Time Machine (2021)

A story about two souls the universe wants to separate

Episodes 23 and 24 are superb. From what I've read from those who have read the original novel "Time Machine" that this was based on, the ending was changed in the TV adaptation, based on that information I could say that the director and writer did an amazing job in giving us a different ending--it was heart wrenching, lovely, and touching.

As with most adaptations with a different ending than its original source, it is rare that the new ending leaves an impact to the audience, most often than not the original ending is still better. Not in the case of First Love Again (2021) TV adaptation, their ending deserves to be an official ending too, especially since we are talking about parallel universes and time travel.

The male and female leads were a perfect match. They portrayed perfectly what many of us experienced back in High School and whenever we fall in love. The anger, the sweetness, being playful with each other, even the little things they captured it all awesomely. The same with the side stories with their friends, like the pain of being rejected or the unexpected surprise classmates no one expected will be together ended up getting married.

It is also worth mentioning that they effectively used all 24 episodes to tell us different interconnected stories. It was not rushed nor was it lacking. They also kept the physics of spacetime travel (yes, one word "spacetime") simple and to a minimum. If we are going to talk about how logical it was, at this point it is hard to say. In the latter episodes, there appears to be some leaps when it comes to spacetime travel, but since I have not taken the time yet to fully review and gather my thoughts about it, I can not say anything about it … yet. Regardless, the spacetime travel is overall good and easy to follow for the majority of the episodes. Those who are not keen with parallel worlds and time travel stories would find it easy to watch this.

And hey, the overall story, the romance between our lead characters, are more than enough reason to watch First Love Again (2021) even if the Science does not make sense. This is a story of two High School friends that not even the universe can ever separate. A story about two souls who will always find each other and fall in love again and again and again and again …

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What would you do if you were given a chance to change your past?

This is probably one of the most well thought out time travel dramas that I've felt satisfied with. I haven't seen Someday or One Day or any other acclaimed ones, but this made me think and wonder what was about to happen after each episode. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes time travel, romance and a mix of fantasy.

Very rarely do we meet someone who absolutely has no regrets in life. Ye You Ning was no different - he had chosen his path since a young age and followed his heart, until he realizes that his decisions cost him the things that were worth more than words. When a freak thunderstorm has him thrown back into his 2006 younger self, he is forced to make new choices all over again and change his view on life itself… he also discovers that the girl, Xia Wen Xi, whom he had declined to be the deskmate of in the past had the "time machine" - and thus starts his journey to relive his life once again.

This is no simple romantic drama. Although classified under Sweet On Series, this one is far from sweet. It's also one of the most well written time travel dramas I've seen. And be warned - the time travel aspect governs the whole plot. With only 24 episodes, we see Ye You Ning change the past and travel multiple times through various timelines, in varying situations from which he once again attempts to escape. In a way, the time machine gives him a chance to redo his days as a student and cherish the time he'd been given. What makes this drama special is that the cold male lead is literally forced to change and re-experience his life through multiple ways, each time realizing how certain small things in life could change your fate. We experience his varying parallel universes with him, and by the end of the drama, I realized that I had somehow begun to care a lot about him.

I gradually grew attached to the characters. I liked how the young and silly Xia Wen Xi communicated with the adult Ye You Ning. I liked Yang Youchung and Xiaoai; Ting Ting and Jiaqi. I loved how the relationship between the Grandfather and Grandson progressed!
Although the drama shifts to romance as promised by the title, I often wondered about the future of the two fated people. The Universe had laws after all. And this drama managed to make me wrack my brains to find out how it all ended. And it did not disappoint with the ending - the writers for once actually thought for once instead of pulling a cope out.

Both Xia Wen Xi and Ye You Ning start off as 'barely' classmates, yet the time machine forges a strong, unyielding connection that crosses both time and space. The last few episodes solidified this and I couldn't be happier.
Both the lead actors stunningly portrayed their roles with viscious intensity. It was only 24 episodes long, but it seems like I had gone along on an adventure with them. To me, time travel has never been a thing that seemed impossible - It's just that science hasn't yet reached a threshold where it can theoretically be explained. It was absolutely fascinating to watch the drama unfold.

I initially did not find the music appealing, but by the last episode, I was crying with the songs. Time's magic indeed...

One thing I might advice for future viewers is to get a grip on the time jumps and events. Those are the most rushed parts in the drama. It also provides pretty sweet high school and college memories to momentarily save us from all the angst.
I will rate this a solid 9. Despite it's flaws, it stole my attention and is one of the best dramas I've watched this year. It made me look back and think for once - what would've happened if I had done this or chosen that?
All in all, it's 100% worth watching.
I hope that both Xia Wen Xi and Ye You Ning finally get to enjoy themselves together in whichever timeline or universe they are in.

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