First of all, before I begin this review, I need to make a recommendation for anyone who hasn't seen this series yet: get a box of tissues. You're going to need it.

"Missing The Other Side" brings a unique concept for this story. There is a staging area. A village that exists for people who have died but whose bodies have not been recovered. It doesn't really matter what your beliefs are, you simply have to just go with it. If you do that, you won't be disappointed, as this is one of the most beautiful, heartwarming stories I've ever seen. I had no idea that so many heartfelt moments would be in a 12-episode series.

Anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one, is likely to relate on some level. And even if you haven't, you'll very likely still feel touched by how the story-but most especially-how the relationships unfold between those living and those who have passed on.

The series is about a con man in Kim Wook, wonderfully played by Go Soo, who surreptitiously finds himself the unwitting witness of a woman who is being kidnapped. He soon finds himself the target of the kidnappers, and after a lengthy chase, he finds himself in a world he couldn't possibly imagine. A village where the dead live until their bodies are found. Of course, he has no idea why he can see, hear, touch, and communicate with them. The only other living person with this ability is Mr. Jang, a lonely man who has essentially stopped living due to the disappearance of his little girl years ago.

Detective Shin is brought on board, initially to investigate a construction company that seems to be tied to a series of deaths, both from the past as well as the present. Believing his fiancée to have dumped him, he quickly finds that she was the woman being kidnapped that was witnessed by Kim Wook. Unfortunately, we find out that his fiancée, Yeo Na Choi has been murdered, as she is the most recent addition to the village.

We also discover that there is a conspiracy tied to the construction company, and that there is someone else masterminding the disappearances, as well as the deaths, of so many people, including Kim Wook's own mother, whom he thought had abandoned him years ago. However, after seeing the locket on a village woman, Kim Hyun Mi, we quickly discover--as does Kim Wook--that she is his mother. At first, Kim Wook doesn't understand, as he's filled with resentment regarding his mother.

The interaction between Kim Wook and the villagers is nothing short of pure sweetness, as he finally finds a true purpose in life. The villagers are unable to leave the village until their bodies are found, and Kim Wook decides to help Mr. Jang do so. While Mr. Jang is still trying to find out what happened to his daughter, Kim Wook is also trying to discover who killed Yeo Na Choi as well as his co-worker Kim Nam Gook.

Some of the most powerful and profound interactions I've seen are scenes between Yeo Na Choi and Detective Shin as each--separated by death's veil--speak to each other but cannot see or hear each other. The amount of emotion that pours from their hearts and souls is beyond touching. It is something altogether more ethereal, soul-felt, and poignant that will have you grasping quickly for those tissues! That same is also conveyed between Kim Wook and his mother as each pours their heart out to the other. And while there is no interaction between Mr. Jang and his daughter, we feel his pain as he cries out in vain-at last finding some measure of closure-even if it isn't what he'd hoped for.

I am constantly amazed at how Korean actors can emote so easily and deftly. They are able to help us feel those deeper emotions through sobbing, as though their hearts are being torn open. When I lost my father in an accident when I was just nineteen, I suffered unimaginable heartbreak as though my whole world had been shattered. These actors and actresses are somehow able to tap into that emotional level. And I don't think it is as easy to do as people might think because I've rarely seen it done in western movies and shows. I think there is something that makes those actors hold back just a little. This entire cast is to be commended for such deep, complex, and profound performances!

I can't remember ever watching a series--aside from the classic show, Highway to Heaven--that had me tearing up as much as this one did. The story is compelling and enthralling as it is as much a mystery as it is in delving into what might be waiting on "the other side."

It's hard to feel grief when you know your loved ones are safe and well. Perhaps not in a way that we understand, but it still brings about some closure. More than that, you can't help feeling happy for each member of the village as they move on to another realm of existence as soon as their bodies are found. If only we had such clarity of knowledge when our loved ones do pass, it would perhaps make the grieving process a bit more bearable.

Watching movies and shows where children and women are victims of horrible crimes has always been hard. It breaks my heart. As a TEFL teacher, I don't even want to think of something like that ever happening to one of my students.

This series is nothing short of a work of pure art. Pure beauty. And perhaps also, pure hope. Hope that there is healing for those who remain behind as well as for those who have moved on. Perhaps the lesson here is to cherish those closest to us in life so that we may then cherish them in death. Don't waste a single moment to let your family and friends know how much you love and care of them. After all, there are only so many tomorrows, and you don't want to end up wishing that you could have said something when you had the chance. Let them know. Let them know now.