First Love for the Third Time (2022)

A turning point in the Korean LGBTQI+ film industry? Kinda.

I was not having high expectations for this series, to be honest, but I am glad it could prove its worth to me and hopefully other viewers too. The Korean LGBTQ+ film industry is growing and improving its series in terms of production and duration., which is noticeable when watching this drama. It´s definitely a good decision to watch “First Love, Again”. In the following, I try to justify my recommendation briefly and concisely.

PRODUCTION
Nothing extra outstanding nor something they failed in. However, it gets closer to the normal high standard of Korean dramas. One thing I´d like to highlight is that the use of light and shadows in this series was on-point. Compared to other Korean LGBTQI+ series the dialogues and monologues have been better in both quantity and quality. The story feels less rushed than usual, and I am sure we can expect similar dramas to be produced soon.

PLOT
The plot is, I mentioned this in the heading, unique and exciting to watch. I especially enjoyed the soft pacing and the comedy side of a more serious story. Both characters seem to not be written as extraordinary people, but rather normal citizens like you and me. One of them just happened to remember their incomplete love story and is trying his best to make their ends meet so that his consciousness can finally rest in peace. Other than Yeon Seok remembering his past, there is no superpower or characteristic that makes him less ordinary, except for his multilayered personality and his weird humour. Additionally, I also enjoyed the sweet moments Yeon Seok and Jeong Ha Yeon had. So cute. However, towards the end it kinda got boring.

ACTOR
What surprised me the most though is that it´s the first appearance in a drama (on MDL) for both main leads. This get´s even more confusing when you witness their solid performance in terms of facial expressions and natural behaviour. So what can I even say? They did a good job, and I am glad that Jeon Chang Ha and Jin Gun were chosen as the main leads because they matched the characters and thus the entire series is harmonious.

The Supporting Cast also showed a satisfying performance in their roles. I can't think of anything that I would have found disturbing or unfitting. Well done. Especially Song Han Hee showed off in her role as Mikael. I adore the idea and origin of this character, firstly that they are genderfluid/ non-binary and secondly that the series mentioned their identity. Good job!

OVERALL
As I said in the beginning, in terms of innovation and production, this drama is definitely recommended and it is indeed a good decision to watch “First Love, Again”, as it is a turning point in the Korean LGBTQI+ film industry.

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The definition of mediocre

This drama is so mediocre it is impressive!

The dialog- mediocre
The chemistry- mediocre
The kisses- mediocre
The acting- mediocre
The scenery- mediocre...

EVERY SINGLE DETAIL SCREAMS MEDIOCRE

With one exception Song Han Hee who played Yoo Sin Bi / Mikael was actually pretty good and impressed me in her role, she reminded me a bit of IU....

But I guess that is the exception that reinforces the rule... But there really is nothing bad about this drama but nothing good either.... it just is...

So all on all... Mediocre... did I mention it is mediocre?

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Enjoyable although improvements could have been made to the plot

Because I enjoy this series quite a bit, my initial reaction to some comments I have seen was: “Why are people so harsh on it?” Yet, admittedly, it has a number of flaws.

The story spans three lifetimes, and the focus is on the third lifetime set in the contemporary era, but the flashbacks to the first two lifetimes seem somewhat inadequate. How did the two lovers fall in love in the first lifetime and, really, how deeply in love were they? I would be more convinced that Yeon Seok feels gratitude towards Ha Yeon in the first lifetime as she is kind to him and gives him a name. But romantic love? In the second lifetime, the two seem in love, but the story is a little thin.

I’m guessing that one reason for the lack of attention to the first two lifetimes is that there simply isn’t the space or budget for additional development given that this is a miniseries of only six episodes. Another reason could be that this is a series targeted at BL fans and paying too much attention to the first two lifetimes when one of the lovers was male and the other female might well backfire.

Still, one wonders if the story needs to be the way it is. [Spoilers ahead.]

For the third lifetime, is it necessary for Ha Yeon to look different now that he is a man BUT have a sister who looks exactly like his first two incarnations? What purpose does it serve? Also, the central obstacle to the relationship in the third lifetime is Ha Yeon’s uncertainty about whether Yeon Seok is really in love with him or in love with his previous incarnations. The complication of having a rival in love for Yeon Seok can simply be left out. In its place could be more space to explore the transition of Yeon Seok’s feelings so that the viewer is certain that he loves Ha Yeon for who he is in the third lifetime–even before Ha Yeon realizes that Yeon Seok has been in love with the same person for three lifetimes. There could also have been more attention on how Ha Yeon falls in love with Yeon Seok in the third lifetime, such as through scenes of the effect of Yeon Seok's books on him, etc. If the development of the affections of the couple had been done well, I would have felt more for the couple when Ha Yeon has a misunderstanding that Yeon Seok does not love him.

Despite the flaws, I did find watching the series quite enjoyable.There is some unevenness in the pacing, but it is still fairly acceptable given how short each episode is. The story is quite economically told, and while there may be constraints in budget, it doesn’t feel that much like a low-budget production. I might add that at least I feel involved enough to want to see the main characters end up together, unlike in some recent BLs I have watched (e.g. Gen Y 2, by which I would be more entertained in the couples are randomly paired up).

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fated mates, bodyswap (sort of)

(Korea, Feb-March Viki)

AKA First Love For The Third Time based on a BL script that won a competition from Ascendio studio (You Make Me Dance). It starred influencer Jeon Chang Ha and actor Jin Gun. About a popular novelist who remembers his past lives and meets his soulmate who has been reincarnated into the body of a man.

I enjoyed this show in part because it tackled one of the questions I’ve always head with the red thread trope: what if your soulmate reincarnates as a different gender than before? What if he’s out and gay and you’re not? Watching our hero deal with this was fun. A whole new kind of queer crisis.

However, this BL started out a touch mean spirited, but we eventually got a good kiss for a KBL. Then they went from like to love to boyfriends in a red hot minute. When they’re domestic these two are cute together with lots of communication (except the truth). I suppose in BL it takes a man who has lived 3 lifetimes to actually understand that conversation is what’s required to make a relationship work. The informal address discussion was adorable.

The confession/rejection scene was justified if one person remembers reincarnation and the other does not, but it was a bit much with lots of crying and a charming little self parody/mockery moment. The reconciliation and ending was... fine.

All in all the pacing felt rushed throughout this BL, and the romantic arc was underdeveloped. But that’s par for the course with Korea’s short form (they can’t all be Semantic Error), so it didn’t bother me too much. If you don’t mind a heavy does of melodrama in your BL this one has a solid story with a strong concept that’s well acted and produced, making it a classic KBL with better than average chemistry but ultimately a touch forgettable.

RECOMMENDED WITH A FEW RESERVATIONS

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Please Give This Series a Chance

I'll be the anomaly here when I say I absolutely loved First Love Again. I was surprised at the number of negative reviews and comments, even to see the show's overall rating is below an 8, hell, even sitting close to below a 7. Sure, this series had its issues and the half-assed title poster doesn't help, but I could probably label this as one of my favorite BLs so far this year, and maybe even overall in the Korean BL department.

Let's Dive In.

For one, I love reincarnation BLs, and it's not something we always see (I'm pretty sure the last one I can remember is UWMA), so going into this, I was so excited. The synopsis is a man whose fated love (as a woman) continuously dies in each life he lives, and during his third life, he is destined to find her again, except, he's utterly shocked to find out his past love is reincarnated as a man. He goes through the understanding of this, and by the end, it's happily ever after. My favorite part was watching as Yeon Seok takes into realization that his fated love is a man. Watching the inevitable was great, and sure his initial reaction wasn't the best, but bit by bit, you see these small details in which he starts to care for Ha Yeon, and it's really stellar.

Some things I didn't like: Parts of the story were pretty unnecessary, like Ha Yeon getting mad and Yeon Soek after he finds out he's his past love. Sure, he's worried that Yeon Seok only likes that the past him was a woman, but it's so out of the blue behavior that it throws you off. And it wasn't so clever to add in conflict in the very last episode which was only about thirty minutes long. It would've been totally fine for them to just continue on being happy.

Yeon Soek's initial behavior to finding out his fated love was a man is a bit much. He's too hostile and mean, and it just doesn't look good on his character. However, this is forgiven since he goes through an immense amount of character growth; from a bossy and privileged man to a guy who opens up to his reality and learns to soften his core and let people in while learning to let go of the past. It's beautiful.

I say don't judge a book by its cover cause the title poster is so ridiculous. It makes this drama look like it was surviving off a 2 dollar budget and filmed in a garage. It's not like that at all. They had a huge budget, with luxurious setting locations, and a very expensive-looking wardrobe. The scenery, lighting, color grading, and cinematography were also gorgeous, and FLA's problem was never the budget or anything to do with production. Whoever made that poster needs to resign. Sure don't judge a book by its cover, but if it looks like it was made by a first-grader, then you can go in at least a little bit judgey.

The inevitable happened again, and this BL was just way too fucking short. If this were to have a decent run time, I swear to you, this would've been the series of the year. Sadly, they fall under about 20ish minutes for only 6 episodes, which doesn't give them enough time to really tell the story as authentically as they can, which is why some parts feel rushed. God, when will Korea cut the freaking extremely short BLs??

What I adored: I really loved our leads. Again, I love seeing those small moments when Yeon Seok was falling for Ha Yeon little by little. I think in some aspects, it can feel like their relationship was rushed, but when you've been in love with the same soul for centuries, that it's understandable. The best part about their relationship is when they are together, and just their small domestic moments that get my heart fluttering.

The acting is really good, especially from our main lead. He put on a very strong performance, one that I don't see all that much in Korean BL. Sure, anyone can look sad or happy or in love, but this dude just gots it. During his more sentimental scenes, you could tell in his posture, the way he walked, the look in his eyes, it was all so superb. I would love to see him again in literally anything. His love interest couldn't hold up to his standard because he was just really good, but Chang Ha did well, especially for it being his first acting gig. Sin Bi was both gorgeous and excellent, I liked that she at times put Yeon Seok in his place, and the actress put on a fantastic performance.

I really can't complain about the side characters here. I pretty much appreciated all of them, even the third wheel/love triangle that always seemed to get in the way. Aoora was a sight to behold, and just beautiful (can't believe he's 36 hello..?!) His character was the comic relief that the series needed.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5 - Really loved the entire concept. I loved watching everything twist and how it all played out. There weren't any unnecessary filler moments, and not a single character felt irrelevant. The connection between the main pairing could've been stronger so I'll take a star and a half off.

Acting: 9.5 - Everyone did a fantastic job, but Jin Gun threw them all out of first place. God, I do really hope to see him again. There was room for improvement for the others, but nevertheless, it was still amazing.

Music: 8 - I liked the somber music during the sad scenes, it really added to the moment.

Rewatch Value: 3 - definitely could see myself rewatching this. it was pretty short and cute (however, my Viki subscription is about to end so... not anytime soon)

Even though I think this series could use some maintenance, one being a longer run time, it still was really freaking good. So good, that I'm looking past my usual rating criteria to give this series a 10. Sure, not everything was perfect, but if a series leaves a lasting impression on me, it means something. I highly recommend this series. Please don't pay attention to the ratings and the reviews, just go into this with a clear mind and enjoy yourself.

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Dissapointing

What a disappointment!
Summary: It's a shame because this show had such a cool premise. A 300 years old soul chasing his soulmate through three lifetimes, is finally in a position to finally be with his beloved but then is shocked to find out that the woman he loves has reincarnated in the body of a man. Drama ensues. (How cool is this idea?!)

Plot: The show takes this really interesting concept and does NOTHING with it! It wastes the entire potential. There's no development of the romance, the conflict is never developed or solved, it's just...gone. There's a freaking meaningless love triangle that does nothing. It's just so sloppy. There's not much more to say.

Acting: It was almost okay but Jeon Chang Ha is just bad at acting. Jin Gun almost survives but not really? They're both really rookie and wooden and their chemistry is not there at all and it all looks cartoonish and exaggerated when they try too hard. Especially since the script just gives them absolutely nothing to work with either. Song Han Hee is the only saving grace, acting-wise.

Music and rewatch value: No.

Production: Bad. It looks like they filmed the whole show, every set of it, in a hotel apartment?! Like a really cheap one that students on their gap years with a budget would only go to. No set design worth a dime, no proper lighting. It's like a young filming student's class project that he filmed with his friends.

Overall: Don't waste your time watching this. You'll only get depressed at the wasted potential of what could've been. This could have been so good and it just wasn't. It barely functioned.
Better luck in your next life, soul!

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Good start but gets draggy at the end

The show establishes a cute and fulfilling first few episodes but loses its spark at the end. At first, I thought the story about reincarnation was different from other shows with the same genre, but it started to get messy with a cliche kind of plot they presented with a lack of originality.

Poor acting performance of Jeon Chang Ha also affected my enjoyment of watching.It is obvious that this is his first on-screen role since he can’t put up a good act when crying. Although I like him when his character is fun and fluffy, I can’t sense anything emotional when he is being sad. On the other hand, Jin Gun is quite an actor with average skills and dependable during the exchange of lines between the rest of the cast. In terms of acting, the girl who is the nine-tailed fox nailed her character the best.

The first kiss was fine but the angle of the camera ruins the moment. I barely saw their passionate kiss with only two to three camera transitions in which all of them didn’t capture the scene perfectly. It was so dark that I almost saw nothing within the kiss, I even thought that it was a fake execution of kiss. The bad thing is the chemistry that they carried out during the half number of episodes faded away the moment they became a couple. During this time it should be the best part of the show and give us a numerous amount of romantic scenes but they choose to express a dramatic approach as the plot of the show. Until their story became another typical over romanticized story with no solid support of affection from the main character.

There is only one thing I am thankful about this, it is for introducing me to Kim Jeong Seok. He plays as the second lead guy who has been left unchoosen but in real life, he stole my heart. I like his acting, facial expression, his character, and the bonus of handsomeness. I even visited his IG account and was mesmerized by his captivating boyfriend-material posts.

Overall, First Love Again is another reincarnation norm which isn’t that impactful but also isn’t that bad. I really enjoyed the first half of the show but they failed to be consecutive and the reason why the story drags to the bottom. Anyways, I like the OST, perfect fit for the jolly vibes of the show. I guess the only major ousting of the drama is the saddening plot, the rest was good enough.

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Standard Korean BL Series

Overall: the general comments below applies to a whole bunch of Korean BL. I'd say overall it's fine, but suffers from the same issues as other series. Watched on Viki (minor spoilers)

Content Warnings: murders (off screen), suicide, dub con kiss (sleeping)

What I Liked
- good production value
- the flashbacks were obvious
- I thought Yeon Seok's personality (with his confidence/big ego) was funny in the beginning
- the cat magical creature pretty much declares she is asexual, I appreciate the representation and I wish this character was more fully developed
- that both Sin Bi and Ha Yeon called Yeon Seok for being a jerk because he was a jerk

Room For Improvement
- choppy/rushed, I didn't really understand/buy into the sudden shift with Yeon Seok's feelings
- cliche poor communication at the end and Ha Yeon being angry at Yeon Seok when Yeon Seok is doing exactly what Ha Yeon asked him to do (eyeroll)
- pointless love triangle, that screen time could have gone to developing the m/m romance and/or fleshing out the cat goddess character
- the kissing was okay but not great
- why did Ha Yeon get killed the second time, we just never know???

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Good concept Poor execution

This drama has such a good concept and should at least be the typical bl drama length of 8 eps which most K-BLs always suffer from rushing anyways, I get that these are low budget dramas but if you're gonna do it, try to do it right. It cannot compare to other K-BLs that's doing it better sorry, It's still not the worst one I've seen which is good, but after completing it, feels like I couldn't care less about the characters. Sorry if you like BLs and you're new to watching dramas you might enjoy it a bit more, but for me who watched dramas over the past 10 years and support and like trying out new BLs this one isn't worth your time. Go watch Semantic Error or other BLs to see how you can make short eps work and feel natural.

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Refreshing concept with basic execution.

Honestly speaking, I don’t even have much to say. I’m not the biggest fan of the reincarnation trope, but it is something new in the BL genre, hence I gave it a try.

As I said, the idea behind it is fun - not only do we see the reincarnation trope, but also a new twist to it - female to male reincarnation. How many interesting ideas for plots and conflicts we could get out of it! Do we get them here? Not really, and the few we get are barely developed.

Yeon Seok was quite a fun character in a constant mode of panic for various reasons. I did enjoy Jin Gun’s performance, even though sometimes it became a bit too comedic for me. On the other hand Jeong Ha Yeon as a character just did not catch my attention at all. Jeon Chang Ha acting in some more emotional scenes requires improvement, but overall, I was not mad about his delivery.

Overall, I don’t regret watching it, but I could do without it too. It does not really bring much to the table.

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Not really that much here, TBH.

It's an awesome premise - going from lifetime to lifetime to lifetime, connecting with your true soulmate and then - BLAM! - reality gets in the way. The pacing is relaxed, everybody's ultra stylish, and we take our own cool time enjoying the ride without any thought given to the destination 'cause we know we're going to get there. It's BL - we all expect the happily-ever-after ending, and we get it 99.99% of the time. But, somehow, at episode 7 the entire enterprise just flies off the rails. Try to imagine someone going from lifetime to lifetime, risking everything to try and find you and, at no point, do you think, "He did what?!? Is it fate? Is it destiny? Am I losing my mind!?!" Nope. It's the old you-don't-love-me-for-me bs. There was a moment when it could have been absolutely magical but...nah. I loved the first two episodes when Yeon Seok discovers that the woman he has transcended time and space for turns out to be a man - the realization, the denial, the wonder of it all. Beautiful. But then...sloppily written melodrama.

I should've stopped at episode three. Giant nothing burger here.

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Beautiful but flawed

FLA is the story of a man who remembers his past lives (the last three of them) and is waiting to be reunited with his lover - something that hadn't happened in any of his other past lives. The reason for his remembrance and his continued reincarnations, is because what he wants is love. His first love to be precise. FLA and Yeon Seok lead us to assume that his first love would 1. Reincarnate 2. Reincarnate in the same time period as him 3. Meet him and fall in love with him again. 4. Is born with the same name again. FLA leads Yeon Seok to assume the same as well, because of which he keeps waiting for Ha Yeon to show up. Maybe we would have benefitted from seeing what happened to a Yeon Seok who didn’t meet Ha Yeon or fell in love with someone who was not Ha Yeon.

But FLA is a simple series and likes to keep things that way. It takes some chances and liberties to be as uncomplicated as possible, sacrificing some crucial developments of character and plot in the process. Jin Hyeok serves no purpose in any timeline. It’s unclear what he wants from Ha Yeon. The situations we see him in are obviously made to look like he’d like to pursue Ha Yeon but he never makes a move. Ha Yeon himself was so ambiguous in the beginning that I was sure he remembered as well. His adoration of Yeon Seok and his novel seem to stem from something deeper. But those threads are abandoned. There are other unanswered questions like- is Yeon Seok going to keep reincarnating until he finds his love?

That said, this is truly a five character-six episode series that does justice to its time and the story it takes up. By keeping the plotline simple, it avoids drama and is able to present its issues in a realistic and empathetic way. The leads’ conflicts on finding out the harsh truths may be predictable but they appeal to our emotions and make us root for them. This is further accentuated by some amazing performances from Jin Gun and Jeon Chang Ha. Even if the resolution of the conflicts is a disaster (we never got to know why Ha Yeon changed his mind; in that respect we also needed a better confirmation that Yeon Seok of the present loved Ha Yeon of the present, than one single statement at an offhanded moment), the story achieves its objective.

Reincarnation is more or less an unused trope in bl. Fantasy is not. Therefore, FLA plays out pretty well overall. It is amply helped by good cinematography, costumes, visuals and music. Though the ending is warped, its emphasis is, in what is a pun on the title, on falling in love for the first time, much like Because This is my First Life is about experiencing life for the first time. That redeemed the entire show for me.

PS- don’t miss the epilogues.

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