This review may contain spoilers
Yet another masterpiece by Lee Joon Gi.The plot is amazing and you have no idea how much I love rebirth stories.
Kim Hee Woo, a prosecutor, dies after digging into the corruption of the current president. He then gets a chance for rebirth and wakes up in his younger self. Now with the knowledge of the future, Kim Hee Woo begins a game of chess with Cho Tae Seob, a politician (and the president in his former life). It is truly a beautiful game of chess, with Kim Hee Woo always being one move ahead of Cho Tae Seob.
The only downside is the final episode seems a little rushed and the end was a tad bit unsatisfactory.
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NOT VERY IMPRESSED! EXPECTED MORE
I have quite a few issues with this drama! It’s not a bad drama, it had some good potentials but I think they did it wrong. The storyline as an idea is good and interesting but after a while it just gets tiring. The whole plot where he comes back and he just build himself strong so he can take Cho Tae Seob down started well but the end was so anticlimactic and just rushed up. He exposed himself without a reason without having a real plan, I get that he had to make mistakes so it’s more realistic but the fact he just destroy his cover so easily was just plain stupid. Each episode had the same plot, he goes after someone that helps Tae Seob and tries to take him down by been a prosecutor and at first its fun to watch how we tricks them but after a while he just repeat his previous actions.I had a problem with the main character, I just couldn’t like him that much, he is a good guy and he is played by Lee Joon Gi so you could bet he will be amazing, but he just isn’t for me, I liked him at episode one to five but after that he just bored me. Same with the main female lead Kim Hee Ah, I found her so boring, she was just not well written as characters for the drama.
The characters that stole the show were definitely Min Soo and Han Mi. They were so interesting not only their storylines but their personalities too, Min Soo was the funniest guy and the most mysterious too, great combination.Han Mi was just a badass, I think she was more of a main female lead then Hee Ah . Also Gyu Ri and Sang Man were very good too, actually all the side characters were just excellent.
The romantic storyline was just A BIG NO. It literally didn’t make any sense, I would rather if they just didn’t include any romantic relationship, it was useless and out of the blue.there is only one romantic relationship I liked and that is the possibility of Min Soo and Gyu Ri (the last scene where he pointed out they had match outfits made me think they probably ended up together.)
I think I may be a little biased about this drama. The first time I watched Lee Joon Gi in a drama it was in Lawless Lawyer, that has similar concept, he was a funny yet badass character and here he didn’t gave me the same vibe. Also the main villain was better in general and the female lead was just amazing (their chemistry was top tier too). So after this drama, Again My Life seemed to lack many factors to be a great drama.
Overall it’s an okay drama but nothing special.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama " Again My Life " doesn't stray too far off the beaten track.The dramas best part is its performances. The actors did all a great job portraying their characters and their performances were enjoyable. The chemistry between them was also a killer point. However, the star of the show is of course the main lead, who outshines everyone and gives the drama his own twist.
Unfortunately, and even though the start is smooth and exciting, the drama fails to deliver. The main criminal case is boring and predictable and the whole going back to the past was not explained. Rather, it was left to be added here and there as a reminder, not to mention, in some episodes, was completelly forgotten.
At least there were plenty action scenes that kept things entertaining.
So, overall, four out of ten.
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This review may contain spoilers
No stupidity, no bullshit
A very good show. Rational behaviors, rational approach, reasonable decisions of all the characters and no stupid redemptions for no reason, without efforts, no stupid, ungrateful approach from anyone towards anyone. There's a small part suggesting a crack between a ML & SML but it turns out completely staged for the sake of fighting and deceiving a strong enemy.Some people could be disappointed by a final pairing - because another woman would fit better to end up in a relationship with a ML and the show seemed to suggest that early on too. However, it's not that bad and it's not irrational - at least - there was a reason why they end up together, it did not happen "just because".
Also - it has a very good music, a very interesting story, concept, good characters, lots of great action (fighting) scenes. This shows empowers instead of promoting a toxic society, toxic friendships, toxic relationships presented as "romantic" by a lot of other series.
Also - watch Lawless Lawyer, Bad Prosecutor - those are basically the same.
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Worth Watching❤️
The most awaited Lee Joong Gi kdrama of this year. And when there is LJG there is power pack actions that you can expect. Another beautiful storyline with some super beautiful OST that kept me hooked into it always. I am still cheering for LJG oh my God! How smooth he and his acting is I am just totally in love with him. Though I had a expectation to see some more actions but it's okay. I gave a rating of 8.5 just because of some point in this drama that I didn't like. Like at the end of the drama the unsure death of Cho Tae sub. And at the beginning when the female grim reaper who used to work for Cho Tae Sub, how she end up dying in her past life no where to be shown in this drama. So it's still a mystery to all of us. But anyways, I overall enjoyed the drama a lot!! Absolutely worth a watch!! ❤️Was this review helpful to you?
An Emphasis in All the Wrong Places
Again My Life is an excellent drama that does many things well, but falls short on a few instances. The few missteps in this drama are by no means a deal breaker, it’s great from start to finish, but these few inconsistencies held the drama back from truly being one of the best. If you’ve read this far and haven’t watched it yet, this is your cue to stop thinking about it and just watch it. If you want to skip all my positives for this show and just read my negatives, read from the line-break onwards.The premise of the story is simple, a prosecutor dies and gets the chance to come back to life at the tail end of high school. I can’t say too much more about the plot without getting into spoilers, but the description on MDL should be enough to get you interested. This show is a political drama. As of writing this review, the genre has the tags mystery and fantasy. I would say these tags are slightly misleading. The fantasy element (coming back to life) is only in the first episode; after that, there’s never even the slightest whiff of fantasy again. The mystery element is definitely there, but more so than anything, this show is political maneuvering. The prosecutor died in an attempt to bring down a corrupt politician. Now that he’s alive again, he has close to a decade to come up with a plan to put an end to the corruption. With a plot like this, the male lead is critical to the drama.
I feel like the producers of this show knew that the story would live or die on the shoulders of the lead actor. A talent like Lee Joon Gi was the only way this story would stay afloat. And that’s not a knock on the story, it’s a compliment to the acting prowess of Lee Joon Gi. I don’t know the exact number, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Lee Joon Gi had 90% screen time… he’s on screen all the time. Lee Joon Gi’s acting in this drama is quite different to his more recent dramas. In Flower of Evil, he acted as a psychopath alternating between stone-cold killer and loving husband/father. In Lawless Lawyer, he portrayed a bashful and arrogant lawyer with a pretty heavy chip on his shoulder. In Again My Life, Lee Joon Gi gives a much more nuanced performance. His acting is one of a thoughtful and careful tactician. Lee Joon Gi is planning out moves years in advance, he’s setting up plays in high school that won’t make sense until after he graduates law school.
In a sense, this drama is a game of chess. Lee Joon Gi’s character is a grandmaster, and his opponent is played by the actor Lee Kyung Young. Let me be clear, there is no female lead. The only other main lead aside from Lee Joon Gi is Lee Kyung Young. All other actors are purely supporting roles. The heart of the story revolves around the two lead actors. Lee Kyung Young is the antagonist, and he does an excellent job. His character is that of a political kingpin; he deals with corruption, scandals, bribery, murder, the whole nine yards. He’s ruthless, but he’s not an idiot. Lee Kyung Young does an excellent job of portraying his character to be a man of experience, a politician who thinks several times before he makes his move. The character of Lee Kyung Young is very akin to Frank Underwood from House of Cards.
Let me say a few more things about the supporting actors. Jung Sang Hoon was excellent with his comedic relief. His friendly banter with Lee Joon Gi was well scripted, and if it wasn’t scripted, it was pure genius. I wish Kim Ji Eun had more screen time. Her character was very intriguing and I wished the show would have explored it more. I enjoyed her acting from The Veil, and this drama definitely added to her acting talent. I hope to see her in a lead female role in the future.
Also, a note on the background score. It is very reminiscent of 90’s film score. Grand, sweeping orchestral pieces are cool and all, but it’s become pretty cliche. Some of the music definitely fits the different moods of the show, but I found it to be unimaginative. This is also my personal preference; if you don’t mind huge cinematic scores, then this won’t be an issue at all, but for me, I was kind of over it.
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Power will corrupt, and absolute power will corrupt absolutely. If you wanted to end this corruption, you could only do so from the standpoint of a higher power. But if you attain a higher power, you too will become corrupt. It’s a never ending cycle. It’s like that old line from the original Spiderman movie: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. If it takes a monster to beat the devil, is it worth throwing away your humanity for such a cause? This is the central theme of the drama, and its also the drama’s biggest weakness. When you set such a profound subject matter as your central theme and not tackle it properly, the whole show comes out as lukewarm. There were many points in the drama were I wished to see a more grey morality of Lee Joon Gi’s character. The show goes at length of describing the necessity of being villainous to catch a villain, but it shies back every time. It feels like the subject matter was too controversial to be put on Korean television so they heavily toned it down. What we got instead was the classic unblemished white knight ousting the corrupt politician.
Ultimately, 16 episodes wasn’t enough. I understand that Lee Joon Gi’s character got sent back in time by a decade, but there was a seven year time-skip. I would’ve liked to see more of his college life before and after his military service. There were opportunities to flesh out some of the supporting characters, but the producers decided to bypass all of that. Instead they gave a very bland and generic season 2 set-up at the end of the last episode.
This show has a lot going for it. There is very minimal romance, so that may come as a negative for some, but other than that, the biggest downside is the unexplored themes. We get to see Lee Joon Gi develop to be a kingpin of his own, and that’s a thrilling watch in and of itself. But the unexplored themes, and the generic season 2 set-up ending had me desiring more from the show. I still recommend this show, especially if you’re a Lee Joon Gi fan, this show will hit all the sweet spots. And even if you’re not a massive Lee Joon Gi fan, this show still has some nifty frills to keep you entertained.
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This review may contain spoilers
A METHODICAL REVENGE WITH LOT OF PLOT SCHEMING AND TALKING
This drama was recommended to me by my friends.. But then they said it was too much talking and less action but I still watched it and wow i am absolutely loving this drama. This is my first time watching Lee Joon Gi's drama and god what flawless acting and visuals he has. This drama would've been flopped without him. The story is average and predictable but the things i liked was the cast chemistry and the OST. There's less action scenes but i loved the fights especially ep 13 fight, it was short but satisfying. The only worry I has is that only one episode is left but there's so much to cover well we will see..Now I am craving to watch his other dramas.Was this review helpful to you?
Not as good as I anticipated
There are few actors/actress which can carry the entire drama stealing all spotlight from other main actors and supporting cast. Lee Joon Gi being one of them. Moreover, he keeps getting younger with each drama.Lee Joon Gi in `Again my life` looks younger than `Flower of Evil` which looks younger than `Moon Lovers`
Anyway, since this review looked like Lee Joon Gi Fan Club review, let me come to the show's review.
Again My Life, till now, is focused on fighting against the malpractices prevalent in societies. As rightly said in the beginning.
`Country though needs corporations to sustain economy, but no country can survive absence of justice`. One of the subtle point of the show is, usually pretty admiring quality arrogance veiled as confidence which our ML contemplates himself to be a victim of. More or less it looks like journey of KHW from confident and impulsive self to calm and composed self as he takes on the main protagonist CTS.
The quality of OST is quite good. Especially last 5 minutes of episode 2. Probably the best OST song I've listened in 2022.
Story though not entirely original, seems to spice it up by adding usual tropes in unusual ways ie. Parental arc, delinquent arc, College arc. etc. Initial quarter of episode 1 looked like directly taken from Lawless Lawyer. But, that's where the similarities end. Please don't get misguided by people saying it is exactly like Lawless Lawyer.
Characters are quite deep. Especially infamous villain CTS is quite layered. Though I hoped they should have casted someone
with more charisma with this role, but maybe they were looking someone bit old to play this role.
FL role's seem to be doing product advertising. There is no substance in that character. And HW's relationship, I don't have any words to describe it, as probably it's non-existent.
Post episode 4 this drama is sort of a letdown.
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This review may contain spoilers
Second chances, revenge and intrigue!
If you were given a second chance at life, what would you do differently?Kim Hee Woo is a talented lawyer with an immense sense of justice working at the prosecution office. His desire to bring criminals to justice lands him in peril when he decides to take on a politician, Cho Tae Sab, who sends his personal hitman to end his life. As fate would have it, Hee Woo is brought back to life by a grim reaper for one purpose - take down Cho Tae Sab and make his life hell on Earth. This is where the real story begins.
A lot of people have given a lot of different takes on this show which can be confusing so let me share elements that might help you decide wherher to watch or skip.
What you can expect from the show:
- A methodical and driven main lead working his way to bringing down his target. The story is following him most of the time and his target as the contrast. These two are the main leads.
- Lots of plotting and how these play out.
- Fast pace. Even though the episodes are over an hour long, there is a lot happening and time flies.
- Endearing characters and positive moments.
- Time-jump. You'll also see some back and forth berween the old timeline and the new one. I like how it was done to make the story easier to follow along with.
- Action. The male lead was a boxer in his past life but still no match for his killer. You'll see a lot of martial arts training and fights throughout the show.
- Mild humour. As its mostly a revenge drama, there are not a lot of funny moments but you might still find yourself smiling.
- Lots of famous faces. And a lot of names to remember! From the good to the bad. It was a bit hard to follow since I was watching weekly but might be better if one watches at a stretch. Even when the names were hard to keep track of, enough evidence was given to help you recall or the person was shown in the next instance so one can keep following along.
- A certain amount of realism towards the end. I personally enjoyed it.
What the show lacks:
- Other than the way in which Hee Woo is brought back to life, there is no other fantasy element to the show.
- Romance. If this is important to you, you may not enjoy the show as it is mostly serious.
- Bromance. Though friendships are explored, this is not the focus of the show.
- For a law drama, you won't find moments in courts. It jumps from evidence finding to final result.
- Some prefer a picture perfect ending but that is never how real life works and neither will you find it in this show.
The reason I rated Again My Life a 9 is because every episode was enjoyable. I wanted to keep watching which is what every director aims for. It was interesting to see how the characters were working together as a team towards the same goal. Hee Woo had the advantage of his past life to know whom to bring on board to help him and the lives he can change. Not just his own. Thus making some powerful allies along the way.
There is not a lot that bothers me about the show. The things that do are major spoilers so I will skip them because they are fine within the realm of a show. It also shows that people can be unpredictable. There is some product placement which is a bit funny and awkward at times.
The ending was not disappointing, in my opinion. It was different. And I can appreciate it for what it is.
I hope people give it a shot.
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Just the legal thriller you're looking for
I rate Again My Life 10/10 highly recommended legal or political revenge thriller 🔥 if you're looking for mind boggling revenge with a touch of fantasy this is it also Lee Joon Gi serving visuals & expressions every second🔥action element is also top class🔥 there's no love story so if you like drama that just focus on the plot this is also your go to 😊 it's realistic and not over the top so you'll love the coolness but still not something very grand keeps you asking for more supporting actors to lead actors everyone's acting is strongWas this review helpful to you?
Great series, keeps you on edge.
Another great choice of Lee Joon Gi. He never disapoints and his acting is always stable and on point, bringing his character to life. There are lot of great actors, in this piece The main genre would have to be law, political drama/thriller, that makes you keep watching, as the story is captivaing and eye opening. The "good" characters are likeable and the "bad" are so bad, that you truly root for the hero. While the story almost has no romance, it did not lack in anything and even that little bit of it, was well delivered and quite enough. Definitely so worth watching!Was this review helpful to you?
A great Fantasy Drama!
I enjoyed watching this drama from start to finish, what I love about this drama was the ML style in collecting evidence to fight corruption and crime.I watched it purely because I’m a fan of Lee Joon Gi and his execution of his character was beautiful played in every way. Many people watch a drama that is already written yet having their own narratives lol. Just accepts this for what was given to us. Maybe while all wasn’t revealed in this New Season1 because there might be a Season2 based on the ending. This is a Fantasy Drama and sometimes there is just no room to add romance based off the amount of episodes with many characters to cover. I honestly did not miss seeing any Romance even with such a beautiful casting. I enjoyed the action scenes and the the loyalty the ML had with his friends and work colleague to help him fight corruption and crime. If you are looking for romance it’s not the drama to watch.
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