Eleison

I finally finished this with my sister and we LOVED it.

It is certainly unique as far as Kdramas go; the pacing and plot does not feel particularly tropey or cliche in the typical Kdrama way, with a really unique main character setup since the the ML and his dad (who I guess is technically the 2ML) are basically equal parts the ML. We see more of the internal world of Eun Gyeol (the ML), but it's Ha Lee Chan that this story revolves around, and he is ultimately the main focal point.

It was SUCH an endearing premise and so beautifully executed. My sister and I loved how the ML basically acted as the parent his parents never had, and his presence (and the love he shows them) in their past changes all of their futures in such cool ways.

Eun Gyeol helped deepen his parents' connection to those around them and build lasting community built on found family, compassion, thoughtfulness, self-sacrifice and love. He opened up a new world for both of them out of the fullness of love they had given him that he got to give back to them when they needed it most.

I also love the theme of a child learning compassion and empathy for their parents' story. After traveling to his parents' past, Eun Gyeol has such a different perspective of the parents he already loved to pieces, and I just loved how much he cried over them and their hardships, struggles, and pain. (It was refreshing to see the ML cry so often, and over things completely unrelated to romance. He now might be one of my favorite MLs of all time.) And, ironically, while Eun Gyeol parents his parents, haha, he also gets to have a second childhood, learning how to let go, let loose, have fun and do what he loves and allow himself to play and goof and be a kid. (And he gets to do that with his very own dad who is the same age as him; Eun Gyeol's such a precious mother hen! 😅).

It's also nostalgic in a variety of ways because of when it takes place; the 90's setting gives it a slight flavor of Reply 1988 which had such a deeply aching, nostalgic quality to it (the last episode of that drama tore me into little pieces and left me a puddle on the ground). Both dramas do such a great job capturing the lovely, fleeting beauty of youth, and the hope, dreams and joy that accompany it with the beautiful memories forged in that time of life.

I kind of wish Episode 16 wasn't so darn emotional (it packs a punch), but it's a beautiful ending, and I think they wrapped up everything very well. The way they filmed some of the last scenes reminded me of the way they retroactively brought Hayden Christensen to be Anakin Skywalker's ghost in Return of the Jedi instead of the old dude that originally played Darth Vader (and don't worry, I'm not saying anyone dies). You'll know what I mean when you see the end.

The cast was awesome, but Choi Hyun Wook was so darn stinkin' cute. He was hilarious and fit the role to a T. He just steals your heart. This is also by far my favorite drama with Ryeoun, too. He acted his heart out, and I love his deep, soft, velvety voice.

Such a heartfelt, poignant, powerful, and beautiful watch. Highly recommend!

Well, he's certainly had a lot of opportunities to practice!

Dae Hoon was great. I've only seen him play jerks so it was refreshing to see him play someone goodhearted (but at the same time, still kind of a jerk 😅).

Where was the Matrix reference?

I think he also knew by that point that she could he used to save his fellow "siblings" (and himself) from the effects of the experimentation, and that, paired with his hunt for his mom, made him willing to give her up. I thought it was pretty awful, too, and while he obviously had some tricks up his sleeve that showed he wasn't completely heartless (i.e. gave her the coffee, didn't tell Han Do about the effects caffeine had on her, etc.) and he knew the FL was... hard to kill. On and off you can see him fighting his devil may care attitude and the growing warmth towards the three "fools." I thought they made it work, but it was definitely hard to watch. 😟

I liked the romance. It was so slight that it worked for me. And a great little summary/review, btw.:)

I was dying during the beach scene. Surely they wouldn't show them try AGAIN? But they did, and had so many iterations that instead of getting old it just got funnier. 😅

It did get more unhinged by the end but I thought it was just a silly, fun romp! 😅 They just went for crazy and somehow it worked, haha.

It seems like we'll have to agree to disagree, haha. I rewatched True Beauty recently and I really felt less impressed than my first watch after seeing a lot more actors in Kdramas. Like I said, he's passable, and by no means dreadful, he's just not stellar (imo).

I want to forget that the actor is there and get immersed in a character, and I can never forget that the actor Cha Eun Woo is on screen. I've never seen him become someone that's still not a decent amount of what seems to be his normal, real-life self (not necessarily in choices or morals or things like that, but in carriage and demeanor and expression--this is always some variation on the real Eun Woo).

For instance, when the ML hands the FL over to Han Do, we know he's feeling pretty awful about it, but Eun Woo just struggles to really convey the nuance of what's required in those scenes to really give a sense for how bothered he is by himself and what he's done. I was like, "Emote, Eun Woo! Emote!" 😅

How do you think they messed it up?

What I mean is he doesn't have a ton of range (I have him in a similar category as Lee Min Ho; I've liked him in any drama I've seen him in, but again, not a lot of range, nuance or subtlety), and you never forget he's Cha Eun Woo no matter what character he plays. He's not able to inhabit a role and become someone other than who he is which is what the best actors can do. He's by no means bad; like Lee Min Ho, I always like him whenever I see him in a drama. And some actors don't have a presence to really own a scene, and he does have that, and manages to pick roles that suit his acting range and skill.

I just don't have Disney + so I haven't gotten to it. Maybe someday if I ever get a subscription!

I also really liked it! I think people were afraid it'd be a Moving copycat (haven't seen that one yet), but I thought it was fun! They got good creatives to helm it and a solid cast so I think it delivered. It made me want to rewatch it instantly and also made me wish there were more episodes. It has a high rewatch value and only some Kdramas are rewatchable for me. This is now one of them!

Eun Woo looks SO young in this drama. 😅

I don't think the main leads have the strongest acting here (especially the FL), but it was cute. Nothing more, just cute.

Ah, he just looked really young as a child, then. 😅 He looked too young as an adult, too. Oh well!

I guess that depends. What are the other 8 episode series in the running against it? 😅

It doesn't ruin anything (it just implies someone who MIGHT have died doesn't actually die; that's the only "teaser" element it has for a 2nd season). I thought the post credit scenes were nice. There's no cliffhangers or anything.

It seems self-contained. But a post-credits clip shows the door left open for a second season. It feels complete without a season 2, though, which I appreciate.

I'm not sure his acting is objectively good, necessarily, but the way he acts works for this character (could another actor have done the character more justice? I think it's very likely. But the character was well-written, and Eun Woo by no means ruins the character and does a passable job).

I thought the character of the ML was really great, and some of his scenes were definitely my favorite!