This drama is simply AMAZING. For someone who has not been big on watching historical dramas, this drama manages to be engaging and ultimately become one of my favorites. The funny part is that I actually did not start this drama with the intent of watching it. After randomly clicking on the first episode and watching for a few minutes, I found myself drawn into the world of Maertai Ruo Xi, unable to stop watching.

So what is this drama and what makes it so good?

It is a beautifully told love story filled with emotions. It is heartwarming. It is tragic. It is an engaging story, from beginning to end, with a wonderful cast that made these characters real. It was nice to see the relationships that develop amongst the characters, whether it was romance or friendships. To top it off, the OST was perfect and even now, I still enjoy listening to the songs.

But what really amazes me was the time flow of this drama. By the end of the series, many years have passed by and so much has happened. However, the story is told in a way in which time seems to gradually pass by without you really realizing it. Both the time and story manage to flow very smoothly throughout, allowing for a pleasant storytelling.

I say give this drama a chance and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

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The first episode may not be the most interesting (especially with the long flashback), but I found that things picked up by the second episode and kept me interested to the end. This drama has definitely made it onto my list of favorites and I recommend that you at least give it a chance.

This drama provides a fresh take on a typical story of someone who is in love with his best friend. I found the story to be told in a realistic manner with its dialogue and characters, making it more relatable. At times you may find Cheng You Qing to be annoying with her strong personality or Li Da Ren to be frustrating with his inability to confess his love, but I believed everything is in line with how their characters actually are and would behave. I do have to say that if you are looking for a story where the couple gets together early on, then this may not be the drama for you. However, this drama has a good overall pace and the ending wrapped up nicely.

Having only watched Ariel Lin in ISWAK, it was definitely nice to see her in a different more mature role and she played it well. Bolin Chen was adorable as the best friend and complemented Ariel nicely. They both did an excellent job and it was enjoyable watching the two of them together.

* A random comment: Ariel’s wardrobe for this drama was amazing and she looked great in her outfits.

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I don’t watch historical dramas often and I admit I started this drama because of Lee Seung Gi. However, overall, I found the drama to be enjoyable.

Story:
Even though our lead characters do not appear until the third episode, the beginning of the drama does draw you in with the parents’ story. I do believe the first half of the drama was better than the second half where things slowed down a bit. Based on the title, I did expect the drama to be more focused on Kang Chi’s search and journey to becoming human. I also was not particularly fond of the ending. It was more of an open ending and left you expecting more, especially the last scene. However, I did enjoy watching this drama for the most part.

Cast:
Suzy definitely has improved in her acting since her past dramas but she could still work more on her crying scenes. Lee Seung Gi was great as he is really able to convey his emotions through his acting. The supporting cast did well in their roles and Lee Sung Jae did an amazing job portraying the villain.

Music:
There are some nice songs that fit the scenes well but overall the OST wasn’t too memorable for me.

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This drama was pleasantly surprising in that I did not expect it to be as good as it was. The summary did not completely interest me but after watching this drama, I found that it lives up to its high ratings and reviews. The drama was captivating and had me hooked by the first episode with a sad story that made me curious to learn more about the characters. This drama is quick paced and any challenges that arise are resolved within the next few episodes. Comedic roles, such as the judge and the secretary, were added to provide humor in what could be a more serious drama.

I really enjoyed the drama until exactly halfway through when there was an unexpected twist that included a typical drama cliché followed by a specific trial. Not wanting to give away spoilers, I will just say that what the lawyers come to realize by the end of the trial was something I’m sure most viewers were thinking right from the beginning. Although I was able to look past this and continue to enjoy the rest of the drama, this made me rate it a 9 instead of a 10 (Note: I rarely give out 10s but this drama was very close to getting one).

I thought the ending wrapped up nicely. I like how it was a more realistic ending in respect to the main couple. Rather than the typical “and they live happily ever after” feel, the couple acknowledges the fact that their relationship might not last in the long run but they will work hard at it.

The characters are well-developed, each with their own story that influences their decisions and personality. After finding out that the writer also worked on Dream High, I have to say that I am not surprised because I thought the characters for that drama were also nicely written. I particularly like the relationship between Hye Sung and Do Yeon and the characters of Lawyer Cha and Hye Sung’s mother. These really added to the overall drama value. In general, the cast did a great job bringing the characters to life.

As for the music, although some of it was repetitive, it wasn’t annoying like how it is for some other dramas. The OST was good and fit nicely with the scenes.

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While time traveling is nothing new in the drama world, it can often be a tricky topic to deal with and deliver well. Nine, however, does a great job providing a well written story that incorporates a fresh take on time traveling. In this drama, our lead encounters a way to travel to the past. What is the catch though? There is a limited number of trips he can take, a set amount of time he can spend there and a precise time/location he can travel to - exactly 20 years ago at his current location.

Despite a few predictable parts, there were enough twists and turns that kept me thoroughly entertained and wanting to watch on. This drama does an excellent job in illustrating the effects of time traveling. I really enjoyed the parallelism in time and the use of the split screens to demonstrate how just one change in the past continuously springs new actions from characters which ultimately changes the future. It was interesting to watch history rewriting itself into present time, day by day, second by second.

Yes, as you probably have already heard or read about, this drama does have an open ending. But, I found it to be a well written one. I would explain more about why I like it but I don’t want to give away any unintentional spoilers so I will just leave it at that. I will say that the ending provides enough closure while leaving the rest up for viewers to decide on their own. While I don’t think the additional scene at the very end was necessary, it does spark more questions and forces you to think a bit more.

I was unfamiliar with the cast prior to this drama but I did find myself enjoying Lee Jin Wook’s performance as our lead. As far as music goes, I didn't really notice it. Nothing was really memorable. Thus for me, it was neither good nor bad.

In short, why watch Nine? -- It’s time traveling done right (or at least as close as can be).

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