ADD TO MY FAVORITES RIGHT AWAY! Such were the thoughts I had while I was still not even finished with Signal. I consider myself lucky to have come to read numerous good reviews of Signal (especially on Drama Beans), because otherwise I might have skipped one of my all time favorites as of now. Even more glad that it was Signal that I decided to watch after being away from drama watching for a little while and only recently coming back. Signal is simply everything it promises to be, and it is almost everything any fantasy-thriller drama should be. Perfect casting! Literally ALL the cast was more than spectacular. Very strong and solid performances by the main trio, especially Jo Jin Woong who more than just charismatic, he was magical! You cannot help falling in love with Lee Jea Han, with all his righteousness, devotedness, and also sometimes his awkwardness and goofiness. Kim Hye Soo was magnificent as Detective Cha Soo Hyun, whether as the naive rookie cop or as the bad-ass and tough Team leader. It was my first time ever watching something for Lee Jea Hoon, but boy was I impressed! He can be overly dramatic at times with his facial expressions, but it all served in shaping the emotional and a bit impulsive character that is Park Hae Young. Effortlessly flawless writing & Directing! What else would you expect from this duo! With such a tricky premise that is time-bending, the writing can easily fall prey to plot holes and inconsistencies, but in Signal's case there were simply NONE. the more one watches, the more you rest assured that you are in safe hands, and that any question or slightly unclear point you may come upon, you are sure will be properly answered in due time. The story was sure a unique and complicated, what with two different timelines simultaneously progressing on screen (constant swapping from past to present) to the idea behind time-warp; were one action brings on a string of consequences that reverberate to affect not just the people directly involved but also other innocent people’s lives on a larger scale. But as much as the premise was difficult and complicated, as much as I never felt confused or had to pause and speculate, that was not just thanks to the genius writer-nim that is Kim Eun Hee, but also the direction played an important role, with the effortless manner he utilized to help differentiate between different timelines (changing the aspect ratio) to showing the right flashbacks at exactly the right moment. Sometimes I felt like I would have appreciated a date and time to show on the scene, only to find the time eventually revealed in a realistic and effortless manner. This drama opened my eyes more and more to the power that lies in directing. It was the astonishing direction that aided such a marvelous and unique story to properly come to live. From the camera angles, lighting, down to paying the utmost care to details in order to distinguish the past scenes; everything from clothing, accessories, gadgets, cars, down to paper ads in the background. Kudos to PD Kim Won Suk (I doubt it is a coincidence that now two of my most favorite KDramas are his) Marvelous characterization Each character was distinctly unique yet all shared the same righteousness and sincerity. I especially loved the transition of maturing as a cop that Cha Soo Hyun showed, both on an emotional level and a professional level, but still harboring the same earnest and deep feelings of love to Det. Lee Jae Han. How everybody bonded on the cold case team, while sometimes harboring mixed feelings of suspicion and doubt (mostly towards Park Hae Young) they all trusted and respected each other. I could relate to and empathize with nearly all the characters maybe not so much the villains but not all dramas succeed in making its viewers invested in the life and cause of a villain, right? The music Mostly background instrumental tracks, with just a few vocals, but the opening and closing theme songs sure leave a strong impression. I read there were rumors there are plan for a sequel, but as much as I loved this drama to pieces, and as much as I had wished for more in the end, I really hope they don’t come around to producing a sequel even featuring the same cast. This was a masterpiece that I doubt any sequel can keep to its par, worse, might even do it damage.