This drama has everything a time travel drama should have: good plot, good script, good casting and good meanings.
The plot is full of twist, emotions, changes and it takes you to another world, the world the main character is experiencing.
Because it is a drama that rounds around the main character: even if the others are important, the feeling you have is that Sun Woo is fighting alone with his own story, because he wants to change something he cannot change anymore.
I found this drama awesome because he makes you think about life.
"Changing something bad in the past maybe cannot bring you happyness."
If something bad happens you have to work alone on your own happyness, not trying to change your past or your fate.
This is the meaning of this drama in my opinion, and it is a good meaning.
I think this drama is amazing. Even if it doesn't allow you to understand everything (but this is part of the script), it makes you think of everyday life while the plot is a time travel so a 'fantastic' one.
I absolutely loved this drama and I am planning to rewatch it.
I reccomend this.
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Even though there was a lot of angst, I found myself smiling happily and even laughing out loud because some scenes were just ridiculously funny and just made me happy. Those scenes were very welcomed breathers between all this anxiousness and nervousness.
I actually liked all the characters (except the root of all evil Choi Jin Cheol) and the way they all were intertwined. Their relationships were interesting to follow and I was especially fond of the relationship between Sun Woo and Young Hoon, Sun Woo and Chul Min and of course Sun Woo and Min Young.
The interactions between each one of them and that everyone has some kind of a relationship with the others was great. Especially since we didn't know from the very beginning where they knew each other from.
To be perfectly honest I am not such a big fan of the time-travel-theme. But I found myself enjoying this drama very much. Although I found the beginning and the ending somehow confusing or just too much for my brain to grasp I didn't think that the whole time travel thing was difficult to follow. Even though that's often the case in such dramas.
But I don't think that not understanding the ending is a problem because I believe that this was intended by the writers. Everyone can interpret the ending the way he wants. There are many possibilities. And depending on which ending you choose it's either a happy or a sad ending.
For my part I still don't know if it has a bad or a good ending. But the last episode made me equally happy and anxious. But I guess the happiness or the funny parts in the last episode exceed the sad ones.
Nine_ Nine Times Time Travel is one of the best dramas that I have watched. It is awesome. The story and the characters are great and for me there is nothing more to wish for. Although at first I wasn't sure if it would be worth my time I am so happy I gave it a chance.
And I think that's also what you ought to do.
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I was sucked it by the first episode-- watched it all in barely four days. There was really nothing about it I didn't like. I actually tried to find problems with it:
Music= I didn't watch it on mute! Good job music.
Romance (too much/little)= this is how you balance, man.
Action (pointless/thrilling)= :') All interesting and had a purpose
Actors= chemistry was great, I didn't have to cringe at anyone
Comedy (too much/little)= Came just when I needed it. It was sarcastic and witty and wow I'm pretty sure I didn't laugh at anything I wasn't supposed to this time because, y'know, good acting
Ending= the only time I really didn't mind an ambiguous ending.
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This review may contain spoilers
During the holiday weekend, I finally threw off my initial apprehensions and sat down with this drama. If I'm honest I expected to drop it after a few episodes. Despite the countless positive comments about Nine, I'm a long-term science fiction fan who has developed an unhappy wariness of the time travel plot device. How many times has it been used, especially in the west? And then even the best examples have glaring mistakes, including plot holes, missed details, bad science or ignored in-universe rules, etc. So imagine my elation when Nine skyrocketed beyond expectations and glued me to my seat for a two-night marathon.What makes Nine special is that it is careful with detail while maintaining a thrilling and unpredictable atmosphere. Apart from two instances, the first easily forgotten and the second clearly meant to be ambiguous, the drama unravels its mysteries with beautiful pace. With so much to explain, I almost expected loose ends; but every time I found myself questioning, I got a satisfying answer soon after. It's hard to go into much detail for fear of spoilers, but overall the writing is refreshingly strong and the usual mistakes of the genre are not present here. My only real issue in this department is that the first few episodes are somewhat slow to hook, despite being filmed in beautiful locations in Nepal and being integral to plot set up.
The best performance in Nine is hands down lead Lee Jin Wook. Without his natural charisma, Sun Woo might have collapsed into the arena of the two-dimensional. His performance hits every note and reaches ranges that include the sympathetic to the strong and sexy. He had me believing--which is everything you could want from an actor. I also spent a great deal of time marveling at how well everyone was cast in general though, especially when characters from the present started appearing in the sequences of the past. They'll have you swearing the casting department had a time machine of their own and just used younger versions of the leads!
Unfortunately, the weakest part of this drama is most definitely the music. Sometimes it's completely melodramatic and might remind older viewers of something straight out of the Twilight Zone. Most of the time, especially with the case of the insert vocal tracks, the songs are just not memorable. It's a shame, but I think with so much good going on elsewhere the OST can be forgiven.
Nine comes highly recommended, especially if you're looking for time travel done right. This is a drama which has a fast pace and mature, dark tone...so it's also perfect as high class palate cleanser after a long romantic comedy stint.
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Reasons to recommend this drama:
- An amazing touching and unforgivable love story with perfect chemistry between the couple and true hot kisses that would makes your heart flutter like crazy.
- The original and thrilling plot with endless twists and surprises that would make you wonder what is going to happen next (and hardly you would even guess it right).
- Excitement, suspense and insatiable hunger for keep watching without stop. Highly addictive once you start.
- There are 20 episodes and you don't have enough. After finished you still thinking "What happened?" "What was all this about?" "Did I really understand the whole thing?" ; and when you believe to have understood all, then you just start to feel confuse again. Definitely need to be rewatched to enjoy of this details you didn't know at the beginning were important.
- Despite of many time-travel theme dramas out there this one from my opinion is the best.
Weak points in the drama:
- Perhaps for more experts in time-travel theories the plot might have some holes or inaccuracies but as a general viewer I didn't find huge mistakes as in other dramas with similar plots.
- The music fitted well to create the adequate atmosphere according to the scenes filmed at the time. However a good original selection of romantic songs would have helped in the enhancement of the romance.
At last, I would like to mention that I enjoyed very much of the acting setting and conclusion in this drama. Again and again, Lee Jin Wook and Jo Yoon Hee were brilliant together, you really wish their love would survive after all eventualities. I hope to see more great moments with Lee Jin Wook in the new drama "The Three Musketeers".
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Everyone did a fantastic job! From Lee Jin Wook as Sun Woo to Jeong Dong Hwan as Choi Jin Cheul! I loved the way everyone played their parts and held your attention whenever they were on the screen. Jo Yoon Hee as Min Young was simply charming. I have to point out that my favorite was Sun Woo's buddy played by Lee Seung Jun was amazing! His portrayal of Han Young Hoon was STELLAR! He amazed me with his expressions, his tears, his joy, just about everything.
Music: I loved how you had a blend of every type of music from the 90's, whether it was western or korean; just about everyone was featured. I loved how the music fit the scene and helped, you the viewer feel what was going on in the scene.
Action: AMAZING!! That's all I need to say!!
Direction and Writing: This team of Director: Kim Byung-Soo and Writers: Song Jae-Jung, Kim Yoon-Joo; they must continue to work together. Studios? Just keep them together!! With this being their second work together (Queen InHyun's Man being the first), this is a team that no other can match!!
Romance: We got real kisses, folks!! Big smack-a-roos and deep soul kisses! I have no complaints on the romance! No deer in the headlights for this drama.
So is it worth 20 hours? Damn right!! Will you be bored? Most definitely not! The ending kind of left you open but what do you expect for time-travel where the cause and effects are definitely shown here brilliantly!! This is now my #1 favorite Fantasy drama!!
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The acting was incredible. I have never seen anything of Lee Jin Wook's, so I was kind of weary on how well he'd deliver, but I gotta say I was both surprised and pleased with his performance. Same goes for Jo Yoon Hee.. I didn't think she'd be as good as she was, since the only drama I've seen her in was "Lie To Me" and she wasn't one that stuck out, in my opinion. Even the 1992 counterparts played their roles well, so as far as acting goes this was a really well chosen cast that I must commend whoever's in charge of casting, because it's good to see that some people don't rely on just the most well-known actors to get good ratings, and actually focus on the particular actor's skills performance. As for the music... Nothing that really stuck out to me. A few good OST's here and there, but nothing too special.
Overall, I had to give this drama a 10. Just looking at the story plot and acting was enough on it's own, nothing else mattered. Although I probably wouldn't rewatch this as soon as I could, since every episode was like added stress that I had to agonize over for a week, but definitely a drama I highly recommend you check out! Especially if you too like those deeper meaning endings... I mean I don't know what it is, but they make me so happy I can't explain it. This drama sucks you in from the get-go, so I hope you all give this one a chance!
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As many of you probably know, the crew of this drama was the same staff that produced Queen In Hyun's Man, and it definitely shows. Not because the stories are similar (because they're not), but because they have the same quality. There are few to none plot holes and the every single detail is taken care of. So let's start digging a little deeper now.
Story-the story is about a man who has a chance to change his life and fix all of his mistakes. This in itself is a wonderful theme because it gets us thinking about what would we change of our life if we could and what would be the consequences of that change. What I loved about this story is that it never was predictable, you never know what's going to happen next, and it manages to mix romance, action and character development in a completely natural way. I personally loved the ending, it was fitting to the rest of the drama. I really liked that even though Park Sun Woo kept going back to the past, he almost never changed anything for his own benefit, but for the benefit of others. Even when he makes a mistake that turns his life completely upside-down (and not for the best), he refuses to go back and fix it.
Acting- I can honestly say that it was genius. Lee Jin Wook's portrayal of Park Sun Woo was right on spot, bringing us to tears one moment and making us choke laughing at the next moment. Jo Yoon Hee also did a great work with her character, being irresistibly adorable, completely straight forward with her love but at the same time managing to be innocent. I have to make an honorary mention at something she said because I literally rolled in the floor laughing because of it. At one point she says to PSW while throwing a tantrum "You're going to ruin my life by letting me die a virgin!!". And that brings me to the chemistry. The chemistry between the protagonists was sizzling,making the love story not only believable but relatable. Rhey made you root for them as they went through many obstacles together. The rest of the cast was also amazing, making us not only focus on the romance but also on friendship and family relationships. The only weak link on the cast was Jeong Dong Hwan, who over acted his role and made the EXACT same face EVERY single time he discovered something (OoO).
Music-It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything special either.
Rewatch- i will definitely watch this again soon, if only to get all the details and contrast of this complex story.
This is a really good and neat drama that will never get you bored but keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. If you like action or suspense dramas, or dramas that will get you thinking, this is definitely your cup, I highly recommend it.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is a roller-coaster ride with great, imaginative writing. This is the most wonderfully unpredictable drama that I have ever seen. There is romance and it is very suspenseful. I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it. The story is about time travel and the consequences of every choice a person makes in life. I think the writers are really brave, but because I can't give spoilers in a review, you will just have to watch it to see what I mean. The acting is superb. Lee Jin Wook as Sun Woo and Jo Yoon Hee as Min Young have great chemistry and I love their interaction. Really all of the actors are good.
The music fits the drama although I wouldn't say there is anything that I would put on my playlist.
I would rewatch this in a heartbeat.
I recommend this to everyone. I know this review is short, but this is one of those dramas that would take hours upon hours to explain and since we can't post spoilers, I really can't explain all the reasons why you should watch it. I can guarantee you won't regret it if you do.
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I gotta say when I first heard of the drama, it didn't capture my attention. I didn't know Lee Jin Wook and I really didn't like Jo Yoon Hee in Lie To Me. So I was doubting a lot. But boy oh boy was I wrong. Their acting was spectacular. Their chemistry was a plus!!It was so cute watching them together. I wish they were going in real life just like how Ji Hyun Woo and Yoo In Na did. You never know ^^ In fact both of them became favorite actors now. It wasn't only them, also the friend, the brother, all of their acting were amazing.
THIS IS THE BEST DRAMA OF 2013 and also BEST TIME TRAVEL DRAMA.
Whoever didn't watch it please give it a try and I guarantee it you will love it!!
And if you're looking for intense kiss scene not like kissing a wall scene, then you'll definitely love this drama ^_^
All right I should stop. But what can I do!!;) This is one of this drama that you can write about forever and ever and ever :)
BOW DOWN TO ALL THE ACTORS< WRITERS EVERYONE IN THE DRAMA!!THANK YOU GIVING US SUCH A GREAT DRAMA XD
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I'll start with the romance, which is really the heart of the story, but was my least favorite part. Although the romance was written well, I just never really connected with the main couple the way I usually do when sucked into a K-drama. Jo Yoon Hee is super perky, and Lee Jin Wook knows how to look aloof & hot, but the chemistry between the two of them was lacking in my opinion. Jo Yoon Hee's cuteness was not enough to carry her through emotional scenes, and Lee Jin Wook (although a stronger actor than his co-star) too often seemed emotionless, even with all that his character goes through in the story. I wanted to fall in love with the love story much more than I did. Towards the end I cared a little more, but that's due to the great writing, not their performances.
In general, I think the acting in the entire show was ok, but not stellar. Some of the supporting cast had more personality than the main characters. Still, I can't say that anyone in the cast was really bad... well, except for Jeong Dong Hwan. The stupid faces he made as Choi Jin Cheol were so cartoonishly bad that it was starting to piss me off. He started to remind me of Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone.
I think the true star of this drama is the story. Once I got through the set up episodes, the story was non stop surprise revelations & plot twists, which I love. This is the kind of story that will leave you sleepless, as you marathon it, just so you can see what happens next. The story doesn't lose steam towards the end like most dramas do either, which is impressive. It also had the kind of ending that made me want to immediately re-watch the whole story from the beginning, although there weren't any real 'stand out' moments that I wanted to necessarily watch again. I'd re-watch just to see if knowing the ending would change how I see the rest of the drama.
If you're not a fan of open endings, consider this a warning. Still I loved the ending, which made me think, and I don't think was that ambiguous. I believe it was way better than if everything was spelled out clearly or tied up with a corny happily ever after bow. There also weren't any glaring loose ends, which considering how complicated the story gets, was enough closure for me.
I had no idea, based on the premise, that this would be one of the best written, and surprisingly believable, time travel k-dramas that I've seen. (and there are A LOT of time travel K-dramas!) With a different cast my score would have been much higher, which is the only reason why Nine: Nine Times Time Travel didn't quite make an "9" overall score from me.
My review may not be as high as everyone else's, but I understand why there are so many fans, and would definitely recommend it, because who needs sleep? lol!
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This review may contain spoilers
'Nine' is one of the drama that has the strongest story plot, ever. The main theme is time travel, and it is told in the most fascinating and neat way. The plot is quite complicated (yup, you'll need a little bit thinking) yet satisfying. Love story is not the main menu here (I need some time to be engaged to the couple), but it's there as a side dish to the main topic here: a journey to find happy life. The message is loud and clear: playing God has its own consequences, and so does our hero gets his. Good news is, if you move forward and live your life every day to your best, you'll grow into a good and brave person. Just believe what you want to believe, and love the person you love anyway. Keep it simple is the best. I can relate to the messages, really.This drama keeps me guessing till the very last minute and I must say that I'm quite satisfied with the ending except one thing (but I cannot say it out loud b/c it's a spoiler LOL but it's related to older / younger version of our hero).
Anyway, I'm a fan of Lee Jin-wook since 'I Need Romance 2012', so two thumbs up! All the casts are pretty decent, except the one who plays Choi Jin-cheol a.k.a The Bad Chairman. In later episodes I found his expression is more comical, makes me cannot take him seriously, although he's a seriously bad villain, duh (pun intended). And a special shout out for Park Hyung-sik, who plays as our young hero. I believe he has a great future as an idol-actor!
The background music is not very special. But it doesn't get in the way either.
As for re-watch value, I'd love to watch 'Nine' again, in order to get a better perspective from overall story, as I already get the basic understanding of the plot.
Overall, I totally recommend this drama for anyone who love sci-fi dramas, with in-depth philosophical perspective and complicated twist. Well done, Nine!
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