A matter of fact about past lives
Remembrance of former births', is one of the higher powers. I believe the writer has attained some of this higher knowledge, in order to write this story. As a matter of fact, where one makes a vow deeply in past lives and will try to fulfill it in future lives.However, one does not recall everything in the past lives, it will be bit and pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. It takes time to piece everything together. Except for the last episode: where you need to forget the past lives in order for others to be safe, is not true.
I give it 8.5/10 marks. I sincerely wish that the writer can achieve more transcendent knowledge to write the next story. Keep up the good writing.
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i think the ending was really fitting
i think the ending was really fitting. Both got punished by the heavens. Kang Min Ki lived 23 lives repenting what he did to the sisters. And once he had made peace he went to Ban Ji Eum. He was ready to accept whatever choice BJE was to make.And Ban Ji Eum only remembered her 1st life in her 19th because her lesson was to learn letting go of people once they're gone, she had to let go of not only her sister but all the people she loved in her 19 lives. Ahh gosh this was so beautiful, i needed this drama :(
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Really good!
Okay there was no second lead for the main character but there was a second lead couple and i was honestly so much more into them!!!I wish they had more screentime and more development fr.
I still liked the main couple, and they developed them really well but i think somewhere in the middle of the story i got a bit bored.
What kept me interested was the flashbacks of jieums past lives, and i lowkey wish the past life she had as a guy (the one who loses his lover) was more touched upon…
I don’t know I just feel like 12 eps for such a complex story isn’t enough and there were so many things to explore.
Overall the acting is AMAZING!!!!
Shin Hyesun never disappoints! I loved her in Mr Queen and I only continued to love her more in her other projects. Such a talented actress.
On another note I gained another kdrama crush, Ahn Dong goo… I hope I see him as a main love interest in a good kdrama one day.
Overall the storyline is really good but could’ve been explored a lot better, it’s worth a watch anyway! Finally a Female lead who isn’t afraid to be confident and dominant. Really loved Jieums character. So emotional, each emotional scene was well acted through. Good Kdrama!
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This is A Review from A Fan of the Webtoon Version
Keep in mind again, this is a review with the original source in mind, so there will be a lot of comparison. I'll try to be as objective as possible.I'll start with this. I would've preferred watching this without reading the webtoon first, because I couldn't watch it without comparing them. Since I want this review to focus about the story, I'll point out the other stuffs first.
Cast:
The casts did a great job at their respective roles. Shin Hye-Sun portrayed Ban Ji-Eum well, especially her quirkiness, her intelligence and charisma. Ban Ji-Eum is a unique character and she does well to make me believe that I see a live-action of Ji-Eum with her own touch as well. On the other hand, Moon Seo-Ha is a really delicate character. His current character was shaped by his "never-ending" trauma he got from his past and I would say that I'm really impressed with Bo-Hyun's portrayal of Seo-Ha, especially with the early skepticism that I had. Other casts did well as well. Their chemistry were also great.
But honestly, if I can point out who impressed me the most, it would be Kim Si-A as Ju-Won (Ji-Eum 18th version). Her mannerism, her glares hooked me as she looked exactly what I imagined Ju-Won would be. Her acting literally gave me goosebumps.
Music:
At earlier episodes, I would say that I hate the background music choices they made, especially with loud-comedic music. The music made it seemed like that Ji-Eum's actions (especially with Seo-Ha) as jokes and we should never take it seriously, but she did it with purposes and actually was serious even though she did those light-heartedly. The music didn't capture that essence. The later stages of this drama, the background sound choices became much better. Other than that, the soundtracks themselves are great and will definitely listen again.
Story:
Okay, this is the part that I want to talk the most. The earlier episodes presented the past and the problem well. The characters were introduced tremendously, especially Ban Ji-Eum's character. Also, this adaptation incorporated Ji-Eum's past lives really well to her current life, better than the original source. Seo-Ha's trauma was also potrayed well. From the beginning, it was clear to me that there would be differences between the adaptation and the source. In the earlier episodes, the changes weren't apparent and they only altered the ordering of the events, which I thought was fine for the most part. But as the story went on, the gap became much larger, and it seemed later they made a new larger. They introduced new characters, they altered the story, and removing some of the better parts of the original. As a fan of the original story, I was honestly disappointed.
(Warning: The following paragraphs will be spoiler heavy, so read it with your own risk. You could read the spoiler free conclusion after the *...*)
*There were some changes that were good. Like when Ji-Eum admitted to Cho-Won that she was indeed her sister reincarnation. It was one of my favorite moments from this series. Also, the fact that Cho-Won is a florist instead of working in entertainment industry was a nice direction. Other than that, as I have pointed out above, they incorporated her past lives better in this adaptation.
But for the most part, I think the changes made the story worse than the original sources. In the earlier episodes, since they altered the ordering or flat out removed some of the events, the flow of the story felt so choppy. In this version, it felt like Seo-Ha overcame his trauma so fast, and it just went away for the most part when meeting Ji-Eum, even though it lingered him since his accident. It's pretty disappointing how "easy" Ji-Eum made Seo-Ha fell for him.
Other than that, it is pretty disappointing that we didn't get a lot of moments with the 4 main characters, especially interaction between Do-Yun and Ji-Eum. Also, I'm not fond of the direction they went about mushing two different events at the same time. In the later episodes, they tried to tell two different important events happening at the same time, even though it didn't have to be like that. I understand why they made it like that, since the series is just 12 episodes (should've went for 16 episodes to begin with), but the execution wasn't satisfactory.
A noticeable difference between the two versions is that the original source focus firstly on how Seo-Ha forgiving himself and his past and then gave sprinkle of Ji-Eum's past lives a bit later, but in this adaptation, they put so much stake in Ji-Eum's life, especially regarding her past lives, and made this Ji-Eum much more vulnerable. Seo-Ha was much more confident in contrast. I don't think it made story better or worse, so I don't really mind.
What I do mind though is the ending. Spoiler alert: I hate how they made Ji-Eum forgot her past lives and the people surrounding her. It didn't make so much to begin with, because altering Ji-Eum's memory means that her life changed, and it didn't make sense that to me at all how she would not know or remember that she worked in the hotel before, knowing that she had a friend in MI who weren't not related with her past lives. Wouldn't this friend be surprised that Ji-Eum came back working there?
Also, what about her childhood? How would they fill the gap that big in her memories? Especially since most of her childhood was spent with Ae-Gyeong. Unimaginable. She spent so much time with people from her past lives, so it's unbelievable that she could be in a livable state with that much gap in her memory. It made the ending felt rushed, especially without more explanation about this. Altering her memory without altering everyone else seemed weird. Again, the approach for the ending given in the webtoon made so much more sense and also much sweeter.*
Overall, as an adaptation, I would honestly have given the story a 7 or even a 6.5. If I hadn't read the original, I think I would've given this a 8.5. Even without the original knowledge, I would still be able to see the flaws such as the flow of the story itself and also some of the weird contradiction and gap in the series. But I would've definitely enjoyed this more without the former knowledge. So, as a conclusion, as a fan of the webtoon, this is not a good adaptation, but as a fan of Kdrama, this is a good series.
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What will you do if you have the memory of your past lives?
A great journey with Shin Hye Sun and Ahn Bo Hyun. They portrayed their character perfectly. I am not good at writing review. I wil share my opinion why I you should watch this show. If you want a drama with rom-com and fantasy, you can try this one. You can attach your emotion with Ji-Eum .There are so many twist and turns in all episode. Why can Ji-Eum remember her past life? It is a great twist for viewers. I love the ending also. Overall it is a good show. I will miss all of them.
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interesting plot with top actors
Watched this for Ahn Bo Hyun, turned out stayed for the interesting story and other actors.Shin Hye Sun’s acting is stellar.
Ha Yoon Kyung is so cute.
Lee Chae Min is such a scene stealerrr.
There is no scene that feels like only scene filler. 12 episode is just right, not too long so it’s not draggy and not too short so it doesn’t feel like rushing to end the story.
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Great acting from the leads and beautiful cinematography, the plot could have had a better execution
Shin Hye Sun killed it once again. As someone pointed out, rarely do we see female leads look like they are in love with their partner, so openly and without fear. The love mostly comes from their male counterpart's gaze.Now for the negatives, for a 12 episode drama, this one has far too many flashbacks. We really don't need that many flashbacks in one scene just to tell the audience that Jieum is remembering her 1st life and it's bothering her. K drama directors need to treat us like a smart audience. I'm sure Shin Hye Sun can take direction and show the audience what is going on instead of the writing/directing/editing relying on such storytelling crutches. I swear the whole story of the first life could have been wrapped up in the first 15-20 minutes of one episode. In the age of streaming, flashbacks (that we've already seen so many times!) are an unnecessary rewind button.
As for the plot, as someone who didn't read the webtoon, the show spent too much time on the accident and not enough on Jieum and her mysterious lives. And for it to spend so much time on the accident, the resolutions to that storyline were quite plastered on. But still, it was a highlight of my weekends.
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Quite nice!
I finally watched this – been wanting to do it since it first aired! Overall, this was an acting masterclass from Shin Hae Sun, she was so marvelous to watch; the best performance of the show to be honest. I don’t mind the ending all that much because Ji Eum finding peace and happiness without the burden of her past lives felt very right and important to me. This show also made me cry so much!! The first 3 episodes were really nice, but after that… the middle did not feel as good anymore, it picked up again towards the end. I am overall a little bummed that I didn’t love it, but it is not a bad show by any means. Brownie points for the stunning cinematography and the beautiful OST!Was this review helpful to you?
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Episode 13 :)
The pace was good, even though it's difficult to fit a whole webtoon into 13 episodes.Spoiler alert : We will be getting a 13th episode on Saturday!!
The acting was incredible, and the relationship dynamics were good. I love the OST too; listening to some of the songs, like Star by Colde, triggers my tears instantly.
With episode 12 you may feel that, The only downside you can think of is how, by forgetting her past lives, Ban Ji-Eum forgets her current life. and hasn't remembering her past 18 lives shaped who she is and her personality? Or maybe personality travels through reincarnation, whether you remember it or not. Either way, I won't mark it down for that being unrealistic, as remembering your past lives is already unrealistic.
But in episode 13 there is a twist!
I recommend it to all!
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Fun Webtoon to Kdrama Adaptation
I read the webtoon version which the drama was adapted from, and I was pleasantly happened with how this turned out.They changed some things here and there, but overall it's still good. I still prefer the webtoon version, but this one wasn't bad.
I liked the casting, they did a good job on that. I hope to see more dramas with Ahn Bo-hyun as the male lead, he did well here. And of course, my queen Shin Hye-sun did not disappoint!
Overall, just a fun and relaxing kdrama to watch when you're not in the mood for anything too serious.
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Genuine relationships are ultimately what make life worth living
This show is certainly one of a kind. The story is relatively simple, with some underlying philosophical messages. It is simply about a woman who doesn't want to let go of her relationships and her inner struggles with identity, as well as healing the emotional trauma her death set upon her loved ones. Everything else barely matters tbh. Several scenes had high artistic value and were shot with tender care, making sure the emotions would seep through the screen into the viewer's heart (with the exception of way, WAY too many pool scenes). It's quite evident that the directors intentionally chose warm color palettes with the goal of visually pleasing shots.The biggest flaw of the show is that the show makers do not seem confident enough in the storyline (probably thinking it won't attract enough viewers), so they added sideplots that they thought would increase the tension but will only fall flat. They even tried to lead viewers into thinking the show was some kind of makjang at one point. Fortunately by the last episode we realise it is not the case, with the FL remaining a sensible character. Which makes you wonder what even was the point of the those flashbacks taking up the screentime. Nonetheless, since the core of the show really speaks to me, those elements did not drive me away from but dragged it down from a solid 9/10.
On the other hand, the ending is possibly one of my favourites in recent years. The slight but significant change in the FL's demeanour, more youthful clothes and behaviour, shows the burden lifted off her shoulders. It successfully relayed the message that letting everything go and starting anew is not as scary as it seems; rather, dwelling on the past would prove to ultimately mean nothing and only bring everlasting pain. And that when someone willingly carries your burden and makes the effort to start a relationship anew, without you ever knowing of it, that is love. Sisterly love and romantic love. The last scene was both quirky and heartwarming, making the FL have a taste of her own strangeness at the start of the show.
This show had an amazing ensemble of talented child actors, whom I've seen in other great works. Shin Hye Sun's "eyes speaking louder than words" has won me over, changing my view of her from "an actress to look out for" to "an actress to watch no matter what". From restrained but subtle emotions to explosively dramatic scenes, she pulls them all off. Ha Yoon Kyung is coming off very likable with "contagious" acting. While both male leads held their own, they didn't get as much to work with.
As many have mentioned, some musical choices were odd at some points but I didn't notice much of it apart from a handful of scenes. The majority of the soundtrack has been great and enhance the scenes.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama " See You in my Nineteenth Life " is a fantasy melodrama with a cute spin to it.The drama combined perfectly comedy with a more melodramatic mood when it came to the characters, their past and their struggles.
The story, in addition, is nicely paced, with the romance being enjoyable to watch, though predictable. The side couple were adorable though.
But the highlight of the drama is the main female lead. She was excellent as always and she proved once again that she can transform into any character she is given to flesh out.
However, there were some plotlines that got boring to follow. But the ending was unique.
So, overall, seven out of ten.
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