When my sister came home to visit in early October, she picked this show for us to watch together, and since we hardly ever get to watch shows together, with her living in a whole different country and all, this was a rare treat.

..Which means, fair warning, that I might be more biased than usual, in my estimation of Show’s enjoyability. 😁

Full disclosure: we watched episodes 1 through 3 together, because that’s what was available, and then, after Sis left, I completed episodes 4 through 6 on my own.

So I guess that helps to balance things out? 😁

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

1. This is an unhurried melodrama

I think the most useful thing I can tell you, is that this one is more of a melodrama (versus a light romance or rom-com), and that it moves pretty slowly, despite what your experience of episode 1 might indicate.

The reason episode 1 moves relatively faster, is because Show is setting the context for our OTP relationship, but once you get to episode 2, that tone, pace and rhythm is more indicative of Show’s overall vibe and feel.

2. Show takes its time peeling away character & relationship layers

The other thing that I think would be useful for me to mention, is that Show really takes its time to peel away character and relationship layers.

It takes time and patience to understand our characters and their relationships better, and I think it’s essential that you’re not in a hurry, when watching this show.

STUFF I LIKED

How atmospheric and pretty Show is

Honestly, this was the first thing to catch my attention; I just really enjoyed how beautiful Show looks, particularly when portraying our OTP’s time in Japan.

Our scenes literally look like they could have come out of a picture book or a glossy magazine, and it’s quite trippy to me, that Sis (who lived in Japan for many years) says that these places are just as beautiful in real life. 🥲

The scenes in Korea aren’t to be sniffed at either, and I just felt that Show was very carefully and intentionally filmed, as a general rule.

I also found the music very immersive and atmospheric, which I thought really added to Show’s charm.

The OTP flashbacks

Given that our premise (and therefore, not a spoiler) is that Hong and Jungo (Lee Se Young and Kentaro Sakaguchi) fall in love in Japan, and then break up, before crossing paths again, 5 years later, it makes sense that Show would regularly give us flashbacks to their time in Japan, before the break-up.

I liked these flashbacks, because their early days are filled with cuteness and sweetness, and it’s just bonus, that it’s all so prettily filmed (like I mentioned above).

And then, when the flashbacks became less happy, I found myself being very curious to watch them anyway, because I was looking for clues to why their relationship had broken down.

Additionally, I wanted to mention that Show distinguishes between the present-day and the flashbacks really well, with the present-day being presented in more muted colors, like grays and blues, while the flashbacks are mostly presented in bright Spring colors.

Having the brighter Spring-toned flashbacks interspersed between our present-day scenes also provided some nice visual relief from all the muted, more somber colors, which I very much enjoyed.

See, aren’t these screenshots so full of sweet? 🥲

Kentaro Sakaguchi as Jungo

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the quality of our leads’ acting is one of the best things about this show. I enjoyed both of them equally, but wanted to talk about them separately, if only to accord them each the respect that they deserve. 🤩

Given that Kentaro Sakaguchi has such an extensive filmography, it might shock some of you to know that this was my introduction to him.

(I guess that’s what happens when you don’t watch all that much J-dorama. 😅)

I really enjoyed him as Jungo, and his portrayal of Jungo in the two timelines, is just excellent, in my opinion.

He literally feels like two completely different people, with past Jungo appearing to be such a happy and carefree person, while present Jungo comes across as much more subdued.

In particular, I was very impressed with the way Kentaro manages to express so much through his gaze, in scenes where Jungo doesn’t say anything, but you can feel the depth of his sadness and wistfulness, purely from his gaze.

I found those shots of his face extremely effective, and quite arresting.

Here’s a side by side comparison of Past Jungo and Present Jungo:

Really good, yes? 🥲

Lee Se Young as Hong

Similarly, I really enjoyed Lee Se Young as Hong.

The way she plays Past Hong and Present Hong, they really feel like two completely different people, almost.

Past Hong is so bubbly and bright, and with such an infectious, pure enthusiasm for life, that I couldn’t help but like her right away – which honestly also helps me to understand why Jungo would have been attracted to her, in the first place.

And then, Present Hong is so restrained and reserved, that she comes across as pretty cold and distant, and that, practically on sight.

I don’t even need to hear her speak, to know that she’s closed herself up in a big way. Although, when she does speak, that is also communicated very well, in the comparatively closed stiffness of her voice.

Despite that, Present Hong’s discomfort and emotional distress are clear to see, when she crosses paths with Jungo, without her having to say a word.

Again, I thought this was really well done.

Here’s a look at Past Hong and Present Hong, side by side:

Night and day as well, isn’t it?

This is why I count the acting of our leads a big plus, in my watch experience. 🥲

The way Show approaches the OTP relationship [BROAD SPOILERS]

Like I mentioned earlier, Show tends to peel away the layers very slowly and deliberately, over the course of our story, while toggling between two timelines.

I actually really enjoyed this process of receiving bits and pieces of information about our OTP, and trying to piece everything together, to figure out the ins and outs of their relationship, and what had been the thing to break them apart.

Additionally, we’re also getting fragments of information in the present, in terms of what our leads are thinking and feeling, and why they might be thinking and feeling that way, and that added to the complexity of our characters, which I personally enjoyed.

Another thing that I liked, is that the relationship challenges feel down-to-earth and approachable, ie, the problems they faced feel universal enough, that you’d expect almost any other couple in their position, to have the same issues.

So, no huge bolts out of the blue, no birth secrets, no secret illnesses, which I greatly appreciated.

Finally, I respect that Show aligns itself with the idea, that hurt feelings and emotional baggage don’t just magick away, and need time to be slowly eroded and whittled away.

In this sense, the slow burn approach felt realistic and believable to me, and I liked that.

I’ll also say that I couldn’t tell whether or not Hong and Jungo would reconcile, by the time we ended our story.

While watching, I felt that it could really go either way, and that if we didn’t get a reconciliation, we would at least get closure for the both of them, and I was fine with that, because that felt emotionally realistic, which is this show’s vibe.

STUFF THAT WAS OK

The handling of our second male lead [BROAD SPOILERS]

I understood the function of Min Jun’s character (played by Hong Jong Hyun, for whom I have a bit of a soft spot), that he was there to not only show that Hong had moved on in life, but also, to create an additional obstacle to any potential reconciliation between Hong and Jungo.

That said, I just couldn’t help feeling sorry for him, because whether or not our OTP reconciled in the end, it was easy to see that Min Jun would get his heart broken. 💔

I really felt bad for him. 🙈

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

Like I mentioned earlier, I came into this finale not knowing whether we would get a reconciliation between Hong and Jungo, and I was ok with that.

The first important step that allows for a hint of the beginning of closure, is the fact that Hong finally arrives at a place where she’s ready to acknowledge that she’d had a part to play too, in the breakdown of their relationship.

The fact that she was even ready to go to him, and tell him that she was grateful that he’d loved her, back then, feels huge, particularly since she’s spent much of our present timeline avoiding contact with him, as much as possible.

It also feels like a really important milestone, that Hong finally feels ready to read the book that Jungo’s written about their love, because finally – finally! – she’s gaining access to everything that he’s thought and felt about their relationship, since the day it’d ended.

Some folks might say, “Well, we could have avoided all of this drama if she would’ve just read the book right away, once she knew that he’d written it about her,” but the thing is, timing is also key.

I think Show does a good job of demonstrating that Hong had suffered some very deep emotional wounds, from her time in Japan with Jungo, and those wounds had continued to fester and cause her pain, in the five years since.

She’d needed to feel ready, to absorb everything that he’d poured into that book, and now, in our finale, she finally is ready, and I feel like the book becomes a balm for her soul, because, in it, at long last, she gets to hear the things that she’s wanted and needed to hear from Jungo, all this time.

Another part of it, of course, is Jungo becoming bolder to express himself to Hong, and on this note, Kanna (Anne Nakamura) deserves credit for telling Jungo that that’s the thing that he needs to do.

It’s taken them five years and lots of wandering and pondering, but Jungo and Hong are now finally at a place where they can meet each other with open, peaceful hearts, and to me, this is the reason that they’re able to reconcile.

Communication is key, is a strong theme that comes through in this drama, but along with that, comes the time and effort that it takes, for personal development to take place, to enable that communication, and Hong and Jungo finally get there, in our closing minutes.

It would have been nice if we could have seen Hong and Jungo work through things, to arrive at a happier, healthier balance than what they’d had previously, but with the limited screen time, we don’t get that.

Instead, we get a flash forward, where we see that Hong and Jungo are now running together, and the muted somber hues of winter have given way to the life-giving colors of spring.

This very much feels like a symbolic ending to me, like Show’s saying that they’re now in a much happier place, and are now approaching the race of life together, side by side, and that’s very heartening indeed. ❤️

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Quiet, thoughtful and atmospheric.

FINAL GRADE: B+

TRAILER:

WHERE TO WATCH:

Show is available on VIU and Viki.

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