scenophile

Soft romance goodness

Between the other dramas from this author, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love and Love Me, Love My Voice, this one was definitely my favorite. I loved how quiet and comforting this drama was, and the acting from both leads was phenomenal.

The flashbacks weaved in and out of the present day timeline perfectly and really added to the angst of their second-chance romance. Even after the leads got together, I never felt bored; the chemistry was just that great. I wish the second half of the drama let us mellow in their little moments more and did less of the time jumps. The only other bump in the road for me was the ending, which ended in a flashback. Don't get me wrong — I like the flashback itself and we definitely get full closure, but the last episode just didn't quite pack the punch I craved where we were looking to the future.

I also have mixed feelings on some of the family-related arcs. While I like that nothing was over-dramatic or blown out of proportion, I also felt sometimes that arcs ended abruptly and emptily. People became "good" or changed their tune suddenly, in a way that was not satisfying or realistic.

I also want to mention that we don't get to know too much of either of the lead's jobs, even though it's always in the background. For a drama where the character's occupations are more in the forefront, I'd look to something like You Are My Hero (which I also loved). However, I actually liked that this drama focused on the romance more. It also highlighted the friendships, both of which were really heart-warming. The second lead romance was minor, but quite well done also.

With all this being said, this is a romance drama. The romance IS the best part and it was done really well. I'd definitely recommend this one.

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A throwback to rom-com excellence

It's been a while since a show felt like a quintessential kdrama rom-com to me, but this one definitely scratched the itch. The romance — both past and present — hit the right balance between serious/angsty and funny, and even when the storyline got very dramatic, it felt very peak kdrama.

As much as I enjoyed most of this, I do think there was one particular standout, and that was the younger versions of the Jiwons; the chemistry for their banter was so fun, and they were brilliant at the sad and heart-wrenching scenes. I loved the adult versions, but their younger counterparts have a special place in my heart.

Overall, it's not anything ground-breaking, and the "same name" premise actually doesn't play a huge role in the drama. It's what you'd expect out of a rom-com, but it's a fun ride nonetheless.

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Wish I'd liked it more

Oh I really wish I liked this more, but it does exactly what I don't like about the soulmate trope.

I like the idea of two people who get dreams about their past lives and feel like they've always been missing their other half, but it's much more interesting when two people fall in love with each other when they are reincarnated, rather than because of it. Dean and Pharm see each other from across the room and just know each other; from there, the romance seems to happen pretty quickly. I don't know, it all just felt...too easy? Dean/Pharm scenes overall got very repetitive to me. There are a lot of scenes where Pharm just ends up crying and I don't think any of it hit me emotionally, whether it was because of the acting or lack of development for the character himself.

Some other things about the drama also just feel like they jumped the gun, like all the students hyping up the Dean/Pharm ship when they haven't even met. The pacing of the second couple was also weird to me, and overall I think none of the acting was that immersive for me.

On the other hand, I think the past lives scenes with Intouch and Korn were the strongest scenes. I still wish there was a little more meat to how they fell in love (and not just how their story ended) but ultimately I still enjoyed their scenes the most.

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A real slow burn

I see a bunch of comments saying that this drama barely has romance in it and in my opinion, those people could not be more wrong. This drama is EXACTLY what I want out of my romance — quiet contemplation, and the ultimate slow burn of two people who just love spending time with each other and don't realize it's love until it's too late. I just loved the vibes of this entire show; it's quiet but bubbly and comforting, and there are characters that make bad decisions, but they're not portrayed as cartoonishly evil.

With that being said, however, I do wish this drama had subverted some of the cliches instead. Towards the end, there are miscommunication tropes that were frustrating; I prefer my romance to burn slowly as a result of "it was never the right time," rather than because a third character did something underhanded, and they also ended up doing the time jump reunion, which I always just hate, because it feels lazy and unearned. Without this part, I would've probably given this drama an 8. Still, the episodes before this are fantastic.

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Broke my heart and then healed it

I've recently been wondering if I prefer melodramas over romantic comedies because they seem to hit harder, but watching this drama reminded me just how amazing a rom-com can still be if it manages to hit the right emotional beats.

Go Back Couple grabbed my attention in the first episode with how deep it was, and immediately I knew that this show took its subject matter seriously. The drama isn't afraid to touch upon important topics like grief and guilt, and throughout all 12 episodes, the emotional scenes were extremely hard-hitting, especially surrounding the theme of parenthood. I loved every scene between Jin Joo and her mother, and I loved how JJ basically had to choose between going back to see her own child or staying with the mother she never got to say goodbye to. The way grief affected the communication in the leads' relationship was so realistic and heart-wrenching; I cried so many times watching this show.

With that being said, the show also did an amazing job staying lighthearted. The second thing that stood out to me was that this drama is actually funny. With so many rom-coms now relying on drunken antics or slapstick humor (which doesn't quite click with me), this drama does instead uses a lot of callbacks or taking the time to set up situations that are funny but still very touching. I laughed just as much as I cried.

I love how much depth there was in both our main characters. Neither of them are perfect, but the breakdown of their relationship isn't their fault either. It makes the characters and their story feel extremely real. As much as I love the golden retriever archetype we keep getting nowadays, sometimes it feels like MLs have no purpose other than to love the FL. It's extremely refreshing to get an ML that is very flawed, but still so in love with the FL when everything is said and done.

There were only a few things I didn't like that much. One was the second ship; it's not that I disliked them, but I cared much more about those side characters' friendships with the main leads rather than their own romances.

I also didn't love the "getting hit by a car" trope at the end of Episode 11. While I admit the acting of the leads absolutely shined because of it, it feels like another common out-of-the-blue kdrama trope. I think we could've either done without it or at least picked a plot point that was pre-established, like Ban Do getting into an alley fight with some bullies.

Ultimately, though, these are all small potatoes and I still enjoyed this drama SO much. The "back in time" concept is nothing new but Go Back Couple manages to make its mark with stellar characters and excellent writing. I will be recommending this drama to everyone I know :)

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Everything I want from a sports romance

This was such a fun and light-hearted watch! The combination of seeing our underdogs follow their dreams, plus a really sweet romance — was done perfectly. The transition from rivals to friends to lovers is really believable, and I have to give props to our two leads for having such natural acting. The chemistry is really good, especially when they are just spending time with each other, doing nothing.

The sports scenes were choreographed quite well also. There are a few shots where you can tell it's acting, but overall, the competitions have the tension and anticipation that they need, making defeat feel as depressing and victories feel as cathartic as they each need to be.

Ultimately, I had such a great time watching this drama. There are frustrating misunderstandings, as well some common tropes, but they are actually used well and the character develops accordingly. I also admit — I cringed from secondhand embarrassment a few times, but still loved this drama overall.

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More of a special episode with no stakes

So, calling this a sequel is a bit of a stretch. I mean, yes, it technically does take place after the main episodes, but content-wise it's more of a special episode, meant to give the audience some cute fan service and nothing else.

If the original drama had been more satisfying with answering questions and providing closure, I might've been more receptive to something like this, but since I went into this hoping it would add more depth to the story, I was ultimately disappointed.

It sort of has the same issues that the main story did, which is how passive the leads were. The time travel happens and they just accept it, barely asking any questions. We get scene after scene of them going through everyday, domestic tropes, before the time travel problem arises again and forces them apart.

Ultimately, I think people who loved the original series and just want more of the main couple would enjoy this, but don't expect any new substance.

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An underdog story

I had heard a lot of good things about this one. It's true — you don't have to know anything about baseball to enjoy it. In fact, there's probably about ten minutes of baseball actually being played.

It's more about the relationships between coworkers and family, about the tension of corporate politics, about your balancing your dreams and being realistic, and about the characters who have to work together to actually put the teams together despite lack of support, funding, and everything else. In that sense, Hot Stove League really is an underdog story. This is one of those dramas where it's a string of mini arcs, one after the other, but it always feels very cohesive. The core group really grows on you, too.

I think the male lead is also one of the most interesting personalities I've seen in a kdrama. He's a little awkward and aloof but it makes for really interesting ways to resolve situations and really unusual character dynamics. Min Namkoong plays the character really well, from the subtle micro-expressions to the really heavy emotional scenes.

There are some plots that are a little jumpy here and there, and I also wish we had more closure for different characters in the last episode. There are so many arcs that I just wish got a little "epilogue" moment, even if we just montaged through it. Overall, though, this show was really worth the watch.

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Closure, but it's unmemorable

I thought Season 1 was generally enjoyable, and Season 2 was also interesting, but had a little too many subplots and random characters. Season 3 fixes that by once again focusing on the most important character (Hyun-su) but doesn't give him much to do.

I'm really glad Hyun-su got more screentime in this season, especially with Eun-yu and Eun-hyeok, because these three were and still are the most important and most intriguing characters, but plot-wise, these three were pretty underutilized. I think the issue is, firstly, just not being quite sure what the end goal is. We know generally that they're on a crash course towards the antagonist, but I didn't really understand what the plan was. And secondly, between this season and the previous season, there's a pretty big shift away from individual stories and showing what triggers monsterization and how they should be dealt with. I get that it's difficult to do this once you've scaled up the story and there are so many arcs to address, but the unfortunate trade-off is that nothing quite sticks.

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A great short drama

For a show that's only 4 episodes, the cinematography and script are really impressive. The visual transitions are awesome, the main female lead is smart and able to hold her own, and the world-building is actually very strong and able to incorporate social commentary without being too heavy-handed with it. The additional layers of family expectations and peer pressure make the drama more grounded and relatable even with its fantasy elements, and the ending is satisfying while also setting up an intriguing season 2. I'm also really happy that we got elements of female friendship and I'm excited to see more of that in the next season.

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Watch for the characters

As a lover of all things time travel, I was very interested in this drama right off the bat. It did, however, take me quite a few episodes to get into the swing of things.

Something about the drama seemed choppy throughout it, whether it was vague dialogue, plot explanations, or the editing of scenes. Even as the show progressed, it felt like there were constant loose ends. For example, it started out with three suspects — something that seemed very pivotal to the story — but they were quickly ruled out, whereas I think we should've done a deep dive into each character to see how they were involved and why.

Still, I think the best part of this drama is the characters. I loved seeing the FL's friendship with her younger mother Soon-Ae, the FL's frenemiship with her younger father Hee-sub, Soon-Ae and Hee-sub's budding romance, Soon-Ae's relationship with her sister, and most of all, Go Mi-sook — who I know is an antagonist but is just so intriguing of a character.

I also want to note that the romance in this drama is very subtle and not at all a big part of the plot; if you're watching for the romance, you might not enjoy this, but in my opinion it actually made the show better; we were able to see them as partners-in-crime who communicated and supported each other, instead of being treated to all the romance cliches that dramaland loves to throw at us. We get family as a bigger theme, and it's great.

In the end, this is a pretty character-driven show, and yet I feel like the FL was quite underutilized. She almost feels more like a support character in the second half of the show, whereas the male lead seems to take the reins on the mystery.

Overall, I did enjoy this one, and while it has the mystery vibes down, I feel like the plot wasn't quite fleshed out. The characters are worth watching though.

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Endearing and fun

After all the angst and misery that Young Royals season 3 gave me, I really just wanted some fun and light-heartedness, and this drama HIT THE SPOT.

The main couple is, of course, the best part of the show. The chemistry is fantastic and this is a great example of how to write a healthy relationship that isn't boring. I loved seeing their relationship develop from "enemies" (with gigantic air quotes lol) to friends, and watching how they communicated and supported each other throughout. The side romances were also great and I never once felt like I wanted to skip any scenes.

I was also pleasantly surprised at how well the humor worked. There are a lot of comparisons with this and 2gether, but I found that drama's humor too over-the-top, making the drama feel low-stakes and nonsensical. On the other hand, this show's humor was well-timed and endearing, and most importantly it never interfered with the tone of the show. It was serious when it needed to be, touching and sad when it needed to be, and funny when it could be. It struck a great balance between touching on some serious topics like homophobia and discrimination, while also making sure we got the feel-good friendships and family scenes.

Overall, this was a great watch. I admit that not all the songs were my vibe, but I loved the ending song, Once Upon A Time. Whether or not you like the songs won't really affect how fun of a watch it is. Ultimately, it's not a life-changing drama, but it will, without a doubt, make your weekend better.

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What is the message?

I came across a fan-made music video of the leads to Ellie Goulding's Still Falling For You and it convinced me to watch this drama for the longest time. I am sad to say that the FMV was far better than the actual drama.

The first thing I noticed was was the overall tone and style of acting. It was almost parody-like, and it felt like the acting was always dialed to 30% no matter how emotionally heavy the scene was supposed to be. I also had this issue with 2gether so I'm not sure if it's just a sign of the times, but the unconvincing acting made it so that none of the plot really felt emotional or high-stakes.

My biggest issue is probably with the social messaging, which turned out to be very self-contradictory.

So you have a main character who's only temporarily ugly because a procedure went wrong; this is actually a pretty good (and common) set-up for a previously shallow girl to realize there's more to life, but as the drama progressed the theme started getting muddled. There's a female character who's on the heavier side and the drama was filled with comments about her weight, but it was all played for laughs. Additionally, people would tell our FL that she just had to wait a year and then she would be pretty again, and as the drama went on, this did prove to be true and very quickly the drama changed from "women shouldn't let shallow judgements bring them down" to "women should appreciate men who like them when they're ugly, even when they become pretty again."

I felt a similar issue with the way the male lead's plot went — after so much character exploration around why he had to work so much and be so frugal and how it impacted his previous relationship, it would've been extremely interesting to see how his relationship with the FL would be different, considering that once again there would be a wealth gap. Instead, the drama went the easy route and made it so that he was secretly rich and there would be no family disapproval or long-term insecurity.

As a result, it felt like the drama focused instead on how they it was important for everyone to be ugly/poor (or pretend to be) at some point in their lives to test who really cared about them. The drama didn't explore the lives of anyone who actually was unattractive or unwealthy, and would never be able to change it.

I also just have a huge issue with how they destroyed the ML's character in the last few episodes. I liked his playfulness at the start; it was fun, albeit a little over-the-top sometimes, but playful MLs are my favorite archetype and I liked the he was genuinely nice. Once the female lead rejected him, however, he turned into a very typical Nice Guy™, slut-shaming her by saying her clothes were too revealing and she just wanted men's attention like all other shallow women, calling her a gold-digger who didn't like him because he was poor, and being stupid for not appreciating him for liking her when she was at her lowest. It made me not root for him at all and it really is the reason for my dropping my rating so much.

Despite all that, I still really think there is potential here and I wish the writing had taken itself more seriously to really reach that.

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Confusing but interesting mythology

Pretty early on, I realized that I felt the same way about this drama the way I felt about Goblin. While I thought the lore was well thought-out and it was really cool to see Amis mythology translated into a Taiwanese drama, I felt it very difficult to emotionally connect to the characters.

The pacing is quite slow at the start — it feels like you're dropped into the middle of a situation that doesn't change or explain itself for a few episodes, and even when it did start to develop, it was difficult to understand where the story was headed and why. The dialogue feels kind of vague and abstract sometimes.

The side characters are also okay. There are some that have interesting stories that do tie into the main plot but I felt pretty apathetic about most of the characters as a whole. In a sense the female lead felt very isolated from the more down-to-earth characters who I wish were taught the myths; it might've helped explain the story in a more understandable way while also bringing the mundane and the fantasy worlds closer together.

I did like the environmental themes here but I don't think it was as prominent as I expected; the romance definitely took center stage and once again, I cared about the romance more as a concept and not really because I was genuinely emotionally invested in it.

The ending...is actually fine to me, but I think it would've been better if they'd dedicated more time to it because it felt very sudden. The ending is probably the biggest place where I could recognize that the writer of this drama is the same as that of Someday or One Day.

Overall, not really for me (hence the lower than average rating) because I found it difficult to emotionally connect with it, but I still think it was worth a watch for the mythology.

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