1
2
Steady
A very steady and consistently written season, though I think season 1 was just a little stronger in terms of both the mystery and the relationships between our main characters. I personally preferred the episodes where stakes felt a little higher and closer to home — the earlier ones in this season where our lead was getting falsely accused and trying to get there before the next kill.The story loses a bit of steam as it goes on and the backstory turns out to be kind of predictable, but I thought everything was wrapped up pretty neatly.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Comforting
Oh I enjoyed this one so much. It has to be one of the best slow burn shows that I've seen, and I loved how much it focused on the emotional aspect of them growing closer. Their scenes feel so down-to-earth, realistic, and intimate, and I really appreciate how even the tropes don't feel tropey.It's so sad that it ends on a low note — and I know season 2 is a long shot at this point — but honestly, the ending doesn't diminish my love for the show at all. I've grown to really care about both main characters so much, and I'll definitely be reading the novel just to see how their story ends.
Was this review helpful to you?
Good themes but confusing
This film has several extremely emotional scenes between the leads that absolutely blew me away, but as a whole, it feels very janky and choppy.There's not a lot of development between the characters in between the big moments, and the timeline just feels really unclear, as if we're jumping from scene to scene instead of experiencing the passing of time. I found myself pretty confused about what had happened between the characters and how long it took.
The acting is pretty good, but I think the script needed more tightening.
Was this review helpful to you?
Okay
I thought this drama was very good when it came to the down-to-earth moments, the more subtle scenes, and the angstiness of their traumatic childhood, though it loses me a bit when it crosses into dramatic mode, like gangster fights and terminal illness.Even though I really felt the chemistry between the leads while they were in the "unrequited love" phase, and I felt the chemistry of the leads as lovers, I felt like the actual transition between these two phases left more to be desired. I think it's partly the non-linear editing of that particular scene, but also the fact that we spent so much time solidly in the first phase, instead of slowly inching towards the confusing, blurry middle ground, that their first scene being together felt a little out of the blue, even though it was shot and acted beautifully.
Overall, a good watch with its touching moments, but not one that would stick in my mind.
Was this review helpful to you?
Didn't click
When I saw that this was a friends-to-lovers story, I jumped into it right away. But it turned out that it wasn't the plot I typically enjoy, where we get to watch two people realize they're in love with each other and slowly make their way to each other. Instead, the leads pretty much get together in the first episode, and the drama revolves more around little bumps in their relationship, some of which are awkwardly realistic like figuring out how to communicate after living together, and some of which are more trope-y like third parties trying to get in between their relationship. The last episode is also pretty rushed.Ultimately, this was pretty light-hearted and low stakes, but it didn't really click with me.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
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 :)
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.Was this review helpful to you?
