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Lovely Watch!
I really enjoyed this mini-series. It was 6 episodes and it was long enough for me. I know there are some negative comments about unanswered questions and so on...but I don't feel the same way. everything wrapped up nicely to me with just enough mystery left. I don't care to know where the musician is and I know that the magic isn't real, and I also get where the story was going. I loved that he swooped in and save these two teens from their miserable lives, by helping them to change their mindset. I'm a big believer and doing things that make you happy and enjoying the happy moments even while you struggle. life is too short to just follow the routines and as cliche as it sounds 'life is what you make it'.The show does give that broadway feel to it which Wookie nailed, ofcourse. It did add a heartwarming feel to what started out as a very depressing drama. I am not sure that there is proper character development or that the writer showed the changes in the ML properly. Yes, it showed him dropping out of school and so on, but the main people were his parents.
All in all, I really enjoyed it! Do I need to rewatch? Probably not.
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Good for a Medical Drama!
I loved it! It wasn't something that I had on my watch list initially...but I wanted to try something different and I was also interested in seeing how Kim Bum acts. I've only seen him in Boys Over Flowers. Needlessly to say, I loved him in this.I am also a fan of medical dramas, I binged Greys Anatomy as well as House so I was curious to see how this would measure up. I'm glad to say that it did not disappoint. I also like a bit of fantasy so it was great for that as well.
At first I was wondering why this drama was so long...I am sure it could've wrapped up everything in 12 episodes, but now that I've finished it, I love how they tied everything off so nicely. I also love the character's growth and progression. I also LOVE that the ending didn't feel rushed (like so many dramas do).
It's a must-watch for sure! Makes you think about the value of life and how you never know when it's your time to go. So therefore you should do what makes you happy.
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Loved it!
Truly loved the romance in this drama! Some bits might have been a bit drawn out and overdone but the true mark of a good drama to me is that you miss the characters when it's all over. I haven't been able to find another Chinese rom-com that is as good. I tried several others. I am also a sucker for inter-species, sci-fi rom-com. This drama also tugged on your heartstrings. It was an absolute delight to watch each and every episode. Their kisses were on fire. You could feel the sexual tension a mile away. I also love that the FL seemed unapologetically her, with her own unique style (that wasn't sexy IMO) but seemed to suit her character very well.Was this review helpful to you?
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What a Gem!
I'm so glad I watched this! I haven't laughed so hard since watching Mr. Queen. This rom-com is truly a rom-com, it's packed full of romance and lots of comedy...a great balance. The male lead stole the whole show. He is a brilliant actor! I loved him in Reply 1988 and he shines brightly in this one. He made the show so enjoyable with his antics. A must-see especially for his acting.The OST is great as well! The acting was beautiful. While there was a love triangle, I felt nothing for the second leads at all especially when they got their hearts broken.
I got a bit annoyed at the last couple of episodes...it was drawn out and didn't make much sense. The FL ran away when the ML got into an accident saying that she needed to stay away cause she's bad luck and blah blah...but still took her sister? That negates the whole premise of her beliefs from the start of the show. I know they had to find some way for the main couple to break up and get back together but to me, this was done very poorly.
The ML and FL BFFs! I love them so much!!!!! They added so much personality to the drama. I know some people thought they might be overacting but I loved every minute of those two!
It's a great watch even with the badly written episodes at the end.
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A Whole Convoluted Mess… But Somehow Romantic
I went into When the Phone Rings expecting a tense psychological thriller mixed with romance, and while it definitely had moments that pulled me in emotionally, by the end I felt like the entire drama was one giant convoluted setup just to bring two emotionally repressed people together.The strongest part of the drama was honestly the emotional tension between the leads. Their relationship carried the show. Watching two people who barely knew each other slowly open up, communicate, and realize how much they actually loved one another was compelling. The chemistry worked, and I think that’s why so many people stayed invested even when the plot started unraveling.
But the writing? Whew.
The drama introduced SO many huge twists:
* illegitimate children
* replacement identities
* corrupt family dynamics
* childhood murders
* basement imprisonment
* revenge plots
* kidnappings
* political power games
…only for the ultimate takeaway to basically be: “we should have communicated better.”
The biggest letdown for me was the antagonist. The show wanted him to feel terrifying and psychologically complex, but the more they explained his backstory, the less sense his motivations made.
We’re told he was a child serial killer who murdered other children from an orphanage while being secretly locked away in a basement (already a wild setup that raises way too many questions). Then his grandfather attempts to kill him by drowning him in a boat… but somehow doesn’t even confirm he’s dead. The caretaker discovers he survived and just lets him go? Go where exactly? Did nobody think maybe a homicidal child should be monitored?
Then years later, after surviving abandonment, attempted murder, and isolation, his entire obsession becomes ruining the life of the replacement grandson.
That’s where the writing lost me.
A true psychopath/revenge-driven villain would logically want revenge on the ENTIRE family system that abused and discarded him — especially the adults responsible. Instead, he hyper-fixates on another traumatized child who literally watched him get drowned and was powerless to stop it. The show tries to frame this as emotional betrayal, but it just didn’t feel believable to me.
And don’t even get me started on how many times this man escaped situations he realistically should not have escaped from. The police and security in this drama were basically decorative.
Also: the female lead got kidnapped SO many times that eventually I started laughing every time it happened. Ma’am. Please. Stay inside. Learn self-defense. Hire security. Something.
The final episodes especially felt messy and overly dramatic for the sake of emotion rather than logic. The war-zone reunion scene had me genuinely laughing because it was filmed like the most romantic thing ever while I was still trying to process how we even got there narratively.
Overall, I think this drama survives mostly because of the emotional connection between the leads. Their chemistry, longing, and eventual honesty with each other gave the story heart. But structurally, the plot became increasingly ridiculous the more you thought about it.
Would I say it was terrible? No.
Was it addictive? Absolutely.
Did it make complete sense? Not even slightly.
Rating: 7/10 — entertaining, emotional, chaotic, and held together almost entirely by romance and vibes.
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“What if love didn’t end when life did?”
See You in My 19th Life takes one of the most romantic ideas in storytelling...reincarnation, and delivers it with humour, heart, and a beautiful twist on destiny. Shin Hye Sun shines as Ban Ji-eum, a woman who remembers every one of her past lives and is determined to reconnect with the boy she loved in her 18th one. Her performance is fearless, witty, emotionally layered, and completely magnetic. This is one of those roles only she could play.The drama balances fantasy and reality brilliantly, yes, the premise asks you to believe in centuries of memories, but it roots everything in very human emotion: grief, longing, healing, and choosing love even when it hurts. It shows the beauty and the burden of remembering everything… especially when trauma follows from one life into the next.
What truly sets this drama apart is how cleverly interconnected every character is. The show crafts a web of fate that spans lifetimes: family, friendship, loyalty, love, all intertwined for reasons that slowly unfold in the most satisfying way. The emotional reveals? Perfectly executed.
The romance builds exactly the way I love Korean dramas to build: slow, meaningful, intentional. No childish behaviour from the female lead, no random misunderstandings dragged out for episodes. Instead, we get adults who actually talk and grow through their feelings. And the male lead? Such a soft, loyal, protective baby once he opens up.
The ending is one of the sweetest I’ve seen in a long time. There’s no unnecessary tragedy, just healing, destiny reset, and a love that gets to start fresh in a peaceful way. Even though she forgets her past, the people who love her are still right there, gently making their way back into her life. That final sentiment?
“Even if the memories disappear… our souls will still recognize each other.”
Is it absolutely perfect? Goblin and Mr. Queen still hold the crown for me, but See You in My 19th Life comes beautifully close. A couple small tropes here and there, but nothing that ruins the ride. Honestly, it’s the first drama in a very long time that had me completely hooked....I binged it in 2 days and got zero work done. Zero regrets.
If you love:
• fantasy mixed with fate
• slow-burn soulmate romance
• emotionally satisfying storytelling
• charming comedy without ridiculous characters
• and a FL who is bold, hilarious, and impossible not to love…
…this is your next obsession.
Final Verdict:
A beautiful, healing, and deeply romantic tale about souls meant to find each other—again and again and again.
A definite must-watch.
Score: 9/10 — Nearly perfect, and 100% unforgettable.
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Finishing this is a struggle!
Have to finish this drama! Nearly there! But it's such a struggle. Man! They said the writers were changed after episode 12 I think...but the drama was going down hill from a few episodes before that!This is SUCH a drag! Why drag this out over so many episodes? I'm beyond caring at this point but I need to finish because I just need to complete it.
Why change the main antagonist so many times? The first one was it and so ideal. They could've developed on his story. Like one other reviewer said, I felt like his was more intriguing actually and I was rooting for him. I even forgot his was supposedly evil.
I'm not sure what else to say. I wish there was more demon-hunting and fighting. There was so much going on that the show's premise was an afterthought.
Then they bring in some other dude in the 15th episode to what? Sigh....I'm so annoyed and over it at this point. All of the counters had a backstory that was so poorly executed in showing this to the audience.
Umm...watch it for yourself. I was interested in this because I like the whole gang of superheroes defeating evil storyline. I also like a good underdog plot...but this, this misses the mark completely.
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SIGH....This is laughable
This drama started out so strong to me. I'm like: Geez, how is the villain so savage? Then enters the main leads and everything started to go downhill.I've read a bunch of reviews and I agree with most of them. I absolutely love rom-coms and I love them, even more, when there is a fantasy element. But how can you NOT nail any of these? I've watched a bunch of time-travel romances before and none of them has been this bad? Do they even have any chemistry?
Why don't they give us proper timelines? Sigh...I also don't think that would've helped to show how these two fell in love. Sigh...where is it? It's going to take me so long to finish cause I press the pause button as soon as the 'love' starts. Why is the FL crying so much? I'm so lost!!!!!! I don't get it!!! Can someone help me?
Maybe I'm just salty..but the story is just bad. The acting is too much from the leads. The music is good though!
EDIT
Okay, so I dropped the drama for a while and just started it again because I need to finish it no matter how bad it is. Man this is still a struggle for me to finish. What a huge ad campaign! Advertising really starting to grate on me now.
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