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MattPeddlesden

Kent, UK

MattPeddlesden

Kent, UK
Thirty but Seventeen korean drama review
Completed
Thirty but Seventeen
1 people found this review helpful
by MattPeddlesden
Dec 27, 2019
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
Just brilliant. This one is a slow burner, it's a gentle steady positive incline the whole way through without any bumps or breakups. We all deal with tragedies in different ways, when we suffer loss or regret, it's far too easy to get stuck dwelling on the past and wondering "if only", or "because of me". There's no way forward from that though, the only way forward is to bring yourself back to the present and choose to make a better future. That's fundamentally the message of this drama.

The only thing that jarred me a bit was that when Violin music was being played by the actors, there wasn't an attempt to sync their strokes with the music being overlaid - so it's slightly triggering in that you can see a violin being played, you can hear one, but the visuals dont match the audio. It's a minor thing but it tweaked me each time it happened :)

Generally speaking the OST is superb, several tracks in there i'm going to enjoy listening to again and the classical performances were superb, some great pieces.

Actor performances were very good, I especially enjoyed the two leads, they had such great chemistry together but even when they were apart they owned their scenes. Whether it was Woo Jin and his closed off disconnected and cold personality, or Seo Ri who captured the part of the 17 year old in the 30 year old's body so well.

There were some really nice visual effects too, a couple of times (both as a 17 year old and a 30 year old) Seo Ri is joyfully skipping along towards some musical destination and she's visualising the music she will be playing, turning overhead power lines into a stave and seeing the notes pop into place, or seeing them along side her and she pops them as she goes by waving her arms up and down in time with the music. The steps beneath her lighting up as she continues on her journey - you can totally capture that she's completely in her own world visualising the music her mind and captivated by it. Right up until someone throws a bucket of water on her by accident or she falls over a barrier because she's not actually looking where she's going, anyway. I do this kind of thing myself when i'm stuck on a coding problem or designing systems, so I can really appreciate how they've beautifully captured how totally absorbed she is.

The "Mary Poppins" housekeeper character was really good, I found her jarring at first but her monotone appearances and sounds become something to look out for, particularly as her character develops.

Don't expect big dramas in this one, there's a love triangle but it's the softest kind and dealt with perfectly and without angst. This is a gentle slow burner that is just fun to enjoy. Once you get to around the final 3 or 4 hours or so, all the various ribbons start coming together into a nice bow.

Everything, and I mean everything, is resolved. I can't think of any unanswered questions.

... and after 53 dramas, and 1156 episodes so far, while others have made my face want to melt and made me *feel* sad, this was the first that caused actual tears on more than one occasion - so, no apologies for an all-10 review on this one. Totally re-watchable too.
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