Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
It’s funny how the poster for ‘Always Meet Again’ shows its leads playing basketball, even though sports is not a bit ingredient of the story. Then you think maybe it’s just to bank on their chemistry from ‘Breeze of Love’, which was a fluffy, cutesy college romance about two basketball players. Because c’mon, Shin Jeong You and Woo Ji Han look adorable together and are the primary reason I streamed ‘Always Meet Again’ without thinking twice.
Actor Woo Ji Han plays protagonist Jang Hye-Seong, a successful artist who finds transported back in time to his high-school days when he finds his old sketchbook during a visit to his alma mater for a guest class. At first, Hye-Seong tries to find a way to go back to his future, then decides to change the fate of his first love – the charming Lee Woo-Jin (Shin Jeong-Yu). Can he really re-write their story? That’s the primary focus of the show.
Interestingly, Hye-Seong time-travels to the day he had just joined a new school as a transfer student, finding himself locked in the art room as his teen self. When he cries out for help, the handsome Woo-Jin rescues him and they are complete strangers, except that since Hye-Seong is from the future, he already knows everything about his rescuer. And even though Hye-Seong had ‘moved on’, the feelings come rushing back. The attraction is clearly mutual. And the onscreen chemistry between the lead actors is still strong.
What’s weird about ‘Always Meet Again’ is how despite having almost a decade of experience as an adult, once Hye-Seong is back in the past, he behaves like a unreasonable teenager. For instance, he decides steering clear of Lee Woo-Jin would be the best move, yet he can’t stay away. The two get close enough to share their first kiss, and that’s when he decides to ghost poor Woo-Jin.
How is a high school student supposed to feel if the person they’re in love with suddenly decides to avoid them after sharing an intimate moment? It comes off as mean and irrational, less a character choice and more a convenient way for the scriptwriters to manufacture drama. Actor Seo Seung plays Woo-Jin’s best friend Hyun Tae Jun and rightfully thinks Hye-Seong is a total weirdo.
So, Hye-Seong is a bit of a wrecking ball in ‘Always Meet Again’, and actor Woo Ji Han manages to make the character tolerable because of his likable personality and earnest acting. Shin Jeong-Yu as Woo-Jin is dazzling, the character wears his heart on his sleeves and it’s easy to see why Hye-Seong cannot keep away.
The plot is the absolute weakest link for ‘Always Meet Again’, although the cinematography is pleasing, with some beautifully beach-side scenes. It’s the scenic settings and the lead actors that make this rather lazily time-travel romance a one-time watch. Their chemistry deserves to be in a better written drama.
Stream ‘Always Meet Again’ on WeTV or GagaOolala.
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