So i sat down on my toilet seat and started analyzing this show.
When the show ended, i felt good, but there were lingering feelings of wanting more in the background but i didn't pay much attention to it. I finally did a thorough self reflection and found why that was.

THIS SHOW IS NOT 9.0+ MATERIAL
There are so many points in this show that make you think " why?! " but then you forget about it because the story moves on.
The show is great, do not misunderstand the review.
This show belongs in the 8.5-8.9 category at best.

The expectations generated by its 9.1 rating cause all its small inconsistencies to pop out more.

I am bad with Korean names, so i'll refer to characters are what i see them as.


The Pros.

The Comedy is good. At no point did it feel lame, everyone's character perfectly generates the comic relief you'd expect from them.
The acting was great. especially the main inmates. They portrayed emotions and reactions mostly as you'd expect someone in their situation would do.
The pacing of the overall timeline felt planned and well thought out.
Even if at times it felt like they were dragging the story with fillers, the events are connected well enough with the main story to make the 90 minute long episodes go by without being boring.
The flashbacks are something i really liked. especially Mister gangster's, when the whole screen goes into 4:3 mode lol
but there are issues here.
SECOND LEAD SYNDROME STRIKES AGAIN.



THE FRANKENSTEIN.

First and foremost the Main leads Romance.

WHY??? How did they screw up so bad i have no idea. At first it felt cute. Then the whole part started to feel like a chore to watch.
ML and FL meet, at the start they make it seem like they like each other.
Then they meet later, and ML starts to reject her, with the cliche "ᵢ dₒₙ'ₜ waₙₜ yₒᵤ ₜₒ ₛᵤffₑᵣ" mentality. He is a simple stupid character so i guess that's a bit excusable.
Then the FL starts rejecting him. The flashbacks keep showing how everything was good between them, other than him ghosting everyone when he loses, but here we are, she is just not giving a frick.
Then suddenly by the end, they miraculously get together. Without obvious events to trigger it.
There are events that happen that could have been triggers, but they happen way before in their arc. but by the end out of nowhere, they are back together.
i think the writers knew how weak their arc was so we barely see them together in the last few episodes.

Now the fellow inmates.............................

Jailbird was the exposition boy. Didn't see much more character out of him. ML saves him mom at the start, so he is a loyal fanboy now. We are led to believe he is good, but the he comes back to jail again. True to his name i guess. We get a glimpse of the HARD TO SWALLOW PILL when loony gives everyone in the audience the middle finger that some people don't change and jailbird is obviously one of those characters. In the end he is ML's Agent by the looks of it.
This char was the least impactful among all other inmates. But he ends up getting the one of the best outcomes.

Captain Demon baby. His arc felt well done, i would have loved a look at him after he was released, i have no idea why they couldn't do that.

Dr Petitioner. We go deep into his char, his backstory, his actions, and we hoped that we'll get a nice wrap up to his ark. NOPE. gets transferred out of the blue. Poor guy is never heard from again. We never know if he survives the other jail, gets out, emigrates to some other nation with his wife. He helped ML so much and that was a big slap to my face.

Mr Lispy Engineer. We don't go deep into his character till its time for the writers to yeet him from the show. However refreshing it was to see professor conman draining Lisp's wife, we never get a follow up. This part is not a big deal but knowing so little about his backstory or life, that was the only part we knew and cared about. Then they decided to take him out so a son pops up with a problem there goes one more inmate. Poor guy is never heard from again. Did he end up on good terms with his ex-wife atleast who knows. its not like the writers care.

The "Son" of Mr gangster. he was annoying, whenever he called himself the son, it was cringy and the betrayal was out of the blue. That would have been understandable if he stuck with the betrayal, but then he comes back for a cameo and we are supposed to like him again. He is mentioned when Gangster is being released and that's it.

HERE comes the biggest RED PILL of the show. Loony. They definitely did not plan his end properly. He was showing genuine signs of recovery. He was almost force fed drugs but he RESISTED. But when he gets out he gives in? His ending was felt rushed too. For most of the other inmates we see a send-off. Looney was close to plenty of people and a send-off should have happened but it just cuts to the restaurant and him being released. I don't know if the writers trolling and geniuses with his arc. One hand it feels wrong, on the other it shows a realistic depiction of addicts. But he was very capable of resisting and that was for sure. Did he sabotage his life out of anger for his mom? nothing is made clear and he is gone without mention forever. I expected to see reactions of the cursing lieutenant or the inmates but nope. GONE.

Then my favorite inmate, the reformed gangster. He sits in the background of the show much like the engineer, but at the end his story is picked up nicely. It was nice what happened with his daughter and all, but that's where it ends. where is his ending? the mother clearly likes him, she is single, he got out, but we never see any of it happening. WHY? Just why?!

So much more could have been done with this show. 16 90 minute episodes are effectively 24 1 hour episodes. That's a LOT. The camerawork is very slow at times , they could have cut some useless parts and gave meaningful endings, sad or happy to more inmates. but nope. Its all open to our imagination. There could have been short scenes with ML and what happens after a few months, maybe he tells everyone in an interview how his cellmate friends are doing. it was entirely possible but NOPE.

And what's up with those footsteps at the end of each episode? i thought they'd pay that off in the last episode showing someone walking after everything ends but naaaaa.

And did i talk about the setting of the whole show? Is this "Baseball star Fan club" or set in a prison? We get a glimpse of the real deal when cursing guard and non stop talking guard leave for a scene and this stern guard shows up. That goes NOWHERE. why was that scene in the show? to show us how ridiculous the setting is in the show? Who knows?

i can go on and on about small small issues, but ill stop now. this is what happens when expectations are HIGH. this show came out 2 years ago, has a 9.1 rating. Higher than Goblin, which i thought was the best K show of this decade. i haven't even seen it yet but now it makes me wonder if goblin's 9.0 was over-hyped as well or not.
there are plenty of shows with more problems than listed here but people do not complain as much, they are rated low and people have conservative expectations. but this show felt so convoluted.




I rate this show 8.5 because it is a good show. i didn't feel the boredom that made me quit halfway like a lot of shows give me, even if it was so long. The characters are well written even if their endings are not. The comedy is the best part of the show. I am not happy with this show more for its bad endings rather than the character decisions.

I really like the sister of ML and daughter of gangster characters, They breathed some life into this show.

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A journey worth coming along

What a JOURNEY! My first kdrama over 100 episodes! Last 2 long forms shows I saw were "Five Enough" and "My father is strange". This show is definitely up there with them.

The romances are well paired, the antagonists have good motives and the plot is progresses properly.

Because it's a daily soap, you'll see cliffhangers at the end of every episode, the choices of characters will not make much sense and will result in countless frustrating and hair pulling moments. But the ending is so fluffy and good, you will forgive everything.

I really wanted the show to start with the main storyline from the get go, but they have kind off a prologue for 8 episodes. It doesn't feel like it's necessary , BUT these episodes make the whole show so beautiful, especially during the end, it's almost magical.

They took everything people hate and coalesced it into the antagonist. And you WILL DEFINITELY hate him. Mark my words , they did a good job there.

The romance is SOOOOO fluffy. Especially with the main leads. You root for the second leads very hard too, but mains do take the crown.

133 episodes, I will never forget. I hope more people discover this show.

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1 to 10 episodes were fine. 11 and 12 were 4x speedwatch. 13 was skipping 5 seconds every few seconds.

I enjoyed the comedy quite a bit. It was rated 7.7 so I expected really bad things, but I was surprised on ep 1 how nice it was. The comedy was nice, acting was nice, story looked good too.

Any drama was lighthearted and pushed aside in the first 10 episodes, so 11 and 12 felt so bad because all the shit was packed into it. Any time we saw anything drama worthy happening, it'd be pushed aside for later in the first 10 episodes. But everything came into focus in 11 and 12, taking a turn from the light-hearted story so far to classic drama involving rich parents , societal prejudices and online toxicity. 13 tried putting things back together, but it was filled with flashbacks , but it wraps up nicely so meh I guess.

Music is the most generic stuff you hear in romcoms. And OH MY GOD, the piano artist went full steam ahead for 11 and 12, I mean GIMME A BREAK DAMNIT, IM NOT IN A PIANO RECITAL!

Ending was fine. 7.5/10 good light hearted fun.

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A must watch for Action-Drama Fans

Definitely has that John wick 1 vibes with the world building and OP Hitman legend. But in a completely different direction of a single mother.

The dynamics were insane, for all the characters. Just when you think it'll succumb to cliches and stereotypes, it pulls a punch from your blindspot.

I can only talk so much without going into spoilers, but every single main character, the boss, his sister, our protag, her daughter, and a few side characters, are utilised very well. Every action they take, no matter how comical, surprising, confusing or deranged meshes well with their established personality.

This movie made me care a bit about almost every character, so when someone dies, you feel the pinch.

Sure, its not feature length shootout fest like john wick, or a family drama, but its a happy mix in between.

The action is coordinated very well, the BGM is seamless enough and the few CGI shots are really well done.

I'm rating this a 10, but this should be 8+ overall at the minimum.

I am seeing a lot of low ratings and i just cant understand why. Maybe its for a small subset of viewers, like the entire John Wick franchise is.

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Clichés everywhere. like a cliché bundle. But Lee Hye Ri elevated this to a new level.

Its an OK story, don't expect anything groundbreaking, every episode felt like a copy so many other shows. tropes are very very familiar.

but Lee Dam's character shines without a doubt. The comedy hits home a lot of times, and her reactions are pretty realistic in most scenarios.

What this to enjoy a good Romcom.

Second lead couple also has a fun, quirky and hilarious storyline.

Story and music are not worth mentioning. they are average at best. Acting is also average, only the Female leads shine with great characters and quirks.

If anyone wants to rewatch this, I'd imagine its only to see the comedic genius Lee Dam.

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A celebration of youth and life

This is one of the best shows I've seen in a while. It had everything , and the ends makes you physically hurt with nostalgia. You'll remember your youth throughout the show, your time with your friends, with your parents , your home, your street, your crushes, relationships, your sad times, happy times, EVERYTHING. This show is a trip down life.

I hope I get to watch it again when I grow old. I'll die happily if I see this show in my final days. This show is a celebration of life.

This is the first show i will never mind rewatching again and again.

Don't miss out on this gem.

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A Masterpiece

Absolutely hated the ending.

But I cannot deny the fact that it’s a beautiful journey, with a very deep philosophical meaning if you sit and think about it.

For that I give it 10/10 …. Very reluctantly.

The comedy, drama, romance and every other aspect was woven together so nicely, I didn’t see the heartbreak coming till the very end.

I held hope , that the gods, nay, THAT THE UNIVERSE, won’t be so cruel until the moment he jumps to present time, and comes out the cave to see the two sisters happy with uncle tat.

I want to feel angry , but I cannot seeing them happy. I want to cry foul when I see zixia with the dude at the end, but I cannot , knowing they are happy.

The ending reminds me of the butterfly effect( the movie starring Ashton kutcher) . Spoiler alert for that movie.
.
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At the end he realises that removing himself from the lives/timelines of others entirely made more people happier , than any of his attempts to deliberately make them happier. It’s a sad truth to face, just like monkey king sees, and walks away.

I hate it.

But deep inside, I appreciate it.

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A good show to pass your time

Huh..... I added this to my watchlist a year ago , but then it kinda fell off my mind after I read some comments and reviews that it's not that interesting.

Surprisingly it's actually pretty nice. Sure , they focused a lot more on the drama portion rather than romance, but ending was satisfying enough and there were no glaring issues with it.

Though the ML with his timid and cowardly personallity will surely turn off a lot of viewers in the beginning episodes.

A show worth watching when you are bored and want something to watch.

The music is generic and pretty forgettable. Only one main song is fun to hear.
The acting by ML is ok i guess. FL has a poker face throughout the show , like bella in twilight movies. She has some scenes where acting is good, but they are few.

The side characters are great, but their storylines and ships are very confusing , weird and a bit disappointing in my opinion.


Watch this show if you are free and want to feel good in the end. 8.5/10

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I never knew long form dramas could be this good, but after watching five enough a week ago, I started looking more into them. That's when I came across this show, and I have to say , I now believe that these daily soaps can be made really well too.

At no point in the show did I feel like I was being fed fillers. The actors , especially the eldest daughter, played such a great job, and the ending was really heartwarming. It only focused on what the whole show was about and did a great job by trying not to cram everything into one episode and inadvertently tripping over their feet.

A must watch show, atleast once.

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I never expected a show with so many episodes to hold up so nicely till the end.

I was under the impression that long shows like this would be filled with nonsensical drama and useless cringey plots, but I have to say I was happily shocked.

The story revolves completely around the characters in the show, every episode touches on the lives of each main character, and the character growth of some characters is heartwarming.

The casting choice was so on point that I would smile everytime the couples were on screen, especially yountae-sangmin and taemin-junji .

It's a light hearted family friendly show , that's filled with good vibes , you'll smile days after watching this.

My only complain would be the rushed ending of the show. It felt as if the last 3-4 episodes were completely rushed. While everyone had a very happy ending , the ending showed very little of how much they will be enjoying their futures. I also felt a bit sad for the cheater-best friend couple. Theirs was the saddest ending of everyone, probably the only disheartening couple ending.
All the buildup of emotions, story etc over fifty episodes was quickly done with , which leaves a slight desire for more behind.

9.8/10

Must watch at least once , with your family if possible. Many good lessons to be learnt in here!

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A message that I stubbornly refuse to accept

god damnit, first Moon lovers , now this! i keep getting baited into watching dramas with bittersweet or tragic endings!!! DAMN YOU YOUTUBE COMPILATION MAKERS!!!

i was so sad when i realized she is just going to go to the afterlife on the bridge :(

the goddess kept saying time will flow again, i thought she meant her time continue after the tree disappears and she will grow old and die. But wth man, this ending really bummed me out.

even the end where he sees her ghost through the book he is reading, its so painfully depressing knowing she is nothing but an illusion, knowing full well she already passes on to another life.

Maybe that is what this story is trying to teach, but sorry, im even more weak hearted than Goo Chan Sung................ damnit.


Other than these feelings, the show is shot beautifully and the acting is also good enough. Everything was amazing, if not for that end i personally don't prefer.

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