The story wasn't as tightly written as I'd have liked...there weren't necessarily "plot holes" so much as things I feel didn't get enough explanation, were rushed through, or kind of dropped off. But overall, the story did a good job of staying true to itself. While I wanted more out of it in certain aspects, I did enjoy what we got. It's just...weird. Not Park Bo Young's strongest roll, but Ahn Hyo Seop was simply adorable...kinda worth it just for him.
It's difficult for me to write a review for this drama, as I definitely had a love-hate relationship with it that (I'll admit) mostly veered towards the love side (otherwise I wouldn't have bothered).
What really got on my nerves was the quality of the writing. It was often over-the-top, and executed poorly (this is the director's fault) with very abrupt transitions between scenes and lot of moments that were just silly, thus taking away from the overall aesthetic of the drama.
And *deep breath* I'm just going to be the one that says it: L did not do all that great as Kim Dan (at least, in the beginning). His acting was very fake at times and just too much. But I will give him credit for the fact that I do believe a lot of that just had to do with how his character was written as with the more serious and emotional scenes later on, he did a great job (so don't hate me).
Shin Hye Sun, on the other hand, freaking KILLED IT. What an amazing performance. I hope she wins all the awards. I loved all the layers of her character and if the writer did one thing right, it was Lee Yeon Seo.
I won't get in to all my other frustrations with the other characters, as (once again) I feel they were just constructed poorly by the writer. I really hate that I'm grinding on her so hard...I know this is only her second drama and KUDOS to her for writing an entire TV show, seriously. Hopefully she keeps writing. I'll just expect to see some growth and improvement in her storytelling.
Also, as others have definitely pointed out: great soundtrack! I loved the music.
Overall it was very good for me, just not especially great. Definitely worth a watch and it'll wring your emotions a little (or a lot... *sobs*...Shin Hey Sun!!!).
This drama captivated me in a similar way to how "Come Here and Hug Me Did." In other words, the beginning and earlier days were super interesting and intense (had me HOOKED), but oddly, as the story went on and escalated towards its climax/big reveals...I quickly lost interest. It still packed a few punches, but overall I just found that I didn't really care much anymore, which was really sad. The characters are all well constructed, and the writing is good (albeit a little immature at times) I just wish I had loved it more and remained captivated through to the end. This will go down in the same realm as "Come Here and Hug Me" as well as "Just Between Lovers" did for me, and rest in peace in my memory *pours out some soju, with a single tear*
As Lee Jung Hyo penned one of my all time favorite dramas (“I need Romance 3”) and being a big fan Lee Jong Suk despite his knack for getting type-cast, of course I had to watch this drama.
In the end, I’m a little disappointed. Not that it wasn’t sweet or at times heartwarming…it often made me giggle, and it was an all around “feel good” type drama. However, one of the things I loved so desperately about “I Need Romance 3” was that dished out characters who had the opportunity throughout the story to grow so much. The heroin was flawed and at times unlikeable, but you got to know her and peel her layers back until you couldn’t help but fall in love with her right alongside her leading guy who, on the surface appeared to be cookie-cutter noona romance Prince Charming but in turn had a lot of his on hurdles to climb. It also gave us some realistic and heartfelt relationships between the ladies in the office.
I wanted all of that and more from this drama and we just never really got it. There were times when it tried, such as the building relationship between Dan Yi, Yoo Sun, and Yeong Ah…but then the last few episodes made me feel like the writer kind of forgot about that in the end. Eun Ho couldn’t have been more cut-and-paste and Dan Yi herself should have just been named C-A-N-D-Y and saved us the trouble of expecting anything more from her other than being the perfect example of a heroin who took a rough hit in life and then through Determination and Hard Work, all while remaining (mostly) Positive and Cheerful, wins herself a successful career and a young, hot, perfect boyfriend. I’m sorry, but how many times have we seen this before?
I *did* like that the writer made Dan Yi a very capable person. She was really good at her job and deserved the confidence her character was given because she didn’t just have to *think* that she could get where she wanted to being a faithful employee but that she *knew* she would do a good job, if given the chance. I also like how she worked to catch herself up with the times. Instead of being disheartened and giving up when she was critiqued, she brushed it off and pushed forward.
The relationship between Dan Yi and Eun Ho was very cute and sweet but also nothing original. Sometimes it would make my heart race a little but in hindsight I think that was more the effect of good directing and music rather than anything else (both of which this drama definitely has). It all kind of tricked out in the last few episodes though and I just lost interest.
Lee Jung Hyo has a knack for writing great side characters so that was really what kept me plugging along in the end. I adored Hae Rin and almost think her relationship with Eun Ho was better than that of his and Dan Yi’s. She was a slightly more complex character and I have a soft spot for unrequited love. The scene of her leaving the letters for him in his bookcase…WOW. Also, later when it is revealed that he *had* read them all and the response he gave her was just soooo good. On quality of Eun Ho that I will give him credit for as far as being somewhat unique goes is that he stuck by Hae Rin until the end. It wasn’t like he turned her down and then that plot ended. We still seem him taking care of her (when he stayed over at Seo Joon’s house) and overall enjoying her personality (when he sees her waiting outside for Seo Joon and he says to himself that she looks cute). This felt really realistic to me in the line of their relationship, so I enjoyed that a lot.
Seo Joon was another character though that I could have down without. He was very typical of a second lead and even more so due to his “secret.” (which by the way, just felt really silly to me). I wasn’t that on board with the Kang Byeong Jun subplot as it was another story thread that I did not think lived up to what it was projected to be. I did like Seo Joon and Hae Rin though, and I hope they end up happy together.
Final verdict: It’s lukewarm. Worth a breezy watch but nothing too substantial or deep.
I love your comment so much it just said what all I felt and explained a lot this was such a rollercoaster drama…
Well I think Nine was ahead of it's time and it certainly wasn't low budget. I remember thinking it was very visually appealing but also, it was a while ago...
Have you seen Queen In-Hyun's Man? Also from this writer and super good. It was a cable drama too so the budget was high and it was super visually appealing. Also more romance.
I don't know if you have seen any of the following, but here are some quick recommendations I would have for you:
Descendants of the Sun - great visuals and direction, most of the drama also takes place outside of Korea. More romance.
Meet Me at 1006 - Pretty intriguing mystery with a tight plot and it's also very recent. Great chemistry between the leads
Are You Human, too? - Also very recent with great visuals and directing. I really enjoyed the soundtrack and unique story line (plus a sweet romance). So good, highly recommend!
The Legend of the Blue Sea - Not quite as visually appealing but some of it takes place abroad too and it's really pretty. I found the story line to be interesting and romantic as well.
City Hunter - It's older, but the effects don't suffer since there wasn't a need for a ton of CGI. The story line is intense though and entertaining.
King 2 Hearts - Good visuals, story line had some intense moments, very similar bromance vibe (prepare for some tears), the romance was really good.
The Princess' Man - This one is great even though it's historical. The plot is really well done with lots of intensity and fantastic chemistry between the leads. It is also GORGEOUS.
Mr. Sunshine - Similar in that it was really high budget with good effects and directing, also a stellar cast. The story is not really similar though.
I love your comment so much it just said what all I felt and explained a lot this was such a rollercoaster drama…
Have you seen "Nine"? It is by the same writer and I absolutely loved it. Lots of intensity and twists like this drama but also I think a little more romance :) I think the other recommendations people have provided for this listing are good, too!
To begin, here are my conclusions concerning many of the unexplained elements of the show:
There was an interview with the author that explained that the reason the game began to interact with reality is because of a player’s murderous intent.
For example: Marco wanted to kill Se Ju. So when he died he became a “bug” that would repeatedly appear before Se Ju as an enemy due to the glitch (lag) that occurred when Marco stabbed Se Ju with a real knife in the café near Emma (remember: Emma would not allow fighting and remove any weapons if players started to duel in front of her…however, the knife Marco used was real so she was not able to remove it).
Therefore, we can infer that Jin Woo also became a bug when he dueled against Hyun Suk. Not because he killed him, necessarily…but because of his murderous intent when he attacked him while the game was glitching. This would also explain why Jin Woo was a bug but Se Ju was not…because Se Ju never had murderous intent towards Marco and he was just defending himself when he defeated him.
Hyun Suk became a bug the same way that Marco did…he had murderous intent when fighting Jin Woo so when he was defeated (killed) the same glitch that started occurring in the game happened and he became a NPC.
This explanation clears up a lot of confusion over the whole why Jin Woo was a bug but Se Ju was not debatical, as well as why the characters became NPCs who’s appearances continued to reoccur (as for Jung Hoon and Professor Cha, they were tied to Jin Woo who was already a bug, so it’s unfortunate but that’s why they were able to be killed in the game and become NPCs).
The reason Marco probably did not need to get “de-bugged” in the end like the other characters probably had to do with Jin Woo defeating the challenge. When he in turn became the master, Se Ju was no longer in the game and thus Marco would disappear as well. Maybe?
That’s all plausible under the conclusion Jin Woo came to that Emma caused a glitch. In fact, Jin Woo himself experienced a similar glitch when he was being chased by the archers in Granada earlier on and the game lagged (froze), enabling him to escape and level up. I don’t think this scene was put in there for no reason, in fact it was quite useful in showing us that the game can glitch.
Of course, when the game was reset the glitch disappeared, which is why it was no longer dangerous to play.
This would also (vaguely) explain how the game continued to go on even when the lenses were removed. Since Jin Woo became a bug due to his murderous intent towards Hyun Suk—he essentially became a part of the game. That’s why when Jung Hoon became his ally (ie the bug effected him as well) he was able to see Hyun Suk, felt pain when attacked, continued to be in the game after removing his lenses, and ultimately died in the game (same with Professor Cha). That’s also somewhat of an explanation for how Jin Woo was still alive in the end, since even though he was removed as a bug, he was the only one that was still alive when he was removed. So, even though he had become a part of the game as an error of sorts, he was still tied to the real world as well, which is probably what gave him the opportunity to create that new dimension when he was on the verge of being killed. It seems like a bit of a stretch to assume that Jin Woo would have known to do this, but I can also guess that it’s even possible for Emma to have told him (recall that when she asked why he didn’t let her have the key before, he told her that he was scared to die).
Also, Se Ju specifically said that he wasn’t sure how the instance dimension worked. He just knew that it existed (obviously) since he had used it, but even he was baffled by it. Which means that Jin Woo is in uncharted territory as far as the restrictions of the game are concerned and no one knows what he is capable of. This does NOT explain how some people are able to see him now…but I wouldn’t call that a plot hole so much as it’s just yet to be explained.
And if we want to go out on a huge limb here: Magic itself was mentioned multiple times through the drama during Jin Woo’s storytelling. Who’s to say that didn’t play a part as well?
Whew.
After realizing this, I felt a lot better. It still does not explain everything…and as people have pointed out—the fact that the writer did not explain this in the drama wasn’t great. We could guess that maybe someone’s intentions had the ability to manipulate the game due to the glitch but there was no way to know for sure without the writer explaining it in an interview and it would have been better if she had let that naturally come out during the drama instead.
I did have other minor grievances with points in the plot that either went unexplained or just felt forgotten (looking at you, character “A”). However, overall I was super impressed with the storytelling here. This writer has a knack for creating vivid new realities and plots that take you on a rollercoaster ride. I felt like Memories of the Alhambra (henceforth referred to as “Memories”) was very reminiscent of Nine in its plot and also contained a lot of the better points of W (in particular—how the fantasy world begins to converge with reality). While the ending itself was not as good as Nine’s ending (which has, IMHO one of the best open endings ever) for the most part I loved this drama just as much.
I was particularly impressed with the writer’s use of time throughout the show. For example, many dramas will cut an episode at a pivotal moment or use camera angles to keep certain elements of a scene unknown purely to pack in an emotional punch later and slap viewers in the face with Big Reveals. Memories, on the other hand, did not feel manipulative in that way and there was a purpose to the time line of the narrative.
For example (and this is one of my favorite moments): When Jin Woo first meets Emma in the café in Granada we see him walk up to her had say “Hi.” Then the drama cuts back to earlier on and we watch more scenes play out leading to Hee Joo eventually walking by that café and witnessing the scene of Jin Woo meeting Emma (though she doesn’t know it). DAMN. When that came full circle I literally made this really excited noise because I just LOVE when all of these awesome elements within a show come together: good writing, good directing, good acting, good music, and GOOD TIMING.
The story itself was so heart wrenching in that we had to watch Jin Woo just fall apart and then try to do right by everyone. He took responsibility for something that wasn’t his fault because he knew he was the only one who could do it. The fact that he kept playing the game, looking for answers, and searching for Se Ju even though it meant risking his life and making everyone think he was crazy showed that he became a true hero. I loved watching him hit rock bottom and come out a real bad ass in the end. The way the director used the music and sound effects for Hyun Suk appearances as well still gives me goosebumps. He did a great job making this seem super terrifying and Hyun Bin just OWNED his role as Jin Woo during these moments. Hell, he just owned his role: period.
Another favorite scene of mine that showed this great directing/writing/acting combo is when Hyun Bin is on the train and gets the notification that he lost his Ally (CRIES) and then later, in the dungeon, when City Hunter re-appears and you watch him go from relief at seeing Jung Hoon—to his face just crumbling as the horrible reality of the situation hits him. Later, as he sits there in the carnage, completely broken as he watches Jung Hoon continue to fight…
He better win ALL the awards.
I also loved the ending scene of Sun Ho walking through the church and the flashbacks we got of Jin Woo erasing the bugs. The timing was perfect, and once again Hyun Bin just blew me away with his performance.
In fact, I’m pretty sure I would have loved this drama all the same even if we just had to sit and watch Hyun Bin knit a scarf for sixteen episodes.
As for the romance, that storyline was just alright…and it was probably one of the weakest points of the show. I don’t think I need to go on about Hee Joo herself, actually, as I believe we can all agree that she was underutilized. I just did not really feel much chemistry between her and Jin Woo. For example, Memories wants us to see that Jin Woo loves her, and I get that. But I never really felt it. And to be completely fair—he had bigger problems to worry about, unfortunately.
But I also didn’t really get Hee Joo’s affection for Jin Woo, either. Certainly I could understand it after she realized everything he’s done and been through. But in the beginning it was like her affection for him was rooted simply in her gratitude and not actually love, per say. But the drama tried to play it off as that and it was just…awkward.
I did however, suuuuper love his relationship with Min Joo (Hee Joo’s sister). They were so sweet and hilarious and I just lost it when he went to their house to watch her when he knew she would be afraid staying home alone. Guh. Right in the feels. Can we get a second season exclusively of their playful banter, please?
In conclusion, I think what makes a drama great boils down to a number of things working well together. You need a story that keeps you intrigued and emotionally involved. You need a director that can bring together the visual components of a show well (camera angles, lighting, music, and timing). You need actors who can realistically portray their characters and wring your emotions. You need dialogue that hits the mark…
I truly believe Memories did all of this and did it well. So in that regard everything else seems like a minor flaw that doesn’t do much to tarnish my impression of it. Was it perfect? No. But it was, in my opinion, perfectly entertaining.
I was a big fan of the Japanese drama back in the day so I hesitated to watch this as I wasn't sure a re-make could live up to my love of the original.
I am so glad I gave it a chance.
I will say, that while I have watched the Japanese version a few times (NOT the new spin-offs), it has now been years since my last re-watch and that helped a lot. I would not recommend watching one or the other if you have recently seen either just because a lot of the twists and such are the same in both versions and it would make it less exciting.
For me, I could remember most of the outcomes and various plot points well but not the finer details so I was able to still watch this version without getting bored with the plot.
The Korean drama managed to take a lot of the great points from the original plot and....polish them a bit. It had the high stakes the Japanese version had just without a lot of the over-the-top absurdity a lot of those characters portrayed. There was still a *bit* of that in this version, but not nearly as much.
Having said that, there were some aspects of how they tried to change in this version that did take away from the kind of mysterious unknown stakes of the first version. I don't really know how to explain it but it was like the world here was *too* real, and that made it fit in with reality less (omg did I confuse you yet)? LOL. It's like the Japanese version was SO over the top and SO into it, that it just kind of worked. While this version felt lack-luster and out of place within it's universe at times.
Next: while I L-O-V-E Shota Matsuda as Akiyama Shinichi....Lee Sang-Yoon as Cha Woo-Jin was just swoon-worthy. I absolutely loved his portrayal of this character and couldn't have asked for a better performance. Kim So-Eun was similarly spot-on for Nam Da-Jung. Loved them both so much and felt like their subtle hint of romance was slightly more apparent in this version! I'm sad that despite the open-ending, there probably won't be a sequel (oh, Korea...).
So overall I was really happy with it and basically breezed through the entire drama in a day! Highly recommend!
I pretty much cringed my way through this movie (and I'm a sucker for cheesy shoujo manga adaptations). I also can't believe it's from 2017!! The editing style felt really retro and low-budget. The acting was just plain awful.
I could see the potential it had at moments but those rare scenes that were well done still didn't make much sense to me. The choppy editing, bad directing, and lack of a good soundtrack (did anyone else think that BGM near the end there sounded like a rip-off of the Goong OST LOL?) just added to the lacking story that had no flow to it. I also did not like Mikami at all and in fact found him rather creepy. So there is that. Cringe. Cringe. Cringe.
Short, sweet, and Kim Young Kwang is HWAT. But otherwise it wasn't anything special or original. Also, kinda of annoying/ridiculous that there were like 5 guys in love with her at the same time (...why)? It's a nice little filler drama when you don't know what to watch next though.
Question for those who have read the book: Do we get more of an explanation for the ending there? I’m a little confused by it…he meets Jin Mi 500 years later but was she human? Or not? Later it seems like she was her immortal self again, or at least had her memories…was she just going through another trial? It was really confusing. AND ALSO I’M PISSED WE DIDN’T GET ANOTHER KISS. And there was just like…no time spent with them finally together in the end. I’m hoping maybe the book dishes out these things and has a more satisfying conclusion? Thoughts? Also, where can I find an English translation? XX
I agree and I think you were too kind with your rating XD I pretty much disliked Yui with all her selfish decisions…
Yeah I mean, quality wise it’s probably more like a 4 to me but I boosted it up because there were other elements o enjoyed. Plus I had to keep reminding myself that Yui was so young and when I was her age I would have probably been as easily infatuated and rash as she was. It’s just, her poor family though....
Cute, sweet, easy to watch...but it does that *thing* Japanese dramas like to do where it wastes too much time on these little subplots concerning characters I just don't care about. I wanted more of Minami and Chiyomi...!! But overall it was an enjoyable enough watch.
It had it's sweet moments and I did enjoy it overall but it just never quite captivated me. I liked the characters and the little twist there in the plot but I wanted more from it. Given it's short length, it's definitely worth a watch though when you want a cute little rom-com.
What really got on my nerves was the quality of the writing. It was often over-the-top, and executed poorly (this is the director's fault) with very abrupt transitions between scenes and lot of moments that were just silly, thus taking away from the overall aesthetic of the drama.
And *deep breath* I'm just going to be the one that says it: L did not do all that great as Kim Dan (at least, in the beginning). His acting was very fake at times and just too much. But I will give him credit for the fact that I do believe a lot of that just had to do with how his character was written as with the more serious and emotional scenes later on, he did a great job (so don't hate me).
Shin Hye Sun, on the other hand, freaking KILLED IT. What an amazing performance. I hope she wins all the awards. I loved all the layers of her character and if the writer did one thing right, it was Lee Yeon Seo.
I won't get in to all my other frustrations with the other characters, as (once again) I feel they were just constructed poorly by the writer. I really hate that I'm grinding on her so hard...I know this is only her second drama and KUDOS to her for writing an entire TV show, seriously. Hopefully she keeps writing. I'll just expect to see some growth and improvement in her storytelling.
Also, as others have definitely pointed out: great soundtrack! I loved the music.
Overall it was very good for me, just not especially great. Definitely worth a watch and it'll wring your emotions a little (or a lot... *sobs*...Shin Hey Sun!!!).
In the end, I’m a little disappointed. Not that it wasn’t sweet or at times heartwarming…it often made me giggle, and it was an all around “feel good” type drama. However, one of the things I loved so desperately about “I Need Romance 3” was that dished out characters who had the opportunity throughout the story to grow so much. The heroin was flawed and at times unlikeable, but you got to know her and peel her layers back until you couldn’t help but fall in love with her right alongside her leading guy who, on the surface appeared to be cookie-cutter noona romance Prince Charming but in turn had a lot of his on hurdles to climb. It also gave us some realistic and heartfelt relationships between the ladies in the office.
I wanted all of that and more from this drama and we just never really got it. There were times when it tried, such as the building relationship between Dan Yi, Yoo Sun, and Yeong Ah…but then the last few episodes made me feel like the writer kind of forgot about that in the end. Eun Ho couldn’t have been more cut-and-paste and Dan Yi herself should have just been named C-A-N-D-Y and saved us the trouble of expecting anything more from her other than being the perfect example of a heroin who took a rough hit in life and then through Determination and Hard Work, all while remaining (mostly) Positive and Cheerful, wins herself a successful career and a young, hot, perfect boyfriend. I’m sorry, but how many times have we seen this before?
I *did* like that the writer made Dan Yi a very capable person. She was really good at her job and deserved the confidence her character was given because she didn’t just have to *think* that she could get where she wanted to being a faithful employee but that she *knew* she would do a good job, if given the chance. I also like how she worked to catch herself up with the times. Instead of being disheartened and giving up when she was critiqued, she brushed it off and pushed forward.
The relationship between Dan Yi and Eun Ho was very cute and sweet but also nothing original. Sometimes it would make my heart race a little but in hindsight I think that was more the effect of good directing and music rather than anything else (both of which this drama definitely has). It all kind of tricked out in the last few episodes though and I just lost interest.
Lee Jung Hyo has a knack for writing great side characters so that was really what kept me plugging along in the end. I adored Hae Rin and almost think her relationship with Eun Ho was better than that of his and Dan Yi’s. She was a slightly more complex character and I have a soft spot for unrequited love. The scene of her leaving the letters for him in his bookcase…WOW. Also, later when it is revealed that he *had* read them all and the response he gave her was just soooo good. On quality of Eun Ho that I will give him credit for as far as being somewhat unique goes is that he stuck by Hae Rin until the end. It wasn’t like he turned her down and then that plot ended. We still seem him taking care of her (when he stayed over at Seo Joon’s house) and overall enjoying her personality (when he sees her waiting outside for Seo Joon and he says to himself that she looks cute). This felt really realistic to me in the line of their relationship, so I enjoyed that a lot.
Seo Joon was another character though that I could have down without. He was very typical of a second lead and even more so due to his “secret.” (which by the way, just felt really silly to me). I wasn’t that on board with the Kang Byeong Jun subplot as it was another story thread that I did not think lived up to what it was projected to be. I did like Seo Joon and Hae Rin though, and I hope they end up happy together.
Final verdict: It’s lukewarm. Worth a breezy watch but nothing too substantial or deep.
also, it was a while ago...
Have you seen Queen In-Hyun's Man? Also from this writer and super good. It was a cable drama too so the budget was high and it was super visually appealing. Also more romance.
I don't know if you have seen any of the following, but here are some quick recommendations I would have for you:
Descendants of the Sun - great visuals and direction, most of the drama also takes place outside of Korea. More romance.
Meet Me at 1006 - Pretty intriguing mystery with a tight plot and it's also very recent. Great chemistry between the leads
Are You Human, too? - Also very recent with great visuals and directing. I really enjoyed the soundtrack and unique story line (plus a sweet romance). So good, highly recommend!
The Legend of the Blue Sea - Not quite as visually appealing but some of it takes place abroad too and it's really pretty. I found the story line to be interesting and romantic as well.
City Hunter - It's older, but the effects don't suffer since there wasn't a need for a ton of CGI. The story line is intense though and entertaining.
King 2 Hearts - Good visuals, story line had some intense moments, very similar bromance vibe (prepare for some tears), the romance was really good.
The Princess' Man - This one is great even though it's historical. The plot is really well done with lots of intensity and fantastic chemistry between the leads. It is also GORGEOUS.
Mr. Sunshine - Similar in that it was really high budget with good effects and directing, also a stellar cast. The story is not really similar though.
There was an interview with the author that explained that the reason the game began to interact with reality is because of a player’s murderous intent.
For example: Marco wanted to kill Se Ju. So when he died he became a “bug” that would repeatedly appear before Se Ju as an enemy due to the glitch (lag) that occurred when Marco stabbed Se Ju with a real knife in the café near Emma (remember: Emma would not allow fighting and remove any weapons if players started to duel in front of her…however, the knife Marco used was real so she was not able to remove it).
Therefore, we can infer that Jin Woo also became a bug when he dueled against Hyun Suk. Not because he killed him, necessarily…but because of his murderous intent when he attacked him while the game was glitching. This would also explain why Jin Woo was a bug but Se Ju was not…because Se Ju never had murderous intent towards Marco and he was just defending himself when he defeated him.
Hyun Suk became a bug the same way that Marco did…he had murderous intent when fighting Jin Woo so when he was defeated (killed) the same glitch that started occurring in the game happened and he became a NPC.
This explanation clears up a lot of confusion over the whole why Jin Woo was a bug but Se Ju was not debatical, as well as why the characters became NPCs who’s appearances continued to reoccur (as for Jung Hoon and Professor Cha, they were tied to Jin Woo who was already a bug, so it’s unfortunate but that’s why they were able to be killed in the game and become NPCs).
The reason Marco probably did not need to get “de-bugged” in the end like the other characters probably had to do with Jin Woo defeating the challenge. When he in turn became the master, Se Ju was no longer in the game and thus Marco would disappear as well. Maybe?
That’s all plausible under the conclusion Jin Woo came to that Emma caused a glitch. In fact, Jin Woo himself experienced a similar glitch when he was being chased by the archers in Granada earlier on and the game lagged (froze), enabling him to escape and level up. I don’t think this scene was put in there for no reason, in fact it was quite useful in showing us that the game can glitch.
Of course, when the game was reset the glitch disappeared, which is why it was no longer dangerous to play.
This would also (vaguely) explain how the game continued to go on even when the lenses were removed. Since Jin Woo became a bug due to his murderous intent towards Hyun Suk—he essentially became a part of the game. That’s why when Jung Hoon became his ally (ie the bug effected him as well) he was able to see Hyun Suk, felt pain when attacked, continued to be in the game after removing his lenses, and ultimately died in the game (same with Professor Cha). That’s also somewhat of an explanation for how Jin Woo was still alive in the end, since even though he was removed as a bug, he was the only one that was still alive when he was removed. So, even though he had become a part of the game as an error of sorts, he was still tied to the real world as well, which is probably what gave him the opportunity to create that new dimension when he was on the verge of being killed. It seems like a bit of a stretch to assume that Jin Woo would have known to do this, but I can also guess that it’s even possible for Emma to have told him (recall that when she asked why he didn’t let her have the key before, he told her that he was scared to die).
Also, Se Ju specifically said that he wasn’t sure how the instance dimension worked. He just knew that it existed (obviously) since he had used it, but even he was baffled by it. Which means that Jin Woo is in uncharted territory as far as the restrictions of the game are concerned and no one knows what he is capable of. This does NOT explain how some people are able to see him now…but I wouldn’t call that a plot hole so much as it’s just yet to be explained.
And if we want to go out on a huge limb here: Magic itself was mentioned multiple times through the drama during Jin Woo’s storytelling. Who’s to say that didn’t play a part as well?
Whew.
After realizing this, I felt a lot better. It still does not explain everything…and as people have pointed out—the fact that the writer did not explain this in the drama wasn’t great. We could guess that maybe someone’s intentions had the ability to manipulate the game due to the glitch but there was no way to know for sure without the writer explaining it in an interview and it would have been better if she had let that naturally come out during the drama instead.
I did have other minor grievances with points in the plot that either went unexplained or just felt forgotten (looking at you, character “A”). However, overall I was super impressed with the storytelling here. This writer has a knack for creating vivid new realities and plots that take you on a rollercoaster ride. I felt like Memories of the Alhambra (henceforth referred to as “Memories”) was very reminiscent of Nine in its plot and also contained a lot of the better points of W (in particular—how the fantasy world begins to converge with reality). While the ending itself was not as good as Nine’s ending (which has, IMHO one of the best open endings ever) for the most part I loved this drama just as much.
I was particularly impressed with the writer’s use of time throughout the show. For example, many dramas will cut an episode at a pivotal moment or use camera angles to keep certain elements of a scene unknown purely to pack in an emotional punch later and slap viewers in the face with Big Reveals. Memories, on the other hand, did not feel manipulative in that way and there was a purpose to the time line of the narrative.
For example (and this is one of my favorite moments): When Jin Woo first meets Emma in the café in Granada we see him walk up to her had say “Hi.” Then the drama cuts back to earlier on and we watch more scenes play out leading to Hee Joo eventually walking by that café and witnessing the scene of Jin Woo meeting Emma (though she doesn’t know it). DAMN. When that came full circle I literally made this really excited noise because I just LOVE when all of these awesome elements within a show come together: good writing, good directing, good acting, good music, and GOOD TIMING.
The story itself was so heart wrenching in that we had to watch Jin Woo just fall apart and then try to do right by everyone. He took responsibility for something that wasn’t his fault because he knew he was the only one who could do it. The fact that he kept playing the game, looking for answers, and searching for Se Ju even though it meant risking his life and making everyone think he was crazy showed that he became a true hero. I loved watching him hit rock bottom and come out a real bad ass in the end.
The way the director used the music and sound effects for Hyun Suk appearances as well still gives me goosebumps. He did a great job making this seem super terrifying and Hyun Bin just OWNED his role as Jin Woo during these moments. Hell, he just owned his role: period.
Another favorite scene of mine that showed this great directing/writing/acting combo is when Hyun Bin is on the train and gets the notification that he lost his Ally (CRIES) and then later, in the dungeon, when City Hunter re-appears and you watch him go from relief at seeing Jung Hoon—to his face just crumbling as the horrible reality of the situation hits him. Later, as he sits there in the carnage, completely broken as he watches Jung Hoon continue to fight…
He better win ALL the awards.
I also loved the ending scene of Sun Ho walking through the church and the flashbacks we got of Jin Woo erasing the bugs. The timing was perfect, and once again Hyun Bin just blew me away with his performance.
In fact, I’m pretty sure I would have loved this drama all the same even if we just had to sit and watch Hyun Bin knit a scarf for sixteen episodes.
As for the romance, that storyline was just alright…and it was probably one of the weakest points of the show. I don’t think I need to go on about Hee Joo herself, actually, as I believe we can all agree that she was underutilized. I just did not really feel much chemistry between her and Jin Woo. For example, Memories wants us to see that Jin Woo loves her, and I get that. But I never really felt it. And to be completely fair—he had bigger problems to worry about, unfortunately.
But I also didn’t really get Hee Joo’s affection for Jin Woo, either. Certainly I could understand it after she realized everything he’s done and been through. But in the beginning it was like her affection for him was rooted simply in her gratitude and not actually love, per say. But the drama tried to play it off as that and it was just…awkward.
I did however, suuuuper love his relationship with Min Joo (Hee Joo’s sister). They were so sweet and hilarious and I just lost it when he went to their house to watch her when he knew she would be afraid staying home alone. Guh. Right in the feels. Can we get a second season exclusively of their playful banter, please?
In conclusion, I think what makes a drama great boils down to a number of things working well together. You need a story that keeps you intrigued and emotionally involved. You need a director that can bring together the visual components of a show well (camera angles, lighting, music, and timing). You need actors who can realistically portray their characters and wring your emotions. You need dialogue that hits the mark…
I truly believe Memories did all of this and did it well. So in that regard everything else seems like a minor flaw that doesn’t do much to tarnish my impression of it. Was it perfect? No. But it was, in my opinion, perfectly entertaining.
I am so glad I gave it a chance.
I will say, that while I have watched the Japanese version a few times (NOT the new spin-offs), it has now been years since my last re-watch and that helped a lot. I would not recommend watching one or the other if you have recently seen either just because a lot of the twists and such are the same in both versions and it would make it less exciting.
For me, I could remember most of the outcomes and various plot points well but not the finer details so I was able to still watch this version without getting bored with the plot.
The Korean drama managed to take a lot of the great points from the original plot and....polish them a bit. It had the high stakes the Japanese version had just without a lot of the over-the-top absurdity a lot of those characters portrayed. There was still a *bit* of that in this version, but not nearly as much.
Having said that, there were some aspects of how they tried to change in this version that did take away from the kind of mysterious unknown stakes of the first version. I don't really know how to explain it but it was like the world here was *too* real, and that made it fit in with reality less (omg did I confuse you yet)? LOL. It's like the Japanese version was SO over the top and SO into it, that it just kind of worked. While this version felt lack-luster and out of place within it's universe at times.
Next: while I L-O-V-E Shota Matsuda as Akiyama Shinichi....Lee Sang-Yoon as Cha Woo-Jin was just swoon-worthy. I absolutely loved his portrayal of this character and couldn't have asked for a better performance. Kim So-Eun was similarly spot-on for Nam Da-Jung. Loved them both so much and felt like their subtle hint of romance was slightly more apparent in this version! I'm sad that despite the open-ending, there probably won't be a sequel (oh, Korea...).
So overall I was really happy with it and basically breezed through the entire drama in a day! Highly recommend!
I pretty much cringed my way through this movie (and I'm a sucker for cheesy shoujo manga adaptations). I also can't believe it's from 2017!! The editing style felt really retro and low-budget. The acting was just plain awful.
I could see the potential it had at moments but those rare scenes that were well done still didn't make much sense to me. The choppy editing, bad directing, and lack of a good soundtrack (did anyone else think that BGM near the end there sounded like a rip-off of the Goong OST LOL?) just added to the lacking story that had no flow to it. I also did not like Mikami at all and in fact found him rather creepy. So there is that. Cringe. Cringe. Cringe.
Do we get more of an explanation for the ending there? I’m a little confused by it…he meets Jin Mi 500 years later but was she human? Or not? Later it seems like she was her immortal self again, or at least had her memories…was she just going through another trial? It was really confusing.
AND ALSO I’M PISSED WE DIDN’T GET ANOTHER KISS.
And there was just like…no time spent with them finally together in the end.
I’m hoping maybe the book dishes out these things and has a more satisfying conclusion? Thoughts?
Also, where can I find an English translation?
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