Way Back Love

This is the sort of drama that the Koreans do best. It's just beautiful. The director and screenwriter get just about everything right and the young cast do an amazing job. Kim Min ha in particular is mesmerising. Her portrayal of love, grief and depression is so moving. You almost feel her pain yourself. She really is a great actress (Pachinko, Light Shop - both highly recommended) with fantastic range.

I had no idea what I was getting into ahead of watching this, so I'm issuing a warning. Buy a box of tissues because there are scenes that are heart-rending. The heartbreak is so worth it though because the writing and performances will stay with me for a very long time.

I really hope this reaches a much wider audience because it's up there with some of the best Korean dramas of recent years.

The much-anticipated school drama is here. Since the announcement, Way Back Love has been drawing attention from the audience.

The story opens on a poignant note. Pachinko Girl Kim Min Ha is lying on the floor, and soon the lens begins in a shabby place. The first episode ends with the heart-rending revelation that Kim Gam Roo is already dead.

This is a six-episode mini-series. Adapted from the web novel "A week before I die", the story journeys through the secluded life of Hui Wan, who has stopped living her life after the untimely death of Kim Gam Roo. What started as a prank turned out to be a fate-changing game for these high school students. Hui Wan failed to forgive herself till one day, Kim Gam Roo appeared at her doorstep as a grim reaper.

It is difficult to portray a convincing story through the lens of supernatural powers. And here, the male lead is dead even before the story opens its first chapter. No additional melodrama has been used as a catalyst for the tale. The concept of using either lead or dead is old, but the way of portraying the journey is fresh.

Life goes on even when your loved one is dead. You find things to hold on to as you traverse through your challenges. The story teaches the lesson of learning to forgive under every circumstance. And people should start by forgiving themselves.

(spoiler free)

If anyone is wondering whether they should watch this drama, the answer is yes - you should! It's not a time-wasting drama, and you'll feel it was worth watching. This drama met my expectations, as I had been waiting for it. It's quite sad, but not traumatic.

All the actors did a great job, even though I had doubts about whether they would perform well, since the main three actors other than kim minha don't have much experience. As for the story, there might seem to be a few loopholes and glitches, but they're all easy to overlook. The story is beautiful.

Time is precious, and it shouldn't be wasted watching other dramas when this one exists.

However, I personally felt that one more episode would have made it even better, as the bonds between the characters - both friends and family - didn't get enough time in last three episodes.

I'm not really into watching movies or series, but this show completely drew me in - I ended up watching 5 episodes in a single day!

It's incredibly well-made and engaging.

The main actors perform very naturally and convincingly.

It was a great experience, and I highly recommend it to you too.

In my opinion, anyone who has ever been in love will cry for hours watching this series and truly feel its emotional depth.

Both the script and the actors were amazing.

It's the most beautiful series I've ever seen - and the only one that captivated me this much.

Very natural and touching. I wish it had more episodes or that they would make a new season. I just can't let go of this series easily.

"Way Back Love" is one of the most beautiful kdramas I've seen so far. It tells a heartfelt story about love, loss and the reasons we find to live, and it's portrayed in a beautiful way with great dialogues and scene build-up. I think it's quite a mature drama in the way characters and story are shown, very realistic and believable, even though it has fantasy aspects. I was smiling, I was crying, because yes, it's sad at times, at its core it's about life and death. Still, the sad parts are never too much, never too dramatic, they are just naturally part of the story.

What carries the show the most is the acting of Kim Min-ha and Gong Myung. They portrait their characters so well with quite some (subtle) range, I believed every second of it.

If I think very hard, I might find some details to complain about, but why spoil that beautiful experience for myself? With just six episodes, nothing gets dragged out, it's a great binge watch for a weekend. Although you can kind of guess the way the storyline is going, it doesn't matter at all because it's all about the path.

I rarely rate shows with 10 stars, but I just can't give it less than that. Character development, acting, cinematography, plot, dialogues, even the music - it's simply an exceptionally wonderful and lasting experience.