Because This Is My First Life (2017)

Misery loves company

The show celebrates the worst of human qualities in relationships. It starts off with an interesting but albeit old premise - two dysfunctional people enter into a contract marriage out of necessity. These two complete opposites are meant to fall in love and help each other grow, right? Nope.

One of the biggest draw backs is a lack a character development. Nam Se Hui is a human robot with a personality of a potato who only has his mortgage and cat on the brain. Yun Ji Ho is at the end of her rope with no job or a place to live. Marriage gives them an opportunity for self-reflection and personal growth, but that opportunity is completely wasted because neither of them learn anything or try to better themselves. We are constantly told that Ji Ho is strong. But, in reality, she is reckless, spineless, and possesses no self-control. To me, she is mindbogglingly unlikable and perpetually miserable. She spends too much time with a toxic co-worker and manufactures a conflict with Se Hui because she suddenly feels guilty about the contract marriage. Instead of sitting down together to figure out what to do next, she divorces and leaves her husband for some pretentious reason that now she needs to find herself. All of her problems seem artificial and self-inflicted to force us to sympathize with her. Se Hui maintains the same bland frozen face for the entirety of the show. Even his feelings for Ji Ho fail to give him a personality.

Ji Ho's arcs with Bok Nam and Ko Jeong Min are mind-numbing. Bok Nam is pushy, rude, and creepy. He makes condescending remarks about her husband and disrespects her marriage. Against her better judgment, she goes off at night to drink beer and watch him make passes at her. And this character is written to be smart. The arc with Jeong Min is even more cringe. I am not sure what the writers are trying to convey here, that Ji Ho also likes women or that Jeong Min is so edgy that even women are attracted to her? Getting drunk together and Ji Ho opening up to a complete stranger, while having no communication with her husband, makes her even more off-putting and unlikable.

Now, lets talk about Ji Ho's degree. The writers constantly remind us that she graduated from a prestigious university. But, she has nothing to show for it. At 30, she has no career or job prospects. Neither does she try to pursue self-improvement. All she does is hang out with friends and settle for a part-time job while wallowing in self-pity. Most of these issues have to do with writing. Smart people strive to improve themselves so they can succeed in life. Ji Ho does nothing to do better and gives up writing altogether. The point is that she is not smart.

The ending is a suitable culmination to this marathon of cringe. The writers try to create a relationship that subverts societal expectations where the main couple just loves each other instead of attaching labels and listening to unsolicited advice from the elders. However, the only people who makes sense here are the parents. Marriage is work that is not based solely on love. Ji Ho and Se Hui's shared experiences should lead to a mature and deeper bond. Yet, the final result is an immature, superficial relationship, completely devoid of any chemistry, that doesn't even feel like it's between two genuine people. Apparently, we are supposed to be impressed that they choose to disrespect their parents and enter into household contracts instead of being in a legal marriage. Moreover, Se Hui doesn't even look like he wants this. Everything seems to be Ji Ho's idea as she continues on a quest to find herself. What a crappy message. Avoid this mess.

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CLASSIC STORY FILLED WITH EARNESTNESS

"Going through this life is the first for all of us anyway."

Unlike my other drama reviews, I have to first preface this one by saying that this drama could very well be universal, one size fits all type of drama. Because through three interwoven stories, everyone and anyone can find themselves reflected in at least one character.

Now back to my usual form of writing.

To start off, the good sides of this drama are heartfelt, true and educational(strangely enough), but it doesn`t mutually exclude the fact that they aren`t, at the same time, fluffy, somewhat funny and easy to watch. Every actor does a phenomenal job of living in their role, as their character. I thoroughly believed in these people, their struggles and way of living. No one here knows exactly what they`re doing or if what they are doing is right by default. But that doesn`t mean they don`t try. The absurdist comedy and lessons presented throughout are much of the time spot on in helping us see each person for what they stand and how. Because we do the same thing. We all have our quirks, routines and principles some might not agree with. Yet we press on. In the midst of relatable scenes that hit harder than most love confessions, my two favorites are:
1.When Ji-ho is walking through a dark tunnel in her pajamas aimlessly, after enduring sexual abuse and barely avoiding ra*e, talking about how your family could, at times, be the biggest strangers to you. How she was ready to take on every toil due to the fact that she chose to be a drama writer. She knew her path would be lonely and dark, like the tunnel she was perusing at that moment, but she still didn`t know the extent of it all. For personal reasons, that spoke to me in this exact moment of time. It was effective, clear and loud without being preachy or coming off as compensating.
2. When Se Hee was subconsciously consoling Ji-ho at that bus stop, which is probably the most well-known scene of this drama and what probably drew YOU to check it out and find out more about it. By watching this scene, I was also consoled on a deeper level not any drama could even touch, let alone soothe.
And this is where the magic of this show is contained. In its earnestness and good understanding of adult life as such. We all love admiring capable, ambitious and focused individuals(like Woo Soo Ji) without realizing that this is life...is a first for all of us. Such a simple truth is sadly almost never relayed in media. Despite being one, if not THE MOST depressed generation of our lifetime, you would never guess it by most pieces of the media we consume. And that`s such a missed opportunity this show tries to highlight. We shame others for being at crossroads, for not knowing what to do or where to turn to. And as this show so clearly expresses...we shouldn`t. Like that poem Ji-ho finds(which became my favorite as well), people are fragile, chipped away by time and situations they had to face by this point. Instead of accepting that and letting them heal, we berate them, rejecting what they can be in the process. It`s such a fruitless cycle. I get this review might be regarded as somewhat of an ode to life crisis, but it`s just an observation of young life and what awaits us as society. The fact that a show got me to think about these ideas and concepts is, in my opinion, an accomplishment on its own. It helps that it`s coupled with some visual cues movie buffs like myself appreciate even more. The OST is also subtle, but appropriate, boosting the atmosphere and letting scenes breathe on their own time. This isn`t a drama which needs emotional songs to relay its message, but when they are put in, it doesn`t hinder the feeling either.

After these compliments, like any drama, there are some drawbacks that got me thinking. First one is the pacing of it, though most Korean dramas suffer in this regard. It can at parts be too long. Especially if you`re not invested in the story, which admittedly, isn`t all that original. It`s the way they decide to present it what defines it. Without it, this is just another cohabitation story between a cold ML and a ditzy FL. To be honest, I can`t fault it for anything else, because it`s a great slice of life drama. One of those I like the most. Unassuming, changing and memorable. Kind of like life itself.

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Contracts! ?

Everything about this drama is amazing. The pacing is perfect, nothing feels rushed and its ending is wrapped up beautifully!! While our characters are only with us for a short amount of time, we learn everything we need to know and see their lives come together in a way that is perfect for each of them! Ive rewatched this drama multiple times and will continue to rewatch! Its one of the few dramas I can rewatch and not just skip to the good parts. I love seeing our characters meet for the first times and continue to see them fall in love! Also this drama has so many relatable one liners omg

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Everything about this drama is just comforting and ideal.

Ji Ho (Jung So Min) is a writer in her 30s who was looking for a new room due to her family issue. She ends up living with Te Hee (Lee Min Ki), a single man who's only close to his cat and has chosen not to marry, in a 2-year-contact marriage with no romance expectations to avoid misperceptions of their cohabitation. It’s only a matter of time before the two share their true selves on how they fit living together.

It’s amazing how this drama presents a lot of difficulties that young adults face in their 30s in the most peaceful yet meaningful and entertaining ways. It also does a great job fleshes out the many societal aspects, like patriarchy, marriage, nepotism, gender discrimination, etc.

The cohabitation that act as a glue among Se Hee, Ji Ho and Uri (the cat) is the most memorable part for me. So many funny and endearing moments that happen, I really love their growing relationships! I enjoyed the relationships between the other couples too and the friendships among the three girl friends.

In my opinion, Se Hee has the best character growth, from being an anti romantic and closed off personality, to an understanding & loving partner, able to express himself well to Ji Ho. Ji Ho, I really like her personality and her mannerisms throughout most of the drama. In the later parts, I don’t understand her problem that led to some complicated situations. But I’m satisfied with most episodes and overall, Because This is My First Life is a really good drama that will entertain you, make you feel safe and secure.

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UNDERRATED & BINGE WORTHY, WILL TOUCH YOUR HEART DRAMA

I recently finished binging this drama on Netflix and I loved almost every second of it. This is NOT your typical korean rom-com drama. It is one that is meant to highlight the emotions and feelings one may have while being in love, being in a relationship, being in a marriage, and going through a breakup. It does a good job at depicting that love isn't always sunshine and rainbows but that it's painful - and you have the choice to choose whether that love is worth the pain.

The story line and character developments has a very natural growth to it; though it seems slow pace - I actually thought it was perfect.

If you are someone who gets emotional easily or is easily influenced by words and how they are conveyed, this drama will get you! I cried so many times watching this, the phrases that the characters said in this drama stuck out to me a lot and I can't stop thinking about it.

Overall, I have nothing bad to say about it besides that it is a feel good drama that is PURE and makes me believe that a love like this can exist. I will definitely be rewatching this in the future.

Every coupley moment between the main characters are SO FREAKING CUTE AND PURE. I teared up even at the happy moments, it is one of my favorite k-dramas I've watched in a while.

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"Because this is my first life" Unusual storyline. Thought provoking

For me, this series was mainly about the way human beings find it difficult to communicate in relationships as well as the dating versus marriage conundrum. It was interesting to see how S Korean society is adjusting (or not) to declining birth rates and an eye opener for me about a lot of other pressures playing out on women. I thought all the cast were good and all the main male and female players had interesting roles.
If I have one thought for others watching, it would be that it looked to me as though Lee Min-Ki was directed to act as someone with a diagnosis such as social anxiety disorder or OCD. This so affected his character's ability to converse with female lead Jung So-min that most of their episodes were barely producing an improvement in their "no touch marriage". So be warned that you will not automatically warm to these characters. I thought the script and direction gave a very hard task to the lead couple and I applaud them.
Would I recommend? 100% yes.

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Truly in love!

I really really love this show!

One of my favorite, my comfort drama all the time!
I can rewatch this drama for nth times and still not getting bored of it!

Acting -
The main leads
Lee MinKi-Jung So Min
What should i say? I’m soooooo in love with them! I love everything about them! The way they talked, the way the bowed to each other whenever they meet aaaaaa *im dying inside* watching them!

Ceo Ma&Sooji , WonSeok&Horang,
Big claps to them too! Ceo Ma so gentlemen ! Sooji really a badass woman!

Story -
The dialogue I’m so impressed!!! It’s so good! The life lesson!
Thank you so much writer for creating this masterpiece!
I will waiting for your next project!
I love the director too!

Overall, I’m so satisfied with this drama! Thank you because this is my first life team!

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Great premise, likeable male lead, disappointing ending

I want to start by saying that I really loved the first 3/4 or so of the show -- it had an interesting premise, with a very socially awkward (but in a cute way!)/extremely frugal male lead (Nam SeHee played by Lee Min Ki), and an unusual female lead (Jiho played by Jung So Min) who is an aspiring drama writer. I liked how the writers poked fun at product placement and cliche drama tropes while we saw the female lead write some of her own original drama scripts. It was also interesting to see them interact with the supporting cast. I actually binge watched the first 10-ish episodes in the span of 2 days because they were so good. The male lead is a great actor, and for the most part, the female lead was tolerable. However, towards the end, her lack of expression when acting became increasingly off-putting, maybe also because her character's personality weirdly becomes increasingly off-putting in the final episodes. I would have given this drama a much higher rating, but the last 3 episodes made no sense unfortunately. I was very disappointed in the female lead basically causing own drama herself and not being direct with communication. I feel like a lot of problems could have been solved easily if she just spoke with the Se-Hee plainly instead of beating around the bush and stating weird vague statements. As the show went on, I found myself skipping over parts because I couldn't stand Jiho constantly reciting lines from a weird book about "Room 19".

Overall, I would recommend viewers watch with caution -- the first episodes will be great, but the ending I can almost guarantee will disappoint. That being said, I hadn't seen any dramas with Lee Min Ki (who plays the male lead, Nam Se Hee) before, but now am a fan!

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An underrated gem

I really believe this to be an underrated gem. I think it's probably aimed at a more mature audience so if you like cliche romcoms that don't really have much plot rather than boy meets girl and they fall in love, you probably won't enjoy the mature themes in this drama.

I found this to be a great healing drama. The character of Nam Se-hee seems a bit eccentric and unbelievable when you first start it. He wants a clean, non-smoker, non-noisy roommate to feed his cat and do the recycling etc. He even tells his boss at one point that he can't work any overtime because his previously roommate moved out and he needed to go home and feed his cat. Enter Yoon Ji-ho. After a mix-up, she is the perfect solution to being his tenant. She is clean, she feeds his cat, she recycles and goes above and beyond in keeping the apartment clean and even cooking meals for Se-hee. They enter into a marriage contract where she gets to stay at his house as a tenant while helping him pay off his mortgage and it's only meant to be for two years (?) Obliviously, they fall in love and things get really complicated. Se-hee has a painful past and he is has closed himself off to love. But their love story between the two leads is so beautiful and their kisses are some of the best I've ever seen.

There are also two other side couples which interesting storylines. I really like how this drama focused on the different struggles and expectations each couple had while being in their 30s. Like I said early, this drama is definitely pitched for a more mature audience so it might not be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would watch it again. The acting was good, the story moved at a good pace. There were no boring filler episodes or dragged out storylines.

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Was going good until the last 2 episodes

I fell in love with this show. I was about to call it the best drama ever until the last 2 episodes. Jiho and Sehee develop such an amazing relationship. I personally hate the fake dating trope, but this show pulled it off extremely well.

The show killed it by bringing back Sehee's ex and suddenly making Jiho anxious when she was the one with Sehee and his ex said they harbored no feelings for him anymore and Jiho knew he liked her so why? She was a strong level headed person up until that moment in which she turned extremely OOC, left Sehee and came back sometime later when they tried to make 'character development' because Sehee sold his apartment and took the small rooftop house Horang and Wonseok owned. I'm sorry but that all made no sense when compared to the plot prior to that issue.

Best couple was Sanggoo and Suji. Their relationship was the main reason I didn't drop the show after episode 13. Forget about Horang and Wonseok. Horang got super annoying real quick and I was actually rooting for Wonseok to get with the coworker after they broke up. Basically, the ending was a pretty big cluster f*ck, but if you just ignore the last few episodes you'd have a really good drama in your hands.

Music was pretty forgettable to me hence the low rating.

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