See You in My 19th Life (2023)

Amazing!

I absolutely adored this drama from start to finish! But i just felt like the ending wasn’t really satisfying for me. I wished they had at least extended the episodes and showed how she (female lead) fell in love with him again, and i also wanted to see more of the second couple!. But overall, i would say The show was executed flawlessly, with every episode delivering the perfect combination of romance and drama and The emotions were truly top-notch, and I found myself completely invested in the characters and their stories. Overall, I would highly recommend this drama!

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"잊기 싫어. 기억하고 싶어."

Have you ever wondered what your closest friends would feel like if you died? What would they do? How would they remember you? Moreover, would you want to witness their grief yourself while being around them as a completely different person? Those are the challenges the main character Ban Ji Eum has to navigate on a daily basis.

🔸️The drama explores grief and the ways to cope with it - letting people go or holding onto them at all costs. Do dearest memories outweigh traumas? Should we live in the moment and forgive? Ji Eum has 19 lives worth of suffering, and worth of happy moments too, but she can't erase one and keep another. She has to make a choice between her long desired happiness and her friends' wellbeing. I feel like the plot relies too heavily on inyeon 인연, but I like that the characters still have to overcome challenges in their next lives to end up together, like Secretary Ha and Cho Won.

🔸️The drama is heartwarming, not heartbreaking, and it kept me engaged very well. Except for the truck accident for which I still don't understand the motive. I absolutely adore the child actors who all did an outstanding job, and not just for their age. Shin Hye Seon is truly amazing, especially in the emotionally intense final episodes. And Ahn Dong Goo? Where did this guy come from? He has an incredible quiet energy.

But I was more interested, how did Ji Eum's gender identity and sexual orientation change as Ji Eum was reborn in both female and male bodies?

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Great story, concept and executed almost perfectly

This is a really good show.
I liked the concept and the direction of the show.
Well directed and acted by everyone including young child actors.
Story about love and family.

The leads are really good. I liked the FL more. Since she had to carry the show. She played her character as very straight forward and on your face type of character and I loved it. Makes sense though, she had lived so many lives and got no time for nonsense lol she's also tall. When she talked to one character in the beginning I was damn, she's tall 😂

She can be funny and charming. She asked the ML if he wanted to date her on the first episode lol though she was trying to get him to remember but still funny
The ML is good here and he gets the job done. I didn't hate him not sure if he has much range though

And of course, the secondary couple is a will they, won't they type of story.
The second FL seems to always play best girl. I wanna see her in more things. She always seems to play very sweet and lovable characters
As an anime fan, it's nice to see a reincarnation story done well here.

Some nitpicks: The hotel subplot about turning it into something like its former glory seems forgotten by the writers lol.
Oh also, there's a drake song, instrumental version that keeps playing randomly lol
It was weird and distracting.
I think I'll watch this again but probably in 2 years or so lol
Oh funny notes: I think it's funny that 99% of her past lives were Koreans
Definitely would be nice to see other people represented besides that one Spanish couple. Hey, better than nothing. That beef stew she made looked amazing and hope the actor actually liked it 😂

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Nice start but left with so many questions

This drama has lots of promotion there and it was an impossible mission not to watch it. Love the cast, i think all the roles suited very well and it was filmed nicely.
The idea of it is quite good, but the story became so bland after the discovery of the guilty characters. "It was a mistake to get the truck to hit a car", or "the brake pedal didn't work", if the purpose of accident was to just give a scary, why the brake pedal didn't work. Everyone get their punishment so light and simple. The ML worked in hotel, i haven't seen any work related scene in a hotel, just in the office flipping up some folders (for me this is where a drama goes down, as needs involvement in the work related area). The ML is reach but always takes a taxi, he has a secretary, but that doesn't mean that he needs to be the driver too. He discovered all the flaws of father's mistress without any action (maybe he already had everything when he was in Germany, but still i would love to see the detective side of it). Another thing at the beginning his father throws something and hits him hard, but at the end it shows that the father was protecting him. Not linked together at all, is this really fatherly love? There is no chemistry between leads, the only moment i felt it was when they were dancing on the pierce by the sea, other than that i didn't feel it all, even both actors are very good and gorgeous.
All there are many other misshapes, but i don't want to spoil for the people who want to watch it.
Is an ok drama, but is over rated.

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Refreshing & magnificent cinematography, Shin Hye-sun as a sucker for love is very delightful to see

Decided to watch this as the clips trend a lot on various social medias. All I can say is that I'm so thankful that I watched it and finally succumbed to Shin Hye-sun's brilliancy and found myself binge-watching her filmography now.

I am glad that this series is not the stereotypical webtoon drama that I often heard or watched. It's fantasy-romance, but definitely has the refreshing aura in it, as it's very new storyline to pick on. I like to see the story when it's the female lead who pursues the male lead, instead of letting it flow naturally and becomes boring they-live-happily-ever-after plot, and Shin Hye-sun is definitely pulling off that kind of role more than well.

Thanks to this drama I found another favorite actress to watch for!

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meh

The first 5-6 episodes were overwhelmingly strong, sure there was not much innovation there, or things I have not seen before, but the mostly excellent casting & the fantasy elements offered solid entertainment. However the second half of the drama just fell flat. The focus shifted from the fantasy romance to other far less pleasant things and some of those make very little sense too. Also why would there be a need to give the father personality adjustments in a pre-produced drama. To me it seems like the screenwriter was really not prepared for this, but even if this were live filming, the pacing would still feel far below average. I have read the webcomic after finishing the drama & in my opinion that one is far better. Yes the ending is still very bad, because I always hate it when "superhero" characters get a normie ending , but at least throughout the comic the author focused on the right things and there were some nice epic moments after all the buildup, which cannot be said about the drama.

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This was such a disappointing watch…

I really thought this was going to be a 10/10 drama for me because the beginning left such an amazing impression on me. The first couple episodes were so engaging, and I loved the female lead and her very fresh, confident attitude. Then.. the drama got bogged down in weird “car accident” drama (which was never really resolved?? idk I wasn’t paying attention cause that entire plot point was such a snoozefest) and the leads’ relationship took a weirdd nosedive. I felt like all of a sudden their chemistry disappeared (or maybe it was never present to begin with?) and I could’t for the life of me recall why they were even into each other in the first place. Just the pacing and compatibility and the romantic development was all weird and off somehow and I could’ t figure out why. I just sped through the latter third of this drama (no regrets because it just stayed boring). I guess the only redeeming point was the ending because it did surprisingly leave me a bit emotional and teary-eyed. But, overall, I expected so so much more from this drama, especially based on the two main leads and the extremely solid start that the drama had.

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beautiful, but plot is slightly different from what I hoped. Nevertheless, actually rather nice.

As someone who has read the webtoon before watching the kdrama, I felt that story-wise, they dramatised the story a bit too much as the addition of some of the new components and twists in the story occasionally made me feel like the story was a bit too much at times, and the middle episodes felt somewhat dry. However, with the plot twist in the later episodes, I felt myself getting hooked again into the plot as the FL explores her previous life, so personally I feel that this drama started strong, went a bit weak, then ended on a strong foot.
The casting for the actors were perfect in my opinion as Hye-Sun portrayed the devious, extraverted FL perfectly, and same with Bo-Hyun in his role as a somewhat brooding, proud ML.
The OSTs for this drama were an absolute bop, I'd recommend "Down (Juicy Juicy)" by Jo Yuri, "Star" by Colde, "Here With Me" by Doyoung, and "Secret" by YELO.
As much as the drama was nice, these are probably one of the dramas that I'd watch once and then leave it sitting on my list because as much as I felt it was nice, it wasn't great enough to hook me in that much to rewatch it.

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An amazing take on human emotions/complexity when dealing with past

Yo I can’t even begin to say what I love about it.

First off if you are looking for lovey Dovey romance go watch King The Land.

Be ready to go on an emotional roller coaster and get your soul go through a blender. If you are not a Korean speaker you better take a shot of espresso before watching as this show deserves your undivided attention.

I like Shin Hye Sun from Mr. Queen now I am full on in love with her and I will watch anything she is in going forward, Ahn Bo Yun also does an amazing job throughout and their chemistry is just next level.

Everything about this show slaps and I am looking forward to rewatching this and exploring more layers and dimensions of this amazing work.

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Loved it regardless if it deviates from its original webtoon novel

Story: The story was out of the ordinary about a woman who was reborn many times and how the cycle of her reincarnation ended. Despite being precise in its narration, the status of the story became weak when every conflict was resolved so easily in the latter episodes.

Acting/Cast: Shin Hye Sun was the perfect choice for the role. She portrayed her character effortlessly as someone who was carefree and able to remember her past 18 lives except her very own first life. Many were not satisfied with Ahn Bo Hyun’s acting in this drama but I beg to disagree, he played it well since I believed the story required his acting to be subdued by Shin Hye Sun’s strong character. What the production missed about ABH’s role was the poor styling. Prior to filming this drama, he had to trim down his build to fit the role of a young CEO of MI Group but why let him wear loose suits and bottoms with that kind of hairstyle that made him look less of a typical conglomerate heir? I still find their chemistry a bit off, luckily the story was dominant enough to cover that flaw. The rest of the cast fairly showed good supporting acts.

I revered this drama still for its distinctive storyline, and for the FL & ML funny & straightforward interactions. Another wonderful story of love and forgiveness that put the entangled fate in a good place.

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A Love That Trancends Time and Space!

This is a series that transcends both time and space. It reminds me a little bit of the movie “Somewhere in Time” in which a man finds out that he’s had a romantic relationship with a woman from over 70 years ago—but from his viewpoint, she is the only one who knows it.

What we have here is Ban Ji Eum, a woman who has the ability to remember her past lives. In this case, she remembers 18 of them and is currently in her 19th lifetime. Interestingly enough, her 18th life touches on people around her and carries over into the 19th because she dies at the age of 12 in a mysterious auto accident that we come to realize was no accident at all which also yields to a present-day mystery involving her as well as Moon Seo Ha, a boy she knew from her 18th life and is now infatuated with in her 19th. Don’t worry. It sounds more confusing than it actually is. What we end up having is a very endearing and touching story.

Each time Ban Ji Eum reincarnates, she not only remembers who she was in previous incarnations, but she also remembers the things she’s done. In short, she also brings the skills she’s learned in the past into the present—everything from a trapeze artist to a flamenco dancer to a master bowman. We also find out that she’s also been both male and female as well. Her strong desire to reunite with Moon Seo Ha is what causes her to reincarnate in this current lifetime. Of course, Moon Seo Ha has no idea that Ban Ji Eum is the same girl who tragically died protecting him (Yoon Joo Won), and he’s still traumatized by the loss of his only friend—a friend that he obviously loved very deeply as well.

People obviously have different ideas about reincarnation. Most people in the West simply do not believe in it, despite several subtle references in the Bible as well as other texts. People in the East are far more likely to believe in it. For the story to work, it really doesn’t matter if you believe in it or not. There have been documented cases of people who vividly recall past incarnations. For most people, it’s a place they remember. An Indian man toured the Tower of London and remembered a door in a specific place. The tour guides all told him that no such door existed. He insisted it was there. Reluctantly, they checked it out, and sure enough, the door was where the man had said it was. They were naturally astounded and wanted to know how he knew. He simply said, “I remember it being there.”

There’s a reason why people are not necessarily meant to remember past lives. The primary reason is that it would overload you with unnecessary memories that are best left forgotten. Imagine remembering all of the suffering and grievances of your past lives and the toll they would take? Not to mention all of the suffering and grievances that you may have inflicted upon others as well. No, it is actually a gift to not remember, and in the end, it would serve no useful purpose. Even now, most people dwell on the past or the future, and not on where their attention needs to be: the present.

While it may seem fascinating to remember so many lifetimes, we quickly find that it is a great burden for Ban Ji Eum, as she attempts to find out why she’s one of those very few people who is able to remember. She knows there must be a reason, and Kang Min Ki is a mysterious archaeologist who holds the key. We all carry things forward—especially harsh grievances which must be forgiven and let go. This is the wisdom that Kang Min Ki tries to help Ban Ji Eum realize. This is also why forgiveness is one of the most powerful methods of letting go of the past and allowing oneself to move on.

The story takes some unexpected twists as Ban Ji Eum confesses who she is to Moon Seo Ha and also to Yoon Cho Won—her sister from her 18th life. Of course, they can scarcely believe her at first, but then Ban Ji Eum knows things—details—that only Yoon Joo Won would know that helps Ban Ji Eum convince them. These bring some incredibly touching moments, and people can also take solace in the fact that our loved ones are never truly gone or taken from us. They simply change form for a new role.

The only aspect that didn’t quite work for me, was the end. It made no sense that Kim Ae Kyung (a niece from Ban Ji Eum’s 17th life) and her survival depended upon Ban Ji Eum undertaking a ritual that would effectively wipe out all of her memories of her past lives, including those she’s interacted with in her current life. It would have made more sense if the ritual simply removed her memories of her past lives without affecting her current one. I understand that the writer was probably trying to find a more dynamic and unique way to end the story, but it didn’t work very well. Also, remembering past lives isn’t something that’s going to necessarily bring harm to those closest to you. However, I can understand Ban Ji Eum’s desire to remove the burden of remembering so many incarnations. Had they gotten the ending right, this would easily be a perfect “10” series for me, as it keenly held my interest from start to finish.

Performances are astounding, especially Shin Hye Sun, who never fails to impress me. She’s like a Korean Meryl Streep. She can literally do anything put forth to her, and she always turns in amazing performances. She is currently my favorite Korean actress. Everything from a thriller (Stranger) to comedy (Mr. Queen) to historical romance (Hymn of Death) to this one demonstrates that the mastery of her craft is varied and diverse.

I also really enjoyed Ha Yoon Kyung who is also a fantastic young actress! Everything from “Hospital Playlist” to “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” to this drama demonstrates that this young lady’s got a bright future ahead of her. And Cha Chung Hwa (Kim Ae Kyung) is one of the best character actresses in the business. Ahn Bo Hyun (Moon Seo Ha) was fantastic as well.

If this story based in reincarnation tells us anything, it’s to get things right the first time, although people rarely do. There are two types of relationships: dharmic and karmic. Dharmic relationships are those where you have a natural, easy connection with someone. You are together simply for the joy of it. Karmic relationships are those that tend to be strained or have much conflict because there are issues that still need to be resolved. Obviously, our task—as we move in our circles—is to transform those karmic relationships into dharmic ones. So, why wait until the next lifetime, when something can be done about it now? Such is the power of forgiveness, which is the central theme of this series. Let go of the past—grievances and all.

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Different from webtoon

If you watch the webtoon first and then watch the drama hoping that it stick to the storyline, DON’T. I was one of the webtoon’s fan and I watched this drama thinking that it will stick to the original story because to me, the webtoon storyline is already good and I don’t think they need to alter the story anymore. But guess what, totally different than what I imagined. Well, I understand that some dramas don’t follow their adaptation but still, a bit disappointed as a webtoon lover myself. My opinion may be biased so I’m sorry if you think that way.
For the casting, when I first heard about the announcement on who will become Seoha and Jieum, I’m having mixed feelings because Bohyun is known for his strong and muscular role so I was doubting whether he can portray Seoha’s role flawlessly. Turned out, my worry is nothing because I can see that Bohyun really prepared for his role and watching him makes me feel like ‘ah, this person really can act well.’ For Hyesun, I have nothing to worry about because I have watched several of her dramas and I can say that she is truly a brilliant actress. The way she acted the emotions and actions, makes the viewer also felt something with her and that’s what I truly love about her acting. For Chowon and Doyun, I’ve seen their previous roles in another drama and I think they suits the character well.
Next, I will talk about the drama itself. They start off with a strong plot and a bit confusing at first but still can be followed after several episodes. In the early episodes, they follow the webtoon plot and put some detailed information such as her past lives before reaching her 19th life. Various characters in her past lives was utilised very well although for me, if they didn’t put the detailed so much, I feel okay because her 19th life is more important. But when it comes to her 1st life, I wish they didn’t change the webtoon plot. It’s a bit complicated when her 1st life has something to do with her 19th life which I feel it’s unnecessary but I love how they executed the connection into something more resolved (I put the word resolved because jieum’s character has experienced many lives so it feels like she find peace in resolving her first life). Jieum was given two choices whether to remember her past life or forget her past life. In the webtoon, Jieum choose to remember her past life but in the drama she choose to forget and this part was very interesting for me because I was intrigued to see how they acted the scene. And what can I say is they did a great job in changing the plot. Maybe because of limited time, the scene feel like it’s forced but doesn’t bother me too much. They conclude the ending of this drama well.

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