BEST TIME TRAVEL THRILLER EVER!!!
The storyline and plot is PERFECT for a time travel concept UNLIKE ALICE cough* cough* . The main characters are actually SMART and they actually come up with realistic good plans to try and solve the mystery. The antagonist are all so intelligent that they use MANIPULATION rather than brute force to get what they want. SIGNAL + WORLD OF THE MARRIED = KAIROSThe present and the past are easily distinguished and they put DATE LABELS ON EVERY TRANSITION that makes it easier for the viewers to differenciate. It has ALMOST 0 PLOT HOLES and every change in the past perfectly resembles the change in the future flawlessly. The story IS NOT DRAGGY and every episode ends on a cliff hanger making you want more.
Recommended to VETERAN KDRAMA VIEWERS who can appreciate MYSTERY THRILLERS with NO ROMANCE
Was this review helpful to you?
Classic Thriller Worth to Watch
A-MA-ZINGMusic is on point for the genre, it's a classic drama in its style: thriller and suspense 100%
I love both leads, as well as the rest of the cast, which I think they were quite good picked.
It's a misterious story that developes backwards and its title fits perfectly (go search it). At the same time, stimulates your brain cells, it's super entertaining (unless you hate this genre). It's a bit dark as well, which I think gives it the perfect combo/flavor.
I am thrilling by only reviewing this!
Was this review helpful to you?
Really good, but I have some critique
Dang this show is so good. Many people compare this to Signal, so I can’t help but do that too. This isn’t as good as Signal but is still a fun timey wimey crime thriller.The premise is really good and executed very well, and the plot is paced excellently. There are so many plot twists but they never felt needless, just the consequence of messing with time or a revelation that explains a character’s motivation. I do think that the first half of the show is better than the second. The main villains shift about halfway and I enjoyed the original villains from the first half more. The plot/conspiracy in the second half also wasn’t as interesting to me, but the plot twists continued to be excellent. I loved the ending of every episode, it was so darn good how all of them were like “wtf?!?!?!” and that really shows how good the writing is. But in part due to timey wimey shenanigans there were a few plot points and revelations that happened more than once, and they do lose emotional impact and it weirdly feels like you’re wasting time because you’re essentially watching the same scene again. Plus there’s this MacGuffin that everyone is after in the second half and that takes a while to move on from. However, the second half does a great job of tying everything together and a lot of things make sense. The timey wimey stuff is handled amazingly and the “explanation” for it is actually pretty good too.
Seo Jin had some great character development and it was awesome seeing him change throughout the show. Ae Ri... I’m so sorry, sweetie, it’s not your fault, it’s the writer’s fault. Han Ae Ri spent 25% of her time crying about her mom. The times where I had to suspend my disbelief the most were with Ae Ri’s actions; she continually made stupid choices like investigating dangerous things by herself when she knows it’s dangerous! Argh. I still like her, but it was frustrating at times. Basically her actions felt like they were plot devices, which is lazy writing. The other characters were pretty good, and I enjoyed Ae Ri’s friends in particular. It was great seeing them all team up. Oh and I loooooove the original villains of the show, 10/10. I won’t elaborate because they’re related to plot twists.
Despite the fact that I just complained a lot about it, I think this show is really excellent and I would 100% recommend it to anyone who liked Signal, Tunnel, or any crime/thriller fan. So while there are some things I wish were better, I have trouble holding that against this show because it was just so good.
Was this review helpful to you?
Incredibly Well Written Show
This drama is more plot focused that character focused, and in terms of plot focused dramas, this has to be one of the most tightly, well written plots I have had the pleasure of watching. The story moves along, characters behave believably, neither the bad guys nor good guys act like idiots, information is shared, and when it isn't, the rationales for it not being shared make sense. All in all, this show's plot deserves being taught in any script-writing or show-running classes.The acting is good all around - again, this show is plot focused, so to an extent you don't expect tour de force performances, but the plot would not move as well if the acting was poor, and thankfully everyone is up to the job in the cast.
All the technical aspects of the show are very good, though the soundtrack, while doing its job, is forgettable. IN terms of re-watch value, the quality of the writing deserves to be savored, but at the same time, a lot of the charm comes in the mysteries unfolding, and once you watch the show, obviously that special thrill is gone. That said, everyone should watch this at least once.
Was this review helpful to you?
Signal met God's Gift: 14 Days vibes
It's was so good to have Shin Sung Rok back on screen. I remember falling hard for him as Gi Tae Ung in Vagabond. It's also lovely to see Lee Se Young again. I've enjoyed everything she's put out so far and look forward to seeing what she brings to this time-crossing drama, and, of course, Nam Gyu Ri (I fell in love with her in Heartless City) as well. I have to say I already like the setup, directing, and actors so far. The story gives me vibes of Signal meshed into God's Gift: 14 Days. I enjoyed both dramas, Signal, most of all, so this had me quite excited.Kairos is masterful in the build-up of its storyline, the characters, and the suspense within it. The correlation and unison between the past and the present in Ae-Ri and Seo Jin, respectively, as events unfold is beyond stellar. It makes one believe and feel his hopelessness and her apprehension—the darkness engulfing him and the lightness in hers—truly brilliant scriptwriting, directing and editing, and of course, acting—just top-notch. And Shin Sung Rok is beyond astounding in how he beautifully portrays his role as the frantic Kim Seo Jin, expressing desperateness, anger, regret, and hope all at the same time. Add to that; Lee Se Young is phenomenal in her role as Ae-Ri. Without exception, all the actors are great at their respective roles. I especially appreciate how clear and precise the transition between present and past. Easily this is one of the best of 2020.
Never judge a book by its cover; I've heard that said a million times, and it's so true. A drama's rating is in no way a reflection of its mastery. And this one perfected if not excelled at its storytelling and a time-crossing one at that. Saying Shin Sung Rok (Seo Jin) was just good as both his past and present self in his role as Kim Seo Jin is to minimize how exceptional his performance was in this drama. His ability to convey the anguish, pain, grief, and joy in all timelines places him with the best actors, if not in the forefront.
The saying no man is an island is so befitting of the Kairos cast because regardless of how good Shin Sung Rok is, he wouldn't have excelled without the stellar cast leading and supporting him in this fine work of fiction; among the best I've seen. Kudos to Lee Se Young (Han Ae Ri), Ah Bo Hyun (Seo Do Gyun), Nam Gyu Ri (Kang Hyun Chae), Kang Seung Yoon (Im Geon Wook), Jo Dong In (Lee Taek Kyu), Hwang Jung Min (Kwak Song Ja, AR's mom), Shin Goo (the Chairman), and the rest of the action and production team each for their role in keeping us engaged, intrigued and invested-- outstanding performances all around. Nothing about this drama was done halfheartedly or compromised to compensate one timeline over the other. On the contrary, the scriptwriting and storytelling remained intelligent and straightforward to the end. Adding to its greatness was the precise and impeccable directing and editing– all the kdrama star gods must have aligned perfectly to make this one of the best, right there with Stranger, Signal, and Money Flower.
My favorite moments of the drama were the times' Ae Ri and Seo Jin of both past and present entrusted their lives to each other. The level of belief they developed from those one-minute phone calls but more so how the writer and director depicted those moments will stay with me for a long time to come. Their interactions reminded me of Cindy Lauper's song time after time "if you're lost, you can look, and you'll find me time after time. If you fall, I will catch you; I will be waiting. Time after time". Kairos has proven time and time again why it deserves to be one of the best of 2020. I love a drama with a message, and my takeaway from this amazingly done drama is that no evil deed will go unpunished; any evil act done by man to man will be righted if not by man, then by time not now, then certainly later. As said before, you will lose what you value, so treasure it while you can. I love the simple ending. This is one drama I highly recommend; you will not be disappointed.
Was this review helpful to you?
Thrilling experience!
It started with a bang! literally, its 1st episode was amazing that hooked me to watch even I don't usually prefer ongoing dramas. So it had a great starting with a satisfactory ending. The story is a bit complicated you will take to time to understand what is happening but then it will be a thrill to watch.It has a lot of twists and turns every episode ends with a cliffhanger, I was dumbfounded by some unexpected twists. The story is a bit complicated with great details I mean you get every answer of what you are curious about, so it doesn't have many plotholes. It's a thriller, action-suspense drama which totally follows genre thrill. The acting is amazing I cried in the very first episode that much you can feel characters' emotions, it's like you will love characters or hate them.
If you want to try something different sci-fi then it's a must-watch it's a great experience although it was kind of draggy in the middle I think it was necessary for the story. I gave re-watch value fewer ratings cause I think suspense mystery dramas are not for re-watching.
I like the fact it has a satisfactory ending but if you are looking for romance you won't found it here. Totally worth watching!!
Was this review helpful to you?
The best thriller drama you’ll ever see!
Well... this drama was never on my Plan to Watch list, and I don’t really know much about it. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the news somewhere about Shin Sung Rok, Lee Se Young and Ahn Bo Hyun as casts in a new drama, but I’ve never really pay attention to it, never was I interested in watching this drama. But then, after watching Lawless Lawyer that is light, predictable and maybe had a little too much romance in it, I decided to watch something heavier. Something that could blow my mind away. Something like Kairos.I stumbled upon this title as I was searching through the tags, which I forgot what tag was it. And... the reviews were all great! So I decided to give it a watch. Dang... the first episode LITERALLY blew my mind away. Have I ever seen something so intriguing like this? No. Have I ever seen a drama that introduced their conflicts as fast as this drama did? No. Am I loving this drama? Yes yes yes.
I think out of all the dramas I’ve watched, only both seasons of Secret Forest would be suitable if compared with Kairos. I rated both seasons of Secret Forest a 10, only because I haven’t seen Kairos. Kairos is truly truly an underrated gem, if Secret Forest deserves a 10, this deserves an 11! In Secret Forest, we can’t really feel the connection between characters since the main character, Hwang Si Mok, can’t really show any feelings. But here on Kairos, you’ll see beautiful relationships: starting from the friendship of the trio (Han Ae Ri, Im Geon Wook, Park Soo Jung), a mother-daughter relationship (Han Ae Ri and her mom), father-daughter relationship (Kim Seo Jin and Kim Da Bin) and just the teamwork between the main leads (Kim Seo Jin and Han Ae Ri). Most thriller dramas would often focus on solving the mystery, take revenge on the antagonists, some may part ways in the end showing that they have fully move on from the conflicting days. But this drama focuses more about cherishing every moments with their loved ones, and to mainly educate viewers to never regret anything going on in their lives.
There are times when we feel like going back to the past to fix some moments we regret. But apparently it’s not the best option. We see here in Kairos that connecting with the past didn’t solve any of their problems, but complicates them more.
The acting here in this drama, could be summed up to 1 word: EXTRAORDINARY. This drama could make you tear up then boil up in only split seconds. That’s how GOOD the acting really is. My first time watching Shin Sung Rok, Lee Se Young, Ahn Bo Hyun, Kang Seung Yoon, Nam Gyu Ri (and actually many more) as “important” / main characters and I’m astonished by their acting!
The storyline was written perfectly in my opinion. There weren’t any plotholes, no confusing storyline eventhough it’s mainly about time travel which could be very confusing at times. I must admit that some parts of the episode somewhere in the middle could be a little unentertaining, but the writers managed to make a super duper cool plot twist in each ending of the episode, making the viewers more curious about what’s coming next. Never have I seen plot twists as much and as beautiful as the plot twists in this one. The producers and the screenwriters did an awesome job with this drama!
The cinematography was TOP NOTCH. They took every scene with the percect angle, the editing made it even more awesome. So beautiful.
Overall, a 10/10, an 15/10 if I could. Kudos to every staff and each of the casts! You all ACED this drama! Truly an excellent drama to start my 2021. Let’s meet again if I’ll ever rewatch! ♥️
Was this review helpful to you?
Kairos-When the past and future collide,The present changes-Entertaining Roller coaster ride
Kairos is a Greek word meaning “Right Time” an “opportune moment”, and the plot of the drama exactly revolves around this moment,which is exactly for one minute at 10.33 pm connecting two people one month apart in time over a phone call,Meet Kim Seo Jin and Han Ae Ri suffering tragic events in their time,SeoJin in the future and Aeri in past this one minute phone call every day allows them to interact and later co-ordinate and work together to change their misfortunes,while doing this they discover the deeper problems in their life which go beyond the tragedy that have stuck them.A drama involving non linear timeline can be tricky as viewers are smart enough to pick up the loopholes,unanswered questions and lousy writing,but kairos did a overall good job to surpass many of these traps and curses.many points while watching this drama one will encounter such questions and loose ends, but they are mostly answered and closed later on..Patience is the KEY here.
The story is strong and well done, though not completely unique, The cinematography ,sound track are captivating and will keep you hooked.(A special mention to “Can you Hear me” - Kang Seung Yoon Heartening track)The editing is good ,but could be confusing sometimes.Also some scenes might require repeat viewings to actually understand better as to whats going on.
The other strongest point of the drama is the acting and the characters. One is able to feel the pain of the main leads and despise some characters.Also all the main and secondary leads of the drama show character development,especially KSJ, played wonderfully by Shin Sung Rok,who shows his pain,anger,disgust,love and sadness amazingly all by his small movements in facial expressions .Lee Se Young shows her range and maturity in the role,with her small frame and beautiful face she conveys most intricate emotions. Ahn Bo Hyun , Nam Gyu Ri,Kang Seung Yoon all did well in their roles.The small kid Dabin was really cute and acted well.
The drawbacks I think was some scenes involving Han Aeri’s mother could have been avoided her motivations became a bit illogical and messy, I would have preferred more interaction between the leads instead of that.Also the police seems to be mostly clueless most of the time ,I think that a K drama trope, but that could be avoided.
Kairos is undoubtedly one of the best dramas of 2020.It is a silent killer I am sure it will gain more following as time goes on a more people discover it. Definitively a must watch!
Was this review helpful to you?
Pure thriller
OVERALLThis drama handles suspense very well and can easily be binged in a few days. Watch if you like thrilling, sensational plots, with a fast pace and lots of action. If you are looking for well-developed characters, character growth or romance, skip.
THE STORY
I binged the first ten episodes of Kairos in two days (with some fast-forwarding, but still). The fantasy aspect of the plot, and trying to save lives across temporal lines, are the two things that keep you on the edge of your seat, wanting more. Another is the production. Episode opening sequences are great at setting the pace and the suspense, and the use of sound and camera angles is very impressive in some scenes too.
That being said, from the very first episode, I was not able to get emotionally invested in this drama, and as episodes went by, it just got worse - until I eventually just skipped episodes 11 to 15, and went straight to the finale. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that there is not enough character development. Kairos doesn't make you feel attached to the main leads. The action starts too fast, without giving you time to get to know the leads well, and it never slows down enough to give you the chance later on. Strangely, I liked the antagonists more than the leads. I didn't root for them but I liked how they were more fleshed out and had more individual character. The main leads felt like empty shells. Another negative thing I can mention about the drama is the few plot holes here and there. They're not major, but some happen relatively early on and keep on popping up in your mind as you're watching (eg. why didn't this happen instead?), distracting you. I have to say, the drama isn't bad. It's just very action-focused. For anyone who requires more than thriller and suspense, you may be disappointed.
THE ACTING
Quite good, I would say. I don't think I was blown out of my mind, but there is a lot of crying and intense emotions in Kairos, and the actors deliver. No need to talk about chemistry or anything here, since relationships are underdeveloped.
THE MUSIC
I liked the use of sounds and OST in this drama. It's very deliberate and works well with the plot. Nothing I would listen to now that the drama is over, but still.
REWATCH VALUE
Very low. There is nothing about Kairos that will make me feel like watching it again.
Was this review helpful to you?
KAIROS the best k-drama I've ever seen
Now I'm not being biased as I didn't know any of the cast until this drama eventhough I'm obsessed with kdramas. This is not your regular k-drama, there are no words to explain like I'm literally crying finally get the platform to talk about how much I adore this drama.Hear me out, the writer, the casts (main and supporting) , the plot, the storyline, the everything....there's no slip at all, and they say nothing is perfect but I think Kairos is perfect, at least a 99.9% perfection. MBC please don't let Kairos end like this, put it on Netflix and see how much you'll bank from this. I've never given a drama this high ratings for my past 6 yrs of k-drama obsession. I'm giving it a 10
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best time bending Kdramas
Loved this drama! This is one of the better tightly written Korean drama about bending time. The episodes were tense and fast paced and will keep at the edge of your seats. The time bending rules were mostly consistent all through out the show. If there were any plotholes these were very trivial. I may not like every character's decisions, esp Aeri's mom but it was understandable. Terrific acting from the entire cast! They were so good, esp Shin Seung Rok and Lee Se Young. I loved their team work and how they were able to beat the odds and find out the truth. The ending was satisfying, as the show was able to wrap their stories neatly except for 2 people, i wanted their ending to be different, but it was still fine. Definitely should be in everyone's watch list!Was this review helpful to you?
it's not that good
I had lots of expectations going into this drama due to the good reviews it got but I was disappointed . Though the plot is well thought out, the execution of it was kind of plain and boring. There is not a single likable character except maybe the FL. It was a bit predictable. The main flaw of the series is that the two time travelers does not have any harmony and trust between them for most of the series which becomes annoying and makes you lose interest in the drama soon whereas in dramas like Signal which kind of has a similar concept to this drama , the two leads at first does have their doubts but soon into the series they believe one and other which was satisfying further pushed the plot into the focus rather than the leads insecurities . The sub characters were irritating and got on my nerve. The twist upon twist concept got boring quickly and the main leads were kind of dumb which was frustrating. The drama overall was a bit interesting but I lost interest in the middle and I had force myself to watch till the end hoping that it gets better. This is just my opinion and if it does not appease you just ignore it and move on.Was this review helpful to you?
