There are shows that have the golden trifecta of excellent writing*, directing and acting. A show can still be good with two of the three, but the best shows will always stand out in all three areas. And this show not only excelled at all three but brought so much more to the table.

Here are some of the things that make this show even a step above the rest--

1. Characters that have so much depth and have real emotional arcs. Each of the three main characters has real depth and real growth throughout the series. (Sang Tae is an absolute stand out, one of my favorite characters and performances in years.) The characters are imperfect--at times good and bad, at times kind and cruel, at times cold and vulnerable. They slowly learn and grow from their interactions with each other and with others around them, and at the end of the show you almost can't believe how far they've come since the first episode. And this isn't just for the main characters, there is growth and arcs for almost every side character as well.

2. The timely focus on mental illness. All our main characters struggle with mental issues and trauma. Also the show explores a variety of mental illnesses in many wonderful side characters who also have growth and attention. It doesn't shy away from the scary and ugly side of mental illness, but also handles each character with a lot of understanding and compassion.

3. The unique tone and color of the show . So many dramas have good storylines and directing and acting, but they lack a certain cohesion in the visual storytelling. This show had such a distinct and unique flavor. I wish more k dramas would put in the extra effort to establish that.

4. Romance that enhances rather than dominates the story. Something I really loved about this show that you don't see in romantic shows is how the characters grew from and interacted with so many of the other side characters. It wasn't just the main couple having all of the dramatic moments or always being the one to help or rescue the other, each of our main trio had a whole cadre of people they opened up to, learned from and got help and support from. It was really wonderful and realistic, and made the sweet romance all the more beautiful. I would argue that the relationship between all three of the leads was the real main romance of this show, and it makes it so much more meaningful.

5. Great balance of light and dark. There were times each episode I laughed out loud. Times I sighed. And times I wept. The pacing was perfect--they were able to seamlessly switch from lighthearted and fun to serious and deep. You really get a little bit of everything with this show.

This show really felt like a breath of fresh air in what's becoming a somewhat stale K drama scene lately, especially in romantic dramas. One of the best shows of the year, by far. Will remember this one for a long while.

*There was one storyline that was very sloppily resolved. I knocked a half point from the story for that, but it almost seems like there's something there (actor scheduling conflict, etc) that messed that up because the writing for the rest of the drama is near perfect. It's also not really that important to the main character arcs. It's just strange and confusing, though, and I'm still scratching my head about what lead the writing to go so wrong there. I only affects maybe half to one episode and not even all that much. It's just a weird blip in an otherwise really wonderful show.