Train is a sci-fi crime thriller about a detective (Yoon Shi Yoon) whose loved one (Kyung Soo Jin) is murdered by a serial killer, but he discovers an abandoned train station is connected to a parallel world where she is still alive and works to protect her.

Yoon Shi Yoon plays Seo Do Won.  He’s a detective who has had to live with the guilt of a murder his father committed many years ago. His guilt leads him to try to help the daughter of the murder victim throughout her life.

Kyung Soo Jin is Han Seo Kyung. She’s been searching for her father’s killer for many years. She grows close to Do Won who stepped in and helped her when she most needed it. She doesn’t know he has a big secret though. As evidence begins to emerge related to her father’s murder, things take a deadly turn for Seo Kyung.

Well, Train ended up being a mixed bag for me. I think it really came down to a couple of things. It had the unfortunate fate of being the follow up drama to the best drama I’ve seen in years (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay) as well as being a style of crime thriller that I don’t tend to love.

Now that’s not to say there weren’t things I enjoyed. I was attracted to the series for its sci-fi parallel worlds premise with one of my favorite actors, Yoon Shi Yoon, at the helm. I love parallel worlds concepts, and this one creates two similar worlds where a few key events alter the course of our characters’ lives in very different ways. The Butterfly Effect is a fascinating concept for sure. The effects of a serial murder play out in each world and become deeply intertwined with each other.

I liked exploring how Do Won and Seo Kyung’s lives played out in each world. Do Won is on a mission to find the truth and protect Seo Kyung however he can. As he travels between worlds, he is able to piece together events that happened in each world to lead him closer to the truth. It was also very interesting to see the differences in relationships with not only him and Seo Kyung but also the other characters around him.

Yoon Shi Yoon was wonderful as he always is. He puts forth a fantastic performance in dual roles as the two versions of Do Won. I love how he goes all in and gives his characters so much life. I truly enjoy seeing him act, and he was a major reason I stuck around for this show.

Now what I didn’t like. Initially, I really didn’t care for the first episode. It dropped me into a story with everything very much already in motion as well as in the middle of action scenes that didn’t have much context at the time. I wasn’t able to connect with Do Won and Seo Kyung because of how their story was presented either.

This does improve over the next few episodes though as the back story comes together and we get a handle on the current day happenings. But as the drama settled in, I realized that despite being a serialized crime thriller, which is what I typically like, it leaned heavily towards an investigative style of storytelling that I don’t really care for.

There was just a lot of investigating and digging into the individual crimes that were connected to the big picture. Sadly for me, this feels very boring. Now those of you who enjoy the crime genre as a whole will likely not be bothered by this. It seems that most people really loved this drama, so this seems to be more one of those taste issues for me.


Now, the actual story in this drama is very compelling, and luckily, I found the second half of the drama to be much more interesting than the first. Although the investigative style does hang around, it tones down in the second half as the serialized story really comes together and everything becomes connected.

It also became easier to connect with our characters, especially Do Won. This guy faces some serious troubles, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for him as he does everything within his power protect Seo Kyung and catch the killer. He just couldn’t seem to catch a break though.

The drama also gains momentum as it progresses, and the pieces of the story intertwine and the suspense ramps up. There are several nice twists and reveals along the way too. Things come together quite nicely in the end, but I did think the ending was a bit messy and rushed.

Train Korean Drama - Yoon Shi Yoon

So all in all, I had mixed feelings towards Train. I liked the overarching mystery thriller story, the parallel worlds concept, and Yoon Shi Yoon’s wonderful performance, but the drama’s investigative style of storytelling, particularly in the first half, really wasn’t to my tastes. It had enough going for it that I’m glad I did stick around for it though.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Check out more Korean Drama Reviews.

Kdrama Kisses Sign Up Button - Korean Dramas Reviews, News, Guides

Copyright © 2015-2020 by Kdrama Kisses

23 responses to “Train Korean Drama Review”

  1. raistlin0903 Avatar

    Terrific review, and lol why am I not surprised that you have it finished before me haha😂
    Seriously though, I was so invested in flower of evil, that I kind of fell out of this series, and have to get back to it. I do know that my intitial enthusiasm for it, kind of became less as the series progressed. But well…I still have to finish it, and might even start again because the last time I watched this one is several weeks ago. Either way, I do recognise some of the flaws you mentioned. Will have to wait until I’ve completed if before I really can judge it !😊

    1. Kay Avatar

      Thank you 🙂 Haha, yeah, when it comes to kdramas I do tend to pass you up despite you starting before me. I think my habit of watching one at a time allows me to swoop in at the end and finish it quickly 😂

      With your initial enthusiasm, I’m surprised you haven’t finished it yet. Though I have heard just how good Flower of Evil is, so I can understand focusing on that. I plan on starting it in about a week 🙂

      Train definitely had some flaws…some in its execution and some just a matter of personal taste. It was a compelling story though, and I liked how it ultimately played out. I’ll look forward to your take on it when you complete it 🙂

      1. raistlin0903 Avatar

        Yeah problem with me honestly is that I get distracted quite easily. I tend to start things, and then get distracted by something new that pops up lol😂
        But yeah this one slipped a bit under the radar for me, for some reason, so I intend to just restart it, maybe even as soon as this weekend, and then bingewatch it😊 I am looking forward to it, as despite the fact that my initial enthusiasm for it lessened a little bit, I still enjoyed it quite a bit😃

        1. Kay Avatar

          I get that. I prefer to get wrapped up in one story so that’s why I usually only watch one at a time when it comes to dramas. I do watch other shows I don’t care as much for at the same time though. I’m also such a completionist that it bugs me if I have a whole bunch of shows started since I feel like I need to finish them, lol

          Yeah, luckily Train is a good one for binging with the 12 eps. It’s a decent drama and probably more to your tastes than mine anyways. I hope it recaptures some of your enthusiasm 🙂

          1. raistlin0903 Avatar

            Lol, well I get the completionist! I have that too, even though I might get back to things at a later time, even shows that I don’t like I MUST complete, which I eventually do lol😂
            As for Train, I will definitely let you know!😊

          2. Kay Avatar

            I’ll look forward to it 🙂

  2. kissingsun Avatar

    The ending didn’t really do it for me, felt a bit like a cop out. Otherwise Yoon Shi Yoon’s acting was fantastic as always. Hard to believe it’s the same guy as Psychopath Diary, which is just a testament to his acting prowess. He really carried the drama for me.

    1. Kay Avatar

      Yeah, the ending was a bit meh for sure. Totally agree on Yoon Shi Yoon though. He also carried the drama for me. He’s just so talented and can equally deliver a more serious performance or a comedic one. Psychopath Diary is one of my favorite dramas this year, and he was absolutely perfect for the role 🙂

      1. kissingsun Avatar
        kissingsun

        It was a delight, I tend to watch more serious shows, but he was hysterical in that!

        1. Kay Avatar

          That he was! He’s one of my absolute favorite comedic actors because he makes me actually laugh out loud, which is not something I do easily 🙂

          1. kissingsun Avatar
            kissingsun

            Me too! I saw him in flower boy next door for the first time and this scene made cry laughing
            https://i0.wp.com/www.zombiemamma.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/caught-you.png

          2. Kay Avatar

            I saw him in Flower Boy Next Door for the first time too! I was immediately captivated by his bright charisma and hilarious comedy. And I love that scene! It had me laughing so much too. That drama captured his charms perfectly 🙂

  3. MyKDramaticLife Avatar
    MyKDramaticLife

    I still really feel very happy seeing and reading your review for Train, despite your personal unfortunate experiences. Will share to you soonest my own thoughts on the drama.

    Btw you forgot to mention how hella hot YSY is in this drama. 😍😀

    1. Kay Avatar

      I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Haha, I guess I didn’t mention it because that’s just a given no matter what drama he’s in 😍 Definitely this drama too though, hehe. I’ll look forward to your thoughts on the drama 🙂

      1. MyKDramaticLife Avatar
        MyKDramaticLife

        Oww. Hahaha.

  4. MyKDramaticLife Avatar
    MyKDramaticLife

    Owww. You’re watching I Wanna Hear Your Song. My Yeon Woo Jin. 😍
    That’s strange. 😀

    1. Kay Avatar

      That I am 🙂 Yeah, it’s one of those that I’ve had on my list since last year, but you know how we can never seem to get to all of the dramas, so it got pushed down the list. I’m continuing my watching on a whim before Flower of Evil (which is next! Yay!) and went for I Wanna Hear Your Song. Yeon Woo Jin is great as always 🙂

      1. MyKDramaticLife Avatar
        MyKDramaticLife

        Hope you’d like it. That wasn’t the case for me though. But I just couldn’t say NO to my Yeon Woo Jin. 😀😍

        1. Kay Avatar

          I definitely know how that goes! The things we put up with for our faves, hehe 🙂

  5. […] The main negative was the drama’s investigative style of storytelling, particularly in the first half, which really wasn’t to my tastes resulting in a bit of boredom. The drama gains momentum as it goes though and gets better in the second half. It had enough going for it that I’m glad I did stick around for it. (Train Review) […]

  6. […] The main negative was the drama’s investigative style of storytelling, particularly in the first half, which really wasn’t to my tastes resulting in a bit of boredom. The drama gains momentum as it goes though and gets better in the second half. It had enough going for it that I’m glad I did stick around for it. My Rating: 6.5/10 (Train Review) […]

  7. Nicolas Avatar
    Nicolas

    This is the first kdrama I saw that lacks of a kiss scene.
    Still don’t see why they didn’t kiss at the end of the series.

    1. Kay Avatar

      Yeah, it would have been nice to have at least a finale kiss at the end.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Kay

Welcome to Kdrama Kisses! Kdrama Kisses is dedicated to bringing you the latest in kdrama casting news, drama guides, reviews, trailers, and more. I hope you’ll join me on our kdrama adventure!

Let’s connect

Recommended

Button - February Korean Dramas
Best Korean Dramas of 2023 - Lee Jae Wook, Yoona, Junho, Ahn Hyo Seop, Shin Hye Sun, Ahn Bo Hyun, Park Eun Bin, Kim Young Dae, Chae Soo Bin, Jung Ill Woo, Song Ha Yoon, Suzy, Yang Se Jong
Support Kdrama Kisses