Back to 1989 (2016) User Reviews

Exciting romance drama with a bit of sci-fi

[mhkhung · 9/10 · 2 April 2019]

The story takes the single-mother raised Chan-Che back to the year before he was born in 1989, not only meeting his mother at the time, but also trying to find who his father is. An interesting take on time travel, from how he survived without an identity or much cash left in his wallet; to his iPhone (without service but a charger); to taking him to the family of the lead actress' family (it is a romance drama afterall), and her garment tailor dad that handmade all his suits but couldn't figure out the one worn by Chan with a modern fabric.

The story doesn't progress in a very fast pace (what's fast in Taiwan in 1989?) but keeps you glued watching episode after episode. The ending is a bit of a let-down as I think more time can be spend on the couple rather than the mother, but it does leave room for imagination. (There's also an alternative ending not available on netflix that you can find on the net elsewhere)

This drama is considered the career breakthru for lead actress Ivy Shao, who went on to become one of the most popular and beautiful Taiwanese actresses. I love the setting in 1989 which is just before the internet but modern enough to bring back memory of my own childhood, even I was not from Taiwan.

Good Story, Great Acting

[dmselove · 9/10 · 16 September 2021]

If you aren't particularly interested in romance dramas, skip this one. If you are interested, you're in for a treat. I came to this drama because it featured Yu-Wei Shao whom I had just seen in "The Perfect Match", also on Netflix. Take Ms. Shao, mix in some good writing, direction and costars, and a form of alchemy takes place where you're transported to another world. The characters Ms. Shao has created in both these dramas are so real, so appealing, and the situations (which are eventually overcome) so heartbreaking. But a warning, the story is not for cynics. Ye Chen-Chen is incredibly innocent and good-hearted. This might sound corny, but the story makes you think about love.

The time travel theme and implications was handled in a reasonably logical and serious way, not cheesy. At 34 episodes, this was a bit long, a lot of it devoted to a less appealing secondary romance and story. As is usually the case in these romance dramas, there is a persistent and highly annoying competitor for Ye Chen-Chen's affections.

Watch it!

Hits so close to home

[pgallas · 10/10 · 13 February 2021]

I became involved in an online relationship with a woman about 3 years ago. We became incredibly close and fell in love. There's something indescribable about having a love while simultaneously not having her. Your relationship teeters between logic and fantasy, knowing you love her but also knowing that she lives in another world and having your fantasy become reality is nearly impossible. But, despite the impossible reality, we fell in love. Me in America and her in China. Months after falling in love and spending our lives in front of our phones, she had an opportunity to visit the US. We had an amazing 3 weeks together and, impossibly, fell further in love. It was like a dream playing out in fast forward, going skiing, flying, a beautiful date downtown during a romantic snow fall, gazing into each other's eyes across a small sulfur pool, learning each other, struggling with language, but getting closer through the act of communication. I bought her a promise ring, and the night before her flight back to China, I held her hand and with tears in my eyes, told her I loved her and we'd find a way to be together. The fear of knowing that tomorrow, she would no longer be with me wrenched my heart. Our last night together, we made ourselves smile through tears and pain and just held each other, not wanting to let go, ever. The morning alarm went off and I felt the blood drain from my head. An emptiness in my belly, almost emotionless as we made our way around packing her things in the car. We drove to the airport, holding hands, quiet because every word was a struggle to announce choked up with sorrow. We told each other we loved each other. She opened the door and stepped out, suitcase in tow, she went through the airport doors and she was gone. That day was 3 years ago. Despite the odds and after 2 visits to China and an amazing deal of planning and impossible struggles, we are finally married. She is laying next to me asleep and I appreciate every moment we have together. Back to 1989 contains just about everything in my story and is an absolutely beautiful rendition of love, loss, friendships, and family. Amazing!

Best I have seen in many years

[henryhelmut · 10/10 · 15 March 2021]

This was simply amazing . It brought me to another world and during Covid 19 I needed it. Going back to 1989 and knowing what the stock market will do was a great idea and all the characters were perfect for their parts. I found the series flowed and I was interested the whole time . I did not find it slow at all . The final comment is wow so many twists in the story it was excellent and I had to watch with sub titles but actually found hearing the foreign language made me enjoy it more.

Good Enough

[PennyReviews · 4/10 · 13 February 2019]

I'm gonna be a bit strick with this one, as I was expecting much more. The story itself isn't bad. The concept was nice and fun. However, it was dull. The pacing was a nightmare and I was about to drop it after the third episode, as nothing exciting was happening. The last few episodes, however, were really good, part of the romantic scenes that were plenty, but boring. Yes, the two leads had chemistry, but couldn't the romance be more original? Anyway, the romantic scenes kind of pulled the pace back to the slow slaggish one we had in the first episodes, but at least the story was interesting at last. The mystery of the father, the depth of the characters and their choices that changed the future, everything was thrilling and entertaining. The ending was a let down, though I don't really know how they could have handled the romance otherwise. Other than that, the performances were good and the representation of the 80' era decent.