Nostalgia
Sweden
Let me begin by pointing out that this drama aired in 2017. With such a recent release comes certain quality expectations; they weren't met. It takes just an episode for you to question whether this drama aired in 2017 or 2007. When the producers asked themselves how to make the action scenes more exciting, some genius most likely suggested: "Hey, I know! Let's use the shaky camera technique! Oh and, not only that, let's use special effects to slow down the scenes as well. We can even go beyond slow-motion by rendering the scenes to 5 FPS!" Needless to say, the action scenes felt very outdated and not very 2017 at all. Also, the transitioning between scenes was terrible. Scene and music begins to fade but is abruptly cut and jumped to the next scene. Not smooth at all.
Storywise, the romance?
Jee and Sathit had an amazing hate to love journey, I really enjoyed watching their relationship progress.
Dao and Jett were cute together.
Piyak and Chaiyan... harmful, abusive, and toxic. Never have I felt so bad for a guy in a drama. If any guy is reading this, please know that if you ever fall in love with a person like Piyak and they treat you the way Piyak treated Chaiyan, please get out of that relationship. Not all love is healthy. You deserve trust, understanding, compassion, and most importantly, you deserve to give love and feel loved.
Storywise, the story?
I mean, meh. Each episode is nearly 2 hours long and there are 15 episodes in total. We could've probably cut the drama in half had the characters just TALKED instead of making assuptions and continuously misunderstood each other.
Finally, what did I enjoy most about this drama?
Except for Jee and Sathit, the two things that kept me going were... Suki and Chaiyan. Watching sassy, evil-laughing Suki was a true privilege. Such a loyal and fun character. Chaiyan is my new drama hubby. His loyalty and willingness to stand up for his friends is beautiful. He would make a great partner because instead of doting his other self when they're in the wrong he'd call them out on their bullshit. He's scold, forgive, and help them grow. #dreamhusband
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- Jung So Min. I'm not familiar with her previous works but I did not enjoy her at all in "Because This Is My First Life". I probably wouldn't have minded as much had she been a side character, but when the main character has a dead/expressionless face half of the time (at best!) then yes, I have a problem.
- The romance. Watching Ji Ho develop romantic feelings for Se Hee was a pretty solid journey but when on earth did Se Hee fall in love with Ji Ho? The episodes went by, one by one, and all of a sudden Se Hee confesses WHAT made him fall in love with Ji Ho. I get the reason WHY but I don't see WHEN it happened. I don't think the romance from See Hee's point of view was conveyed properly at all.
- When the side characters got a more intresting story than the main characters. I have yet to put my finger on what makes me feel like this (and I'll update my review as soon as I figure it out) but I felt myself more invested in Soo Ji/Sang Goo & Ho Rang/Won Seok. Their story and relationship development is what kept me going through this drama.
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With that being said, I loved it. I loved the drama and I think it ended the only way it should have ended. I've seen other people upset in the name of ethics, but I find it important that we portray mental health issues properly and do not romanticize the way people are struggling to deal with or overcome their sickness.
The story does not dwell too deep into the circus world, nor too deep into psychology; it primarily focuses on the characters, their development, and their relationships. It's like a cake with perfectly sliced pieces of comedy, suspense, romance, and psychology. No piece is bigger than the other and they all come together and make one heck of a cake.
If you liked this drama I recommend you also watch "It's Okay, That's Love" (2014 k-drama)
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