scenophile

Fabulous second couple

I think the first thing that stood out to me about this one was that all the characters are really well-written and intertwined. It's common to see the SFL and SML be the best friends of the leads, but this wasn't the case — we had the SFL being leads with the FL, the SML being coworkers with the FL, the seconds leads having their own history, etc. It was just really impressive how every character had a backstory and a purpose to service in the plot beyond becoming a couple. It wasn't just throwing two random friends together; the stories felt really cohesive.

While I do enjoy the story of the leads, I think it did get a little repetitive, probably because it moved too fast at the start. I would've preferred if the leads spent more time together before diving into the "I love you's," and maybe they could've done mini-cases where we explored Myul-mang (Doom) and what his day-to-day work is usually like. It would've given us more insight into his psyche and history. Instead, I feel like the characters got together really fast, and then their plots became recycled versions of "Person A leaves, Person B is sad, and then either Person A regrets it and runs back or Person B finds them and there's a touching reunion scene." It's a common trope in kdramas but I feel like we saw some version of this every episode, for half the drama.

On the other hand, I actually think the story of the second leads was extremely well-written, and they ended up as my favorite part of the drama, even if they were a lot more grounded and had no fantasy aspect at all. Despite their limited screentime, I think the development was paced well and was really convincing, and I loved the message behind that romance. It helped, like I said, that both of these characters felt like real people who had depth beyond their romantic subplot.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I'm not sure how memorable it will be for me, but I understand why it is for lovers.

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Chemistry!

Honestly, I didn't expect to enjoy this one but wow, the standout of this drama were the two leads and the chemistry between them. Both lead actors are so good at showing subtle emotion, and the cinematography, the soothing OSTs, and the slow pacing of the show does an amazing job to highlight that.

For me, I do think it required a little bit of suppression of disbelief on my part, albeit only at the very start. The romance, while it's soft and comforting, is definitely a "love at first sight" situation. If the actors didn't sell it so well and have such good chemistry, I probably would never buy into it.

Also, although it's technically a sports romance, however, I think the sports/billiards aspect of the show is actually not very important. When you think of a sports drama there's usually a clearer through-line — maybe a character wants to make it to the Olympic team or win nationals. While there's SORT of one here (LYY overcoming his trauma and playing again), the focus is more on the emotional journey and less on the sports itself. Even though YG was also a pool player, she doesn't have a clear arc. The main focus is the romance and the characters just happen to be pool players, and they occasionally play games, but I as the audience was never clear on what the next step of their journey was, or honestly, even on the rules of the game. That's not a deal-breaker for me, but it's just a heads up for anyone who was interested in this drama because of the sports aspect.

Overall, though, this was definitely a comforting watch. I'm glad I watched it during winter because the snowy vibes were perfect.

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Best part: Romance

I'd seen clips of the three couples of this drama before going into it and I knew I'd love it just from that alone. And I was absolutely right — I really enjoyed the dynamic of all the pairings. The main couple in particular felt like such a return to form to classic kdramas, from the very first meet-ugly, to the clashes along the way where they gradually get to know each other. I really liked how they communicated through all their struggles and how we saw bumps in their relationship because of the bigger plot, but it never turned into one of those annoying "break-up" or "noble idiocy" moments. The rom-com was just really fun and cute, with some of the best jealousy and kiss scenes I've seen. The secondary couples have less screen-time but they're really lovable too.

In terms of the thriller/"case of the week" portion of the drama, I think they were overall done well. I really liked how we started out with an internal case — how standing up against unfair treatment in police training brought everyone together, and then I liked seeing our main group work together to solve different cases until we gradually made our way to the big one.

I thought the big case was really interesting too, and I actually think the drama did a great job giving it tension and weight in contrast to the more light-hearted scenes of the show. This is the part of the show where you really have to suspend disbelief though; the final plan feels a bit juvenile. Yes, the characters are rookies (it's in the title, after all) but I felt like the main antagonist had been built up to take more precautions that they seemed to really easily get around for plot purposes.

There's also a main character death that I think we needed more time with, giving the other characters more time to grieve and recover. I loved how tight-knit the group was before this, and after the character died, it felt like we were sad for a few minutes and then everyone just moved on and started to focus on the case again. The drama just needed some more quieter scenes of grief and introspection, so that the characters and the viewers could sit with what just happened, because it really should've felt much more earth-shattering.

Other than that, though, I really enjoyed this drama overall, and the main OST (Because of You) is SO catchy.

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Beautiful

Oh boy, this was an absolute tear-jerker, especially in the last few episodes. The relationship between Geu-ru and his dad was heart-warming already, but it’s given such a perfect arc as we see Geu-ru coming to terms with his grief while he and Sang-gu get closer.

There are parts of this show that really surprised me with how deep it got, and even plot developments that weren’t necessarily new still managed to hit the right emotional beats.

I did enjoy the “case of the week” style and I enjoyed pretty much every single story, but I definitely don’t think any of them were extremely hard-hitting emotionally. Still, the parallels between them and the A-plot was really strong, and if I’m being honest I’d totally watch a sitcom type of show where they just do this every week for the rest of my life. The dynamic of the main trio — Sang-gu/Geu-ru/Na-mu is just THAT good.

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Adorable

The leads in this show were so adorable and I love them SO much. Yukiko is strong and independent, bright and insightful, and just such an interesting character to follow. And Kurokawa is such a golden retriever character — the "looks like they can kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll" is probably my favorite archetype and he absolutely embodies this. I love how earnestly he approaches things he doesn't understand, and the dynamic between him and Yukiko is so heart-warming because of it. Most of the side characters also lovable and I love that we get to see each of their family/friend groups.

Overall, I think the drama portrays visual impairment really well. I definitely learned a lot about amblyopia, which I had no idea about before. The show goes into different accessibility tools and their importance, and I really enjoyed the explainer cameos by comedian Hamada Yutaro. There are a few hiccups here are there; there's a frustrating second female lead type of character who treats the FL really horribly and while the FL is shown as someone who is kind-hearted and patient enough to sit down and explain...it's kind of frustrating that she had to and I wish we'd gone more into the ableism here. The other part that was kind of iffy to me was her work at the restaurant. Once again, it seems like the drama goes for the route that hypes up the female lead and shows her resilience, but I think there could've been more discussion about making workplaces accessible. Showing scenes of Yukiko burning herself and carrying on didn't really make me think "Wow, she is so strong" as much as "Damn, they really did not make this workplace safe for her."

I think the most frustrating thing about this drama was the very typical "break up for their own good" trope in the penultimate episode. I'd been so impressed with how well they communicated prior to this and I really think it would've been much more in line with their personalities to talk it out rather than going the noble idiocy route. I very rarely like time jumps and this was no different.

Ultimately, I still found this drama really light-hearted and fun. It's a really comforting watch and Kurokawa is probably one of my favorite male leads.

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Carried by chemistry

Every other review is right: the cast is the best part of the show. I loved First and Khao's chemistry and the romance is just so goddamn adorable. The trope of the troublemaker x goody two-shoes is so fun to watch.

While I like the idea of a "school curse" hurting students and a school that has overly stringent and overbearing rules to stop students from speaking up, it just all stays so abstract that it feels like the writers didn't actually think through their themes.

Let's start with the protests. We see the kids who are protesting the rules, but it's really unclear what the rules even are and why it's such a problem. Some things that are briefly mentioned are school uniforms and phone use, but we never actually see how these rules negatively affect the students, and it makes the rules seem so mile it doesn't necessitate all the drama. I think the idea of "protesting for the right to protest" is very valid and interesting, but the setting needs to escalate it in a way that makes sense. It's likely that the protests started out from something small and then grew when the school tried to suppress it, but the show drops us right in the middle of the latter and never explains the history.

In terms of the curse, it's also unclear what it actually is. The students gossip about "the curse" and the teachers tell them to stop talking about it, but we don't know what it actually means other than "something bad happens to certain people." Random things happen and it's attributed to the curse, but I needed more characters to ask questions that people would ask in real life. Where did the curse come from? Is it supernatural or is it a person doing everything? Who does it target and why? This ties back into my issue with the protest concepts — none of the history is explained.

Throughout all this, there are moments where the show addresses homophobia, both internal and external. I actually enjoyed how the drama tackled these themes a lot, but once again it was kept quite abstract most of the time. It could've leaned into it much more and tied it into the curse and the school rules, and it would've solved both issues, by putting a clearer spotlight on the homophobia theme and adding more explanations to its other concepts.

Overall, the script just needed to be tightened and the ideas needed to be fleshed out. The romance is so good, but you really have to believe in stakes that aren't quite there.

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Great, except for one big thing

Folks, it has been quite a while since I've gotten second lead syndrome and even longer since it's been so bad that I've had to start my review out with it, but here we are. I think the thing that was so jarring about this one, though, is that I did not see it coming at all. Contrary to other dramas where you sit through 16 episodes of a SML pining for someone you know they'll never get, I sat through this drama with the continuous thought that this drama had one of my favorite tropes — the one where the main lead feels like the second lead but ends up getting the girl because they were the one that stood by her and laid out all their cards on their table while doing it (see Dream High). I was unfortunately, very wrong, and you cannot imagine the absolute whiplash I felt when Kaga, my favorite golden retriever who spent all six episodes unabashedly spending time with Ayumi and making her laugh...ended up being the second lead. It's not that I dislike Koshiro and in a way it makes sense, but the problem is that we, the viewers, didn't get to see any of it beyond the childhood flashback and a few speaking scenes — because we spent all this time seeing Kaga with Ayumi instead. I have a big soft spot for the storyline where Person A loves Person B but ends up falling in love with Person C because of a big life change (see Vampire Diaries) and thought this was going to be the case based on screentime alone. Long story short, my heart is SHATTERED.

Okay, with that out of the way, this drama actually had a lot going for it. It grabbed me right out of the gate and kept me on the edge of my seat. There's the more "fantasy" and "thriller" aspect where you have the leads trying to figure out how the body switch happened and how to deal with it, and there's also the more down-to-earth part of the drama where they just have to go about their day, attending classes, eating lunch, dealing with bullies and school events, etc. The balance between the two is done extremely well, and I was also really touched by the story.

The theme is common but really interesting. The drama does a good job of showing "pretty privilege" — not just in terms of your genes but also how wealthy you are, if you grew up in a good environment and with good parents and were able to take care of yourself, etc. But it also shows that sometimes people who are dealt a bad card let it define them forever and blame others for it to a fault. I was really happy to see Umine's redemption arc and loved that everyone became a friend group by the end, though it was a little fast.

Plot-wise, I do think the short length of this drama hampers the pacing somewhat. It feels really well-paced and fast at the start, but it starts to drag a little bit before it just completely speed-runs the ending. I'm not sure if the manga originally montaged through it or had more, but I wish we got more scenes about the "shuffle," had more time to develop Umine's redemption arc, and explained more about the lore and how switching worked. It felt like they introduced a researcher character who was supposed to have a lot of answers about the process, but ended up not really doing anything other than some lore dumping early on.

Ultimately, though, SLS aside, I still really enjoyed this one. In my heart of hearts Kaga will always be endgame, but even if he's not, I hope it doesn't deter anything from watching this.

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Needed a bit more

The premise of this drama is super interesting but it was just missing something for me that made it not as exciting as it could've been.

Despite quite a lot actually happening and the main character traveling to the past multiple times, it feels like not a lot is actually happening. I think we needed to feel higher stakes for the main character. While I actually really liked seeing a selfish and greedy main lead — there's a lot of potential for character growth — I felt like the ML wanting to become rich by marrying the "10 billion girl" was not really a strong enough plot motivator.

The character of the FL was also kind of thin. The childhood connection and contrast of the FL being selfless and kind-hearted is nothing new, but next to the ML it felt like we needed a character who was righteous but just as headstrong. Our FL was so quiet that I didn't really feel her presence in the show, especially after she was revealed to be so normal after her ominous introduction.

With that being said, I like the concept of the romance but I'm not sure if I actually bought into it emotionally. I wish we'd gotten more scenes of them just spending time together or, once again, just having higher stakes that would push them closer and give us a sense of desperation and trust.

I actually liked Takauji for this reason (not just because Mackenyu plays him, although that certainly helped) but also because the character added an intensity to the plot that we really needed. I wish the drama had taken it a step further by giving him the tools to travel back in time as well. It would've made the "race" between the protagonist and antagonist SO interesting and added some much needed competition.

Overall, I still quite enjoyed the plot. Though it was a little rushed at the end, the character development works and everything is wrapped up nicely.

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Definitely a tearjerker

I've already seen the Taiwanese movie, I said. I won't cry since I already know everything that happens, I said. Dear reader, I sobbed like a baby. Every. Single. Episode.

Cream/K's story is by far my favorite, which always really surprises me because it has a lot of tropes that I typically don't like. But it's done extremely well, you understand exactly why the characters are making their decisions, and when the ball finally drops, expecting it doesn't make it hurt any less.

I still enjoyed the modern plot too, but more so the family arc, and less so the copyright arc. For the former, I love that the parallels to Cream/K are there but not too in-your-face. I also have to give props to Bai Run Yin, the little boy who is casted to play An Ke Le. He plays the role absolutely perfectly, adding a such a layer of maturity that makes his story that much more raw. I understand that searching for the copyright is how the two stories are intertwined, but this part was definitely not as interesting to me, even though the final song, sung by A-Lin, was fantastic.

While I enjoyed both plots, I did feel like the transitions between them were a little rough sometimes. I'm not sure how this could be fixed because they definitely have to run in parallel, but when we jumped from one to the other I often wished we stayed for a little longer.

Overall, though, still such tear-jerker, and knowing the story beforehand doesn't change that. I'm all cried out.

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Different from your typical cdrama

The best thing about this drama is hands down the pairing between young Li Qing Tong and Chen Jun He. They are individually very intriguing characters with great arcs, and also have really good chemistry and banter when together. At first glance LQT seems like the very common-in-cdrama FL — bad at school, with a crush on the class president. The difference, however, is that her life doesn't revolve around it at all; her relationship with her family is very heart-warming, and she's not afraid to be loud, sarcastic, and stand up for herself and her friends. After a generation of "cute but dumb" FLs, this is SO refreshing. And then our ML, CJH, takes it to the next level. He's actually not "the good guy who every girl has a crush on" (another tired drama archetype) but the also bad-at-school, bully who fights character that we more often see as a second lead. After finishing the drama, I actually think this is one of the best cases of "reformed bad boy" that I've seen in dramaland, and the way everything plays out makes sense.

Plot-wise, the pacing is a little rushed towards the end. Most of its episodes are in high school and then it skips around in college. This is a very common formula in youth dramas too, but I think for this drama in particular, where the biggest part of the plot happens in their college and adult days, there needed to be more time spent on those plot beats instead of some of the other youth drama tropes.

Honestly, however, I'm actually not completely sure about how time travel is used. It seems pretty necessary if the entire purpose is to have the daughter travel back in time to connect with her mother and discover the truth about her father, but once Li Jin Bu is actually in the past and has an established identity, it's really not used that much other than the occasional mysterious voice saying "It's almost time for you to go back" to LJB to give her some internal conflict about her relationship with Duan Xiao. Part of me actually wishes there wasn't any time travel at all because it added this weird, unexplained layer to the show, but I understand why it was a necessary premise.

Overall, I still had a lot of fun watching this! The emphasis on friendship and family is heart-warming, and the characters are surprisingly memorable.

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Cute but so short

This is another drama that has so much potential, but it's hampered by short screentime. It really just needed more time for the characters to get to know each other — I felt like the characters became close friends five minutes after meeting each other for the first time, and throughout the drama it felt like they were skipping scenes and we had to fill in the blanks ourselves. We don't have nearly enough time to follow any story beats, whether it's Xu Qi-zhang trying to become school president for the scholarship, or his band. Some of these plots actually drop off completely, and the only one we do follow is Ye Guang's relationship with his parents, which is actually very powerful.

The best part of this drama, however, is definitely the OST, particularly the title song — I've had it on repeat the entire week.

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A pure rom-com

As a romantic comedy this drama does the job; it's funny and light-hearted overall, but touching when it counts, and it manages to use common kdrama tropes without making them feel tired or too dramatic.

The first few episodes are done extremely well, setting up the story and giving the characters a good starting point. The leads are very convincing as exes, and I loved seeing how cute they were in the flashbacks of their relationship. The second lead couple has a slower start, but it's promising and it's fun once it gets started. Individually the ML and especially the FL are given really touching backstories, and I love that the drama paid just as much attention to the family theme as it did the romance.

As the drama goes on, however, it feels like it doesn't go much deeper than the initial set up. The push and pull between the leads continues in the same way without revealing much more depth to their relationship beyond them enjoying spending time together in their vacuum. The second ship is still fun though, which is all I really asked of them.

Ultimately, it's a fun drama, but even though it's just 12 episodes it still feels longer than necessary.

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Peak friends-to-lovers

Guys. This drama is the pinnacle of friends-to-lovers and of the flipped trope — two of my absolute favorite things. The pining is immaculate.

The best thing about friends-to-lovers is the push and pull between two people who know each other so well and thus are so good at communicating, and two people who are so scared that feelings will change their relationship that they pull away from each other instead. This drama, once again, hit that spot absolutely perfectly, and the actors really sold every scene.

I also really appreciate how the side characters were incorporated. The closeness of the two families is really convincing, and I'm even more impressed that the two main leads had their own little friend groups. It adds a lot to the depth of their characters and their friendships by showing what their personalities are like outside of each other.

The only two little hiccups I would consider this drama to have would be:
1) The plot around Eiw's father. I understand why it's included — so that the story isn't just romance — and thematically it does kind of make sense with his character, but I just didn't find myself caring about it. I'm also not completely sure I agree with the final messaging of forgiveness in the end but this is partly my own worldview, and partly the fact that the drama just doesn't have enough time to really make it hit emotionally.

2) The second ship. It's not handled horribly but the age gap is still very very weird to me.

Overall though, this drama was 100% worth the watch for the main romance, and I hold every hug scene very close to my heart.

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