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Hitting the ground running
I was highly anticipating this considering how glowing the reviews are, and yep, one episode in, I was intrigued.The drama really jumps right in and never lets up. I'm really grateful this show has just fifteen episodes because it's just the right amount. For a time loop drama, it never got boring or repetitive, which is impressive. In ever loop we learned something new and we also got to see our main characters grow closer.
The acting is great across the board. The main leads' chemistry goes without saying, but I really want to give extra props to the main antagonist. The actress absolutely kills it and sends chills down my spine.
Maybe the only thing I would want is a little more time spent on the epilogue/aftermath. I liked seeing the side character arcs getting wrapped up, but wanted a little more of our main leads, whether it was seeing them return to their everyday lives and seeing how the time loop changed them, or reconnecting with the people on the bus, or even having a little fun with introducing a sudden relationship to their friends.
It also feels a little iffy to me that the final message of the show seems to go for a "and the police did their job and everyone got what they deserved" direction. While it somewhat makes sense, I wish there was just a little bit more nuance about social pressure, incompetent officers, and laws that need to be amended.
Overall, though, still a great watch. I understand why it's rated as high as it is.
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A little slower
The comforting vibes from Part 1 definitely carry over into this season, and I enjoy how consistent it all is: the support between our main leads is still very strong, and we get to see the conclusion to all the romance arcs — particularly Iksong, which is the main one I'd been looking forward to from the beginning.Story-wise, however, I did feel like this season was a little slower and more difficult to get through, for the simple fact that the side stories just aren't as strong or interesting. I'm not sure if there were too many subplots for one-off characters, but somehow the 2 hour runtime for each episode really felt long, whereas I felt like the pacing in Part 1 was perfect.
It's still a nice, comforting watch — it's refreshing that all our leads are competent and communicative — and I wouldn't miss out on this if you've watched Part 1 already, but it did just drag a teeny bit.
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The tried and true kdrama formula
This drama is proof that you can take all the formulaic kdrama tropes — first love meet again, disapproving parent, ex returns — and still make an incredible show.The first thing this drama got right was the vibes; it felt extremely cozy throughout and hit the right spot between being a melodrama and a rom-com.
I think the leads had amazing chemistry and I felt like both of them were given subtle but ample character development and backstory. It's interesting because this drama only had eight episodes, which I'd normally consider too little, but I felt like everything was paced perfectly and the short length actually worked to the shows favor. There wasn't time for misunderstandings to be drawn out or for traumatic backstories to drag everything down. Everything was just the right amount.
I'm also impressed with the friendships in the show. A lot of short dramas stumble into the pitfall of only having enough time for the main romance and not for any other characters or any friendship scenes, but this show didn't have that issue at all. We had the amazing main couple but we also got scenes of our main characters having heart-to-hearts with their friends and supporting each other. It really helped in making everyone feel well-rounded.
The only part I'm iffy on is the two side ships. They had some good moments but overall I just didn't care much for them. It's not too bothersome because they also don't take up a lot of screentime, so I would still fully recommend this drama for the main couple.
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Healthy but underwhelming
There's a delicate balance between "healthy relationship" and "interesting" that very few dramas get right, and I think this show fell into that trap as well. While I enjoyed how the misunderstandings didn't last long and that the leads talked to each other a lot, ultimately I felt like it made the story underwhelming. Big decisions like getting married or moving in didn't really have the needed weight to it, making me feel like I had missed something, and when the leads got together it didn't quite feel earned. The same applies to the second leads, who were pretty cookie cutter.Was this review helpful to you?
Comforting slice-of-life
I thought I would find this boring (I have 0 interest in medical dramas AND the episodes are so goddamn long) but wow, it ended up being a really comforting and well-paced watch. The number one thing that works here is, of course, the vibes. It's really down-to-earth — nothing is overblown or overly melodramatic, and the conflicts make sense and flow well. It really feels like you start knowing this group of friends; we watch how they deal with conflicts — both together and apart — and it really just feels like life. The 1.5 hour runtime never feels too long, and it's actually very needed. I started out feeling unable to keep up with all the side characters but by the end they all feel like old friends.I'm honestly super impressed with the characters too. I very rarely find myself liking every single character and every couple, but that was definitely the case here. I found myself rooting for every single ship and seeing the different forms that love comes in, whether it creeps up on you slowly or hits you like a truck.
Onto season 2!
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A nice little drama
It took me quite a few episodes to get into this, but by the end I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it was the second couple that won me over.The second couple does the "flipped" trope perfectly, and the chemistry is great; Taiwanese dramas are also not afraid of skinship and intimate scenes, which makes everything feel much more real. If there's anything I would rewatch it would probably be their scenes.
The main couple is fine and they have their moments, but I admit I don't care as much for them; the chemistry is fine, but the tropes seem more cliche, and I think they're hampered by the "gangster" plot, which tries to be serious but doesn't really manage to establish its high stakes due to low budget and short runtime.
Overall though, still a nice little watch.
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So underrated
This was so cute! No love triangle, no second leads, no toxicity, no misunderstandings — it was just the main characters and their friends growing up together.The most interesting thing about this drama is first and foremost the main female lead’s personality; she’s headstrong and stoic but still cares about her classmates, and even when she has a crush she doesn’t stop it from getting in the way of her dreams and goals. It was just super refreshing and different from the typical cdrama cutesy female lead.
The main couple don’t have a lot of skinship but when they do it really gives you butterflies, and they absolutely sell the “innocent first love” feeling. I really liked how they went from butting heads to being partners-in-crime, and that even when they fought, they never stopped caring for each other and ended up talking things out and apologizing. I’m going to sound like a broken record at this point but I just loved how down-to-earth everyone was.
My only criticism might be that the ending seems a bit rushed; while I enjoyed the twist, I felt like the drama chose to go for the shock factor and time jump, while I’d rather have they spend more time showing the “in-between” for both our main leads and also for the side characters, whose arcs just sort of fell off. Some of my favorite moments ended up being in the special episode, which I’m so grateful for.
Ultimately, this was a really great watch — comforting, for sure. The side characters aren't that memorable to be honest, but the main leads are, and for that alone this drama is very underrated.
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Peak action
Oh that was PEAK CINEMA. It's actually not a new story — this kind of revenge drama and twist has definitely been done before, but the way it was executed, from the action/fight sequences to the soundtrack, to the emotional beats and tension...everything was just top notch.Han So Hee is absolutely amazing in the role; the stunts (which I learned she did herself) are amazing and really make your heart pound, and she hits the perfect balance between being stoic but also being overcome with emotion. Ji-woo has to be one of my favorite female leads I've ever seen in a kdrama, EVER.
I absolutely loved Ahn Bo Hyun in the ML role as well; his role is not as heavy for sure, but he plays the part well and matches the emotional aspects perfectly.
With that being said, I cannot say enough about Park Hee Soon as Choi Mu Jin, who just absolutely blew me away. This is a drama that manages to keep its lines blurry and its antagonist characters morally gray, and I find that so impressive. The acting is amazing in both action scenes, and the quieter, tug-at-your-heartstrings ones.
While the ending was understandable and actually very fluid, I did think it was a tiny tiny bit rushed at the very end. I think I just wanted some of the other side characters to get the arc wrapped up, instead of just focusing on our female lead and nobody else. I get why the choice was made though, and in the grand scheme of how much I enjoyed this show it really is just small potatoes.
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A nice watch
This had been on my list for a while, as someone who loved The Gifted. For the most part, this was enjoyable and well-written, and all the side characters were fleshed out.Its biggest drawback, I’d say, is the pacing. While it may be consistent and steady, it’s SLOW. Especially in the first few episodes, it feels like it takes the characters a very long time to figure things out, and it also gets a little repetitive with all the characters acting similarly in how they question the Masters. Even Maki wasn’t doing much with her backstory.
As the drama went on, and Run played a bigger role, I think that was, for the most part, fixed. I enjoyed gradually getting the backstories of all the side characters and learning about the school’s origins. The pacing was still a little slow, but I didn’t mind it as much.
I, however, do wish the drama was a little braver with its themes. The “don’t sink to their level” and “be a good person” theme has been seen in a lot of Thai dramas, like The Gifted. While it’s definitely a valid worldview in the real world (and one I hope many people follow), it unfortunately makes for boring television. Our main characters are tossed around by the antagonists who are actually willing to do things that move the plot forward. And the stakes also feel lower because we know that nothing is going to end up happening to them — after all, they have to be rewarded for their goodness in the end.
Ultimately, I still enjoyed this one a lot. Though I think it could’ve been a bit more compressed and more extreme, the themes are good, the ships are subtle but cute, and the story is well-written.
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The main couple is the best part
Oh dear. This one is so universally beloved on the internet that I’d been saving it for a long time; as a lover of the zombie genre (the fast ones) and of healthy, best-friends-to-lovers romance, I felt like this had everything I could ever want. In the end, though, I felt like it was just okay.The best part of the show is the main couple — I loved every scene they had together, and I loved how much they communicated and supported each other through everything. But I felt like they were very underutilized.
Even though this drama is filed under Action and Thriller, there’s actually very little of each. Compared to most zombie outbreak shows, this one is relatively contained: for most of the episodes there’s one or two that pop up, but they’re fought off or pushed outside the building, and everyone retreats to their apartments and their food rations.
I don’t mind a bit more organization and government response, and Han Tae Seok is actually one of the most intriguing characters in the show, but I feel like the show needed to escalate much more to make the stakes feel higher and for us to see the main leads in a more raw and desperate state. We got a little bit towards the end, but it felt very late and the scale just never felt as big as it could’ve been.
Additionally, when the plot started expanding, there were a few unnecessary plot elements that were included. The “people are the real monsters” theme is very common and I enjoy it, but it didn’t quite feel cohesive. Sometimes the character decisions didn’t really make sense, and the “zombies” ended up being pretty underutilizedwith the final resolution being too quick as it jumped to the epilogue.
Ultimately, I think this is a very character-driven drama, which is good if you like that sort of thing. I think the side characters were all very well done and there’s adequate commentary through them about human greed and selfishness — I just wish the drama moved the plot forwards while it was doing all that.
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Amazing vibes, intriguing story
Japan has got the horror vibes down because I absolutely had to take a break between episodes — it was just so dark and heavy. And yet, by the end of the season, I was surprised at how hopeful the drama made me feel despite how much paranoia and anxiety the show also gave me.Overall, I'm really impressed with how this was written, and how it really gave itself time to develop and set up the story. There are some common horror elements like the main character's backstory, but it still feels really original. I don't know where the plot is going and I'm excited to find out.
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Good premise but confusing
This was barely coherent.My order of how much I liked the acts goes 3 > 2 >1 of appearance, but everything really did not have to be in reverse chronology in the first place. It was confusing and the film basically asked me to care about all these unlikeable characters before it showed me why I should.
Act I. There was no reason for the genre to be dystopian sci-fi. It was a pretty interesting set-up in the first act but started to feel forced, not thorough, confusing...and by the time we got to the other acts it was forgotten anyways. The film showed nothing about how society became that way and why it mattered.
I actually enjoyed the dark and grittiness of the film (especially in the later acts) and the setting in the first act should've just stuck with being in a world with lots of corruption and wealth inequality (like Gotham). That would've been a lot more believable.
The acting in the first part was also the worst in my opinion. I already mentioned not really liking the characters, but I also found the performances all just very blah.
Act II.Lee Hong Chi was the only good part here. The acting was great but there was really no good story to work with. The cliche of the Unforgettable Girl You Meet One Sad Night And Then Lose Contact With Forever is cliche and boring.
Act III. This one was actually my favorite because it actually did have a story and decent character writing — until it all devolves just like the other parts.
Generally, all the parts had something going for it until it tries to do something violent for the shock factor. It makes every sub-story end on an unsatisfying note and it sucks because I think the cinematography is pretty good.
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Super cute, but then falls into common web drama traps
This was SO cute. I think there's very few actors that could take on the role of Aoki — who's sort of a bumbling, clumsy character that could'e easily become annoying — but the actor managed to make him so adorable, endearing, and a fantastic lead to follow.I also really loved the side characters; it's nice that there's not really a villain in the drama at all, which makes it a lot more light-hearted and fun, and also allowed the show to discuss discrimination and internalized homophobia without making them really depressing and hopeless.
The premise itself surprisingly gets resolved pretty early, and it's more focused on the gradual development between the leads. I liked being able to see them hanging out without being "forced to," but my favorite part was actually still the beginning, where they were getting to know each other.
I was really pleasantly surprised with this drama...all the way until the last few episodes, where they started doing the "big climax cliche" that many shorter dramas do: the dreaded break-up + big realization + romantic reunion. It was probably the first moment in the drama that felt cliche, whereas previously the show had managed to make common tropes still seem fun and refreshing. I also think it just felt a little rushed to have it all at the end, though I don't think it's that out of the ordinary for a drama with this runtime.
Overall, it's fun and I liked it — it's a show that you don't have to think that much about.
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Exhilarating
I'm still filled with adrenaline after watching this. The first thing that stood out to me were the action scenes, which have extraordinary choreography.Ultiamtely, I think the best part of this drama is, without a doubt, the main lead. There's an abundance of "stand up against your bullies" stories out there that feature main leads with physical prowess, or leads with some sort of superpower (lol), but very rarely do you get a lead who counters physical attacks with intelligence and attitude. His archetype is just so intriguing, and Jihoon's acting perfectly encapsulates every step of his arc.
The other acting standout is of course Choi Hyunwook as Suho, who brought all the charisma and humor that the show needed. Bumseok was also really interesting as a character study. Maybe the one person who I felt was sort of random and out of place was the female character Young Yi, who throughout the show always felt more like a plot device.
There's so much to unpack here — I'm a bit torn between thinking the 8 episodes is just perfect because it made the pace lightning fast, and wanting just a few more episodes to show more of the trio and dive deeper into Bumseok's downward spiral, which ultimately still felt pretty sudden despite the backstory we got for him.
Overall, still, I think this is a fantastic watch that really did deserve all the high praise it got.
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An intense experience
At first glance this seems like your typical police thriller, but watching this gave me a much more intense experience.First off, this drama isn't afraid to show violence and gore, which really made it all feel so immersive. Huge props to the prop department (pun intended) and to the makeup department. Every slice, every body part felt super REAL.
I'm also impressed with how this drama managed to humanize and provide depth to all its characters — main and side characters included. I have always loved Taiwanese dramas for their ability to extend stories beyond their characters, and this is no different; it's more subtle in this show, but there's social commentary and it makes every single character and case feel really heavy and important. It also shows that it's so much more than a simple detective drama; this show knows how intelligent its audience is.
I'm definitely looking forward to S2.
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