Thirty But Seventeen (2018)

Enjoyable if you don't mind a FL who is extra about everything

I finished this one a couple of days ago after stopping for a while when I was just one episode from the finale.

I will never rewatch this series but I'm glad I saw it. It introduced me to some fine actors and satisfied my curiosity about how such a premise could be realized in a drama. On the latter question I think they did very well.

Now that I've watched to the end, though, for me the last two episodes felt like filler. The solution to the mystery about the aunt and uncle was pretty mundane considering the screen time given to the FL's angst over it. (Looking back, I think the main purpose of that set-up was to give the FL a reason to stay in the ML's house. If she'd found her aunt right away then she would have moved in with her instead.)

It was also tacky for the writers to engineer the plot at the very end so that the FL was all hyped to go to Europe, leaving the ML alone and lonely, then changed her mind at the last second so that they could have yet another reunion scene on the bridge. Please.

As for the rest of the series, my main issue is with the FL in the 30yo version of the character. I think she over-acted to an extreme. Every emotional scene (and there were many) was pitched at the highest level. This was true whether she was happy or sad. It was as if the director's notes for her were always: "As you're saying these lines of dialog, imagine you're being electrocuted." The character also seemed too slow on the uptake and over-emotional every time she realized how the world had changed since she'd been in a coma.

I don't think these directorial choices added anything to the story. For me the constant barrage of emotion just got annoying. If you have a character who keeps going berserk about everything, those moments of emotion lose their ability to move the viewer.

My second issue with the series is the number of times a coincidental "near-miss" ended up postponing the revelation that the FL was the same girl that the ML was drawn to when they were kids. It got to the point that when one of these moments approached I was no longer excited, I was only curious how the writers would thwart us again at the last second. Sometimes the way they did it made me laugh. Let's just say it's probably a good thing that I can't rate this series based on the number of eye-rolls rather than a number of stars.

I loved loved loved the younger cousin character, Yoo Chan. Ahn Hyo Seop's performance made him into so much more than a SML or source of comic relief. (Although his funny moments were indeed very funny, and very welcome.)

The ML was also did an excellent job, but his character is so accomplished and mature that it made me wonder how he could possibly fall in love with a mess like the FL.

The rest of the supporting cast was also very good.

And, since I've criticized the writers for a couple of things let me praise them for something: what they came up with as the reasons why the ML shouldn't feel guilty about the bus accident. That little twist was impressive, and I should add that the ML's reaction to the revelation was a moment of superb acting.

If the FL had just toned down her own acting then I think this series could have been quite outstanding. It makes me think I need to see Shin Hye Sun in another role just to assure myself that this isn't her only performance mode.

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Great romance with a unique storyline

Every once in a while, a TV series comes along that keeps you immersed the entire way. This story was one of those. It was unique, the acting was good, and the music was great. The story pulled me along in anticipation, the best kind of drama. The characters were well thought out and complemented each other. I felt the coming together of a family formed from a common unknown element that kept you hanging on each word. I liked Ye Ji-won’s performance as Jennifer. Shin Hye-sun and Yang Se-jong also did exceptionally well with their roles.

Also, the subtitles were perfect. That means a lot when you rely on them. With subtitles, you rely on facial expressions, emotions, music, and action. With English-speaking shows, I can instantly tell when the acting is bad. With non-English shows, the actual spoken words aren’t as crucial to the person who doesn’t understand the language. I have to compliment Viki as one of the best subtitle producers I’ve ever watched.

I highly recommend this series. It was fun, entertaining, and full of romance and unique drama.

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My Thoughts- Venting 2nd Lead Male Syndrome

To be honest the show seemed great at the beginning and it was building up to be something good, but the whole romance made me alittle angry. To be honest the way Woo Seo-ri and Gong Woo-jin fell in love was bullsh*t, excuse my language but that is how I feel. Maybe I have second 2nd male lead syndrome. Throughout all that things Yoo Chan done, the way he was with Woo Seo-ri and how loving and comfortable he was with her, how can you still be with Gong Woo-jin. Ohh, heere comes Gong Woo-jin with these little gestures, and then " I like you" WTF. Where were you when she was feeling down and needed help emotionally and mentally oh wait you were to busy telling yourself,
oh I know she will be with me when I tell her I love you. Honestly, he is a douche. It feels like Love Alarm all over again. How can they fall in love with little gestures in a matter of short time. Its unrealistically dumb. These 2nd male lead syndrome!! OMGG!!
Yoon Ji Hoo in Boys Over Flowers
Kim Shin Hyuk in She Was Pretty
Han Woo Tak in While You Were Sleeping
Shin Dong Chul from “Save Me”
Park Jung Woo from " Temperature of Love"
Choi Young Do in “Heirs”
Baek In Ho in “Cheese in the Trap”
Nam Eun Ki from “Her Private Life”
etc so many heart aches.
Overall I'm just venting and in my feeling with these caring 2nd lead males.
At least there is one successful 2nd leading male that I know
Yoon Tae-oh and Han Song-yi from "My first first love"

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I went into this drama not expecting a lot, because honestly, after Temperature of Love I was not a Yang Se Jong fan. I do love Shin Hye Sun though and wanted to see her in a romantic lead role. This show ended up blowing all my expectations out of the water. Thirty But Seventeen was such a sweet romance and I loved every bit of it.

So, Yang Se Jong did a good job in this show of redeeming himself. (I still don't like his "moppy" hair, but that's neither here nor there! LOL) I found myself really liking his character despite myself. And Shin Hye Sun was perfectly cast as a bouncy, happy young woman who wakes up from a 13 year coma thinking she's still a 17 year old schoolgirl. You can really tell the differences in her as she grows into her "adult-ness" (yes, I made up that word bc 'adulthood' just didn't feel right) over the course of the series. Ye Ji Won, as per usual, is a scene stealer - her role of "robotic" Jennifer was expertly done. Ahn Hyo Sub as Chan was a delight as well. His character did a lot of growing up during the show - and he was the 'glue' that held their little makeshift family together. I have nothing but good things to say about the main cast. Even the younger counterparts cast for Woo Jin and Seo Ri were well done and embodied the spirit of the characters - sometimes I could almost even see a physical resemblance! Great casting choices!

The writing was fairly tight, with few unnecessary scenes. I felt like some of the scenes in the last two episodes were added solely for the rounding out of the remaining time, but I wasn't mad at them. I loved how the writer connected everything together and feel like it was a well thought out script. The way that the characters wrapped up their storylines was fitting and showed good growth. The characters were so pure-hearted and that was one of the things I loved the most about them. They were also very mature and always had healthy responses to a situation where other dramas might have created chaos and frustration. It made the show relaxing and enjoyable to watch, and was never boring.

The violin music is the standout in this show, as far as that goes and it really made me want to listen to more.

This show is absolutely suited to a re-watch because it was such a joy to watch. If you love sweet innocent romance, you will want to add this one to your list pronto! :)

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This drama is filled with lovable characters. I loved the main leads and the chemistry between them(not at the start though), but as you continue to later episodes, you will love them. This is definitely not a slow paced drama, instead you would want to watch all the episodes without missing anything. Once i started watching it, i was waiting for the next episode to come like a baby waiting for an ice cream truck. I love this drama, the characters are lovable, story was awesome. It had its funny moments, romantic moments, and some tragic moments to cry for. I loved the climax, you could never guess it. You should definitely watch this, it won't waste your time.

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This had so much potential, it started off with so much originality but why, WHY would it drown itself in tropes/cliches when it was doing so well... sigh.

The acting was okay, slightly on the stiff side at times but not too bad I guess. Using characters as disposable plot devices was not good either. Good cinematography and music.

It seems that if it's a soppy romance drama with decent visuals, every K-fan will drool all over it and throw around daebak (cringe) and 10/10s.

Fun fact, I have Korean friends and even they don't DAEEBAKGKG as much as these people.

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A must watch!

Adored everything about this drama - the characters were all so easy to love and the chemistry between them all was incredible. I've not seen many recommendations for this so didn't know what to expect but the story is done so well - both leads come together so naturally while they overcome everything they've been through.

The relationship between woo-jin and his nephew chan was so precious and the way the story handles chan's first love is refreshing to see too! They didn’t force another romance for the sake of giving him a happy ending too - his happy ending was getting his uncle back.

I could go on for days honestly but it was just so refreshing to see such healthy relationships for once, no jealous second leads and no ridiculously evil villains trying to ruin everyone for a change!

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Unlike the boring poster, this drama is so fun to watch! It's full of surprises that's pleasant for you to see. This drama also gives you that warm feeling of the nostalgic moments in our youth days without forgetting the present.

I adore the writer so much, I can feel how the writer is committed to showing the bright side of each and every character in the drama. Therefore, you shouldn't worry about being depressed after watching the drama. This drama gives a lot of hope and strength through character development. It's healing.

The plot is clever, it doesn't tangle around the same problem for a long time and it won't confuse you because everything's explained well. It's refreshing to see all the things you worried about being solved one by one. Beautiful classic and modern music soundtrack completes the story-telling part well too.

I'm so happy that after being recommended by some friends I finally tried to watch this drama. The after taste of watching this drama is quite unique though, hahahah, because somehow I don't feel any trouble adjusting back with my own reality. It satisfied me without making me feel like I have to find another good drama because I let go of this drama with peace, It's like the after taste you got after finish eating delicious yet healthy food, you know...

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Expectation and Disappointment

The drama had a very strong start. I was very excited after watching the first couple of episodes and hoping for a great drama. Then it nose dived.
The drama had all the elements and potential needed to be a great drama. It had great quality, great casts, a cliché but good plot and a great start. But it all got ruined by bad storytelling and flashbacks. I understand that to make a drama interesting or make crucial parts stand out sometimes flashbacks are inevitable. But when they use the flashbacks because they have to somehow fill up the empty time slots and expand the drama it becomes boring. This is one of those dramas where you can skip several minutes at a time and you wouldn't really miss anything substantial.
The there comes the baits. The concept of "So close yet so far" to keep the viewers on edge was used heavily. They used so much baits in this drama that it became somewhat predictable.
The drama was almost always on the extreme spectrums of either very happy situations or very heavy situations. There were no in-betweens. It created a situation where you really couldn't enjoy a happy moment because you knew something was going to happen very soon which will ruin the mood. It was very repetitive to the point that this too became very predictable.
As one of the MCs was a musician I expected some good music from the drama but unexpectedly I was disappointed in this aspect also. They used some famous classical music but those too were very far and few. The OST was forgettable.
The story was not bad as it had some "twists" to it. But the repetitive pattern of the drama ruined the story and made it too boring to really care about those "twists".
The overall acting was good. But the chemistry between the two MCs was very awkward. But the other character developments and their relationships was nicely done.

Overall this drama was not as good as it could've been. It's not a bad drama if you really have nothing to watch and just want to pass the time. But I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone who hates baits and flashbacks.

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