Again My Life (2022)

Smart Chess play with a lot of legal planning and zero romance

If it wasn't for the male lead probably this drama would have failed miserably ,, even the plot isn't bad but it's not thrilling either,, it started strong with mix of fantasy and fiction but it fell into a lot of planning and a lot of legal talk
Too much time spent in just preparing the chess board so the male lead can play his enemy and outsmart him in his own game
I'm not saying it's bad drama ,, it's really smart drama but it's not thrilling enough and I'm not talking about the fight scenes ,, I'm talking about how it lacks the element of surprise and the close calls of important characters in danger and so on
they took too much time growing the main lead into his ultimate shape so he can be at the same level of preparation and intelligence to beat his enemy ,,, they showed us from his college days how he had previous knowledge of what will happen so he can be ready this time and that's cheating in my opinion if it's a chess game ,, he has previous knowledge of his enemies moves that's why he can now make his own moves accordingly lol
of course it was check mate from the first episode that's why he needed that second chance to play again on his own terms this time around
the drama is enjoyable to watch but there were some episodes in the middle a bit draggy and boring but it's all building up for his fighting chance
Lack of romance was a bonus here ,, because romance doesn't fit in such story ,, it would be odd and out of place ,, the male lead is fighting for his own life and justice not for his lover and that's refreshing
If you like mature drama , have the patience for it and of course you love the male lead as I'm I recommend this drama for you
if you want to watch more action scenes or more fantasy or more thrilling drama has lots of chasing and dangerous situations this isn't it

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The grand scale of revenge and Lee Joon Gi's presence make this drama totally worth it!!

My top actor Lee Joon Gi has returned to the small screen after about two years, and yes, he leads the show with such power. In particular, how he pretends not to know anything despite living his second life is interesting. Hee Woo knows all about the future of people around him and the upcoming big events in Korea. So he implicitly hands over a vital piece of information to people in order to put himself in an advantageous position. In this process, Lee Joon Gi’s poker face stands out. His flawless acting and chemistry with everyone are also one of the main reasons to watch this well-executed show. To me, it's very good that there is no romance in the show which some people were complaining about. I don't see why a second chance revenge drama should focus on romance..

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Definitely a mixed bag

This is one is certainly a mixed bag for me. Honestly I think that Lee Joon Gi has had fair share of good and bad performances over the years but like a lot of drama fans, I was definitely impressed with him in scholar walks the night and again in his latest project last year in flower of evil. I have to say that I wasn’t sure what to expect with him here in Again my Life but he really knocked the ball out of the park. My mixed feelings are pretty divided so i think that it’s best if I try to say what I liked and didn’t like.

What I liked…
- Lee Joon Gi was awesome here and gave a good performance but I must admit that veteran actor Lee Kyung Young often stole the spotlight here too.
- The plot concept= it isn’t original. I’m going to say that openly and trust me when I say that I’ve read and watched A LOT of webcomics and productions with this plot premise but it still was pretty interesting and I really liked how they took it forwards in later episodes. ( Especially by exceeding expectations.)
- Execution and Pacing- I actually thought the series did a pretty good job with helping to frame the storyline and keep viewers entertained. I have my own pet peeves about how the storyline panned out at times but I can’t deny that alongside the fantasy, action and legal sides of the drama there was really something for everyone.

Pet peeves
OST- Oh boy I don’t really know where to start with this one. I have to make out that I didn’t think the soundtrack was entirely bad and there was definitely some bangers in there. BUT I must be really straightforward and say that after episodes finished, there weren’t many tracks that really stuck in my mind. Yeah maybe there were a few I could hum along too but for me imao a good OST is when you can listen to it time and time again and then randomly start singing it a few weeks or months later.

Some of the side characters- Okay, I have to say that I’m definitely divided about this one. Honestly I liked a lot of characters in this show but one character who really didn’t sit well with me was Kim Hee Ah. I love the actress Kim Ji Eun but her character was a little bland in retrospect and I definitely feel as though there was so much more to explore with her. ( A potential romance or at least a more defined friendship with the ML feeling missing from the show.)

The ending- I’ve noticed a lot of reviewers seem to share my views on this one. It’s a brilliant show even into the second half and there’s enough to keep you intrigued but the final two episodes just felt messy. The pacing felt choppy and the actual conclusion given was satisfactory but seriously rushed and didn’t really feel as though it belonged in the same show that had given us time and effort to work out details of the earlier storyline.

Overall thoughts; definitely a mixed bag as I’ve mentioned in my top comment. I didn’t think it was bad and there are so many positive things to say about this one. Though there were a few letdowns. 7.5/10.

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Heart racing, emotional, it has everything

I was planning on watching this as soon as I heard about it. Lee Joon Gi is my all time favorite actor, and again he delivers with this project.

ACTING// I was intrigued by the story and wanted to see where it goes, and especially how Lee Joon Gi would take on this role. The man is perfect for this drama, it requires emotions, stunts, and versatility. Lee Joon Gi has this edge, in every single scene he has he delivers at 100%.

STORY// The element of going back in time is so fun to watch. The whole idea of going back to a time in your life is interesting, there’s ways you can change your life, scenarios, knowing more than you did, I love it all.

CHARACTERS// I like the motivation of Kim Hui-U, and how badass he is. I can’t wait to see him interact with people from his past later. He knows more, he’s matured. The idea of learning and relearning for the goal to take down the corruption is easy to follow but is so entertaining.. especially because Lee Joon Gi was some sort of street fighter.. the man really is agile

I’ll add more as this show continues airing, but it has such a promising start. It’s more than worth watching for the story alone. Given a second chance, going back to 2007. Considering Lee Joon Gi really doesn’t age I believe it, he looks 20- he’s perfect for the role and I’m more than happy seeing him in another drama.

FINAL THOUGHTS// The stunts in this drama are insane. The fight choreo is paced so well and it’s insane to have the main actor actually take that on. Lee Joon Gi does it all, he’s so talented.. so many good things to say.

I recommend to anyone that likes action, a story about second chances but it’s developed more than typical.

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A second chance that didn't live up to expectations?

i wanna start by saying than Lee Jong Gi is an incredible actor. The writer definitely did amazing on his character and story. Female characters let's start with Kim Gyu Ri really didn't feel her presence as the show went on tbh. she sort of disappeared and showed in few scenes once they graduated from law school. I don't think she was very instrumental. I was rooting for Kim Han Mi (Jae Kyung) a lot guess you could say i'm a fan after watching Secret Life of My Secretary she's fun really wanted her to end up with Kim Hee Woo but that went to Hee A who i think played a decent role in KHW's plans after getting into Chunha's leadership circle. But for me Director Han was so underrated and she came up clutch in the end think , my personal opinion, she was the most beautiful among them too. Really wish they could've used more episodes and dived deeper into their stories, especially Director Han, 16 episodes is way too short. First time i've seen a ML have a number of especially beautiful females around him and not really not develop a romantic relationship with either throughout the episodes until the very end when KHW decides to date/marry Hee A seemed so random tbh
I don't know why Lee Kyung Young is always cast as villain he's been in quite another of dramas as the villain in major shows off late you could say maybe it's easy to cast him bcoz he's a villain irl idk but he's really talented at this despite his flaws. Would love if it was someone else but it is what it is. We had this massive build up to finally punish Cho Tae Sub and he suddenly vanishes?? Wtf poor writing/ ran out of ideas maybe. The end with a new villain wanting to rebuild the secret club by CTS maybe hints at a sequel? Idk we rarely get those in kdramas but the bottom line is 16 episodes were not enough to tell the story and i think more people agree on that. What did i love about the show the casting was top notch a 10 in my books can't stress how much i loved them even though i haven't talked about the other characters around KHW especially, the OST is really catchy, great vibe, loved it, the story and flow was good up until the clutch moments. Because of how it ends i don't think i'll be rewatching it, sadly. W show though

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Yet another masterpiece by Lee Joon Gi.

The plot is amazing and you have no idea how much I love rebirth stories.

Kim Hee Woo, a prosecutor, dies after digging into the corruption of the current president. He then gets a chance for rebirth and wakes up in his younger self. Now with the knowledge of the future, Kim Hee Woo begins a game of chess with Cho Tae Seob, a politician (and the president in his former life). It is truly a beautiful game of chess, with Kim Hee Woo always being one move ahead of Cho Tae Seob.

The only downside is the final episode seems a little rushed and the end was a tad bit unsatisfactory.

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NOT VERY IMPRESSED! EXPECTED MORE

I have quite a few issues with this drama! It’s not a bad drama, it had some good potentials but I think they did it wrong. The storyline as an idea is good and interesting but after a while it just gets tiring. The whole plot where he comes back and he just build himself strong so he can take Cho Tae Seob down started well but the end was so anticlimactic and just rushed up. He exposed himself without a reason without having a real plan, I get that he had to make mistakes so it’s more realistic but the fact he just destroy his cover so easily was just plain stupid. Each episode had the same plot, he goes after someone that helps Tae Seob and tries to take him down by been a prosecutor and at first its fun to watch how we tricks them but after a while he just repeat his previous actions.

I had a problem with the main character, I just couldn’t like him that much, he is a good guy and he is played by Lee Joon Gi so you could bet he will be amazing, but he just isn’t for me, I liked him at episode one to five but after that he just bored me. Same with the main female lead Kim Hee Ah, I found her so boring, she was just not well written as characters for the drama.
The characters that stole the show were definitely Min Soo and Han Mi. They were so interesting not only their storylines but their personalities too, Min Soo was the funniest guy and the most mysterious too, great combination.Han Mi was just a badass, I think she was more of a main female lead then Hee Ah . Also Gyu Ri and Sang Man were very good too, actually all the side characters were just excellent.

The romantic storyline was just A BIG NO. It literally didn’t make any sense, I would rather if they just didn’t include any romantic relationship, it was useless and out of the blue.there is only one romantic relationship I liked and that is the possibility of Min Soo and Gyu Ri (the last scene where he pointed out they had match outfits made me think they probably ended up together.)

I think I may be a little biased about this drama. The first time I watched Lee Joon Gi in a drama it was in Lawless Lawyer, that has similar concept, he was a funny yet badass character and here he didn’t gave me the same vibe. Also the main villain was better in general and the female lead was just amazing (their chemistry was top tier too). So after this drama, Again My Life seemed to lack many factors to be a great drama.

Overall it’s an okay drama but nothing special.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " Again My Life " doesn't stray too far off the beaten track.

The dramas best part is its performances. The actors did all a great job portraying their characters and their performances were enjoyable. The chemistry between them was also a killer point. However, the star of the show is of course the main lead, who outshines everyone and gives the drama his own twist.

Unfortunately, and even though the start is smooth and exciting, the drama fails to deliver. The main criminal case is boring and predictable and the whole going back to the past was not explained. Rather, it was left to be added here and there as a reminder, not to mention, in some episodes, was completelly forgotten.

At least there were plenty action scenes that kept things entertaining.

So, overall, four out of ten.

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No stupidity, no bullshit

A very good show. Rational behaviors, rational approach, reasonable decisions of all the characters and no stupid redemptions for no reason, without efforts, no stupid, ungrateful approach from anyone towards anyone. There's a small part suggesting a crack between a ML & SML but it turns out completely staged for the sake of fighting and deceiving a strong enemy.

Some people could be disappointed by a final pairing - because another woman would fit better to end up in a relationship with a ML and the show seemed to suggest that early on too. However, it's not that bad and it's not irrational - at least - there was a reason why they end up together, it did not happen "just because".

Also - it has a very good music, a very interesting story, concept, good characters, lots of great action (fighting) scenes. This shows empowers instead of promoting a toxic society, toxic friendships, toxic relationships presented as "romantic" by a lot of other series.

Also - watch Lawless Lawyer, Bad Prosecutor - those are basically the same.

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An Emphasis in All the Wrong Places

Again My Life is an excellent drama that does many things well, but falls short on a few instances. The few missteps in this drama are by no means a deal breaker, it’s great from start to finish, but these few inconsistencies held the drama back from truly being one of the best. If you’ve read this far and haven’t watched it yet, this is your cue to stop thinking about it and just watch it. If you want to skip all my positives for this show and just read my negatives, read from the line-break onwards.

The premise of the story is simple, a prosecutor dies and gets the chance to come back to life at the tail end of high school. I can’t say too much more about the plot without getting into spoilers, but the description on MDL should be enough to get you interested. This show is a political drama. As of writing this review, the genre has the tags mystery and fantasy. I would say these tags are slightly misleading. The fantasy element (coming back to life) is only in the first episode; after that, there’s never even the slightest whiff of fantasy again. The mystery element is definitely there, but more so than anything, this show is political maneuvering. The prosecutor died in an attempt to bring down a corrupt politician. Now that he’s alive again, he has close to a decade to come up with a plan to put an end to the corruption. With a plot like this, the male lead is critical to the drama.

I feel like the producers of this show knew that the story would live or die on the shoulders of the lead actor. A talent like Lee Joon Gi was the only way this story would stay afloat. And that’s not a knock on the story, it’s a compliment to the acting prowess of Lee Joon Gi. I don’t know the exact number, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Lee Joon Gi had 90% screen time… he’s on screen all the time. Lee Joon Gi’s acting in this drama is quite different to his more recent dramas. In Flower of Evil, he acted as a psychopath alternating between stone-cold killer and loving husband/father. In Lawless Lawyer, he portrayed a bashful and arrogant lawyer with a pretty heavy chip on his shoulder. In Again My Life, Lee Joon Gi gives a much more nuanced performance. His acting is one of a thoughtful and careful tactician. Lee Joon Gi is planning out moves years in advance, he’s setting up plays in high school that won’t make sense until after he graduates law school.

In a sense, this drama is a game of chess. Lee Joon Gi’s character is a grandmaster, and his opponent is played by the actor Lee Kyung Young. Let me be clear, there is no female lead. The only other main lead aside from Lee Joon Gi is Lee Kyung Young. All other actors are purely supporting roles. The heart of the story revolves around the two lead actors. Lee Kyung Young is the antagonist, and he does an excellent job. His character is that of a political kingpin; he deals with corruption, scandals, bribery, murder, the whole nine yards. He’s ruthless, but he’s not an idiot. Lee Kyung Young does an excellent job of portraying his character to be a man of experience, a politician who thinks several times before he makes his move. The character of Lee Kyung Young is very akin to Frank Underwood from House of Cards.

Let me say a few more things about the supporting actors. Jung Sang Hoon was excellent with his comedic relief. His friendly banter with Lee Joon Gi was well scripted, and if it wasn’t scripted, it was pure genius. I wish Kim Ji Eun had more screen time. Her character was very intriguing and I wished the show would have explored it more. I enjoyed her acting from The Veil, and this drama definitely added to her acting talent. I hope to see her in a lead female role in the future.

Also, a note on the background score. It is very reminiscent of 90’s film score. Grand, sweeping orchestral pieces are cool and all, but it’s become pretty cliche. Some of the music definitely fits the different moods of the show, but I found it to be unimaginative. This is also my personal preference; if you don’t mind huge cinematic scores, then this won’t be an issue at all, but for me, I was kind of over it.


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Power will corrupt, and absolute power will corrupt absolutely. If you wanted to end this corruption, you could only do so from the standpoint of a higher power. But if you attain a higher power, you too will become corrupt. It’s a never ending cycle. It’s like that old line from the original Spiderman movie: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. If it takes a monster to beat the devil, is it worth throwing away your humanity for such a cause? This is the central theme of the drama, and its also the drama’s biggest weakness. When you set such a profound subject matter as your central theme and not tackle it properly, the whole show comes out as lukewarm. There were many points in the drama were I wished to see a more grey morality of Lee Joon Gi’s character. The show goes at length of describing the necessity of being villainous to catch a villain, but it shies back every time. It feels like the subject matter was too controversial to be put on Korean television so they heavily toned it down. What we got instead was the classic unblemished white knight ousting the corrupt politician.

Ultimately, 16 episodes wasn’t enough. I understand that Lee Joon Gi’s character got sent back in time by a decade, but there was a seven year time-skip. I would’ve liked to see more of his college life before and after his military service. There were opportunities to flesh out some of the supporting characters, but the producers decided to bypass all of that. Instead they gave a very bland and generic season 2 set-up at the end of the last episode.

This show has a lot going for it. There is very minimal romance, so that may come as a negative for some, but other than that, the biggest downside is the unexplored themes. We get to see Lee Joon Gi develop to be a kingpin of his own, and that’s a thrilling watch in and of itself. But the unexplored themes, and the generic season 2 set-up ending had me desiring more from the show. I still recommend this show, especially if you’re a Lee Joon Gi fan, this show will hit all the sweet spots. And even if you’re not a massive Lee Joon Gi fan, this show still has some nifty frills to keep you entertained.

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A METHODICAL REVENGE WITH LOT OF PLOT SCHEMING AND TALKING

This drama was recommended to me by my friends.. But then they said it was too much talking and less action but I still watched it and wow i am absolutely loving this drama. This is my first time watching Lee Joon Gi's drama and god what flawless acting and visuals he has. This drama would've been flopped without him. The story is average and predictable but the things i liked was the cast chemistry and the OST. There's less action scenes but i loved the fights especially ep 13 fight, it was short but satisfying. The only worry I has is that only one episode is left but there's so much to cover well we will see..Now I am craving to watch his other dramas.

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