FUN!

I'll begin by saying that I rented this on YouTube. It's no longer playing on any of the sites mentioned.

I loved the balance between comedy and thrills. That's the way life is sometimes. Basically, a terrorist attack grips the city, and this is the story of people trying to survive. Action, action, action. I think there are fingernail marks in my couch from holding onto it so tightly. I will admit to being a big ole scaredy cat, so others might not have the same response.

Jo Jung Suk - I love him. He is such a versatile actor. Here he played the unlucky, loser ML and you couldn't help but like him. Yoona - I don't love her as an actress, but she did an okay job here, mostly because she was running a lot. Her crying scenes - just no.
Since this is an older movie, I loved seeing so many familiar faces from other dramas I've seen.

If you've got a couple of hours and you want something fun and fast-paced, give this a try.

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It couldn't decide what it wanted to be

My typical disclaimer: This is totally my opinion, so please don't come at me with hate.
I will admit to being a romance junkie. I love sweetness, cuteness, and happiness. I was so looking forward to the pairing of Song Kang and Kim You Jung. But, to me, this one seemed like it was all over the place, trying to find a place to land.

Story: Not original by any stretch of the imagination. I kept thinking that I'd seen certain things in other dramas and the one that stuck out the most was him burning up, a la Goblin. So, he became a demon because he killed himself? If the crazy family member that died in jail became a demon as well, that would have been interesting. So, we've got the past lives that we've seen so many times. I do have to say that the past lives parts were beautifully filmed. Slow motion of her dancing with the swords, her hanbok billowing out, that was lovely. Evil family - check. Red herrings - check. 2ML Lee Sang Yi as Seok Hoon has the look of a villain and they took advantage of that. That character had no purpose other than to show that someone else is pining over the FL. The title of the drama could have been better titled "You think you're a demon? Wait until you meet my family!" Yikes, so much evil. Irritating 2FL that will do pretty much anything to get the ML - check (I am SO tired of this!) Quest for power - check. Everyone in the family has their own wants, they all hate each other and will do anything to gain power. Female hobo that is God - the thing that stuck out most to me was in some scenes they forgot to use makeup to make her teeth look rotten. Then we had the obligatory "things that make you go hmmm" scenes. The police couldn't arrest the bad guy because they didn't have enough evidence? They had him dead to rights, yet they arrested her with no evidence, mainly because she didn't do it! When Koo Won went away toward the end of the drama, where did he go? He went away, but not, he'd come to her at night. And can I just say this woman must be a REALLY deep sleeper if she never knows that he's rubbing her hair, her face, and getting in the bed with her.

Acting: Good, except for the sister of the head guy in the family. She was seriously overacting.

I normally put what I liked at the top, but in this case, I had to rate lower because of all of the above.

CHEMISTRY: Oh, so, good. Both romantically and comedically. They were just such a darling couple together. The wardrobe department dressed them in complimentary outfits, so the attention was on them and their actions. And it doesn't need to be said, but I'll say it, both Song Kang and Kim You Jung are SERIOUSLY beautiful. If I could have seen more of them and less of everything else, my rating would have been much higher.

Kim Hae Sook at Chun Sook. I LOVE her in everything, and when she got killed off early on, I was mad! But here, I was glad of all the scenes where she showed up to comfort Do Hee. The Christmas scene with her, and her family, at gift to Do Hee from Koo Won, was especially beautiful.

I wouldn't tell anyone to run away from the drama if they asked, but I can't really recommend it either. I was so disappointed. I kept holding off on watching it because I thought it was going to be my new favorite. Alas, it was not to be.

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Lovely main couple. Enjoyed the progression of their relationship

Bottom line: If you are on the fence about watching it, give it a try.
With time travel, you have to suspend disbelief to begin with, but this show, for me, required more suspension of belief than other shows I’ve watched with the same subject matter. And let’s all admit it, in the past couple of years, there have been a LOT of time travel dramas. That said, there was a lot to like about this show.
ACTING/CHARACTERS:
Bae In Hyuk as Tae Ha. I love this actor. When I’ve seen him in other things, I’ve wished for a ML role. He was great. A lot of people said that they didn’t like his “coldness”, but I didn’t see him as the typical cold CEO, more as a lonely one, due to his circumstances. Dimples, cute little lisp, his smiles…oh, my. Add to that, he’s got some good comedic timing. I found his character to be very likeable. I thought the scenes where he was jealous were so cute.
Lee Se Young as Yun Woo. She is so gorgeous, and I felt she was perfect for this role. Wide-eyed surprise with entering a world that she knows nothing about. She was smart and I loved that she was able to work as a designer, melding the old with the new.
Joo Hyun Young as Sa Wol, Yun Woo’s lady’s maid. She was quite funny. And when you couple her with Jo Bok Rae as Mr. Hong, you have a crazy funny couple that is a treat to watch. I liked their romance, but I also liked their relationships with their employers.
Jin Kyung as Min Hye Sook (Tae Ha’s stepmother). She was a terrific evil character. Very controlled, but when she lost it, she completely lost it! I wouldn’t have wanted to go toe-to-toe with her! I also liked that she got a redemption arc.
Yoo Sun Ho as Tae Min. This character was interesting. I felt sure at the beginning that he was going to be evil, but his development surprised me. I would have liked to have seen more of him. I do have to say, in some of his close ups the makeup around his eyes looked very strange.
Kim Yeo Jin as Yun Woo’s mother/Lee Mi Dam. I have enjoyed this actress in everything I’ve seen her in. She’s got a sweet face and a wonderfully soft and warm voice.
The grandfather character was just all kinds of creepy, especially toward the end. In the last couple of episodes this coloring was off (I think they did this intentionally) with a blue tinge around his lips. It added to the creepiness.
STORYLINE:
For only being 12 episodes, unfortunately it did get really draggy at times and then, OF COURSE, the ending was rushed. The story is where my difficulties came in. Joseon Tae Ha is poisoned and dies. When she goes back to change things, she saved him from being poisoned, but he still died.
Why was it a problem that 1) Tae Ha was married, and 2) he had a heart condition? They were always trying to get rid of him for one reason or another. Then there’s the issue with his heart. They mentioned that he had a pacemaker over and over again, but he had a scar from open heart surgery – that’s not how they put pacemakers in. I may have fast forwarded when they mentioned if he had any other kind of open-heart surgery. And if he was having chest pains, the pacemaker obviously wasn’t working – just give him a new one!
Why is there always a random female that is willing to do anything to get the ML? This one could have totally been left out, there were enough other evil characters. Her character did turn around eventually, though.
I felt that Yun Woo adapted to the current time too easily. That could have made some more comedic moments.
Obligatory breakup – only lasted for half an episode, and the reasons for the breakup still existed, so why did they even break up?
I’ll say again, needlessly rushed ending.
I do have to say, I loved the time they spent together in Episode 11. When she was looking at that old couple, that was so touching, her knowing that she would soon be leaving Tae Ha.
COSTUMING:
I LOVED the clothing that she wore, and that Mi Dam wore. Beautiful fabrics, colors and designs. I would have liked to see Tae Ha in casual clothes a bit more, but he can wear a suit like nobody’s business. I loved the boxy suits they had Tae Min wear – it reminded me of a child wearing his parent’s clothes and it added to his youthfulness.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Beautifully filmed. My favorite was in episode 5 when she is hanging the sheets up and then the sprinklers come on. Slow motion, filtered lighting, close ups of the actors. I liked all the sites they used to film in as well. Toward the end, when she’s walking along that water in the middle of the city at night, the lighting was very good. They used slow motion quite effectively, especially when they filmed their hands coming together.
CHEMISTRY:
Oh, my! Their chemistry was off the charts, not only romantically, but when they were together just talking. Excellent kissing scenes. When he looked at her, he either looked totally enthralled or totally in love, either one was great. I also like how she kiddingly said, “Do you like me or something?” and he came out and said that he did and didn’t backtrack at all.
This is one of those shows that I might watch again, only for the main couple.

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Dark humor

Triggers - suicide and rape/assault

This short drama was well-done. The acting was very good, and for a story containing such serious subjects, it was surprisingly humorous. There were times when I laughed out loud. This drama contained a lot of inner dialogue, and it was very effective. The ML voiced, "There is a difference between wanting to die and not wanting to live." You could feel his loneliness, and that loneliness ultimately reached out to the wounded FL.

The acting of the leads was very good. Through most of the drama, the ML was just a shell, going through the day-to-day motions, watching for the perfect opportunity to end his own life. You can't help but like him, there is a sweetness about him. Conversely, the FL is hard and angry, after being betrayed time and time again by people that were supposed to be watching out for her. We have the opportunity to watch him want to live, and to watch her hard edges smooth out.

It has a happy ending.

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Give it a try

This review is based SOLELY on my own opinion/enjoyment of this short drama. I haven't read/watched either the manga or the anime.

What I liked:
-The special effects were good.
-I really liked the stylized outfits that the main characters wore. School uniforms with a twist?
-I liked the cinematic coloring. I don't know quite how to explain it, but the blue/gray hues used throughout, especially in the dark fight scenes, were effective.
-It was a short five episodes.

What let me down:
-Lack of character development. The focus in this drama was fighting "the big bad", and there was A LOT of fighting. Unfortunately, I felt that the characters took a back seat to the violence. As a result, I didn't feel too invested in what happened to any of the characters.
-Overacting. I think this may have been due to the fact that this was purposely comic book-like. Everything was exaggerated. The fighting, the facial expressions, the yelling, etc.

I think that if someone enjoys anime/manga, they would probably like this drama.

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Quick watch

What I liked:

Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye were both good in this. I especially liked Yoo Ah In in his solitude at the beginning. Here is a young man that appears to live vicariously through the games on his computer. When everything goes south, he has no idea what to do. The scenes between the two of them were good, especially when they were talking to each other on the walkie talkies.

What I didn't care for:

I don't think this needed to be a series, but I didn't feel we got enough back story of the two main characters, especially her. What's her story?
I really have difficulty with the idea of zombies being smart and fast. Maybe it's from my days of watching The Walking Dead, but this movie gave so much credit to the zombies, like they were smarter than those that weren't infected (maybe that was their intent?).
She made a big deal out of being afraid of heights, but then that went out the window, literally.
What was with the other survivor who helped them? That whole, brief storyline was useless.

If you have a couple of free hours and you like zombie shows, give this one a try. It has more questions than answers, but it's an easy watch.

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I hate melodramas but...

from my point of view this melodrama didn't take itself too seriously and I enjoyed the ride! I made me think of the Mexican Telenovela soap operas, a progressive revelation of deeply buried secrets, plans, and schemes. I can't remember when I watched a show with more unlikeable/evil characters, and boy were they fun to watch! The evil stepmother, hungry with power, seemed unhinged to me from the beginning. The stepsister - she inherited that from her mother, and watching her throw tantrum after tantrum - shrieking, throwing things, breaking things, stomping her feet - how could you NOT enjoy something so over the top? The plotline required a flow chart - who was related to who, who THOUGHT they were related to who, who hated who, who had the power, who wanted the power, etc. Every time some new secret was revealed, I heard that three note DUM-DUM-DUM from old movies in my head.

2023 was the year of time travel, and this one jumped on the bandwagon. I was surprised, however, that she had a date on her wrist and didn't seem too overly concerned about it. Plus, he was able to see it, did he just ignore it? Then, they get to the date in question, decide to stay home to stay safe, yet he leaves to talk to someone? You couldn't say these things over the phone? I know, it drove the plot, but it was an obvious "duh" moment.

I thought all the acting was good. I've seen some of the seasoned actors in other things and found them to be overacting, but it absolutely worked here. Sung Hoon as Do Guk - for me, in things I've seen him in previously, he plays a one note character. Stoic, he never smiles (is he supposed to be mysterious?), yells at and/or mistreats the person he supposedly likes. He was excellent in this, he got to smile more and be a more realistic character. And he was all sorts of "green flag". Jung Yoo Min as Yi Joo - I've only seen her in support roles in the past. She was excellent here. She is stunning to look at, she cries beautifully, and I liked how her characters became stronger without resorting to becoming a mean girl. i liked how she was able to get people to like her by just being herself. I don't know if it was his acting or his character, but Byun Jun Seo as Jung Hye's secretary was great. As you watched him watch everything around him, was he a good guy or a bad guy? You never quite knew which side of the fence he was on.

Music - the song about the halo at the beginning of every episode. Didn't like it or hate it. I didn't notice the music throughout the rest of the show.

Rewatch value - since I know the story, probably not. I can see a mashup of all the great main couple scenes on YouTube.

My only complaint - The stylist put Sung Hoon in the WORST outfits! He always looked like he was wearing oversized clothing, and that's just criminal as far as I'm concerned.

So, for me, this was an escape from realism for me, and it was a lot of fun to watch.

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Loved the relationships

It was like watching a Korean Marvel movie. Sure, there were some plot holes, but in general there was plenty of action and plenty of heart. For me, I liked the episodes with the adults the best. How their relationships began and progressed. I also liked the relationship between Joo Won and Doo Shik.

Off of the top of my head, I can't remember the last time I totally fell in love with a character like I did Bong Seok. Just a big teddy bear of a young man, with that intrinsic sweetness always on display. His relationship with Hee Soo was so cute! They seemed like a couple that, on the surface, would never work. But they both had secrets, were loners and I think they found their kindred spirit in the other.

I have already recommended this show to someone. The only reason it doesn't have a higher score from me:
- way too much blood, violence
- terrible language. Sometimes what they were saying was not a curse word, and when it was, why did they have to print it? This is something I feel very strongly about and am really bothered by.
- the setup for a season 2. Why? I'm not liking this current trend of dividing the show in half or having a season 2.
-I would have loved to see a bit of Bong Seok and Hee Soo together at the end.

So, I'd say give it a try. You'll probably like it.

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Enjoyable

It's not going to change the world or anything, but this show had a lot going for it. I laughed, I cried, I binged.

STORY: Yeong Min has taken over being a taxi driver following the hit and run murder of his mom. He lives with his grandmother (loved her!) and the bank is going to take away their house If he doesn't come up with a large amount of money that's owed, and quickly. Suddenly he's got an amnesiac ghost in his car, which certainly doesn't help him bring in any money. She wants help figuring out who she is, he's totally focused on getting money for his debt, and at the beginning they are like oil and water. There are quite a few comedic scenes revolving around this. This is a story about how they go about getting what both of them want/need. There seemed to be a new storyline in every episode or so that gave us new ghosts, as well as clues as to what happened to mom and the identity of the ghost passenger. Red herrings are thrown out left and right, making us wonder who the evil people are, and everyone got their turn. Are the police on the take? What's happening at the hospital? Do the ghosts play any part in getting to the bottom of everything? There was a little romance, and I have to say I appreciated the time that the leads spent together and the conversations they had. It was a progressive building of a relationship that made sense, plus the addition of "How in the heck will this relationship ever work?!"

ACTING: It was good. I quite enjoyed Yoon Chan Young as Yeong Min. Maybe because he's not a famous actor, I could focus on the character. I thought he did a good job. The FL was irritating at times, but mostly just in the first episode or so. I know that writing had a lot to do with it, but I appreciated how, other than the two leads, you never really knew if someone was a bad guy or not. Bonus: Jeon So Min (Something About 1%) had a cameo as a ghost...cute.

I don't really remember the music. I probably won't rewatch for two reasons: 1) Now I know what happens; and 2) My To Watch list is seriously long.

It was an enjoyable way to completely waste a Saturday.

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Don't come looking for romance

Very well-acted by the leads. Lee Joon Gi is always excellent. First, he's not a "pretty boy". Additionally, he seems to take on parts that allow him to be kind of morally gray. Seo Yi Ji was good, and for her part, she tends to pick strong female roles, which she does well. Storyline was very good. This isn't my go-to genre, but it was well done. This was NOT a romance (except ep 6) and I’m all about the romance. However, worse than that was the main bad guy - he was like a caricature of a bad guy (trying to be like Marlon Brando in The Godfather talking with a mouthful of marbles.,. His acting Really took me out of the story).

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Those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it

First, this show has nothing to do with Soundtrack #1, if anyone is wondering, other than them using the same bar/restaurant. You don't need to watch Soundtrack #1 before watching this.

This show actually made me mad. It's been a while since I have REALLY not cared for a FL. Here we have a wonderfully talented pianist, who loves playing the piano, but has decided to give it up. She has had surgery to her wrist and sometimes gets pain and stiffness, so she's going to forego all of her training in piano, the fact that the only time she is happy is when she is playing piano and become a food delivery person. We see her struggling to pay bills, we see that she hates being a delivery person. I don't feel her struggle. I see that she is prideful, she's got that "poor me" mentality going on, and we see her either sitting in corners being unhappy, or looking at the city, being unhappy. This girl would benefit greatly by some occupational therapy for her hand and a good therapist.

Then, the relationship. First, she's always mad at the ML because he doesn't have any money, doesn't seem to have any drive, and has delusions of grandeur. This was one of the reasons for the breakup (but, in my opinion, she was always so unhappy with herself that she would never be happy with another person). Years pass and they cross paths again. Now that he is successful, she's mad because he DOES have money! We see that she is STILL not happy with herself or her life, so why would we think the relationship would be any better?

Triangle - pointless.

I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I wait until shows are completely released so I can find out about the ending from others. If it's supposedly a romance and I invest hours in a show, the whole romance (to me) is a waste if the leads don't end up together (25/21, I'm looking at you!). That being said, the writers of Soundtrack #2 made a big mistake with having him show up at the airport. It would have been much better if she had just gotten on the plane and left by herself, then in my mind I could have convinced myself that she was on a voyage of self-discovery and would eventually get herself together. But this ending is like waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know they will ultimately break up again.

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Good movie

Loneliness is a terrible thing. When you are alone and think, "What is the point in living?" This movie addresses this issue. I'm certainly no writer or director, but I wished that the ghosts hadn't been so caricature-like. I felt at the beginning I was watching a cartoon. I felt the same way in the Chinese version. For me, it made it hard to bond with the characters because they seemed unbelievable. The rating came up for me because of the ending, which was wonderful.

The music was overpowering and irritating during the beginning of the movie, I think it was to make us feel like this was a comedy?

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