Tomorrow With You

Time travel shows.  I, for one, love them and Tomorrow With You did not disappoint me.  Are you ready for a wow love story?  First of all, do not believe the brief synopsis on DramaFever.  It says the couple end up in a “selfish, loveless marriage.”  Oh ha!  There’s no truth to that at all.

After barely avoiding a subway accident that left his parents dead, Yoo So-Joon has been able to travel to the future via that same subway line.  But So-Joon can go no further into the future than March 25th, 2019.  Why?  Because that happens to be the date he dies.  One day, during a trip to the future, he sees his own death and it happens to correspond with the death of a pretty woman named Song Ma-Rin.  Another time traveler suggests he marry her with the idea that since she’s not a part of So-Joon’s original future maybe marrying her can save them, both.  Desperate to extend his life, So-Joon decides to take his friend’s advice and marry Ma-Rin. There’s a lot more to the show, including a decent sub-plot, but I’m not telling you any more than that.

Being able to visit the future has given Yoo So-Joon some major advantages over “normal” folks who only know the present.  He won the lottery three different times and knows exactly where to purchase land that will make him money.  At the young age of 30 the man is a multimillionaire and CEO of his own real estate company.

As a child, Song Ma-Rin became the nation’s little sweetheart after her hungry Kdrama character begged for more rice in a show.  But that was her one and only success.  She felt uncomfortable in front of the camera and decided to make her living behind it, instead, as a novice photographer.  She was raised by her single mother, never knowing the father who left when she was very young.  Although her life has been full of difficulties she isn’t the type to just give up.

The only other person who knows of So-Joon’s ability to time travel is his best friend, Kang Ki-Doong.  He is, pretty much, the man who runs the real estate company while So-Joon is off frolicking through the future.  Ki-Doong is a trustworthy, loyal friend who always has So-Joon’s back.

The other time traveler in the show is Doo Sik, an older gentleman who became So-Joon’s mentor.  He comes up with the idea for So-Joon to marry the girl that dies at the same time he does.  His reasoning?… Maybe an unexpected birth (their child) could prevent two expected deaths.

One of the managers in So-Joon’s company is Kim Young-Jin.  His main goal in life is wealth and success and he finds it unfair that his boss is younger, richer, and smarter than he is.  He’ll get ahead even if he has to cheat the company to do so.

Lee Je-Hoon began his higher education as a Biotechnology major at Korea University but switched to the School of Drama at Korea National University of Arts when he decided to go into acting.  He was in more than 18 shorts and indi films and was an extra in a couple feature films.  His acting breakthrough came in 2011 with the indi film Bleak Night and he gained further notoriety with his role in the movie The Front Line.  Last year he starred in the fantasy Kdrama Signal, which dealt with a kind of auditory time travel.  As good as he was in that show, I loved him even more as Yoo So-Joon in this one.

Beginning her entertainment career as a model in 1998, Shin Min-A, who plays Song Ma-Rin, appeared in several music videos for the group g.o.d until her acting debut in 2001 with a supporting role in the drama Beautiful Days.  She also published a book in 2009 entitled Shin Min-A’s French Diary and she’s been featured in The New York Times’ T Magazine.  She has sung for several original soundtracks of shows she’s been in and in 2011 she received the Beauty Icon of the Year award.  Wow!  Just a little piece of romantic news… Shin Min-A and actor Kim Woo-Bin have been in a relationship for almost two years (since May of 2015).

Sometimes time travel shows can be confusing, not knowing what time we’re currently watching.  However, director Yoo Je-Won (who also directed Oh My Ghostess and High School King of Savvy) helps us know whether we are watching the future or present by putting black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.  The present has no such bars and that’s how we’re able to keep straight what time zone we are observing. There are no “oops” (that I caught) which is amazing for a show that goes back and forth in time so much.  The director and this production team did a great job paying attention to the tiny details!

Tomorrow With You is a beautiful love story that extends beyond time and space. Yoo So-Joon and Song Ma-Rin’s chemistry truly sparkles which makes me believe Lee Je-Hoon and Shin Min-A’s chemistry is probably pretty good in real life, too.

The ending… well, I thought of a way it could have been different but I understand why the writer chose to wrap things up that way. It’s more emotional than my idea and, for this show, that’s good.

Actor/singer Seo In-Guk (from the Kdramas I Remember You and Shopping King Louie, among many others) croons the lovely ballad Flower, which is the sweet nickname So-Joon has for Ma-Rin.  The runner up of 2014’s Superstar K6, Kim Feel, performs the title song Tomorrow With You and singer Lee Sera almost whispers the song entitled Relieved.  It sort of sounds as if her voice has a natural filter of some kind, it’s so sweetly muffled – perfect to accompany a fantasy love story.

The scenery is a conglomeration of normal, everyday backgrounds.  Nothing fancy or spectacular, just places a regular person lives life.  I was a bit surprised that a multimillionaire CEO didn’t have a fancier house and So-Joon’s office was less classy than the usual CEO offices we see on Kdramas.  But those regular people surroundings go right along with his personality.  Although he has money, he doesn’t flaunt it.

I highly recommend Tomorrow With You for anyone who likes time travel shows and/or love stories.  This one is sweet and interesting and it just might make you cry.

 

Score: 9.5

The Good:
Wonderful love story
Lots of real kisses
Superb acting
Great cast
So-Joon and Ma-Rin’s excellent chemistry
Good directing
Music that fits perfectly with the feel of the show

The Bad:
Not a thing