This Taiwanese romantic-drama anthology series, originally known as Ci Shi Ci Ke or 此時此刻, focuses on heartwarming stories of love, passion and heartbreak during the pandemic and stars an ensemble cast of Gingle Wang, Wu Kang-ren, Ruby Lin, Alyssa Chia, Dee Hsu, Austin Lin, Esther Liu, Huang Lu Tzu-yin (Lulu), Tseng Jing-hua, Vivian Sung, Puff Kuo, Kelly Lin, Derek Chang, Terrance Lau Chun-him, Shiou Chieh-kai, Berant Zhu, Nash Zhang, Nikki Hsieh, Johnny Yang, and JC Lin. The series has 10 episodes, each with a runtime of around 45 – 60 minutes.
The story revolves around several people during the pandemic who find themselves grappling with love and life as they try to manoeuvre around the intricacies of emotions and feelings. The unique love stories are somehow interconnected in this vast universe that is somehow quite small as well, and watch people going through these relatable motions of life and trying to come out victorious at the end.
– The Review does Not Contain Spoilers –
At the Moment Review
I was under the impression that COVID-era TV shows are over, and we are ready to forget the tragic and traumatising events that occurred in 2020. However, that was apparently a misconception on my part, and thus, almost 3-4 years after we were almost able to forget the past, At the Moment has rushed to Netflix to remind us of the loneliness, the masks and the isolation of the most terrible time of (most of) our lives.
However, this anthology series isn’t that. In fact, apart from everyone wearing a mask, there isn’t much change in people’s behaviours for it to be called a pandemic tale. Regardless, these are tales of people falling in and out of love while going through the ups and downs of their personal lives. These are sweet stories that are sometimes a bit heartbreaking. Most people have some negative things happening in their lives, which they overcome with the help of newfound joy and love. Of course, it never really goes away, but we make do with what we get.
Some of the stories in these insanely long anthology segments feel almost similar storyline-wise, with some things different in them, of course. My biggest gripe with the stories is that all of them are extremely long segments that stretch out the runtime for some reason. It’s not necessary in almost all of the segments and does nothing but make you impatient.
That being said, most of the stories are sweet and, if you are okay with watching the series over multiple days, will remind you of new love and the possibilities that life holds for all of us. It’s most of the time warm and sweet and discusses many different topics and scenarios. The storylines themselves, although flow similarly, focus on different people and things who meet each other in one way or another. There’s always some connection or another between the episodes, and it’s always nice to watch it unfold.
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There are also some thrilling moments in the stories wherein the will-they-wont-they will leave you feeling on edge. Do these people end up together? Do they not? What happens to their relationships? These questions will plague you constantly because the stories take their sweet time to unfold and let us know definitively about the fate of these people.
As with every anthology, not every episode is great, and it feels even more annoying considering the runtime. However, there have been moments wherein I was taken completely by surprise with the direction of the story or how much I ended up liking some of them in the end. Most of them are quite relatable and very sweet, and it’s always nice to watch people overcoming obstacles and falling in love.
Final Thoughts
All the Moment is a sweet watch that is rather long, and, as with most anthologies, some stories will touch your heart more than others. Regardless, however, if you have time on your hands and are a fan of the talented cast, you will find yourself enjoying the stories and feeling warm and happy after (almost) every episode.
At the Moment is streaming on Netflix.
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