I had the chance to watch this during its initial airing, but after seeing the first 10 minutes it was an instant-no for me. Years later, I circled back and saw how beloved the drama was. For me, the topics approached in the drama, particularly in that opening scene, are especially sensitive.

I am glad I gave it another go and pushed past that initial gut response. First off, it hits one of my favorite tropes (which isn't done often, and when it is done, it's not usually done well)--reincarnation. I thought they handled that beautifully, pairing in the layers with family. It aligned the elements of food to have a common thread (hah), but I do wish some of the other scenes had a more fluid alignment (like mirroring the past, but different).

I've commented in other reviews I don't usually care much for music in dramas, but this one was actually pretty good and did add to the scenes usually (though the doom song, as I call it, did feel overused at some points).

I think my biggest gripe with the story is actually the interaction with Dean and Pharm in the last episode. It felt unnecessary to me and that they could've handled Pharm's concerns differently. I also got annoyed with Pharm's reactions to intimacy. It often felt dub-con-y, even though it isn't meant to be at all.

Outside of those things, the acting was really great and they did emotional scenes beautifully. It may have been cool to see the families come together, but I can live without that.