Pending Train: 8:23, Ashita Kimi to (2023)

The Next Stop is Forever Hopeful

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

This was a great series with an interesting storyline. I think the pacing for this series was perfect and was hooked from the beginning. However, you may want to skip this if you are looking for a fast pace, high action drama because this series is not it. The script was very well thought out. I love how they interweaved the passengers and their loved one’s stories throughout the series. It had some farfetched elements but there only minor. I thought the three main characters (Kayashima, Shirahama, and Hatano) were well written and helped counter balance each other. The script also had a nice balance of personal storylines with the other supporting characters. There were some romance elements between multiple characters, but it was not overpowering. Some individuals may have a problem with the ending. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. The cast was excellent and did a great job with their characters. The cinematography and special effects were amazing.

Random Note:
This has an underline theme about society and how we should never judge a book by its cover.

This is listed as Pending Train on Netflix.

********Spoiler Alert********

There is a somewhat love triangle between the three main leads. However, it’s not that bad and does not become the main focus of the series which I consider a good thing (I hate this type of storyline).

You will not be satisfied if you need a clearcut happy or sad ending. This ending is open to your interpretation. For me, it’s an ending that has hope for the future.

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Wasted casts

Pending Train starts off with a good premise but was totally disappointing.

Not gonna lie, Yuki and Eiji already attracted the audiences when this dorama was announced (at least for me). The 3 main leads go pretty well. The heroic one, the naive one, and the realistic one. Their dynamics complete each other. The triangle love is pretty unnecessary. Yuki and Eiji bromance and just giving one of them a love line will be enough. I also got fed up with Yuto past scene. His past complex and his one-sided love were just too much (I mean I get it you love that girl but the scene is too repetitive). Could be better that some scenes went to Sae. This gurl is lack her back story. Her presence at first is just as the love interest of Yuto.

Other cast perfectly portrayed their own character. Some went wild, some went rational. However, perhaps due to limited episodes, there were so many unanswered questions. The missing person (who is still alive in this case) was completely forgotten except for Tanaka. And the open ending does not always mean good. In the end, you might find yourself cursing after watching the ending.

Perfect cast, as well as its ost. BUT a bad-executed storyline.

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