My Perfect Stranger (2023)

One of the most interesting Dramas in 2023

No.Let me rephrase it.
One of the most interesting premises in 2023...

Lets break it into some smaller parts.

Music:Although i finished it few minutes ago,honestly i don't remember any piece of music,melody or tune.I wasn't distracted by it but i never felt that added something to the Drama.Dull and totally forgettable.

Production was excellent.The direction always gave the right mysterious and suspenseful vibes.Great camera use, too.But what really stands out is the gorgeous,stunning and absolutely brilliant cinematography.The use of lights and shadows,the color tones,everything was such a treat!

Cast & Acting.Iam not really sure how i feel about it.I always have faith in Korean actors to deliver, so i can't say acting failed me here.But it wasn't super exciting and memorable eiher.Sometimes felt flat but not in any case bad.

Story/plot & characters:

This is not a 10.Definitely not.Is not a 9 either.Not to me.
But is a solid 8 and i will explain why.

Ok first of all i have to warn you.
If you are like me who absolutely loves psychological thrillers,heavy plot,dark and twisted story , deep, troubled and insane characters...this is not the case.If you are looking for something like this do not have your hopes high because you will be disappointed.

I started this because iam a crazy fan of Time Travel,Mystery,Serial killers and any dark story.
After finishing it(just a while ago)i can say this was the most fluffy,sweet and adorable crime/mystery/murder Drama i have ever watched.
For my taste this is not good!Lol.But i loved My Perfect Stranger,kept my interest all the way and never bored me,although it was nothing like i was expecting before i started it.

Iam aware the Time Travel type Drama is not an easy theme to create and develop a fully satisfying story.There are always plot holes,issues with the time line and all these.Iam too familiar so i can't judge it harshly.
But the story is engaging,making you dive into it really easy and fast.It is very clear why the time travel happens,why our male lead returned to the past and how the female lead got involved into this too.In other words is an easy to follow story and as ive wrote in another related review,i was too happy the time travel device was a car.(yes ofc Back to the Future huge fan here!)
I don't want to give away any spoilers.Is the kind of series you really have to go blindly into.The main question here is of course "who is the murderer"

So from episode 1 until the very late episodes the writer have you guessing and squishing your brains and making you losing your sleep on your trying to figure out who the hell done those murders!I was like this for many eps in a row.And then i tried to focus on the motive and not the actual killer.And then i gave up.Lmao.Iam too stubborn to quit but i was frustrated for not been able to solve the puzzle.And this is the main reason this drama is so good and the writer did an excellent job to make a story so interesting and enjoyable at the same time.

So why i gave an 8 instead of a perfect 10 or a great 9?
This Drama can easily be somewhere between 7 to 10 depending on what you expect,how much you like time travel series,how heavy you want the plot,if you pay attention to the details,if you love airtight stories and so many other variables.

My Perfect Stranger is the kind of drama which has an interesting story to tell.Is all about the story.Actually it has nothing to do with the characters,as all of them are here to tell and present the story itself.So the characters are the narrative tools.
And this is one of the main reasons i deducted points and gave an 8.
There is no depth or any kind of character development.They are ordinary,simple people living ordinary simple life.Yes of course our main leads are smart and brave enough to get themselves into this mess,but you know, iam sure we all are looking for that one magnificent character to instantly fall inlove with!Here i couldn't find the One!

The only one that got my attention and if i had to choose my fave, would be her,Go Mi Sook.She was evil in her way and the actress who portrayed her did an excellent job.I wish she had more screen time,though.

Iam taking about the characters but i haven't mentioned the main villain yet...No i will not reveal his/her identity,of course not.But i was disappointed by this char as i have never before with any other crime drama.Not only because he/she wasn't the psycho i wanted to see(hahaha)but mostly because the reason/motive for all the murders was such a bummer!Again i cannot say more to spoil anything,iam just justifying my rate.At the end you will be left with few unanswered questions,but is ok i guess.

All in all is a good drama.It has a bit of everything.Time travel,mystery,serial killings,heart warming family bonds,friendships and a sweet romance which doesn't overlap the story.
It wasn't what i wanted to watch when i started it but i never,not once, thought to drop it.
Go for it,it has many to offer if you like to watch something different.

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A lackluster attempt at a time travel murder mystery

The drama has an interesting idea that gets lost between multiple character arcs, loose ends, and a draggy plot. The main characters are likable, but everything else is longwinded and forgettable.

One of the biggest issues is too many characters to keep track of. The writers thought it was necessary to drag out the plot by giving each character a meaningless story arc. And, the characters that are actually interesting are reduced to tropey stereotypes. Go Mi Suk is built up to be a super manipulative sociopath who has a keen sense for people's weakness to be used against them. But, she is reduced to a typical troubled teenager who acts up because of family problems, and, whose only transgression is plagiarism. The murderer is supposed to be a big bad mysterious villain but he turns out to be a stupid, self-serving kid with mommy issues.

If you expect a grand love story, you won't find it here. Yun Hae Jun and Baek Yun Yeong have no romantic chemistry until the very last episode. A lot of their interactions in 1987 are filled with infantile conversations about food and going to nice places. Only towards the end do they start acting like a couple.

The ending is very sweet and satisfying. Everything returns to its rightful place and mom achieves her life-long dream.

Overall, the drama has its good moments, but for the most part it is forgettable. I ended up fast-forwarding through a lot of scenes past episode 10 because I was bored out of my mind. The murder mystery was no longer mysterious and most characters were bland.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " My Perfect Stranger " is a time travel mystery drama with a suspenseful plot.

The drama handles the time travel perfectly without overcomplicating things. The family drama was also quite touching and often offered a lot of emotional scenes.

The mystery, in addition, was intriguing and wasn't easy to guess who was the serial killer.

However, the romance was not necessary for the story, as the plot focused more on solving the criminal case, thus, having the two main characters sharing only a few romantic moments together, which didn't justify the love story.

On the other hand, the performances were quite enjoyable.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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It's worth it

I love this story. It's amazing and worth watching. I am excited to keep watching it and idk who is the culprit yet. I just wish for a happy ending. The chem between the leads are great, and I hope for them to get back to the future and see the changes they made. I honestly loved the start of the show, and I hope it does not drop in quality as it keeps going.

As for the supporting roles, I can't forgive that girl... Regardless of your stupid family, you should not put people into hard times. I am honestly trying to fill up the 500 characters limit to write a review on here. I don't know why that's a requirement, but anyway, it's a great drama, and you should take the time to watch it.

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I regret not watching this sooner ?

My Perfect Stranger was absolutely amazing
I regret not watching it sooner
It kinda have a unique storyline
It's one of those rare shows that stays with you long after you've finished watching. If you're looking for something incredible, don't miss out on this amazing Kdrama 🤩

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My Perfect Stranger was perfect to me

My Perfect Stranger mimics the American Movie series Back To The Future. Therefore, first take note that many teenagers and adults you see in the past in 1987 (the drama’s main time destinations) are people you see in the present/future before the time jump, only they are 35 years older. The common thread between those in the present/future and those in the past/1987 are our time travelers, who are our male and female leads. They remain their same age.

The Male lead is a famous News Anchor in the present who starts the Korean Drama journey by finding a car that is a Time Machine. As he jumps around time on joy rides, he discovers something important about his future. This takes him back to 1987 to find out more. Along the way, inadvertently, a perfect stranger is pulled into the past with him. Why is she so perfect for these strange happenings? There is a rocking OST as well.

My Perfect Stranger has a rich powerful approach to the theme of the little used concept of Back To The Future. Solving the many mysteries in the past is the driving force of what happens in the present/future, and puts the outworking of the story in overdrive. The powerful automatic steering from the acting, uses the coasting setting to build the storyline into a profound slow crescendo of the action. One will not easily guess the perpetrator of this Who Dun-nit and the Big Reveal will make you put on the brakes for a hard stop of disbelief. Go with this one. It is a Korean Drama that you should not let pass you by. My Perfect Stranger is My Surprise Hit thus far this Korean Drama Season of 2023.

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Excellent drama à découvrir

Je viens de finir "My perfect stranger" et j'ai vraiment été agréablement surprise par ce drama. Mélange de thriller, policier, avec sa petite pointe de fantastique et de voyage dans le temps à la "retour vers le futur", en a fait un bon mélange des genres.
L'histoire est bien, elle tient la route et nous embarque à nous triturer le cerveau jusqu'au bout de savoir qui est le tueur ?
L'environnement des années 80 nous fait faire un retour en arrière et un dépaysement très agréable.
Avec ses rebondissements, et ses moments d'émotions, c'est une jolie découverte à apprécier. Seul petit point négatif pour moi : La romance. Elle est sous-traitée, et mise en arrière plan, alors qu'elle aurait eu matière à prendre toute sa place dans l'histoire. Dommage. Mais cela vaut quand même le coup de le regarder, c'est un bon moment à passer.

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Entraînant jusqu'à son avant dernier épisode

Même si le voyage dans le temps n'est pas aussi utilisé et qu'on peut reprocher un manque de changements avec les perturbations qu'implique des changements, My Perfect Stranger est entraînant et connaît un développement émouvant au fil de ses épisodes.

L'ensemble du casting était formidable. Il y avait une certaine chaleur venant de chacun d'eux - même ceux qu'on voudrait jeter au feu. Si la romance du couple principal s'explique mais n'engage pas, celles des parents de Baek Yoon Young est mignonne à découvrir et suivre.

L'écriture est impeccable jusqu'à l'épisode 15. D'une certaine façon, l'épisode 16 est bon, mais pas nécessaire, j'y reviendrais après.
L'histoire est bonne et arrive à créer du suspense et du mystère jusqu'au bout. Il n'est pas facile de trouver le coupable, car le doute est constant jusqu'à l'épisode 12/13 où le schéma prend forme. Il y avait quelques vagues de Beyond Evil (en moins macabre (tout est relatif)) dans la façon dont le mystère reste entier avec quelques pointes de tensions intéressantes. Et c'est ce qui m'a autant fait aimer ce drama, tout le mystère et tous les doutes autour du tueur.

Bien que la scénariste semble avoir gardé une petite ouverture pour une seconde saison, j'espère que ça restera à l'état d'entrebâillement. J'ai aimé cette histoire qui m'a fait vivre de superbes aventures pendant sa diffusion, mais j'aime aussi l'idée de la refermer et ne plus y toucher afin de ne pas l'abîmer.

Concernant l'épisode 16, il n'est pas complètement inutile, car il permet de conclure l'histoire, mais son déroulé est moyennement convaincant. D'accord, j'ai poussé mon petit cri en voyant Jung Jin Young apparaître sur mon écran (j'ai mes propres faiblesses, ok ? ahah), mais c'est comme vouloir terminer un travail rapidement avec une conclusion en deux lignes et hop, c'est terminé. Pour cette raison, je ne suis pas très amatrice de l'épisode final, même s'il reste correct dans son ensemble.

Malgré les quelques défauts notables, j'ai adoré ce voyage. Cela faisait longtemps qu'une intrigue de ce genre ne m'avait pas emporté avec elle pendant ses semaines de diffusion.

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Drama yang mampu menyatukan berbagai genre dengan cukup baik.

Cast: Diperankan oleh mas-mas jawa kita, Kim Dongwook as Yoon Haejun, dan kaka baby face kita, Jin Kijoo as Baek Yoonyoung. Karena ini bercerita tentang time slip, otomatis ada pemeran di masa lalu dan masa depan. Pemilihan pemain masa lalu dan masa depannya sangat tepat karena dari segi perawakan sangat mirip. Begitu juga dengan pemilihan pemeran ayah, ibu, dan anak dalam suatu keluarga, saking miripnya jadi seperti keluarga sungguhan.

Akting: Ga perlu diragukan lagi. Semua pemeran sangat pandai membawa cerita ini dengan baik, terutama para pemeran utama. Kim Dongwook dengan raut wajah mautnya mampu membuat para penonton melting, dan Jin Kijoo dengan akting nangisnya yg bisa buat penonton juga ikutan nangis sesegukan. Chemistry tiap pemain juga sangat bagus. Paling sukak kalo Haejun-Yoonyoung udh ngobrol satu sama lain, kayak mrk tuh suka adu bacot tpi nyambung bgt:)). Chemistry papah-mamah muda juga sangat imut. Karena kisah cinta mrk adalah kisah cinta di SMA, jadi kesannya lebih polos dan murni (eakk..). Oiya, disini juga banyak memakai dialog yang saling paralel satu sama lain (데칼 kalo org korea blgnya). Contoh di ep 6 dimana Yoonyoung mengkhawatirkan Haejun dan Haejun juga mengkhawatirkan Yoonyoung dg dialog yang sama.

Jalan cerita: Alur cerita tergolong cukup rapi dengan tantagan berbagai genre yang dimasukkan. Selalu diberikan plot twist tiap episodenya sehingga kita penasaran dengan kelanjutan episodenya. Penyelesaian masalah juga dilakukan bertahap sehingga tidak terkesan terburu-buru. Bgiku sedikit miss di bagian eksekusi kasus pembunuhannya, alasan bapaknya membunuh orang-orang tuh kayak kurang kuat aja. Mungkin bagi pecinta drama thriller bisa relate. Tapi hal tsb dapat dimaklumi karena inti dari cerita ini bukanlah thriller saja, tapi keluarga dan romance (Kim Dongwook said on press conference).

Cinematografi: Drama ini mostly berlatar belakang 80an. Mereka menggunakan latar 80an yang dikemas dg lebih modern sehingga membuat penonton tidak bosan dengan itu. Walaupun dikemas dengan lbh modern, mereka tetap tidak melupakan detail dari latar 80an tersebut. Pemandangan desa yang indah, mulai dari sungai, bukit, taman, hingga lautnya juga akan memanjakan mata penonton.

Ending: Sesuai judulnya, endingnya beneran dibuat 'perfect'. Hampir seluruh pemain diberikan cerita akhir masing-masing sesuai dengan harapan penonton. Terutama ending bagi Haejun-Yoonyoung, saking manisnya sampai membuat penonton diabetes wkwk. Sangat bahagia karena keluarga Haejun dan Yoonyoung di masa depan mengalami perubahan seperti yang mereka telah usahakan dan harapkan. Untuk kisah Haejun-Yoonyoung, yang paling bikin terkejut itu adalah dengan kehadiran anak mereka dari masa depan, dan yg meranin itu adalah Jinyoung B1A4. Dan ternyata anak mereka jugalah yg membuat mesin waktu itu untuk ortunya.

OST: Semua OST yang dikeluarkan masuk ke dalam OST favorit aku. Kesan 80an nya tetap tidak ilang. Terdapat juga beberapa lagu 80an yang di-remake. Favorit aku adalah lagu yg dibawakan oleh Ha Hyunsang, Hong Isaac, dan Sondia.

(Special review hehe)
Romance: Mungkin, karena genrenya cukup banyak, jadi mereka lebih memilih tingkatan romance yang tipis-tipis tapi pasti. Sebutan Couple ini dinamakan Danjjan Couple (Pasangan Asin-Manis). Chemistry mereka berdua bagiku sangat dapet hingga membuat para penonton baper hanya dengan tatapan mereka berdua. Dari beberapa komentar yang ku baca, banyak yang lbh suka dengan konsep romance tipis" ini karena bagi mereka lebih ngena aja gitu. Couple ini bisa dinobatkan sbg Duta Pelukan sebab tingkatan skinship tertingggi mrk adlh pelukan hehe. Kalo kata yg nntn, Haejun ini love languange-nya act of service, sedangkan Yoonyoung adalah word of affirmation.

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