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18 Again korean drama review
Completed
18 Again
6 people found this review helpful
by Autumn rain
Mar 9, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers
This drama was inspired by the 2009 movie "17 Again" and even though there are many similarities between the movie and this drama in the main plot points this drama is DEFINITELY better. I had watched the movie prior to this drama and had found the story to be interesting but I wasn't pleased by the execution. This drama is definitely one of my favorites now! The story manages to be fun and light-hearted but also appeals to some deeper, more mature topics.

I have watched many dramas but I have never loved a cast so much! If you're into handsome guys and beautiful girls, this drama is meant for you. The actors all managed to portray their characters incredibly well, I was especially amazed at Lee Do-Hyun's acting. His portrayal of Hong Dae Young was great, both when he was a teenager, and when he was an adult trapped in a teen's body. I also LOVED Kim Ha Neul as Jung Da Jung. She managed to make her character incredibly kind and optimistic without seeming like a naive fool, on the contrary, she was incredibly wise, mature, and quick-witted. I just mention them specifically because I was extremely pleased with their performance, but ALL the other actors were incredible in their roles. I truly can't stress how this cast has become my favorite in terms of acting and fitting their characters.

I also really LOVED the plot. It was not rushed, it was funny yet serious (but really funny) and exciting. It makes you want to root for the happiness and success of all the characters. Furthermore, the growth of the characters is evident but gradual and natural, none of them are stupidly naive causing the viewer to be constantly frustrated with their dumb and irrational decisions. Another aspect that captivated me was that there weren't one or two specific villains, whose every actions have the intention of making the leads miserable. The issues they faced were REAL, normal people problems, not the cliche money throwing scenes or the constant (failed) attempts at public humiliation by the repetitive jealous villain.

If I were to point out any negatives I think I would have liked the romance to be a little more present and intense, because (SPOILERS) most of the couples getting together and/or reconciling occurred in the last two episodes or so. It would have felt maybe more realistic if the romances were clearer from earlier on in the story. Also, I would have liked to see the children's story a little bit more, especially the son's. In the epilogue, we find he has a little romance situation that stemmed in high school and I wished we could see that as well (to better understand his growth from what we saw in the drama to what appeared in the epilogue style scenes in the last episode).

It has been a very long time since I have watched a drama I liked so much. I didn't give it a perfect score only because I feel like there might have been one way or another in which the drama could have been improved. You know there's a lot more I would like to write in this review but I don't want to spoil toooo much. So enjoy y'al!
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