Kayosai
The present is a gift
Oh my god, swooooooon! I have come to realize that a show just needs to have the poem "The Visitor" by Jeong Hyeonjong (정현종) for me to love it. Kidding — but I did almost fall out of my chair when I heard that opening line, "Having someone walk into your life is an incredible thing..." towards the end of this show. It was one of my favourite parts of my favourite drama of all time (Because This Is My First Life), so what were the odds that it'd be used in this drama too? In fact, Tomorrow With You technically used it first, although both shows aired in 2017. I guess writers were really in their feels about living for the present at the time, with acknowledgement of the relationship between past, present, and future. The usage in this drama was perfectly sweet and comical though.
ASIDE FROM THE POEM, let's talk about the absolute best aspect of this show: the chemistry. I'm not the biggest fan of Shin Minah, but she and Lee Je Hoon portray newlyweds PERFECTLY. The hula hoop scene is a highlight, but more than that, the love shines through in the little moments of affection, worry, and happiness. The moments they smile and laugh together over mundane things, captured on Marin's home videos, are the best of them all.
You come to love all the side characters too. Ki Doong and Seyoung; Sori and even Gun Sook; Marin's parents; coworkers like Secretary Hwang and Min Joon... these are all the people that make up a fulfilling life, aren't they? I somehow left wanting all of them to be happy. AND we have to talk about Kim Yong Jin. That guy knows how to play a villain. There are some villains out there who are irritating to watch; who make a viewing experience worse. That is not the case here. You love to hate Kim Yong Jin; you pity him; you become fascinated watching his descent into madness. The acting is what makes this show shine.
The story itself is suspenseful and interesting, but it's nothing PARTICULARLY special. I binged this show fast despite being super busy these days, so that's a testament to how good it is (or perhaps how good it is at ENDING EPISODES IN CLIFFHANGERS). I was proud to guess a "big reveal" before it happened, but it was deeply foreshadowed so I probably can't take too much credit. Speaking of foreshadowing, it is done masterfully and used as a central plot device. As the saying goes, it's all about the journey, not the destination. We learn about shocking things before they happen, and when they come to pass in "the present," we get to learn the underlying motivations. The show uses great colour-grading to distinguish between the warm, nostalgic past, the "normal" present, and the cold, eerie future. The theme of this show is to live for the present, with some hints of a deterministic worldview — sometimes, it's just someone's time. And sometimes, we can "barter with the universe" with unexpected births or deaths. However, this message got a little muddled by too many random actions that changed people's fates (both big and small).
The only thing stopping this show from being a perfect 10 was literally the last few minutes of the show — I spoiled myself on the last plot point and thought it would be exciting to watch unfold, but the execution didn't live up to the idea. Our time traveler boy also never seemed to learn his lesson; his connection to the future should've ended at the climax. Also, BABIES?! I'll stop there to prevent any spoilers. If you want to know more, you'll just have to watch the show. :)
ASIDE FROM THE POEM, let's talk about the absolute best aspect of this show: the chemistry. I'm not the biggest fan of Shin Minah, but she and Lee Je Hoon portray newlyweds PERFECTLY. The hula hoop scene is a highlight, but more than that, the love shines through in the little moments of affection, worry, and happiness. The moments they smile and laugh together over mundane things, captured on Marin's home videos, are the best of them all.
You come to love all the side characters too. Ki Doong and Seyoung; Sori and even Gun Sook; Marin's parents; coworkers like Secretary Hwang and Min Joon... these are all the people that make up a fulfilling life, aren't they? I somehow left wanting all of them to be happy. AND we have to talk about Kim Yong Jin. That guy knows how to play a villain. There are some villains out there who are irritating to watch; who make a viewing experience worse. That is not the case here. You love to hate Kim Yong Jin; you pity him; you become fascinated watching his descent into madness. The acting is what makes this show shine.
The story itself is suspenseful and interesting, but it's nothing PARTICULARLY special. I binged this show fast despite being super busy these days, so that's a testament to how good it is (or perhaps how good it is at ENDING EPISODES IN CLIFFHANGERS). I was proud to guess a "big reveal" before it happened, but it was deeply foreshadowed so I probably can't take too much credit. Speaking of foreshadowing, it is done masterfully and used as a central plot device. As the saying goes, it's all about the journey, not the destination. We learn about shocking things before they happen, and when they come to pass in "the present," we get to learn the underlying motivations. The show uses great colour-grading to distinguish between the warm, nostalgic past, the "normal" present, and the cold, eerie future. The theme of this show is to live for the present, with some hints of a deterministic worldview — sometimes, it's just someone's time. And sometimes, we can "barter with the universe" with unexpected births or deaths. However, this message got a little muddled by too many random actions that changed people's fates (both big and small).
The only thing stopping this show from being a perfect 10 was literally the last few minutes of the show — I spoiled myself on the last plot point and thought it would be exciting to watch unfold, but the execution didn't live up to the idea. Our time traveler boy also never seemed to learn his lesson; his connection to the future should've ended at the climax. Also, BABIES?! I'll stop there to prevent any spoilers. If you want to know more, you'll just have to watch the show. :)
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