2
kdramajudge
Yohan Gaon fandom
A drama about how precious family bonds and healthy communication are.
18 Again was a blast! It deeply explores the consequences of mistakes made, empathy, hope, and second chances. The story delivers a lot of relevant elements in today's modern society; like single parents being unemployed or trying to find a job and restart their life, and high schoolers' struggles. I get wholeheartedly invested in these elements they discussed throughout the episodes. The ending is also satisfying! 😊
In brief, it's about an aspiring basketball player, played by Lee Do Hyun. He ended up getting his girlfriend pregnant and they decided to give up their dreams and raise their babies, yes, they had twins. 18 years later, he is stuck in a dead-end job as a washing machine repair guy (he's actually really good at fixing anything). Even though he's capable at his job, he keeps getting passed over for promotion in favor of the younger higher educated employee, so this is frustrating. Not only that, his wife was intending for a divorce and he can't seem to get close to either of his children. Feeling devastated, he went back to his school's basketball court to shoot some hoops to let out some steam. Upon realizing he's not as good as he used to be, he made a wish to go back to his youth and behold, his wish comes true! He is suddenly 18 years old again!
This is not a time slip show, only his body has reversed back to 18, and his mind is still 36. It's still the present day: he still has kids, his wife is still there, and everything is the same. This is a twist I appreciate because I think it allows the story to be more complex than if it was a time-slip show, as this way he's able to interact with his children and realizes that it's not his dream that he needs to pursue. This isn't an opportunity for him to become the basketball player he's always wanted to be, but an opportunity to be there for his children.
I have just two cons: there were a bit too many Kdrama tropes in the middle part of the show that makes our couple misunderstand each other in inconvenient situations, and I was getting a bit tired of them when they were repeated several times. Then a minor but fun con that I just have to say, I felt the actors' faces playing the younger and adult version of our male lead is very contrasting (Lee Do Hyun vs Yoon Sang Hyun). They have equally same screen time too. It's not about their performance at all, but simply their looks. I was hoping for someone more attractive (Gong Yoo, please?) to play the adult version so it feels balanced, sorry!^^"
But both of their acting is superb, especially I enjoyed Lee Do Hyun's range of emotions reliving his character wholeheartedly. I've been noticing him since Hotel del Luna (he was not the lead but he's so swoony!), and I'm already impressed with him from his expressiveness in The Good Bad Mother. He really is a versatile actor!
In brief, it's about an aspiring basketball player, played by Lee Do Hyun. He ended up getting his girlfriend pregnant and they decided to give up their dreams and raise their babies, yes, they had twins. 18 years later, he is stuck in a dead-end job as a washing machine repair guy (he's actually really good at fixing anything). Even though he's capable at his job, he keeps getting passed over for promotion in favor of the younger higher educated employee, so this is frustrating. Not only that, his wife was intending for a divorce and he can't seem to get close to either of his children. Feeling devastated, he went back to his school's basketball court to shoot some hoops to let out some steam. Upon realizing he's not as good as he used to be, he made a wish to go back to his youth and behold, his wish comes true! He is suddenly 18 years old again!
This is not a time slip show, only his body has reversed back to 18, and his mind is still 36. It's still the present day: he still has kids, his wife is still there, and everything is the same. This is a twist I appreciate because I think it allows the story to be more complex than if it was a time-slip show, as this way he's able to interact with his children and realizes that it's not his dream that he needs to pursue. This isn't an opportunity for him to become the basketball player he's always wanted to be, but an opportunity to be there for his children.
I have just two cons: there were a bit too many Kdrama tropes in the middle part of the show that makes our couple misunderstand each other in inconvenient situations, and I was getting a bit tired of them when they were repeated several times. Then a minor but fun con that I just have to say, I felt the actors' faces playing the younger and adult version of our male lead is very contrasting (Lee Do Hyun vs Yoon Sang Hyun). They have equally same screen time too. It's not about their performance at all, but simply their looks. I was hoping for someone more attractive (Gong Yoo, please?) to play the adult version so it feels balanced, sorry!^^"
But both of their acting is superb, especially I enjoyed Lee Do Hyun's range of emotions reliving his character wholeheartedly. I've been noticing him since Hotel del Luna (he was not the lead but he's so swoony!), and I'm already impressed with him from his expressiveness in The Good Bad Mother. He really is a versatile actor!
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