My Perfect Stranger (2023)

who is the CULPRIT !!??

After watching episode 12 I'm pretty sure that the main lead's FATHER is the culprit.

In this episode, we find out the female lead's nightmare. Her parents will lead a very happy life, but she can't find the male lead. Looks like the main lead will be disappeared. That happens if the male lead was died or he was never born. If the main lead's father is the culprit, then he will be arrested . This is how the main lead will never born. Besides this logic I found a wierd fillngs about his father. He looks very suspicious.

If this happens then it will be a Sad ending.🥹🥹

I know my English is not so good, but I think it's quite understable.

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Every little detail is meaningful

I will never again watch an on-air Murder Mystery Drama weekly, the suspense almost killed me. This is one of the best Murder Mysteries I have ever seen though, so no complaints.

My Perfect Stranger lives in the comfortable space between a high-octane crime thriller and a vivid 80's time travel melodrama. The fact that both main leads want to change not only the course of their own life but the ones of their close ones and go back in time to do so makes every single scene, conversation, even a mere gesture loaded with meaning. There is a lot of healing involved with a little romance on the back-burner. It is sometimes laugh out loud funny, often tragic, but always touching.

The story is also one of the most complicated murder mysteries with even so much detail and so many moving pieces that when all is said and done many questions are left unanswered. That doesn't substract anything from the final picture, if anything it adds a layer of intrigue and might benefit the rewatch value.

Episode 1.9 - the young Hee Sub hobbling, intercut with the elder Hee Sub hobbling - simply shattered me. Yu Sub with the watch, Hae Joon carrying him (one of the best unintentionally gay moments ever), the father-daughter-dynamic moved me the most. What a chance to be there as a witness, how you suddenly see someone close to you in a completely different light, and to be able to change circumstances, such a dark yet powerful moment.

In the end the healing aspect comes full circle and becomes self care - make your own life better. Tell the ones that need to know. Small adjustments can mean a world of difference.

Phenomenal Drama.

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GREAT GREAT THRILLER !

I had a bit of to get into the story (1-2 episodes) but gets very catchy afterwards. Lots of suspense to follow the reasoning towards the culprit. But we don't really know anything until the end.

⊕ Great actors, well done story.
⊕ The production is almost perfect, with clues and flashbacks at the right time.

⊝ My only regret: the romance is implicit, but there is no kiss or skinship! The CL holds hands 3 times throughout the series, not too demonstrative for 35-year-old characters!
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J'ai eu n peu de mal à entrer dans l'histoire (1-2 épisodes) mais devient très accrocheur ensuite.
Beaucoup de suspense pour suivre le raisonnement vers le/la coupable. Mais on ne sait rien vraiment avant la fin.

+ Excellents acteurs, histoire bien menée.
+ La réalisation est quasi parfaite, avec les indices et les flash-back au bon moment.
- Seul regret : la romance est implicite, mais il n'y a ni kiss ni skinship ! Le CL se tient 3 fois la main dans toute la série, pas trop démonstratif pour des personnages de 35 ans !

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A well rounded drama of many genres

The whole concept of this drama is something that I find very interesting. Weirdly enough I have never came across a time travel drama, but now I want to watch a whole lot more of them.

I think that the title has more to do with Yoon Young’s character and her mother Soon Ae. I watched multiple trailers but love the direction the story is going so far as I didn’t see it coming.

I think that it will either switch up genres or mix them up. It isn’t as far into the thriller genre as I thought it would be, but that isn’t a bad thing at all. I like the focus that Young’s character has for the beginning and think it’s necessary. I am interested in how the mother and daughter duo will befriend eachother.. and I really really love how Yoon Young is trying to rectify her relationship with her mother.

I am in love with this drama being set in the 80’s. I love the concept entirely and hope it doesn’t wear itself out. I enjoyed all of the Back to the Future movies, which are so similar to this story so far that I can’t help but bring it up. This drama is very different, but in terms of befriending the parental figures it is the same. With this drama I like how Yoon Young despises her father, her reasons are justified. The short phone call with him in episode one cleared up enough as to why their relationship isn’t the best. He is so different younger (the actor for her young father is adorable).. and you can sort of see how he’d end up the way he did. The characters of the mother, father, daughter are so good- present and past they align perfectly to write out this story.

The one thing I fear for is tying in the serial killer plot. Right now Hae Joon is having almost a completely different story compared to his female lead counterpart. I’m not expecting anything bad though. There is 16 episodes so that will be more than enough time. Hopefully the right amount of things are going on so it won’t be too boring or too much of a mess.

Hae Joon and Yoon Young I’m assuming are going to get together only because of the promo material. Although now I have no idea how that will happen.. again not a bad thing. It is really good that I’m so interested so far.

The feel of this drama is great, and the 80’s settings feels fresh to me. I love the outfits, the songs that go with the time period. I also think that Hae Joon’s character as a teacher makes sense- this drama just makes sense so far. Time travel aside, I think the motivations match up for everyone and it’s started in the right direction.

I believe that Hae Joon will grow to think more about others, right now his motivation is to find the killer because the killer killed him in the future. So I believe that he will realize he can stop the killer entirely with Yoon Young giving him perspective. The writing on her character is so well done by the way. Just watch it honestly.

This drama could be really good if it keeps up what it is doing. It has good cliffhangers, clean scenes, great acting, setting, characters, etc.

Also the young parents are adorable and their relationship is cute to see unfold.. also sad at the same time when I think about the future… but it could be changed…

I honestly think this drama is underrated and a lot better than the dramas airing at the same time this one is. It is constantly interesting to watch and it mixes its dramas very well without seeming like a mess.

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A draggy journey to find the truth.

This drama indeed took it's own sweet time to reveal the truth. 16 episodes drama often will do that to you. The main leads went back in time to 1987 from 2021. One came intentionally and one came accidentally but later found their purpose on staying there interconnected with each other.

Actually , I never plan to watch this one. I started on this only because I was curious about that 8.6 rating.

So here is my thoughts after finishing this one. To me, MPS was a slow paced mystery , thriller drama. Going further with the story, though the plot building up little by little ,it never once hit the mark for me. I like my mystery thriller drama fast paced and get my adrenaline pumping most of the times but unfortunately MPS was'nt it.

Like most drama with unsolved crime,incompetent cops is a must here. I was curious about the killer but it was not the kind of curiousity that make me unable to sleep at night after finishing an episode. I got my sleep at night just fine. I think if I watch this while it's still airing maybe I would have dropped it at episode 8. So... this was one of those mystery drama that until near the end of the story, makes the viewer as clueless as our both leads were in finding the real killer .There were suspicious people until there were not. And that moment when they finally revealed who it is, I was like "Okay.. Totally not expecting that.." We don't have anything to convince us because remember, lack of hints given earlier . So when they showed us the reason of why he did what he did , it was underwhelming tbh.

The cinematography was amazing though. I liked how colorful 80-an looks here and many beautiful sceneries to sooth your eyes .

So to conclude, if you like your mystery drama slow paced rich of life lessons with a sprinkle of inexplainable fantasy this drama might be for you.

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Watch for the characters

As a lover of all things time travel, I was very interested in this drama right off the bat. It did, however, take me quite a few episodes to get into the swing of things.

Something about the drama seemed choppy throughout it, whether it was vague dialogue, plot explanations, or the editing of scenes. Even as the show progressed, it felt like there were constant loose ends. For example, it started out with three suspects — something that seemed very pivotal to the story — but they were quickly ruled out, whereas I think we should've done a deep dive into each character to see how they were involved and why.

Still, I think the best part of this drama is the characters. I loved seeing the FL's friendship with her younger mother Soon-Ae, the FL's frenemiship with her younger father Hee-sub, Soon-Ae and Hee-sub's budding romance, Soon-Ae's relationship with her sister, and most of all, Go Mi-sook — who I know is an antagonist but is just so intriguing of a character.

I also want to note that the romance in this drama is very subtle and not at all a big part of the plot; if you're watching for the romance, you might not enjoy this, but in my opinion it actually made the show better; we were able to see them as partners-in-crime who communicated and supported each other, instead of being treated to all the romance cliches that dramaland loves to throw at us. We get family as a bigger theme, and it's great.

In the end, this is a pretty character-driven show, and yet I feel like the FL was quite underutilized. She almost feels more like a support character in the second half of the show, whereas the male lead seems to take the reins on the mystery.

Overall, I did enjoy this one, and while it has the mystery vibes down, I feel like the plot wasn't quite fleshed out. The characters are worth watching though.

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Heartwarming drama with perfect ending

Watch this drama as i like KDW as ML and never see JKJ drama but fall in love with yoon young character. She soo lovely and haejun such a green flag.

This drama teach us that our parents had their own obstacles in their life become we enter their life. I really like the scene when yoon young learn about her father and how struggle his father during youth. Scene when soonae and heesub is hospital is also good as they become each other support during their most difficult time.

How came this drama become so good with thriller and light romance. This drama show that skinship and kissing not necessary if the chemistry already blowing. Haejun and yoon young love story is good and made my heart flutter. They just smile at each other and we as viewer melt with them.

This drama become my best drama in 2023.

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A well-rounded Family-focused story with murder mystery and time-traveling as the backdrop

Watching “My Perfect Stranger” was an impulsive decision as I needed something different that could be interesting. Upon seeing good reviews, I figured I’ll give it a shot. Mystery, crime investigation and time-traveling are usually NOT my go-to genres, so I am coming in as a casual novice. Romance is my jam. My review is very subjective and might differ from more experienced watchers of these genres.

I am happy to report that I had a very lovely time watching this drama. With the backdrop of time-traveling and crime solving, “My Perfect Stranger” actually has a strong focus on family - discovering, forgiving, healing, reuniting and reconciling. The pace of the drama is consistent and I can’t help but click on the next episode and binge this in less than 3 days.

Our leads were introduced to us as two individuals coming from sad, broken family backgrounds. Through their adventures in 1987, they were able to learn more about their families' pasts and came head-to-head with people that have a negative impact on their present-day lives.

Yoon Hae Joon (ML) and Bae Yoon Young (FL) are both intelligent and kind individuals. They met as strangers but their individual secrets collided and had to work together to solve the murder mystery and save their families. Both leads are very likable characters and it’s easy to root for them. Actually, most of the characters are lovely. The annoying ‘villains’ are not that bad.

There are many heartwarming moments between Yoon Young (FL) and her mother Lee Soon Ae in 1987. It’s nice to see their blossoming friendship. Yoon Young also has quite an interesting and fun dynamic with her 1987 father. The drama does bring out different emotions in me - happy, sad, and touching. However, compared to other dramas I’ve watched, the emotional ups and downs are only on an average level. Maybe that’s why I didn’t give this a 9.0 rating. Just missing that strong emotional impact for me personally.

The suspense of the murderer is done quite well. At least from my very novice mind, I had a hard time guessing who the real murderer was. It really comes down to the wire by the process of elimination in a way (and I still couldn't guess it right). Smarter and more experienced viewers probably could guess it sooner. There are minor plot holes that I think are hard to avoid when you are telling a story about time-traveling. But I don’t think there’s anything too jarring.

There is slight romance for the romance junkies like me. I would say the romance is just enough for this type of drama - a side plot that’s quite predictable. It’s nice, but nothing special. I actually find the romantic chemistry between the leads quite inconsistent. I am not sure if it’s because Kim Dong Wook looks more mature than Jin Ki Joo (and her playing a fake high school student might contribute to my impression of her as well). But in real life, they only have a 5-year age gap. I am not feeling much romantic vibes from Kim Dong Wook. The pair seems more like siblings or good friends. I do enjoy some of the quiet moments they have together, and some fun banter. I like the love confession and think it’s a very lovely way of expressing one’s feelings in the grand scheme of things. It’s just something is missing in the romance department.

However, I did think the acting for both leads is great. I am particularly impressed with Jin Ki Joo. The last drama I saw of hers was “The Secret Life of My Secretary” and I liked her in that as well. She has picked a variety of different roles in her career. She has great sad scenes but also shines in the fun ones, especially with her 1987 father. Kim Dong Wook is a veteran and his acting meets my expectations (sans romantic vibes). The supporting cast also did a pretty good job.

Overall, I recommend this drama to everyone, especially casual crime/mystery watchers like myself. It has a little bit of everything and is a well-rounded drama. But if you want something more intense and nerve-wrecking, then this might not be a good choice.

Completed: 6/25/2023 - Review #321

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Back To The Future meets Tunnel

I start watching anything that has time travel tag. Start, mind you, not necessarily finish though! So of course I had to see this!

Year 2022: Yoon Young is an unhappy person. Her parents are a mess and she's bullied at work. One day she argues with her mother and later that evening she discovers she had been murdered. Sad and full of regrets, she wonders around and ends up in an freak car accident which takes her to 1987. There is a serial killer creating mayhem in the peaceful village and with the driver of the car, they have to stop him.

One episode was enough to see that the plot lifts heavily from both the movie and the drama. They mixed the two plots and frankly it works rather well. The plot manages to remain logical, because it stays mainly in the past so we really do not know if the repercussions on the future are more than cosmetic as it was shown in the last episode. Butterfly effect was not their priority. But characters' original unhappy and miserable lives were changed for the better. Most of plot points and characters were very predictable/cliché so I was a bit wary of the outcome. They managed to surprise me a little bit. Some of those plot points (plagiarism) were solved in a blink-and-you-miss-it rapid way.

The romance is not romancing very much though: apparently they fall in love and live happily ever after but their actions are not very obvious. They never touch each other's hands before the last minutes of the last episode. Zero kisses! Don't get me wrong, I do not need kisses and stuff in romance but this kind of restraint is so anti-climatic. The romance does not really change their characters which are emotionally stunted. It reminded me very much of Summer Strike: same kind of story without time travel!

The drama is a very very slow slow-burn mystery. I love slow burn dramas. But this one is on another level: so much so it took me over a week to go through the first half. I kept falling asleep. I almost dropped it because I was annoyed by the tropes and the predictability. But it got better in the second half. The plot was often very interesting and gripping but there are many many very long scene between the main leads, standing facing each other, five meters apart and talking with the speed of a snail (it felt like one word a minute).
Those scenes were rather pretty! Well done for the cinematography: fields, water, moonlit scenery. It was pretty to watch. The sets and costumes for 1987 were spot on. The hair was awful. It brought back some unpleasant memories! LOL

I have to congratulate the casting director: they managed to cast actors who look so much alike to play the same character in different time periods. It was uncanny! Of the rest, Kim Dong Woo was his usual self. I guess he is typecast always playing these stoic, cold, taciturn characters, men of few words. Well, if the shoe fits....Lee Ji Hyun, the actress playing Yoon YOung's mother in 2021 looks like a grandmother and she is the only miscast!

Time travel is notoriously difficult to write but they did it here masterfully. It is a good albeit a slow watch.

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A decent mystery plot and family reconciliations

My Perfect Stranger is a well-grounded story told in a comfortable pace, the twist is unexpected but the reason for the twist is not so convincing. I appreciate that they tied all the loose ends in the end, no suspense in disbelief.

But for me it's really forgettable. I'm not thinking about it when I'm watching it because somehow it's not so exciting, so I didn't feel hooked to keep watching. i completely forget about it once I finished it. I don't buy the chemistry of the leads, and I wish they become good comrade.

I think it's a show worth to watch on the side of watching other shows, especially if you enjoy following a decent mystery plot and family reconciliations. But mind you that it has unexpectedly a lot of physical and verbal violence.

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A perfect drama from start to finish!

I am going to divide the review in parts for ease of reading:
**TIME TRAVEL** - The major element of the drama is time travel, the drama handled it pretty well despite it being a complicated storyline, at the end of the drama I still have questions about it but they don't affect the outcome in any way. Everything made sense at the end.

**SUSPENSE/MYSTERY** - This is my favorite element of the drama, with each and every episode, the end kept me in suspense and the reveal of the murderer was rather unexpected, not gonna spoil though ;)
If you love suspense dramas, this is a must watch for sure!

**RELATIONSHIPS/ROMANCE** - The romance between ML and FL is very subtle and slow-burn romance. There are other couple in the drama though, the young versions of FL's parents have very cute interactions between them. I also loved the bickering of FL and younger version of FL's father. Coming to other bonds in the drama, some are heart felting and some are toxic. It has a very well rounded emotion to it.

My rewatch value for it is low as its a mystery drama, and the suspense is no longer suspense after you complete watching the drama.
Fl's acting was a bit awkward for me but overall the cast. The music, and the story were perfect.
This is my first time writing a review for a drama, and that should tell you how good this drama is :)
If you about to watch it then All the best and Happy watching!

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