ANOTHER MASTERPIECE
I didn't read the webtoon and immediately saw the drama but overall the story is quite interesting to me from the cinemagraphy which is so beautiful and refreshing to the eyes and the acting of the actresses and actors is very cool, so good.I hope the ending is good and doesn't end sadly
Light drama not so heavy in the story
This drama deserves more hype because it is not a heavy drama and must understand the theory but can still be enjoyed.
And for the ost, I haven't listened to all of them but I like the ost that is sung by the artist named colde, her voice is good, I listen to it repeatedly for the song called star
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And the life goes on....
I'm pretty disappointed... it wasn't that bad but maybe I was expecting more. I adore Shin Hye Sun she always brings her best and lives her character but she couldn't save the show for me.The main problems would be scriptwriting, characterization, and timing. For me the story wasn't engaging enough, so many things happened at the wrong time which didn't leave you any time to digest it. I didn't like the characterization of the leads at all... it almost felt like they had no depth especially considering Ban Ji Eum's character who supposedly lived 19 lives. Still, you see the no ounce of maturity that she should have from the get-go her character was so unlikable, clingy, and even unbearable at a time I was legit feeling second embarrassment through the screen. For Seo-Ha he was just uninteresting, there's literally nothing that stood out to me from 12 episodes, and don't bring why there should be something? coz after all it is drama so I expect that I should feel emotionally connected at least to the leads.... and with this duo romance was boring as heck... the chemistry was missing. I didn't even feel that anticipation of them getting together.
On the other hand, I quite adored the relationship Ji Eum had with the sister and niece it was heartwarming. Their interactions gave that warmth and depth to relationships that have. I think the overall romance was quite bland and the second couple was the worst of all times. I couldn't find a single reason why these two people like each other, seemed like the writer wanted to have a secondary couple and was left with no options apart from these two? so let's just force it upon us without any context and build up and expect us viewers to accept it coz we are dumb, right?
I would have appreciated it if her past lives were shown often rather than just some snippets here and there. They seemed way more interesting than the present. After watching the whole thing I still don't get why Seo-Ha was special to her apparently, the writer left that upon us to imagine and speculate.
I really hate when the first half is lousy and then we reach the rushed second half same thing happened here, there were so many things thrown in the last episodes and just too much going on... basically, the story lacked consistency.
Being tvN and Netflix production the cinematography, music, and sets were top notch just what you expect from such dramas... so there's nothing to be impressed of.
Shin Hye Sun did a great job, and Ahn Bo Hyun acted decently too, there was nothing wrong with the actors' performances just writing failed to give them that charm. And just my opinion and I didn't like them as a couple maybe visually (but that comes down to my preference).
At the end of the day... I'm not left with anything special to share about this drama. Everything was to say about what I thought could have been better... that's why it was just okayish drama... definitely not a must-watch or anything remarkable just another fantasy among dozens of the same genre.
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A heartwarming drama with a fresh story
"See You in My 19th Life", as the name suggests, we will be immersed in the world of a human being that is being reincarnated over and over, and remembers ALL her past lives.The drama follows the journey of a young woman who mysteriously remembers all her past lives, and attempts to change the course of events that led to her tragic fate while embracing her past love.
One of the most vital aspects of this drama is its narrative. The reincarnation aspect is handled with care; keeping viewers engaged as they unravel the mysteries surrounding events that shaped her life.
Shin Hye Sun delivers a remarkable performance, effortlessly portraying both the vulnerable and determined sides of her characters. Her chemistry with the rest of the cast, including her love interest Bo Hyun Ahn, adds another layer of emotional depth to the series. The supporting cast also shines, bringing their respective characters to life and enhancing the overall viewing experience, especially the second leads. They were very lovely.
The production value of "See You in My 19th Life" is quite eye-catching, with visually stunning cinematography and colors. The drama effectively utilizes its soundtrack to evoke a range of emotions, enhancing the storytelling and immersing viewers in the world created by the show.
While the drama explores themes of love, revenge, and past lives, it also delves into deeper topics such as the consequences of one's choices and a curse made in between. It beautifully portrays the complexities of human relationships and how deep feelings can go in our lives.
However, this drama does have a few flaws. At times, the pacing feels slightly uneven, particularly during certain episodes. Yet again, the plot got way too complicated at some point, with too many villains and loopholes; making it a bit confusing. The story is very intriguing, however, 12 episodes seemed to be a bit short to fully depict the story, and the ending was rather rushed.
Overall, this drama is a must-watch Korean drama that successfully combines romance and fantasy elements to create a captivating and emotionally resonant viewing experience. With performances, engaging storylines, and beautiful themes, Kdrama fans won't be disappointed.
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See You My 19th Life; A Surprisingly Sweet Adaptation…
See You In My 19th Life is based on the eponymous Korean webcomic. When news arrived of the series receiving an adaptation, I must admit, like many readers, I was sceptical of the idea.Nevertheless, the series did offer some of the brilliant charm from the webcomic as well as offering a new take on the initial concept. However leaving out some key details did miss the mark a little, especially when it came to the execution of the series.
The drama is initially focused on nine year old, Ban Ji-eum (Park So-yi) who begins to remember her past lives. In particular, she can remember her past eighteenth life as Yoon Ju-won , the playmate and childhood friend of the wealthy heir Mun Seo-ha (Jung Hyeon-jun). When Ju-won died tragically, she was reborn as Ban Ji-eum, a girl surrounded by poverty and abuse.
Running away from home after her megalomaniacal father took away her money, Ji-eum meets restaurant owner Kim Ae-kyung (Cha Chung-hwa), and convinces her that she’s her reincarnated uncle Kim Jung-ho (Lee Jae-kyoon),as well as remembering her past incarnations .
Over the years, Ban Ji-eum takes time to cross paths with Seo-ha, the boy she promised to stay with in her past life. Now in her 20s, Ban Ji-eum ( Shin Hye-sun),has spent years trying to become a high-achieving individual in order to purposefully apply for Seo-ha’s company. However, fate has other plans. When Ji-Eun and Seo-ha cross paths, certain mysteries and deep wounds will soon emerge from the surface.
See You In My 19th Life was based on the webcomic of the same name by Lee Hey and was adapted to the small screen by director Lee Na Jung and writers Han Ah Reum and Choi Young Rim. The concept of the webcomic and the series is pretty straight forward: it is a fairly lighthearted romantic drama about boy meets girl with a fantasy twist. In typical Korean drama fashion, there are multiple surprise twists to try and keep viewers entertained, some of which lean heavily into the original work, others of which were taken into a completely different direction and leaving the series feel a little rushed in the twelve episode format.
The writers interestingly don’t really bother with the small details on the element of reincarnation for Ji-Eun. I suppose a lot of this came from the fact the premise is very straightforward about Ji-Eun possessing preternatural intelligence, skills and abilities from her past incarnations as second nature. While we do get to learn a little about her past lives, a lot of details were often absent or missed out for sake of the time frame, a shame for such a rich opportunity to explore how Seo-ha possesses so much knowledge.
The acting front was okay. Nothing particularly flawlessly outstanding, but Lee Bo-young delivered a good performance as Sang-a, the individual who help drive Seo-ha to coming back and running the hotel .
As characters, there’s a lot to unpack about the drama’s depiction. Ban Ji-Eum starts off fairly similar to her webcomic counterpart; calm, composed and collection, but the drama takes her personality in a different direction through being quite quick to fly off the handle at times. While I think it was refreshing to see Ji-Eum develop beyond just being composed and collected and have her own complex inner turmoils , it did sometimes take away from the witty charm of Ji Rum’s character and mystique. After all, Ji Eum is meant to be a tough nut to crack. Her ability to remain laidback and mysteriously charming while Seo-ha enacts as being naturally anxious and turmoil driven, allows the pairing to work. Without it, Ji Eum did not have quite the same screen time impression or character drive.
Adding to this ( and without major spoilers), there’s the issue of her reincarnations. We learn some of these past incarnations are very interesting individuals. However when addressing the biggest issue of her first incarnation ( something which was very pivotal to the webcomic), it is hard not to draw some obvious disparities between the two works. I don’t have a problem necessarily with the direction the drama took it in. After all, the series is only meant to be based on the concept, not a page for page adaptation. However, it is hard not to point out how in these late episodes, the way this past incarnation was handled and rushed did not truly give it justice for Ji-Eum’s character development and arc.
Then there’s Seo-ha. Compared to his webcomic counterpart, Seo-ha seems to play more active and dominant role in his potential romantic relationship with Ji-Eum. To some extent, this worked really well; Seo-ha is a traumatised and kindhearted individual, so it would stand to reason that he begins to connect with Ji-Eum over time. On the other hand, it is hard not to bring up the issue of how the drama tackled certain aspects of Seo-ha’s character development. Seo-ha’s mother and her circumstances, his childhood trauma and of course the ear issue, are all quickly played off at times for the romantic side, while only reappearing when it was necessary to add some drama and conflict.
Speaking of which, the issue over Seo-ha’s ear has remained a point of debate for fans and watchers alike. On one hand, I think it is a very positive step to see a Korean drama depicting a male lead with a hearing impairment even on the small screen, particularly in a positive light . However, I believe the director and writers could have easily have driven home more about the day to day issues for Seo-ha or its implications for his mental and physical well-being more than they did onscreen.
In addition to the main leads, there is also Yoon Cho Won ( Ha Yoon-Kyung), Ji Run’s sister from her past incarnation, and Ha Do-Yun ( Ahn Dong Goo). While the second leads get their screen time, it is a shame that the series cut off their subplots and potential character development in later episodes. As a result, their screen time and potential onscreen romance fell a little flat.
Perhaps one of the biggest issues of See You In My 19th Life came down to pacing. The early episodes seemed to struggle a lot with picking up a brisk pace. While it is understandable to have a slow first episode to explain the basics and establish the plot, the fact this went on for at least two or three episodes was a little concerning. After this point, the series did pick up slightly and was sable to be fairly entertaining. By the latter half , the series tried to speed run the major conflict of the webcomic. In all fairness having a twelve episode format is limiting to exploring a major plot in such a short space of time. However rather than accommodating the plot more succinctly or executing it a few episodes earlier on, the series rushes through major events ( such as the murder plot and important past life ) and seems to miss the initial purpose of some of the plot events to propel the romantic storyline. Instead, viewers are left with an odd imbalance between the romantic side of the series, and this odd thriller plot hole, leaving the themes and tone of the drama to feel a bit at odds with one another. The final episodes were a little rushed but did end on a bittersweet note.
The cinematography was fairly innovative in early episodes and did seem to pull every trick to make it eye-catching. Sadly this consistency was not the same in later episodes, but the series still possessed a fairly glossy and stylish tone. The OST was decent also with some good tracks such as “Here With Me” by Doyoung and “무음 (Silence)” by sunwoojunga.
See You In My 19th Life was a fairly standard and sweet romantic series. It was nothing particularly out of the box when considering the intriguing concept, but despite some notable issues over pacing and writing development, the drama was fairly engaging and remained a fun watch. Overall, a decent series for a binge watch.
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WHAT IF I REMEMBER ALL MY 19 LIFES???
If i were to describe this show in a few words its definitely gonna be- A BEAUTIFUL LOVE THAT HURTS or 50 SHADES OF LIFE.This is the story of LIFE and DEATH. REINCARNATION and REBIRTH.
This is the story of 19 life's of a soul. A soul who has experienced it all 19 times and remembers each one of them, its both a curse and girl for it.
The soul has seen it all, BIRTH, HATE, LOVE, GREIF, LOSS, LONGING, HAPPINESS, SADNESS, MELANCHOLY AND DEATH.
This K-drama is simply beautiful, not just its cinematography and production but the STORY itself is simply BEAUTIFUL.
The theme of a romcom set in a melancholic vibes that makes you smile one second and then laugh the next. The premise of the drama is certainly a new take on fantasy. I smiled, I laughed, I cried. I did all this seeing this.
The characters are deep all with their own trauma but somehow all those trauma relate to a certain DEATH. The deep rooted pain and love is what i think make them all so relatable and complex.
When i started watching it i though the drama would be SLOWEST of slowburns but to my surprise the pacing of the romance part is perfect, Slow but you see the improvement. You see them fall over again. THE SOULMATE VIBES do the work here. Different body, different name but the same SOULMATE connection.
OVERALL, This drama is for all those that can see a hidden gem. This drama touches your very soul. I want to say so much but i wouldn't spoil it. Watching it is an experience that i wont like to take away from anyone.
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This review may contain spoilers
Untapped potential
I would like to preface this review by saying I was a webtoon reader of this story before it became a drama. Therefore, some of my thoughts may be a bit biased towards my feelings on the webtoon instead of viewing this show as a singular entity outside of the source material.With that being said, I was a little disappointed with how this drama went.
First, some of the characters and relationships were underdeveloped compared to the webtoon. Yes, I am talking about Doyun as a character and his relationship with Chowon. Doyun was much more layered and given a proper backstory in the webtoon than then brief comments we got about it here. His relationship with Chowon had more depth as well and got a lot more page time than they did screen time.
The friendship between the four of them was also not as strong. They did a great job with some individual bonds but as a whole the writers missed the mark a bit on the found family the four of them had with one another.
With less time spent on the relationships between the characters, there was time spent on pretty meaningless ones. I still don’t know what the point of Ms. Jang and her son was. It literally held no one’s attention or interest. Much of the same can be said for Jiseok who was a much better character in the webtoon. I would’ve preferred they done away with his character entirely than transform him into whatever he was here.
Also, I definitely disliked the change up of Jieum’s first life. The whole point of Seoha & Jieum’s relationship is that they AREN’T fated to be together. That they chose one another in the present, in the now, not whatever the past held. Making them know one another in her first life kind of defeated the purpose of the whole webtoon in my opinion. I was also sad at the writers for doing away with Jieum’s original storyline for her first life. (Spoiler for the Webtoon) Her and Doyun always bickered like siblings so it was almost perfect that they were siblings in her first life. Again, point to the found family potential that didn’t hold as much weight here.
Now, that I have made my grievances clear, I do want to specify that despite all my ranting above there were still some great aspects to this drama.
The cast is the obvious standout. Genuinely do not think they could’ve found better people to play these characters. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m more upset than I should be at the lacking areas of this show, bc the cast was so perfect. Shin Hye Sun was fantastic as she always is. No one else could’ve truly played Jieum and I stand by that. Ha Yoon Kyung was also a perfect Chowon. She captured her sensitivity but determination wonderfully. She truly became the epitome of a spring sunshine character (iykyk). I, like a lot of the webtoon fan base, was pretty apprehensive to Ahn Bo Hyun being casted as Seoha. Not for his lack of acting ability, but because his image drastically compared to that of Seoha’s. And yet, he was outstanding. I admire him so much for taking such a big shift from what he usually plays and taking on a softer role that he absolutely aced. Now I can picture no one else but him as Seoha. The same can be said of Ahn Dong Goo. I had only seen him in Our Beloved Summer previously and if you know his character there you know how different they are compared to Doyun. Again, he did a great job. This cast was such a great ensemble and I hope we get a few of them in other projects together one day.
The cinematography of this show was also stunning. The director really outdid themselves here. The OST was magical and really fit the vibe of the whole show. I will have ‘Juicy’ stuck in my head for the foreseeable future.
As much as I complained about the changes from the webtoon I didn’t like, there was one that was a very welcome addition. I loved Ae-gyeong and the relationship she had with Jieum. We get a bit of that in the webtoon but it’s not focused on as much so I really loved that they did here. I also did like the little role reversal at the end of this show. Really highlights how much Seoha & Jieum love each other.
Overall, despite my ranting I did enjoy this show. I don’t think there is a version of these characters that I wouldn’t fall in love with at the end of the day. Seoha, Jieum, Chowon, and Doyun have always meant a lot to me and that is something that will never change.
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THIS IS A GEM
OMG,this is a gem,im so happy i started it out of curiosity! Im going to miss Seoha and Ji eums smiles and especially the OST?❤??---------------------------------------------------------------------
I wish i had started this earlier! The main couple chemistry is amazing and the development of their relationship is very satisfying!
And of course ,the O.S.T; I cant get enough of it!
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I hope yall are patients with this one,i promise its worth watching!!!! ^-^
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Almost good
They always say the book is better than the movie and I fully believe this is another mouse that fell into the trap. I made the mistake of reading the webtoon first and had my hopes too high for this drama. That aside, what I love is seeing the Queen back with her court lady (from Mr. Queen) and I felt the uncle-neice chemistry more than the man leads themselves.The story felt extremely rushed in the 12 episodes and I constantly felt like I was being pushed out the door to see the end of the plot. The introduction of the characters was also quite rushed and confusing at times. Honestly speaking, I'm not sure what wasn't rushed in this drama. I wished they put a little more effort in the adaptation because it had a lot of potential, but it defiantly did not live up to the hype.
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Lost chance
Great firsts episodes, with good pace, creative shots and enganging acting. The two leads have great charisma and the children actors are stellar especially the flamenco girl, she is super expressive and energizes every scene she is in.Shame it all came downhill after this firsts impressions. Poor story progression, with excessive flashback scenes, that bring nothing to the characters development.
The storylines start to get submerge by a sentimental tone with repetitive themes. Seems like someone ordered the actors to act cute and childlike on every scene. Two much tone confusion, on the the last episodes, with caracteres fading away with poor resolution. Last 2 episodes fast forward ...
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This review may contain spoilers
Yawn, See You Never!!
Interesting beginning! When I was watching while it aired I couldn’t wait till the next episode. Then, around Episode 9 is where it started to fall off. Of course, the drama isn’t exactly going to follow every plot of the webtoons but, See You In My 19th Life added unnecessary drama to move the plot.Examples:
— Aunt getting sick
— Ji-eum Bam having to erase all her memories from her past life
And much more. My problem which these plots were that, what’s to Ji-eum Bam without her past memories? It just makes her flat and bland. Other than that, it became very boring and dramatic after Episode 9 and the ending wasn’t very satisfying.
Do watch if you want, but avoid if you don’t like unnecessary and unexplained plots later on.
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This review may contain spoilers
the. pools.
Haii, so i was really excited for this show when it was first announced as i never could get into the comics; the artstyle of the comics annoyed me as the main character was rather expressionless, but i had heard the story was great!and then i watched this.
there are 12 episodes, and about 30% of that we are staring at pools. sometimes we're in the pools, sometimes we're staring at the pools from outside, but it's a lotta water for sure!
The amount of flashbacks that got reused and reused, most of the time the exact same thing or we got a small glimpse of the rest of the flashback which meant that we had to watch it again!
somehow, this show also feels empty. the hotel plot?? essentially nonexistent, which i did really hope to see, but it was sooo useless. at the end they dragged her back to the hotel and i agree with her; why??? she was mainly a talking coach if anything or their maid.
the fantasy/19th life aspect was also not used enough, and then when Minji came into the show... it was exhausting!!
i only recommend this show if you wanna watch some swooning, but then again you could also watch a compliation of those scenes, so perhaps go for that.
i'll be trying to read the comic again instead.
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one-time-watch for the sake of the talented Shin Hye-Sun & Unique Story/Concept
What Worked: The story/concept | The brilliant FL | Mystery of Past Lives | Supporting Actors | Romance (ML/FL & SML/SFL)What Did Not Work (for Me): The casting of the ML (-2 points) | The rushed ending (-1 point)
Final Rating: 7/10
PROS:
Kudos of the original & refreshing concept goes to the webtoon, but even the screenplay was executed beautifully in these 12 episodes and the mega-talented Shin Hye-Sun simply shines! The story focusses mainly on the romance of the main leads & the mystery of the past lives and both are interwoven well with strong cinematography!
Special Mention of FL:
I have been in love with Shin Hye-Sun since I saw her in supporting roles in She was Pretty, Legend of the Blue Sea, Stranger. Was eagerly waiting for her to make a big breakthrough as a female lead in a popular drama cause her talent deserves that recognition. Mr. Queen happened, and the rest is history. So when June came by, I was eagerly waiting for this drama because I wanted to see more of her and the story was exciting and she has delivered in every scene, every minute of the show! Here's looking forward to more of her works and excellent acting!
CONS:
The story pace could have been more even and wrapped up in 10 episodes. Right now for me, it dragged at the start (Ep 2-6) and rushes at the end (Ep 8-12). The drag made me put this show on-hold until it finished airing, and the rush at the end did not do full justice to certain characters (the second pair, family of the ML and FL and consequences of their actions) and the overall mystery of why these past lives occur.
Further the cast of ML is not to my liking - this is first drama of his that I have seen completely. I dropped the other titles, as he was not a very convincing actor & very lethargic; I felt the same here which makes him pale further in front of the vibrant Shin Hye-Sun.
OVERALL:
It is a good watch for the unique story-telling, the mystery , the FL and the romance. Some wholesome moments as other relationships are also explored in respect of the FL and cute moments of the second pair that make you feel good and giddy with happiness. Had the pacing been more tighter and equal weightage given to all characters, then it would have been an 8 or 8.5 for me (can't go further as the ML still drags the show for me).
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