GOLDEN PALM OF FRUSTRATION!

“If you don’t plan to end something well, don’t start doing it at all!”... The voice of one of my teachers echoed in my head more often than not throughout this series. And it was more vivid on the last few episodes.

Before all, this is the first review I leave on MyDramaList. I have always considered leaving a review on a perfect or a catastrophic show useless as opinions tend to be similar, and repeating what everyone says is pointless... but I am leaving one for Until We Meet Again because it's both: Perfect and catastrophic, and, for the first time in a long while, I don't know what to think!

How much am I supposed to rate a show that I like and dislike equally? And what am I supposed to say about a show that I want to promote and “demolish” with an equal intensity? How am I supposed to react when in one show I’ve found everything I wanted to see in a BL drama and everything I don’t want to see in any drama at all?

If I surf on the emotional wave, I’d give a standing ovation to the team that worked on this series, but, if I hold back a little, and consider this series from the screenwriter’s perspective, I just might inundate this page with critiques. Being totally bewildered and overwhelmed by bittersweet emotions, and blurry, confusing considerations, I made my friend—who is a professional movie director—watch the series with me. He agrees on everything I am going to say below.

Before talking about my appreciation for this series, let’s be objective and list the main positive and negative sides of it. I will make this review as short as possible, and will try to avoid technical terms.

A. THE POSITIVE ONES:

1 – THE ORIGINAL PLOT: The plot developed around the concept of reincarnation held my interest right away. I liked the, almost, laid-back attitude of the director of this series in regard of such complex topic. It was fully assumed and exposed with a simplicity that’s too beautiful to believe. Habitually, when it comes to metaphysical concepts, the artists try to surpass themselves whereas it’s exactly what they shouldn’t do. Complexity doesn’t need difficulty, it has enough of it already, it needs simplicity… and I am happy that the theme was considered from a wide perspective. It spares the viewers all unnecessary discomfort.

2 – THE CAST: I can’t help but think about Kao and Earth right away. I think, hiring these two young actors, and matching them together, was the brightest idea the crew had for this series, after the plot.

3 – THE ACTING: Once again I think about Kao and Earth, they were both remarkable in their roles. They deserved thoroughly to have the leading roles in UWMA, but I can’t imagine anyone else but them play Korn and Intouch. They literally "brought to life" the characters with the natural of their interactions and the realism of their acting.
*A special mention for the actors whom got the secondary roles, they made the beginning of the series very entertaining.

B. THE NEGATIVE ONES:

1 – THE PROGRESSION OF THE INTRIGUE: I know that this drama is adapted from a novel. But writing a novel and writing a movie script are two totally diverse enterprises. I do both, so I know what I am talking about. You can let a story-line drag on in a novel (to a certain extent), but the watchword when you come up with an intrigue for a show is “Interest”. If you can’t affect the viewers and keep them interested “from credits to credits”, you shall admit that you must have been responsible of a blunder somewhere. A drama/movie intrigue that drags on is tiring for everyone, actors as well as viewers. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened in UWMA, and this leads me to talk about the next point.

2 – THE SCRIPT: There are a lot of sides to consider while writing a script for a movie or a play, but I will only mention here those that “leaked”:

1.1/ Lack of suspense and realism: We knew from the plot that Korn and In committed suicide, and Dean found Pharm in the very beginning of the show. Again, we knew quick enough that In was from Dean’s family and Korn from Pharm’s, what's interesting in a drama but very unrealistic in depth… I personally guessed that In was from Pharm's family when the latter’s family name was exposed the first time… and everything that came afterwards was simply a development of a failed twist. I watched something that I knew would happen, quite disappointing!

1.2/ Distorted story-line: In the beginning of the series, we’d got a very regular college-life drama, and then the whole side-story is wiped off the screen as if it’s never been there, focusing solely on Dean and Pharm’s redundant interactions. That’s been exaggerated, I think!

3 – THE EDITING (SEQUENCING/TIMING/PACING): The length of the different scenes, their pacing and the choice of the scenes in itself are lacking fineness and rigor. Example: those useless school trip sequences. It would have made more sense if Dean took Pharm on a trip like Korn promised In. Something romantic, for them alone. Also, the way the past and present time scenes were synchronized is, simply put, cacophonous!

4 – THE ACTING: Dean and Pharm remind me of Wayo and Phana. If you have watched 2 Moons the Series (1st version) you know what I am talking about. Fluke is a very good actor. I first discovered him 6 years ago in My Bromance. In the role of the young Bank, he was incredible. Was he “made” for the role of Pharm…? Perhaps. I won’t blame him for the way he interpreted Pharm, I think the problem comes from the screenwriting and the directing, not from his abilities to undertake such role. A director is supposed to intervene if a role is misinterpreted!
The acting was not what it should have been (lack of chemistry, awkwardness, over-sentimentalism, second-hand embarrassment…) but it’s not the actors’ fault.
From another side, Kao and Earth interpreted their roles perfectly, so I wonder: was there some unevenness in the script, or was there a misunderstanding around the characters’ personalities, and the way they were supposed to behave in different circumstances to perform the present time scenes?

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This said, these are my suggestions — as an occasional screenwriter [not my profession] and as a viewer — about the options that I think would have improved the quality of this show, its suspense impact and its entertaining potential:

1 – Splitting the plot into two seasons: The first season would hold Korn and In’s story, and the second one Dean and Pharm’s story. If the budget were to be tight, reducing the number of episodes (8 to 10 episodes per season) and eliminating the side story would have given enough matter and budget to work on/with to the crew.

2 – Keeping the one season objective and considering the script from a reversed perspective: Korn and In’s story would be kept as it is now in the series, but Dean and Pharm would only meet at the end of the series. So, we’d watch them reminiscing their past lives and looking for each other in their new lives, only to meet on the last episode (or to meet each other part-way, but only realize they were looking for each other in the end). Such version of the plot would have saved this series from the chemistry disparity between the past and present selves of the characters, as any awkwardness would have been interpreted, then, as the characters not understanding what was going on, and the nature of their feelings for each other.

3 – Rethinking the plot and the script completely, and starting with the present time story: Dean and Pharm would meet and feel strange and self-conscious (just like they seem to feel and act in the actual show) and wonder why they are attracted to each other. Their meeting would be the trigger of their past lives’ memories. The memories would start to flood their minds, and slowly they’d remember who they were in their past lives and what they meant for each other, and why they were having those dreams. They’d get closer to each other while they investigate their common past together, until they’ll be overwhelmed by their “dormant” feelings. And we'd only learn that Korn and Intouch committed suicide in the very end of the series.

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How much am I supposed to rate a botched work? Do I have to leave my emotions (my irrationality) take the lead and rate it above average, or come back to my senses and consider it for what it is and give it the ominous rating it deserves?

What a dilemma!

I am sure the team wanted to present something great, it just didn't carry out as planned. I hope, next time, they will work on better-written scripts, and consider every aspect of a series before hiring a cast and filming it.

Some film producers tend to be a tad careless when it comes to the contents they present to younger audiences, judging (or rather discriminating) them because of their age, just because “young” means “inexpert” to them. They forget that the younger audiences discovered cinematography earlier in their lives and that they get more free time on their hands to watch movies and series, what sharpens their minds and highlights their understanding of the shows they watch… when it comes to cinema, experience can’t be quantified by age.

So, when I see a series/movie/novel/game… being botched just because it’s destined to a younger public… I tend to be a tad callous with my ratings and feedbacks. I don't intend to be harsh or discourage the crew, I just say what a lot of viewers wouldn't dare to say. I just want them to learn from their mistakes and present better projects in the future. Let's call it me challenging them!

Being totally unable to say if I like or dislike this show, considering my fondness for Korn/In and dislike for Dean/Pharm’s scenes, and all the shortcomings in between, I will give it a neutral rating (5/10):

Story: 7/10 for its originality, simplicity and entertaining potential. -3 points because of the distorted development and absence of suspense.

Cast/Acting: 5/10 simply because half of the cast performed an excellent acting work, whereas the other half... Let's say it's for the sake of Kao and Earth, and the actors who got the side roles because they made me miss them.

Music: 5/10 because no soundtrack captured my interest at all. I felt rather indifferent.

Rewatch Value 3/10: As I still want to re-watch 30% of the series, especially Korn and In's scenes.

Overall: 5/10 because I like and dislike the show equally.


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Before ending this review... I'll say something cruel, but, since the crew intended to dismiss the side characters partway in the series only to bring them back for what I can only call "a farewell show", it would have been better if they weren't in the series at all. If it only focused on the main characters like it did for most of it!

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