Elendilka
Slovakia
This review may contain spoilers
This was an unexpected surprise for me. My first weekend drama and a first longer drama. The message of it hit the spot for me, I was having (and still in way am) a harder time at work than usual -I think that most of us do right now - and for a time this was the only escape for me. I am still hoping it will all pass and this drama gave me a bit of hope. Once Again was the highlight of my day, the only couple of minutes that I was able to smile and loved it to pieces.
What this drama does so well is the early development of the individual stories of each character. Some have a later arrival than others and the perspective often changes, giving more screen time to those who are in more eventful moments and it steers away from those, whose story needs a little more time. I had no idea how I did it, but I watched the first 30 episodes in eight days. This is something I almost never do. TV is always a reward for me but this made my self-control just fly out of the window.
My hunger for the series slowed down when the events in some storylines kept hitting the peek. I often found myself quite emotional and having quite a dramatic situation on my hands irl, I just needed to calm down a bit. This wasn't due to the tempo of the drama, I think that it was very stable throughout the series and it kept it's pace until the end. Slowing down in watching it made me appreciate it much more, and I was also finally able to see the details that make this drama so great.
The drama finishes with a couple of episodes that are pure fan-service and it does not leave any storyline hanging. This makes Once Again incredibly rewarding and the 50+ hours of it totally worth it.
The cast of the drama is pretty much phenomenal. Even the children, who are often sore spots in dramas, are tolerable here. To be honest, there isn't one performance that I wouldn't enjoy. I especially liked the two mother figures - Kim Bo Yun and Cha Hwa Yun were incredible - there are plenty of moments where they let you love to hate them. The four siblings and Yoon brothers carry most of the drama though, and they are doing it admirably. Also, Lee Sang Yi smiles so brightly, that I am pretty sure I saved some money on my electricity bill due to not needing to have my light on while watching his laughter in the drama.
The story comments on many elements of daily life in South Korea and especially on the common theme of appearances in front of others. I think that everyone could relate to it and while there was not anything groundbreaking in terms of storytelling here, the dialogue is written so well that the drama is addicting and it will keep you coming back for more. The Song siblings are also very human and I think that every viewer will see elements of himself/herself in at least one of them. They are also #squadgoals.
The OST was nice and Lee Moon Sae's song, often featured in ending sequence, will be stuck in your head for weeks. Trust me.
I am so happy I gave this one a go. The number of episodes might seem intimidating but... It's just so worth it. I cannot wait to come back to this a rewatch not only my favourite moments, but probably the whole series again.
What this drama does so well is the early development of the individual stories of each character. Some have a later arrival than others and the perspective often changes, giving more screen time to those who are in more eventful moments and it steers away from those, whose story needs a little more time. I had no idea how I did it, but I watched the first 30 episodes in eight days. This is something I almost never do. TV is always a reward for me but this made my self-control just fly out of the window.
My hunger for the series slowed down when the events in some storylines kept hitting the peek. I often found myself quite emotional and having quite a dramatic situation on my hands irl, I just needed to calm down a bit. This wasn't due to the tempo of the drama, I think that it was very stable throughout the series and it kept it's pace until the end. Slowing down in watching it made me appreciate it much more, and I was also finally able to see the details that make this drama so great.
The drama finishes with a couple of episodes that are pure fan-service and it does not leave any storyline hanging. This makes Once Again incredibly rewarding and the 50+ hours of it totally worth it.
The cast of the drama is pretty much phenomenal. Even the children, who are often sore spots in dramas, are tolerable here. To be honest, there isn't one performance that I wouldn't enjoy. I especially liked the two mother figures - Kim Bo Yun and Cha Hwa Yun were incredible - there are plenty of moments where they let you love to hate them. The four siblings and Yoon brothers carry most of the drama though, and they are doing it admirably. Also, Lee Sang Yi smiles so brightly, that I am pretty sure I saved some money on my electricity bill due to not needing to have my light on while watching his laughter in the drama.
The story comments on many elements of daily life in South Korea and especially on the common theme of appearances in front of others. I think that everyone could relate to it and while there was not anything groundbreaking in terms of storytelling here, the dialogue is written so well that the drama is addicting and it will keep you coming back for more. The Song siblings are also very human and I think that every viewer will see elements of himself/herself in at least one of them. They are also #squadgoals.
The OST was nice and Lee Moon Sae's song, often featured in ending sequence, will be stuck in your head for weeks. Trust me.
I am so happy I gave this one a go. The number of episodes might seem intimidating but... It's just so worth it. I cannot wait to come back to this a rewatch not only my favourite moments, but probably the whole series again.
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