See You in My 19th Life (2023)

It is what you think, mostly!

So, I just finished watching this drama, and it was just what I expected. Before I start with my review, I would like to point out that this is a light-hearted drama, and any anxiety-filled plots are short-lived.

Most dramas about reincarnation build a bridge between the past life (historical drama) and the current life (modern dramas), and the same was true for this too. The storyline was nothing fresh, but the approach taken to tell the story was somewhat unexpected. I kept waiting for the arrival of a big bad wolf, but this drama has no true antagonist. Yes, the ML's aunt might have played dirty, but it has nothing to do with the main storyline. Every lousy deed done was instead shown to be influenced by the surrounding circumstances, and the people who did wrong were filled with regret and resentment. I hoped for something more exciting when I started watching the drama. In the beginning, I disliked many characters, but eventually (especially in the last episode), I came around to feeling empathy for them. The sadness, fear, anger, greed or pride that drove one to act wrong was not taken as an excuse by the characters; instead, their decisions ate at them. The story ends with forgiveness! Yes, nothing huge or climatic, but simple forgiveness and moving on to new beginnings. Honestly, nothing truly happens in the story. They introduce plots that don't affect the real storyline at all. I am glad they decided to have a 12-episode series because the series was getting boring and felt a bit dragged at times. Not only did the storyline have a lot of empty plots, but the ending was also bittersweet.

Now, The characters in the drama might not be too likeable, with everyone making mistakes apart from the ML. Still, the actors that portrayed these roles were likeable. I don't have any complaints about the acting. It was nice. The FL was represented as a wise person who, despite being lonely because of her past memories, tries to live all her lives to the fullest. She is mature but silly in love at the same time. All I can say is that she is a unique character. Though this is not true for the other side characters, they did not impress. Their storylines could have been stronger and mostly felt incomplete, dull or empty.

Overall, it is a standard average drama, suitable to pass your time.

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triangles or misunderstandings that drag too long... look elsewhere.

If I had to use three words to describe this drama they would be soft, fluffy and heartwarming. It falls into a very well known category, which is Coming Of Age School Drama, but unlike so many others before it, it does not care to create unnecessary plots where our leads suffer too much in their relationship (by breaking up out of nowhere, for example) or act stupidly for the sake of creating conflict; one of its greatest strengths is that characters trust each other and as a result, they won't blindly believe what outside forces try to convince them of when it comes to one another, which is something that happens way too often in dramas like this one.

Are there misunderstandings? Of course, but misunderstandings *are* a part of life and having them in small quantities in dramas and done realistically adds to them, and When I Fly Towards you manages to sprinkle them in a way that feels organic enough that you believe it could easily happen in real life.

This drama is something to watch when you need something cute and uplifting with the certainty that good things will keep happening as you watch and problems will be solved. It's comforting and wholesome, and manages to be those things without its characters leaning too much into being cheesy, corny or cringeworthy. An amazing feat, without a doubt.

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I don’t get it

so me, like many others, started watching this drama because of the promotions, the hype, it was highly anticipated.

While this show was airing there was nothing but praise.. but now I’m starting to understand the culture behind shows like this. It had its fan base and it still does, it profited a lot off of people watching without seeing any flaws. I believe most people who see this show with no flaws are fans of the actors in it and/or have loved the webtoon. As someone who never saw the webtoon I thought I would be ok watching this.. I thought I would get it. But still, even I thought the whole idea of 19 lives.. that’s a lot. I was right. The format of this into a show isn’t working, it’s so much and makes me wonder if maybe the webtoon does a better job at tying all the lives together. .. why 19 of them? They only focus on two- the 19th, and 18th.. any others just are there so the female lead has a one up on life.. she ends up in Korea and the other lives don’t really affect her besides her knowing a few people and things..

Still the logic I can’t buy into. Ji Eum lives a lot of lives.. so when she is reborn she remembers? So is she a fully aware adult when reborn? I really have a hard time with this. She can remember the flamingo dancing and remember her uncle, then those stories are dropped just so character exists. It feels like filler to me, but then again- 19 lives is a lot. So why is this drama so.. average? It is disappointing, because I’m trying to see what other me that rave about this are seeing. I just can’t. I have an issue with the main premise but thought .. hey if it’s rated this high.. then surely it is explained?

No- nothing is explained. You just have these characters in these situations right away. And honestly these characters are bland. Rich people, pretty one dimensional. I mean Seo-Ha’s character has PTSD and deafness.. I thought that could be interesting. Instead you only get his buildup to who he is now through a car crash scene that repeats itself. It is like that is who he is, he is just traumatized by that. He hasn’t grown and him being a hotel director or whoever he is- it doesn’t make sense to me.. he is just born into it and isn’t that cool honestly. So why of all people did Ji-Eum decide she loves him of all the people she met? I guess none out of the thousands she met through all her lives were important enough to even be in the show. .. so she likes him.. who I can’t get behind because she fell in love with him as a kid. He shows no growth or interest in her and she wants him so badly for some reason only other than him being nice to her as a kid- but - she had to have known so many people. Why is she so pulled towards this kid, following and seeing him grow up I guess.. it’s matured in that way.. I guess… but they can’t really show a maturing relationship. I mean they could, they just didn’t.

The chemistry between the leads I don’t buy into. A kiss they have is good, but still that can’t make up for stale chemistry. In all honesty I find Ji-Eum unlikeable. I am frustrated with her and this story. You have all these lives and experiences just to be stuck on one guy in this life. Instead I’d rather see her work to solve world issues, something on a bigger scale. This murder car crash is so obvious and so boring to follow. I really don’t care. I don’t like Ji-Eum for focusing on this set of people and acting like they are the only people she cares about when she knows so many people. Shouldn’t she feel plagued by losing so many people? Shouldn’t she have attachement issues instead of this.

No- this is based off a webtoon. So she is just a female lead who is looking for love. I was stupid to expect anything outstanding from this. I was pulled into this because I was following the trend. I regret it, my time is gone. I’m being so harsh because I’m frustrated. My review, my opinion. and my opinion is that this drama is dumb. Not even for hopeless romantics because the romance is bad. I would explain more but I’m not putting any more time into justifying how I feel about this. It is just how I feel. I don’t like this drama, not the worst I’ve seen, not really that good though..

The music is good. The acting I can’t take seriously because of how stupid the whole premise of the show is. I can get behind stories that I can’t follow in real life, but only when it isn’t cheap. Only when they immerse me in their world and story through building up plots, characters, settings.

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Engaging and fresh fantasy drama that stays true to its source material

It was airing at the same time as 'King the Land' and I initially did not know about this drama prior to it airing, I only learnt about it after viewers of 'King the Land' made comparisons to it due to the similar setting of the 2 dramas. Whilst I started dedicating 'King the Land' for my weekly Sunday and Monday dose of K-dramas, I ended up captivated and hooked to 'See You in My 19th Life'. I was so hooked that I binged read the original manhwa. I love me a drama that has me invested and captivated spontaneously rather than me pursuing to watch a drama due to my likeness towards the cast, which is why I rated this drama so high.

Whilst I was disappointed that it was only 12 episodes, extremely short for the typical 16 episodes for kdramas, it enabled the drama to conclude the story at a nice pace. Overall, it wasn't rushed despite its short length. However, I wouldn't have mind some filler scenes of the 2 couples. It was particularly a shame that there wasn't more scenes dedicated to Do-yoon and Cho-won, which would have maybe stopped me from being disinterested in them towards the end. It also would have been nice to see more of Do-yoon progressively accepting his feelings for Cho-won.

This drama was a breath of fresh air from the cheesy romantic dramas or the ultra serious dramas that are currently ubiquitous in the K-drama scene at the moment. It presented a strong and confident female lead that felt organic and not as if it was trying to be progressive and showy about having one. Whilst I am in love with Ji-eum and Seo-ha's relationship, I think the star relationship of the show was definitely the two sisters and I believe that it is secretly the heart of the show.

Having finished the original manhwa well before the show finished airing, I did not mind the modifications made. Being a K-drama adaptation, it is inevitable that changes would be made to the original manhwa to add a sense of intrigue and suspense to viewers that have already read the original source material. Unlike some K-drama adaptations of manhwas, 'See You in My 19th Life' does not lose essence of the original manhwa in its changes.

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"Have you fallen in love?"

Why do children love fairy tales? Because they are stories where there’s no logic, yet they are still stories. The best stories are written by life, and they are the best because the events shouldn’t have unfolded the way they did. Yet they did, and they unfolded in a magical, fairy tale-like way.
The drama "See You in My 19th Life" is also a fairy tale—one for adults. It’s a Rom-Com, a romantic comedy. The execution is brilliant. It’s not forceful, yet it’s full of deep emotions—happy, sad, and touching ones. Perhaps that’s why it touches the soul like a balm.
I won’t go into details about the plot, so that those who haven’t seen it can fully enjoy it. The beginning is lighthearted, and the rest remains a secret for those who haven't watched it yet.
This series starts off dynamically from the very first episode, immediately captivating the viewer. I’ll tell you this: you’ll likely want to watch it twice. On the first viewing, the solutions might seem surprising, even exaggerated. However, the actors charmingly portray the dilemmas of ordinary life. What initially feels overdone turns out to be the drama’s redeeming philosophy. This is what truly drives the story, and understanding this will prompt you to watch it again. Upon a second viewing, something strange happens. It’s as if the series was shot from two different camera angles. From the second perspective, the solutions no longer seem exaggerated—they’re the best they could be. The actors convey this brilliantly on screen.

Shin Hye-Sun delivers a stellar performance. Her choice of hair color (a fox-like hue) beautifully complements the cunning character she plays—both as an actress and as a person interacting with Mun Seo-Ha (Ahn Bo-Hyun, who excellently portrays a young man tormented by memories of the past). The playfulness is not one of malice, but rather a loving attempt to get closer to him.
In almost every episode, we’re treated to beautiful, emotionally stirring visual solutions. Ban Ji-Eum (Hye-Sun) plays with her voice sensually when she believes that Seo-Ha, her young friend from a past life, can’t hear her. Ji-Eum, who remembers her past lives, affects those around her like someone blessed with an extraordinary level of empathy. And this is where the others in the story come in. The cast complements each other wonderfully. Ha Yoon-Kyung’s performance as Cho-Woon must be mentioned. She’s incredibly likable, and in several scenes, she conveys emotions from the screen with a powerful intensity. A great choice to pair with Shin Hye-Sun.

The director and the entire crew deserve praise. There are many beautiful solutions in the series, but as promised, I won’t spoil them—let them surprise you. Both in terms of content and visuals.

The child actors also shine in the series. They gave excellent performances, which was also highlighted by professional critics.

The film’s OST is romantic and wonderful.

The only negative I’d point out is the rushed ending. I was horrified when I realized I was suddenly watching the last episode. From that moment on, I was counting the minutes (only ten left, only five left...). This team could have elegantly resolved everything in an extra 30 minutes, rather than cramming it into just 15. It was too fast, with no time for the gentle unraveling that had characterized the entire series.

But who would I dock points for this? To be fair, no one.

Aja

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strong start, weak ending

The story has many plot holes but i still enjoyed it very much, until the last two episodes where the story started to make litteraly no sense. As many review say, the ending felt rushed, but also boring at the same time. I haven't read the webtoon so i can't compare the two but i still felt like we were missing some informations for the story to make sens. It really felt like it should have been a 16ep long drama but they suddenly had to make it shorter.

Nonetheless i think it is worth watching, particularly for the cast and the romance which were both amazing. I would have rated it at least 8 if it wasn't for the last episodes.

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A Pleasant Watch if Slightly Predictable

I decided to watch this drama simply based on the synapsis, it was an intriguing concept.

What would you do if you could remember your past lives? Would this be a blessing or a curse?

I never really felt these questions were answered, however what we did get was an enjoyable romance with just enough drama to keep the story moving.

Shin Hye Sun as the female lead was really good throughout, but I particularly enjoyed her performance in the early episodes where she stole every scene she was in. She managed to combine smart, sassy, funny and sexy all in one unique package. She took no prisoners when she decided on her course of action.

Ahn Bo Hyun as our male lead was fine, I don't think he was particular stretched by this role and I didn't completely buy into his feelings of loss but that was a minor issue for me.

Perhaps his story arc featured a little too heavily for me as he tried to discover the mystery surrounding Ban Ji Eum death in her previous past life. I also found when they discovered the mastermind behind this and the reasons for it, this was rather underwhelming.

I would have perhaps have enjoyed this drama more if we had spent more time examining and experiencing Ban Ji Eum past lives. We got clips and flashbacks but these never really explored in detail. Maybe this was a drama that required 16 episodes rather the 12 we got?

As far as the ending was concerned it was slightly predictable, I've seen similar endings in other films and drama's. We get to see our leads reunited even if Ban Ji Eum doesn't remember Moon Seo Ha. It was sweet if not terribly original.

Overall this was a pleasant watch and did provide a happy ending for our leads, whilst I wouldn't rush to rewatch it anytime soon, I m sure to revisit it just for Shin Hye Sun performance.

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Remembering the past lives, is it a gift or a curse?

Story 7,30/10: New, interesting, engaging, yet weak in some parts where it had to be strong.
The main plot that we see a lot in Manhwa but not in K-drama, the parts that were weak are, first :who was the one behind the car accident, we were supposed to feel shoked and sad while with the ML while finding out that the one who caused his big trauma and killed a precious person to him was the only one he trusted from his familly, and that because we didn't get to see much of his interactions with his uncle before. Second: FL's first life that had so much potentiel if they just developped it more, I wished we could see more of it. The ending in the other hand was so good and well done.

Acting/Cast 8,5/10: Shin Hye Sun is a shinning star, I started the drama for her and she never desappoint, her acting was the best part, 2 remarkable scenes of her, dancing with her mother's imagination and crying, and while remembering the death of her sister from her first life, you can't help but feel her emotions. The dance scene between the FL and ML was very beautiful too.
Seeing Maaaama's duo from Mr queen together again was so pleasing, happy to see this ajumma part of the cast.
I'm not a big fan of the ML though he did a good job in acting but the chemistery was lacking.
The child cast was so good, the kids were so amazing, my only problem was the fact that they didn't use a younger actor for the ML's scene with the child FL, it was awkward. The rest of the cast did great.

Music 8,5/10: The OST fits the drama and it was very well placed.

Rewatch value 8/10: I always think that a big factor for determing the rewatch value is the ending, and this one had a great ending so I may rewatch it someday.

Overall: 8/10

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The Meaning of Life

From this Story, i learn about how to revenge back, not with Violence but with your heart. i know, that's Hard to give the forgive to your enemy, but if you want your life feel good, you must calm yourself and your heart first, and make sure you ready already to make New life with New feelings in your life next.
I Liked the story, because they make the story line is Light but touched. The cast played so well. I like because there so many Emotional scene, not because angry but sadness.
I know this Drama is adapted from webtoon. i never read the webtoon, but maybe if i already read the webtoon, it's will different from my expectation. as long I watched the story, I enjoyed the drama, and family scene always talk about deep Relationsip, and that's make me cry, as always.
I've read some of the reviews from other viewers, and they say the scene of ji-eun's first life, is not detailed and not enough story, because there's still another story there are still other unresolved stories, such as the life of the king, and other players.
but, come on guys, the main character in this Drama is ji-eun's not other.

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Hoping for Reincarnation to Be Real

"If life gets a bit tough, just think and hold on to a happy memory. Life must move on. "

This drama might as well be an arrow to the heart for someone who badly needs someone to be reincarnated right now. The drama's premise is quite a homerun and a heartbreaker at that.

I have high hopes for this drama and was hesitant to watch it as its title implies, see you in my 19th life. I have recently lost my husband of 22 years and I am in a disposition that I desperately wish that everything that was happening to Seo Ha will happen to me too. It was funny for me for the first few episodes as I keep on seeing Shin Hye Sun's character in Mr. Queen. It's like the first few episodes have this Mr. Queen vibe.

Towards the last episodes, I just felt that the drama lacks something....like I thought the story is going to reach its highest heights with an impressive and striking impact. I watched Episode 12 without experiencing that.

Nevertheless, some of the lines in the drama left a great memory for me, and Ahn Bo Yun's smile and mesmerizing eyes are the reasons why I keep on and enjoyed the drama till the end.

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