Once Again (2022)

Another bitter-sweet Korean BL

I rated this show entirely based on my feelings. I was not fully focused most of the time, story did not stick to me and I know why. Way to little time for character development, way to little time for love story to develop and I truly wanted more. Of course, the story made me super sad, no matter I was not that invested.

Conclusion: This is one of those bittersweet Korean BLs. You can binge watch it, and maybe get better feel of it than I did, because I watched it two episodes a week. It is not waste of time. Music is nice. Idea semi-original but I as previously said, it is not waste of time.

Read More

The plot is refreshing and new for kbl, but there's too much plot holes and illogical things happening. Acting was convincing. The music wasn't really what i like, but it fits the mood.


!!!
First of all, Jae Woo was behaving strangely creepy. And when he go back to 15 years ago, how did he survived, to buy food, pay rent, clothes? He definitely can't used his money.
When did Ji Hoon started to like Jae Woo?? The uncle/nephew turning into romantic relationship?
And the most important of all... Since they knew who the killer is and when the incident gonna happen, why not just reported it to the police instead? But i guess if they did, then Jae Woo and Ji Hoon can't be lovers because of the huge age gap...
And that ending, why is it 2022 again??

Btw i thought maybe the dorm owner had something to do with the whole time travel thing. But i guess she didn't...
Also Hyung Jin is such a sweet guy. I wish I had a friend like him

It was very confusing, but i didn't hate it.
If i just forget the fact that they start as uncle/nephew i could actually enjoy the romance.

Read More

Moving but beware the ending

Moon Ji Yong, the actor playing Jae Woo, looks particularly good when he smiles, but he doesn't smile very often in this series. It's perhaps very astute casting as the contrast between the moody Jae Woo and the person he could possibly be if not for what has happened to him at the age of ten.

What sets this series apart from many BL series is the way the sweetness of the couple comes with minimal fluff. The cinematography and the music are really commendable, but I wish the editing had sometimes been a little difference. Given how short the series is, there is really no need for scenes to be repeated, such as when Episode 2 doesn't take the story further from Episode 1 but merely provides additional details.

There is a bond between the two main characters that becomes stronger although the bulk of the romance does not take place over a long time frame. Jae Woo's first feelings are gratitude towards Ji Hoon for saving him when he is young and remorse about how Ji Hoon has sacrificed his life to save him. However, when he travels back in time as an adult to the time he is ten, his romantic attraction to Ji Hoon is quickly apparent. Yet, it is obvious that the time the couple has together is limited.

When it dawns upon Jae Woo that he can perhaps do something to save Ji Hoon, the situation does not become much more hopeful. First of all, there is the likelihood that Jae Woo is unable to change the past and save Ji Hoon. Secondly, if he does, we will end up with a paradox: if Ji Hoon does not die, then adult Jae Woo will not travel back to the past and meet Ji Hoon in the first place. In short, a happy ending for the couple seems unlikely. Still, one hopes . . .

Spoiler:

In the end, Ji Hoon discovers that adult Jae Woo has traveled back in time and is trying to save him. However, he decides not to be saved because his logic is that if he doesn't die, then Jae Woo the kid will die (with no one to save him) and the adult Jae Woo who travels back in time and falls in love with him won't exist. (But if so, who will travel back in time and save him then? It's one of those paradoxes of time travel stories that one should probably not think too much about.)

Perhaps in a bid to soften the impact of a sad ending, there is the suggestion (which does not make a lot of sense) of time infinite loop and/or split timelines. It more or less goes like this: the Jae Woo we see throughout the series (let's call him Jae Woo A) goes back in time and does not save Ji Hoon, but because of JW A's time travel, we already have a slightly different version of the past. This means that a split timeline emerges with the Jae Woo who is saved when Jae Woo A travels back to the past, so there's a Jae Woo B (who has slightly different childhood experiences from Jae Woo A). Jae Woo B will grow up and then travel back to the past and meet Ji Hoon in this split timeline, and this will lead to the creation of yet another timeline with Jae Woo C and so on.

I don't know if this really softens the impact of the sad ending for the couple. After all, it would seem that there can be infinite versions of the Jae Woo/Ji Hoon tragedy.

If I get my way, I would simply have the adult Jae Woo helping Ji Hoon save the kid Jae Woon. Let the two grown men fight and overpower the killer. They can even call the cops beforehand or something. And then the kid, who is saved, can be told what to do to travel to the past when he grows up.

Read More

IT IS FATE THAT I CHECKED THIS UNDERRATED DRAMA

I've watched more than 20 BL dramas so far and I would say that the whole story of Once Again is the most extraordinary even outside the BL world. Most of BL dramas that I've watched are mostly included in the list of Best BLs but not this one. I am somehow being disappointed because this drama deserves a praise.

I sat contemplating on how good this drama is after finishing the entire series. I love dramas that have pretty solid stories. What makes it different to other dramas is that the story, which includes BL, also defies the law of nature. This is not your typical kind of BL that the main leads fall in love with each other in a natural way.

I always do background checking while making reviews. Truthfully, I watched this drama because I never thought that Moon Ji Yong (SJW) played a main BL role before The New Employee which is still airing right now. I got curious on his acting here because he executes his role so well in TNE. He's quite promising. Also, Lee Hyun Jun (KJH) who made a main role in this is very splendid. The casts are chosen wisely for sure.

I can guarantee that I will recommend this drama to other BL watchers. This is a must-watch.

Read More

It's up there with Semantic Error and Light On Me

To anyone considering watching this drama for the First time, please don't be discouraged by the rating. This deserves to be rated an 8.3/8.5. it is literally up there with light on me and semantic error.

Sometimes I can't take people on this forum seriously. So because of a sad ending this why you guys rated this show so low? Even if you don't like the ending, the least you could do is to appreciate the Acting and ost.

You guys seem to forget that not all ove story end happily, not all lovers end up together forever.

Is it that you guys love sexual harassment, cringey acting with zero to nothing storyline more .

If nothing, the scene where Jae Woo was pushing and hitting the door trying to open it , that scene deserves a 10/10. Or is it the scene where they said their "last goodbye" and then Ji Hoon went into his room only to start crying, it's another 10/10.

This is not perfect but it deserves more than the 7.8 rating.

Read More

I shouldn't have finished watching this

Not a great show. No time for the relationship to develop, but that is ok, their kisses were simply lips touching like they were frozen, and that's ok too, because the ending totally ruined it anyway.

Let me just say, and I apologize if you consider this a spoiler alert - I had some minor issues, however up until the last 2 episodes, they were minor - and then? I should have stopped there, because I am not into sad endings. Not to mention the story made these two seem like idiots who couldn't figure out how to solve a problem.

The acting was ok, thre was no real development of their relationship - it just was there. As I mentioned, kissing was holding lips together - who kisses like that? Only actors who don't really want to kiss, which kind of makes the whole story fall apart.

The music was good. Probably the best part of the series.

I won't ever rewatch this one.

Read More

A beautiful story...but...and there's a big BUT here...the time loop concept is flawed. Once Jae Woo goes back in time to 2017 and returns again to 2022, from that point onward he will move forward with his life and live it to its fullest...just as he promised to do at the end of the final episode. He is 25 years old in 2022. In 2037 (15 years later), a 40 year old Jae Woo will not be returning to 2022 as a 25 year old in order to travel back to 2017 to revisit Ji Hoon.

In order for the cycle of traveling back in time to keep repeating itself, then alternate timelines must exist...like the parallel universes as postulated by the string theory. Evidently, Ji Hoon's must have believed in alternate timelines. He believed that he will continually meet Jae Woo and spend 3 wonderful weeks with the 25 year old Jae Woo over and over again. Ji Hoon is willing to sacrifice his own life and die to protect the child Jae Woo...and by doing so, he believes that his self sacrifice will continue a cycle where Jae Woo will visit him for 3 weeks every 15 years. For this to occur, alternate timelines must exist. Without ascribing to the the concept of parallel universes, the time loop concept of this series is seriously flawed.

Despite the questionable time loop ending, it's a beautiful series...and I highly recommend it.

Read More

Once Again - Best Korean Time Travel BL (Praying for Special Episode)

Story - 9.5 out of 10 stars, I loved the storyline, how the series told a past and present story of a 10-year old kid young Shin Jae-Woo saved by Kang Ji Hoon from the kidnapper/murdered. 15 years later, the history repeated again, (thus the title "Once Again") for the 25-year old Shin Jae-Woo when he traveled back in time 15 years ago, that time when Kang Ji Hoon was still alive in that dormitory and the same events in the past also meant to take place. Kang Ji Hoon saw the future Shin Jae-Woo traveled in the past. The story was nearly 100% perfect and realistic although there are some unanswered questions that is lingering into my mind like the following:

1. Did Kang Ji Hoon anticipated his death in EP 6?, how did he remembered that he was already dead in those episodes?

2. How did Kang Ji Hoon revealed to Joo Hyung Jin that the 10-year old kid was the 25-year old Shin Jae-Woo in Room 308 who time traveled back to 15 years ago, when Shin Jae-Woo was actually 10 years old at that time? (Hoping for a special episode to fill in those gaps). I think there was an event from the past 15 years ago that was changed.

3. How did Joo Hyung Jin still recognizes/remembers Shin Jae-Woo, The "Room 308 guy" he calls, 15 years after Kang Ji Hoon's death? Did he knew that 25-year old Shin Jae-Woo time traveled back to the past to save his friend? I think there was an event from the past 15 years ago that was changed. I mean 15 years is quite a memory storing moment, I bet Joo Hyung Jin would not recognize the 25-year old Shin Jae-Woo as the 10-year old kid grew up who admired his Ahjussi Kang Ji Hoon. It started to make sense why the dormitory woman still recognizes the good-looking guy in Room 308 15 years after January 30, 2007. (Related to my questions above)

Acting - 10 out of 10 stars, I was impressed by the emotions of Kang Ji Hoon and Shin Jae-Woo in the story. The most touching of all are the following:

1. When Kang Ji Hoon realized that the 25-year old Shin Jae-Woo in Room 308 was the 10-year old kid whom he saved from the kidnapper/murderer through the photo given by Joo Hyung Jin to Shin Jae-Woo and when he realized that the 25-year old Shin Jae-Woo felt the guilt of his death and time traveled, still Kang Ji Hoon did not change the outcome of the past when he saved 25-year old Shin Jae-Woo for the 2nd time. (Reality: Indeed you cannot change the past but you can change the outcome of the present and the future)

2. When 25-year old Shin Jae-Woo revisited the site of the murder during his time travel (EP 4) and the last will of Kang Ji Hoon gave to him through Joo Hyung Jin, 15 years after his death. He tried to change the outcome of the future but then Kang Ji Hoon was meant to sacrifice his life for the 10-year old Shin Jae-Woo. Really impressed by the out-pour of emotions portrayed by Kang Ji Hoon and Shin Jae-Woo.

Music - 10 out of 10, the OST of the song was really touching, I felt the song soo much.

Rewatch Value - 10 out of 10, even though it had a sad ending (although I already expected it), I will definitely rewatch this a thousand times due to the storyline, the emotions portrayed and the life lessons that the series imparted to us.

I just realized that our life in this world was only borrowed to us, this series provided a realization to me, we always learn to value what we loved so much, whatever the past (painful memories) that haunts us, we always learn to move forward for the betterment of the present and the future. Although we cannot change the outcome of the past, we always have the power in our hands to change the present and the future.

Read More

Incoherent and irrational, but somehow it dragged me screaming to the finish

The actors did the best they could with a REALLY spotty script. It's... It's not good writing. It's not good plotting. It's not good pacing. The dialogue is passable.

What I don't understand is why the producer or the director or the actors or their agents - why no one forced a rewrite. It's not a coherent screenplay.

I finished it. It's intriguing enough to finish, but it was... it felt like when you eat something despite not liking it because it's so alien, so nearly right but perverted in a direction that doesn't exist in our universe, that you can't stop.

Read More

it was upsetting, both good and bad

First, I want to comment on Moon Ji Yong's performance in this, 10/10. This man has rangeeeee, I've seen him in other works like " The new employee" where he was a dorky sweet guy, but in this I felt so many emotions. His character completely drew me into the story so props to him. The story was interesting and I was engaged the entire time, however I won't spoil the ending, I'll just leave it at this...WHY? Anyways, I watched this series earnestly in one go, I enjoyed it and hated it all at the same time, cried a lot, enjoyed the bits of romance, but really wanted to find whoever wrote this and sit in front of their home until they changed everything. The production of the show was fine, nothing fancy but not bad by any means. I enjoyed the OST for the show a lot it was pleasant at the times it was used. Acting from everyone was good, and from Moon Ji Yong it was exceptional. I'll recommend this show for those who like fantastical star-crossed love stories but with a warning, you will wish you could re-write it.

Read More