18 Again is based on the Zac Efron movie 17 again where a man gives up his dreams of becoming a basketball star when his high school girlfriend tells him she is pregnant with his twins. Like in the Western Movie, Hong Dae Young the main character gets a chance to become young again, (using a different plot device of some magic tea) and enrolls in his old school where his kids are studying. Unlike in the Western movie, this is a series so we get a LOT more backstory of how the parents met and what their relationship was like, also the emotional stakes are higher as revenge is less of a factor. Story wise, and acting wise, in all respects this series is way better than the movie which is its inspiration.

Hong Dae Young, the main character, does not seem like a bad man. In fact, how his customers treat him, a "mere" man who fixes their washing machines, is was downright depressing. Nobody offered him "water" except for one "special" old man who after berating him to fix a radio (which is not his job) offers to "fix" his life for him, leading to the body change. His kids lie to him all the time, he spends more time drinking than talking to his wife and that's why she wants a divorce. In the meantime his career is going nowhere since his company promotes based on nepotism, not performance. You could say when he is given the chance for a do-over, he decides to live the life he COULD have had if he had not gotten married young. Who can blame him for making that decision?

Jung Da Jung, the wife, wants to divorce him because there is no more love in their marriage. It seems time does that to people. Also she was depressed in her career as there is a lot of ageism, sexism and even discrimination against working mothers and divorced people especially in broadcast TV. Clearly she is the most skilled but it's still an issue, even in 2020. The kids also have their issues bullying, ambitions not in line with parental expectations or unstated goals. The best friend Go Deok Jin is HILARIOUS, and this series is worth it alone for the big, epic, hilarious fight scene in episode 1 featuring Mjolnir and Captain America's shield.

This is a brave series that deals with a lot of modern issues. It has its sweet moments, balanced with comedy, mega dramatic scenes and wistful profound realizations. This series is one of the best when it comes to using flashbacks as a story telling device, I've rarely seen any series employ them as beautifully. The soundtrack is wonderful and overall I enjoyed this series very much and you will too.