Tu tiempo llama (2023)

Whenever Your Heart Calls To Me, I Will Come To You

This is a very touching and innovative series despite some serious flaws in the story. Whenever you are dealing a “time travel” movie or series, careful attention to detail is necessary, otherwise, when you pull one thread that doesn’t quite work, the whole thing can come apart like a house of cards. Einstein once said, “Nothing happens until something moves.” This was his reference regarding time and space, which he scientifically proved, do not exist because it’s all relative.

The series is about love, time travel, and a chilling murderer, and how all three are intertwined and what can be done about it. Of course, some suspension of disbelief is necessary, but in many cases with this series, even that isn’t enough. This is a case where the series might have worked better had it extended the story another four episodes to give the characters time to be more grounded and realistic.

A big flaw in the series is how quickly everyone accepts the time traveling component. I’d wager that if someone approached you with this explanation, you’d laugh in their face with disbelief. Even if the person seems to have “changed,” time travel would likely be the very last thing you’d accept as a plausible explanation. Something else was needed to try and convince others about time traveling being the cause of a personality change.

In 1998, Kwon Min Ju is a lonely, shy high school student who walks around, staring at the ground and never really looking at anyone. She meets Nam Si Heon and his friend, Jung In Kyu, and she seems to come to life a bit, especially when the tall, handsome Nam Si Heon is around. However, he has absolutely no interest in her.

In 2023, Han Jun Hee is suffering from the loss of her boyfriend, who has died in a plane crash. She looks like Min Ju, except that she is outgoing, vivacious, and spirited. In short, she’s full of life, whereas Min Ju is a girl suffering from extremely low self-esteem. A mysterious tape player with a tape is sent to Han Jun Hee, and upon listening to it, she finds herself transported back to 1998 and in the body of Min Ju. However, it’s Han Jun Hee’s personality, and everything she is, inhabiting the body of Min Ju, who can only sit and watch from within Jun Hee’s mind.

Like many time traveling stories, this one is about attempting to prevent the events of the past in order to change the future. On the one hand, Jun Hee is trying to find a way to get her boyfriend back. However, a cold, serial killer is on the loose, and Jun Hee is also trying to prevent the murder of Min Ju.

For the most part, the story actually works, largely due to the performances of the two leads in Jeon Yeo Been (Min Ju/Jun Hee) and Ahn Hyo Seop (Si Heon/Yeon Jun). You might feel like you need to keep a notebook handy in order to keep track of all of the time movements and who is embodying whom! Jeon Yeo Been just an exceptional job of playing the dual role, so much so that it took me an episode to realize that she was playing Min Ju and Jun Hee!

Another big problem is the character of Oh Chan Yeong, the serial killer. Now, by the end of the series, Jun Hee is able to prevent him from inhabiting his brother’s body and going to 1998 to kill Min Ju. However, Chan Yeong is still alive in 1998, and very likely, he will still become a killer, and yet nothing is mentioned about this, and it’s something that should have been addressed.

The suicidal aspect of Min Ju doesn’t entirely work either. Someone who is that determined to commit suicide, even to the point allowing someone to murder them, is someone with severe problems. Min Ju’s issue with being “too hopeful” or having “too many expectations” are laughingly bad. Her issue has to do with incredibly low self-esteem and not feeling worthy of anyone or anything. If you deal only with the symptoms rather than the cause, then you aren’t doing anyone any favors, and Jun Hee is hardly a therapist who can easily diagnose Min Ju. A person with such a low self-esteem is highly likely going to attempt suicide again, especially when something bad happens in their life.

I also didn’t think that Si Heon would so blindly accept Min Ju’s explanation about “making up Jun Hee” when the handwriting is still the most solid evidence against such a whimsical attempt to explain her.

Also, the emotional depth could have been much deeper than it was. I was disappointed in the scene when Jun Hee finds Si Heon at the morgue, having just been murdered by Chan Yeong. She lost of the love of her life, then briefly got him back only to lose him yet again. She should have been far more distraught than what we’re shown. Anyone else in that situation would have been completely devastated. Now, it’s all right for her regain her resolve to try and set things right, but in that immediate moment, I was waiting for a deeper and much more realistic reaction. I just didn’t feel it all from the usually sound performance of Jeon Yeo Been. I think that part of the problem is that there simply wasn’t great chemistry between the two leads. It was good, but not great, and you can always easily tell when chemistry exists. There are a number of youtube videos from actors/actresses who speak to this. I’ve seen Jeon Yeo Been and Ahn Hyo Seop in a couple of series now, and their acting chops in this one is very good. I was just hoping for more.


The series starts out strong, but by the end, it felt a little rushed and a bit contrived as well. It also needed more heartfelt moments which could have served the overall story even better. While this is actually a very good series, it felt like a missed opportunity to be even better. I haven’t seen the original series from Taiwan, but it made me wonder if that version filled in many of the gaps that this version left. A good series, but in the end, it also felt like a letdown, a missed opportunity.

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To Travel Back In Time To Save You...

I would literally travel back in time to a time called You.
It brings so many emotions to watch this drama, and even Kim Min Seok's OST made it even more emotional because I recognized his voice from Mr. Sunshine.; His Vocals is so magical.
The cast truly delivered, I'm so rooting for AHS; I need another chance to see him before this year runs out. And Jeon Yeo Been truly captured me when she was mostly Han Jun Hee. Her chemistry with the two actors was top-notch. I think I'll have to add her to my list of artists to watch.
Overall, A masterpiece of Casts, btw! Not really the plot.

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My brain hurts...

Don't hate me because I didn't love it. It's a personal taste thing. I liked the acting in this. I also like that this has convinced me not to go back and try to watch Some Day or One Day. I'm apparently a superficial watcher and don't want to have to think too much. It's a shortcoming, I know, but there you have it.

I love me a good destiny show, but this is the first time that I felt like the universe was trying to tell them that they should NOT be together. Together, tragedy, together, tragedy. I guess the ending had to be the way it was, but I was disappointed in the lack of payoff. Though it did border on a happy ending, which I appreciated.

And what was with her telling everyone that she was time traveling?! Her telling the murderer guy was random. I didn't get the impression that they were that close, and just why?

I actually made a flow chart to try to keep up with this while I was watching it, and even that confused me. My biggest problem was when the two versions of the ML met. That just didn't make any sense to me. Also, the random gay storyline (though seeing Rowoon and Ahn Hyo Seop together on screen was a treat!) was confusing, because weren't the two versions of the ML the same in each timeline?

I now need to find me a simple love story to watch. Since I'm WAY in the minority here, you might want to read everyone else's reviews and give the show a try.

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Left me dazed and confused

I didn't watch the 2019 Taiwanese version, so the review is based on my take on the Korean version alone.

The drama started out pretty strong. Jeon Yeo Been did a great job portraying two completely different personalities between Jun hee and Min ju. One was outgoing and popular, the other was a miserable introvert. The show also did a good job showing the chemistry between Jun-hee and the two boys and Si Heon's growing love for her. The high school timeline was the most interesting with the most chemistry between the three main characters. The adult timeline was kind of bland with Jun hee and Si Heon/Yeon jun having a much less dynamic relationship. This was the second drama I watched with Ahn Hyo Seop and he did a lot better here than in Lovers of the Red Sky.

While the show had a great start, the writers decided to make the plot more complicated than it should've been. By episode 9, I started losing track of who was who because the timelines kept switching and characters kept flip flopping between bodies. I wasn't sure what the connection between the timelines was either. I assume they were parallel universes with two versions of the same person living in both of them, I guess? But, then how did Si Heon and Yeon Jun meet at the airport if they were from different universes? The show also didn't quite explain the connection between them and how how Yeon Jun even ended up falling for Jun hee. Maybe I missed it because I was trying to keep track of all the characters and timeline hopping.

Some plotlines got too extreme and others were kind of forgotten. In-kyu disappeared for several episodes, making his character kind of irrelevant, then appeared again towards the end trying to save Min-ju. The murder/suicide plotline was radically extreme. It would've been better if Min-ju just died in a car accident, instead of by some random obsessive classmate turned serial killer who traveled back in time in a body of his brother to train himself to be a serial killer. This is not to mention that the outcomes kept changing as the story progressed from all the timeline hopping, making it even more confusing.

I didn't quite get the significance of Rowoon's cameo as Tae Ha. Did it mean that Yeon jun was gay and was just starting to confess his feelings for his friend before the accident, and that Jun hee really fell in love with Si Heon and not Yeon jun? The writers spent no effort trying to flesh this nuisance out. And, did Tae Ha die in the accident?

The ending was very sweet and left a lot of questions unanswered. The only couple that made sense was Min ju and In kyu because there was no confusion about who was who. With ML and FL, I am not sure whether Jun hee ended up with Si Heon or Yeon jun. They acted like the same person. I think she met Si Heon at the end because Yeon jun was the one who got into the car accident, became a cripple, and got stabbed to death. Not to mention, he might have been gay.

Overall, the show left me with a lot of unanswered questions and some confusion about Jun hee/Si Heon/Yeon jun romance. On one hand, I liked their love story. It was very touching and bittersweet. On the other, all the timeline and body hopping made me completely lost about who was who.

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A Time Called You korean drama storyline is quite new to me but the concept is not new at all, it's just not that explored that much. I just find the story confusing and rather than understanding it more, I think I just let it be.

I know most of the actors in the drama, and I find them okay acting as their roles, is just that I am not so in awe with their acting in this drama, maybe because in the first I am not a fan with the story.

The music is fine, it does give the viewers the sense of what the characters are acting.

Would not rewatch this for sure. Maybe I will just watch the original drama.

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Time travel but a drag on

I usually enjoy time travel based shows, and usually they’re always well done. Can’t really make a time travel show boring right?

Well….

Listen, I’m not saying this K-Drama was bad but throughout the show, things just dragged on unnecessarily long. So many plot holes left inside as well.

So the ‘clones’ that the main characters are switching between, what the hell happened to them? It just felt so surreal that they kept switching between the bodies and there seemed to have been zero consequences, just a few people going “oh you changed!”, but it only happened with Minju and Junhee.

What I also found a little weird, was how they made Siheons doppelganger …gay?

So Koo Yeonjun was gay, and then Siheon entered his body and made him date a woman. Doesn’t anyone else find that a little weird? I mean I get that wasn’t Yeonjun himself but if Minju was inside Junhee’s head and witnessed everything Junhee did while she was in her body, doesn’t that mean Koo Yeonjun was also in Siheons head as well? And then had to see his body be with a woman? Lol…just a huge plothole imo.

And I’m also curious if Koo Yeonjun stayed with Rowoons character in the end or not, they seemed pretty cute!!

Ingyu and Minju were also adorable, I was rooting for them since the beginning.

If I’m being completely honest, Junhee and Siheon didn’t have all that much chemistry. The actors are great and they acted well but, there was just no chemistry between them. I felt absolutely nothing whenever they shared romantic scenes together. It was just so boring and plain…their relationship seemed forced, and they had so much to work with in their story- I was hoping at some point I would see the chemistry but I just couldn’t.

Somewhere in the middle of the show, maybe around the time Junhee switched back to 2023 after being in Minjus body for the first time, things got even more boring and the show felt like it was being dragged on for so long. Everything was slow, and the plotwists were being revealed in the most anti climactic slow paced way.

I honestly think this would’ve been better as a movie rather than a show. So many episodes felt like filler episodes, or just something that didn’t need a whole episode dedicated for it.

The misdirect of the killer who somehow figured out how to time travel as well, and then not bringing him up ever again after they got rid of the time travel walkman? There’s just so many things they left unspoken.

Nevertheless, the last 3 episodes I forced myself to watch so I could finish this show, it actually wasn’t all that bad and it kept me engaged. I found Minjus character the most interesting, and I’m sad we got robbed of her character. I think they should’ve focused on her development in the series rather than making her breakdown in one episode and then suddenly being okay and content with her life in the next.

But other than that, the show itself wasn’t all that bad- but it did get super boring at some point. Unless you’re a huge fan of Ahn Hyoseop and Jeon Yeobeen , you would probably enjoy this a lot more. Other than that, in my opinion this isn’t something I would choose to watch to entertain myself since it wasn’t that much action filled as I had hoped. But it wasn’t all too bad either. Just more so focused on the love story between the star crossed lovers who have to switch between time lines to be with each other. So if you’re in a mood for a slow pace romance story, this is for you!

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Overall worth a watch

I haven't seen the original, nor did I know this was based on a different drama until after I watched it.
This drama was binged over the course of two days and I have no regrets. Previously, I'd enjoyed the ML in Business Proposal and Dr. Romantic, and I'd loved the FL in Vincenzio, so I had high hopes.
I will say, the FL did just okay in this drama. Maybe if I hadn't watched Vincenzio I would've enjoyed this one more, but the scenes where she really shined in this story were moments where her character was similar to her previous role.
The ML was great in almost every scene and really sold the story.
I do have to note, however, that it seemed like the two lead actors never quite reached a level of physical comfort with each other because the affectionate scenes didn't come across well. I know both the ML and FL can do better, so this lack of chemistry between them (in this romantic drama) knocked off a full star.

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a plot that gets you thinking

honestly, as someone who hasn’t watched the original show but was super excited for this remake to come out because it included one of my favourite actors, i really liked it. when i started it i knew from the beginning that im going to absolutely love this because im a big fan of nostalgic, set in the 80s/90s dramas because they make my heart warm.

as i kept watching it, around the middle part i got kind of confused?? i knew what was going on but it was more like the confusion surrounding the characters and i didn’t mind it that much because as long as i know where this is leading to im okay with it. so i get why people are saying its confusing, it is definitely a show that gets you thinking a lot because the plot is kinda complex as it is about “time travel” but it’s fine as long as you understand the big details.

the emotions run high in this show and honestly i just loved it overall. when i started watching it, i told myself im definitely giving it a 10 star rating because i just see it happening, but as i got further into the show things got a little bit confusing for me to understand and that’s the only reason i gave it a 8.5 instead of a 10.

but overall it is really beautiful and nostalgic drama that gets you yearning for more.

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Two Worlds, Two Stories, One Fate

It is not unusual for Netflix to release Korean remakes of popular shows. Money Heist and Designated Survivor have already recently proved that the formula works; a decent story is a decent story in any language, and the trademark quality of acting and production found in Kdrama tends to provide a little uplift overall. But A Time Called You is riskier territory, as it’s not just a remake, but a remake of a beloved Taiwanese classic titled Someday or One Day.

There’s a lot of intrigue from the get-go, as the names of the characters who resemble each other aren’t revealed until the end of the first episode. Given the constant back and forth, body swapping, and parallel timelines, writer Choi Hyo-bi remains largely consistent with the sharp, pacy writing throughout the show. There’s a steady build-up in intrigue, especially with regard to the whodunit element. Every plot point in this show’s complex narrative finds a place in a time loop, and the effort that has gone into the writing is evident from how it all unravels neatly.

The pace also, in a way, becomes this K-Drama’s biggest enemy as it robs the show of much of its emotional nuance and depth. The show instead constantly shifts focus, and proceeds to march forward in an inexplicable hurry. While it goes without saying that A Time Called You requires a willing suspension of disbelief given the paradoxes of the world it is set in, the writing in the last two episodes stretches this to the hilt. Nevertheless, for a show that’s packed to the brim and has a convoluted plot towards the end, the writing remains taut, and manages to nearly tie up all its loose ends. Music plays the most important and positive part in this 12 episode drama.

For a show which started with great promise in the first half, felt a litte flat in the second half with loosen grip in writing and focusing more on romance between the leads, rather than expanding the friendship of the trio. Nonetheless, it's a good one time watch.

My Rating : 7/10

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I'm confused

I am on ep 4 and I am lost. I am so confused. I think I missed something. there are so many names and back and forth. I can't stop watching though. though I have no idea what is going on. I almost feel like I need to watch from the beginning again. I get the point of, 'you should be confused and things will make sense later,' but I don't understand the two different worlds individually.

Is In-gyu yeon-jun? should I start the series over? ugh Now both guys are fighting over her?! How can the show be so good but yet I don't understand why or what is happening.

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