Because This Is My First Life (2017)

One of the best dramas i've ever watched!

I loved this drama so much i just had to write a review.
The story wasn't too complex but it talks about complex themes, it will definitely make you think and redefine your idea of what relationships are.
The dynamics of the different characters were all unique and they were all valuable, there was not a single character I disliked, because they weren't one dimensional, they all had complex traits and their own story, there really wasn't a single cliché. Our two lead characters might seem like the usual duo of naive girl and cold boy, but they really aren't like anything i've seen before. The female lead is sweet and oblivious, but she's strong, she knows how to set her boundaries and ask for what she wants, and that's the thing I loved the most, because usually female leads tend to let others step on them or they are too aggresive, but this woman is not. Our male lead is definitely cold and has his own emotional issues, but he's never a jerk, he struggles with this relationship but he knows how to respect the FL and he knows how to compromise.
I also really loved that we have three very different women, but each one of them is unique and strong in their own way, and their friendship is simply precious.
This story made me completely redefine my idea of what marriage is, and how a romantic relationship should be. It's heartwarming, uplifting, fun, interesting. I'll definitely rewatch this.

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This is the second drama I watched from both of the leads, I can say that I knew it was going to be good from the first episode. The story is great because it shows the real-life problems of adulthood and society, and it criticizes them accordingly. It is set in Korea, but it can be anywhere. The characters are all very detailed and they are not superficial. They have been worked on in the writing, it shows. Because of that, the secondary roles were not boring to watch, they also had their own stories. I like the acting and story in this drama. The comedy and drama elements are balanced. Still, the last few episodes felt a bit long for some reason. Another thing is that, I loved the literature references, it is a good opportunity to learn about the art of the country via dramas.

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Story
It's more than just housemates who enter a loveless marriage, it's all about the meaning of marriage today. Would you get married just to secure a position or not feel social pressure anymore? Would you get married to an almost stranger just because you need a place to stay? The story really makes you think about marriage. The relationship between JiHo & SeHee is meaningful and their conversations very deep.

Acting/cast
Loved all of them. The relationships are very well-done. The cast is great and perfectly balanced !
The friendship between the girls and their undefeatable support despite their personal & discutable decisions.
I also absolutely loved the character of SooJi, this strong woman who must bend at work because she's the only woman and her colleagues see her as a sexual object or an employee who only does unimportant tasks. She is just great on every aspects.

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An amazingly complex exploration of human emotions

I’d like to compare this drama to a book that should’t be judged by the cover of its plot summary and promotional posters. Despite its premise that sounds like your typical bubblegum-sweet romantic comedy, I would say this is one of the most intelligently-written, insightfully-packed Kdrama of such genre I have ever seen so far. The stories of each character are quite ordinary but I did not expect so many intricacies that would come out of them. I loved their depiction of how people strived to sew together their ideals and with their realities, and eventually come to terms with the resulting epiphanies. Everything was about the rawness of emotions, perspectives, opinions and pure desires of the heart. There were no exaggerated cruelties or devious conspiracies, just plain human issues and challenges. I guess this is targeted towards a more mature audience, and if you are an adult you can’t help but be able to identify with a character or two at some point. I didn’t give it a perfect rating because even with the extremely rich dialogue there were some parts where I felt it was already way too complicated and overly-thought so it no longer made sense, plus the two lead actors lacked just a teeeny bit of chemistry points. But overall, it was a great experience, I learned so many lessons and it made me rethink some of my own life principles.

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I was really hesitant to watch this drama, but since i really dont have anything to watch I gave this a try.

In all honesty, this is a very straightforward drama. Everything was on a fast pace except halfway of episode 13 to 15. It kinda drag a little but all is well in the end. Jung So Min and Lee Min Ki delivered their characters very well. All of them actually. I didn't see much drama cliche, like I said majority is very fast paced. Story wise, its not very new, but the character delivery made it somehow different from the other dramas. I'm giving this a 9/10 because of the cat, joke! It's not a heavy drama, nor an idol drama. It's just really good!!

Watch it! Recommending this 100%!

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I have just finished watching this drama. We're all in quarantine and I watched a video of a youtuber talking recommending adult kdramas and she mentioned this one and I thought ok, let's watch it.... and I loved it. Really. The way it handles topics such as gender inequality in the workplace, traditional views on marriage, the roles women are expected to play in today society's still.... It is all dealt with in such a good way. There is a main story, of course, but there are also two other stories that are good too, I have to confess CEO Ma and Si Joo are my faves, hands down. I love how he was such a dork at times but then again he was a good friend and gave good advice being serious when he had too... God, I just loved that character... and Si Joo.... man, what a gem, really. She was all tough, but deep down a softie and she didn't take shit from anyone and was such a hardworker too... Loved, loved.

As for Ho Rang and Won Seok....well....I still don't know what to think of the way things worked out for them, to be honest. At times I thought man their relationship is so toxic and then I thought things between them could really work....

Now, as for Ji Hoo and Se Hee...I think their relationship was so good. Always respectful and mature, and they actually had really good communication!! (For the most part, in my opinion) I liked how the relationship evolved and the character development was good too. I find myself torn about the last two episodes of the drama.... I thought they were too wild... but at the same time I can see this happening in real life, what they both did. I guess she thought she needed to do what she did (see me trying to not spoil?? lol) but I wish she hadn't, and thought maybe it was unnecessary.... I wish I could discuss this with someone, lolll. I can say that most of those two last episodes frustrated me. But the overall lessons I love so much... I think I will watch this again and if you haven't already, definitely give it a shot.

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Something Different

From the early episodes, Because This Is My First Life makes it pretty clear that it’s not going to give you many of the K-drama tropes that are the core of so many other romcoms. Most fans, myself included, love those cliches and repeated themes and plot elements. It’s part of the appeal, and what makes many such good comfort viewing. Because This Is My First Life clearly has different intentions.

If you’re in the right mindset for this show, it’s incredibly rewarding. Few others manage to strike such a good balance between being thoughtful, nuanced, quirky, fun, and deeply romantic. Maybe none do. It’s a dramatized exploration of the meanings of love and marriage. There’s a lot of introspection. But it also delivers great, lovable characters, sufficient comedy, and is thoroughly enjoyable. It’s never too self-serious.

Every relationship in the show is interesting in its own way, and they’re all treated like they matter. There aren’t a lot of throwaway comic relief scenarios or characters. Those that didn’t win me over at the beginning had me rooting for them by the end. (There is one character who didn’t work for and felt a little unfinished, but that’s partly because the others are so well realized and developed.)

In later episodes, the show tends to become very contemplative and literary. The dialog is often poetic — sometimes actual poetry. The pace and frequent pauses to indulge metaphors or peel back layers may get a little boring for some viewers. It’s very much in my personal “twee with all the feels” wheelhouse, though. I don’t think I’ve ever been as drawn to the romance elements in a drama as much as this one.

The excellent cast, great direction, editing, and production are essential to keeping it all together and maintaining the balance. This could easily get too precious, cringey, or contrived, but never crosses those lines for me. It tries to do something a little different, but still very much a K-drama, and succeeds beautifully.

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A must watch drama.♥♥

A must watch drama.
Although this drama is old (2017) and I was exposed to it only now, but at the same time it is also true for 2024.
Let's start with the perfect casting, move on to the wonderful soundtrack, and end with a plot that conveys so many messages. In the title it is noted that this is, among other things, a "comedy", although I found myself laughing a little but at the same time I found myself crying more than laughing, crying because of a witty plot and such accurate messages concerning many social aspects, sexual harassment at work, the difficulty of the 30 to purchase an apartment because of economic aspects, (this is true for many countries and not only in Korea) the status of women in society, married life, tradition, customs, what is love? (between spouses and between parents and their children), difficulty in self-realization due to prejudices, and of course the beauty of determination and friendship between friends.
It is true that there are sections that are slow but at the same time it is important to listen to the content they say.
Through three couples, (each of whom has a different worldview regarding the essence of their lives), they manage to convey important social messages, which makes this drama high-quality, witty writing and accurate characters along with wonderful acting.
I couldn't help but rate her 10/10

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To be honest, I decided to watch this because of how cute Jung So Min was (caught me off guard when she first appeared). Stuck on and oh wow, a theme that isn't often covered in drama, contract marriages. I watched another show with a similar theme, and that really hit my chords so yeah, I was confident that this show would too. In the end, it did not disappoint me, got me my (oh so badly needed) fluff fix for the month, and made me ponder yet again about the concept of marriage. Let me just explain my ratings in detail, you can skip to the tl;dr if you don't want to be spoilt.

Story: 8.5/10
The show I watched with a similar theme was Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu, the scenario was right about similar to this show, except the wife had to pay for rent in the relationship in this show. I love that they developed characters well enough for the story to flow decently with good humour (Bok Nam and Bo Mi), but we do see our main characters develop a little too extremely near the end. They were hinting at the development but the catalyst that raced the development (Jung Mi) barely had sufficient presence, it left me slightly disappointed but they still did well.

The motif lasted well throughout the whole 16 episodes - about security in a relationship, and was brought back and forth the various relationships, even with Soo Jong and her mom. I believe anyone watching this would unconsciously reconsider the present day value of marriage, whether they agree with what the different views put forth by the characters in the show, or not. It still does impress me that they're actively embracing different forms of the modern heterosexual marriages in Korea, where I assume it is largely conservative.

Acting/Cast: 9.5/10
I love the cast. Didn't know anyone of them before this drama, and Jung So Min slayed me! I love her looks so much, and her acting worked wonders. Time to dig up all her old dramas for binging then!

Back to the cast and acting as a whole, the chemistry was wonderful but I do find the Ho Rang - Won Seok pair a little awkward especially since they were supposed to be playing a loving couple of 7 years.

Music: 6/10
The OST is decent, but it's nothing worth discussing or remembering. Goblin's still remains in my head even though I literally only heard it once while watching an episode of it on TV. I think the production crew for this show just didn't hit right at the jackpot when it came to music.

Rewatch value: 7/10
I'll probably rewatch it for the fluff scenes with Ji Ho all cute and flustered. Not much for the rest.

tl;dr:
A great plot that does its best to develop characters who were acted out very well, and will provoke some thoughts about the concept of marriage that we are all familiar with.

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Great Slice of Life drama

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean television drama with 16, 60 minute, episodes.
Nam Se-hee (Lee Min-ki) is a software application chief developer who is very talented in his field. He is practically emotionless - it would have been easy to convince me he was a robot. Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min) is opposite in almost every way. She is a hard working assistant drama writer who finds herself without a place when her younger brother gets a woman pregnant, marries, and takes over the house they occupied together. Ji-ho spends some time couch surfing until a friend tells her about someone in need of a housemate. Se-hee and Ji-ho do not, at first, realize they are opposite sex - there assumption was those that recommended the co-habit knew their gender and paired accordingly. Having completely different schedules it is some time before they realize and, given the conservative nature of the culture - part ways. Ji-ho finds herself in undesirable housing circumstances and constantly migrates back to the environment where she felt most safe - Se-hee's house. They develop a friendship of sorts and Se-hee approaches Ji-ho with the idea of a tenant/landlord relationship in the form of a two-year contract marriage. Their friends and family believe it to be real and soon the two start to develop real feelings for each other. But something in Se-hee's past keeps him from getting close, to anyone. Will their love find a way before it is too late? Ji-ho has two close female friends who also have their trials with life and love. Their side stories are as entertaining to watch as the main story.

Spoiler ? When I first started watching this is was hard for me to understand why it rated so high on other sites. As the story developed I quickly understood why the story was so entertaining and compelling. As we lean more about each of the very complex characters, their behavior starts to seem much more real and genuine. The deep relationships that develop also make sense over time. I really liked this as a sort of slice of life of those in their 30s and 40s and the struggles that occur when life does not play out the way you envisioned.

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It has a concept I have never seen before in K-Dramas and it has a beautiful story-line. The music entices you and draws you into the drama itself, making you experience the emotions the characters are feeling. The actors are great, perfectly suit their characters and have great chemistry, making you want to see more from each couple. There is no unnecessary drama and the comedic elements in the show override some dramatic scenes, which makes it a great comedic show. It will ultimately bring a smile to you face and make you always remember this drama as inducing a good feeling in your heart. I hope you spare some time to watch this drama because it is truly great and worth your while!

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