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Refreshing (SPOILER MARKED)
I never planned on watching this drama because I thought it wouldn't be something I'd enjoy, but I was so wrong. I really didn't expect to like this drama this much.I loved Lee Se Young (Choi Woo) and Yoon Shi Yoon (Hyun Jae) in this one a lot. The first drama I watched with LSY was 'A Korean Odyssey.' Her acting was pretty great, but as she wasn't one of the main roles, she didn't stand out to me. I loved seeing her in this one. Her acting is really great, and the character she plays matches her energy. This is also the first drama I've seen YSY in. He did great! I also found this role to really match his energy. You could see that he was immersed in it.
The chemistry between both leads is amazing. I'm happy that we got an enemies-to-lovers story where the 'enemy' status doesn't go away as they fall in love. They still teased each other!
Story-wise, I'd say it was also pretty interesting. I liked the time travel concept. Without the time travel, it wouldn't have been as funny and interesting as it is. There were mysteries that needed to be solved, but the main plot was really just Hyun Jae adapting to the new life and finding a family in the trio. Some things that made me give this show an 8 instead of a 9 are the plot holes we ended up with.
SPOILER
We didn't really find out what kind of sickness Hyun Jae had and never got to see the reaction of his friends nor him getting treatment. I would have liked to see that. Also, how come the future didn't change when Hyun Jae disappeared in his time? Was there another Hyun Jae that replaced him? Also, I really wanted to know more about the backstory of certain characters, especially Choi Woo and Hyun Jae. We were told some stuff but never got to see the depths of it. What exactly happened? How did they live their lives after the hardships? Mostly, I would have liked to know more about Choi Woo. We've seen some short clips, but they were never explained well.
SPOILER END
I wanted to have answers to my questions. It really just needed 15 more minutes. Sadly, they didn't give them to us. Also, I really wanted Hyun Jae to start becoming an idol again. I can totally understand that he did not want to, but it still made me sad because I felt he was made for that role.
Anyway, let's just say that it was his choice to make and that it isn't really such a big deal.
One more thing I wanted to say is that the character development is really great for Hyun Jae. You could see the change in his demeanor, his eyes, everything. I loved how he became a better person without changing his personality. Thumbs up for that!
SUMMARIZED
This drama was really refreshing. The story and characters were all enjoyable. There were a few plot holes, but you'll live through them. Many scenes made me laugh, and I could just enjoy the feeling of an "old" drama.
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A very cute rom-com that had lots of potential.
The Best Hit/Hit The Top is a cute, romantic comedy with the twist of time travel. While I thoroughly enjoyed this drama and its cast, I do think that this drama had the potential to do better in terms of plot and character development. The synopsis sounded extremely attractive to me-- a popular 90s star time-traveling to the future to see how his 'death' and previous actions have affected others. In other reviews of this show, many noted that the first half of the show is amazing, but the latter half did not maintain the momentum. I have to agree to this because, in all honesty, even with all my biases for Yoon Si Yoon and Cha Tae Hyun, I wanted more from this one.I feel like the main plot of time-travel and discovering why he was sent to the future was somewhat on the back burner. It focused a loooot on this kinda odd love-triangle between Hyun Jae, his son, and his son's best friend. While the ending tries to say that 1993 HJ and 1994 HJ are "different" although they are the same, and both Ji-Hoon and HJ don't consider themselves to be father-son, it was still weird lol. Even though I did like Woo Seung, I think that the female lead's character should have been a bit more interesting and relevant to the story, not just being a friend of his son who happened to live with him due to circumstance. I did enjoy a lot of their moments together though, but their love felt a bit forced and unnatural at times.
Imo, the romance between Hyun Jae and Bo Hee could have brought out more substance to their respective characters, instead of the 1993 Hyun Jae not even remembering loving her at all. It felt like Bo Hee's character's main purpose was to have a son (even though the romance between her and Gwang-Jae had their moments).
Also, I do think that the romance between Ji-Hoon and Hye-Ri could have been more highlighted because they had great chemistry. I was a bit disappointed when it didn't lead any further. Another comment I saw a lot was that it lacked focus on the other characters, which I do agree with. I think that a lot of the characters could have been more interesting and focused on.
Overall, I felt like the writers could have done more with this plot line. There was many ways they could have went with this story and the time-travel aspect fell short. The whole 1994 HJ versus 1993 HJ was a bit odd as well. It was a bit confusing and felt too unrealistic, and I felt like the mystery behind his 'death' fell flat. While I enjoyed YSY a lot in this role (let's be honest in saying he rooocked that 90s hairstyle), I feel like they could have done something else with the story, especially the 'death' mystery aspect. I think that the writers tried their best to come up with a different concept in terms of time travel, but it ended up being a bit confusing and unnecessary towards the conclusion of the drama in my opinion. The ending was also a bit predictable, which is completely fine if only the lead up was more interesting.
I do think that I'd return eventually to watch this purely because of star-power and the comedy parts in the first half of the series. I do think that generally speaking, this is a good drama that had great potential; however, I wouldn't consider it spectacular. The production and visuals were amazing, but the story lacked a little something something for me to fall completely in love with it. :)
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I mean the storyline could've been more than it was. I like the concept of where the story writer was taking this. I didn't like the fact that the father of Ji Hoon fell in love with his son's long time childhood friend. I mean seriously the son's girlfriend??? It was good before it came to that episode. It turned me off! I could see if he was seeking out the secret love that he had. I mean others may think this was good... but for me... I rated it a 7 because of all the episodes before that one... I laughed a lot but was coldly turned off to it. If you watch just be prepared for it. All the actors I loved, they did their part. I did rate them a 10. Looking forward to seeing more K drama with two male leads and the actor who played MJ.
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Having said that, I mentioned things that went sideways and here are the cons:
Tone: Probably this could have stayed a total comedy of Hyun Jae trying to figure out how he ended up in modern day Seoul and all the fun that entails if it had been a 12 or 13 hour k-drama (instead of 16 hours @ 32 episodes). The drama didn't stay true to it's comedy roots and went into too much romance and some angst though I have to admit that didn't last as long as I thought it would.
Filler: Around the mid-twenty episodes (again the new 30 minute format), it seemed obvious that there was quite a bit of filler going on and this is the only skipping around a bit that I did in this drama. This was especially frustrating because I thought that a lot could have been done regarding Kim Min Jae's story. It didn't really last that long but still...
Time Travel: Some might be critical of does this make sense or work....it never does. When I'm dealing with time travel, I don't question I just watch and enjoy whether it's Faith, Queen InHyun's Man, Splash Splash Love....and the list goes on. You kinda just have to go with it because they don't seem to be taking it too seriously in this drama especially given how it works.
Pros:
It's Funny: What people think is funny is an individual thing and this just worked for me. The music video, the teddy bear head that I kept seeing throughout the drama, the hair style etc. It worked for me and when watching a bunch of angsty dramas, it's nice to have a bit of relief.
Story: I was a bit tough on the move to romance, but I will admit that it was not instalove (my pet peeve) and I liked the characters together. I thought they were sweet, and I liked how the second male lead scenario played out over the course of the drama. I think the writers, especially over the first half, really gave us a fun filled drama, but they also put in the foundation of a solid story with quite a few characters. They also didn't let their characters stagnate. People evolved, grew, changed just like it is supposed to happen in life.
Actors: All the actors were great and love that Lee Se Young plays a pretty strong gal but this is really Yoon Si Yoon's chance to show his comedy talent and he does quite well. He's solid in both the funny, the romantic, the angst. While some people weren't happy with where the story went in the second half, I really didn't hear many complaints about acting.
Characters: So, yes, this is YSY's for sure, but I credit the writer that all the side characters from the little girl, to Bo Hee, to the music partner from back in the day, to MJ, to Drill etc all were well executed. The diva singer got a little short thrift but was a pretty minor character. At the end of the drama, I felt I knew who these people were and that's a win for a writer who could have put it all on the lead actor.
Final Thoughts: So if you can be a bit forgiving about a tonal shift, make judicious use of the fast forward on some later episodes (or spend the time folding laundry...whatever works), this really is a rare drama that had me laughing out loud repeated throughout its run. It's the perfect drama to turn to after the melo that just broke your heart.
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Hyun-jae story get more and more touching through the episodes and you'll probably catch yourself laughing, smiling and crying with him.
Even though the story line does not feel completed, You should watch it If you want to have a good time ! (Sorry for my english)
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Makes you feel all the good things
This is one of those dramas where you're sad it's over, because you have to say goodbye to everyone you've grown so attached to! Yoon Shi Yoon is top notch and effortlessly charismatic, totally stealing the show as a free-spirited pop star from 1993. I cannot stress enough how funny and endearing he is. The unique and intriguing premise is bolstered by plenty of humor and heart, solid and multifaceted supporting characters, and catchy music. The story is spiced up by the time travel element while still hitting the feel-good beats from slice of life type dramas. I'll miss the rooftop friends!Was this review helpful to you?
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Nostalgic Time-Travel and Laugh-Out-Loud Moments: A Fun Ride Through '90s K-pop Drama
This drama might be polarizing, but I genuinely enjoyed it, even rewatching some of the funnier episodes. What captivates me the most is its nostalgic evocation of the '90s.The story follows Yoo Hyun Jae (Yoon Shi Yoon), a self-absorbed K-pop boyband star from the early '90s who time-travels to the present day. In this modern era, he encounters his former manager, ex-girlfriend, and, to his surprise, his future son. The series is brimming with humorous moments, as Yoon Shi Yoon masterfully portrays how a '90s star would react to today's world—interacting with smartphones or navigating automatic water taps—creating endless laugh-out-loud scenes. Additionally, I love how they recreated the vibe of a ‘90s hip hop music video. It was so authentically old-school and perfectly captured the essence of that era. I couldn't stop smiling while watching it.
Yoo Hyun Jae starts off as a self-centered character, and the drama centers on his journey of self-discovery and redemption. Expect some unlikable actions from him, but they are essential to the main theme. Some viewers have found his relationship with the main female lead, Choi Woo Seung (played by Lee Se Young), uncomfortable due to their significant age gap and the fact that she is his son's crush. However, I see no issue since Yoo Hyun Jae has time-traveled to the present. His mind and appearance are still those of someone in their 20s, and he has no knowledge or experience of fatherhood.
Some also found the character Choi Woo Seung a bit annoying and criticized Lee Se Young's portrayal. While I agree this might not be her best work, the character is intended to be a hardworking girl from a humble background, striving to achieve her goals. This is meant to create a sharp contrast with the main lead and highlight the "opposites attract" dynamic.
Lastly, there are plot holes in the storyline, but the main thing is that you need to put your logic lens away while watching this fantasy, time-slip, romcom drama. It's not a masterpiece, but it is a fun ride for me.
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Should you watch it?
The drama had some awesome opening, with stellar cast and nice music sometimes but towards the end it becomes a total absurd. A father stealing his son's crush, dating his girlfriend in front of him makes no sense. MJ drill got no satisfactory end either. And bo hoo's beginning her carrier suddenly vanished, and it was left for that absurd repeat kiss between two protagonists. MJ and Ji hoon had nothing but a total waste role. It was as if like either writer was confused or there were more than one writer for story.Was this review helpful to you?
It was okay
It was Funny in the Beginning but the Ending disappointed me so badly.Story wasn't explained Clearly, Even Writer seems confused while writing this script.
Se young, I couldn't understand her character at all. & Why she chooses Shi yoon over Min Jae was confusing.
Main leads were really annoying, their love story wasn't attractive at all. They irritated me most of the time. They should've give some focus on Min Jae, his role was good.
From comedy's vision, this drama is good. But in Last episodes main points doesn't make sense. They didn't focus on Logic at all.
I can't recommend this drama. If you like to watch Comedy then You can watch it by Turning your mind off.
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The leads had such a poor chemistry and those romantic scenes between them made me so frustrated with no depth or true romance at all.
The plot didn't make any sense after episode 15.The father sun duo was never the theme of this drama. Its a typical Messy Time travel with unwanted Romantic elements. Female lead annoyed me so much in this drama. She was super irritating.The cast was amazing !
If you just really wanted to watch a rom-com, watch a good one, not the pathetic attempt at one this drama has. So in the end, all I can recommend is maybe the first half of this drama if you are okay with leaving things hanging and just want to laugh. Other than that I cannot recommend it.
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