This was, hands down, the best kdrama I’ve ever seen, and quite honestly, probably the best TV show, regardless of country of origin. It hit me so deeply, and the characters were so good. Deok-sun, Taek, Bo-ra, Sun-woo, Dong-ryong, Jung-Bung, Jung-hwan, and the ommas and appas were all amazing. I loved them all so much, and I cried for the entire last half hour of the episode because I was so sad to see them go. They feel like my own family now. I loved how the show not only let me get deeply attached to the characters, but also had different focuses in its episodes, such as on mothers, fathers, first loves, and more.

It was masterful how the writers entwined at least four different storylines in the space of 1.5 hours, and how the actors drew me into their performances and made those 1.5 hours fly by. The historical accuracy and the setting of Ssangmun-dong were also really immersive, only occasionally changing to people’s schools or restaurants instead. It was amazing how the show managed to make the most mundane of things, like eating meals together, hanging out in Taek’s room, and Jung-Bong’s dad telling bad jokes the heart of the show. Slice of life is not my thing most of the time, and this show grabbed my heart and didn’t let it go as the characters - who felt like fully realized people living their actual lives - went about their daily lives. I really did love them all so much, and I’ll really miss them. I’m definitely going to rewatch this eventually, because it truly did leave an impact on me. It was powerful. 10/10 would recommend. I’m going to watch something else with Park Bo Gum (Taek) in it for sure.