Heartbreakingly beautiful!

The drama intricately portrays original book, even dwelling in deeper backstory of characters & original immigrants - generational victims since Japanese occupation era & continued identity crisis, collectively similar but starkly different across generations.

It evokes bittersweet nostalgia, a painful reminder of the past, reflections on how political crisis has changed courses of lives and continues to do so even in the current day, as immigrants can neither return to Korea nor get a full recognition in Japan.

The past and present parallels putting spotlight on Sunja and Solomon (the grandmother and grandson) duo is seamlessly woven to create a heartbreakingly beautiful cinematic experience. You feel their hopes, pain, resignation and courage through and through.

The cast is stellar, the acting: both the younger and older actors excel at making the roles their core identities & the rawness of the direction makes it feel like a poetry: alternatingly beautiful and destructive.

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~Beautiful take on life and death, grief and closure, love and regret.
~The concept of the show “trauma cleaning” is heartbreaking but therapeutic at the same time.
~It is an absolute cry fest especially towards the second half of the show. (Get your tissue box ready)
~Involves little romance and comedy
~Very interesting stories in each episode and tackles sensitive issues related to Asperger’s syndrome, same-sex love, aging parents etc.
~Exceptional acting by the leads

*Rewatch Value: Low (just because I can’t go through the bawling and crying again sigh)

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~Loved the first half of the show, it dragged on in the second half only to gain amazing pace towards the third half
~Stellar acting by the four main leads but I was rather disappointed with the over-the-top unrealistic and random characterization of the Guemga Plaza residents. It wasn’t my kind of humor after a few episodes to be exact. Most of the latter was just fillers for the second half.
~The lead actors were just too good for the mediocre scripting and the writing went from dark comedy to illogical & absurd especially given how the show had a strong forte in villains.
~The depiction of the gay character and slight homophobia also left a bad taste in my mouth for a show as big as Vincenzo
~All in all, Hong Cha Young is now one of my favorite kickass female heroines in kdramaland, Chachenzo -my favorite crime law pairing and Han Seok one of the craziest villains I have encountered.
~Props to the high quality production and use of CGI though
~I liked how the ending showed that Vincenzo will always be an anti-hero at the end of the day

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~One of the best slow burn psychological crime thriller to have come out in Korean dramas
~Shin Ha Hyun’s acting chops is mind-blowing! He gives you the creeps, makes you hate him, cry for him, pity him and love him.
~The plot is nothing new to serial murders and crime thrillers but the execution and plot reveal bits by bits adding psychological point of view and a touch of dark humor is what has made all the difference
~Yoo Jin Goo and the remaining cast are able to deliver emotionally raw performances as well with the best of the dialogues at hand
~The push and pull between the two male leads and the character growth by the end of the drama is really wholesome and surprising
~The portrayal of mentally unstable characters and untrustworthy POVs is another high point as well
~Props to the jazz music OST that fits perfectly with the eerie vibes of the drama

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~Massive tearjerker drama about what it means to be a family and what truly defines love
~Lee Do Hyun is an acting force in this drama and perfectly portrays the mannerisms of both his younger and older self so well. His chemistry with the FL is also really good and has no awkwardness
~Major themes revolves around family sacrifices, hardships of high school pregnancy, appreciating small everyday things in life, parent-child relationship, & broken family
~The drama also tackles sensitive topics about being a divorced women in a conservative society, workplace discrimination for females and cyberbullying
~Comic reliefs in between a few intense scenes will have you LOL

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~Overall tight plot and unique writing with a mix of horror fantasy and romantic comedy
~Pulls all emotional strings balancing the stories of the leads as well as the ghost guests. The journey through life and death as well as morality often makes a mark
~All the leads and side characters nailed their performances. IU plays one of the most iconic characters ever seen in kdramaland as well as the gazillion wardrobe goals she gives the viewers. ~Personally, I liked the chemistry between the FL and SML better than with the ML.
~Shoutout to the gorgeous cinematography and OST of the show.
~I also loved how the ending played out perfectly in line with the drama’s concept.

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~Strong women leads and gentle non-toxic male leads. The chemistry was amazing!
~Perfect blend of romance, comedy and action
~The side characters are also very entertaining including the North Korean soldiers and village Ajhumma gang
~A classic execution of love and kindness wins over hatred and jealousy
~The second half drags away a little, with fillers, separation and lots of melodrama
~Some of the coincidences are too good too be true but again it’s a dreamy rom-com that starts off with a paragliding accident in NK :P
~Bittersweet ending but something is better than nothing after all!

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SUPER ADDICTIVE !

~One of the best detective dramas with fantasy mix
~Keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time
~Two cops from two different timelines attempt to solve crimes with noticeable repercussions
~Time-travel aspect is executed so well
~Solid acting by leads and their chemistry is very endearing
~Some of the cases are based on real events and can be disturbing at times but handled very sensitively
~Can be tear-jerking if you get too attached to the characters/stories
~The open ending left too many questions and I am still waiting for SEASON 2 GODDAMITT!

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THE BEST KDRAMA IN THE KDRAMALAND TO EVER EXIST!

~One of the best slice of life drama involving five families and warm friendships
~Tackles beautiful lessons on life and living for what’s worth
~Involves soft romance and comedy with the iconic sheep noises
~Husband hunt adds flavor but can also be exhausting. Good luck with the guess game heh.
~Invokes massive nostalgia especially for the early 1990s pop culture, lifestyle, fashion and tackles quite a few historical issues related class, caste and communities

I watched this drama initially in 2016 with no expectations but it has become so close to my heart and the nostalgia it evokes from being a generation that grew up in the early 90s with the early life values and way of living is simply beautiful. I revisit this drama once every six months to ground myself to things that really matter in between the rush of modern life and rat race---- connections with family, friends and strangers that give us the true essence of life and living.

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Best rom-com and slice of life!

~One of the best mix of romantic comedy and slice of life drama
~Beautiful character growth and engaging plot lines
~Few cliched plots but executed to perfection
~Powerful female-centric characters
~Amazing narration and handling of sensitive issues and stereotypes
including mental health, LGBTIQ, pregnancy, divorce, aging parents etc
~Filled with life lessons and beautiful outlook on life
~Second male lead storyline handled impeccably well

I laughed , I clapped, I squealed, I screamed and I also cried a lot. I was thoroughly attached to the Gongjin villagers by the end of the drama. This drama will stay with me for a long long long time. Thank you to the amazing writers and directors and the talented cast who made possible this heartwarming show in the middle of the pandemic and gave us all so much comfort.

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~Kim Jin Hyuk :One of the best k-drama male leads to ever exist. Gentle, non-toxic and supportive to the end
~The romance made me feel super fuzzy and happy. It was so intimate, pure and poetic even
~I wasn’t too impressed with the FL’s acting. I found her to be bland and expressionless.
~Slow paced at times and there is not much to the storyline except two people falling in love and trying to make it work among various externalities
~The mothers were really annoying and unlikeable, borderline controlling especially towards the FL. They were the biggest turnoffs in the plot line for me
~The plot drags towards the second half and you end up wishing there were more fillers to the story
~The Cuba scenes were amazing and what got me into the drama. Beautiful OST that matched with the cinematography.

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~This is one of the oddest and weirdest dramas I’ve ever watched. I couldn’t make sense of what I watched but it felt good and interesting
~All the characters are super strange and bizarre especially the lead role played by Jung Yumi who is an oddball of a nurse wielding a lightsaber sword. Nam Joo Hyuk plays the role of a serious teacher really well too.
~The animation and effects are superb. The jellies may seem cute but creepy at the same time
~The series is based on a fantasy realm but the characters feel super real. Nothing fancy or gimmicky. Just real people, problematic acne prone students and plain jane looking teachers.
~As much as I enjoyed the experience, I do think the execution of the drama without any explanation of the plot or why certain random things were being done, was a drawback. Leaving the drama open to interpretation is fine but with a plot as weird as this, a little guide would have been nice.

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