"Live amongst people in such a manner that when you are alive, they crave for your company and when you die, they grieve over your death." ~ Imam Ali
After I finished watching '49 Days', I remembered the beautiful quote by Imam Ali mentioned above. It very well relates to the drama. This entire series was very thought provoking and it actually made me wonder about, well, a lot of things. It made me wonder about the people in my life- do they truly love me? It made me wonder about the people who might be backstabbing me while pretending to be caring and concerned for me. It made me wonder about my own life and death- am I living my life in the right way? What will actually happen to me after I die? These thoughts stayed with me long after I completed this drama, and I just HAD to jot them down here otherwise I would feel like my review is incomplete.
Speaking about the drama, there has got to be just one word to describe it- BRILLIANT. I had read the synopsis a long time back when this drama began to air but I was not quite interested in watching it because I was looking for some rom-com kind of stuff. After the drama was finished, there was a great hype among its viewers, following the reviews in its praise. So I decided to follow the crowd and gave this drama a try. And lo, I was hooked the moment I saw about the first fifteen minutes of episode 1 and I knew at once that I was going to keep watching it till the end because I believe in 'first impression' and do not continue watching any further episode of any drama if its first episode doesn't impress me no matter how good it is claimed by others. I believe this drama is truly a masterpiece. Hats off to the entire team who contributed in producing this drama.
The STORY is a perfect 10/10. It is not your ordinary love story. It is not even an exaggerated comedy or an annoying melodrama. It is a beautiful story with very realistic elements and human emotions although claiming it to be a fantasy. There are a lot of cliffhangers and twists that will have you glued to your chair/couch/bed/whatever! Throughout the drama, I used to make mini predictions in my mind about what's going to happen next but most of my predictions were proven wrong by the screenwriters. Just when I thought that 'okay, so this is how it is', something unexpected would happen which would leave me gaping at my computer screen and muttering, 'oooh~ I didn't expect that'. And yes, unlike a few people, I liked the ending very much. I don't think there could have been an ending to this drama better than this.
The CAST is a perfect 10/10. The two main actresses' performances are worth praising. I was really impressed by their acting, especially Lee Yo Won who had to put on two contrasting personalities and needless to say, she did it quite well. Nam Gyu Ri, as cute and pretty she is, her acting is also amazing even though we don't get to see her much on screen. Jo Hyun Jae is too good to be true. He had a great on-screen chemistry with Lee Yo Won and I wish to see these together in many other dramas. The antagonists are also pretty good and I actually found myself feeling bad for them in the end when I was supposed to hate them for all that they did. Oh, and how could I forget the handsome scheduler, Jung Il Woo? He was perfect there as a reaper. I liked how he was portrayed as a modern reaper, driving on a bike, listening and composing music- it was fun watching him.
The MUSIC is a perfect 10/10. I have the entire OST downloaded. The music is refreshing and goes very well with the drama. It adds to the enjoyment of watching this drama.
The REWATCH VALUE is 7/10 because if I rewatch this drama, the excitement I had when watching it the first time won't be there as I will know what's going to happen. But still, this drama is not completely non-rewatchable because it is very pleasing to see the character development, the on-screen chemistry between Lee Yo Won and Jo Hyun Jae, and the consequences of the antagonists' actions. So, I will be watching this again later on when I would feel like.
Overall this drama is very entertaining and thought provoking as I said earlier. It is definitely something to be watched. So, I would say that it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I am glad that I watched this drama and I hope you would too if you haven't yet.
On a side note, I would like to say that I love the DVD cover of this drama. It is simple and has a magical feel to it.

[Phew! This is probably the longest review I have ever written till date]