Cyan5tarlight
TL:DR - While To Be Continued is definitely not the best drama ever produced, it’s perfectly serviceable for what it is. Would recommend for people who want to watch a drama that doesn’t make them think too hard, or for people looking to get into Astro. (And if after you’re done and you’re still not convinced you should, I would recommend immediately going to YouTube and watching “[ASTRO DDOCA] 160810,” wherein 2/3s of the group spends 8 entire minutes screaming at a cicada that invaded their office. It is literally one of the funniest things you will ever see in your entire life.)
STORY: 6
The six-member idol group Astro is about to finally make their big debut. However, a freak accident sends all the members back in time to their trainee days before their big audition stage. However, some of the members gradually begin forgetting that they have come from the future, and old rivalries and quarrels start to rear their ugly heads once again. These six young men must put aside their pride and rebuild their team if they are ever going to have a second shot at debuting and achieving their dreams.
If I were to try to describe this story in one sentence, it would probably be “An RPF fanfic come to life.” This is not a pejorative against RPF fanfic as a whole, but if one were to think about a stereotypical fanfic plot, it would likely be along the lines of something like this. Basically, the plot is not the focus of this drama. It is merely an excuse to see predebut Astro dancing and singing and doing other predebut Astro things. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but do not go into it expecting anything deep, thought-provoking, or life-changing. It is a good time, nothing more, nothing less. (The tags are misleading, however; this is not really a romance drama, and you should not go into it expecting one. There is a little flirting and romantic tension between some of the boys and their female co-stars, but nothing I would really define as a definitive relationship upgrade.)
ACTING/CAST: 7
Nothing stellar, but definitely nothing terrible, either. Astro is essentially playing exaggerated versions of themselves, and are clearly having a blast doing so. All turn in pretty good performances, as do most of their co-stars. Special shout out goes to MJ, who is the secret main character of this drama. It’s amazing to me that he’s never had a main role in a drama aside from this, he clearly has the chops to pull it off.
Also, the outtakes at the end of each episode are hands down the funniest parts of the whole show, don’t skip them!
MUSIC: 7.5
While Astro’s music has definitely improved in the 6 years since this was released, what’s here definitely isn’t bad! It’s a perfectly serviceable OST with a few standout moments.
REWATCH VALUE: 7
Since the drama is only about the length of a 2 hour movie in total, it’s really not a big time investment, and I can see someone putting it on again for a laugh or to reminisce about how adorable baby Astro was (especially Sanha, who was only 15 at the time of filming).
OVERALL: 7
Pros:
- Very short; you can finish it in the time it would take to watch a normal movie.
- Great way to get introduced to Astro quickly if you are interested in getting into them (and as a die-hard, longtime fan of theirs, trust me, it’s well worth the time investment).
- Just a simple, fun, uncomplicated time suitable for all ages.
Cons:
- Has what we in the writing business call an “excuse plot”; they honestly should have spent a little more time in the writers room beefing up the scripts before going out and filming.
- There are a couple pretty glaring inconsistencies between the real Astro and the Astro that appears in this drama, which may cause a little confusion if you decide to watch some of their bts videos or do any more research into them after finishing. The biggest ones I can think of off the top of my head are that Jinjin is the real leader of Astro, not Eunwoo, and Eunwoo is a lot more personable, sweet, and downright goofy irl than he comes across as in this drama.
- People looking for some thought-provoking entertainment, this is not the drama for you.
STORY: 6
The six-member idol group Astro is about to finally make their big debut. However, a freak accident sends all the members back in time to their trainee days before their big audition stage. However, some of the members gradually begin forgetting that they have come from the future, and old rivalries and quarrels start to rear their ugly heads once again. These six young men must put aside their pride and rebuild their team if they are ever going to have a second shot at debuting and achieving their dreams.
If I were to try to describe this story in one sentence, it would probably be “An RPF fanfic come to life.” This is not a pejorative against RPF fanfic as a whole, but if one were to think about a stereotypical fanfic plot, it would likely be along the lines of something like this. Basically, the plot is not the focus of this drama. It is merely an excuse to see predebut Astro dancing and singing and doing other predebut Astro things. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but do not go into it expecting anything deep, thought-provoking, or life-changing. It is a good time, nothing more, nothing less. (The tags are misleading, however; this is not really a romance drama, and you should not go into it expecting one. There is a little flirting and romantic tension between some of the boys and their female co-stars, but nothing I would really define as a definitive relationship upgrade.)
ACTING/CAST: 7
Nothing stellar, but definitely nothing terrible, either. Astro is essentially playing exaggerated versions of themselves, and are clearly having a blast doing so. All turn in pretty good performances, as do most of their co-stars. Special shout out goes to MJ, who is the secret main character of this drama. It’s amazing to me that he’s never had a main role in a drama aside from this, he clearly has the chops to pull it off.
Also, the outtakes at the end of each episode are hands down the funniest parts of the whole show, don’t skip them!
MUSIC: 7.5
While Astro’s music has definitely improved in the 6 years since this was released, what’s here definitely isn’t bad! It’s a perfectly serviceable OST with a few standout moments.
REWATCH VALUE: 7
Since the drama is only about the length of a 2 hour movie in total, it’s really not a big time investment, and I can see someone putting it on again for a laugh or to reminisce about how adorable baby Astro was (especially Sanha, who was only 15 at the time of filming).
OVERALL: 7
Pros:
- Very short; you can finish it in the time it would take to watch a normal movie.
- Great way to get introduced to Astro quickly if you are interested in getting into them (and as a die-hard, longtime fan of theirs, trust me, it’s well worth the time investment).
- Just a simple, fun, uncomplicated time suitable for all ages.
Cons:
- Has what we in the writing business call an “excuse plot”; they honestly should have spent a little more time in the writers room beefing up the scripts before going out and filming.
- There are a couple pretty glaring inconsistencies between the real Astro and the Astro that appears in this drama, which may cause a little confusion if you decide to watch some of their bts videos or do any more research into them after finishing. The biggest ones I can think of off the top of my head are that Jinjin is the real leader of Astro, not Eunwoo, and Eunwoo is a lot more personable, sweet, and downright goofy irl than he comes across as in this drama.
- People looking for some thought-provoking entertainment, this is not the drama for you.
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