Originally I was hesitant to watch Marry Him If You Dare because the summary says that Na Mi-rae travels back in time. I misinterpreted this to mean that there would be many long flashbacks or flash forwards like in Reply 1997 (though it was a heart-warming show, I was not fond of the way Reply 1997 was formatted since the end was already known, making it less suspenseful). Since I’m a big fan of Eun Yoon Hye and Yong Hwa, I decided to give it a try anyways. Fortunately, the future is kept hidden and revealed little by little instead of in laid out plain sight from the get-go. I actually thought that this added suspense since it was kept super-secret and was one of the driving forces that made me stay up and watch this drama in less than 2 days. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in what it actually was, even when they changed it and added to it later on (I guess they couldn’t decide), but it kept me watching nonetheless. The way they incorporated her future self into the story really made this show stand out from the rest. Not only is the character entertaining with the different antics she uses and when she meets her younger husband (their interactions were some of my favorite moments) but the character also added a deeper meaning to the story because in some ways, she seemed more like an enemy to herself than anyone else. I liked how she was not powerless and reliant on others. The characters seemed more three dimensional than in other rom-coms and there weren’t really any overly annoying ones with side stories that I didn’t care for like in many k-dramas. They were not as generalized as in other shows into the typical black and white or set roles that characters fall into. Even Seo Yoo-Kyung seemed pitifully funny and relatable at times; she did not seem like “the other woman” at all. In fact, her character could be the lead of her own drama. The show as a whole seemed to flow very well, started off pretty quickly and did not have the huge slump that many shows seem to have around episode 9-10, although it does get somewhat repetitive. Since I finished the show so quickly, you can bet that it was entertaining. I’m not quite sure what happened towards the last couple of episodes though. I would have given the show an 8 or 9, but one of the biggest downfalls for me was the last couple episodes. It seemed like the writers were indecisive and although I see where they were going by trying to leave the future open to possibilities, I felt incomplete. I feel like I was carried along a long (though enjoyable) ride just to find out that it was for nothing. I mean I typically watch shows because I want to know what will happen. I wanted a clear ending for closure, but I had more questions in the end than in the beginning about a lot of things that didn’t make sense or contradicted what was said earlier. It was unclear when characters were “together” or not. In addition, even though I’m a big fan of Eun Yoon Hye’s, the characters I’ve seen her play seem to turn selfish towards the end even though they’re supposed to be “pure”, which is the opposite of the character change that I think a main character should have. In this show, she does have the same problem, but she seemed to start off that way in this series anyways, so it wasn’t as big of a change as some of the other characters she’s played in the past. I gave the story a 7 because I thought the secrets of the future could be better and I was not a fan of the ending or contradictions. The show wasn’t bad, it was indeed very entertaining and had no annoying or hard to get though parts in my opinion. I just wanted it to have an ending that matched. I was very pleased with the cast and acting. Indeed it was a 10. You can tell that Eun Yoon Hye is a seasoned actress by how believable her character’s expressions are. She is one of my favorite actresses because of this, the fact that she doesn’t annoy me like some other actresses do, and because her aegyo is actually cute so I can understand why guys like her. Although her character seemed a bit selfish to me, I think that’s part of the story and what they’re trying to portray. Yong Hwa is the second reason I watched this show. I thought he was cute at first since he looked like Hyun Joong Kim from some angles when I watched him on Running Man (a great show by the way) and he had a charmingly laid back personality. A lot of people comment on his teeth, but I think that makes him more human and not a cookie cutter. I have not watched all of You’re Beautiful yet but I remembered that his acting did not seem cheesy like some of the characters did (even though I liked the actors themselves) which is good for a lead role. He seems like the epitome of cool on variety shows (easy going, not conceited, leader-like). It was nice to see how serious Lee Dong Gun was. It was attractive and made some parts like the ones with future Mi Rae more comedic. Though he’s not ugly, it weirded me out that he resembles the girl from How I Met Your Mother. As a side note, the winks in the fire were a bit weird as well (you’ll know what I’m talking about when you get to it). Future Mi Rae had a very strong presence and the actress really showed skill in providing not only comedic relief, but believability in how much she cared for others (usually characters say they care about others like their family but you don’t get that vibe). Her tears are what made me believe that the future really had something intense that was going to happen. This was a really strong cast but she stood out just a little more than the rest. A few honorable mentions include: how Seo Yoo-Kyung began to have respect for herself. The brother’s acting, and the young announcer with a lisp. I really loved this cast wish for many more like it. Their reactions to the story indeed made a difference to how entertaining the drama was. The music wasn’t catchy right away, neither was it bland. Of the OSTs I’ve heard, It’s pretty nice, but not memorable like the OSTs sung by Baek Ji Young so I gave it a 7. Perhaps that’s also because they didn’t use the same song every time a certain type of emotion or scene occurred. I thought that “My Lady” was sung by Yong Hwa for a while; it sounded like the song Jang Geun Seuk sang in Mary Stayed Out All Night. I’m OK by Yuna sounded like an ost from one of Eun Yoon Hye’s previous dramas, Lie To Me (Shameless Lie by Heo Ga Yoon). I’ve found myself excited to hear some of the songs during the series but never added them to a playlist. I gave the rewatch value a 3 since it takes a while to rewatch a show and there were really no confusing parts that I needed to rewatch. I’d sit to see some of my favorite parts but not take the time to watch it from start to finish again. Overall I’d recommend this show if you’re looking for something entertaining, cute and funny, with good actors (I didn’t think they were bad looking either), and no overly annoying characters with long side stories. It was not a typical drama and the twist was refreshing. Just don’t expect a nice ending (that’s why my overall score for this drama is a 7.5 instead of a 9-10. I would have gone down to 7, but I didn’t think it was fair since the rest of the drama was so entertaining.