See You In My 19th Life (2023)

Massive dissappointment. Actors misused.

Take this review with a grain of salt. My expectations were high because of the two main leads so I will be completely biased.

tl;dr plot was already paperthin made worse by misusing the actors

Already had an idea what this was going to be, skimmed throught the webtoon. Two of my favorite actors get casted for the main leads. So even though I couldn't careless about the plot I decided to watch it. Up until episode 3.

Fire the director and put her on the industry blacklist. The weak premise got even weaker. Gone was Shin Hye Sun usuals charm that could carry the most paper thin characters. She was just insufferable in this. I'd probably enjoy it more if I just watched Shin Hye Sun put wallpaper in her house. At least her charm won't be obfuscated.

Ahn Bo Hyun was so bad in this. Total misuse, total miscast. He was great on Yumi's Cells. Even if his character was one dimensional in Itaewon Class he gave life to the role. Not in this. It seems the directer put tissue in his mouth and told him to do his best.

This show was so awful it made me not be excited to watch my two favorite korean actors.

Lire davantage

Story that doesn’t translate right on screen

I hate to be that person who whines about how dramas fail to live up to its original comics or books. But I really can’t let this review slide because See You in My 19th Life was, is my favorite Webtoon series of all times.

SYiM19L has such an interesting premise. We have Ban Jieum as the female lead who found herself in her trickiest predicament yet - being her own love rival. To be more exact, her 18th reincarnated self was the girl whom Mun Seoha, her love interest, cannot forget. Being someone who can remember all her past 19 lives, would she be able to use her century old wisdom to win Seoha’s heart again?

When I first excitedly tune to the series, I kept telling myself to enjoy my beloved Jieum’s and Seoha’s romance on screen with an open mind. After all, I get that comic storytelling and drama storytelling aren’t exactly alike.

2 episodes in though, I couldn’t help but found myself picking up the webtoon again and put on the comparison lens. After crawling through 5 episodes, my verdict is in, the drama wasn’t appealing enough - even if I were to see it as a separate story.

All in all, the drama version made certain simple plots that already worked well more complex than necessary. I also didn’t enjoy the chemistry between drama version of Jieum and Seoha.

>>>Spoilers alert from here on<<<

1 Changes which weaken the core of what I love about the couple

In the webtoon, Jieum as her 18th reincarnation met Seoha first in the library. Though they didn’t like each other at first, they eventually got to enjoying each other’s company reading books and chitchatting. It was here where Jieum mentioned how she felt more like a 12 year old being around Seoha - and it was an important moment for her considering she had already lived for a century.

Instead of this simplistic meeting in the library and them enjoying each other’s company overtime, their first meetup is changed to the pool, which some element of fate.

Maybe it was trying to add more context to convince us how their love story could transcend 2 lifetimes. Maybe it was trying to add more shared moments that they could use to create that typical dreamy romance vibe that on screen. The pool scene was indeed pretty, but this pretty moment somehow drowned Seoha and Jieum. Added the cliche-y touch, cut away the couple’s unique vibe I love from webtoon. It’s something I appreciate less these days with romance dramas.

Another example of change that didn’t work well for me - was Jieum’s confession to Seoha.

In the webtoon, the confession was simple and pure. Jieum realised she liked Seoha and thought the moment was right to confess. There was an internal monologue shown to us on how Seoha’s actions that day impacted Jieum. It became clear to her that her affection towards Seoha remains romantic in this lifetime as well and thought it was important to confess. So she did. Simple, decisive and clear - like how someone who had lived for 19th life would rightfully do.

In the drama, they made Jieum ran in the rain from her place to Seoha’s (okay she ran to the taxi, then to Seoha’s, in the rain), then babbled to Seoha that she wanted to confess on his birthday because it would made him had a good memory to go by (instead of linking it to Joo Won’s death anniversary). And then, the moment got to predictably get interrupted by a “fake” love rival for a needed tension. I got tired typing this scenario out.

This change diluted the confession.

There were many more scenes like these that dial up the cliche-y moments. But let me move on to my next point.

2. Drama Seoha vs Webtoon Seoha
In the short 5 episodes I watched, I eventually warmed up to Shin Hye Sun’s portrayal of Jieum even when I didn’t like it either, but I sadly can’t say the same for Bo Hyun Ahn’s Seoha.

One of the most fun things about SYiM19L webtoon version was Seoha’s and Jieum’s banters - in particular, Seoha’s reaction to Jieum’s confessions and general remarks. The drama Seoha is too reserved, which dull a lot of the humorous moments I had enjoyed back then when reading the webtoon. The webtoon Seoha wasn’t friendly either, but he had way more reactions to Jieum’s teasing.

Hye Sun’s and Hyun Ahn’s on screen chemistry was also only so so to me. Not enough for me to like them separately from the webtoon version.

3. Jieum’s mystery and the finale
For remaining part episodes, I ended up googled others’ reviews to catch up on the story plot at high level.

If I had disliked the aforementioned changes, I am definitely upset with this one - they made Jieum forget the people in this lifetime too if she wants to break her curse. Whose genius idea is this to add this unnecessary cliche plot? Some critiques already pointed out the loophole on this.

In the webtoon, she simply won’t remember them anymore when she reincarnated in her next life. And this made so much more sense. After all, Jieum’s love story with Seoha happened because she remembered her past 18 reincarnated self. If she needs to forget them in this lifetime, what’s their love story without it anymore?

>>>Spoilers ends<<<

This concludes my review on See You in My 19th Life. It failed to capture the key spirits that made the webtoon version popular and enjoyable. The quirky and sassy female lead, the equally lovable male lead, their humourous and heartwarming love journey as well as the occasional nuggets of wisdoms from someone who has lived for centuries on life - I wasn’t able to see them on screen. While I give the production team a benefit of doubt, it’s hard for me to rate this higher than it is.

There were plus points though. The cinematography is great. The actor and actress are great too, even if I don’t felt convinced by their on screen chemistry. Also if you haven’t read the original webtoon like I did, maybe you will be able to enjoy See You in My 19th Life much better than me, without the bias and all.

I will “see y’all” in my next review.

Lire davantage

No geral gostei da história. A química do casal de protagonistas foi muito boa e eu torci genuinamente pelo casal Ji Eum e Seo Ah. Torci para que enfim conseguissem ser felizes nessa décima nona vida da Ji Eum. Entretanto, acho que faltou tempo para desenvolver melhor alguns plots, especialmente com relação a primeira vida da protagonista. Parece que foi tudo muito corrido para caber em 12 episódios. Gostaria de saber mais sobre as personagens do xamã/professor e da universitária (e mãe do Seo Ah na vida passada). Também queria saber o que aconteceu com a Ji Eun depois que ela aceitou o destino do esquecimento das vidas passadas. Como ela voltou a trabalhar com a engenharia de carros etc. Essa parte ficou muito vaga. No entanto, essa falta de informação e desenvolvimento de alguns personagens me faz ter vontade de ler o webtoon e saber mais sobre esses personagens e essa história envolvente.

Lire davantage

Well written and acted

just finished this masterpiece goshh I wish this will never end. such a well written drama and also the casting was so perfect ,well acted. I like ban jieum's character she is so straightforward and sometime she leaves you flustered, she is everybody's crush. shin hye sun really acted so brilliantly specially in episode 11 when she remembers her 1st life and the way she expressed, I got goosebumps watching her cry and the way she switch from emotional to anger woww. ahn bohyun as mun seo ha is the best thing I don't think anyone else can play this role like him it's like this character was made for him. seo ha is such a soft boy man really suffer from watching his nonna's death in front of his eyes, losing his hearing to betrayed by his uncle whom he trusted so much. cho won and ha doyoon is cute together glad he finally over come his inferiority and listen his heart.. the last episode was so emotional but at the end it's a new beginning seo ha saying those words which jieum told her in their first meeting was everything. at the end all get their happy ending and some is going towards a happy beginning Seo ha is now a confident and happy living a guilt free life. All over this drama is for me 10/10 not a single episode which lack something. perfect for binge watch.

Lire davantage

Would you like to remember your past lives?

I give 5 stars for the beautiful scenes, story, and cast. I found Ahn Bo Hyun a little awkward, but that's probably the character of the series. For me, a slightly more active character type suits him better. And I would cut his hair right away. Looking at him made me wonder if he could see through that hair and if he really didn't mind :D. And definitely less makeup. Shin Hye-Seon is an incredible actress for me. I don't know why, but it happened to me again that I thought this series would be bullshit and boring. But I was really surprised. The secondary characters were promising and had engaging and dramatic scenes. In the last scene, I was embarrassed for them too :D. I was expecting a slightly more adult approach. Nevertheless, I would like to see Ahn Dong-Goo in a series where he would be the main character. The storyline was excellent. Flashbacks to past lives and remembering the past kept me on edge. I think this series will make everyone wonder if there is reincarnation and what it would be like to remember past lives. For me, definitely do not remember the past lives.

Lire davantage

a lot of deviations from the source material...

🟩The Good🟩
I read the original webtoon this is based on and enjoyed it a lot. so I was happy to c that there was gonna b a series adaptation. So the set up is somewhat interesting. The acting is great for the most part, tho ML seemed awkward at times. Honestly, I don't think they casted the right actor for the role... Ahn Bo Hyun is good, but this role doesn't fit him well.

🟥The Bad🟥
So, half way through, I noticed some inconsistencies with the webtoon story, the whole thing where ppl around the FL get sick once they know she remembers her past lives. wth? and I've read some spoilers that in the end she forgets all of her lives and lives on? wth as well? idk... knowing that, this story becames some basic childhood friends to lovers story with the extra steps of reincarnation. the tango thing is cringe as well... idk. wish they stuck to the source material.

5/10 cuz first 5 ep were decent and then.... down hill. dropping on ep 7

so overall, im just disappointed with the adaptation. If I haven't read the webtoon, maybe this series would have been better but unnecessary drama is just ehhhh.

Lire davantage

Another Kdrama with a soulless ending!

I honestly don't know when will Kdrama writers gonna realize what they're doing for years, is not good!

Some of the best shows has the worst ending, and "See You in My 19th Life" is just another example!

The main plot isn't new or extraordinary, we've seen shows like this many times, but it was still interesting, and fun. It was well-written, till the last 2 episodes!

I don't want to go into details, because I don't see the point, but the most disappointing parts of the story are these:

1. They didn't do much with the past lives plot, she was struggling who she should tell the truth for a long time, yet she basically told everyone, except her own mother!

2. The worst part of the story is probably the Minki guy. He came from nowhere, he was like the all-knowing guy, yet we didn't get a single explanation why or how he knows these things, we just had to accept what he says. I mean, where's the proof that Jieum had to forget all of her past lives to save everyone else? That was THE DUMBEST plot EVER! Lazy writing 101!

3. The pacing of the story. It wasn't really stretched or anything, but I still felt, we hardly get anything from the story. The last 2 episode were just bad! I think, they realized they made a mistake, so they fixed everything in 5 seconds, basically.

Other than these, I think this show is pretty good, and enjoyable! The actors did a great job, but sadly, this is just another average fantasy show with a massive potential.

Another overrated Kdrama, but I'm not surprised. Most show here are overrated. Kdrama fans don't like to give low scores.

Lire davantage

A tale of memories and letting go

See You In My 19th Life is a beautiful tale about how one can freeze in time metaphorically and psychologically. There are times in our lives when we can be so deeply hurt by others that we choose to punish ourselves in a circular manner without realizing that we have become the source of our pain. The show’s message of ‘letting go and living on’, through the lives of the characters makes it a heartwarming tale of love, memories, trauma and healing.

The show reverberates the message of healing your inner child, healing yourself from your past trauma’s in each of the characters’ stories. Coming to the characters, the chemistry was good between the leads while the supporting cast had their own hold. The first half of the drama was enticing, however the second half got a bit loose towards the climax/final episode.

Nevertheless, See You In My 19th Life is a mesmerizing kdrama that effortlessly blends romance, fantasy, and heartfelt emotions.

My Rating : 7.5/10

Lire davantage

Disappointing if you're a webtoon reader

To start, this story is about a woman who reincarnates and remembers her past lives. In her life just before the story's present day, she's a kid who gets killed in a car crash; the male lead, also a kid, is in the car with her and witnesses her die, which seriously traumatizes him as the sole survivor. FL reincarnates and makes it her mission in her current life to find him. She falls in love with him and, in the present day, uses her collective experience to become qualified to join his family's company and his department. The original story breadcrumbs the reincarnation reveal, which is the core of the storyline; this story does not do that well at all.

This is an adaptation of one of my favorite manhwa, so I think my expectations were too high and specific going in. While not terrible, there were a few things I found unacceptable in adaptation. For one, Shin Hye Sun is totally miscast. . Ban Ji Eum needs to exude specific qualities for the story to work: wisdom, implacability, mystery, self-assuredness beyond her years, flippancy, and mature flirtatiousness. Shin Hye Sun doesn't have the gravity or strength of character for the role--she seems more suited for more straight-forward roles; all efforts to make her seem older are conveyed through dialogue--she does literally nothing as an actor to convey that she's like hundreds of years old. Honestly, I thought the kid actors did a way better job being precocious and true to character. I also didn't like the costume and makeup choices for her at all; her outfits and dyed hair evoke youthfulness and work completely contrary to associations that would fit the character. Speaking out of her ass about being part of some historical scenes did not work at all. Characterization needs to be conveyed through facial acting, posture, costuming, vocal tone, etc., but here, basically all of her characterization as an adult comes through dialogue and the flashback child acting. I love the manhwa so I'm biased obviously, but if you compare the character design for each, the live action version here seems kind of random when it comes to making decisions about her character.

I was happy to see Ahn Bo Hyun get a lead role and I think he fits the male lead well. I've always thought he was a more dynamic actor than his supporting roles would lead one to believe and 19th Life shows that's true. Unfortunately, the plotting and female lead are far inferior to the source material. Maybe I would've enjoyed this more had I not been familiar with how excellent the webtoon is.

Lire davantage

Weee

Woohoo! i finally finished this! its been a while since i last started an ongoing drama. PEEEEE. this was pretty good. I LOVE KY GIRL SHIN HYENSUN. i’ll watch anything she’s in … she’s so amazing. great actress! this drama was short and really sweet. not feeling the main lead as much but it was cute. didn’t really feel the chemistry too much on the main couple. LOVVEEEEED THE SECOND COUPLE w chowon & ha guy. i always kill for a good second couple ESP HE PLAYED COLD BUT HE RLY LIKED HER SHSJSJJS CUTE. but their story could’ve been developed better. i didn’t buy his reasoning to why he didn’t want to go out with her….. Ha yoon kyung? the chowon girl? sooo cute i want to see her more often. also. LOVEEDDDDD the relationship between jieum and chowon. UGH THE SISTERLY LOVE. i loved watching this . i can relate to chowon cuz my sister passed too and this was quite cute. alsoooo jieum and aegyeong CUTE. i love the switch in parental roles and how sweet they are to each other. ALSO LOVEDDD THE ENDING. All of the full circle moments AND SEOHA GONNA CHASE AFTER HER NOW TEEEHEHEHEH. also loved how jieum in the beginning fought to find seoha and confess to him and everything. that was rly cute heheheh.but probs wouldn’t watch again and not my fav. but yeah.

Lire davantage

Zakaria Razi is an Iranian scientist

The historical flaw of this series is that Zakaria Razi is an Iranian scientist, but in the series they said he is Arab. This is a weakness for the creators of the series
The historical flaw of this series is that Zakaria Razi is an Iranian scientist, but in the series they said he is Arab. This is a weakness for the creators of the series

The historical flaw of this series is that Zakaria Razi is an Iranian scientist, but in the series they said he is Arab. This is a weakness for the creators of the series
The historical flaw of this series is that Zakaria Razi is an Iranian scientist, but in the series they said he is Arab. This is a weakness for the creators of the series

Lire davantage