Hello,
I'll do my best to be as unbiased as possible in this review. I'll explain what might put you off as well as why you should still keep watching. This is now, after all, my all-time favourite drama, at least for the crime genre.
STORY :
If you have watched the US movie Frequency, you'll find a lot of similarities as they use the same trick to communicate through time. As for the rest of the story, it's something else altogether. There is roughly one case every two episodes but it's not an episodic drama. All cases share a deep link together, even more so the later ones. There are two/three points which have raised a bit of criticism but keep in mind that very few people minded about that, so please, don't drop it just yet.
First : some complained that there was too much yelling. It calms down a lot after the team gets to know each other better. Personally, I didn't even pay attention to that. It seemed very naturally done to me.
Second : the fact that some cases are real ones (at least one, the Hwaseong murders case) might anger you for different reasons. You might think of the victims family still alive, watching this drama, and feel bad for them. Or think of the police which might have done a great job back then and still didn't find the culprit despite its efforts. But take this drama for what it is : a fiction. Just like any movie about Jack the Ripper, it's a FICTION based on real life cases.
Third : The big question, is there any romance in this drama ? There is but it's very, very slight. It's not at the center of the drama at all.
NB : The first episode is kind of slow-paced, unlike others. So don't let this keep you from watching.
ACTING / CAST :
Overall, they were all very good actors. Even the tiniest role was well-played. Still, Kim Hye Soo (aka Cha Soo Hyun) really was the best to me. She's present in both timelines. Although it's the same role, her character has evolved a lot in 15 years. She's a bit introverted in the past but became a strong and independent woman in the present. It's very interesting to see how this character developped so much and Kim Hye Soo portrayed that very well. As she has the most blatant personnality change, it's easier to see how much of great actress she is in Signal.
MUSIC :
Fantastic! At least, if you like that style ^^ I loved it, the ending song particularly. But the OST as a whole was great as well. It emphasizes the story really well.
REWATCH VALUE :
I highly recommend at least one rewatch, even more so if you marathon it. Why ? Because as they change the past each time, a few important details change as well. Still, you won't feel lost even if you watch it only once so rest assured. There are enough flashback to understand everything quite well.
It's such a waste to marathon this drama. Try watching 1 or 2 episodes at a time. Savour it. Ask yourself why and how things happened that way. You'll definitely enjoy it more.
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