See You Again (2022)

I probably won't see it agin but it was very nice to see...

This is a drama worthy of it's name showing the fear and struggle with the questions:
Will I see you again, did I see you again, do I actually want to see you again... Will the Yellow umbrella insure that I see you again...

As most of the characters are very lovable and fun to watch there are those that truly do make you wonder if you want to see them, on screen off screen in the past or in the present... The one character that is annoying na oddly/poorly written is probably the villain, which is kind of a drag and does drag down the score of this otherwise pretty good drama.

Hu Yi Tians performance here was lovely, even though he has a lot of lines he does seem to keep his mysterious cold side giving me a lot of gif material of him drinking coffee, drinking liquor, drinking boba,,, with a lollipop in his mouth, smiling...

The female lead is also pretty decent fun, a bit naive at times but no too naive, creative, bubbly... a person that can stand on her own even if she is poor. Showing us a drama where the writers both seem to have met a woman or two and actually seem to like them... All very lovely indeed.

The side characters (except for one of the villains), do their part well, they show great friendship (but not the annoying type) are a first for the eye, and though some scenes do come off as a bit stupid they do seem to make up for it as it goes a long... That said I do think they could have cut this one down to 24 episodes if they tried, as some parts just felt meeh or unnecessary, that said I do think they did a pretty decent job showing fear, toxic obsession, the difference between love and obsession, the difference between healthy fear and complete panic in fear of loosing some one as well as how that fear can paralyse a person... Not always fun to watch but well shown.

There is also some kind of boy that cried wold feel to it, as they do seem to put the audience to the test of how many times can a person disappear, the other panic and then show up again before the audience gives up and wished the male lead gone... (sorry).

There were several times where I wonder how the *** are they going to wrap this up, and without giving away anything I am willing to say they actually did a decent job with the last episodes, giving us an ending that almost makes sense... As much as a love story between a dude in the 30s and 2018 can make sense,


Also the umbrellas, clothes and cinematography in this was off the charts gorgeous... a bit to much slow mo... but oh so pretty
Deffientely a drama that was fun to watch, not a masterpiece and far from perfect but gif friendly and a joy for the eye...

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fantasy drama

I was really enjoying it through episodes 14. Then it seemed to get off track then back on track. I have just finished watching the whole series. It was good but a little disappointing. I loved most episodes although it did seem to stutter and start it. It was interesting to see where the story went. Although this is promoted as a time travel story I wondered if it was a ghost story or reincarnation story? It's wasn't clear until episode 30. Although they were talking about black holes so in my mind it was probably time travel however: there were 4 occurrences that left a person wondering. 1. Xiang Qin Yu arrives in the future having been shot then later at the hospital the blood and the wound disappears. 2. The newspaper article about Xiang Qin Yu disappears on the bus. 3. Xiang Qin Yu goes back to the past and can only observe events happening before he's whisked back to the present. (Maybe in the end if it winds up being a ghost story the writers will say that it was his energy that was transported. It could be similar to what happened to the ghost in Chicago Typewriter where he lost cohesion and had to go live in the story until he could regain his essence because he used up too much of his essence helping the ML and Fl of the TV show). 4. Xiang Qin Yu 's hand fades out in the dressing room and then comes back? Hmm what is going on there? I know the answer but I won't spoil it for others who haven't finished the series. I will just say it's complicated.

The FL and ML have good chemistry. I love historical fiction and time travel.
Some things I liked about the series were:
1.The humor- For the most part the humor was good until it started having forced comedic moments .
2, The mysteries- I liked that there was mysteries to be solved in the past and the present.
3, The romance I liked the romance but I think it could have been better. It had touching moments ,although I have to say a fake wedding night? What were the writers thinking. The wedding night could have been tender and touching instead it turned into a forced comedic moment.
4. The drama- Keep the tissues handy. It had some very touching moments.
5. Past and present story lines- I loved having the story progress in the past and the present. .Alot of times there is a brief time spent in one time period then most of the time is spent in main time period. This was good it went back and forth between the past and the present. It added depth to the story seeing things that happened in past and present beyond the initial setup.

I had great hopes for it. I spent time I should have been sleeping watching it. I generally don't watch tv shows that are more than 20 episodes but the premise looked really good so I started watching it. I loved episodes 1-6 then the story started to bog down with forced humor. But with episode 14 it seemed to be back on track. I think it would have been better as a 20 episode TV show. I will say that it had potential unfulfilled but it was surprising where the story went and how the two time lines were tied together. I have downgraded my rating from a 9.5 to an 7.5. I won't write too much spoilers. But I have to shake my head and say "WHAT THE HECK WERE THEY THINKING " for episodes 29 and 30. A fake wedding night? and the direction it took for ending the series, I probably won't re watch it. If I do I will pick and choose my episodes. To me t it was an unsatisfactory ending but then I like definite happy endings not a vague open ending.

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a new fav drama, my ending theory!

SOOOO, I watched this and after that tearjerker ending and reading all the comments and reviews here, this is my ending explained (again, my opinion)

So basically it’s all string theory (what Jin Ayin supposed and subsequently explained to Xiang Qinyu on ep. 1 or 2?) Thanks to the thunderstorm/electric storm, 1936 and 2018 timelines met (each of them an end of the string) Chi Yu was basically the reincarnation/doppelgänger of Xiang Qinyu and as time travel theories say, specially the grandfather paradox, you cannot travel back in time and meet your grandfather without altering your current timeline. Or basically every time travel changes some major or minor details on the present timeline. That’s why Chi Yu is basically swallowed by the sea/riverbank until Xiang Qinyu goes back to his era.

Both timelines did happen, 1936 and 2018 and Xiang Qinyu’s goodbye in 2018 created (my opinion) a new 2018 (basically ep.30 “current timeline”) why? Because, while Jin Ayin felt it had all been a dream (in new 2018), for Xiang back in 1936, it was real, it actually happened. He never died in 1936, he time travelled to (now old 2018) and went back (when he woke up).

The current timeline or what I call, new 2018: I read most of the comments and while I do agree with some and it’s quite possible 2018’s timeline was entirely a dream, (again open ending, we don’t really know what happened), I’m not so convinced. Why? Because, back in 1936 when Xiang met Jin Zi, he knew straightaway she was not his Jin Ayin. Xiang fell in love with Jin Ayin. If 2018 had been a dream, he could’ve shown interest in getting to know Jin Zi since Ayin was basically her reincarnation and both shared way too many personality traits. But he didn’t.

The whole TaoTao-A’Zhe/brother-sister thing? Again, while I do agree with some comments saying there was no beef between these three reincarnations on “current timeline” because Xiang sorted out everything after 2018 in 1936… I agree at a certain level but at the same time, my conclusion is 2018 timeline did exist but was erased as a consequence of Xiang’s time travel back to 1936 ergo creating a new 2018 and here’s why:

First, in my opinion, it would be rather cliché if Jin Ayin could have dreamt EVERYTHING. If girlie had been comatose or sick like TaoTao or Chi Yu maybe, but it’s not plausible since Xiang was bedridden and wakes up back in 1936 with every single one of his 2018 memories intact.

Second, Jin Ayin seems to be dazed. Her life and the people’s roles on it are radically different yet she has all this memories (of now an old 2018), of a life she basically forgot, she doesn’t even know if it was real or not, hence her sadness.

Third and the hypothesis behind this crazy theory of mine, the train scene.

So after I cried my eyes out, basically here’s the string theory on its splendour. This train is basically the string (imagine a string, and the train as its centre) 1936- and new 2018 timelines met, that’s why we can see them talking, holding hands and Xiang eventually vanishes. Roughly, this is what string’s theory is about, two timelines (past/present) meet.

1936’s and old 2018’s are new 2018’s past.

Ayin’s thinks she’s dreamed this encounter too until she faces Xiang’s poster in the store with his autograph and orange lamp drawing on it (remember Xiang’s words while signing it “She will see it”) Everything he did on his return to 1936 led to this moment, his tie pin, old film, his disappearance from the limelight, Brother child/old actor…

The string theory is basically done. History changed, the past is in the past. That’s were Jin Ayin realises that old 2018 happened but its coalition with Xiang’s 1936’s to and fro time travel, created her current timeline, new 2018. It was not a dream, something that kinda resonates with her dialogue “the story is over, but the people in the story are still there”

Fourth, Chi Yu wakes up in the hospital and Brother child/old actor (sorry, I forgot his name) tells it all, back in his childhood, Xiang told him what happened because he knew he was going to eventually reincarnate in Chi Yu (kinda Grandpa paradox since they’re not biologically related and why Chi Yu basically vanished of the earth until he jumped back to his era)

And finally, when Jin Ayin hears someone calling out her name and she turns back, crying and smiling, just as Xiang said he would do before he vanished and went back to 1936, it’s Chi Yu knowing he’s the reincarnation of Xiang (with both 1936+ old 2018 memories combined)

While it would have been romantic if it had been Xiang’s comeback, remember how he vanished on the train. Sadly, on this new 2018/present, he is gone. He’s history already ergo reincarnated in Chi Yu.

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A Great Yet Slightly Disappointing Love Story

I get it. I really do. I under what the creators were thinking when writing this and giving it such an ending. My problem with this drama has nothing to do with the acting, production, visual effects, or music. My problem fully revolves around the ending . This is mostly because I watch dramas to escape from reality which tends to not always be filled with bright and colorful moments. While I found this drama to be highly enjoyable, watching the leads fall in love with each other in this so unique way. However I must be honest and say that it was really dissatisfying to see everything that was built over the course of the first 29 episodes in that last episode as the leads just come to accept their predicament and become satisfied with knowing that their love was real.

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Maybe it's time for the two main characters to play new characters

Even though I didn't watch the detail whole thing, I appreciate the storyline. Actually the script is very good, filled with a little suspense, comedy, love wrapped well. Appreciation to the authors and scriptwriters. Some say that this drama is BE, some say HE, it all depends on the audience's own judgment. Of course, the younger audience will feel very disappointed, because it doesn't meet their expectations. However, those who are more mature know that reality cannot be changed. The glorious life of the past belongs to the past, so the present belongs to the present, the future belongs to the future. In fact, they cannot coexist... only memories are stored as long as memories are fresh... as long as the heart still wants to keep them. Conclusion ENJOY TODAY THAT IS WITH YOU, THANKFUL, because tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next year... no one knows... all the secrets of the universe... divine secrets.

There's no problem with HYT's acting, it's just that the scripts he chose after Go Go Squit 2 in particular, made him... as if 'luck', 'society/viewers' were not on his side. They prefer other stories/dramas/actors to fill their spare time.

So this drama lacks audience. The insistent audience is mostly just their loyal fans with young teenagers, under 25 years old who are satisfied with seeing the "CP" (which next year will not be allowed by the goverment), also handsome or beautiful face of their favorite actor. (As we know followers on weibo HYT 20 million, YC 10 million + all support roles 15-20 million)

This year HYT will be 29 years old, almost all of his dramas contain love, and love, hugs, and more hugs, and kisses, again and again... (except checkmate).
The question is, have the demands, expectations of "them" (netizens) on the actor changed? It was as if they were "bored" and wanted, demanding something fresh, completely different from the ones he had played so far. If that's the case... hopefully HYT will notice it soon, consider it, and make the right decision...

As an example we see, actor WYB younger than him, has penetrated into heavy dramas such as Luoyang and Being A Hero, even actress XF, HYT's previous co-star, both of her dramas are also currently aired too got higher rating, because the characters she played this time was different.

Seeing his latest drama which is also about love, which has just been wrapped, is "worrying". Since June 2021, until now his 5 dramas have not had a satisfactory rating... there was a time I think his war dramas and detectives would be 'explode' in society... but... irony... lost to DW dramas which contained fantasy stories..., and Ode to Joy 3 all from IQIYI.

Once more, hopefully HYT realizes as soon as possible for his future career. As a Capricorn man, who is ambitious, of course this is the time he starts to feel 'depressed'. Even though there is actually no problem with his acting skill. Hopefully he will be more selective, dare to choose roles that are fresh, authoritative, without love, kisses and hugs.
Just hope... see you in your next drama....

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DISAPPOINTING DRAMA!!

This drama had so much potential but it fell so short.
Backstory- the male lead Hu yi Tian is a famous actor back in the day. He is filming a movie when he gets shot by a real gun. This transports him to the modern times. In the modern times there is also the same male lead but with a different name. Older day male lead's soul goes into the modern day. He gets adjusted to the new world and at the same time try to figure out what happens.

Romance: no chemistry at all, really stiff. I dont find the connection. Maybe because Hu Yi tian has such a stiff face? The leads interaction has no fluff at.

Story line development is horrible, they are never offically together! and at ep 22 they still are barely uncovering the mastermind/evil characters background/identity. The development is wayy toooo slow.

Sighs... had the potential to do so much more.....The female lead's character is honestly kinda boring. She is a scriptwriter, who is kinda of a nobody.She is kinda childish and naive. She doesnt have any wow factor

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GREAT DRAMA WITH SUPERB ACTORS AND NICE ACTING

THIS DRAMA IS SOOOOOOOOO UNDERRATED AND PLEASE WATCH THIS DRAMA.

Advantages:

- Cast is superb, simply superb that can't imagine other actors in place of them.
- Direction; Storyline - Brilliant, Of Course, it slow paced but republican era could have been a slow paced one, we were not born at that time so nobody is to judge (just watch it as a drama and if you like understand what the era was like)
- Good Content, Good level of suspense, Good Dressing.
- Support actors were great that each one can act in individual script.

Disadvantages:

- Like mentioned before, it's a bit slow-paced(not for me, but in general I would term it as that way) but the slow-paced helps to understand the storyline and make us involved with the story.
- Ending was tooooooo disappointing but definitely a worth watch

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When I heard about the pair (Hu Yi Tian & Chen Yu Qi) quite curious but expect nothing. In the end I really glad I decided to watch this. Hu Yi Tian once more make me happy with his choice of drama, where he not only pick one typical drama or charcter. Here I also can see his Martial Art a bit & that's not disappointing at all.

My heart fall apart together with Jin A Yin (A Yin), especially in the last few ep. But that last few ep I also really want to slap A Yin to wake up & be strong... Because what to happen will happen and you know even from the beginning, so just wake up!!!!! But yeah I can understand her. If that's me, probably will do the same with her & if I were her best friend we will gonna cry together. Haha...

Xiang Qin Yu (QY) is one of the smartest man in the time travel history. He is so quick to adapt to his situation & not confusing for too long (or maybe at all) if I can say... Haha. Maybe you can say this one of the minus or plus of the plot.

I really like that at the end of every ep they give us cartoon picture of the last scene of that ep & for most there're extra sweet moment. And the chemistry between Hu Yi Tian & Chen Yu Qi not disappointing, I quite like it.

What I don't too like is why they didn't give A Yin a friend to share shoulder. Like the best friend that she can rely after QY go, so simply she just not alone.... & kinda disappointing in the end they're not reunite A Yin & QY again, even with QY as an old man, how beautiful if that's our ending.

And actually the last ep where everything seem back to the beginning quite frustating too... Why must they make it like reset...? Why not just continuing...? Why make it like dream & the reality quite different from what we watch that whole time...?

Overall this one good drama to watch. Quite different concept from usual time travel story...

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It's a dubious drama. The script doesn't deserve more than 3 or 4, but the performances deserve a huge 10. The plot is creative, but the gaps left in the course of the drama compromise the work, as it became just a bunch of 'whys'. It is possible to laugh in the comic scenes and even cry in a few dramatic scenes.
The direction carried the drama smoothly and did not end in a hasty way, but the script had many holes and poorly explained situations. The photography is good and the scenes are well edited, there are no big mistakes in the editing.
The cast is very good and the performances are quite convincing. Wang De Shun's presence brings a special glow, there were few scenes, but he is a master in the art of acting. It's the first time I've seen actress Chen Yu Qi work in a non-wuxia/xinxia drama and I really enjoyed her acting. Hu Yi Tian always composes his characters in a captivating way, having a slender body, the action scenes were quite beautiful.
The soundtrack is pleasant, scenography and costumes adequate.
This drama is worth it just for the excellent work of the actors as the plot is quite disappointing.

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Once Upon Time Long Ago Today

Story: It seems to jump all over the place, but there's a reason for it. Misdirection. Follow both stories from the past and the future. Pay attention to the character connections including possible links to the past. The characters are well constructed in the end and have the right amount of backstory to justify their place in the story.

Acting: The FL is often annoying but the ML's performance allowed me to ignore her when she bothered me. The acting overall is good. HYT is amazing at juggling his characters and straddling times.

Music: I love the OST. I added the ending credits song to my playlist.

Rewatch value: Unless I forget how it ends, I couldn't watch it again. However, I could watch it in parts to look for glitches.

Favorite quote from the end of episodes: "Life has given me many opportunities to make a fool of myself. I have taken all of them."

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