Miss Night and Day Review: Every Day Is A Gift

Body swaps and dual identities aren’t really a unique premise in K-dramaland. From Secret Garden (SBS, 2010-2011) to Mr. Queen (tvN, 2020-2021), from I’m Not a Robot (MBC, 2017-2018) to 18 Again (jTBC, 2020), there are hundreds of fantasy K-dramas to choose from. The latest addition to the dual identity list is jTBC’s adorable Miss Night and Day, which was released simultaneously on Netflix and aired its last episode last Sunday.

Directed by Lee Hyung-min (jTBC’s Strong Woman Do Bong Soon) and written by Park Ji-ha (SBS’s Good Casting), Miss Night and Day tells the story of Lee Mi-jin (Jung Eun-ji), a 29-year-old job seeker. She’s been making do with part-time jobs while studying to get as many certificates as possible. Despite her skills, she has failed to secure a full-time position. One day, she wakes up in the body of Lim Sun (Lee Jung-eun), a 50-something-year-old.

What was supposed to be a one-day aberration becomes the norm when Mi-jin sees herself spending her days as the Lim Sun persona and her nights as her 20s self. She decides to take advantage of this situation and gets a job as an intern at Seohan District Public Prosecutors’ Office. An adroit and sociable professional, Lim Sun succeeds under Prosecutor Gye Ji-Ung (Choi Jin-hyuk) and receives the title of “legendary intern.”

Together, they have to solve a mystery that has taken both Prosecutor Gye’s mother and Mi-jin’s aunt away from their families.

So Miss Night and Day isn’t a clear-cut fantasy. Or romance. It isn’t just a mystery or comedy. It’s a wonderful mix of all these different elements and, while the pacing could’ve been better, it delivered an enjoyable show that makes your day (or night) a bit better.

This review has a couple of minor spoilers. Read it at your own risk! You can also pin our (spoiler-free) summary at the bottom!

Miss Night and Day’s Scriptwriting: The Strengths and Weaknesses

In an interview with Netflix, the great Lee Jung-eun mentions that Miss Night and Day is “easy to understand, not overly complicated, and comforting.” She’s perfectly right. Even though we’re talking about a multi-genre drama, the plot is straightforward and you can follow it comfortably.

While the mystery is coherently solved, they didn’t try to offer complex explanations for her dual identity situation. Instead, they chose to stick to a more emotional line of thought that doesn’t try to rationalise the irrational. That means that the fantasy subplot was added to the premise to allow Mi-jin to grow (and of course, to add a good amount of comedy to the script).

Strength: Comedy + Weakness: Romance

Talking about comedy, that’s Miss Night and Day‘s first strength. It’s not just the dialogue or the shenanigans that the characters get themselves into that are incredibly funny. This cast, especially Lee Jung-eun and the one-and-only Yoon Byung-hee (who plays Investigator Ju), has a remarkable talent for physical comedy. Their delivery is hilarious, yes. But they strengthened the script and made it even more comical by using their entire body to deliver a joke or even a simple everyday line.

Surprisingly enough, for a show that sold itself as a “fantasy rom-com”, romance was the least influential aspect of this script. The romantic subplot was, in fact, underdeveloped and would’ve benefitted from a bit more attention. It’s still adorable to see Mi-jin and Prosecutor Gye together, especially as they both grow and open up to each other.

Strength: Character Development + Weakness: Pacing

The romantic subplot taking the background may or may not be a flaw depending on what you prefer. However, the pacing is irregular throughout and the story takes turns speeding up and slowing down. Even though progress is not made rhythmically, the plot is developed logically and realistically. Some of us may be used to stories in which criminal investigations are solved in a few hours or days. But I feel that it’s much more reasonable to see investigators taking wrong turns, making mistakes, and taking a while to find answers (even if that might be frustrating from the audience’s perspective).

Is There a Real Antagonist?

They did well to keep the identity of the real killer hidden until the very end. It gave the story a twist and it kept us all guessing and betting on the wrong characters. At the end of the day, it was a simple mystery but engaging enough to keep us rooting for the protagonists. That’s why we can say that the story didn’t have a villain per se. We have a “bad guy” that needs to be caught but that is an organic conflict the characters need to overcome.

The real issue behind the pacing and mixing of different genres is that these 16 episodes could’ve been better organised to cover more ground. Since the crime subplot was fairly straightforward, we could’ve spent more time on romance (with the main or second couple) or even the second male lead (Baek Seo-hoo’s Ko Won).

However, Miss Night and Day has another strength besides comedy. Character development was superbly done by giving Mi-jin and Ji-Ung clear character arcs that highlight the main theme of the show: that today is a blessing and your age should never define you. If you compare the first and the last episode, anyone can see that Mi-jin and Ji-Ung are completely different characters. Lim Sun changes Mi-jin and, in turn, Mi-jin changes Ji-Ung. Even Investigator Ju and Mi-jin’s parents (the fantastic pair Jung Young-joo and Jung Suk-yong) were affected by the journey they’d been through and reached episode 16 as different, better selves.

Why This Show Is Worth a Watch: An All-Star Cast

The greatest aspect of Miss Night and Day, the one that truly deserves an award, is its cast. Their performances are so pitch-perfect that they alone are very much worth a watch.

Our Two Superstars: Lee Jung-eun and Yoon Byung-hee

Totally stealing the spotlight, we have Lee Jung-eun. Everyone knows that Lee Jung-eun is one of the best Korean actresses out there (I mean, even internationally… Parasite anyone?). Her filmography is impressive. After all, her work in Mr. Sunshine (tvN, 2018), The Light In Your Eyes (jTBC, 2019), Our Blues (tvN, 2022), and Daily Dose of Sunshine (Netflix, 2023), just to mention a few, is unforgettable.

But here, she tackles a major challenge with prowess: Lim Sun isn’t a 50-year-old. She’s a 29-year-old, a young, inexperienced, cheerful young woman, in the strange body of someone older. She navigates all kinds of scenes seamlessly, from the most emotional to the most hilarious ones with an ease that only an actress of her caliber could. If you pay attention, you can see a million different microexpressions and quirks that clearly come from the young Mi-jin that Jung-eun pulls off skillfully. She’s just so entertaining, so charismatic, that you can’t stop watching her.

Yoon Byung-hee also deserves a special mention, an actor who doesn’t receive all the praise he should be getting. Investigator Ju is loud, a bit crazy but awfully naive. At the same time, he can be serious, focused, and even romantic. Yoon Byung-hee delivers this mix of personalities with such dexterity, creating a character that is more rounded and more engaging than he would’ve been with a less intricate delivery. He nails physical comedy throughout, being the heart and soul of many of the comical scenes of the show. An absolutely marvellous performance from him.

Choi Jin-hyuk, Kim Ah-young, and Jung Eun-ji

Choi Jin-hyuk blossoms as Prosecutor Gye, establishing the right chemistry with Jung-eun’s Lim Sum and Eun-ji’s Mi-jin. He starts as a cold-hearted man who allows himself to grow. He sold the prosecutor persona well but also delivered dramatic and romantic scenes with the right intensity, respecting the character’s personality and momentum.

Kim Ah-young, who plays Mi-jin’s best friend Ga-yeong, was the most pleasant surprise. Her role ended up being a lot more important than initially expected and her performance bounced off both Jung-eun’s and Byung-hee’s. She delivered both comic and dramatic scenes with sincerity. It’s amazing how they all seemed to be so in sync — creating this ensemble that held each other together and allowed all of them to shine.

Of course, Jung Eun-ji had the tough task of being Jung-eun’s “other half” but she lived up to it. Some of her scenes are truly touching, especially if you’ve seen yourself in her shoes before. She also sings one of the OST’s songs, “Stay”, a lovely ballad that perfectly accompanied her journey.

Last But Not Least: Jung Young-joo and Jung Suk-yong

And here, we have to mention Jung Young-joo and Jung Suk-yong, who played Mi-jin’s parents. The bond between the two of them and Mi-jin is something beautiful to watch. Despite the ups and downs of parenting, they have a loving, positive rapport. Together, they nailed both drama and comedy. In Miss Night and Day, Jung Young-joo had the opportunity to go beyond the common mother role (which she has been often offered) and had some of her own tragedy to convey. She’s a marvellous actress so it was great to see her stretching her acting chops beyond the stereotype. Personally, I loved the scenes with her parents — which, once again, goes to show how spot-on this cast was.

Technical Aspects: A Show Well Put Together

Director Lee Hyung-min and his crew created the perfect visual storytelling for Mi-jin’s tale. Some scenes are just stunning and the cinematography bolsters both the comedy and the intense delivery of more dramatic beats. Several scenes in which Eun-ji and Jung-eun perform together as the same character were excellent, not only for the performance but also for the smooth camerawork. The story is colourful, respecting the “rom-com” side of it, but perfectly emphasises the light and dark contrast of the main premise. Even though the visual effects aren’t perfect, they were well done and used wisely.

The OST is an absolute charm. Besides Eun-ji’s “Stay“, we also have The Vane with “She’s Back“, the show’s flawless theme song (that accompanied an even more flawless intro; I didn’t skip it once, I swear). Then, BOYNEXTDOOR’s “Lucky Charm” is such a pop earworm. Finally, Sarah Kang’s “My Little Dream” is moving and uplifting, which reflects Mi-jin’s trajectory well.

The Theme of jTBC’s Miss Night and Day

What makes Miss Night and Day special is the theme behind the show and the fact that they managed to convey it successfully despite the script’s glitches. Passion and courage are two things that live inside of us, regardless of how old we are. Even though different stages of life have their pros and cons, we are who we are and who we make ourselves to be.

Despite her skills and determination, young Mi-jin lacks the courage and passion to find what she really wants to do and who she really wants to be. Through Lim Sun, a “mask” behind which she hides, she becomes braver, more outspoken, and more independent. She finally starts putting her skills to good use. Once she realises that she’s the real engine behind all the ebbs and flows of her life, all her failures and achievements, Lim Sun leaves, having taught her the lesson she needed. The scene between Lim Sun and Mi-jin in the last episode is poignant and inspiring — and, of course, brings these two sides of her personality together. Visually and emotionally, that scene is the ending the show needed (and personally, one of my favourite scenes).

Miss Night and Day reminds us that every day is a miracle. Being able to live today is a “gift,” as they put it. Every moment is important and fleeting. It won’t come back and it won’t last forever. That’s why we should seize the opportunity it gives us, the chance to change, grow, and experience something different.

No time to read the entire review? Looking for the spoiler-free version? So why don’t you pin our summary? Just click it to pin it!

Should You Watch Miss Night and Day?

A charming, funny, and touching story with an all-star cast, Miss Night and Day is a refreshing take on the fantasy genre. If you’re looking for something that will warm your heart and make you laugh, go to Netflix right now and give it a chance. Then, come back and share in the comments what you thought of it!

You can watch Miss Night and Day here: