365: Repita o Ano (2020)

This show was like an adrenaline-induced roller coaster ride and I must admit that I hate roller coasters 'cause I'm afraid of heights and speed. However, THIS ride was one I truly enjoyed. Right off the bat I was immersed in the story and I kept needing more like a total junkie. Hats off to the amazing screenwriters, director, actors, and the whole crew who was behind this stunning show.

Particularly, I gotta say that Lee Joon Hyuk did an outstanding job in his role as detective Ji Hyung Joo. He played the role with such passion and dedication that it was impossible not to empathize with his character and become completely invested in his story and care for him. Detective Ji is such a noble character who’s only trying to do what’s right. He’s definitely one of my favorite kdamaland male leads. He’s my most precious baby who must be protected at all costs. Plus, he’s such a blessing to the eyes of the viewer. There’s a reason why I have him as my profile pic hehehe. He sure is one dashing man. Nam Ji Hyun is a goddess and she also delivered a brilliant performance. I was rooting so hard for both of them to make it safe and sound to the end that I was crying big fat tears with that long-awaited meeting in the last few minutes and that’s how my sister found me crying like a baby in the couch. I’ve come to love and cherish these characters so much that I’m heartbroken to see them go.

The story and especially the pacing of this drama keep you on the edge of your seat and you can never be sure of what’s going to happen next. I think that’s one of the main highlights of the show, in addition, of course, to the characters and their hidden motives and drives for doing what they do and the interactions among them. Lee Shin was such an interesting and complex character in my opinion. Right almost ‘till the very end you’re not really sure of what she’s gonna do. Is she going to help Hyung Joo and Ga Hyun or is she gonna follow the professor? This drama really poses the question of what would you if you were in a situation where you could help save people at the risk of losing someone dear to you. SPOILER. In the end, I’m glad she accepted trusting in the unknown future but for a minute there I was so outraged ‘cause it was as if now that she’d made peace with this decision, she didn’t really care about anyone else or the things she’d done. If only she’d come to this decision earlier, maybe more people could’ve been saved…but now I’m just rambling. I’m still glad she told Hyung Joo about how to go through with the reset.

My only problem was the culprit. SPOILER. I mean, yeah, I get that he went crazy after that car accident because he didn't want anything to stain his recently earned promotion, but still...I didn't get why he started to kill all those other people before he found out about the reset and decided that it was his fate to kill the people on the list that was in Hyung Joo's notebook. So, yeah, that was kinda off-putting for me.

All in all, this was a spectacular drama and I would recommend it to people who enjoy adrenaline-filled mystery shows packed with a good dose of action and even a bit of comic relief here and there and heartwarming scenes. Plus, the chemistry between the leads is muah! *chef’s kiss* I totally need to see them together in a romcom now. I’ll definitely be re-watching this sometime. And once again, congratulations to the whole team who made this beautiful masterpiece possible.

Leia Mais

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD - If you have not watched this show, DO NOT READ unless you want the entire plot to be spoiled for you, and believe me, you don't want that for this drama.

'356: Repeat the Year' is a suspenseful thriller drama about a group of people resetting their lives for different reasons. This simple line was basically what made me decide to start this drama (plus, too much time on my hands), as I love deeply time travel plots that stick to their main line and have no apparent or too obvious plot holes. This genre is quite difficult to portray without making this type of mistakes, but I am glad to know that 365RTY managed to deliver such an interesting story until the very end. I bet that if I rewatch this drama soon I'll find inconsistencies or differences between the initial premise and the ending, but I don't think they would be too big to ruin the later events and that's enough for me.

The 12-episodes format was definitely the best choice for this story. I feel like if this had been a 16-episodes drama the plot would've gone lost at some point and we would've gotten many filler scenes that may bore the audience, so I'm glad that it was short, although I will miss it a lot. But still, the pace that this drama had was one of the best things about it, as we were always straight to the point without running in circles or making confusing story lines that would end up in nothing (yes, I'm looking at you, Memorist). At some point I thought I was breaking my head trying to make up theories that would eventually be debunked or were simply not likely, but this was another of the best things about this drama, that you really could never expect what would come, which doesn't happen that often since dramas can usually be easily predicted, but I'm really glad to know this wasn't the case.

Ji Hyung Joo and Shin Ga Hyeon will forever be one of my favorite couples even though there was no explicit romance ever, which makes me only a bit sad. I loved their friendship so much, how they cared about each other and how willing they were to sacrifice themselves for each other. I loved the character development that we had for Ga Hyeon, as she was a particularly dark person (obviously because of what she went through before the reset), but by the end of the drama, we had a very cheerful woman who was determined to solve this case and get her life back. I don't think we got much development about Hyung Joo, but I think he still became more mature and less reckless, more cold-headed, which is very important for a detective.

I noticed that at the last scene, we have a happy and bright Ga Hyeon and I was a bit confused because she was not like that before the reset, so I was thinking that they gave her the same personality that she had before dying in the previous timeline, but then I remembered that the final Ga Hyeon was never paraplegic, so this dark episode was not a part of her memory, therefore she's a happy girl with her cute dog. It's funny to think that Hyung Joo saw 3 types of Ga Hyeon, though. A dark Ga Hyeon on a wheelchair, an abled Ga Hyeon but with dark memories, and finally another abled Ga Hyeon, but with a bright aura. There's no way I won't believe he didn't have at least a crush on her, so I want to think that's a win for him.

My only problem with this drama is the reveal of the culprit. This drama takes about 8 episodes to understand the reason why all the resetters are dying one by one and eventually get to the reveal of a serial killer who happens to be a Violent Crimes Detective who kills people... For no reason? With no killing pattern? A detective serial killer with no pattern or motive... That's high bullshit for me, honestly. I don't think it was likely to make him suddenly a psycho who just started killing by mistake and ended up liking it, having fun doing it. It just doesn't match either Sun Woo's personality, or serial killers at all for that matter. Still, I think they managed to make it make sense because I have heard of rare serial killers who began to kill after doing it by mistake too, so it's not like it can't happen. But I just don't think this "I wanted to see how all of you would keep believing my perfect crime scenes" matches the type of character that Sun Woo was, especially because even after becoming a serial killer he was fond of Hyung Joo. I just don't see a proper character building there and that's like, one of the most important parts of this drama's plot.

But that aside, I loved the spontaneity of this plot and all the twists that we got. I could accurately predict about 20% of this drama, to be honest. Whenever we believed something, at the end of each episode we would find a completely new way to see things and to me, that proved that the writers and director really did an amazing job to create this story, with the exception of Sun Woo's character building.

Every side character was important to the story and I really liked how all of them had a hidden past that was revealed at a peak and crucial time. The most surprising ones for me were definitely Kim Se Rin and Mr. Hwang. I didn't see any of their stories coming, but it was very pleasant to be surprised in that way. Also, until the very end I thought Lee Shin had gone crazy while trying to hold onto her daughter's life and decided to reset these people's lives just to watch them, but it was actually Mr. Hwang's motive, so all of this was so interesting to see.

Also, did anyone notice that Lee Shin decided to hold onto her daughter's life and rode the train which would actually crash in that very day? It's sad to know that she decided to see how her daughter would grow after 6 years of repeating the same year in order to avoid her dying, but they embarked on a train that would end their lives. This "unexpected future" may not have been the best thing to choose, then. I ended up pitying her and Ms. Song, both of them were basically toys of a mastermind.

I always wonder whether our lives are predicted and if what is meant to happen will happen, and what's not will not no matter how much we try, so I really liked about this drama their strong efforts to change their futures that looked like they would always go the same way as if we're trapped in a never-ending loop. Of course, this is fiction and there's time travel involved, so not the best realistic inspiration, but I like to think that our lives and our future depend entirely on what we do today to change our tomorrow. I will take this as a life lesson from this drama and keep trying to change my fate too.

To conclude this review, I just really want to express how much I loved this drama and that I will be missing our favorite detective and writer so much next weeks! I hope Lee Joon Hyuk lands more leading roles because he's a really good actor and cute as f*. I don't really like Nam Ji Hyun, so I hesitated for that reason to watch this drama, but again, I was bored and ended up loving it. But I really liked her character and acting here, so I may give 'Suspicious Partner' and '100 Days My Prince' a try next time.

Leia Mais

In terms of plot, this has got to be one of the best suspenseful drama I've seen. I love dramas where you can't easily predict what's going to happen next. It makes you think one way only to find out that you've guessed wrong. The writers know how to make an audience viewer long for more because that's how I felt every week watching 4 episodes. Don't know why ratings are low for S. Korea viewers. I think they tend to miss out on good dramas a lot in my opinion and like the dramas I considered as poor.

We got a strong male and female lead. At first it seems like they're just vulnerable weak characters but don't let that fool you. They are intelligent and once they have a focus on something, they go through with it. A little bit of comedy and a little bit of romance but honestly that's not the focus of this drama so at times it throws me off when either or happens in this suspenseful drama.

The problems I had is that they tried to show a small bit of romance but never went through with it. I mean even the ending seemed like there was some sort of spark. I rather not have the romance at all if they're not going to go all the way with it. That kinda ruined the ending for me a bit even though it was a decent ending. Though this did wrapped up all of the loose ends of this drama, I think they stalled out this problem too long, making the last 2 episodes felt very rushed.

OST Music is good. The only bad part is you've rarely heard any in this drama. This drama isn't bad but mystery solving dramas aren't re-watchable for me because I know what happens already. It's only good for a first time viewer of this drama. Overall, I think you'll like this drama if you're into crime solving suspense dramas. Just don't expect a lot of romance or humor from this drama.

Leia Mais

one of my reason of watching this show is Nam Ji Hyun and Lee Joon Hyuk. It was nice to see these two together, the chemistry of both is very good, their pair will look good in romantic dramas., Lee Joon Hyuk looks awesome in an intimate role, I would love to see his romantic character.
The story was probably not the most mysterious one, much was already known, but it was definitely a mystery of the main murderer. Would have been nice if the motive for the murder was also shown .,
The purpose of repeating the year was to show more clearly, and the connection of the characters to each other,
some details i miss
My preference is Thriller, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance and suspense
Over all i love the Drama.,

Leia Mais

Disappointed

Surprisingly boring

I've heard good reviews prior to watching this show and maybe I had my expectations too high. However, this drama disappointed me. If you want a better version of it the Japanese one is far more superior!! Also there is this troupe that I hate with passion FL a young girl whos far inferior than the smart ml and that's I portrayed as a strong female but actually is just a follower to older male lead. To be honest big reason why I didn't like it is because I watched the jap one first and seeing this it's such a crappy knock off
I want back the many hours I spent watching this
So would I recommend this to anyone no! Very overrated

Leia Mais

When you feel like a plot twist is the whole plot of a show.

Let’s start with the setup: When a drama incorporates sci-fi, but does not commit to it. Was I slightly frustrated that time travel was never really explained and no one even tried to ask questions about it? Yes. At the same time, it might be better not to talk about it, if the alternative is us getting some explanation that wouldn’t make any sense. At the end of the day, sci-fi was not the main genre, but rather a tool to introduce main plot and mystery. Not explaining all the rules of “reset” was a perfect way to keep viewers on the edge of their seat, trying to figure it out themelves.

What this drama did well was caring for all the characters. While Hyung Jo, Ga Hyun and Lee Shin might be the mains, we also got enough background information and screen time to know and care about the supporting cast. What are their motivations, why they do what they do and where does it lead them. We’ve got the answers for it all.

It might take a while to get used to the fast pace and countless plot twists, but once you dive deep into the style and storytelling, it's hard to get out. Questioning each and every characters’ motives and actions, trying to figure out who is the mastermind behind it all. There are definitely a lot of aspects that make the viewer interested in the story and engaged in what is happening.

Sadly… the plot twists became too much. At some point I stopped being excited for and curious about them, but rather frustrated. Oh… we get another one? Cool. How about you chill a bit? There was no point in me trying to puzzle out the plot when the whole picture changed every few minutes. The last three episodes I just wanted to finally find out what is going on and be done.

I was also hoping for some cohesive one big picture created by all the plot lines, but I felt like the two main ones went a bit separate ways.

Overall, it was an exciting ride with a little bit too many plot twists for me liking. Would enjoy it more if I binge watched it. Watching just 2 episodes per week killed the hype. It was a tough beginning and the ending, but the middle part was truly good.

Leia Mais

Incredible drama

I started this drama when it first came out and, although i wasn't sure I would enjoy a drama like that,as a plot like this isnt usually my cup of tea,i enjoyed it and I can easily say I regret nothing. As you keep watching you start to discover the dark side of each character,their motives and ambitions so you're always caught off guard. After a few episodes it was really hard for me to wait for the next episode. Another thing I liked was the relationship between the two main characters. They develop a strong friendship, and the female lead doesn't work as a love interest. We see how they get close and their moments together are very heartwarming. Overall I reallt enjoyed this drama,it was a well thought out plot, good acting and a lot of drama.

Leia Mais

WATCHED IT COMPROMISING ON MY SLEEP AND DONT REGRET IT..

So this is my 3rd kdrama suspense thriller after memorist and FOE and it seems like this genre kdramas are becoming my favourite.. i wanted to watch it for a long time but kept waiting because after watching kdramas on Netflix and viki i didnt feel like watching it on unofficial sites like KA,DC etc and unfortunately this one was not available on any of the official streaming sites in my country. but finally, i decided to watch this because i loved FOE and wanted to watch more suspense thriller and this one was only 12 episodes which i consider to be the perfect length for a suspense thriller. if there is no other genre attached to it then 16 ep suspense thrillers become kind of draggy.. memorist kind of had this problem and since FOE also gave importance to the romance 16 ep was perfect for it...

this one started off a bit slow but then catches up with the pace.. the makers managed to keep the suspense and thriller aspect alive till the end.. i accidentally clicked on one of the spoiler comments in MDL and ruined one suspense but thankfully that wasn't the only big revelation. even the spoiler didnt decrease my interest in watching one episode after the other.. since this is a suspense thriller i wont speak anything about the story as i dont want to ruin it for anyone.

this drama entered my watch list solely because of nam ji hyun.. i have only seen her in rom-com and she had 3 back to back successful rom-coms.. this one was entirely different from her last 3 and i wanted to see her in something different and the girl didnt disappoint at all.. she is amazing in it and she was good in all the emotional scenes and she had good chemistry with the entire cast.. in some scenes she kind of gave me the vibe that she can pull off darker roles.. i would love to see her in grey-shaded characters. before this i could only imagine NJH in bubbly energetic roles.. she is quite versatile...
this is my first drama of lee joon hyuk and i liked him in this.. his character even though a detective wasn't the smartest cookie out there.. the female lead who is a thriller webtoon writer gets the hints and joins the puzzle much faster than he does but in his defence he was shown as a lazy detective at work in the start.. the kind that slacks off at work whereas the FL is more determined and focused on her job resulting in her being a successful webtoon writer...
i have only seen kim jee soo in hwarang and i dropped it halfway through.. so this one might be kind of like my first drama with her.. her character was interesting and she managed to evoke mixed emotions among the viewers towards her character.. i wont go deep into her character as that might end up being a spoiler...

since this was one purely a fantasy suspense thriller i didnt mind the lack of romance even though there were subtle hints that the leads kind of liked each other but were too busy trying to solve the mystery..

the rewatch value is low for me coz this is a suspense thriller and when the suspense is out the thriller part will be gone.. so whats the use of watching it again.. its the same for memorist as well.. since FOE has lot more going on other than suspense its rewatch value is higher..


overall i through out enjoyed this one and will surely recommend to those who like suspense thrillers with no romance or comedy.. this one does have some light moments but not anything that will make you lol..

Leia Mais

"Our today affects our tomorrow.."
I don't even know where to start from. This drama made me go crazy like hell. I was a fool to put it on hold for a while just bcoz I didn't have my "so-called time"..
When the summary said its a sci-fi where some people go back into time, I simply thought it was some simple time travel story. But it shook me. Every episode makes you keen to watch the next one. This plot is really addictive, especially with the acting of the cast. There even comes a time where i felt like the protagonist was actually a villain of the story. What I liked was the execution of the story. I basically watched it for Lee Joon Hyuk but never expected for it to turn out so well. Last but not the least the small hint of love between Lee Joon Hyuk and Nam ji hyun.

Leia Mais

**This review was cross-posted on r/KDRAMA subreddit with a few changes

Messing with time is always a dangerous thing. Finished 365: Repeat the Year a few days ago and it took me some time to gather my thoughts. But if there's one thing this drama did to me, it would be leaving me with a lot of afterthoughts and tears. It wasn't the most mind-blowing drama, but it did keep me thinking for days, especially with that ending.

I just find it fascinating that the writers wrote a story about toying with the human mind, most especially with the fear of the unknown future/playing with death. We have characters that try to play God and "offer redemption." And then we have characters that were blindsided with wanting to change their fates by going back in time, that they never thought of the consequences it could bring, leading them to make some hasty and immoral decisions. Sometimes, it made me wonder if they deserved such gruesome endings.

The cast was amazing, and I was satisfied with the complexity they protrayed. They showed various shades of white and black, that there were times wherein I couldn't differentiate them. And I can't even recall a moment where I did not suspect every single one of them and the reasons on why they reset. On the other hand, Nam Ji Hyun and Lee Joon Hyuk's chemistry was on fire!!! Their strong sense of justice brings light amidst all the mystery and betrayal surrounding them, and I could truly empathize with their plights. Their dynamics was pretty compelling, too! Watching their relationship grow was so heartwarming. They started off as strangers, then friends, and eventually to the point where they cared for each other deeply that they were willing to risk their lives for one another. They complement each other so well that I wouldn't even mind if romance was part of the story . And finally... we got strong leads who are actually SMART this time around!

Pacing-wise, it was well-executed, ALTHOUGH I wish the writers could've expounded more, maybe even scientifically, on how the reset came to be, and more so on Professor Hwang's and Sun Ho's motives. I just find the latter to be a bit shallow and not really convincing enough, along with other plotholes + inconsistencies. Like who kills people for no reason? I'm not sure if this was a writing choice, but I do understand if certain limitations played an influence, which led some things to be better left unsaid than end up being lost, too dragging or worse, a writing mess. I don't mind 365: RTY as a 12-episode format, though.

But overall, 365: Repeat the Year was still a solid and beautiful watch. Like I said earlier, it wasn't the most mind-blowing drama, BUT its unpredictability, as well as my curiosity, kept me on the edge of my seat. When we think things are going one way, the show surprises us and introduces a different take on the situation. Moreover, I just find it intriguing that no matter how big or small an action or situation may seem, it definitely triggers a domino effect amongst all the characters.

The finale had me crying and left my heart in shambles. Bittersweet is one way to describe it. I can't imagine the pain Hyeong Ju must've felt when he watched Ga Hyeon die with his own eyes; and all the more for having to do the reset with Ga Hyeon having no recollection of anything. But then, I also felt that it was a more "realistic" and fitting ending amongst other alternatives. A part of me felt hopeful for our leads this time around, that they could build their relationship without the pressure or fear of someone playing games with them. It also made me think that they were truly fated to meet, no matter what the circumstances or timelines may be -- that what's meant to happen will happen.

365: Repeat the Year is definitely one of the most solid dramas to have come out this year (sans the inconsistencies, of course). Lee Joon Hyuk is a certified scene stealer in this one, and I'm just amazed with his versatility on the roles he portrays across various dramas. He's one of the only actors who I've gotten quite invested with when it comes to binge watching their catalogues. You can bet that I'll definitely have my eyes on his upcoming works!

Leia Mais

Highly Recommend this Show

I don't write many reviews (so bear with me) but this show is just so amazing that I felt like I had too. I've just finished rewatching it for the 2nd time, and I still love this show as much as I did the first time around. Ever since watching it, it's remained in my top two k-dramas.

The show genre promises thriller, suspense, and mystery and that's exactly what you get. The plot is full of a lot of twist and turns, with the big twist in particular being fantastic. What I like about it is that the twists don't come out of nowhere, there are a lot of hints that you can pick up on to see where its going (which is also why this has such a great rewatch value, because there's so many small details you initially miss). I can understand that there are moments where it gets just a bit frustrating and heavy handed, hence why I didn't give the plot a 10/10 but overall, it's a great story. The ending is also in my opinion perfect, and one of my all time favorite k-drama endings.

The acting, especially from our two main leads is spectacular. Their characters are smart, fun, but also vulnerable and quite three-dimensional. Lee Joon Hyuk and Nam Ji Hyun also give their characters great chemistry, so you get very invested in the relationship between the two of them as well. As someone who has seen many of Lee Joon Hyuk's drama's, I can easily say this is my favorite role of his. It's very dynamic and full of emotion, and his acting is great. I cannot speak too much to Nam Ji Hyun because I've only seen a couple of her other shows, but she does a fantastic job in this, and her character was refreshing from most typical female leads. The side characters also act quite well, in total lending to a very interesting cast that helps support the show.

The music isn't that memorable, but it's definitely fitting. It does a good job of setting the atmosphere and emotion, even if you don't really notice it that much.

As I said earlier I believe the re-watch value to be very high, because there are so many little clues that you can catch onto the second time around. It's a show I find myself going back to when I don't know what to watch, because it never gets less enjoyable for me.

All in all, I highly recommend this show. It's my favorite time travel show of all time, and if you're looking for a shorter watch, but one that still has a fulfilling plot and well-fleshed out characters, this is definitely the one for you!

Leia Mais

[Contains spoilers for this drama and a tiny bit for Tell Me What You Saw, although I will not reveal names, I will just leave implications. But that still counts so proceed with caution.]

So I watched this series under the recommendation of a friend, and so I did. It's not that I don't like it, per se. It's just.. I don't know what the hell is going on! I made episode recaps on a notebook where I jotted down every information necessary so I could try to predict the plot of the story, but that didn't work, because I couldn't predict anything.

I gave up writing the notes after episodes 11-12 (Episode 6 on the 12 episodes format) because it was pointless to try to predict this drama anymore, and that's a good thing! Unpredictability should be a sign of good writing, and the writer of this drama should be praised for their hard work.

Even after the culprit was arrested, they keep putting plot twists on our face, and you'd think I'd be tired of it. But no. I wasn't. And that's genuinely surprising because I can't even count how many plot twists happened throughout me watching this entire drama. 12 episodes filled to the brim with plot twists and tense moments.

However, I would like to criticize the reveal of the culprit. It was lame. There was no motive or grounds on why they committed the murders, simply put, "I killed because you're all going to die anyway, so I figured it was my destiny to kill you all off"
I'm not especially fond of thrillers where the killer have no motive at all and are just doing it because they're aroused by dead people, and they don't even give us backstory on them, they just killed because they felt like it.

Tell Me What You Saw did better with the psycho killer, as they fleshed their backstory a lot. So for me the true culprit for Tell Me What You Saw was more believable than this one.

Acting wise, nothing to criticize. Everyone did well and it looks like I have more favorite actors now! Character wise, the bonds between male lead and his team in the police was lacking. As they barely show them interacting together or bonding besides the usual teasing, jokes, or during any lighthearted moments this drama has.

Male lead and female lead has good synergy though, I'll have to say. And I can forgive the lack of better interactions between male lead and his team because this drama only has 12 episodes so they won't have any time for those types of moments.

Final verdict? I enjoyed it. Don't rewatch unless you're trying to see what you miss, plot twists don't really work if you already know what happened.

Leia Mais