chillikun

8/10

Spoilers

> All trips are meant to be the purpose of returning back to what you love PLOT ------ That drama has nothing much original, is a bit inferior to FAMILIAR WIFE and does a lot of things wrong, but does 3 things SO RIGHT it makes up for everything else. First, our 2 main leads stay in line character throughout the drama. Their character grow, but in a more subtle way which is what I love most about them. [spoiler]Their coming back together is convincing because we get see little by little what made them separate in the first place, and we see how each one of them resolve the issues they had, and how it brings them back, only to be there for each other, and for no other reason. It feels organic and you're with them all the way, and they stay true to their character that you have come to love. In the end, you feel that it's a healthy relationship where both are equal and working together to make it work this time[/spoiler] Second, the comedy stays throughout the drama, up until the last episode. Each episode has a few funny scenes involving our male lead who can be adorably petty. He might be petty, but it was never done in a dramatic or serious way, but mostly in a comedic way. It's actually amazing for a korean drama since most rom-com turn melo half way through which annoys me in a way that I'm like ==I didn't sign up for this.== So basically this drama gives you what it promises in that sense. Third, Parent-Child Relationship ; [spoiler]unlike familiar wife in which the children are an afterthought to the selfish parents who decided to change the history [/spoiler] the emphasis of the show was to choose whom you miss the most ; the dead mother in the past or the alive son left in the future. The story seems extremely cliché on paper... an unhappy married couple gets to unexpectedly go back in time to when they met. I expected a cheesy RomCom with a retro time travel twist preaching against divorce, but instead was tricked into an emotional story about the realities of growing up, regrets, and appreciating what you have. This is a drama with a lot of laughter, but I also shed a lot of tears. The amazing cast also makes the story really hit home. It also helps that the show is short enough and right pace for the content. CAST ------ Jang Na Ra is as perfect as ever. Seriously. There's honestly no better comedy-drama actress in the entire country. She believably plays both a 20-year-old and a 38-year-old. She can and will make you laugh and cry like crazy. This is the first time I have seen Son Ho Jun in anything and he was impressive. His melo scenes felt a bit off, but I think that was more to do with the nature of his character than his acting ability. The interactions between Ma Jin Joo and Choi Ban Do were so genuine and well acted that it was almost impossible to not be completely absorbed by it. Whether it was their hilariously realistic bickering that would have you laughing out loud, or their fights, their confessions and their uncompromising sacrifices that would have you bawling your eyes out, every single moment of it was so well acted and their chemistry was on point. Theirs is a story of wrong place, wrong time, but the right person. Their journey is one to discover this fact and recognize where and why it all went wrong. The two "second leads" (in quotes because they get less screen time than a couple of the other Supporting cast) succeeding excellently in doing what they were supposed to do: be ridiculously attractive. Jang Ki Yong just looks like Korean Benedict Cumberbatch, which, of course, is awesome. And although she really just looked like little kid most of the time, I couldn't deny that Go Bo Gyeol was hyper-cute. [spoiler]Their characters didn't get as much development as you might expect, but they were still a lot of fun to watch and were utilized well by the writers as tools for the development of our hero and heroine. [/spoiler] Supporting Cast I simply MUST give shout-out for Kim Mi Kyeong, who I think should be tagged with a Main Role here, simply because she was the 3rd-most important character in the show. I have said it before and I'll say it again: Kim Mi Kyeong is her own gravitational force. What an incredibly watchable, dynamic, compelling actress. Every time she and Jang Na Ra shared the screen, it was amazing and wonderful.The true gem of this drama lies in the relationship between Jin Joo and her mother. Was there ever such an amazing way to depict the classic saying of “You don’t truly appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone.”? Jin Joo gets to live this saying first hand and their story together is such a blessing to watch. From the first episode to the last, the depth of the interactions between Jin Joo and her mother is something that truly makes this show shine. MUSIC -------- Love the OST, there are beautiful. ‘Confession’ by Choi Nakta , ‘Wind Song’ by So Hyang, ‘Dream’ by Lucia(심규선) and ‘Every Single Day . PerfectLife ’ I liked the upbeat theme music ‘Every Single Day . PerfectLife ’ ; especially with the college background makes me wanna go back in time : VERDICT ---------- I got hooked on "Go Back Couple" pretty quickly, so I was shocked to see that it only had 12 episodes. Initially I was disappointed by that, but it honestly felt like the perfect length at the end. Although I did think some parts of the ending were a little rushed and contrived, they did do a good job of satisfyingly wrapping up everything. I like the message overall, and I suspect that making it longer would have just dragged things on unnecessarily. The episodes are over an hour long, so that does make a difference. I was never bored, and looked forward to watching each week. It also makes me more likely to rewatch it, and makes it much easier to binge watch. Maybe I'm biased towards stories about gaining a new perspective on a life, or a relationship, that you wish never happened, or have regrets about, but I highly recommend this one. I will warn anyone that has lost a parent that this may be really tough to watch at times, but there is also a great balance of comedy, and insightfulness, that keeps it from being too depressing. I cried hard, I laughed out loud, I got in my feelings about life, so I consider this a drama success. This is the kind of well rounded drama that I don't think you will have any regrets watching. To say this drama had a message to deliver would be an understatement. In fact, it sought to remind us of several important life lessons. One was the importance of communication and honesty. One was to be wary of the things you take for granted, as they might not always be there forever. One was the importance of family and to appreciate their sacrifices. One was that no matter how right two people might be for each other, sometimes love alone can still crumble to the overwhelming pressure of the world. [spoiler] Indeed this is not a typical love story where girl meets boy, they fall in love, overcome a hurdle and live happily ever after. It’s a story of rediscovering love. Love for their family, love for their friends, love for each other and love for oneself. It is a story that will have you going from laughing to crying, from bubbly happy to angry, from being in mindless entertainment mode to deep thoughts. It is a story that’s nothing short of amazing. [/spoiler] If you're looking for a quick rollercoaster of emotion with some ridiculously amazing acting, just stop what you're doing and start this drama right away. A low-risk/high-reward prospect at just 12 episodes, there will be nothing to regret once you're done.