Netflix has been hit or miss for me this year. But this drama was engaging and entrancing. I liked it so much that I slowed down my usual binge watching so I wouldn't finish it quickly. By my rating system, the overall drama was excellent. Last year I only rated 1 out of every 25 dramas at 9 or higher. This one was a 9 for me. ENJOY!

What made it so good?
1) PACING: the episodic nature gave each show its own twist and yet each episode built on the previous one to see the main characters' pasts more clearly.

2) PLOT: None of the plot lines dragged. I ended up on the edge of my seat every episode. I even cried some during the final episode. But best of all, I didn't immediately guess all of the back stories. I was actually surprised a couple times.

3) SETTING: we observe four universes: the historic real world, the present real world, dreamland and the afterlife which has many different types of hell. Each universe has its own set of rules. Every time I thought I had a handle on the system, some strange exception occurred.

Everyone forgets their past lives before reincarnation? oops, someone bypassed the shower of oblivion or fell into a coma and woke up remembering the past.

Your reincarnation is determined by what you do in the real world? oh, someone violates a rule in the afterlife, barters her good deeds or escapes from hell and then everything changes.

4) TONE: everything wasn't black and white, good vs. evil. We saw shades of gray: good intentions that deeply hurt others, betrayal that converts the naive into a misanthrope, malevolent actions (using someone like a tool) and then recognizing their humanity. Despite the misery of many characters, there was still hope. Even if a person made bad choices in real life, he might be able to repent and be redeemed in this strange (alternately mundane and ethereal) afterlife.

Got Alzheimers? Don't worry your family will remember.

Leave your family in generational poverty? Compete in an ancestral ghost pseudo olympics so your offspring can win the lottery.

Commit suicide by hanging yourself on a sacred tree? Spend 500 years to help humans settle 100,000 grudges.

I had to stretch to come up with some less desirable aspects. So what detracted?
1) the ending felt a bit too "cherry on top" with everything wrapped up sweetly

2) the first date movie was far too similar to the characters' challenges, even their reactions felt super obvious; it wasn't foreshadowing so much as beating me over the head with their struggles

So what's the take-away? These were minor issues in a gloriously crafted, mystical story.