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Great, except for one big thing
Folks, it has been quite a while since I've gotten second lead syndrome and even longer since it's been so bad that I've had to start my review out with it, but here we are. I think the thing that was so jarring about this one, though, is that I did not see it coming at all. Contrary to other dramas where you sit through 16 episodes of a SML pining for someone you know they'll never get, I sat through this drama with the continuous thought that this drama had one of my favorite tropes — the one where the main lead feels like the second lead but ends up getting the girl because they were the one that stood by her and laid out all their cards on their table while doing it (see Dream High). I was unfortunately, very wrong, and you cannot imagine the absolute whiplash I felt when Kaga, my favorite golden retriever who spent all six episodes unabashedly spending time with Ayumi and making her laugh...ended up being the second lead. It's not that I dislike Koshiro and in a way it makes sense, but the problem is that we, the viewers, didn't get to see any of it beyond the childhood flashback and a few speaking scenes — because we spent all this time seeing Kaga with Ayumi instead. I have a big soft spot for the storyline where Person A loves Person B but ends up falling in love with Person C because of a big life change (see Vampire Diaries) and thought this was going to be the case based on screentime alone. Long story short, my heart is SHATTERED.Okay, with that out of the way, this drama actually had a lot going for it. It grabbed me right out of the gate and kept me on the edge of my seat. There's the more "fantasy" and "thriller" aspect where you have the leads trying to figure out how the body switch happened and how to deal with it, and there's also the more down-to-earth part of the drama where they just have to go about their day, attending classes, eating lunch, dealing with bullies and school events, etc. The balance between the two is done extremely well, and I was also really touched by the story.
The theme is common but really interesting. The drama does a good job of showing "pretty privilege" — not just in terms of your genes but also how wealthy you are, if you grew up in a good environment and with good parents and were able to take care of yourself, etc. But it also shows that sometimes people who are dealt a bad card let it define them forever and blame others for it to a fault. I was really happy to see Umine's redemption arc and loved that everyone became a friend group by the end, though it was a little fast.
Plot-wise, I do think the short length of this drama hampers the pacing somewhat. It feels really well-paced and fast at the start, but it starts to drag a little bit before it just completely speed-runs the ending. I'm not sure if the manga originally montaged through it or had more, but I wish we got more scenes about the "shuffle," had more time to develop Umine's redemption arc, and explained more about the lore and how switching worked. It felt like they introduced a researcher character who was supposed to have a lot of answers about the process, but ended up not really doing anything other than some lore dumping early on.
Ultimately, though, SLS aside, I still really enjoyed this one. In my heart of hearts Kaga will always be endgame, but even if he's not, I hope it doesn't deter anything from watching this.
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Needed a bit more
The premise of this drama is super interesting but it was just missing something for me that made it not as exciting as it could've been.Despite quite a lot actually happening and the main character traveling to the past multiple times, it feels like not a lot is actually happening. I think we needed to feel higher stakes for the main character. While I actually really liked seeing a selfish and greedy main lead — there's a lot of potential for character growth — I felt like the ML wanting to become rich by marrying the "10 billion girl" was not really a strong enough plot motivator.
The character of the FL was also kind of thin. The childhood connection and contrast of the FL being selfless and kind-hearted is nothing new, but next to the ML it felt like we needed a character who was righteous but just as headstrong. Our FL was so quiet that I didn't really feel her presence in the show, especially after she was revealed to be so normal after her ominous introduction.
With that being said, I like the concept of the romance but I'm not sure if I actually bought into it emotionally. I wish we'd gotten more scenes of them just spending time together or, once again, just having higher stakes that would push them closer and give us a sense of desperation and trust.
I actually liked Takauji for this reason (not just because Mackenyu plays him, although that certainly helped) but also because the character added an intensity to the plot that we really needed. I wish the drama had taken it a step further by giving him the tools to travel back in time as well. It would've made the "race" between the protagonist and antagonist SO interesting and added some much needed competition.
Overall, I still quite enjoyed the plot. Though it was a little rushed at the end, the character development works and everything is wrapped up nicely.
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Definitely a tearjerker
I've already seen the Taiwanese movie, I said. I won't cry since I already know everything that happens, I said. Dear reader, I sobbed like a baby. Every. Single. Episode.Cream/K's story is by far my favorite, which always really surprises me because it has a lot of tropes that I typically don't like. But it's done extremely well, you understand exactly why the characters are making their decisions, and when the ball finally drops, expecting it doesn't make it hurt any less.
I still enjoyed the modern plot too, but more so the family arc, and less so the copyright arc. For the former, I love that the parallels to Cream/K are there but not too in-your-face. I also have to give props to Bai Run Yin, the little boy who is casted to play An Ke Le. He plays the role absolutely perfectly, adding a such a layer of maturity that makes his story that much more raw. I understand that searching for the copyright is how the two stories are intertwined, but this part was definitely not as interesting to me, even though the final song, sung by A-Lin, was fantastic.
While I enjoyed both plots, I did feel like the transitions between them were a little rough sometimes. I'm not sure how this could be fixed because they definitely have to run in parallel, but when we jumped from one to the other I often wished we stayed for a little longer.
Overall, though, still such tear-jerker, and knowing the story beforehand doesn't change that. I'm all cried out.
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Different from your typical cdrama
The best thing about this drama is hands down the pairing between young Li Qing Tong and Chen Jun He. They are individually very intriguing characters with great arcs, and also have really good chemistry and banter when together. At first glance LQT seems like the very common-in-cdrama FL — bad at school, with a crush on the class president. The difference, however, is that her life doesn't revolve around it at all; her relationship with her family is very heart-warming, and she's not afraid to be loud, sarcastic, and stand up for herself and her friends. After a generation of "cute but dumb" FLs, this is SO refreshing. And then our ML, CJH, takes it to the next level. He's actually not "the good guy who every girl has a crush on" (another tired drama archetype) but the also bad-at-school, bully who fights character that we more often see as a second lead. After finishing the drama, I actually think this is one of the best cases of "reformed bad boy" that I've seen in dramaland, and the way everything plays out makes sense.Plot-wise, the pacing is a little rushed towards the end. Most of its episodes are in high school and then it skips around in college. This is a very common formula in youth dramas too, but I think for this drama in particular, where the biggest part of the plot happens in their college and adult days, there needed to be more time spent on those plot beats instead of some of the other youth drama tropes.
Honestly, however, I'm actually not completely sure about how time travel is used. It seems pretty necessary if the entire purpose is to have the daughter travel back in time to connect with her mother and discover the truth about her father, but once Li Jin Bu is actually in the past and has an established identity, it's really not used that much other than the occasional mysterious voice saying "It's almost time for you to go back" to LJB to give her some internal conflict about her relationship with Duan Xiao. Part of me actually wishes there wasn't any time travel at all because it added this weird, unexplained layer to the show, but I understand why it was a necessary premise.
Overall, I still had a lot of fun watching this! The emphasis on friendship and family is heart-warming, and the characters are surprisingly memorable.
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Cute but so short
This is another drama that has so much potential, but it's hampered by short screentime. It really just needed more time for the characters to get to know each other — I felt like the characters became close friends five minutes after meeting each other for the first time, and throughout the drama it felt like they were skipping scenes and we had to fill in the blanks ourselves. We don't have nearly enough time to follow any story beats, whether it's Xu Qi-zhang trying to become school president for the scholarship, or his band. Some of these plots actually drop off completely, and the only one we do follow is Ye Guang's relationship with his parents, which is actually very powerful.The best part of this drama, however, is definitely the OST, particularly the title song — I've had it on repeat the entire week.
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A pure rom-com
As a romantic comedy this drama does the job; it's funny and light-hearted overall, but touching when it counts, and it manages to use common kdrama tropes without making them feel tired or too dramatic.The first few episodes are done extremely well, setting up the story and giving the characters a good starting point. The leads are very convincing as exes, and I loved seeing how cute they were in the flashbacks of their relationship. The second lead couple has a slower start, but it's promising and it's fun once it gets started. Individually the ML and especially the FL are given really touching backstories, and I love that the drama paid just as much attention to the family theme as it did the romance.
As the drama goes on, however, it feels like it doesn't go much deeper than the initial set up. The push and pull between the leads continues in the same way without revealing much more depth to their relationship beyond them enjoying spending time together in their vacuum. The second ship is still fun though, which is all I really asked of them.
Ultimately, it's a fun drama, but even though it's just 12 episodes it still feels longer than necessary.
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Good vibes
This film has the vibes and cinematography down, and as a love triangle enjoyer I even loved that aspect of it and the drama it wrought. But I do think the plot itself sort of got thin by the end; the climax plot was random, and the ending underwhelming. Still, it's an enjoyable watch, and a comforting place to be for 1.5 hours.Was this review helpful to you?
Peak friends-to-lovers
Guys. This drama is the pinnacle of friends-to-lovers and of the flipped trope — two of my absolute favorite things. The pining is immaculate.The best thing about friends-to-lovers is the push and pull between two people who know each other so well and thus are so good at communicating, and two people who are so scared that feelings will change their relationship that they pull away from each other instead. This drama, once again, hit that spot absolutely perfectly, and the actors really sold every scene.
I also really appreciate how the side characters were incorporated. The closeness of the two families is really convincing, and I'm even more impressed that the two main leads had their own little friend groups. It adds a lot to the depth of their characters and their friendships by showing what their personalities are like outside of each other.
The only two little hiccups I would consider this drama to have would be:
1) The plot around Eiw's father. I understand why it's included — so that the story isn't just romance — and thematically it does kind of make sense with his character, but I just didn't find myself caring about it. I'm also not completely sure I agree with the final messaging of forgiveness in the end but this is partly my own worldview, and partly the fact that the drama just doesn't have enough time to really make it hit emotionally.
2) The second ship. It's not handled horribly but the age gap is still very very weird to me.
Overall though, this drama was 100% worth the watch for the main romance, and I hold every hug scene very close to my heart.
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Hitting the ground running
I was highly anticipating this considering how glowing the reviews are, and yep, one episode in, I was intrigued.The drama really jumps right in and never lets up. I'm really grateful this show has just fifteen episodes because it's just the right amount. For a time loop drama, it never got boring or repetitive, which is impressive. In ever loop we learned something new and we also got to see our main characters grow closer.
The acting is great across the board. The main leads' chemistry goes without saying, but I really want to give extra props to the main antagonist. The actress absolutely kills it and sends chills down my spine.
Maybe the only thing I would want is a little more time spent on the epilogue/aftermath. I liked seeing the side character arcs getting wrapped up, but wanted a little more of our main leads, whether it was seeing them return to their everyday lives and seeing how the time loop changed them, or reconnecting with the people on the bus, or even having a little fun with introducing a sudden relationship to their friends.
It also feels a little iffy to me that the final message of the show seems to go for a "and the police did their job and everyone got what they deserved" direction. While it somewhat makes sense, I wish there was just a little bit more nuance about social pressure, incompetent officers, and laws that need to be amended.
Overall, though, still a great watch. I understand why it's rated as high as it is.
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A little slower
The comforting vibes from Part 1 definitely carry over into this season, and I enjoy how consistent it all is: the support between our main leads is still very strong, and we get to see the conclusion to all the romance arcs — particularly Iksong, which is the main one I'd been looking forward to from the beginning.Story-wise, however, I did feel like this season was a little slower and more difficult to get through, for the simple fact that the side stories just aren't as strong or interesting. I'm not sure if there were too many subplots for one-off characters, but somehow the 2 hour runtime for each episode really felt long, whereas I felt like the pacing in Part 1 was perfect.
It's still a nice, comforting watch — it's refreshing that all our leads are competent and communicative — and I wouldn't miss out on this if you've watched Part 1 already, but it did just drag a teeny bit.
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The tried and true kdrama formula
This drama is proof that you can take all the formulaic kdrama tropes — first love meet again, disapproving parent, ex returns — and still make an incredible show.The first thing this drama got right was the vibes; it felt extremely cozy throughout and hit the right spot between being a melodrama and a rom-com.
I think the leads had amazing chemistry and I felt like both of them were given subtle but ample character development and backstory. It's interesting because this drama only had eight episodes, which I'd normally consider too little, but I felt like everything was paced perfectly and the short length actually worked to the shows favor. There wasn't time for misunderstandings to be drawn out or for traumatic backstories to drag everything down. Everything was just the right amount.
I'm also impressed with the friendships in the show. A lot of short dramas stumble into the pitfall of only having enough time for the main romance and not for any other characters or any friendship scenes, but this show didn't have that issue at all. We had the amazing main couple but we also got scenes of our main characters having heart-to-hearts with their friends and supporting each other. It really helped in making everyone feel well-rounded.
The only part I'm iffy on is the two side ships. They had some good moments but overall I just didn't care much for them. It's not too bothersome because they also don't take up a lot of screentime, so I would still fully recommend this drama for the main couple.
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Healthy but underwhelming
There's a delicate balance between "healthy relationship" and "interesting" that very few dramas get right, and I think this show fell into that trap as well. While I enjoyed how the misunderstandings didn't last long and that the leads talked to each other a lot, ultimately I felt like it made the story underwhelming. Big decisions like getting married or moving in didn't really have the needed weight to it, making me feel like I had missed something, and when the leads got together it didn't quite feel earned. The same applies to the second leads, who were pretty cookie cutter.Was this review helpful to you?
Comforting slice-of-life
I thought I would find this boring (I have 0 interest in medical dramas AND the episodes are so goddamn long) but wow, it ended up being a really comforting and well-paced watch. The number one thing that works here is, of course, the vibes. It's really down-to-earth — nothing is overblown or overly melodramatic, and the conflicts make sense and flow well. It really feels like you start knowing this group of friends; we watch how they deal with conflicts — both together and apart — and it really just feels like life. The 1.5 hour runtime never feels too long, and it's actually very needed. I started out feeling unable to keep up with all the side characters but by the end they all feel like old friends.I'm honestly super impressed with the characters too. I very rarely find myself liking every single character and every couple, but that was definitely the case here. I found myself rooting for every single ship and seeing the different forms that love comes in, whether it creeps up on you slowly or hits you like a truck.
Onto season 2!
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A nice little drama
It took me quite a few episodes to get into this, but by the end I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it was the second couple that won me over.The second couple does the "flipped" trope perfectly, and the chemistry is great; Taiwanese dramas are also not afraid of skinship and intimate scenes, which makes everything feel much more real. If there's anything I would rewatch it would probably be their scenes.
The main couple is fine and they have their moments, but I admit I don't care as much for them; the chemistry is fine, but the tropes seem more cliche, and I think they're hampered by the "gangster" plot, which tries to be serious but doesn't really manage to establish its high stakes due to low budget and short runtime.
Overall though, still a nice little watch.
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So underrated
This was so cute! No love triangle, no second leads, no toxicity, no misunderstandings — it was just the main characters and their friends growing up together.The most interesting thing about this drama is first and foremost the main female lead’s personality; she’s headstrong and stoic but still cares about her classmates, and even when she has a crush she doesn’t stop it from getting in the way of her dreams and goals. It was just super refreshing and different from the typical cdrama cutesy female lead.
The main couple don’t have a lot of skinship but when they do it really gives you butterflies, and they absolutely sell the “innocent first love” feeling. I really liked how they went from butting heads to being partners-in-crime, and that even when they fought, they never stopped caring for each other and ended up talking things out and apologizing. I’m going to sound like a broken record at this point but I just loved how down-to-earth everyone was.
My only criticism might be that the ending seems a bit rushed; while I enjoyed the twist, I felt like the drama chose to go for the shock factor and time jump, while I’d rather have they spend more time showing the “in-between” for both our main leads and also for the side characters, whose arcs just sort of fell off. Some of my favorite moments ended up being in the special episode, which I’m so grateful for.
Ultimately, this was a really great watch — comforting, for sure. The side characters aren't that memorable to be honest, but the main leads are, and for that alone this drama is very underrated.
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