365: Repeat the Year (2020) 365: 운명을 거스르는 1년
Directed by Kim Kyung-hee, starring Lee Joon-hyuk as Ji Hyung-joo, Nam Ji-hyun as Shin Ga-hyun, Kim Ji-soo as Lee Shin, Lee Sung-wook as Park Sun-ho.
Watched 1 - 7 February 2026 — 24 episodes (KOCOWA)
(Beware of MAJOR spoilers!)
*Been meaning to watch this time-travel series (24 episodes of about 35 minutes each), and now I prioritised it because I seem to be on a Lee Joon-hyuk binge. I like this actor a lot and it doesn't hurt that he looks good here, wearing winter clothing, turtlenecks and parkas. I also like his detective character Ji Hyung-joo and his relationship with Shin Ga-hyun, played by Nam Ji-hyun. They have good chemistry and are cute together (and the dog as well!). There was a hint at romance (I love how the colleagues at the police station teased Hyung-joo with his potential love life) but it was just a possibility and nothing really happens. I love how Ga-hyun's character changes, from being depressed before the reset (being physically impaired) to being a cheerful and resourceful person. She becomes feisty and almost fearless, facing dangerous situations head-on.
*It's really nice to see Hyung-joo and Ga-hyun working together as sleuthing partners, and watching Hyung-joo being impressed with Ga-hyun's investigative skills — for instance, when she made a roadmap of the mobile telephone pings.
*The story premise of 10 people resetting their lives by one year, going back in time, is an interesting one. They keep their memories intact, being fully aware they did a reset, and hope to change their fate. But mysterious things start to happen and the chosen people end up dead, one by one. The reveal that they were all dead before the reset raises the question: if their death is accidental, is their fate destined, or, if they are all killed by a serial killer, can their fate be changed?
*The way the reset came to be is not really well explained and the organisation itself is a bit meh. Yet I like how the stories of the resetters are intertwined.
*Kim Ji-soo as Lee Shin is the mysterious woman who brings the resetters together. She went through several resets by herself, but decided she wanted to have company for once. I like the fact that in the end she chooses not to do another reset. She prefers to see her kid grow up (in case there's a cure) instead of choosing the safe path over the unseen future. I read somewhere that she and her daughter are on the fateful train that derails. It's sad that she goes through the reset every year in order to avoid her daughter from dying, only to end up dying together and their unseen future being cut short.
*I never expected Lee Sung-wook as detective Park Sun-ho to be the culprit. There was no clear motive, and it didn't make any sense why he suddenly started killing people. Ji Hyung-joo realised he didn't go back in time to save Park Sun-ho but to catch him. I felt so sorry for Hyung-joo when he found out about Sun-ho, which left him devastated. I was glad Ga-hyun was there to comfort him.
*Yoon Joo-sang as Hwang No-sub is the friendly café owner who is one of the 10 people to reset a year. Towards the end of the show it is revealed that he's a professor in a hospital and the mastermind behind the reset project. I didn't understand why No-sub went through the reset in the first place. Was it just to be in an experiment with the other nine candidates and see who survives? Just like Lee Shin was experimenting with the group of resetters — was it all for fun, for the sake of the game?
*I like the bittersweet ending. How Hyung-joo went through a reset by himself so Ga-hyun could live again. I was confused at first that she didn't seem to know him, but then it dawned on me she didn't do the reset with him. Only by resetting yourself you retain the memories from the future. A reviewer on MDL pointed out that Hyung-joo knows three versions of Ga-hyun: dark, depressed Ga-hyun in a wheelchair (before the reset), abled Ga-hyun with dark memories (from the future), and a happy Ga-hyun (not a paraplegic and no dark memories). I hope Hyung-joo gets his happy ending with the final version of Ga-hyun.
*Despite the plotholes and inconsistencies, this show was thoroughly entertaining!
*And please, can someone give Lee Joon-hyuk and Nam Ji-hyun a heartfluttering romcom!