https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/365:_Repeat_the_Year

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I was intrigued upon seeing the trailer being advertised in Viu. The mystery element drew me in and I decided to give it a try even though there is a known risk of time-slip drama not being able to tie itself up at the end.

The pace is super duper fast for a Kdrama and it’s only 12 episodes (split into 2 parts each) unlike the usual 16 episodes Kdrama, perhaps because it is an adaptation of Japanese novel & drama. Every single episodes is packed with suspense and twist. There are many ‘main’ characters but their stories are revealed one by one in delved in sufficient depth, revealing the hidden entanglement between characters. If you hate the slow/ draggy typical Kdrama, then this one might be for you.

I have chanced upon most of the actors/ actresses in this drama, but except for Nam Ji Hyun, their acting didn’t really attract my attention in previous dramas. However, I feel that almost all of them delivered great performance in their characters here, especially Lee Yoo Mi. She delivered one hell of a character.

It’s weird how I didn’t really remember Lee Joon Hyuk’s character in the Kdrama Stranger (a.k.a Secret Forest), considering that was one of my faves. His performance in 365 makes me notice him for the first time.

In my opinion, this Kdrama is so underrated. The rating is quite low for a main channel (MBC) drama and I wonder whether it’s because the main leads are not exactly the popular ones or because it was competing with SBS’ Nobody Knows. It manages to wrap a time-slip story so beautifully I couldn’t ask for a better ending. There is a balance whereby some parts are given a nice closure while other parts are left aptly open-ended.

The only bad point I have is that the culprits’ motives were not that convincing for me. Plus, there is 1 unsolved trivia (see the spoilers part below).

Overall, it’s a must watch if you like the thriller time-slip genre.

[WARNING: spoilers in the next few paragraphs in red]

At some point, I started to suspect that the culprit was the driver of the limousine which transported the 10 resetters & Lee Shin. But it turns out that this driver was non-existent and never mentioned in the whole series. Is it a flaw in the script? That aside, I was glad that the theory I had about detective Sun Ho around episode 9/ 10 turned out to be correct! I think that was the only big plot which I predicted correctly, though. The Kim Se Rin arc was a totally mind-blowing blindside.