for many if it wasn't for Byeon Woo-Seok. It felt like many were in it for his face card and the few moments where he secretly crushed on her. Again, an example of being straight out of wattpad 🌟

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Unlikeable, toxic male lead character

This drama didn't age well and I think you are more likely to love it if you had the nostalgia of watching it as a younger person back in the day of it's release (2009). I watched it as an adult in 2023 and eventhough I expected clichés and toxicity, it was still so cringey and red flagged. The character Gu Jun Pyo is completely dislikeable and has no redeemable qualities, it was just impossible to root for him and Jan Di when he was literally her bully. In my opinion she and the 2ML had a better bond in the 2nd half of the drama. I also came to like the 2nd couple more. Overall I would have rated it a 0, maybe just 1 point for Lee Min Ho's crazy hair :)

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Unexpectedly hilarious

Is this a terribly outdated drama by 2025? Yes. Did I find it cringey at times? Yes. Did I unexpectedly like it though? Also Yes 😊

Just to be clear, this cannot be seen as a romance drama, because the romance would come off poorly written now. It's a COMEDY and that's what remains with you even afterwards.

I only watched it this year - 21 years after it released and I can see why it became a classic. The comedy is hilarious and Song Hye Kyo is so loveable in her role. I loved the naive, clutter brained but still so loving character she was. I have watched some of her other dramas before this (The Glory, Descendents of the Sun, That Winter The Wind Blows) and yet this role from 2004 stands out somehow. It's also one of the few times she can be seen so carefree. Her comic timing is also brilliant!

But enough about my Song Hye Kyo stanning LOL - the drama also pulls you in other ways, I think the story is unique and especially for 2004 must have been so original. The way the leads come together grows from being forced to naturally willing to be together. I also liked the contrast of Yeong-jae and his friends being so polished, put together and mature. Whilst Ji-eum and her friends are more immature, childish, and in a mess generally.

Yes it is clichéd and terribly outdated in terms of including toxic tropes. I disliked that Yeong-jae was this man who shouted at Ji-eun and ordered her about all the time, even when he knew he liked her and wanted to be with her. He came off as a spoilt brat and a bully to her for majority of the drama. But of course, she had to fall for him instead of the more polite and caring 2ML, just the way it happened in these old dramas. I also disliked that they had to make the 2FL so toxic and unlikeable. It may have been common then but watching it now you can tell it's so overdone. The plot was just going in circles with how ML and 2FL couldn't decide if they wanted to like each other or not, and 2FL comes across insecure with how she only wanted Yeong-jae when he was 'together' with Ji-eun.

That said by the time I finished I unexpectedly did LIKE the drama more than I disliked it. It has a lot of heart and charm to it which is what attracts me. Also several iconic moments, Ji-eun's Three Bears song being one of them. I think I'll still think about these from time to time.

Overall I rate it at 7.5/10. it has higher rewatch value than is deserved for the quality of the drama's story, but I think it's worth it for a funny nostalgic rewatch.

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Honestly I stayed for the romance which was the main part

if you manage to suspend belief that the FL is a man, you can get through it and mostly like it. Acting/casting was 10/10, action scenes were superb, most of all the romance and chemistry kept up all the way through. Plus a strong, independent FL to sell the feminist message.
Obviously the romance angle was the main part from early as Ep 4-5. It really worked for the best and it kept the drama more interesting, instead of just seeing the armies fighting and bad guys scheming.
And the killer lines also help, "she graces my view, occupies my mind, and claims my heart" 🥺

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