This review may contain spoilers
a little rough around the edges, but so genuine!
SPOILERS--HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US WRITER-NIMS!! The ending ... was very typically bittersweet. With the reset in their memories, they do seem to have become better people separately and they did meet again so we can assume they'll get back together in the future, but I can't get over their forgotten past and memories and uhh.
OST: HUGE shoutout to this drama's OST! It really got a lot of their songs stuck in my head and the emotion of the sad songs or the romantic ones really got my feeling all the feels. For such a short drama, the OST unexpectedly blew me away.
Acting: L really surprised me with the depth of his acting here and was really the standout actor. Playing such a flawed character but also making us empathize is no easy trait. However, my only note is that the relationship sometimes felt a little awkward and cheesy, but that was mainly due to the writing, not the actors.
Story: I didn't think I'd enjoy a simple time loop story this much! I really liked the explanation of why it was happening instead of it being random, but I still didn't get how Da In wasn't dead in the reset... not that I wanted her to be but the logic didn't add up for me. Also, I still can't believe erasing their memories was the only solution like ... the whole show timeline was just gone!
But yes, the music cliches of him playing and singing a song and it being all dramatic are the best cliches, so yes I enjoyed this show.
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STORY: I really liked the plot of the drama overall. It reminded me of movies I've seen before and liked, like "Groundhog's Day," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "Your Name," but with a little more fantasy involved (and a slightly lower budget). Time-traveling stories are usually interesting, funny, and heart-wrenching, and this drama is no exception. While the summary of the plot makes it seem really cliche, it's actually not. Without giving anything away, it's not so much of a story about a guy trying to get his girlfriend back so much as it is about a guy realizing what's really important in life and trying to redeem himself and correct the mistakes he's made, even though he knows it's already too late and some things just can't be undone. However, while I gave the story a 9 because I really like the idea of it, I should add that there are some major plot-holes and some extremely poor decisions that were made on the writers' part. This drama has a lot of potential to be a great drama (better than it already is), but the plot errors really hold it back from realizing its full potential. Since it's a short drama, the writers should have spent more time focusing on character development rather than tossing in all of this unnecessary fantasy stuff towards the end that doesn't really make sense and isn't necessary for understanding/appreciating the story. The ending is also ambiguous and was poorly written/clearly not very well thought out, in my opinion, despite ending on a happy-ish note. It's a drama that's still worth watching, though, despite its flaws.
CHARACTERS/ACTING: I'm a huge fan of Kim Myung-soo (L), so I'm a little biased, but I honestly thought he did a really good job in this drama (better than he's done in earlier dramas he acted in). I enjoyed watching L's character, Yoo Tak, undergo a transformation throughout the series, and watching him and his relationship with his girlfriend, Da In, really makes you think about your own life and time and the decisions that we all make and the consequences of those decisions. Yoo Tak's personality changes drastically throughout the series, and L does a good job capturing all of the character's ups and downs and a whole range of emotions. I, however, was not super impressed with Yoon So Hee's acting. She's an okay actress--she has some pretty weak acting moments in this drama, but also some occasionally strong ones as well. She's definitely not lead actress material, though, so it would have been nice to see a better pairing for the lead actors in this drama, but their acting was still moving nonetheless. I cried a lot and felt very moved by both of their performances regardless, though. If you're an L fan, then you will not be disappointed.
MUSIC: The music is pretty good in this drama, which is always a plus. It will definitely draw you in and give you the feels. L is a great singer, and the song choice for this drama was spot-on.
REWATCH VALUE: I have already rewatched parts of this drama several times. While I probably wouldn't rewatch the whole series from beginning to end again, there are a lot of touching/heart-wrenching/heartwarming scenes in this drama that you will definitely want to rewatch.
OVERALL: Overall, this is a drama that's definitely worth watching. While it has its flaws, it's still a very touching and interesting story and it's a drama that will make you think and gives you things to reflect upon. Even though some people have a lot of negative things to say about it, don't let that dissuade you from watching it--it will be 4 hours that are well worth your time.
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My Favorite Kdrama
Ok, so I'm not that avid of a kdrama watcher. I'll watch some shows here and there but eventually get bored and stop watching. Nothing really grasps my attention. But this drama kept me glued to the television. I was able to complete the entire series in one night with a friend. "One More Time" made us feel several emotions. The characters (in their times of wittiness) made us laugh until our guts hurt, the main characters being stupid aggravated us beyond belief, and the heartbreaking points made us sob. There were many times we just had to stop the show to wipe the tears from our eyes. It was just too emotional for us at times. However, we kept moving on. We made it our mission to finish the series and that we did. Whilst slurping on ramen we finished all eight amazing episodes. “One More Time” has gone down as my favorite drama of all-time.Was this review helpful to you?
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I Wish I Liked This More
The storyline has some interesting twists and turns, and while I find most time loop stories to be versions of "Groundhog Day" trying to be really different and failing, this one was not bad in terms of plot.What ruined it for me was the casting of the FL who was a mumble-bunny martyr, which set my teeth on edge. I don't think there were many conversations between women that didn't focus on men, which is another disappointment for me. I do think the ML did a good job.
The last few episodes did a good job of explaining a very different ending plot twist, which was a nice surprise.
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This little drama was cute and heartbreaking. I swear I cried for the entirety of episodes 4-8. I loved seeing the story from both characters perspectives. I really enjoyed watching Yoo Tak's character development. It's amazing how much they were able to show in such short episodes.
The storyline was super interesting as well. I definitely wasn't expecting anything that happened. I won't say anything more so there's not spoilers. But there was no predicting this drama honestly.
What did fall a little short was L's acting. He's definitely gotten better but it was still a little hammed up. Especially in the first two episodes. I just didn't find it very believable.
I also think episode 3 dragged a little bit story wise. It almost made me drop the drama. For a drama with a very short episode length and not a lot of episodes. It felt like they were wasting times and being a little too repetitive. But episode 4 and the rest of the drama definitely made getting past that worth it.
Overall, this was a cute, quick, and heartbreaking watch with a deliciously open ended final episode.
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Interesting concept and characters
For what this show was- a very short drama that I chose randomly with no expectations- I really enjoyed it. It doesn’t really feel like a typical drama- it somehow feels more low -key and intimate to me, with characters that aren’t traditionally likable. There were times I was angry with L’s character for being such a jerk, but I still rooted for him.I was impressed with the acting of both leads, and I enjoyed the soundtrack as well. The ending would've been a bit unsatisfying with another drama- but I think it was fitting for this one. This isn’t really a drama about character development and complex storylines so much as realizing what’s important to you. Even long after watching, I still feel fond when I remember this show and its vibes and soundtrack.
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Another thing — they used a time turner as the prop?!!? As a huge Harry Potter fan, that lowkey destroyed some of the immersion for me because I kept thinking: that is NOT how the time turner works, you can only change the past if you've already changed it ?
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About the story, what can i say?! It was really confusing and i was wondering what was happening in the drama until i came around episode two and four that i could understand what was happening much better than before lol. But still, until the end this drama was really confusing. The story is not really original and i had a feeling that i had seen dramas or other shows with a really similar story lol. Even if it wasnt original it had great potential and that's the reason i really liked it and kept watching it. But i'm gonna be honest,that i think the writer failed to make the story original and it ended as just another drama of the 1M SK dramas airing every year that nobody is gonna remember.
The acting and the cast was okay but i really had high expectations for L which he covered around 50%.I dont understand why he has to play a musician for a 3rd and soon 4th time. When i was watching this drama his acting as a sweet guy reminded me when he was playing a 3minute boyfriend on SNL Korea and his acting was 90% the same...Maybe he is tired of this type of role. Who knows?! - p.s i'm sure he is, but we will see in his next drama). And let me tell you he was 75% of the reason i even started watching this drama. I hope that one day he gets a normal role as a student or maybe a killer or a doctor just something that's not close to a singer.
As for the main female Yoon So Hee. Her acting was also okay, just fine but i felt nothing and it's not really her fault but the writer who didn't do his job right. I know her from the EXO video that's a drama version of their song growl and maybe you know her from other dramas and i think she has potential.
I think even the leads were confused at some point about how they should act because of the story and i don't blame them. The supporting actors on the other hand were 10/10 because they didn't have to be confused by the complicated time stuff and that's the reasons i'm giving the acting 7.5.
Now to the music! This drama has one of the best songs a drama could have and honestly my ears felt blessed when L started signing. I think they invested so much into the music that they forgot everyting else but maybe that's for the better because now i can give them a good rating. Thank you for doing atleast this right. But if your are considering watching this drama let me warn you that there is a lot of music i honestly remember more music scenes than any of the other... just so you know if a lot of music is not your cup of tea. I myslef think they over did it with the music in a few scenes that's why i'm giving it 9.5 not 10 but maybe i will change my mind in the future and change it who knows.
As a rewatch value its good enough to rewatch it if you have nothing else to do. I would watch it again when some time passes and i dont have dramas to watch(impossible).
So should you watch it?Yes! After all you may like it more than i did and if you are a fan of L and INFINITE go ahead and watch it don't hesitate. This drama reminds me when L playd an idol in My lovely girl with Kristal of F(X) and Shut Up: Flower Boy Band which were all better than this drama and i recommend you to watch them too. Because of this i think L must be tired of playing a signer all the time atleast that's how it looks to me because his acting is not as good as it was in those two dramas. Let's wish him good luck with his next drama! Overall its a good drama with good cast but i think it could have been better if they had put some more effort into making it original. Go watch this drama yourself and see if you agree with me because my opinion may be diffirent from yours.
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The story is sweet a little bit cliche with a few minor plotholes. It suprisingly has some deeper layers in there. Sometimes the characters acted really random and there should have been a better build up, but nothing you can't look pass.
The acting was decent; Myungsoo will definitely make you fall for him and you can see he has improved.
The songs and music were good, not in your face but really fitting to the setting of the drama.
Though the last episode, which should have been an epiloge or something, totally ruined it for me. It didn't make any sense and left me confused and frustrated. So a decent cute drama except for the last episode.
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Would be a 10/10 if I didn't find certain parts a little confusing!
Wow, what a great surprise this drama was! One More Time, especially in the later few episodes, really pulls with your heart strings!! I feel like the two main stars had especially such a strong chemistry together and at parts I had to remember that they were acting, it felt so real! The story, for me anyways, did get a little confusing around episode 3 or 4 I believe, which made me lower the 'story' score, but still such a great drama! I just WISHED there was some way for a second season, but it probably doesn't need one to be fair. I also loved the fact the episode duration length was only 30 minutes, which for me is always something great to see!I will watch One More Time one more time and I also hope you watch One More Time and perhaps after that you'll watch it one more time!
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