18 Again (2020)

Hello Hello Disappointments

It leans towards the heartwarming and over the top sentimental department but the show majorly struggled to stretch the story into a 16 episodes, their solution was a series of subplots and fillers that felt hollow. It's like the 3 writers didn't agree with what direction they wanted to go and did their individual scripts instead.

One big major flaw was the writers ditched what seemed to be a major plot that they were brewing up from earlier episodes only to change direction midway.

A stalker follows and observes everything Dae Hyong does, he noted Dae Hyong's whereabouts and his change in moods and behaviors everyday. They even altered his voice to add to the mystery. But by the 2nd half, they revealed he was obsessed with Si-a instead. It unfolded in a very underwhelming way that lasted like a minute, everyone quickly moved on from it. The writers basically bait and switched. You would think the stalker was part of the major plot that would affect the main characters by how they were showing it from the beginning. Their workaround to change direction he was to make him be Si-a's stalker instead. It didn't add up and didn't make sense at all. This is such a bad writing, on top of already dragging story full of hollow subplots and fillers.

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It's definitely a 3-pointer shot from the half court.

** Finally reaching completion and I can confirm that many of the things my review was written has largely been true. Way back when I started writing this review at the start of the series airing, my expectation for it was relatively regarding me feeling enjoyment from the family aspect of the drama but quickly it turned into something more emotional and deep. I self-reflected and find that I am emotionally invested in the drama. My point about how if they explained the age-reversal part well, it could be a selling point for the drama and yet I now don't exactly agree with this sentiment because 18 again is more than that. It was able to live up to this trope of going back in time as a young fella whilst transcending above with the concept that family is central and key to our daily lifestyle. By being young, we lose the times we spent with our family because they are all so much more older than you and you become a "different individual". Yet, you also resembled greatly like the older version of you and you can't help but wish you can can become older again for your family. Overall, I highly recommend anyone to give this a watch expecting to learn about having a family, the morality behind it and the relationship which doesn't always seem ideal. The ending didn't disappoint me so the quality for the whole drama is maintained solidly. I give this a drama a 8.5 star which is a super high rating that I only gives to some particular drama. There is only 2 other drama higher than this in my list so you can expect good stuff from watching this. Enjoy and stay true to your family!


With the limited episodes out there as of this review, I find myself interested to await for more of the episodes to air as the story progress into a variety of genre I didn't expect from it. I have never watched the actual movie it was based on so I am totally brand new in not knowing the plot beforehand. Although, I am familiar with the concept of "going back into the past" whether it be through time travelling, reincarnation or age-reversal. It's a nice concept that can add unique flairs to a drama IF EXPLAINED WELL. I am not certain yet as to why it happened like that for this drama but they did gives us some clue so I am expecting more of that later on.

This drama is presenting numerous option it could take including the usual family drama. I smell hint of a mystery brewing, supernatural/fantasy element and sprinkled heavily on those are comedy/parody which would entertain you into laughter albeit it can be over exaggerated until you feel embarrassed. With a hotpot of genre, it can potentially be hard to digest the content provided by the drama which was why I am surprised for wanting more of the drama instead.

And the answer to that surprised was.... the raw emotions presented from a parent for their child and love. That to me regardless of the genre is a relatable topic and to see a parent interact with their children as a friend is something I wish more families would have. It gives me satisfaction when the parent could realized the thing s they missed out, whether it be through the neglect of their kids or that they were having miscommunication with their significant other when both want the best in the relationship. To also observe the witty words of a 30+ year old man among kids with a face as handsome as Do Hyun, that's the best combination to have and we all dream of that in our fantasy drama. What better way than to have the same 30+ year old man (ugly) turned '18' (handsome) met up with his "wife" who looks so pretty both young and old. Now that can turn spicy XD. Anyway, acting has been great for the cast and to have a side character that serves as a comedy relief is not bad either. It gives me that Backstreet rookie vibe for that person's role in the drama and we all know how crazy he gets.

For now, I believe the drama will turn out enjoyable at the very least so I recommend you give it a watch for anyone that liked a hidden gem which may not have a star-studded cast, but it compensates by including more funnest without degrading the emotional quality of a scene.

Post episode 4: I enjoy the epilogue and the comedy relief in between the drama. Especially at how inspirational a statement during the epilogue scenes. The characters so far have been well-designed with their own personality and the other "male competitors" have very good reasons as to why they should exist.

Update to Episode 8: I am definitely reviewing as I have watched more episodes since. This has clearly been an emotional ride so far with those epilogues and the cast serves a very distinct role. I come to find myself relating with the backstory of each characters and have upped the score from 8.5 to 9 star with how the drama is produced.

p.s: I have confirmed that one of the OST (Hello) was sung by SoHyang, the queen and one of the best female vocalist. A good OST can bring a drama scene a long way so to have an impressive singer which is known for being expressive in their voices, it just help me immersed myself deeper. The currently released OST is by Soyou and that is already quite soothing for me, building an atmosphere that create longing for the happier times but due to circumstances, you feel sad.

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Absolument magnifique! Un chef d'oeuvre d'émotion et de sincérité!

C'était. Que de souvenirs. C'est une onde de marée d'émotion imprévisible et qui nous a tenu en haleine pendant 16 épisodes. Aussi inattendu que bouleversant. Si vous vous lancez dans ce voyage fait d'humilité et d'amour, n'oubliez pas de prévoir des mouchoirs. Car ici, on y pleure autant qu'on y rit.

Il n'est pas besoin d'être parent pour s'y identifier. Avoir été un enfant, un ado sera suffisant, si tant est que l'on n'ait pas oublié. Cela rappellera surement à beaucoup d'entre vous ces nombreuses fois où nous pestions après nos parents, à tord ou à raison. C'est un drama où nous sommes tour à tour parents et adolescents. C'est un drama où je, personnellement, me suis revue. Maman jeune. Maman tôt divorcée avec un bébé sur les bras. Le regard des autres, je ne l'ai jamais oublié. Maman remariée avec un homme bien plus jeune. Encore des regards et des chuchotements. Un homme de 19 ans qui traverse tout un océan, un continent, et qui devient le père d'un enfant qui n'est pas le sien.
Non, ce n'est pas le drama. Mais cela y ressemble. Des regrets? non. Des moments très durs? oh oui. Heureux? Mille fois oui, exactement comme l'image de fin. Et c'est ce que ce drama m'a apporté. Ce flot de souvenirs, ces angoisses, ces moments de solitude. Mais aussi cette émotion qui s'étrangle au fond de la gorge lorsque je revois mes bébés marcher. Mes bébés que je protégeais sous la pluie en retenant mes larmes. Mes bébé malades. Mon bébé harcelé à l'école. Finalement mes bébés bien grands.
Mais aussi le visage fatigué de mon mari, à peine 19 ans, et qui devait travailler après avoir arrêté la faculté afin de subvenir aux besoins de nos enfants. Aujourd'hui encore, je lui demande s'il ne regrette pas sa jeunesse. Ses amis. Sa faculté. Ses rêves. Comme Hong Dae young. Et pourtant, la fatigue a été remplacé aujourd'hui par tout l'amour qu'il a en lui. A ma question, il répondra "oui, je suis heureux. non je ne regrette rien."
Aujourd'hui, tout comme eux, tout cela ne sont plus que des souvenirs. D'autres sont à venir. C'est un peu grossier. D'avoir à parler de soi au lieu du drama. Mais ce drama ce fut nous. Peut-être vous aussi.

Mais si je devais tout de même (c'est aussi un peu le but, n'est ce pas) parler du drama : Les personnages sont excellents, dans leur action, leur pensée et leur attitude. Je n'ai pas besoin de préciser que tout cela a été magistralement interprété par des acteurs, certains confirmés et bien connus, d'autres moins et qui s'en sortent brillamment.
Da Jung : sa maturité est bluffante. Après avoir tant traversé, elle garde encore le sourire, et sa façon de s'imposer est tellement "classe". Sa douceur et son calme olympique furent reposants. Si on oublie bien sur la scène où sa fille se fait agresser, qui est juste hilarante (parmi tant d'autres)!
Hong Dae Young : le personnage est tout sauf détestable. Plus les épisodes passent, plus nous le comprenons, et plus nous pleurons avec lui. Ce fut le personnage le plus intense de ce drama. Ses erreurs loin de le desservir ne l'en rendaient que plus humain. Plus à plaindre et plus à aimer. Cette façon qu'il avait d'aider dans l'ombre ses enfants, son père, sa belle-mère et bien sûr sa femme était bouleversante. J'ai adoré ce personnage. Pas une seule fois, je ne lui en ai voulu. Pas une seule fois je ne l'ai trouvé pathétique ou bête. Il était juste humain dans ses défauts comme dans ses qualités.

Les personnages secondaires sont parfaits. Le fait qu'ils évoluent et apprennent au contact de Da Jung et de Hong Dae Young était jouissifs. L'humour dansait à la perfection avec l'émotion, et nous passions du rire aux larmes d'une manière aussi déconcertante que naturelle. Les couples secondaires sont adorables en tout point, et même si ce n'est pas la passion fusionnel qui donne des papillons dans le ventre, on se retrouve très souvent à sourire bêtement.

Ce drama est avant tout une ode à l'amour. A la personne aimé. Mais aussi envers ses enfants. Ses parents. Ses beaux-parents.
C'est une surprise magnifique d'autant plus que cela faisait belle lurette qu'un drama coréen ne m'avait autant touché. Mon premier 10/10 pour un drama coréen pour cette nouvelle année (voire même l'année précédente).

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I waited 2 years to watch this tv show, and I WAS MISSING OUT!

The reason why I was so late to watch this beautiful drama is because I was afraid in how they would make this a whole 16 episodes of a 1 hour and something movie (the American movie 17 again) but they did it beautifully. It was like watching all these layers being explored with so much meaning and love, wow! I was stuck to my TV while watching, it was so hard to stop the times I had to, because it is that good and captivating. The thing I like the most about this drama is that it felt real, raw even, their hardships, struggles as individuals, as couple, as family...you can learn so much with this drama.

The main message is that we should all value what we have because someday we may lose it or simply not have it and then all it is left is regret. The acting was marvelous, especially Lee Do Hyun, you can feel all his emotions deeply. Just know that if you haven't watched, still GO RIGHT NOW! You will not regret it, but please do grab a box of tissues or 2 because you will need it!

One of the best kdrama I have ever seen with one of the most beautiful story, OST and amazing acting! 10/10

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If you've read the synopsis of this drama, it will be pretty evident what it's about. Yes it's based on the film 17 Again where a middle-aged man goes back to his younger teen self.

STORY:
As mentioned, the story line is based off of the film 17 Again starring Zac Efron. If you've watched the original film, you might like this. It does follow the main storyline as the film with the dad (Hong Dae-Young) being an aspiring talented basketball that ends up giving up on his dream as his high school girlfriend gets pregnant. They have kids, he ends up living a mediocre life with his girlfriends, now wife, then ends up getting divorced. He later on ends up going back to his teen self by some sort of magic. This basic plot of the drama stays true to the film plot as well. The only thing is they of course had to make an almost 2 hour film into a 16x1 hour long episode. So of course, they had to add A LOT to make up those hours. And how they filled those hours were both good and bad.

THE GOOD: I like the little snippets of Dae-Young and Da Jung's past that gives the viewers a little bit more of an insight as to why they're divorcing. It helped show the viewers why some marriages fail and of course also showed the good bits towards the end. And all the silent acts of Dae-Young that his wife didn't know about.

The build up of the love story of the daughter Shi Ah was also added which was decent compared to the film. How she changed from how she felt towards her dad at the beginning towards the end was also very moving since it was like Da Jung's where she didn't know that her dad did stuff for her without her knowledge. This helped build up her character as well as their relationship to a happy ending.

Dae-Young's relationship with his father was also expanded and seriously this part of the drama touched me the most. From how they had a broken relationship to the hidden acts that Da Jung did for her father-in-law, to finding out about Dae Young's mum and his close similarity to his father as he grew up. And eventually to how their relationship gets rekindled in the end.

THE BAD: They added a love triangle with Ji Hoon as the 2nd male character and honestly I didn't enjoy or care for it much. It was added to build some tension but I skipped most scenes of him and Da Jung as we know he was never gonna get picked anyway. The story of him, his brother and his niece was a nice added storyline though and that I enjoyed as it did add to his character and changed him from being a playboy to actually being a fairly decent guy. Deok Jin's love story with Ms. Ok had to be dragged until the very end of course so it just seemed unnecessarily long. For some reason they also added a stalker which was literally just for unnecessary tension for nothing, It didn't really add or takeaway anything to the drama. It was literally a filler.

CHARACTERS & ACTING:
Lee Do Hyun did an incredible job playing someone with a middle aged man's brain. Both his funny scenes and emotional scenes were great. And since I've only seen him in Hotel de Luna, seeing his funny side in this drama was refreshing. On the same level, prepare the tissues for when he brings his A game to an emotional scene.

Yong Sang Hyun was also great. Since he sort of became a 2nd act and only appeared in the important scenes, he really had to bring it and that he did. He definitely added emotional weight to those scenes where he was lingering around Da Jung and in the flashbacks.

Kim Ha Neul was fab too. She didn't have a lot of mum scenes but when she did, she did them brilliantly. Her chemistry with Do Hyun was great as well and not weird at all. Of course, the viewers know that it's Dae-Young in Do Hyun's body but even then it could feel weird if the chemistry wasn't right. But it worked with them since the two worked well alongside each other.

The supporting cast were also great especially Shi-Ah and Shi-Woo as the kids. I appreciated Deok Jin's geeky side too since I'm a Marvel fan :D Special shoutout to Han So Eun (young Da Jung) as she really did great to add emotional weight to Da Jung's character and her young romance with Dae-Young. The chemistry between her and Do Hyun has really made me want a drama with them two as the main leads :D

OST:
The OST for this drama was amazing, although Hello got a bit overplayed. Still I saved it on my playlist cause it's one of those as soon as you hear it, you know straight away which drama it's from and the scenes even play out in your head. There are a couple others such as The Only One and One Person that also stood out to me. Overall great originals that definitely made certain scenes even more emotional.

WOULD I RECOMMEND:
Yes. It's a light, heart-warming drama that will touch you. It's not just about a love story of a wife and husband but also a lot about family and the relationships between father & son, mom & daughter and father & daughter. This drama will teach you a lot about the importance of communicating with your loved ones. And the importance of cherishing the moment before it's too late.

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Cute and better developed than the original story

Came here expecting it to be like the movie (which I didn't like that much since the characters were way unmatured and had several plot holes), glad to say that this one is so much better.

I enjoyed every part of the story, even the side ones are enjoyable and a good addition to the main plot. Can't say I found myself bored at any point while watching this, from beginning to end I was invested to know the characters and how their lives developed chapter by chapter.

Story: Well presented, main and side stories are tied together so smoothly to the point you don't know which one it's the core. The characters have an amazing story and growth while the narrative continues around them.
Acting: Phenomenal, although the age difference between ML and FL can become weird at some point in the story, it's understandable and well presented.
Music: Goes hand in hand with the story, amazing choice.
Rewatch Value: It's worth watching it a few more times.
Overall: A perfectly balanced drama with a fair amount of fantasy, romance, life, and friendship. Recommended for those who liked the movie, and for those who did not.

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JUST GO FOR IT! MUST WATCH. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The storyline the characters everything was awesome. And obviously Lee do hyun's acting skills are on another level. I am In love with this drama. Trust me you are gonna love the characters especially the main lead! If I would have to say about this drama in one line it would be "The best of the best"
18 again deserves more hype. Its really a great refreshing drama. Must must must watch. I am a type of person who is very particular about dramas but this drama has my heart. If LEE DO HYUN gets more dramas with a great storyline then trust he is going to be the next LEE MIN HO! Overall, 18 Again is a nice ride of emotions with great acting, decent storyline, not-for-everyone jokes, and valuable life lessons. However, as just how life goes, those valuable life lessons might not come in the best form.

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Such a good drama.

This drama is not something I would rave about, but it was really good. Please check out my bio for how I rate dramas (yes, you will meet a very detailed bio). My friend recommended it to me, and I do not doubt their taste at all now.

Firstly, the story was unique. I don't think it's been done before and even if it has, the quality would not have matched this one. Although the introduction of the characters was a bit faster than I would like, they definitely made up for it as it went on. It's not as heavy and sad of a drama compared to the ones I usually watch. Even though the storyline is completely different from Weightlifting Fair Kim Bok Joo, I would say it radiates the same chaotic but fluffy energy. P.S. I did cry for some reason though. This drama is really hard to review without spoiling anything so after you read this, go watch it immediately if you haven't already so you can understand what I am getting at.

Moving on to the characters and cast~ I don't even think I have to dissect the acting because there was no hole. What I mean is that the level of acting was all the same level--there was not one actor or actress significantly weaker or stronger than the others; I think this cast complements each other well. This drama introduced Lee Dohyun to me even if I've heard of him before. Right away, he sprung up my actor list, if you see my bio. The only problem I have with the characters is that I got some second lead syndrome regarding Jihoon, the baseball player, and Jasung, the bully. Eventually, I saw that the writer did a good job with Sia's pairing because there was little to no character development with Jasung; it was more of a character switch and that's why I was very satisfied with Jiho. Regarding Jihoon though, I just think he matches the female lead more in terms of personality, success, etc. Also I find myself cringing whenever the young male lead has intimate scenes with the female lead.

Overall, I would RECCOMEND.

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A weepy with some great characters, but also a few flaws

I enjoyed this drama very much. For me it was flawed but heartwarming ... up to a point.
This is obviously based o a 2 hour American film, and they make it cover 16 episodes - not always successfully.
The premis is OK. our jaded middle aged dad has a chance to re-evaluate his life, and learns he has been doing nearly everything wrong, but learns this without bitterness, and in fact with gratitude.
Most of the plot and sub-plots are engaging and heart-warming, with problems being resolved and wrings righted, sometimes in unexpected ways. Very engaging.
Characters grow and develop sometimes quite subtly, and this is usually handled extremely well. The acting is nearly always outstanding.
I loved many of the characters, often abrasive at the start, but latterly more confident in themselves and their position and aims. The interactions between the generations were a delight, the exposition of friendships were beautiful and full of laughter as well as many very moving moments. Moments when the real nature of a character's care was revealed were deeply emotional and pretty overpowering.
There were two main weaknesses for me.
The role of Jung Da Jung began very strongly: here was an incredibly strong woman who has come through fierce difficulties, and is now brave enough to shoot for her dream career, and can take all the blows offered her and turn them into success. She knows she is facing ridiculous prejudice, but she sweeps all of it away. But somehow part way through the drama she becomes wishy washy, and, just as she is supposedly blossoming as a woman in the gaze of a new man, she becomes the c;iched Korean "mum" who is sexless and strangely clueless. Kim Ha Neul is a beautiful woman, but she fades and fades exponentially, for some reason. Perhaps the complete lack of chemistry between her and Lee Do Hyun in the role of the teenage boy was the source of this - maybe a conservative public was thought unable to accept a middle-aged woman really being turned on by a teenager, so it may have been played down until it was completely absent. It ruined the relationship for me, and made her (and the relationship) quite unbelievable.
And perhaps partly as a result of that, the later episodes were undeniably tedious - with too much dithering and soupy plot-filling with "thoughtful" gazes and repeated flashbacks to the same events, and the two final episodes were really an exercise in extended I-dotting and T-crossing. Sadly the conventional message of "stay together through everything, no matter what" is ladled on heavily, without any real reflection on why the couple are able to come together again ... namely, they have both changed, re-evaluated themselves and their family, and reset their priorities, and they are no longer the same tired and jaded people they were. The end of the marriage was necessary to allow them to grow and come together again

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