Again My Life (2022)

All about second chances.

Even with my excitement for Lee Joon Gi's comeback, due to recent trend in dramas, I wasn't really expecting too much and came here to only check out, thanking at least an average drama will be resulted. However, by the interval of the show, I found myself captivated and occupied by the entire thing and the pace with which everything was going on. It was difficult to get bored in any single instance and I was constantly absorbed by the quality of the show.

Created by 'Studio S' & 'Viu' and produced by 'Samhwa Networks' & 'Kross Pictures', "Again My Life (어게인 마이 라이프)" is the 16 episodes live-action adaptation of the Kakao web novel with the same title authored by Lee Hae Nal, which was also turned into a webtoon, as well. Both written and directed by 2 pool persons each, the show is 5% fantasy, 80% politico-legal and 15% action thriller, which was originally broadcasted on SBS.

Kim Hee Woo (Lee Joon Gi), a rightful & passionate prosecutor gets murdered for trying to bring down a popular yet corrupted assemblyman, Cho Tae Sub (Lee Kyung Young), who with the facade of being a stain-free personality, controls the entire nation. Miraculously, Hee Woo gets resurrected into his past life with a second chance to prepare himself well in order to showcase the power of truth and laws to those who abuse it for their gains. The story follows the journey of him strategizing a revenge for years, along with people who have come to believe him in the course of time.

I must inform you that the show is not an "one man army" plot-device, rather, a "together we can" spirit, that makes it unique. There are plenty of supporting characters, each given a fair share of emphasis in the story with perfect screen share. The other familiar faces in the drama playing major characters are Kim Ji Eun, Kim Jae Kyung Jung Sang Hoon, Choi Kwang Il, Hong Bi Ra, Kim Hyung Mook, Kim Jin Woo, Ji Chan, Cha Joo Young, etc. Lee Soon Jae, Jeon Gook Hwan, Yoo Dong Geun, Lee Kyung Min, Kim Chul Ki, Kim Young Jo, Hyun Bong Sik, Hyun Woo Sang, Joo Woo, Park Chul Min, Kim Hee Chul, etc.are more like guest characters but appeared frequently in the show.

Not like the first time Lee Joon Gi went for a legal thriller but what makes this particular drama stand out is better performance, the revenge plot, the execution and not to forget his action scenes and sense of humour.

Plot development was amazing. The pilot episode wasn't very impressive and felt like it'll be another politico-legal thriller with cliché elements. However the next few episodes turned out to ve good, as the writer attempts to incorporate base-level strategy making skilla into the character. The accumulation of power and will by Hee Woo was constantly alleviating to watch. His initial efforts to save things dear to him, followed by his endeavour to prepare himself bettee with a goal in mind, everything was awfully alleviating. As the real fight begins from the 2nd quarter of the show, it starts to become ingesting. Every time, the viewers feel like Hee Woo would go for his main target, he surprises by trying to weaken another angle of the villain, thus moving one step closer towards his quarry. It became even more compelling in the last 6 episodes as we knew what's coming soon. The last 2 episodes were the real game and the ending sequences was as enthralling, however, that's where they messed up. It definitely became rushed towards the ending of 15th episode and the entire 16th episode was on some other level, which was the biggest flaw. I must admit the very ending left us confused hinting the possibility of another season, but I guess we can assume the aftermath and let it go. Finally, I didn't like the sacrifice part bcs that's what I had correctly guess and I think that could have been easily avoided by the writer.

Lee Byung Hun jakkanim with the experience of working as both the director and screenwriter in both K movies and dramas is assisted by two debutant writers J & Kim Yool, for this drama. Focusing on the national politics, the show has been a constant reminder that, no matter how crazy the headlines might seem, things could always get worse, especially beyond the surface. The utilization of elements like, corruption, bribery, power struggle, etc. throughout was congenial and appealing. The base establishment, the furtherance, the unveiling of facts, the flashback to future (you know why 'future' 😂), the character arcs and most importantly the way of making strategy have been very well drawn.

Han Chul Jin PDnim with more than 2 decades experience and the number of contemporary hits works here the debutant Kim Young Min PDnim, and the both have been able to pull off such a stupendous urban thriller story with nonexistent flaws. The direction radiates the scope for several subplots and maintains the quality of the show throughout. The art of criticizing politics directly is overt in influence and the messages and takeaway notes are more palatable through the lens of entertainment. The screenplay management, scenario setup, screen-editing, choice of location, etc. have been well handled. With less utilization of vfx and editing, the modern urban vistas of Seoul are mostly eye-pleasing and maintains dark era for most of the parts.

Composed by Kim Jong Chun (Philstring), the drama has a total of 7 OSTs, but honestly, some are good and proved suitable for the show's essence, while others weren't. "What the Ggang?" By Yoon Do Hyun ia a impulsive hardcore track depicting open challenge to the evil. "Bring It On" is an adrenaline-inducing track reminding one of it's strength, fiercely sung by Sonnet and has an amazing chorus. "Burn" by Park Do Joon is a jolly track aspiring for a better day and a good life through self-determination. In the mesmerizing vocals of Yu Sang Eun, is "Till The End" which is a quest for truth. Other tracks were "Alone" by GB9, "Shadow" by Hanhae & Kissxs and "Tragedy" by Sondia; I didn't really like these.

What I liked...

# The plot development is beyond likable. The viewers receive intrigue, excitement, action and danger, all wrapped in, and intertwined with, a political plot, accompanied with legal components.

# Performance from all the casts, particularly from Joon Gi and Kyung Young-nim has been highly pleasing. KY-nim's dialogue delivery and way of phrasing sentences is always amazing but here we get to watch a more refined vocabs of him; his character was intriguing despite being the antagonist, ngl.

# Action scenes, mostly involving modern self-defense as well as professional ring techniques were quite agreeable, particular the ones when Hee Woo clashed with Doctor K.

# Even though the drama feels like an "one man army" show, it's a matter of time to realise that Hee Woo is always at the centre of everything, controlling, regulating and manipulating the scenarios, but he had to benefit from a number of people, whom he loved, cherished and cared for, and was the recieved the same from others as well.

# Pacing and progression of the show is worthy of your time as it doesn't really have a mysterious plotz rather goal towards bringing down a particular being, and elimination of their strength one by one in the due course. It's again isn't a head-to-head clash between the prota- and anta- gonist, rather a mind game. Personally, I wasn't able to skip or fast forward at all and was constantly engaged.

# I am so happy there was no romance, really. From the beginning, it felt like the ML will have to go through the push & pull among multiple girls and possible admirations were hinted off initially as well, but everything boiled down to friendship though there is an indication of coupling at the end, as the original work.

# There is no definite bromance either, but Hee was admired by many men in the show, from old to young, because of his kindness and deeds, which was also good to see.

# Finally, i must inform that there is no ML FL here, there are only main characters, supported by others, that's it.

What I didn't like...
Not just the writer, everyone in the team of makers are at equal fault. Even if there were no original novel, this show actually had to be of 20 episodes or at least 2 more episodes were a must. But for the sake of meeting the standard 16 episode quota, they messed up things a bit. So, for the drama writer, it would have been wise to develope plot in a way that the events from the beginning were a lil faster hence minimizing the rush that we saw in the last episode.

Final Remarks... What a show! What a show! What a show about legal battle between the righteous and the corrupted plus powerful. The show was able to give away insights about one's greed and it's impact on the powerless and common man.The show is highly entertaining, engaging and enjoyable which allows you to stick to it throughout the end. I am not able to find a particular flaw tbh. So my overall ratings are based on the levels of uniqueness, execution and the final experiences about the outcomes, which has led me to give it a fair 8.0. We all must realize it was not the best or something very mind-blowing, but very good per se with high production and entertainment value. Must recommended, please watch.

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A bit of magical impetus needed to effectively counter autocratic networking and corruption

"Again my Life" is about a personal revenge campaign and at the same time a fight for the rule of law. David is once again up against Goliath. In his first life, the young prosecutor fails - and dies. But miraculously he gets a second chance. Eventually, in this second attempt he sophisticatedly works on a supportive network. ´David´ no longer fights alone.

"Again My Life" is part of a kind of law-and-order series invasion that swept over the KDrama world in 2022. The country seems to be crying out for justice. There is obviously a growing urge for real justice and effective punishment for the backroom masterminds, who are holding the true strings of power. A yearning for an end to eternal corruption. At the same time, there is great frustration that it seems so extremely difficult, almost impossible, to truly say goodbye to the old autocratic structures. There are laws, but they still don't seem to equally apply to everyone. For some time already, KDrama creatives (and their sources like webtoons etc.) have been fervently exploring the possibilities for a new horizon. In 2022, however, we see an unprecedented abundance, almost a climax, on a desperate path of effectively and/or morally defying the machinations of the powerful and the injustices and loopholes within the practiced legal/societal system. E. g. "Military Prosecutor Doberman", "Juvenile Justice", "Why Her", "Insider", "Doctor Lawyer", "Law Cafe", "The Empire", "May it Please the Court", "One Dollar Layer" and even "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" mercilessly bombard the audience with the same basic structural problems over and over again. In doing so, in their own individual way they juggle with the possibilities, opportunities and limitations that the legal system and the rule of law have to offer. And so does "Again my Life".

"Again my Life" is one of those productions that, bottom-line, choose a rather sobering, almost pessimistic perspective. A pessimistic tone might come from the fact that the protagonist actually needs a magical impetus to even get a minimum chance to clean up the ailing, corrupt and mendacious system: with a second life. Time is practically turned back and he gets the opportunity to live once more - to make it better with the advantage of his knowledge about connections and context.
Pessimistic might also be the fact that in the end the outlook is a questionable one. The audience may be satisfied in many respects, yet the basic problem can´t be thoroughly resolved - which I would think is pretty close to reality. The audience is mercilessly confronted with the question: is real democracy an illusion? Is democracy just a modern marketing gimmick that secretly hides the old concept of autocracy that has been tried and tested on the peninsula for centuries? A new, beautified skin for the old wine?

Is the message therefore a pessimistic one? Almost, but then no. Because even if it feels (and really) requires rather superhuman efforts (or circumstances) to counter the old autocratic domination effectively, it can individually still succeed. The evil resides in each individual human being - in our seductibility and venality. Everyone has to face that. Again and again. It's not something that's rooted in the system, but in people. People fill community with life. Everyone contributes to it. This is partake and participation. However, this is only possible with mature, responsible, self-responsible, upright citizens who cannot be bought - and thus degraded to bowed lackeys.
Autocrats (= powerful private individuals within the given democratic framework conditions) need appropriate lackeys who give them power by supporting them in undermining the existing legal system. Therefore: what may come across as a pessimistic message at second glance turns out to be a rousing warning finger: Be vigilant! Stay alert! Do not give up! Take your chance, every day! Prove to yourself that you are a sincere citizen: Self-determined. Independent. Responsible. This is the only way, democracy and the rule of law can actually work. Otherwise, we agree with those self-proclaimed autocrats - and then we don't have a right to grumble and complain... Against this background, "Again my Life" offers a compelling, exciting story and at the same time a vivid lesson in 'responsible citizens versus corrupt lackeys'.

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Best part is it's finally over.

This shows is just all over the place. I kept watching to see if anything ever happens, but it never does. But what I really came here to talk about is how one of the good guys in show gets thrown off a 60 story building and in the next scenes is shown in a hospital bed with just a light bandage around his head, with zero explanation of how he survived, or any of the characters commenting or questioning it at all. Just really bizarre and baffling writing. Yes, he's in a coma which I guess is supposed to drive home just how dangerous it can be getting thrown off a 60 story building, but not to worry he is otherwise unscathed and on his way to recovery by show's ending, all without a single character ever making a single remark at how unusual it is to survive such a fall.

The other weird thing about this drama is that it begins with a time jump and the main character uses what he learned before the jump to help him through the next few episodes, and it is then never explored or commented on ever again, and the other main character that participated in the jump has no memory of it, and this too is never explored or in any way resolved. It's a major plot point in the beginning of the show and then just completely dropped and forgotten half way through as if the writers just didn't want to bother with it anymore.

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Déjà vu

Again My Life, at its core, is a political and legal thriller based on the premise of realpolitik power plays, the role of the prosecution, and systemic corruption that stems from the upper echelons of the South Korean political administration.

The drama showcases elements of “time travel/ re-living the past” that lean toward speculative fiction rather than pure sci-fi or even fantasy. Additionally, it features a certain amount of action, cloak-and-dagger intrigue and aspects concerning family relationships and youth/ school themes (briefly in the beginning), as well as friendship/ team dynamics with an extremely slight hint of romance.

The plot centres on Kim Hee Woo’s crusade for justice and perhaps vengeance amidst seemingly insurmountable odds against arguably the most powerful man in South Korea - political supremo and kingmaker extraordinaire, Cho Tae Seob. He does this armed with the knowledge of the past which he re-experiences through an inexplicable turn of event while gathering a close-knit circle of comrades-in-arms who join his efforts.

This drama is adapted from Lee Hae Nal’s (이해날) debut web novel Again My Life (어게인 마이 라이프), that was serialised between 2015 to 2016 and which has also spawned a webtoon series in 2019. Directed by Han Cheol Soo and Kim Yong Min based on the screenplay adaptation by Yoo Jung Soo (Jay), Kim Yul and Lee Byung Hun. Jeon Yeo Kyung provides the art direction while Kim Jong Cheon serves as music director. Martial arts (MMA) and fight sequences are choreographed by Seoul Action School’s Kim Min Su and Lee Soo Min.

The narrative is primarily set in Seoul but principal photography for this SBS production took place in a variety of locations. These include Seoul itself as well as Incheon, Cheonan, Asan, Sejong, Samcheok, Donghae, and Busan. The fictional Korea University depicted is in fact Hoseo University 's Asan Campus. The gym run by Kang Sung Jae is Jochiwon Smoke Boxing Gymnasium. The Gimsan Branch prosecutorial office is the East Sea Research Center of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology. The exterior of Cheonha Group's headquarters is the SBS broadcasting centre located in Mok-dong. Finally, the Haeundae Doosan towers in Busan Haeundae Marine City is the setting of the epic fight between Kim Hee Woo and Doctor K in the first episode.

A total of 8 songs are listed in the soundtrack, of which my personal favourite is the catchy and upbeat outro theme, Till the End by U Sung Eun which somehow induces me to do a little dance-along whenever each episode ends. The drama also features prominently as its main orchestral theme and instrumental BGM, Gustav Holst’s hymn tune, Thaxted. This is the tune for the widely-known hymn of I Vow to Thee, My Country.

Yoon Do Hyun - What the Ggang?
Sonnet - Bring It On
Park Do Joon - Burn
U Sung Eun - Till The End
GB9 - Alone
HANHAE ft. KISSXS - Shadow
Sondia - Tragedy
Ha Dong Qn - Killing Me

What I Liked

Again My Life is an easy to watch, relaxing drama that exudes “Netflix-and-chill” vibes. It isn’t groundbreaking or original in any sense, for viewers who have watched a sufficient number of similarly themed K-productions. Despite the political-legal thriller tag, the plot lacks the required depth and complexity to make this a truly memorable viewing experience. The inclusion of “time travel” plot device doesn’t really add much more dimension to the storyline either, imho.

HOWEVER… I had fun!

The storytelling is pretty linear and simplistic in that this inherently focuses on good versus evil, embodied by an equally superpowered individual on each side of the divide. There is much scheming and plotting by both camps in the pursuit of their respective agendas but in the end, it all boils down to the final confrontation between the two main characters, which is never in doubt from the get-go. If you’re looking for complicated power dynamics and intricately-woven machinations, then perhaps your expectations would not be satiated by this drama. On the other hand, if you just want the kind of no-frills entertainment that provides eventful thrills at a sufficiently engaging pace and without exhausting brain cells or inducing angsty emotions, you’ve come to the right place.

One of the more positive takeaways from this show is the very well choreographed action sequences, particularly the MMA-inspired hand-to-hand combat scenes. These usually involve the ML fighting against numerous assailants but in a manner that appears more realistic and technical rather than merely fantastical or illogical, which is frequently the case these days. The inclusion of a number of impressive “Boss fights” certainly spices up the entertainment value even further. The nicely presented fighting scenes come courtesy of the expertly rendered camerawork, as part of the overall cinematography which has been quite decent for the most part, in this drama.

This drama features an ensemble cast that is headlined by well known leads, with a number of familiar female actresses as well. Lee Joon Gi plays the righteous and, to a certain extent, omniscient ML, Kim Hee Woo. I’ve been a huge fan for a number of years and despite the limitations of the role here, he still delivers an impactful performance where he even gets to play a teenage version of himself in a brief “back-to-school” arc. It helps immensely that he possesses an abundantly youthful countenance, and a versatile hairstyle to boot, to pull this off. Physically he is also in good form where viewers get to see him executing slick MMA moves and various stunts in his action scenes.

The controversial Lee Kyung Young plays the all-powerful main villain, Cho Tae Seob. Whenever any production requires an utterly believable and compelling antagonist for casting consideration, this man would most likely belong to that top category of candidates to call upon. Not many in the industry could boast such gravitas, screen presence and pervading aura of villainy.

The actresses involved in this project comprise Kim Ji Eun (The Veil), Hong Bi Ra, Kim Jae Kyung (The Devil Judge) and Cha Joo Young (Chimera) who portray Kim Hee Ah, Kim Gyu Ri, Kim Han Mi and Han Ji Hyun respectively. Top billing is given to Kim Ji Eun as the purported FL although her role isn’t considered significantly more profound than the rest of her counterparts who share more or less equal screen time in the grand scheme of things. Despite the initial potential and eventual possibility of a harem, it really isn’t.

Among the rest of the supporting cast, my favourite performance comes from Jung Sang Hoon as the enigmatic Lee Min Soo. The veterans of Choi Kwang Il, Jeon Gook Hwan and Yoo Dong Geun provide no small amount of experience to the production.

What Could’ve Been Better

This drama being what it is, I can’t really demand or expect much more out of the production than what was delivered in the end. That being said, I do think that there are probably three areas that could have possibly provided more personal satisfaction:

1. The romance. I wouldn’t mind seeing the ML fall in love in the process of pursuing justice. In addition, I actually shipped him with Kim Han Mi in lieu of the actual FL.

2. The characterization. Perhaps due in part to the extensive cast, the focus is shared between too many characters. I would have liked to have seen certain characters and their dynamics fleshed out more. As it is, the spotlight shines primarily on both the main protagonist and antagonist.

3. The last 2 episodes progresses much faster than the rest of the drama. Too fast, in fact. A number of details or interactions that would've provided a deeper impact to the storytelling are skipped over in favour of the final showdown between the two leading men where the other characters kind of fall by the wayside.

Final Thoughts

For all intents and purposes, this drama does reasonably well what it sets out to do, which is to provide entertainment based on a tried and trusted formula of a team of good people - led by a charismatic and ultra likeable guy - going against all odds to right the wrongs of the world by bringing the perpetrators to justice, one bad guy at a time. As I mentioned earlier, don’t expect much more; just sit back, put your feet up and chill with the show.

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Not as good as I anticipated

There are few actors/actress which can carry the entire drama stealing all spotlight from other main actors and supporting cast. Lee Joon Gi being one of them. Moreover, he keeps getting younger with each drama.
Lee Joon Gi in `Again my life` looks younger than `Flower of Evil` which looks younger than `Moon Lovers`
Anyway, since this review looked like Lee Joon Gi Fan Club review, let me come to the show's review.

Again My Life, till now, is focused on fighting against the malpractices prevalent in societies. As rightly said in the beginning.
`Country though needs corporations to sustain economy, but no country can survive absence of justice`. One of the subtle point of the show is, usually pretty admiring quality arrogance veiled as confidence which our ML contemplates himself to be a victim of. More or less it looks like journey of KHW from confident and impulsive self to calm and composed self as he takes on the main protagonist CTS.

The quality of OST is quite good. Especially last 5 minutes of episode 2. Probably the best OST song I've listened in 2022.

Story though not entirely original, seems to spice it up by adding usual tropes in unusual ways ie. Parental arc, delinquent arc, College arc. etc. Initial quarter of episode 1 looked like directly taken from Lawless Lawyer. But, that's where the similarities end. Please don't get misguided by people saying it is exactly like Lawless Lawyer.

Characters are quite deep. Especially infamous villain CTS is quite layered. Though I hoped they should have casted someone
with more charisma with this role, but maybe they were looking someone bit old to play this role.

FL role's seem to be doing product advertising. There is no substance in that character. And HW's relationship, I don't have any words to describe it, as probably it's non-existent.

Post episode 4 this drama is sort of a letdown.

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Nice guys are not boyfriend material

Somewhere in the depths of the internet is a video where, amongst a panel of speakers, an amiable seeming fellow is airing the usual nice guy grievance that women should be more interested in him and other men like him as they have a lot to offer. A woman on the panel quickly interrupts him and rather succinctly shuts him down (although badly prefacing it by stating that she does not intend to offend him), that despite his belief that he has a lot to offer, he does not. Nice guy is aghast at this affront. End of video. The whole exchange can be viewed in less than a minute. Although not exposited, clearly, a torrid dating affair is not about to ensue for said nice guy.

“Again My Life” is a 16 hour affair that can be rather comprehensively summed up in the same way. The fancy marketing images might seem like it will be a pleasing and interesting show on the surface. Timeloop! [lasers flash] Revenge! [fireworks] Justice served!!! [THUNDERING EXPLOSIONS]

It might seem like it has these many things to offer.

It does not.

In fact, the most memorable moment of the entire series by a country mile happens early. Cha Joo Young triggers the whole timeloop by appearing as a grim reaper that sends Lee Joon Gi’s Prosecutor Kim Hee Woo back to his teen years. It’s over quickly but there's some spectacle here highlighted by some terrific wardrobe for Cha Joo Young.

The next few episodes follow Hee Woo’s initial steps at setting up his revenge against Lee Kyung Young’s Assemblyman Cho Tae Seob, the power-hungry kingmaker in Korean politics. It’s a fairly lengthy setup as there’s no shortage of supporting characters that need to be networked to Hee Woo - mentors, female friends/allies, classmates, family members, pugilists and fellow prosecutors.

Then the revenge actually starts. Or so it would appear. There’s some meetings. And phone calls. And conversations over food. News gets announced on television. A couple guys get dragged in to be interrogated. The good guy pretends that he’s not in his second go-round through a timeloop so, even when he’s telling his friends and colleagues exactly what is about to transpire, he [checks notes] acts normal. How does he know these things? His friends and colleagues question him. He shrugs and offhandedly says he must be lucky or something. And his friends and colleagues buy it, shrug and move on. That’s the excitement quotient on the good guy end. This is practically two-headed, four-armed purple mutants riding flying motorcycles shooting flaming rockets compared to the action on the bad guy side. The bad guy is a graying middle aged man whose evildoings revolve around him having conversations in a living room mostly with other graying middle aged men. The bad guy sports some seriously frightening [checks notes again] cardigan sweaters. In the super suspenseful moments of these scenes, the bad guy will quietly grunt and NOD HIS HEAD EVER SO SLIGHTLY. Not exactly grab a giant tub of popcorn stuff.

As for other issues…

The amount of characters is ridiculous. There’s as many cast members as a zombie apocalypse but each of them are supposed to be ones with names and unique personalities and some sort of reason why the good guy or bad guy has them involved in all of this and why they have some affinity for Hee Woo. But it's all drowned in the sheer numbers of them. There isn’t just one hired muscle guy. There’s one for the good guy and one for the bad guy and one for the good guy’s bff chaebol heiress. There isn’t just one elder mentor. There’s one for the good guy on the private business side and another one for the good guy on the law side and one for the good guy’s bff chaebol heiress. She also has two useless brothers because apparently one useless brother made no sense? There isn’t just one prosecutor underling type. There’s the assistant from the countryside and the good guy’s classmate from law school and the good guy’s female classmate from law school has one too and that’s not counting the one that’s under the middle management prosecutor who is working for the next-level-up but still middle management prosecutor. They all end up faceless and barely distinguishable from each other. Slap some fake blood and gray makeup on them and it might as well be a zombie horde.

Lee Joon Gi is a fine enough actor to be a male lead, but not this male lead. Hee Woo isn’t just a prosecutor. He’s a prosecutor that likes to be on the front line and occasionally mixing it up martial arts style with bad guys. Athletically, Lee Joon Gi can get by. But it’s impossible to hide that he’s at least two weight classes smaller than every other actor on set.

There’s a brief snippet or two of internal dialogue in Hee Woo’s head of pondering what the butterfly effect will be by him altering the course of events. This show needed a heavy, heavy dose of this but opted instead for boring bad guy and his boring wannabes mumbling at each other. Or recycling another scene where Hee Woo and his crew sit and talk. Or they talk on the phone. Or two characters have a conversation where they decide that one of them will summon another character and ask them to do something. And then the other character will be summoned and the dialogue from the earlier meeting will be repeated. And the other character will be asked to do the thing. And the other character will say “OK”. End of scene.

As for character growth and development, Hee Woo is the same in episode two and episode four and episode ten and episode fourteen. Bad guy? Same. Female bff chaebol heiress? She actually says out loud that she is going to leave behind her normal life but does her personality change? Not even a little bit. Any of the not-zombies-but-might-as-well-be horde? Absolutely not.

Moreover, Kim Ji Eun seems about as natural an actress for a rom-com as a production could find. Why she and her management seem bent on appearing in spy and legal thriller genre pieces is mystifying. She's just not going to generate the emotional intensity that playing this kind of character requires.

Late, very late, the show attempts to generate action and move some of the supporting characters in to more of a spotlight. But it's difficult to get emotionally invested in a character that's been on the periphery and barely on camera for the past ten-plus episodes.

OST? Nothing out of the ordinary.

Interesting scenery? No.

Romance? Barely a hint of it.

Sex? Nope.

Gore? Zero.

Humor? None.

Tension? Intrigue? Suspense? Zip.

Most damning is that there is no element of “Again My Life” that can be raised as a “Yes but…” Something that when this laundry list of flaws is recited, could be brought forth as a counterargument. Something that when a critic would raise, for instance, how lackluster a villain is present here, a fan could reply “Yes, but look at This Thing. it also has This Wonderful Quality that makes it worth watching.” It has nothing of the sort. It excels at nothing. It’s not even interesting at being bad at so many things. It was meant to breathe life back into a hero and bring a horrible villain to justice. Only there’s no breath and no life in any of it.

Ok fine. It has Cha Joo Young in a killer, bright red pantsuit on top of a skyscraper for a few minutes.

If timeloops do exist, someone should take one back to the production meeting where this got pitched and stop it from ever happening. Obviously not recommended.

[author's note: Contrary to the headline, it's really not that nice guys aren't boyfriend material. It's that anyone that claims to be a nice guy is almost certainly not.]

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Again My Sleepless Nights

If you´re considering watching this series, let me convince you to go for it.

Except for the daily dose of Lee Joon Gi, one also needs innovative dramas. "Again My Life" proves its potential with the first two episodes. After the praised masterpiece "Flower of Evil", will we be gifted with another masterpiece? Let´s stay tuned.

Production / Music >> 9.0
The alternative rock opening already sets a good atmosphere and impression of "Again My Life" and the audience can assume another emotional journey with this series. The usage of rock music, BGM, etc. fits the main character Kim Hee Woo. As expected of an SBS production, the montage of each shot/scene is well-paced and has clean cuts. Overall, with each set scene, the chosen locations and some extremely beautiful moments, the work of the crew is remarkable. I also want to praise the art department who is in charge of all the details, such as Joon Gi´s young appearance. He´s the only man in his 40s to pull off a character who´s in his mid 20´s without making it awkward. This actor is a good example of what a healthy lifestyle can enable.

Plot >> 9.0
Eventhough the beginning was a little transparent and predictable, it still served as an efficient introduction to the storyline which was enabled by the slow but well-timed pacing. I also enjoy the comedic parts of the plot and I am quite convinced of the innovation behind this series. Even after only two episodes I already have the feeling that this will be a favoured series of mine. I also have a few theories for further plot developments/twists and I am excited to see if they prove themselves to be accurate.

Cast >> 9.5
If it was for Lee Joon Gi only, I´d give this guy all the acting awards on this planet. Let alone my obsession with his acting with his beautiful sharp eyes which is beyond my capability of describing with words, you have to feel it. As I said before, Lee Joon Gi is the only man in his 40s to pull off a character who´s in his mid 20´s without making it awkward. Kim Hee Woo was destined to be played by him, I´m convinced that Lee Joon Gi is one of the few actors who truly seem to feel and deeply understand their roles, as shown in "Again My Life".

However, Lee Kyung Young, who portrays the antagonist, should also be praised for his portrayal of the passive-aggressive evil and power-obsessed Cho Tae Seob. Portraying these sorts of characters is rarely done in a thrilling way but in my opinion, he has succeeded in convincing the viewer of his "motives", without making me justify them of course. Therefore Cho Tae Seob does, in my eyes, categorize as a well-written villain. Kim Ji Eun and Jung Sang-Hoon, the very charismatic "partner in crime" of Hee Woo, also deliver solid performances and contribute to this series being this addictive.

Rewatch Value >> 8.0
Don´t get me wrong, so far everything this series has shown me is to my liking, however, 16 episodes with 60 minutes each is never an easy cake, it´s a big chunk. I will either rewatch it many times or never again. E.g.: I have watched "Flower of Evil", which is about the same length, 4 times in a bit more than one year, however, not many series with these durations have me rewatch them, except if they are really addictive and thrilling, which is possible to be the case with "Again My Life".

OVERALL everything about this series has come to my liking with some things standing out more than others.
I´m excited and thrilled about the upcoming episodes!

[will edit this review and add critique once it finished airing]

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Enjoyable, but not satisfying

After watching this, I understand why Lee Joongi turned down the script the first time. Can’t say this drama is bad, but it’s not great either, it’s just fine, something to keep you entertained while eating or light binge watching material, but if I ever get busy in between this drama and forget for a while, I think I’ll just drop it bcs I’m not curious enough about the ending.

I expected more suspense, so I don’t really have good things to say, there are lots of wasted potential, eg the obscurity surrounding lee minsoo & grim reaper. But hey, everyone is different, so if you don’t mind passing characters and love to simply see our main guy beat the bad guy, and enjoy a political game with a little thrill (but not too much), then this drama is for you.

And last, Lee Joongi is good, we all know it, we know he can pull the stunt from LL and a more emotional/psychopathic side on FoE, but after that two, I wish he picked a script that would bring something new or something more to the table, next time perhaps, a lighearted slice of life or a darker mystery.

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Return of the Jedi—may the Force be with you…

There’s a payoff between pace and depth, and here pace predominates. It skips along like a Y-wing starfighter over a planet, just kissing the surface before flying to the next bombing target. Skimming through multiple scenarios with the barest of detail; something that could occupy half a drama is dispatched in half an episode. It’s a fill-in-the-gaps-yourself style that reflects its origins in manga.

There are also two ways of creating complexity: character depth or plot lines. After a fairly slow establishment, Episode 4 explodes sub-plots like a baradium thermal detonator, with an ever increasing cast of characters and no sign of any depth. From this point on the ML bounces between plot lines and the numerous character relationships float, sink or swim in the two seconds it takes for Lee Joon Gi’s lop-sided smile to fade. You need to keep up, as characters zip in and out like X-wing starfighters.

The drama is a no-holds barred attack on every form of corruption imaginable and some that you never even dreamed of in your nightmares. It features the master manipulator, Assemblyman Cho Tae Seob (come over to the dark side Kim, you know you want to) and his nemesis, Prosecutor Kim Hee Woo (may the force be with me, no I’m not a monster). However, for most of the drama, it’s all too easy for the Rebel Alliance to knock down the Galactic Empire with convenient information that just seems to materialise out of thin air, almost on the scale of “and here’s one we prepared earlier…” It’s all just far too convenient.

To really develop a proper struggle between the two sides you need time, and there is no spare second here, all of it is taken up churning through the multiple scenarios that seem a large price to pay to move things forward. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with this, it’s a choice that’s been made. The question is, having made the choice, do the writers and director deliver on it?

No they don’t. At the start there is a lot of wince-making stuff (more about that later) but as it progresses this mellows a bit (or I surrendered and ceased to notice it so much) and the script and direction create a drama that, for the first half, kept me interested and racing headlong into the next twist. But pacing and complexity are a tricky thing and for this drama, like many others, trouble really kicks in around two thirds of the way through, when the pace drops to establish the run-up to the finale. There is simply too much going on to be able to fully exploit every angle. Having manufactured twists in abundance, they are then left hanging for ages before being conveniently picked up again to serve some random purpose. Obstacles thrown in the way are about as troublesome as C-3PO on a good day and in the end there is very little bite. So much time is spent explaining the tangled threads and maneuvering heavy furniture into place (and believe it or not, introducing yet more characters and plot threads) that the tension gently leaks away and I was left sitting well back in my seat, drumming my fingers on the arm.

What do I mean by wince-making stuff? Well the melo at the start was badly handled, cliché, and painful to watch in all the wrong ways. Just because Lee Joon Gi can cry easily, and look pretty doing it, doesn’t mean he should be asked to do it at every available opportunity. LJG going back to being a teenager simply doesn’t work for me. He’s thinking like an adult, acting like an adult, looking like an adult. Just weird. Then there’s the continuous stating-the-obvious spoken thoughts (mainly by the ML but not exclusively) that are condescending and irritating in the extreme. Unfortunately this insult to intelligence continues to happen throughout the show. Lastly, a basic rule of writing: if you “show” do not also “tell”, which happens far too frequently and particularly involving the patronising asides just mentioned.

There might however be some excuse for the amateurish aspects of the writing as we appear to have two rookie writers overseen by the more experienced Lee Byung Hun (I have not seen any of the dramas he has penned).

Another cost to the cast of thousands/multiple scenarios choice is that time for the character development of the leads is minimal (if there is any at all) and we are left with meh, generic characters, indistinguishable from many that have come before them, and the thousands that will follow after them. And in the cast of thousands there were a number of supporting roles that did not contribute much to the plot and with a bit of imagination could have been omitted. In a fast paced, streamlined thriller, superfluity is a luxury.

Lee Joon Gi has said he wants to continue to do action dramas whilst physically he still can, and let’s face it he’s pretty bloody good at it. In the first half there are fights in every episode and they look pretty good to me but hey, I’m really not qualified to judge. It must have been why he chose this drama, because it sure wasn’t for the challenge of the main character who had little to distinguish him from the average. But, as “Flower of Evil” proved, LJG is an accomplished actor who can pull out a great performance when assisted to do so. Isn’t there someone out there who can write an intelligent action drama for him to star in, where his character possesses more than the emotional range of a teaspoon.

Lee Kyun Young did yet another repeat of Lee Kyun Young under another pseudonym. (Yawn) I don’t know why they don’t just film him with a generic name and part so that whenever a scriptwriter needs a corrupt politician/businessman they can just save time by slotting it in, because whatever they write, it will come out as the LKY stock character. Kim Chul Ki was slightly more subtle as Jeon Seok Gyu and could no doubt have given a vastly better performance as Cho Tae Seob than LKY.

There’s a peculiar touch of irony in my mind about the use of Gustav Holst’s music for “I vow to thee my country”. Holst arranged the theme from the “Planets Suite: Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity” to suit the lyrics of a poem by Cecil Spring-Rice and created a hymn often sung on remembrance days. Although Jupiter is the primary god the Romans and takes care of society and its laws, I don’t think that the reference is intended for Jolly Jupiter, but rather the hymn about sacrificing everything, including one’s life, for your country. “I vow to thee my country” was written before the first world war and revised in the aftermath of it. Spring-Rice was a moustachioed paragon of a British Empire that espoused an attitude of paternal tyranny that pretty much aligns with the villain in the drama, Cho Tae Seob. Yet the music is the theme tune for the Rebel Alliance and usually pops up when Kim Hee Woo (Lee Joon Gi) is doing something magnanimous and honourable. (Lyrics and video here: http://www.songlyrics.com/choir-of-westminster-abbey/i-vow-to-thee-my-country-lyrics/)

As for the other music, even the Carmina Burana-esque flourish that occupied a slot in Ep 1 (at 8’ 35”) was forgiven when I heard the smokey tones of U Sung Eun on “Till the End” which was the only thing about the whole show that totally blew me away. Oh, except for the gorgeous valve amplifier (Ep 7) Jo Tae Seob uses to play the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. My heart skipped a beat. I have a 1983 Pioneer SX-450 that I refuse to part with, it’s so damn sweet.

What my rating means: 5+ Meh! Don't bother, it's full of platitudes and clichés with boring characters and plots.

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Pomp & Circumstance

I guess they do not have any background composers in Korea capable of writing the uplifting, triumphant score for this drama so they had to use universally known Elgar's piece? Unfortunately, every time this music came on, I forgot to follow the story. It means all the time! But it says a lot about the plot as well since it did not manage to keep me really interested.

Still I finished it. It is a story about a righteous prosecutor who is offered a second chance on life in order to get the big bad man. Killed in his thirties, the lawyer is sent back to his university days where he quickly meets a string of persons. Using his knowledge from the future, he solves a few cases and then there is a SEVEN year time skip. Why? Why seven? He's a prosecutor again but, having learned his lesson from the first time, he does not go after the bad guy alone but uses his network of friends. And eventually gets sort of rid of him but simply by cutting him off from his two closest aides. It took him only ten years to do so! But soon enough, we are led to believe all he did was for nothing because another villain appeared using the previous one's networks! THE END

What I liked:
- songs
- fighting scenes
- female characters
- delusional villain
- time travel

What I did not like:
- background music
- unused great female characters
- brown envelopes
- illogical plot
- comic book second villain
- abandoned fantasy element
- macho tone

The plot is extremely repetitive. The prosecutor decides on a target, then blackmails the target's surroundings with brow envelopes and then arrests him and moves on. The supply of brown envelopes is endless. The prosecutor is mysteriously smiling, smirk on his face and strutting all importantly around.

The main villain, a completely delusional politician convinced he was god sent in order to make the country great again, always calm, emotionless. He has two aides equally emotionless who do all his dirty work while he sits all importantly, cutting his bonsai and spewing metaphorical nonsense about dogs and leashes. Truth be told, he is not the only one doing it: every character does it one time or another while trying to illustrate an event, they all use animal metaphors (dogs, fishes, horses, birds...) which by the end become a complete gibberish.

The lawyer was surrounded with five strong female characters who eventually had not use outside incidental help. Otherwise they were far in the background and would come out only when needed by the MC.The writers even decided to include a useless love story literally in the last 15min of the drama.

I used to be a fan of Lee Joon Gi but I do not like his acting anymore. It looked like he was just on autopilot and it reminded me of Lawless Lawyer but much worse. I know he looks young, but I could not help thinking he was forty as I was watching him play a 19yr old. This is the drama that ends my fan period as far as he is concerned. Every other actor nailed their roles: the bad guys were so obviously bad and creepy, the good guys really good even when pretending to be bad.

The drama is based on a comic so everything is very basic and character development is really hard to notice! The plot is so often seen corruption and unhealthy relationships between the politicians and chaebols and the great companies. Nothing new or original....

Find something better to watch! I am going to!

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The plot idea is average at best. The execution, however, is even weaker. I find it difficult to comment on the acting of any of the actors because they had no material to act on. No suspenseful scenes. No scene that makes me look forward to the next episode. There were a few funny scenes in the beginning, but they quickly became boring. I made it this far because this drama, while theoretically dealing with important topics, is very light - no need to think, no need to get involved. But if you don't have to think and I'm not interested in the fate of any of the characters , the constant successes of ML that come to him whenever he snaps his fingers, such a drama becomes nightmarishly boring. The fight scenes were shot ok, but it would have been better if their presence made some sense in the plot, rather than being there just for the sake of existing. A weak drama, thin

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Allow me to be the odd one out the bunch when I say I am truly upset for watching this drama!! Of course I watched it like everyone else: because of Lee Joon Gi. I've only seen him in four dramas and I loved him in every single one because...you guessed it-mad fighting skills. But alas, he wasn't my favorite character in this drama. It was Park Chul Min who played the father. Even though he was barely in it, the scenes he was in had me laughing. You could tell he enjoyed playing this role.

I wasn't really digging this drama anyway because of how slow it was. I was going to give it a seven but the very last episode made my blood boil!!! i was eager to see how this ended and was hoping for justice but I wonder if something else is going to be done with this drama hence the reason for the ending.

Even though I've only been watching Korean dramas for almost 3 years now I have come to accept that any 12-16 episode drama will not have a good last episode and this one was no exception.

If you want to see justice served up to the very end I'm telling you right now, you're going to be disappointed. Had I known this I wouldn't have watched this drama.

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