Way Back Love

The much-anticipated school drama is here. Since the announcement, Way Back Love has been drawing attention from the audience.

The story opens on a poignant note. Pachinko Girl Kim Min Ha is lying on the floor, and soon the lens begins in a shabby place. The first episode ends with the heart-rending revelation that Kim Gam Roo is already dead.

This is a six-episode mini-series. Adapted from the web novel "A week before I die", the story journeys through the secluded life of Hui Wan, who has stopped living her life after the untimely death of Kim Gam Roo. What started as a prank turned out to be a fate-changing game for these high school students. Hui Wan failed to forgive herself till one day, Kim Gam Roo appeared at her doorstep as a grim reaper.

It is difficult to portray a convincing story through the lens of supernatural powers. And here, the male lead is dead even before the story opens its first chapter. No additional melodrama has been used as a catalyst for the tale. The concept of using either lead or dead is old, but the way of portraying the journey is fresh.

Life goes on even when your loved one is dead. You find things to hold on to as you traverse through your challenges. The story teaches the lesson of learning to forgive under every circumstance. And people should start by forgiving themselves.

(spoiler free)

If anyone is wondering whether they should watch this drama, the answer is yes - you should! It's not a time-wasting drama, and you'll feel it was worth watching. This drama met my expectations, as I had been waiting for it. It's quite sad, but not traumatic.

All the actors did a great job, even though I had doubts about whether they would perform well, since the main three actors other than kim minha don't have much experience. As for the story, there might seem to be a few loopholes and glitches, but they're all easy to overlook. The story is beautiful.

Time is precious, and it shouldn't be wasted watching other dramas when this one exists.

However, I personally felt that one more episode would have made it even better, as the bonds between the characters - both friends and family - didn't get enough time in last three episodes.

This is the sort of drama that the Koreans do best. It's just beautiful. The director and screenwriter get just about everything right and the young cast do an amazing job. Kim Min ha in particular is mesmerising. Her portrayal of love, grief and depression is so moving. You almost feel her pain yourself. She really is a great actress (Pachinko, Light Shop - both highly recommended) with fantastic range.

I had no idea what I was getting into ahead of watching this, so I'm issuing a warning. Buy a box of tissues because there are scenes that are heart-rending. The heartbreak is so worth it though because the writing and performances will stay with me for a very long time.

I really hope this reaches a much wider audience because it's up there with some of the best Korean dramas of recent years.