ba0hai
This review may contain spoilers
whats there to say thats not already been said?
i saw this drama at the beginning of this year / end of last year. it was to fill the space in my heart as i was waiting for rainless love in a godless land’s episodes to air. its hard to say anything unique now, seeing as this drama is soooo revered by all of us who have seen it.
the fact that there are consequences to the time jump / time loop trope is refreshing. and the focus being placed primarily on love and then… the fear and loneliness of adolescence. similarly the low-budget but creative and effective set pieces for this show and rainless love were such a strong highlight for me. sometimes mainland dramas rely a lot on CGI and making actors look as pale and thin and perfect as possible. not that taiwan dramas are inherently better… but because they have a significantly lower budget that those effects are inaccessible to most productions, which i personally enjoy more as a result.
there is a theme which bothers me. i think that this show is about how even when love is impossible, people can make it work. well… sometimes.
was there any hope for the “original” wang quansheng who killed himself because he was gay? that age gap between the main characters at the end of the show was a little icky too—i would’ve preferred if they had ended it on a more somber note rather than try to make it work between a high schooler and 28 year old! it is the same theme that persists in rainless love in a godless land but “fixed” somewhat with the final ending. this studio sure enjoys its age gaps, i’ll say that.
there’s no arguing though that when someday or one day came out, it caused such a ripple in cdramas, and it was received so well. refreshing, unique effects, interesting story, a genre bender (tragic slice of life? we got that. time loop science fiction? we got that. murder mystery with a touch of horror? got that. love story? high school romance? taiwanese nostalgia flick with a touch of satire?) and i do think, in spite of its flaws, it was totally deserved. i’ll always be partial to rainless love in a godless land, but it’s hard not to consider SOOD the cultural touchstone and cult classic it’s become.
the fact that there are consequences to the time jump / time loop trope is refreshing. and the focus being placed primarily on love and then… the fear and loneliness of adolescence. similarly the low-budget but creative and effective set pieces for this show and rainless love were such a strong highlight for me. sometimes mainland dramas rely a lot on CGI and making actors look as pale and thin and perfect as possible. not that taiwan dramas are inherently better… but because they have a significantly lower budget that those effects are inaccessible to most productions, which i personally enjoy more as a result.
there is a theme which bothers me. i think that this show is about how even when love is impossible, people can make it work. well… sometimes.
was there any hope for the “original” wang quansheng who killed himself because he was gay? that age gap between the main characters at the end of the show was a little icky too—i would’ve preferred if they had ended it on a more somber note rather than try to make it work between a high schooler and 28 year old! it is the same theme that persists in rainless love in a godless land but “fixed” somewhat with the final ending. this studio sure enjoys its age gaps, i’ll say that.
there’s no arguing though that when someday or one day came out, it caused such a ripple in cdramas, and it was received so well. refreshing, unique effects, interesting story, a genre bender (tragic slice of life? we got that. time loop science fiction? we got that. murder mystery with a touch of horror? got that. love story? high school romance? taiwanese nostalgia flick with a touch of satire?) and i do think, in spite of its flaws, it was totally deserved. i’ll always be partial to rainless love in a godless land, but it’s hard not to consider SOOD the cultural touchstone and cult classic it’s become.
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