Hi Bye, Mama!

This drama had all the ingredients of a great show. However writing wasn't good enough and the script was especially disappointing towards the end. It is still a worthy watch for anyone who is interested in a drama about family and importance of daily life (living everyday to the fullest and without regrets). Beware: if you decide to watch this, keep a box of tissues with you.

Things I liked:

• Kim Tae-hee's work as Cha Yu-ri (wow, she nails this role. Hats off to her. Single reason to watch this show)
• Beautiful cinematography

Things I didn't like:

• Heartbreaking ending (one could think of multiple ways to end this better than how they did. Also the reason provided for this end isn't compelling or convincing enough - you will know what I mean once you reach the end)
• Quite a few scenes were repeated across two episodes
• Some filler moments were quite silly

Bonus:

• The main background score (the one that comes on when Yuri come back to life - this shot is lovely too) is fantastic

I'll start off this by saying that I'm not one to cry while watching movies or tv shows, and I if I do, it's mostly just a little bit of tearing up. "Hi Bye, Mama!" had me crying my eyes out, tears streaming down my cheeks at least once an episode.

"Hi Bye, Mama!" revolves around a pregnant woman that died in an accident and her loved ones, and how she's spent the last five years as a ghost looking on. Watching her daughter that she never got to hold grow up, her husband deal with mind numbing grief and eventually remarry. Until one night when she suddenly comes back alive.

I think what made this show so impactful for me was the acting. Despite having barely understanding of Korean, the raw and powerful emotions that the cast performed was what stood out and by not knowing the language the emotions portrayed was the main focus point for me, instead of what was being said.

The show also had it's more light-hearted moments with happiness, laughter, and people finding solace, but for me what made this show stand out was the great portrayals of loss and coping, and the helplessness that comes with it. Some of the side stories sometimes felt a bit rushed and that they could've done more with it, since I did feel at times towards the end that the show was slowing down a bit. Finally it had a fitting, well-written ending that gave closure for the audience and the characters themselves.

Overall this is one of my favorite tv shows I've ever seen, and I say that despite not really being an avid k-drama viewer. I'm writing this review 24h after I finished the show and I'm still a bit shook of the impact it had on me and the fact that some of the scenes still make me tear up as I think back on them.

"Hi Bye, Mama!" is strewn with beautifully profound messages of family, friendship and love and I'd recommend everyone to watch it, just make sure you have a box of tissues at the ready. This show I will for sure keep close to my heart for a long time.

The clever story line and superb acting provided us with an excellent first series. A woman dies in the process of protecting her unborn daughter. As a ghost for 5 years she sees how her loved ones over time deal with it in their own ways. Then the deities make her human again and she has a limited time to resolve the problems her haunting caused. There are also side stories of other ghosts and shamens which all make you think about what we leave behind when we are gone.

I like to watch a lot of tv shows from different countries & out of all of them, this one was different. Every single episode made me cry, a lot of the time til I got a headache I had cried that much. It isn't your typical romantic kdrama, it isn't overly 'mythical' or whatever either. The characters were cast so well, every emotion seems so genuine & the writers/production team did a wonderful job. It teaches you to really focus on today instead of worrying about tomorrow. Would highly recommend.

It's good, in the beginning it was fun to watch but it gets more serious and serious and heavy. If you are seeking for some lighter k-drama during Corona/COVID-19 times try something else;