This review may contain spoilers
A Time Called You - A Perfect Blend of Anticipation and Intrigue
"A Time Called You" is a compelling drama that has captured the hearts of viewers with its intriguing plot, well-constructed time loop, and outstanding performances. From the very beginning, this series masterfully builds anticipation and excitement, leaving audiences eagerly awaiting each new episode.One of the standout features of "A Time Called You" is its brilliantly constructed plot. The way the story unfolds, threading the concept of a time loop in a logical and coherent manner, is truly impressive. Unlike many time-loop narratives, which can sometimes leave viewers scratching their heads, this drama carefully navigates the complexities of time travel, making sure that every twist and turn falls into place. The sense of anticipation is skillfully maintained throughout the series, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, eager to see what happens next.
One of the remarkable aspects of "A Time Called You" is its open ending. While many viewers tend to dislike open endings, in this case, it feels like the most fitting conclusion. A neatly wrapped-up ending might have felt overdone and robbed the series of its unique charm. The open ending leaves room for interpretation, discussion, and imagination, inviting viewers to ponder the possibilities and come to their own conclusions. It's a bold move that pays off exceptionally well in this context.
The acting in the series is nothing short of amazing. Even though you may not have seen the male main actors in previous dramas, their performances in "A Time Called You" are truly praiseworthy. Jeon Yeo Been, known for her role in "Vincenzo," has also surprised viewers with her exceptional acting skills in this drama. Her portrayal of her character has a depth and authenticity that captivates the audience. It's a testament to her growth as an actress and her ability to bring her characters to life in a compelling way.
In conclusion, "A Time Called You" is a must-watch drama of 2023 that successfully weaves an intricate plot, keeps you eagerly awaiting each new development, and showcases exceptional acting. The open ending, rather than being a disappointment, is the perfect choice for this story, leaving you with a sense of wonder and contemplation. This drama is a testament to the creativity and talent of its creators, and it's a journey well worth taking for any drama enthusiast.
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Fabulous
Sep 2023First off; whenever a story has been successfully told once and is then remade, those who LOVED the original shouldn't watch other versions... they'll never compete. Those willing to watch as a drama in its own right, view on. After all, if subsequent productions are only to be carbon copies of an original, what's the point? So, moving on...
I watched this over 2 days and absolutely loved it.
Time travel, fantasy, mystery and a well thought out, gripping story, will make me putty in that drama's hands!
I read a lot of stories where the central theme is often transmigration (souls awakening in another body, which can be years apart from the last life).
This drama is a mix of that and time travel; the latter not being an easy subject to write well, mainly because it can be easy to lose the thread when trying to end the story. I've watched a few dramas where the plot's gone askew, but not this time!
However, this drama does need concentration and watching very closely. It isn't one to have on whilst doing something else and the FFWD button should be taped over. So much can happen in different scenarios, where subtle repetition of words and actions are actually so important.
It can be a little odd in feel, to start with, until the way the story is presented becomes familiar and comfortable ~ but please bear with it, as it really does make sense and come together.
Time can alter at each scene change and initially that threw me. I watched ep 1 & 2 twice! It was worth it though, as I quickly learned the difference in the characters that shared faces.
It is a complicated, but fascinating plot, full of intrigue, questions, frustration and very gripping. It is also so romantic, in the best way; a true love story, yet not at all saccharine. There's wit, angst and tragedy as well.
The cast were bloody perfect ~ all of them.
However, I have to credit Jeon Yeo-been, as how she was able to play 2 characters that looked identical, and managed to portray their totally different personalities, so that they became identifiable as 2 different people, was SO good!
Ahn Hyo-seop was the same ~ he, in effect, played 3 (almost 4 ~ one much more briefly), different roles and, again, brought a noticeable difference to each.
All the characters were such an interesting mix, the story, whilst complicated, did make sense and what an ending! I was so surprised by the whole thing.
The consequences that love has on characters who are so desperate to be together, they're willing to move through lifetimes, is such a surprise and also comes with a couple of shocks.
The soundtrack is mostly great (there was some instrumental background music I wasn't keen on). The main song that repeats through and is an important part of the story, has a sad background though.
The artist is Seo Ji-won, who tragically took his own life in 1996, just over a month before his 20th birthday, due to the pressures of having had such a successful debut album. I loved the songs and learning what I did from Googling the artist, felt the tracks chosen were made even more poignant.
I loved almost every second of this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Butterfly effect
This show gives a warning about suicide at the beginning but it happens in ep 11, and ep 12 is about what happened if Min-ju never committed suicide.The difference between sad and happy ending is shown to make us all think about how we treat people in our lives.
One person's act affected so many lives around her, and yet she though of herself to be so insignificant ....
She wasn't a bad person without any hope for redemption. No. She was just an emotional teenager that nobody understood and cared about.
The time travel, the search for the love lost in time ....all of that wouldn't have happened if someone was there for Kwon Min-ju to help her overcome a difficult time in her life...
This story is teaching us that every single life and person is precious, no matter how strange that person seems. We should care about the weak and shy and withdrawn persons not because we pity on them, but because they are human, just like us and try to accept, understand and include them.
Also, it is teaching persons who are like that to not overthink, not to try too hard to be accepted and to seek for help and support in people around them. Min-ju just couldn't see that people like that are already around her.
The story is showing us that Si-heon became a friend of In-gyu. Without that friendship he would have probably become to be the same as Min-ju.
Anyway...this drama is great and I hope it leaves everyone thinking about persons they meet in their lifetime as well as themselves.
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Inferior than SOOD but still worth a watch
I was so excited when they announced this adaptation of Someday or One day because I truly loved the OG.I kept asking myself if I hadn't loved SOOD so much, would I have watched this? Sadly, the answer is no. This didn't hook me from the first episode like SOOD did. ATCY muted the grief that future girl felt when she lost her fiancee which was what got me. The OST for time travel also wasn't as memorable. The leads didn't feel like high school students. The homeless man look of old Nam Siyeon was unnecessary. Still, I am glad they didn't ruin the story.
If you just want to watch something to pass the time or just know the story, I would still recommend this. But for a rewatch, I would still return to the OG.
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This review may contain spoilers
The ending made me infuriated.
This show was a 10/10 for me until somewhere in episode 11 or 12, then something just totally derailed in the story. The acting for this show was amazing and het main characters have amazing chemistry. Everything was smooth sailing and the story was on its way to become one of, if not my favorite kdrama of all time. I really liked the main song used in the series, maybe because I have not heard Last Dance of Wu Bai before. I have not watched the original, so I do not know if the story ends exactly the same, however the ending just feels rushed, like the writers didn't know how to continue the story, and therefore magically fix some stuff, and leave everything unexplained.Now for the explanation about what I disliked, Warning spoilers ahead!!!
For me it all went wrong when Kwon Min Ju started taking over, and left Han Jun hee in her head. Don't get me wrong I am all for some character development for Kwon Min Ju, as it felt kinda unfair that Jun hee got everything that Min Ju wanted. However the way it was handled was poor at best. At first she is really stubborn, but when Jun Hee takes over again, she is like allright maybe I do not want to kill myself, because suddenly Jun Hee "understood her". Instead of this ending I would have liked if there were more time travel attempts, instead of the final one were Jun hee suddenly gets back in 1998 right at the moment of the accident after praying to the lord that is Nam Si Heon. They should have realised Jung In Gyu was the answer for Min Ju's sadness and attempted to get them together, like Si Heon tried from the very start before the time travel interference. However in the current storyline this is not possible as everyone is dead and only Jun Hee can do something, but she can only watch. Maybe they should have had Si Heon time travel again to Jun Hee instead of the random prayer bullshit at the end, and somehow fix it. I am not opposed to them finally destroying the tape. But the reunion in the new timeline also is underwhelming. All the memories are gone, but somehow they just feel that they belong together. I get it they averted the crisis and got their happy ending, but come on at least give some subtle hints. Show the new timeline where Min Ju, In Gyu, Jun Hee and Si Heon are all happy and maybe even friends. What has happened to Oh Chan Yeong, is he in jail like he should be, or is he out there killing other people? What about the uncle, did he become a barista? The final episode had all those little problems which made the conclusion not counteract all the suspense and sadness we went through to get there. Sorry if this is more like a rant, but I just had such high hopes, and the end was an enormous let down.
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Ignore the noise, this is a solid remake that honours the beloved original
With a story as unique as this one, making it feel as fresh and original the second time is challenging. The element of suspense and surprise is gone, along with the initial magic of discovery. Any remake of Someday or One Day is already at a disadvantage right from the start; making comparisons somehow feels a bit unfair. Given this context, I thought this remake did an admirable job honouring the original material, while introducing the story to an entirely new audience.I watched the original Taiwanese series shortly after it aired and the nostalgia and haunting beauty of what happened to our protagonists lingered with me long after the series ended. At the same time, enough time had passed that the twists and turns were a bit hazy. Watching this remake felt like I was taking the journey again -- somewhat familiar, but with different friends to make the experience fresh. There were some elements I liked better in the original and some I liked better in the remake. (I thought they did a slightly better job "explaining" the time travel element in the remake than the original, for example. (I didn't have to draw a diagram this time!))
I wasn't overly familiar with the casts in both productions, but thought they all did a fantastic job bringing everyone to life; if anything, I found myself warming up to the characters more quickly than I did while watching the original. Ahn Hyo Seop and Jeon Yeo Been both did a wonderful job portraying Nam Si Heon and Han Jun Hee/Kwon Min Ju at different ages, stages, and experiences in life.
The music in A Time Called You is perhaps the main element that fell short for me, but this isn't necessarily the show's fault -- just something that sometimes can't be helped when watching international dramas. I am not familiar with older Korean songs and don't really understand the language, so there was a certain nostalgia, mood and emotional connection that was ever-present in Someday or One Day through its music that was somehow missing for me here. At the same time, the Korean version's more polished feel may have also contributed to these missing elements too. There is a certain roughness that comes with nostalgia, because it is a feeling rather than something clear and tangible.
Another factor that unfortunately affected my experience with A Time Called Love was the somewhat toxic discussion comparing the two productions. I started watching the early episodes without thinking too much about the original and came into the comments section to express my enjoyment for the remake, only to find a lot of silly and infantile behaviour. Instead of helping people discover the joys and magic of the original through this adaption, i'm sure it turned people off instead, which is a real shame. I started thinking too much about the original while watching the remake, which made the experience less immersive and consequently less emotional, unfortunately.
If you are unsure whether this is worth watching because of all the criticisms coming from fans of the original, I would definitely still give this a chance, especially if you are new to the story. You'll be able to enjoy it without being coloured by the original. I also encourage you to watch the Taiwanese version too. If you end up liking the original more, at least you were able to still enjoy this one too without the comparison. Those who feel Someday or One Day is significantly better do make a valid point, however: that it's better to experience such a complex story at its best first, especially given the tension, build-up, and plot twists in the final episodes. (Either way, I would still try to give some time between watching the two versions so the details have faded a bit!) I would be curious to see whether some of the magic and excitement is inevitably lost when watching a retelling of the same story, regardless of the order.
Final verdict: I really enjoyed both versions and thought the casting was very good here. For various reasons, however -- and many not exactly the fault of the production -- there was a certain nostalgic and emotional connection missing for me when I watched the Korean version. Overall, still a solid remake.
(Slightly spoilery) lingering questions/thoughts:
* Based on the timeline, I didn't think Jun Hee stayed around long enough to be putting up Christmas decorations at the record store. Was this a continuity error or did I overlook something?
* Are we to assume the real person died in the 2007 car accident when NSH transmigrated into their body, since they don't seem to have any memories of the other person?
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Passable
Jeon Yeo Been is an amazing actress, the switch between Min Ju and Ju Hee is amazing so much so that I was able to recognize which character she was just by her eyes. Ahn Hyo Seop was good especially in Episode 11.overall story is meh, but the characters are good ( sometimes). The first 2 episodes are snoozefest, it gets better in the middle but starts going down when they start explaining their time travel mechanics, as there are numerous plot holes and a bunch of unnecessary stuff. Still the ending message was good alingwith the final plot twist.
Ok watch. Don't really recommend it. Watch it if you're a fan of Jeon Yeo Been.
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I found this drama to be quite enjoyable. It is definitely not perfect, but still fantastic watch.
-Story
I personally have a fascination with dramas that explore time travel, so it was interesting to me right off the bat. Some people seem to find multiple and interconnecting timelines/characters confusing, I usually do not though so I was able to follow along well. There were one or two moments that through me off, but I was able figure it out pretty quickly. If you do struggle with keeping track of things though then you will find the drama confusing, luckily if you read in the comments there are some nice people who have outlined the timelines for you! I do think that everything made sense though (for the most part) and they were able to tie things up pretty nicely, unlike many other dramas out there. The first few eps were definitely the best, but the rest of the drama still held my interest. The mystery portion was done relatively well all though not as exciting as it could have been.
-Cast, chemistry, and romance
Some people in the comments and reviews seem to be questioning these to a great extent, but I disagree. I think the cast did a wonderful job and I was definitely able to feel that the fl was playing two different people. Her acting is a little off in moments but overall she still was successful in her portrayals. I also disagree that there wasn't chemistry between the leads or that the romance fell flat, I did not feel that at all. The building of the romance was pretty well done especially the portion when they were in college.
-Other
The cinematography was very picturesque, and the setting/sets were also well done, this drama is definitely very visually appealing. I personally liked the songs and OST and did not find fault in it, if you did not see the OG drama this will not bother you like it does some in the comments. Overall, I think you will enjoy this drama if you are able to keep up with everything and try to think from the characters POV in regard to their actions and motivations.
One also needs to understand that many here in the comments and reviews are not objective since they have seen the OG which they have a developed a strong attachment too so it is natural that they will be overly critical of the remake - which is of course going to differ from the OG. These people are looking to find fault with the remake from the get-go, so they are not going to look at this work with fresh and open eyes. Those who watched the OG are also not going to be as impacted by the revelations and plot developments since they already know what is to happen. If you are going into it without the OG as a refence you will most likely enjoy it as I have.
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Parallel Realities: A Roller Coaster Ride of confusion and intrigue in K-Drama Land
As a devoted fan of both K-Dramas and C-Dramas, I couldn't be happier that Netflix released all the episodes at once. The idea of enduring suspense, cliffhangers, and plot twists on a weekly basis? No, thank you!Watching this drama evoked memories of my four years in undergrad, studying Electronics & Communication engineering. Despite the intense coursework, I found myself in the same boat—struggling to differentiate between a diode and a transistor. Similarly, with this show, I couldn't resist watching, thoroughly enjoyed it, and can see myself revisiting it. However, did I entirely grasp every nuance? Maybe not...
Having not seen the original Taiwanese version, I embarked on this journey with fresh eyes. The narrative and pacing gripped me, though I must admit, I felt a bit like a lost puppy during those time jumps. I greatly appreciated the inclusion of the year, though it did get a tad convoluted at times.
The actors and their performances were a true highlight. Many a time, I found myself doing a double take, questioning if it was indeed the same actor playing the various roles. I even had to consult the cast list for confirmation. The character development was a joy to witness, and some of the portrayals were deliciously diabolic.
Impatience got the best of me, prompting a leap from Episode 7 to Episodes 11-12. I simply had to know if it culminated in a happy ending, so watching the show is the only way to find out. I did eventually come back and watch Ep8-12...
For me, this mirrors the experience of watching the film "Inception." It didn't fully click on the first or second viewing, requiring multiple watches to grasp the intricacies. It's earned a spot on my permanent watch list.
Lastly, this drama is akin to a mind-bending roller coaster ride. I can't determine if it's due to my non-native Korean proficiency or if the plot is genuinely a labyrinth for my humble brain to navigate.
Note: This review is written by me, edited by ChatGPT for readability.
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This review may contain spoilers
Time Travel
I never saw the original version several people have discussed. I do however enjoy time travel dramas. This one was too much for me. Especially the part when the women were discussing rectifying the originals personality problems. The whole person in a room thing I didn’t care for. Since they were actually two different people why couldn’t she show up as herself. He was time traveling to the future. Rowoon showing up as a gay man was the best part. I can’t believe you guy’s haven’t discussed him. It was a nice break from the whole time travel thing. One other thing, why would she cut her throat and jump out of a window. She is committing Suicide not committing murder.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Time Travel fast track to understand the meaning of the Time Travel Loop Fantasy Drama.
A Time Called You ⚡️⚡️Spoilers⚡️⚡️The whole crux of this drama pivots around this little girl who played video games with the high schooler Nam Si-heon. Her importance was not clarified in the Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ .
With respects the Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’, maybe I could help some fully understand the ending.
The Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ did not explain the importance of this little girl. It was left out of the drama. ‘A Time Called You’ is a remake of the Chinese Drama ‘Someday or One Day’. It is explained in the Chinese version who this little girl is at the very end, in a simple flashback. I even missed her importance until the end too. While some may have caught it, I sense that because this is a complicated drama, most persons probably missed that this little girl is the pivotal force of the whole drama. Who is she? Let’s get the background first.
The storyline revolves around two people in this drama Universe who have doppelgängers who exist in the same timeline. We meet Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) and Koo Yeon-jun (Ahn Hyo-seop), who are lovers. He dies. She misses him so much she wills herself to travel back in time to where she thinks that he is alive.
When Han Jun-hee travels back in time, she inhabits/shares someone else’s body, the body of her older doppelgänger, high schooler Kwon Min-ju. Han Jun-hee’s mystery is “Why does Nam Si-heon (The doppelgänger of her love Koo Yeon-jun) look like Koo Yeon-jun, her lover who dies?”
Han Jun-hee/Kwon Min-ju, Nam Si-heon/Koo Yeon-jun, Jung In-gyu
The Mystery
This is a double time travel!!! In the actual timeline, Kwon Min-ju dies. The actual teenager/adult (Nam Si-heon), misses the future Han Jun-hee. He met and fell in love with her when she inhabited/shared the body of Kwon Min-ju before Kwon Min-ju’s death. After the death of Kwon Min-ju, teenager/adult Nam Si-heon wills himself to travel in time to be with Han Jun-hee in the future, using that music tape and cassette player. However, he does so through his doppelgänger Koo Yeon-jun, a younger gay man who dies in a car crash. Nam Si-heon starts this journey when he inadvertently travels to his doppelgänger in the future and decides to become him after the death of Koo Yeon-jun. Nam Si-heon inserts himself into the timeline of Koo Yeon-jun. Nam Si-heon/ Koo Yeon-jun is the one who gives Han Jun-hee the means to travel back in time to the past. It is through the music tape and cassette player he used to travel to the future. It is Nam Si-heon/ Koo Yeon-jun who starts this time travel loop, to try to fix time so that he and Han Jun-hee can be together, as time keeps turning in on itself or looping.
Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ and Chinese Drama ‘Someday or One Day’ .
Who is who? Who are the players?
Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) is 6/7 years younger than her doppelgänger high schooler Kwon Min-ju. They both grew up in the same town.
Koo Yeon-jun (Ahn Hyo-seop) is 6/7 years younger than his doppelgänger, the high schooler Nam Si-heon. He does not live in the same town as Nam Si-heon. Koo Yeon-jun is the gay man who dies in a car crash. As he traveled through time, Nam Si-heon takes over the identity of Koo Yeon-jun.
Kwon Min-ju (Jeon Yeo-been) is the doppelgänger of Han Jun-hee and is 6/7 years older than Han Jun-hee. She is the one who loves Nam Si-heon, but Nam Si-heon is not attracted to her. The best friend of Nam Si-heon, Jung In-gyu, is in love with Kwon Min-ju.
Nam Si-heon (Ahn Hyo-seop) is the high schooler in the past and the doppelgänger of the younger Koo Yeon-jun. He encounters Han Jun-hee when she travels back in time and inhabits/shares the body and life of high schooler Kwon Min-ju.
Jung In-gyu (Kang Hoon) is the best friend of high schooler Nam Si-heon. To explain why Jung In-gyu confessed to the murder of Kwon Min-ju, this was because of his love for her. Kwon Min-ju wanted to die at the hands of a killer, because she felt that her pathetic life would be glorified in the news if she died this way. She asked Jung In-gyu to kill her, but he would not. She ended up committing suicide. He took the blame, because while he could not kill her he could give her a glorified death by being her “killer”, instead of her just committing suicide.
The Killer Oh Chan-yeong (Min Jin-woong) is 6/7 years younger than his brother, and is the younger brother of the classmate of Kwon Min-ju and Nam Si-heon. In the future, he steals the time-travel cassette. When he goes back in time (In the form of his brother) to kill Kwon Min-ju for fun, he is thwarted by the Police before he can kill Kwon Min-ju. He successfully kills her in the first original timeline.
Who is the little girl who played video games with high schooler Nam Si-heon?
Nam Si-heon finds out who the little girl is in the future. They were always destined to meet in the past, no matter through what timeline. That timeline was not disturbed be all the future fixes. If there were no interferences in the future, these two had met already, and in the Chinese version the little girl told high schooler Nam Si-heon that he was her future husband. These two fixed the most important part of the timeline, getting rid of the killer. Both knew to avoid that fated plane flight which crashed. The Universe was righted, making way for their eternal love.
Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ 9.0/10 and Chinese Drama ‘Someday or One Day’ 10/10.
+
She is Han Jun-hee. The little girl tells Nam Si-heon to remember her name the next time they meet. How could you leave this explanation/clarification out of the drama? Koreans most likely caught that the little girl was Han Jun-hee. Americans are too busy reading subtitles, trying to keep everything straight. The simple Chinese drama flashback was all it would have taken for clarification.
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male lead only reason to watch
So first things first, I haven't watched the original drama....I've read quite a few reviews of how the remake doesn't to justice to the original but I personally really liked it.....Tbh I only watched this because Someday Or One Day had amazing reviews and well because of ahn hyo seop...
So the story line is amazing and the way they've portrayed and executed everything was the cherry on top....
It made me feel a whirlwind of emotions and the acting was really great (tbh I'm not really a fan of the FL but she did a really great job here)
So for me this was a pretty satisfactory drama in terms of all aspects and it did check most of the boxes for me...
The only complain i have is that they should've showed how all the characters ended up in their lives......Now we don't really know what happened to min ju or if in gyu and min ju's ship ever sailed.....
Probably a great watch if u haven't watched the original...
P.S.: Did not know rowoon and hyo seop together was something i was missing out on TvT
P.S.P.S.: Newjeans slayed their ost..... such a beautiful songggg
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