BlackPanther
This review may contain spoilers
I just want to clarify one thing first:
People have this misconception that since Tomorrow With You revolves around time-travel, the episodes should be action-packed. However, Tomorrow with you is a melodrama. To put it short, it's a mix of time-fantasy + melodrama combination. I have seen a lot of shows that failed overall just because they wanted to create a new mix of genre (Bride of the Water God = fantasy + youth romance || Suspicious Partner = Crime-Mystery + Romance || Doctors = Medical + Melodrama + Romance), but there have also been a lot of successful genre-mixes (While You Were Sleeping = Legal/Crime + Fantasy || Descendants of the Sun = Medical + Melodrama || W = Fantasy + Thriller). Not gonna include Goblin as an example because that show is a masterpiece and no drama from recent time has been close to it at all. At least for me.
Tomorrow with you is a melodrama that stood out well for me. It did well enough that I can say with confidence that it can be mentioned alongside the names of top-notch Melodramas such as The Master's Sun and The Innocent Man. Now the actual review starts from here
Story
I'm pretty precise when it comes to scoring the story. I haven't ever given a perfect 10 for story; even for my all-time favorite show, Goblin. For the story to be a 10 for me, the plot, the conflict, the flow, the climax, and the ending must all be equally resonated among the episodes. There must be absolute clarity in terms of the delivery of the plot from start to finish. That includes the most important part which is the ending. Hence, to spoil a bit from the story, I want to say that Tomorrow With You probably has one of the best endings of a melodrama in history. Hands down.
The plot itself is unique. I'll give a short premise to the plot to let you know how unique it is: A man can time-travel to the future (and back to the present) through the use of a subway, thus leading him to be successful in his current life. The story starts there, introducing us to Yoo So Joon, a selfish and wealthy time traveler. His life changes when he finds out the he will die in the future (for those who haven't watched, relax. This spoiler isn't exactly a 'spoiler'. Technically) on the same night with a beautiful woman (Song Ma Rin). He then made the effort to rescue that woman in the present in the hopes of changing his future. It didn't change however, and it actually turned out worse because now, he couldn't travel in the future if the date is past 2019. Also, he doesn't die in the new future, but rather becomes missing.
If that's not some unique plot that will catch your attention for a melodrama then I don't know what will. The supposed 'plot twist' was already given at the start of the drama so it makes you think how will this pan out (Sort of how W did it from episode 5). Give this drama a try if you want something fresh and new. I wouldn't lie, it has some tweaky plot holes near the climax of the story, but overall, the presentation of the story from start to finish was sill fantastic. 9.5/10
Acting
I honestly thought Shin Min Ah + Lee Je Hoon was a weird combination. You're combining an actress famous for being in successful rom-coms such as My Girlfriend is a nine-tailed fox and Oh My Venus, and an actor who's known to play more serious roles, especially in Signal. I had this prejudice that both of them would suck at making viewers feel connected to them because of their backgrounds. I was wrong though. They both were fantastic in their first melodrama. The character development of both Yoo So Joon and Song Ma Rin in the show was exceptional. Yoo So Joon from being a selfish, lazy director of a real estate company to being a loving husband and a responsible person. Song Ma Rin from being an alcoholic, hopeless-romantic to being a gloomy, mysterious woman towards the end. The acting of the two leads is brilliant. Would have shed a perfect 10 had it not been for a really mediocre supporting cast. 9.5/10
Music
The OST is really unique. It was mainly composed of ballads and piano solos to capture the mood for scenes. I'm personally not a fan of classical music, but nevertheless, it was executed well in this series. You can feel the emotions in scenes from the music. 9/10
Rewatch Value
The plot is so unique for a melodrama that if you want to cry all over again, you can just watch it. I'm one of the few people who actually appreciates melodramas as it actually brings the best of the best actors/actresses in terms of delivery. Having a unique plot to make me feel that is a worthwhile experience
Overall
I recommend you to watch this even if you are not a fan of melodramas. You just might start appreciating melodramas after this. If you are a fan of Melodramas, prepare for an emotional ride
People have this misconception that since Tomorrow With You revolves around time-travel, the episodes should be action-packed. However, Tomorrow with you is a melodrama. To put it short, it's a mix of time-fantasy + melodrama combination. I have seen a lot of shows that failed overall just because they wanted to create a new mix of genre (Bride of the Water God = fantasy + youth romance || Suspicious Partner = Crime-Mystery + Romance || Doctors = Medical + Melodrama + Romance), but there have also been a lot of successful genre-mixes (While You Were Sleeping = Legal/Crime + Fantasy || Descendants of the Sun = Medical + Melodrama || W = Fantasy + Thriller). Not gonna include Goblin as an example because that show is a masterpiece and no drama from recent time has been close to it at all. At least for me.
Tomorrow with you is a melodrama that stood out well for me. It did well enough that I can say with confidence that it can be mentioned alongside the names of top-notch Melodramas such as The Master's Sun and The Innocent Man. Now the actual review starts from here
Story
I'm pretty precise when it comes to scoring the story. I haven't ever given a perfect 10 for story; even for my all-time favorite show, Goblin. For the story to be a 10 for me, the plot, the conflict, the flow, the climax, and the ending must all be equally resonated among the episodes. There must be absolute clarity in terms of the delivery of the plot from start to finish. That includes the most important part which is the ending. Hence, to spoil a bit from the story, I want to say that Tomorrow With You probably has one of the best endings of a melodrama in history. Hands down.
The plot itself is unique. I'll give a short premise to the plot to let you know how unique it is: A man can time-travel to the future (and back to the present) through the use of a subway, thus leading him to be successful in his current life. The story starts there, introducing us to Yoo So Joon, a selfish and wealthy time traveler. His life changes when he finds out the he will die in the future (for those who haven't watched, relax. This spoiler isn't exactly a 'spoiler'. Technically) on the same night with a beautiful woman (Song Ma Rin). He then made the effort to rescue that woman in the present in the hopes of changing his future. It didn't change however, and it actually turned out worse because now, he couldn't travel in the future if the date is past 2019. Also, he doesn't die in the new future, but rather becomes missing.
If that's not some unique plot that will catch your attention for a melodrama then I don't know what will. The supposed 'plot twist' was already given at the start of the drama so it makes you think how will this pan out (Sort of how W did it from episode 5). Give this drama a try if you want something fresh and new. I wouldn't lie, it has some tweaky plot holes near the climax of the story, but overall, the presentation of the story from start to finish was sill fantastic. 9.5/10
Acting
I honestly thought Shin Min Ah + Lee Je Hoon was a weird combination. You're combining an actress famous for being in successful rom-coms such as My Girlfriend is a nine-tailed fox and Oh My Venus, and an actor who's known to play more serious roles, especially in Signal. I had this prejudice that both of them would suck at making viewers feel connected to them because of their backgrounds. I was wrong though. They both were fantastic in their first melodrama. The character development of both Yoo So Joon and Song Ma Rin in the show was exceptional. Yoo So Joon from being a selfish, lazy director of a real estate company to being a loving husband and a responsible person. Song Ma Rin from being an alcoholic, hopeless-romantic to being a gloomy, mysterious woman towards the end. The acting of the two leads is brilliant. Would have shed a perfect 10 had it not been for a really mediocre supporting cast. 9.5/10
Music
The OST is really unique. It was mainly composed of ballads and piano solos to capture the mood for scenes. I'm personally not a fan of classical music, but nevertheless, it was executed well in this series. You can feel the emotions in scenes from the music. 9/10
Rewatch Value
The plot is so unique for a melodrama that if you want to cry all over again, you can just watch it. I'm one of the few people who actually appreciates melodramas as it actually brings the best of the best actors/actresses in terms of delivery. Having a unique plot to make me feel that is a worthwhile experience
Overall
I recommend you to watch this even if you are not a fan of melodramas. You just might start appreciating melodramas after this. If you are a fan of Melodramas, prepare for an emotional ride
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