Always Meet Again

one of my favorite BL series with a sci-fi element

Overall: wish they would have explained a few more things. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/always-meet-again-episode-1-1d04lztvma8?lang=en_us ; GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6303/always-meet-again-2026 (not available in U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, U.K., Mexico, Spain, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan); Heavenly (S. Korea) and FOD (Japan)

Content Warnings: (a major one but it's complicated), blood, punch

What I Liked
- different situation where time travel happened
- protagonist had a believable amount of disbelief, then acceptance
- flirty protagonist
- how a character acted on the information he had and when he gained new information he changed his actions realistically

Room For Improvement
- a character punched another character (which seemed like an overreaction) and then suddenly all was fine and dandy, a few nonsense things happened
- there were aspects of world building that they never explained

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Revoir ceux qu'on veut toujours revoir…

C'est agréable de se laisser emporter par un nouveau KBL, notamment en raison d'un début d'année plutôt décevant dans le genre (c'est un point de vue strictement personnel, évidemment). Quel plaisir de retrouver ce casting principal. A Breeze of Love a été un coup de cœur, et Always Meet Again le frôle de peu également.

La narration est simple, mais efficace. Pourtant, les sentiments qui tourmentent les personnages ne le sont pas, simples. L'alchimie entre les deux acteurs reste belle à voir (et est meilleure que dans leur précédent projet). Quelques moments plats, mais rien qui ne gâche vraiment l'histoire. Si ce n'est la fin qui arrive brutalement sans trop d'explications.

Les sourires de Shin Jeong You réchauffent les cœurs, tandis que l'amélioration du jeu de Kim Myung Chan est agréable. La réalisation possède une ravissante palette de couleurs et de beaux plans. La musique est sympathique. Peu mémorable pour moi, cependant, appréciable quand elle doit l’être.

En bref, Always Meet Again est une jolie histoire qui mêle l'envie de se retrouver et la chaleur d'un amour simple et ordinaire. Et c’est sûrement ce qui fait tout son charme.

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BOA HISTÓRIA, MAS PODERIA TER SIDO MAIS DO QUE FOI

Essa série foi uma grata surpresa no quesito atuação e originalidade, mas as pontas soltas e falta de desenvolvimento e estabilidade no romance me perderam um pouco.

Jang Hye Seong parece frustrado com a vida e ressentido com as escolhas do passado, ele ainda se lembra de um garoto chamado Lee U Jin e após voltar para sua antiga escola (agora como professor honorário) ele se lembra mais do que nunca. Após olhar para um desenho antigo que ele fez do garoto e mexer novamente nessa arte ele é teletransportado para o passado, mais especificamente para 2008 quando eles se conheceram.

Tem algo no ar e no começo não sabemos o que é, mas Jang Hye Seong esta tentando evitar o outro garoto a todo custo só que não consegue porque ele esta sempre indo atrás dele. Tem amargura e tensão na postura do nosso protagonista viajante e isso é interessante. Ele esta tentando proteger o outro de alguma coisa, mas não sabemos do que.

Na história também temos o Tae Jun que é um amigo comum entre eles e ele se mantem no passado e no futuro.

A história em si é boa, mas existem muitas pontas soltas.

Temos o daltonismo do Jang Hye Seong que é obviamente importante para história (porque foi isso que causou os acidentes passados do Lee U Jin), mas uma vez percebido não tocam mais no assunto. Temos o Tae Jun que passou a ter ciúmes da amizade entre os dois garotos (e com razão, porque ele foi deixado de lado). Depois temos a mudança de postura do Tae Jun com ele se aliando ao Jang Hye Seong que aconteceu de forma bastante artificial. A batida de carro final que não vimos antes de voltarmos de vez para o presente. E claro, o final decepcionante.

A química entre os protagonistas é muito natural e com certeza foi o que segurou esse show nas costas junto com a boa atuação, mas o roteiro pecou em não se arriscar e nos mostrar um romance de verdade acontecendo. O final é a cereja do bolo nesse quesito não nos mostrando nada além do reencontro.

Ao longo da história os mal entendidos são esclarecidos (como a causa da morte do Lee U Jin e as motivações para as atitudes do Jang Hye Seong), mas ainda sim eu senti que faltou algo.


PONTOS ALEATÓRIOS QUE EU QUERO CITAR:

- Gosto de como o Lee U Jin se mostra triste e ansioso com o outro indo estudar fora e o deixando para trás. Eu odeio quando o outro protagonista finge que esta tudo bem apenas para não afetar seu parceiro. Emoções são normais e devem ser sentidas e expressadas;
- Temos que admitir que Lee U Jin é um péssimo amigo, ele esqueceu completamente do Tae Jun desde que se apaixonou;
- Lee U Jin era o mais incomodado com a presença do Tae Jun e isso me deixou com uma pulga atrás da orelha (mesmo que eles sejam amigos antes mesmo do outro aparecer na escola). Queria ter visto explicação e desenvolvimento para isso;
- Gostei da fase em que o Jang Hye Seong estava sendo grosseiro e mentindo sobre seus sentimentos para o Lee U Jin porque as cenas foram intensas e bem impactantes, fizeram um bom trabalho, mas já na hora do perdão eu não senti que foi bem feito.

Concluindo, essa é uma boa série, mas poderia ter sido muito maior do que foi se tivessem apostado num projeto um pouco mais longo. Mas foi bem satisfatório.

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A Sweet and Heartwarming Reunion

I loved seeing these two actors together again. Their chemistry works even better than it did in A Breeze of Love, and I actually preferred the storyline of Always Meet Again. I looked forward to every new episode and couldn't wait for each new release.

With slightly longer episodes, the supporting characters could have been developed in greater depth. However, the biggest flaw is definitely the rushed ending. Well, that's a recurring issue with K-dramas, and even more so with BLs.

I still give it a 10/10 because, in the end, what stays with me is how much I enjoyed it week after week: a sweet and touching couple, a comforting story, and the excitement of having a new episode to look forward to every week.

I really hope we'll get another series with this pairing. 🤞🫰

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Un thème incohérent comme souvent

Et oui encore une histoire de retour dans le temps mais qui ressemble à un classique du genre et ne devrait pas poser de soucis... Et c'est un raté. Une fois de plus, c'est incohérent et de manière flagrante.

On rajoute à cela un personnage principal "Adulte" qui remonte dans le temps, 10 ans auparavant, mais se comporte comme un gamin stupide. (Faut pas demander sa maturité 10 ans avant quand il était réellement adolescent)

Et un dernier épisode plat dont les 3/4 de l'épisode servent de Flash Back comme si la série comptait 24 épisodes.

Malgré tout ça, la série me plaisait un minimum les 6 premiers épisodes. C'était mignon et doux.
Puis le début du 7 m'a vraiment gonflé car il vient contredire tout ce qui était dit durant les 3 épisodes précédent. (Encore une fois, un scénario et une logique bâclés)

Encore une fois, pour moi ce qui prime dans une série c'est son histoire. Le côté mignon, drôle, romantique, sexy, intense ou autre vient se rajouter à une histoire. Si l'histoire de base est mal traitée, tout le reste perd de son intérêt pour moi, je n'arrive pas rester plongé dans l'intrigue et perd le plaisir du visionnage.

Une série qui plaira à ceux qui contrairement à moi savent juste profiter de l'ambiance de fond, ou qui ne sont pas directement impacté par les incohérence. Pour ma part c'est impossible d'en faire abstraction, dommage pour cette série.

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Gostei e recomendo

Essa história me surpreendeu muito. Com a proposta de viagem no tempo, ela entrega muito mais do que romance: fala sobre arrependimentos, segundas chances e escolhas.
O grande destaque são os personagens. Hye Seong e U Jin têm uma conexão muito forte, e é impossível não se envolver com a dinâmica deles — ainda mais com o contraste entre o jeito cauteloso dele e a intensidade dele.
É uma história simples, mas muito bem construída, que prende pela emoção e pelo desenvolvimento dos personagens. No final, fica aquele sentimento de apego e saudade.
Vale muito a pena assistir

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When destiny gives you a second chance

Always Meet Again is a drama I stumbled upon completely by chance. On paper, the premise seemed fairly simple, but intriguing enough to make me want to give it a try. Honestly, I never expected to discover such a gem.

The first thing I truly loved was the way the series draws us into its story. From the very first minutes, it becomes clear that a devastating event has completely changed Hyeseong’s life. Yet the drama refuses to hand us all the answers right away. Instead, it carefully scatters clues and allows us to uncover the truth little by little as the protagonist relives his past. This is precisely what makes the viewing experience so engaging. We find ourselves trapped in the same uncertainty as him, trying to understand what really happened and why he carries such overwhelming guilt.

What surprised me the most is that after such a melodramatic introduction, the story immediately shifts into something much lighter. Watching Hyeseong suddenly find himself twenty years in the past, stuck in his teenage body while retaining the mindset of an adult, creates some genuinely hilarious situations. It takes him a while to fully grasp what is happening, and his instincts as a man nearing forty constantly resurface. One scene that made me laugh in particular was when he came home, opened the refrigerator, and instinctively grabbed a can of beer before remembering that he was a teenager again. His sister’s immediate reaction completely finished me. Moments like these bring a lot of freshness to the story and help balance the heavier themes at its core.

At the same time, the drama never lets us forget that a tragedy is approaching. Throughout the series, brief black-and-white flashes interrupt the narrative to remind us that something terrible is destined to happen. I found this storytelling device particularly clever because it works on multiple levels. At first, it simply seems to represent the original timeline, the version of events that should not be altered. But as the episodes progress, another interpretation gradually emerges. Without ever stating it outright, the drama strongly suggests that Hyeseong may suffer from a form of color blindness or even achromatopsia. We never receive official confirmation, but there are numerous hints pointing in that direction. Once you realize how this inability to distinguish certain colors may have placed Lee Woojin in danger multiple times, whether on the road or on the basketball court, everything suddenly takes on a much more tragic meaning.

That is also what makes Hyeseong such a compelling character. During his first life, convinced that his presence only put Woojin at risk, he chose to distance himself in order to protect him. Yet when he returns to the present, he discovers that his sacrifice changed absolutely nothing. Woojin died anyway. This revelation is particularly heartbreaking because it destroys the only certainty he has clung to for twenty years. From that moment on, his guilt becomes even heavier. He is no longer simply trying to relive his first love. He is trying to save someone he believes he lost because of his own actions. What I found beautiful is just how far he is willing to go to achieve that goal. He is prepared to give up his relationship with Woojin, his career, his dreams, and even his own existence if it means keeping him alive. His journey into the past becomes far more than a second chance at romance. It becomes a desperate attempt to repair what he considers the greatest failure of his life.

I also appreciated the way the drama visualizes the consequences of his actions on the present. With every episode, his workshop gradually changes. New photographs appear, objects move, and some items disappear entirely. These subtle details allow us to see the timeline shifting in real time and constantly reinforce the connection between past and present. It is a simple but incredibly effective device that makes every decision feel meaningful.

My only real criticism concerns the handling of time travel during the final episodes. I have to admit that I struggled to fully understand the logic behind the ending timeline. If Hyeseong returns to the past by replacing his younger self, only to disappear from that era when he returns to the present, it raises a lot of questions. His adult life, his career, his relationships, and even his family all depend on the existence of his younger self. Yet the drama occasionally seems to forget its own rules. This creates an inconsistency that is difficult to ignore, especially in a story built so heavily around the consequences of choices and alterations to the timeline.

Personally, I think a solution similar to Erased would have felt more coherent. For example, Hyeseong could have taken Woojin’s place during the accident, fallen into a coma, and then awakened twenty years later. That would have preserved the continuity of his existence while still allowing the story to reach the same happy ending. Because yes, despite my questions regarding the time travel mechanics, I am very glad the drama chose to give us a happy ending. The writers had me doubting right up until the very last minute, and I am not entirely convinced my heart would have survived any other outcome.

Overall, Always Meet Again is a series that touched me deeply. I loved its sense of mystery, the way it gradually reveals the true stakes of the story, and its romance, which manages to be sweet, sincere, and heartbreaking all at once. It is a drama about love, guilt, sacrifice, and second chances, told with a great deal of sensitivity. Despite a few inconsistencies related to its time-travel elements and a runtime that ultimately felt a little too short, it still managed to bring me to tears more than once and earn a lasting place in my heart. A wonderful surprise and without a doubt one of the most beautiful discoveries I have made recently.

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