940920 (2022)

Time and memories

I just finished watching this drama. It's three in the morning and I don't know what to do with myself.
I liked it a lot.
I haven't watched Leap day (I might watch it in the future) because it didn't interest me as much as this drama, 940920 is good even without watching the prequel.
I pierced the story about Yeesa while watching, it was not complicated to figure out so I wasn't really confused about anything.

Story
I love time travel stories and this one was awesome. It has set rules and the way it works makes sense. It's not overly complicated and we as watchers find out information with the characters which is fun. I actually managed to figure out a lot of things that are going to happen or how time travel works.
This drama made me think a lot about the characters and the way the story is going.

I wanted to give this drama a ten but I can't because of the ending. It's not bad, it's actually satisfying but I wanted more.
The stories of two characters I liked the most were left unfinished. That made me sad and mad because I hoped some miracle would happen and they would have a happy ending.

Also, I don't like when we follow some characters, they suffer, we get emotionally invested and then they don't get the happy ending they deserve but some people who look like them or are them from another universe get a happy ending and we are supposed to feel happy.
I'm not happy. That's my pet peeve in dramas, I want original characters to get happiness, not another version of them. It's not the same.
Rant over.

Things I liked:
- The way time travel works and how everything is connected.
- The question of memories, the fact that we are made of our memories. We know we exist because of them. They make us who we are so what are we without them?
- All of the characters and their individual stories.
- Co Ying and Ka Chung are smart (not all the time but most of their decisions are smart, they never made me feel frustrated).
- The subtle romance between Ka Chung and Co Ying, the way their friendship was growing and how they trusted each other.
- The villain. That's what happens when a bad person gets access to time travel but I guess there would be no drama if he wasn't like that.
- Every episode is exciting (episodes mostly end on cliffhanger so you have to watch the next one).

Overall, it's an awesome story that will make you think a lot. I totally recommend it.

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More time-travel focused, but main message wasn't as strong as Leap Day

For me, this sequel was a little underwhelming compared to Leap Day. The message about memories being an important part of life was nice, but the message somehow felt rather weak compared to "sacrifice" in Leap Day. "940920" just felt like a continuation from Leap Day without having a solid theme of its own. At times, the message felt quite scattered and you had to keep being reminded. Otherwise, it just feels like a drama that's purely about time-travel, which I feel that it isn't what the drama is supposed to be about. Hence, with Leap Day carrying a strong message and reason behind the time-travel, 940920 lacked those. Or maybe due to time-constraints, they had to ax that, idk.

Though, I have to admit that the time-travel and parallel universe-crossing parts were brilliantly done. Minor plot holes here and there, but you probably won't notice it unless you really try to look for it. Not sure if this sequel/prequel was supposed to be time-travel/timeline-crossing packed, but after watching it, all I remember was how busy every episode felt and the plot moved in a fast pace. So it's best to binge watch it, otherwise you might forget what happened in the previous episode (coz A LOT is happening). The transitions between past and present were done quite well though, as it was easy to differentiate.

As there's a lot going on in the past and present, the sentimental moments felt rushed, hence, not as memorable. A lot of the emotional sequences just flew by quickly, moving on to the next scene. It lacked those quiet moments like in Leap Day that allowed viewers to take it in. But it's also nice that both seasons are kinda different, as the plot in 940920 moves very quickly compared to Leap Day.

Personally, I really enjoyed Leap Day because of its uniqueness and mysteriousness. But I didn't find these two traits in 940920. So if slow burn is your cup of tea, and you are expecting this to be like Leap Day just like I did, then keep in mind that this sequel/prequel feels different. But if you like more complicated storyline and fast-paced plot, then this is right up your alley. Also, I think the summary is kinda misleading coz it makes you think 940920 is still focused on Yeesa. It isn't. Yeesa is more like a 2nd female lead here and her scenes felt lesser than some of the other supporting characters like Ka Chung's mom, or the villain Yuet. I'd say 940920 revolves more around Ka Chung both in the past and present, and also Chor Ying in the distant past and more recent past. I was misled by the summary and got disappointed coz I was grown attached to Yeesa's character in Leap Day and was looking forward to see more of her. Sadly, Chor Ying and Ka Chung are more of the leads in this. Makes sense though, coz 940920 carries a special meaning to Ka Chung.

I read an article that mentioned how this plot wasn't what the director and writer initially planned. Part of the story was supposed to take place in Taiwan and it was supposed to be more focused on Yu Ka Chung's past (from his childhood to before he met Yeesa), and also him looking for Chor Ying. So the villain wasn't part of it at first. But due to the pandemic, they couldn't fly to Taiwan to film it, hence a huge part of the script was changed. Considering all that, I think the team still did a pretty good job in the end. Though I'd be lying if I said 940920 lived up to expectations after watching Leap Day. It's hard not to compare since both series are connected, and it's more satisfying watching Leap Day first before watching this. Coz then you get a better understanding of things and it makes more sense. You get to see the full picture as everything comes full circle, leading back to the beginning of Leap Day. 940920 would bring your closure to what happened in Leap Day, but I personally still enjoyed Leap Day more.

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