THE SHORT VERDICT:

Overall, I’d say that Show is a reasonably solid remake of its source material, Taiwanese drama Someday Or One Day (SOOD).

It doesn’t quite capture all of the magic of SOOD, but it does make everything easier to process and digest, comparatively speaking, and it does so while being very pretty to look at, since Show’s production values are extremely polished, and its cast, very good-looking.

If you had trouble getting into SOOD, perhaps because you find it hard to dial into the vibe of Taiwanese dramas, or perhaps because you find it hard to watch dramas that aren’t Korean, then this is a drama that would likely work well for you.

Also, if you found it difficult to keep up with all the twists, turns and developments in SOOD, this show could also work well for you.

I’ll explain why, in the rest of this review.

THE LONG VERDICT:

If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you’d probably know that I love – like, love, love, LURVE – Someday Or One Day. 🥹

I love it so much, that I named it my Drama of the Year in 2020, which is the year it aired (here!).

I’ve also written it a full review (here!), covered it in a group watch (Open Threads listed here!), reviewed the follow-up movie (here!), AND even participated in a podcast (here!), where I gushed about all the reasons I think SOOD is an extraordinary drama.

If it isn’t already blindingly clear – 😅 – yes, I have heart-eyes for SOOD. 😍

Which means, of course, that I couldn’t just ignore the fact that Korea took the time and trouble to create a remake.

This review is where I share all of my thoughts on that.

Before I go any further, this feels as good a point as any, to say that what I’m about to share are purely my own opinions, and it’s perfectly ok for you to like this show more or less than I do. 😘

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here’s the OST album, in case you’d like to listen to it while you read the review.

Overall, I’d say that the music in this show is pleasant and inoffensive.

While I didn’t dislike any of the music tracks that I heard during my watch, I have to confess that none of the songs actually got under my skin, unfortunately.

I’m a little sad about that, because I felt that the music was such a huge presence for me, in Show’s source material, Someday Or One Day, and I had hoped that the music in this would have a similar presence in our story – and a similar grasp on my heart.

Like I said, though, the OST is pleasant, so here it is, if you’d like to listen to it.

HOW I’LL BE APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

I thought and thought about this, you guys, and I realize that this review will just have to be different from how my reviews are typically organized, and here’s the reason why.

Coming into this show, I tried to be as fair and as objective as I possibly could, as I watched this remake. Seriously, I even tried to practice drama amnesia, and forget that I knew anything about this story world, going in.

The reason I wanted to do that, was because I wanted to be able to review Show as a standalone drama, particularly for readers who haven’t watched SOOD, and therefore don’t actually care whether Show matches up to its source material.

These folks just want to know if this show is worth watching, right, and what I think Show does well, etc.

Well.. that watch approach didn’t work out so well, because, as it turns out, it’s basically impossible (for me, at least) to pretend that the source material doesn’t exist, while watching this show. 😅

And so, I realize that I just can’t make it such that this review will be equally helpful to those who’ve watched SOOD, and those who haven’t.

Sorry. 😬

In the end, I’ve chosen to talk about this show from the perspective of someone who’s watched SOOD – because, well, that’s the truth – and while I will talk about what Show does well and all that, I feel it’s only fair to warn you upfront, that I will also be discussing this show in the light of SOOD, quite a bit.

Which is why I thought I’d begin by talking about whether I thought this remake was necessary, and whether it brings value to the story of SOOD.

Then I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

And then, I’ll talk about various aspects of the show, and I will make comparisons to SOOD, where I think it’s useful to do so.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or in all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

WAS THIS REMAKE NECESSARY?

This is a question that I heard bandied about quite a lot, by fans of SOOD, pretty soon after A Time Called You aired.

And so naturally, this was a question that I chewed on for a fair while, during my watch, so that I could try to figure out an answer to this question that felt authentic to me.

Ultimately, even though Show doesn’t manage to recapture the magic that was SOOD, I do think that it’s a worthwhile remake, for the simple reason that the remake makes the story more accessible.

First, it makes the story accessible to folks who only consume kdramas, and thus would very likely never check out SOOD anyway, because they’re just not into Taiwanese dramas.

Second, it makes the story accessible to folks who consume dramas casually, because while I get that part of SOOD’s charm was that it gave us so much to process with the way it dropped information and clues, I understand that this can be alienating for some viewers.

Not everyone likes to dedicate full attention to a drama while watching, and that’s perfectly understandable. I get that a lot of people put on dramas as something to multitask to, rather than as something to give their full focus to.

Also, it’s entirely possible that some viewers actually have difficulty keying in to SOOD’s style of dropping scattered information, and then piecing it together.

This remake solves these issues by making the details easier to follow and digest (more on that later, where I talk about how Show does that).

In the end, I feel that I should consider this remake an in-principle win, because it makes this story – which I love – more accessible to more viewers.

Better to enjoy a decent remake, rather than miss out on an amazing story altogether, is what I’m thinking.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are a few things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch.

1. Don’t expect Show to be a replica of SOOD

The original has such a special place in my heart, that I think upon it pretty much as lightning in a bottle; amazing and precious, but near impossible to recreate.

Allowing Show room in your mind, to be what it wants to be, is helpful, I think.

2. Don’t expect the characters to be replicas of their SOOD counterparts

It helped me to think that these characters exist in a parallel dimension to the original characters from SOOD I know and love.

So, in my head, they were different people in a different dimension, who find themselves in a similar cycle of events that our SOOD characters went through.

With this lens in place, the characters have permission in my head, to be different compared to their SOOD counterparts.

And so, grumbles that Si Heon isn’t as playful as Ziwei, wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) bother you during your watch.

3. Think of the plot twists as tropes

Because this is a very twisty story, part of the thrill of watching this story for the first time, is being mind-blown by the twists.

These same twists will inevitably pack less of a punch, in the remake, if you’ve already seen SOOD.

I found that thinking of the plot twists as tropes, helped me.

Like, sure, it’s not new, but how well is it executed? That’s a good way to approach it, I think, because this way, I feel like we’d all be less likely to blame Show for not feeling exciting, just because we already know the workings of this story.

4. If you haven’t seen SOOD, then go in blind

If you haven’t already watched SOOD, and are interested in this show, then I would suggest going in blind, to the extent of not even checking out the trailers for this show, because the trailers give too much away.

Alternatively, since you haven’t seen either show, perhaps you’d like to consider watching SOOD instead? because it really is wonderful. 🥹

STUFF I LIKED

Show is very pretty to look at

I do have to say, this show is very pretty to look at.

The intense Spring palette is very pretty, and when combined with actual scenery, like pink blossoms amid greenery, it really, really pops with Pretty.

I have no aversion to Pretty, so this was quite welcome, in my books.

In particular, I found the high school very beautiful, in an almost surreal way. Like, can high school be this pretty, in real life?

I mean, yes, it’s not very believable that this sprawling, majestic high school exists in this smallish town, but putting that aside, I have to admit that it’s eye-catching and quite gorgeous.

Some things that I feel are improvements on the original

While Show does largely align itself with its source material, there are also changes that Show has made.

Personally, I find that I welcomed some of the changes more than others, so I’ve got them split into three different sections in this review:

1, where I found the changes positive, ie, I found the changes to be an improvement on the original, and then

2, where I felt neutral towards the changes, and finally,

3, where I felt the changes actually had a not-so-great effect on the story that Show was working to tell.

Overall, I do give Show points for being bold to make changes to the original, so that it can be its own thing.

Here the various changes that Show made, which I found to be positive.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. I welcomed the absence of the cartoony office crowd, which was a feature of SOOD (and which is also a feature in almost every Taiwanese drama that features an office).

I’ve gotten used to the cartoony office crowd trope in TW dramas, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t welcome the absence of it, in this show. 😅

The office people and antics landed as much more normal in this show, rather than OTT and comical, as was the case in SOOD.

E5-6. When Si Heon becomes cognizant of his feelings for Jun Hee, I really like the gentle manner in which he tells In Gyu about this, and the way he tells In Gyu that he doesn’t want to lie to him.

This is quite different from the way Ziwei blurts out how he feels towards Yuxuan, to Junjie, in SOOD.

I personally liked this quite a bit, because it demonstrates how important In Gyu is, to Si Heon, and also, how Si Heon is sensitive, mature and considerate.

E5-6. I thought that Show having Min Ju’s attacker be Yeon Jun’s business partner, back in 2023, rather than Jun Hee’s psychiatrist, was a fun touch.

What I mean is, fans of SOOD would have fully expected the attacker to have been Jun Hee’s psychiatrist, since the attacker had been Yuxuan’s psychiatrist in the original.

Instead, Show teases us with a cameo of Park Ki Woong as Jun Hee’s psychiatrist – and that’s really such a clever trick, since Park Ki Woong’s acted as some extremely unhinged characters.

And thenn. Show surprises us by having a completely different character be the attacker.

I liked that this gave fans of SOOD something to be surprised by.

E5-6. I also like the way Si Heon is shown to meet young Jun Hee.

It’s pretty cute, and I honestly like Show’s treatment of this meeting more than SOOD’s treatment of it, which I’d found a bit of a stretch, so yay in Show’s favor, even though I have heart-eyes for SOOD forever.

E7-8. I thought it was quite refreshing that In Gyu tells “Min Ju” that if she likes Si Heon, it’s ok if she dates him, because there isn’t a lot of time left, before Si Heon leaves Korea.

I also like the fact that In Gyu and Si Heon actually have a conversation about how In Gyu doesn’t actually feel the same way about Min Ju now, and therefore isn’t actually really upset at hearing that Si Heon likes Min Ju.

And, it also makes sense that they conclude that the reason “Min Ju” “made up” all that stuff about being a different person from 2023, in order to heal the rift between them, makes good sense too.

I like the healthier communication dynamic, and I also like the reasoning that the boys use to explain the “made up” story, because it works neatly.

E9-10. I appreciate that Show provides an explanation for why In Gyu’s hearing aid had been found at the place where Min Ju had been attacked.

This was something that I’m pretty sure SOOD never addressed, and I’m glad that Show provides an answer that makes sense.

[END SPOILER]

Show gives us some really nice moments

Even though I had some issues with how Show executed certain portions of our story (more on that later), I have to admit that Show managed to serve up some very nice moments.

What I’m impressed with, is that I found that I liked these moments, even if those moments were served up in the middle of a stretch where I was actually feeling perplexed about aspects about Show’s delivery.

Or.. maybe that’s my kdrama conditioning coming into play..? 😅

[SPOILER ALERT]

E7-8. I did very much like the scene closing episode 7, where Si Heon finally runs into Jun Hee at the convenience store.

The way his eyes fill with tears as he just looks at her – in the context that his last memory, from before his time travel, had been that she was gone forever – feels very heartfelt and poignant. I liked this a lot.

E7-8. I also really do like the scene where Si Heon dashes out to buy a birthday cake for Jun Hee, and then belatedly gets to share it with her, after she returns to the restaurant after breaking up with her no-good cheating boyfriend.

After being treated so poorly by her no-good cheating boyfriend (who’s now her ex-boyfriend) on her birthday, it’s little wonder that Jun Hee would feel so touched to see “Yeon Jun” have that cake lit up in her absence, while he calls her to wish her “happy birthday.”

I’m glad that she doesn’t walk away, and instead, goes up to him and tells him to wish her “happy birthday” face-to-face.

This definitely feels like a pivotal moment in their connection, as she tells him to make a wish too, and then when he smiles and tells her that his wish has already come true because she’s there with him, she smiles in return.

Aw. That is a very nice moment indeed. 🥰

[END SPOILER]

Kang Hoon as In Gyu

I just wanted to say that I thought Kang Hoon was perfectly cast as In Gyu.

Even though I started this review by saying that it would be helpful to not expect our characters to be similar to their SOOD counterparts, it was actually a real bonus for me personally, that Kang Hoon as In Gyu, has such a similar vibe, as Patrick Shih as Junjie.

To my eyes, he fit the role perfectly, and brought In Gyu to life in a manner that felt pitch perfect for the character’s gentle spirit and tender heart.

STUFF THAT WAS OK

The way Show is streamlined

Like I mentioned earlier, I do think that this remake does a good job of streamlining information, so that it’s easier to receive and digest.

I feel that Show does this in two ways.

1. Show is structurally more streamlined

What I mean is, Show’s cut out some stuff from the original, and then connected the dots in a more obvious fashion, so that we as an audience, would find it easier to see how the various pieces connect together.

I do think that this is a good thing, because as much as I loved Someday Or One Day, there were some elements that I didn’t care for so much, like the cartoony office antics.

2. Show digests information for us

What I mean is, Show has a tendency to digest information for us, instead of giving us the information to us, to do with it what we will.

Typically, Show does this by getting our characters to digest the information for us, and informing us, via their lines, what conclusions we can draw, from the new piece of information.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. For example, when Jun Hee realizes that the math doesn’t add up, and that Si Heon can’t be Yeon Jun, she goes through an entire internal monologue, working through all the pieces of information, to come to her conclusion, which we, as an audience, are privy to.

See what I mean about her digesting the information for us, instead of allowing us to digest it for ourselves, and reach our own conclusions?

[END SPOILER]

This could be seen as a pro or a con, depending on where you’re coming from.

I personally loved that the original dropped information in a somewhat scattered fashion, because that upped the challenge in terms of piecing everything together.

However, I do acknowledge that this could be too much of a challenge for some, who don’t enjoy this kind of thing.

This show’s more streamlined and straightforward treatment of those bits of information would be welcome by this group of viewers, I think.

I do think that this is part of Show’s effort to keep audiences, ie, because it’s easier to stay on track with the information that Show is serving up, Show believes that more viewers are likely to stick with Show, instead of dropping out because they can’t follow what’s going on.

And I do feel that quite a lot of viewers would appreciate, particularly the casual viewers who don’t prefer to pay full attention while watching their dramas. Or even viewers who struggle to focus for extended periods of time, because of health issues.

I can see how this storytelling approach would be helpful for a lot of people.

At the same time, I do (quietly) mourn the loss of the experience that Someday Or One Day gave us, which was the opportunity to discover what the various pieces of information meant, for ourselves, and piece it all together, for ourselves.

There was a distinct thrill that came with that experience, which is, while not completely absent from this show, is very much muted, in comparison.

Please note that I’m just offering up this comparison as a matter of interest, and don’t intend to diss this show in favor of SOOD; I just felt that it was interesting to note the difference in storytelling technique, and also, think about who might be benefiting from this different style of telling our story.

Changes to the story that worked out to neutral for me

I realize that I only have one thing in this category, and that is Show’s treatment of Yeon Jun’s story, which I found to be very different from SOOD.

I found it an interesting / refreshing choice, because it’s a pretty big change, which changes Show’s thematic focus, to some degree.

[SPOILER ALERT]

[SOOD SPOILER]

In SOOD, Quansheng had been harshly rejected, not just by the boy he liked, but by his fellow students as well, which had then led him to consider suicide.

In fact, I had considered this to be a pretty key point, since the production team behind SOOD had expressed that they’d been inspired by the issue of bullying / outcasts, in making the show.

[END SOOD SPOILER]

Here, however, Yeon Jun’s feelings are very much reciprocated, and we even have a little burgeoning love story, and therefore none of the rejection, bullying and outcast dynamic that we’d gotten in SOOD.

I thought this was a pretty interesting and bold choice, because this means that Show is making a conscious choice to deviate thematically, from the original, which is something that I hadn’t expected.

Some people would hate this thematic deviation, while others would likely find it fine, I’m sure.

[END SPOILER]

Ahn Hyo Seop as Si Heon / Yeon Jun

Honestly, when this k-remake was first announced, I was pretty upset with the casting of Ahn Hyo Seop, because I was convinced that he didn’t have the acting range required for the role of the male lead.

And thennn. I watched Dr. Romantic 3 (review here!), where Ahn Hyo Seop had some very difficult scenes, and he did really well in them, and I decided that he must have more range than I’d given him credit for, and my feelings about him being cast, promptly neutralized. 😁

Overall, I’d say that Ahn Hyo Seop does a reasonable job of the role, in the sense that there were some moments where I thought he did well, and then there were some scenes where I wasn’t feeling his delivery, so much.

..Which is why his performance evens out as fairly neutral, to me.

I will say for the record, that I thought he did a decent job in the delivery of Yeon Jun, when Show delves into Yeon Jun’s story via flashback in episodes 7 & 8.

While I was confused at first, thinking that it was Si Heon on my screen, it didn’t take very long for me to pick up on the body language cues that informed me that this was, in fact, Yeon Jun that I was watching.

Jeon Yeo Been as Jun Hee / Min Ju

I’m honestly a little afraid to say this, but – please don’t hate me – I found Jeon Yeo Been’s performance rather uneven, in this show. 🙈😬

I know that this is personal to every viewer, because I’ve come across multiple comments raving about her performance in this; that she’s basically eating up every scene.

And I’m in my own corner, wondering why I don’t feel the same way? 🙈

Please know that I have enjoyed Jeon Yeo Been a lot in other shows (like Be Melodramatic and Vincenzo), and have nothing against her, as an actress.

I honestly think she’s great, generally speaking, and I was particularly taken with her melancholic character in Be Melodramatic.

I’m just not sure why her delivery in this show lands as such a mixed bag for me. Maybe it has to do with how she was directed..?

I just want to reiterate that I didn’t hate her performance; I just felt.. disconnected from her performance. I think that’s the best way to put it. 😅

Sometimes I just don’t feel it

I don’t know how to explain it, but there are times when she’s going through all the appropriate motions on my screen, but somehow, I find myself failing to truly connect with the sadness (for example) that she’s communicating, through her tears.

The various characters

Overall, I feel that Jeon Yeo Been looks most at home playing Jun Hee while she’s in 1998, in Min Ju’s body.

That’s when I feel like she’s believably inhabiting the character, and this is when I feel like her delivery feels most natural, comparatively speaking.

I feel like the performance I feel most disconnected from, is when Jeon Yeo Been is playing Min Ju, mostly.

I get that Min Ju is a character who feels uncomfortable in her own skin, but I’m not actually pinpointing whether Jeon Yeo Been feels comfortable in Min Ju’s skin.

Rather, I feel like the way Jeon Yeo Been’s delivering Min Ju feels kind of.. fake and unnatural?

As in, it feels like she’s purposely walking a certain way, and talking a certain way, but I find neither thing believable. It feels more like she’s play-acting as Min Ju, rather than being Min Ju, if you know what I mean? 🙊

Of course, like I said earlier, this is completely, absolutely subjective, and you might possibly love Jeon Yeo Been’s performance in this, like so many other folks do.

One specific thing

I will say that there is one specific thing about Jeon Yeo Been’s delivery that contributes quite a bit, to throwing me off.

Basically, it’s the way she walks as Jun Hee while in Min Ju’s body.

Min Ju the character has a way of walking which is very peculiar; she walks with her feet turned in, and her arms straight by her sides, with her hands often curled into fists.

It looks highly unnatural, and I don’t particularly care for it, but I can buy the idea that this is how Min Ju walks, and that it goes with her “social outcast” sort of vibe.

The thing is, I noticed that Jun Hee occasionally kinda walks like that, while in Min Ju’s body.

Not always, but sometimes, those ticks – like the straight arms with clenched fists, and the inward-turning feet – are there, and I can’t help wondering if Jeon Yeo Been kind of maybe forgot which character she was in, and just walked like that, just because she was in school uniform? 😅

Because, importantly, Jun Hee in 2023 doesn’t walk like that, so there’s no reason she would walk like that, in 1998, just because she’s in Min Ju’s body.

After all, she’s never actually met Min Ju, so she wouldn’t know Min Ju walks like that, and so I can’t rationalize that she’s just trying to stay in character while living as Min Ju.

I’m sorry that I don’t have more screenshots of this to illustrate what I mean. I definitely picked up on it more than once, during my watch. It’s not always there, but sometimes it shows up.

Anyway. This is a key thing that distracted me about Jeon Yeo Been’s delivery as Jun Hee, but it’s not a dealbreaker. I was just rather distracted whenever it came up, is all.

The chemistry between Ahn Hyo Seop and Jeon Yeo Been

The chemistry between Ahn Hyo Seop and Jeon Yeo Been, as Si Heon and Jun Hee, was rather uneven for me too.

I felt that their chemistry worked best when Si Heon and Jun Hee are in high school together, while Jun Hee’s in Min Ju’s body.

That chemistry was friendly and easy, and I thought that worked pretty well.

However, when it comes to times in our story when we get distinctly romantic moments between Si Heon and Jun Hee, I felt that the chemistry that between them came across as more posey than natural, and that took away from the “real, true love” that I wanted to see between our OTP.

Even the kisses that we get between them feel very posed for the camera, when I feel like having them interact in a more natural way would give us a more dynamic, alive sort of feel, for their relationship.

Overall, I felt the OTP connection worked out to just ok, for me.

Min Jin Woong as Chan Yeong / Chan Hui [SPOILERS]

At first, I appreciated Min Jin Woong’s portrayal of both Chan Yeong and Chan Hui in episodes 9 & 10.

At that point, I’d felt that the dual roles allowed him to show his acting range quite nicely, even though I did also think that Chan Yeong being all murderous was kind of on the hammy side. 😅

As I got into Show’s finale stretch, however, we didn’t see Chan Hui much if at all, and Chan Yeong just got more hammy and glowery, which led me to change my mind about this role being a nice showcase of his range, oops. 🙊

The way Show kdramafies itself

One of the key things that I came to accept, is that Show, in classic kdrama fashion, leans harder into the romance than its source material.

Given that leaning into the romance is something that is so quintessentially kdrama-esque, I don’t begrudge that of Show; it’s part of Show’s way of making this story its own, after all.

In fact, I actually found it quite fascinating to observe what quirks jumped out at me, as being quintessentially kdrama; that this was Show’s way of kdramafying itself.

For the record, I do think that these types of details stood out to me more, because I’ve seen how this story’s been done without these kdrama touches.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I’d like to talk about that closing scene in episode 4, where Si Heon takes Jun Hee to that park, to sit under that tree, because he wants to talk about redefining their relationship, out of deference to In Gyu’s feelings for Jun Hee.

The scene actually is very, very similar to its counterpart in SOOD, with our leads taking turns to fall asleep while the other person is talking, each of them contemplating the other in a thoughtful, vulnerable way.

The difference here, is that in this show, we have our leads actually reaching out to touch the other person, which didn’t happen in SOOD.

And I picked up on this right away, recognizing this “reaching out to the other person” thing, whether actually making contact or not, as being quintessentially kdrama.

E5-6. During the drawing competition arc, there’s that moment when Jun Hee picks the grass off Si Heon’s hair, and they share A Moment, as their gazes lock.

Tee hee hee. This is so very kdrama, but I kinda love it?

Of course, that moment in the rain, along that beautiful green stretch alongside the trees, is also quite kdrama.

What I mean is, yes, there was an iconic rain scene in SOOD too, but trust the kdrama version to make sure the scene happens on a picturesque path where they’re framed by trees.

It kinda gives me classic Winter Sonata vibes, heh.

E9-10. I thought about why Show would have Si Heon die in the apartment, rather than out in the street, like how Ziwei had died, in SOOD, and here’s what I realized.

It was largely because Show wanted a dying Si Heon to be able to futilely reach for Jun Hee with his dying breath, in classic kdrama fashion.

And, also, in classic kdrama fashion, have a single tear fall from his eye, even as he breathes his last.

I mean, that’s sooo kdrama, isn’t it? 😁

[END SPOILER]

STUFF I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH

Execution that created loss of impact of some scenes

So.. this is the section where I talk about the changes that Show made, that I didn’t like so much.

I hope it’s clear by now, that I am not against the idea of Show making changes, in order to create its own uniquely flavored take on its source material.

It’s just that there were certain changes that Show made, that I felt took away from the impact of certain scenes, or diluted the emotional resonance of certain parts of our story.

Here’s the quick rundown of the key things that I felt didn’t work so well, when it came to Show’s tweaks.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1. As a matter of interest, although the scene at the end of episode 1 is very similar to the end of the end of SOOD’s first episode, I have to admit that the way this show does it, isn’t as impactful as how it was done in SOOD.

The reason for this, is that in this show, Jun Hee comes upon the photo of the three friends, quite a long time before the final scene, and so, by then, we already know that Jun Hee isn’t the person in the photo.

Whereas, in SOOD, our female lead Yuxuan sees the photo right before the closing of episode 1, where Ziwei asks Yunru for her name, in the record shop.

That creates a mind-blown sort of moment for the viewer, because, in that short moment, we finally realize that the girl we’ve been watching in high school, isn’t the same person as the woman we’ve been watching in our current day timeline.

I do wish that Show would have retained that element of surprise, because that would have been really fun for new viewers of this story.

E1-2. Credit to Anisa from Dramas Over Flowers for pointing this out in their podcast episode where the ladies talk about this show.

Anisa pointed out that we never see Min Ju using a walkman or wearing earbuds through the entire stretch up till the accident, which creates a disconnect from the plot point where Si Heon and In Gyu give her a new Walkman for her birthday, because her old one is worn out.

E3-4. Because of In Gyu’s reprimand, that Si Heon seeks out Jun Hee to apologize, and that’s how they end up having their first in-depth conversation, where she tells him about her “dream” where he’d been Yeon Jun, and they’d been in a long-term relationship together.

At this point, we know that this isn’t a dream, but I do buy the idea that Jun Hee is confused about what is real and what is not, and actually starts to believe that she really is Min Ju, and that her entire life as Jun Hee had been a long and complicated dream that she’d dreamt, while in her coma.

This creates an interesting effect, I’d say, because in SOOD, I’d believed this too, along with our female lead, whereas here, we as an audience are already sure that Jun Hee and Min Ju are two different people, but Jun Hee herself isn’t so sure, at this point.

E7-8. I feel like Show uses a too-light sort of touch, when it comes to Si Heon actually starting to believe for real, that Min Ju really is Jun Hee, a completely different person who’s from 2023.

I feel like we don’t get to see enough of Si Heon interacting with Jun Hee, while believing that she’s Jun Hee, even though he does state, for the record, that he believes her, and wants to know more about the person he likes.

I realize that this is quite crucial, in terms of providing believable context to the part in our story where Si Heon lands in Yeon Jun’s body and starts to work his way towards meeting Jun Hee in university.

Without being able to witness for myself, for some length of meaningful time, Si Heon interacting with Jun Hee, and having feelings for her, while believing her time travel story, I find that it’s that much harder to buy into the subsequent development, where he lands in Yeon Jun’s body and works to find his way back to her.

Instead, it’s really not that much screen time later, that we see Si Heon landing in Yeon Jun’s body, via the accident.

This felt rather rushed to my eyes, and even though I can’t remember the exact sequence of events in SOOD, I do recall being able to fully buy into our male lead striving to connect again with our female lead.

Essentially, I felt able to believe in his love for her, and I think that’s the missing link for me, this set of episodes: I feel like Si Heon’s feelings for Jun Hee aren’t overtly present enough, for me to buy into the rash confession that he makes to her, when he tells her that he’s liked her for a long time, and doesn’t want to waste any more time.

E7-8. This entire stretch of Si Heon trying to make a connection with Jun Hee while in Yeon Jun’s body is kinda underwhelming for me, personally.

I don’t hate it, but I do wish that Show could have given me something more.. potent?

As it is, I feel like Si Heon’s going through all the motions, but I’m not feeling a potency of emotion from him, when it comes to how he feels about Jun Hee.

And, without that potency of emotion coming through, it’s hard to buy into why he would dedicate himself so much, to reconnecting with her, and courting her, such that she would fall for “Yeon Jun” just like he’d remembered her describing, back in 1998.

So far, I feel like what I’m getting is a more diluted version of what I’d hoped for, and I feel rather disappointed about that.

Also, can I also just say that Si Heon blurting out that thing about him liking Jun Hee, and how his feelings have nothing to do with how long they’ve known each other, is very out of character for him.

I’ve accepted that Si Heon is not brash, impetuous or outspoken like his Taiwanese counterpart Ziwei, so to have him say this, pretty much out of the blue, felt really out of character, and therefore rather perplexing, to me.

In fact, generally speaking, I found the more comedic moments, like during the blind date, when Si Heon is all flustered around Jun Hee, a tiny bit jarring, because I don’t have that mental association with his character in 1998.

In 1998, Si Heon’s the casually, effortlessly cool one, among the various characters, and it’s just.. a little odd to see him suddenly be all flustered and at a loss.

That said, I just wanted to reiterate that this was not a key issue in my feeling underwhelmed by the romancing arc, we get in episode 8.

It’s just an issue that compounded my bemusement that stemmed from the relative lack of supporting context around Si Heon’s feelings for Jun Hee.

I will say that this did become better, for me, once Si Heon decides to dial things back and take a more restrained approach.

This, to my eyes, felt a lot more like the Si Heon that I’d come to know from 1998, and that landed a lot more comfortably, for me.

E9-10. One of my main points of dissatisfaction at this point in our story, is that I feel Show isn’t giving us enough of the love story between Si Heon and Jun Hee to ground this whole thing.

I need to feel like their love is more epic, in order to buy into everything else that Show is serving up.

I need to believe that they love each other enough, to want to move heaven and earth for the sake of their love, and.. I’m just not feeling it?

The minting of their relationship in college feels kind of rushed, to my eyes.

First, it felt to me as if Jun Hee came around rather quickly, and then it also felt to me, like we didn’t get enough time to dwell on their wholesome happiness as a couple, before it all started to come apart, with Jun Hee insisting on leaving Korea without him, and the plane crash happening very quickly after that.

I’m rather perplexed by this narrative decision, because aren’t kdramas typically really good at serving up the romance?

In fact, I’ve been saying that this show is kdrama-fying SOOD, and one of the big ways it’s doing that, is by leaning into the romance.

So why, when it’s finally time for the romance actually bloom, is Show glossing over things so quickly, that I feel like we don’t really get a chance to feel the feels? (Which, in my opinion, are essential, for this story to reach epic heights.)

I do think part of the problem is the fact that this remake is shorter than the original, but also, like I mentioned earlier, there’s just something missing in the OTP chemistry, as well as the teasing out of their love story.

E9-10. I feel the scene where Jun Hee grieves Si Heon’s death is not as impactful as in SOOD, and the reason for this, is, I find it distracting that Show has Jun Hee process information for us – that Chan Yeong wouldn’t have been able to go to 1998 to do all those horrific things, if she hadn’t told him about it all – when I’d expected her to be grieving.

I was so convinced that this wasn’t the approach in SOOD, that I went back to check how SOOD had treated this moment, and I found that there was no such similar thing, with Yuxuan.

Instead, we just sat with Yuxuan in her grief, because, for a while, she’s just too overcome with grief to even speak – and I felt that that landed as more authentic, to me.

[END SPOILER]

Actor delivery – sometimes

I honestly wasn’t sure whether to share this section, because I don’t want you guys to think I’m a hater, but I decided to share it anyway, in the spirit of being fair.

Like, since I talked about finding Jeon Yeo Been’s performance being a mixed bag for me, where I sometimes just wasn’t feeling it, here’s a section where I talk about other actors’ performances leaving me cold too, heh.

Honestly, guys. I really do like these actors, and I really did try to get into the flow, but I gotta be honest: I just wasn’t feeling it, sometimes. 🙊

I don’t know why, honestly. I was watching several other shows at the same time, like I always do, and I was able to engage emotionally with other dramas, so it’s not like my feelings weren’t working or something. 😅

Again, perhaps it had something to do with how they were being directed?

This is entirely subjective, of course, and I’m sure that there are lots of folks who are perfectly satisfied with the amount of emotional heft that our actors serve up.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E9-10. I find that I’m not fully buying the emotion that our characters are serving up.

As in, they are doing the right things, and crying tears, and looking pained or perplexed as the situation calls for it, but.. to my eyes, it feels like I’m seeing a slightly hollow version of the feelings that I’m expecting?

It sounds presumptuous of me to say this, but to my eyes, at least, it feels like our actors are going through the paces, but not actually immersed in their roles enough to actually feel at one with their characters?

I mean, sure, they could be actually immersed in their roles and I could be reading it all wrong, but this is just what it looks like to my eyes, and I wish that I was receiving it differently. 🙈

Like when In Gyu realized that his grandmother is ill, and confronts Si Heon at the hospital, for example.

It’s all quite dramatic, with In Gyu grabbing Si Heon’s collar and crying as he blames Si Heon for not telling him that Gran was ill, but.. I’m not really feeling it, to be brutally honest. 🙊😬

And then, there’s the scene where Si Heon rushes to try to prevent In Gyu’s suicide.

I just feel like I wanted more complex emotions from them both, honestly.

To be brutally honest (please don’t hate me), I’m slightly underwhelmed by Ahn Hyo Seop’s portrayal of Si Heon’s desperate urgency and his horror and grief, and I’m also perplexed at why In Gyu is portrayed as being so flatly expressionless, before he falls to his death.

Similarly, I felt like the scene where Jun Hee reunites with Si Heon in the present should have been more emotionally nuanced and raw, but again, I wasn’t feeling what I’d expected to feel, at this very significant point in our story.

[END SPOILER]

Some of the comic touches

This isn’t a huge deal by any means, but I just thought that I’d state for the record, that there were times when Show’s comic touches didn’t really land so well, for me.

Generally, this was when the spots of levity felt awkwardly injected and out of place.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. Like this moment when Jun Hee throws her hands up and twirls around, blustering about why she’s back in 1998.

That doesn’t feel organic to Jun Hee’s character, to my eyes, and felt like an odd stab at serving up something funny, which just didn’t quite work, in my opinion.

[END SPOILER]

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

Coming into this finale, I’d been curious about whether Show would stay aligned to the source material, or choose to make this ending its own, and in the end, I’d say it’s kinda both?

In that, this stays true to the original, mostly, with a few touches to make this ending its own.

And, I’ll say that I am reasonably satisfied, with the ending.

We get all the various twists and turns that lead to Min Ju eventually managing to survive the murder, and then have Jun Hee managing to return to 1995 once more, and this time, she is determined to set things in their proper place, by destroying the tape and the player.

I will say that in the original, it had been clearer to me, that the reason that Yuxuan chose to destroy the tape, was not just to save Yunru, but to also save Ziwei and Junjie; that she chose to love them by protecting them, even if it meant that they wouldn’t be able to remember one another.

In this version, I felt that the focus was more on setting things back in place for Min Ju, with less focus on saving Si Heon and In Gyu.

I mean, yes, of course with the destruction of the tape and everything being reset, this results in Si Heon and In Gyu being saved too, so it’s not like Jun Hee only set out to save Min Ju.

I just found the focus much stronger on Min Ju, and I found that to be an.. interesting choice.

Perhaps writer-nim felt that so much had been taken from Min Ju, with Jun Hee taking over her life, that it was only right that our finale focused more on Min Ju, and setting things right for her? I’m not sure.

I also would have preferred if Min Ju’s renewed hope in life had more to do with coming to love herself more, like in the original, rather than about seeing In Gyu’s feelings for her in a more positive light.

I would also have preferred more acknowledgment from Show, that Jun Hee was doing this just as much because she cared so deeply about Si Heon and In Gyu, that she couldn’t allow them to die again and again, in this cycle of fate that they’d found themselves in.

I found the final moments on the beach suitably poignant and touching, and the subsequent erasing of their shared experiences and memories, bittersweet.

At the same time, I have to admit that this show didn’t manage to give me chills with the beach scene, the same way SOOD did.

And you might think that that’s because I’d watched SOOD first, and well, you wouldn’t be wrong about that.

It’s just that I did go back to revisit the beach scene in SOOD after finishing this show, just to refresh my memory, to see if Show had done anything significantly different than SOOD that I’d missed.

And, I was so surprised to find that I got literal chills watching the beach scene, and found it so much more affecting, than the scene I’d just watched, minutes ago, in A Time Called You.

This, even though the main beats of both scenes are very similar.

In that sense, I do think that there’s something about SOOD that was just lightning in a bottle for me, such that it still brings back very strong feels, even like this, when I go back to a specific scene, and dive in, without watching the lead-up.

For the record, though, I do appreciate what Show was trying to do there, pointing us to the Big Possibility of a happy ending, with Si Heon and Jun Hee meeting again, 2011.

We don’t get the same solid crumb of possibility in SOOD, which I felt had left me with a beautiful, haunting sense of equal parts loss and hope, and that had worked really well for me.

In my head, I’d always clung to the idea that Ziwei and Yuxuan would find their way to each other all over again, even though everything had been reset, and that open ending, full of hope and uncertainty, has really stayed with me.

I’m sure though, that there are viewers who had wished for something a little more concrete, and this finale offers exactly that.

We get to see Si Heon being drawn to Jun Hee and taking steps to connect with her, and if kdrama tradition is anything to go by (which of course it is), this almost certainly points to the beginning of a brand new chapter of their love story. 🥲

THE FINAL VERDICT:

A likely reasonably solid watch for those who are new to this story, but probably underwhelming for those who loved SOOD first.

FINAL GRADE: B

TRAILER:

MV:

PATREON UPDATE!

The next drama I’ll be covering on Patreon, in place of A Time Called You, is The Story Of Park’s Marriage Contract [Korea]. I’ve taken an initial look at The Story Of Park’s Marriage Contract and I’m happy to say that I really like it, so far. 🤩

You can check out my episode 1-2 notes on The Story Of Park’s Marriage Contract on Patreon here.

Here’s an overview of what I’m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!

Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment tidbits + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (that’s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)

Early Access (US$5): +The Story Of Park’s Marriage Contract [Korea]

Early Access Plus (US$10): +Daily Dose of Sunshine [Korea]

VIP (US$15): +Twinkling Watermelon [Korea]