Alice review avatar
ᜌᜓᜃᜒ (Yuki)
 | | 2 minutes read

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In 2050, an organisation called Alice was formed to help those grieving achieve closure by traveling to the past of a parallel world. Soon after rumours about a Book of Prophecy, which predicts the end of time travel, reached Alice. They sent two agents into 1992 of another world to retrieve the Book but another group got to it first.

Yoon Tae Yi also learned that she is pregnant with Yoo Min Hyuk’s child. She had to choose between aborting her child because of the complications it will cause when they travel back to their own universe and time, or to stay in 1992 and raise their child. Tae Yi chose the latter and changed her name to hide from Min Hyuk and Alice.

Park Jin Gyum is one of the best detective in town in 2020. One day, he met Professor Yoon Tae Yi who looks exactly like his deceased mother, Park Sun Young. As he continued his investigation into the murder of his mother, both Jin Gyum and Professor Tae Yi were embroiled in the search for the Book of Prophecy.

A Masterpiece!

Time-travel

I am very critical when it comes to time-travel stories. The writers of Alice handled this very well with just 16 episodes. They backed it with current science and theories and less on artistic freedom. They also handled well the grandfather paradox.

Were there loopholes in the time-travel? At first, it appears so but after watching the whole series there is none. In the finale episode, many would probably think there were a lot of loopholes but I beg to differ, there were none as far as the theories and science used by the series they did this one well.

Alice (2020) Kim Hee Sun as Park Sun Young (left); Kwak Shi Yang as Yoo Min Hyuk (right)

Alice (2020)

Kim Hee Sun as Park Sun Young (left); Kwak Shi Yang as Yoo Min Hyuk (right)

The work shown above is Copyrighted to Studio S (SBS).

Acting

The acting of everyone were superb. From the comedy to seriousness, from the love triangle to family love, and from the future to the past to the present. I have no idea the sequence of filming you did—all past scenes first for example, or was it mixed—but everything fit perfectly.

Music

The background music were in the right place and at the right time. Not too soon, not too long, and definitely not in the wrong places. It was not used to elicit emotions, the music was there to add an additional layer to an already complex dynamics.

Alice (2020) Joo Won as Park Jin Gyum

Alice (2020)

Joo Won as Park Jin Gyum

The work shown above is Copyrighted to Studio S (SBS).

Story

This is the most important part. The story is very deep and thought-provoking. It is a love story about a mother and her son. It is a love story about the son and a person who looks exactly like his mother. A love story about the son who was adopted and grew up with another family. It is a story about camaraderie. And it is also a story about time-travel and the repercussions and morals of it.

Having weaved all these different stories to form one grand story is not an easy thing to do in a 16-episode series. This is usually possible in a novel or comics but the writers of “Alice” and the director were able to pull it off. It started with love and ended with love.

Alice (2020) Kim Hee Sun as Yoon Tae Yi

Alice (2020)

Kim Hee Sun as Yoon Tae Yi

The work shown above is Copyrighted to Studio S (SBS).

Time has no beginning and no end but people do.

9.5 out of 10 stars from me.

[AliceㅣTeaser Trailer] ‘I’ll make sure to find her and protect her’

«Alice» (2020) trailer

The work shown above is Copyrighted to KOCOWA TV.


・ Cover image: The cover image used in this article is Copyrighted to Studio S (SBS).

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ᜌᜓᜃᜒ (Yuki ・ 雪亮)If this is not the end of oblivion, then I shall live everyday as if my life were to end this very day.

The YOOki (柳紀 ・ 유 기) Chronicles

The YOOki (柳紀 ・ 유 기) Chronicles is ᜌᜓᜃᜒ (Yuki ・ 雪亮)’s return into casual and personal blogging. The name “YOOki” is a mash-up of the acronym of YourOnly.One and my nickname ᜌᜓᜃᜒ (Yuki ・ 雪亮).

Interestingly, according to Chinese legend, 「柳」 (YOO) is an ancient Chinese surname. The ancestors of the surname were closely linked with the ancient sage-king named Yu Shun. In Korea, the 「유」 (YOO) lineage traces to the Xia, Han, and Joseon dynasties. Holders of the surname Yu or Yoo had a reputation for charity and diligence.1

It is also the word for “willow” or the “willow tree” which means graceful or slender; and a tree growing near a body of water which provide continuous nourishment and resources for everyone. It can also mean to exist, an oil (anointment(?)), and simply as “U” (you).

The hanzi 「紀」 (ki) character means to record, be disciplined, provide order. While the hangul equivalent, 「기」 (ki; gi), means energy, spirit, a banner, and a period of time; and is also a suffix used to make a gerund or an infinitive.

Can you guess what I mean by 「柳紀」 and 「유 기」 as the Chinese and Korean for “YOOki”?

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