I'll Turn Back This Time (2025)

lackluster worldbuilding and a disappointing ending (watch suggestions)

Overall: Feb 22nd 2025 update - after the special episode I bumped up to 6.5. I can't bump it up more because the special had even more completely nonsense worldbuilding. However, I'm happy we did get the special https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcdgalcMUE&feature=youtu.be

I gave this series a 7.5 up until the final episode where I dropped it to a 6. 6 episodes about 40 minutes long. Aired on YoYo English Channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTB73Ibi_X3FNNIaLL1ZThNGuT0l-fFOL (not available in Japan or South Korea); GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5066/i-will-turn-back-this-time-2025 (not available in Japan, South Korea or Thailand) and Heavenly (I believe it's available in South Korea/language is Korean) https://heavenly.tv/en/detail/839

Content Warnings: past intimate partner abuse/violence, blood, fight, death (it's complicated), slap, homophobia, near suicide, punch

Watch Suggestions (to skip a ton of angst, moping, terrible parent, etc)
- watch episodes 1-3
- in episode 4 skip 12-21 and 22:15-38:30
- in episode 5 watch 29-31:45 (stop at 31:45, trust me on this)
- skip episode 6, there are some sweet flashbacks starting at 23 minutes but I didn't enjoy them knowing how it ended
- watch the special episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcdgalcMUE&feature=youtu.be

What I Liked
- relationship progression felt realistic
- supportive friends
- sweet/caring moments
- production value

Room For Improvements
- the cliche running scene and what happened at the end of episode 1
- 2 sponge baths in episode 1 was one too many
- a character didn't have a reason not to reciprocate in episode 3 because the "warning" came much later in the episode
- stereotype of handsy effeminate man
- toilet humor
- cliche saw something, made assumption and didn't communicate (luckily it didn't last long)
- convenient/nonsense worldbuilding: the mysterious guy refused to answer the question but left vague threats, didn't clearly established if the 2nd time was a different situation/world with the parents
- depressing parental stuff
- cliche noble idiot when that was more painful than telling him the truth (which would sound a bit crazy but he could have tried to explain the situation)
- nonsense stuff: everyone was very trusting in episode 2, why wouldn't he spend the whole day with him at the end of episode 3
- terrible ending: especially because it's from China the sad ending where 1 guy will be sad his entire life and they will never end up together felt homophobic, even the final phrase "if we are destined to part, then what is the meaning of our meeting" made me think "if this series was destined to have a homophobic sad ending, what is the point of watching it"

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