See You in My 19th Life (2023)

Almost good

They always say the book is better than the movie and I fully believe this is another mouse that fell into the trap. I made the mistake of reading the webtoon first and had my hopes too high for this drama. That aside, what I love is seeing the Queen back with her court lady (from Mr. Queen) and I felt the uncle-neice chemistry more than the man leads themselves.

The story felt extremely rushed in the 12 episodes and I constantly felt like I was being pushed out the door to see the end of the plot. The introduction of the characters was also quite rushed and confusing at times. Honestly speaking, I'm not sure what wasn't rushed in this drama. I wished they put a little more effort in the adaptation because it had a lot of potential, but it defiantly did not live up to the hype.

Leer más

Lost chance

Great firsts episodes, with good pace, creative shots and enganging acting. The two leads have great charisma and the children actors are stellar especially the flamenco girl, she is super expressive and energizes every scene she is in.
Shame it all came downhill after this firsts impressions. Poor story progression, with excessive flashback scenes, that bring nothing to the characters development.
The storylines start to get submerge by a sentimental tone with repetitive themes. Seems like someone ordered the actors to act cute and childlike on every scene. Two much tone confusion, on the the last episodes, with caracteres fading away with poor resolution. Last 2 episodes fast forward ...

Leer más

Yawn, See You Never!!

Interesting beginning! When I was watching while it aired I couldn’t wait till the next episode. Then, around Episode 9 is where it started to fall off. Of course, the drama isn’t exactly going to follow every plot of the webtoons but, See You In My 19th Life added unnecessary drama to move the plot.

Examples:
— Aunt getting sick
— Ji-eum Bam having to erase all her memories from her past life

And much more. My problem which these plots were that, what’s to Ji-eum Bam without her past memories? It just makes her flat and bland. Other than that, it became very boring and dramatic after Episode 9 and the ending wasn’t very satisfying.

Do watch if you want, but avoid if you don’t like unnecessary and unexplained plots later on.

Leer más

the. pools.

Haii, so i was really excited for this show when it was first announced as i never could get into the comics; the artstyle of the comics annoyed me as the main character was rather expressionless, but i had heard the story was great!
and then i watched this.
there are 12 episodes, and about 30% of that we are staring at pools. sometimes we're in the pools, sometimes we're staring at the pools from outside, but it's a lotta water for sure!
The amount of flashbacks that got reused and reused, most of the time the exact same thing or we got a small glimpse of the rest of the flashback which meant that we had to watch it again!
somehow, this show also feels empty. the hotel plot?? essentially nonexistent, which i did really hope to see, but it was sooo useless. at the end they dragged her back to the hotel and i agree with her; why??? she was mainly a talking coach if anything or their maid.
the fantasy/19th life aspect was also not used enough, and then when Minji came into the show... it was exhausting!!
i only recommend this show if you wanna watch some swooning, but then again you could also watch a compliation of those scenes, so perhaps go for that.
i'll be trying to read the comic again instead.

Leer más

one-time-watch for the sake of the talented Shin Hye-Sun & Unique Story/Concept

What Worked: The story/concept | The brilliant FL | Mystery of Past Lives | Supporting Actors | Romance (ML/FL & SML/SFL)
What Did Not Work (for Me): The casting of the ML (-2 points) | The rushed ending (-1 point)
Final Rating: 7/10

PROS:
Kudos of the original & refreshing concept goes to the webtoon, but even the screenplay was executed beautifully in these 12 episodes and the mega-talented Shin Hye-Sun simply shines! The story focusses mainly on the romance of the main leads & the mystery of the past lives and both are interwoven well with strong cinematography!

Special Mention of FL:
I have been in love with Shin Hye-Sun since I saw her in supporting roles in She was Pretty, Legend of the Blue Sea, Stranger. Was eagerly waiting for her to make a big breakthrough as a female lead in a popular drama cause her talent deserves that recognition. Mr. Queen happened, and the rest is history. So when June came by, I was eagerly waiting for this drama because I wanted to see more of her and the story was exciting and she has delivered in every scene, every minute of the show! Here's looking forward to more of her works and excellent acting!

CONS:
The story pace could have been more even and wrapped up in 10 episodes. Right now for me, it dragged at the start (Ep 2-6) and rushes at the end (Ep 8-12). The drag made me put this show on-hold until it finished airing, and the rush at the end did not do full justice to certain characters (the second pair, family of the ML and FL and consequences of their actions) and the overall mystery of why these past lives occur.

Further the cast of ML is not to my liking - this is first drama of his that I have seen completely. I dropped the other titles, as he was not a very convincing actor & very lethargic; I felt the same here which makes him pale further in front of the vibrant Shin Hye-Sun.

OVERALL:
It is a good watch for the unique story-telling, the mystery , the FL and the romance. Some wholesome moments as other relationships are also explored in respect of the FL and cute moments of the second pair that make you feel good and giddy with happiness. Had the pacing been more tighter and equal weightage given to all characters, then it would have been an 8 or 8.5 for me (can't go further as the ML still drags the show for me).

Leer más

Started great but second half made me wanna drop

WHY TO WATCH THIS VS WHY NOT TO

WHY TO WATCH:
+great second couple (their chem was great)
+good acting, casting (cast was picked well)
+new story line (remembering previous lives is new)
+visually pleasing (overall aesthetically pleasing)
+you should watch this at least once

WHY NOT TO:
-second half (the story line got lost)
-male lead is useless for most of the parts
-couldn't execute the story line as great as the manga

Not for people looking for:
comedy
thriller

but for people who are looking for:
great second couple
romance

Leer más

Falls so far behind the webtoon

As I always say… I am more a webtoon fan than a drama fan.

I commented on Hero class 1 saying the drama was better than the webtoon. Extremely good indeed.. But..Here it is not…

Idk about those who didn’t read it but as someone who devoured the webtoon and cried with the webtoon the drama falls so far behind. And if I can judge it this way is because they really tried to make it exactly like the webtoon without the sex and without the development of the lead male character and side characters.

I think there is a cast problem in a way with the lead characters… The female lead isn’t that cute she is more of a strong woman. I mean it literally and in terms of personality. Sin Hye Sun doesn’t convey well enough that strong character and will. The lead male is extremely fragile but to a point that you feel his fragility. Ahn Bo Hyun doesn’t convey it right. It is subjective maybe but I really am surprised from people who did read the webtoon and think otherwise. And I can’t agree with you if you say “this is the drama” well.. maybe you shouldn’t make it exactly like the webtoon then and have people not expecting the same thing..

But prolly people who didn’t read it liked this one a lot and I can understand them better.

I gave a really bad grade cause I think the grades are way too high objectively speaking.

Leer más

Disappointing Show

Unfortunately, it was one of those shows that you lost interest in after you watched half of it, but continued to watch just because there wasn't a lot of episodes left for it to finish.
The concept of the story is nice but not well executed, shame considering the good cast.
I started watching it after i read of the story and for the actors, but was very disappointed with the show in general.
Alot of things ended really fast and without any good conclusion and some miss opportunities to improve the story.
And i think the budget wasn't that high as they were constantly returning to the same sets for the scenes and wear the same or similar clothes all the time.
The Makeup work was REALLY BAD especially for the main Actresse as it made her look older than the others, even though her character should be younger than the others leads.
Watch it just if you don't have anything else to watch.

Leer más

The artistic visuals just comforted me so much.

Ban Ji Eum remembers all her previous lives when she reach the age of 11. She never looks back to her past each time she reincarnates. In her untimely passing in her 18th life due to a car accident, she left her childhood love, Moon Seo Ha, who lives solitarily with a PTSD from the accident afterwards. When Ji Eum is reborn in her 19th life, she wants to reconnect with him and her family she left behind.

This show looks very artistic throughout. Cinematography, costumes, and the color grading are all delightful. It’s very well-shot and edited, that the emotional scenes hit me perfectly. Shin Hae Sun's portrayal of Ban Ji Eum is exceptional! She really shows a sense of wisdom and maturity in her speech that I feel she’s an ancient soul. I loved the acting of other cast too, especially the child actors in their characters. They really create a lasting impression and good foundation for me to invest the characters relationships, which is difficult to achieve if there’re many faces and lives involved. My favorite bonds are: the reunion between Ji Eum and her younger niece from her 17th life, to whom she was an uncle… and her reconnection with her 18th life sister, Yoon Cho Won. It really shows how familial bonds retain regardless of gender and time. The romance is okay, I don't think the chemistry is super strong, but they have sweet and emotional moments that adds to the pacing.

Each episode in the first-half was very interesting, but unfortunately, I didn’t feel that way on the second half because the mystery behind the car crash was handled in an uninteresting way and resolved too simply, that it feels a bit anticlimactic. The ending was really cute and acceptable, to say the least. Despite any plot holes and weak subplots, I really enjoy watching it.

Dec 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

Leer más

Different- In A Good & Bad Way

The execution of this drama, especially during the first few episodes was spot on from the webtoon. The addendums they added, like the second life of Seo Ha's mother, the relationship of Min Ki to Ji Eum, and how the uncle of Seo Ha surrendered were great and honestly top-notch.

What led to the downfall, in my personal opinion, was the number of flashbacks they used and reused in the entirety of the show. In Episode 12 alone there were three flashbacks already. It was too time-consuming; time that could've been used to add more story and depth towards the ending they gave.

Then there's also the ending, since Ji Eum will not be remembering Ae Kyung, who would've brought her up? Who would be with her during her formative days? Since there's no Seo Ha, what would make her dedicated enough during her younger years to persevere?

The ending they gave- which was VERY different from the webtoon, became too full of plot holes. While it was a meet cute kind of ending they presented, it left too many plotholes in place.

Leer más

This drama is supposed to be a MASTERPIECE.

It's 6/10. I love hyesun, but I don't think she match with ban jieum vibes, this is what i notice after first episode. Oh well, i can tolerate this, since this is not the first drama where the vibe of leads are different after some adaptation. Until ep 12, I can't feel any chemistry from our leads. It's too bland, or maybe it's my high expectations for this drama since the webtoon just too good. Idk how non-webtoon reader see this drama, but personally i feel a lil bit disappointed. But one thing that is well described is the scene when Aegyeong was sick and Ban Jieum's mother is faithfully waiting for her child. Scene about family here bring me to tears.

Leer más

It's a big mess! A disappointment!

As a fan of the original webtoon, I'm so disappointed with this adaptation. It's totally messed up! A lot of changes just don't make any sense. It's just full of cliché, tropes and dumb plot holes. I just couldn't stand them.

I got so mad how they even changed Ji Eum's first life. I really love the sibling interactions between Ji Eum and Do Yun in the webtoon and I really hoped they at least kept their past together, it would be so much fun, but it didn't happen. :(

Eventhough I really adore Ahn Bo Hyun and Shin Hye Sun, they are not Seoha and Ji Eum in my mind and I didn't see any chemistry between them at all. It's not because of their acting. They are great actors and actresses, but they just don't fit the characters. Seoha and Ji Eum are much more badass in the webtoon. And also, Shin Hye Sun is 10 years older than Ji Eum, a 23-year-old woman. That makes even less suitable for the role.

I just finished the drama just for the cast only. They did a great job in a bad drama.

Now I'm worried for another webtoon adaptation from the same author: It's a good day to be a dog. I really want to see it with the live-action version, and I also love the cast. But I lost hope after finishing this series.

Leer más