18 Outra Vez (2020)

I have not enjoyed a Korean family drama this much since ages.

I was hesitant to start this drama because the idea of a guy who jumps back from 37 to 18 years old after making a wish looked too much of a childish concept for me. But I decided to against that and I am happy I did.

STORY:
It tells the story of a couple which is in crisis after slipping in a routine or misunderstandings and absence of communication.

The husband gets the chance to go back in his 18 years old body thanks to a magical trick. From this point, he will be placed in a new context and gain a new perspective of the events past and present. This will open his eyes about the people around him, their past with him and what he can do to make things better for them. His ex wife is unaware of this but the unexpected and impossible situation will also lead her in the same process of rediscovering.

The drama does not have a complicated message. Just that despite all our dreams and our best efforts, the difficulties of life can make us loose sight of what we wanted to realize for us and for our loved ones. Then we forget the good moments we had and we close ourselves to them and the lack of communication will pile misunderstandings and anger. In the end, what matters is the Love we gave and received and this is what really creates success in our life.

The drama also tackles with different issues of the modern society: women at work, discrimination and sexism at work, intergenerational conflicts, bullying at school, adoption, being abnormal in a normed society... not in a complex and boring way by little touch just to emphasize the human side of it.

CHARACTER / CAST:
- Hong Day Young / Yoon Sang Hyun - Lee Do Hyun: YSH is not the top model actor but he is a reliable actor with strong acting skills and he portrayed a very human HDY very frustrating, lazy and annoying but in reality very hardworking and dedicated who lost track of what really counts in his life. LDH was convincing as young HDY, a reliable friend and helping hand for his children and the way HDY rediscovered his feelings for his ex wife was cute and funny.

- Jung Da Jung / Kim Ha Neul: I love this actress and her voice. She is great in this drama as a woman who still loves her husband but can't do with his temper and attitude anymore. After divorcing, she gets the job of her dreams, she is courted by a handsome man and she meets a 18yo double of her ex husband. A serie of changes which will help her put her life back on the right track.

The other supporting characters and cast were all great, interesting characters with depth and complexity and their own story full of emotions.

- Shi Ah: Lovely girl and daughter with great defensive martial skills and a dream for herself. She built a wrong opinion of herself and of her parents but she works hard for her dream.
- Shi Woo: a good son abandonned to himself and to his issues until he meets a friend who will help him rediscover his dream and confidence.
- Ye Ji Hoon: Confident baseball star who wants to woo Da Jung. I have to say I never really liked him as I found him kind of creepy and sneaky in his ways to catch her from behind by surprise or lure her in encountering him. He has his good sides though. I enjoyed the real connexion he has with the leads.
- Ok Hae In : the weak part of the drama as her story is more to give depth to another character.
- Go Deok Jin and Choo Ae Rin : Super funny besties of our main couple
- Good Ja Sung : a journey from bullying to protecting
- Seo Ji Ho : Shia's best friend. A nice and good boy who wants to upgrade his status.

MUSIC :
Nothing special for me but nothing terrible either. Just appropriate for the tone of the drama.

REWATCH:
Yes for it has good messages, simple lessons about life and it is filled with good and emotional moments. Also, 16 eps but the pace is good. Not time to be bored.

OVERALL:
A great family drama well writen with every episode filled with a high dose of emotions which leaves us smiling, laughing or crying. I have almost no critic to make against it and I enjoyed it from start to finish. This family drama is a gem of its kind with a very satisfactory ending which gives a nice closure to everyone. A deserved 10/10.

Leia Mais

A gem with "maturity" written all over it

I found a gem. I didn't think I would cry so much! It had exceptional writing, perfect representation of MATURE and immature youth, it pulled off not one but 2 damn amazingly done love triangles, it made you relate to ALL characters, it showed growth and development no matter the age, the value of family and friendship and POWERFUL WOMEN who did not always need a man to succeed or make right life decisions, the struggles of life and workplace for more than one character.
But it was also really funny!
And warm!
And the cast! THE CAST was amazing ! The acting! Oh God ? this better get all the awards this year !

Leia Mais

It's really fulfilling watching this drama.

It was not just an ordinary love story plot. It shows what will happen after the "happy ending" mark of fairy tales. The reality of what life might have and the struggle becoming to become unprepared parents. This series gives me different perspective and viewsof how we should live our life without regrets. I'm proud to write a review about this because it is all worth it! Actually the theme song of this series keeps ringing in my head until now. When you watch this, you will understand a parents' worries and regrets that's why they keep their children to listen to them so that it will not happen to them.

Leia Mais

Heartwarming and beautiful drama for this complicated time nowadays..

Love the drama. It has simple messages such as be good to family, there is room for one's improvement etc..The acting is so great matched with the understandable storyline made it easier to digest. Although second lead syndrome plays a big role in this drama pace, the main lead actor and actress really made journey through their character resulting in good character development. The OST? Simply menacing and good placement of SFX and music in the drama. This drama have a lot in common with 17 again movie from USA since it based on that movie. Love both those movie and drama ❤❤❤❤❤..

Leia Mais

Not Good Enough

Korean Drama "18 Again" handled the fantasy element perfectly, except for the ending.

The drama had a nice start and it added a lot of new elements to the story, with the struggles of the twins, the progress of the main couple's relationship, and the female lead's professional career. However, the drama opted to focus on the romance towards the ending, a love story that was okay at first, got tiring though. The main lead kept popping up and staring at his love interest way too many times and the jealousy card was overplayed as well. The ending, in addition, was too sudden and didn't fit smoothly with the rest of the story. Still, the character development was spot on and the side characters were funny.

As for the performances, everyone in the cast did a great job with their roles.

So, overall, 5 out of 10.

Leia Mais

PERFECTION

This drama was so PERFECT! I have never watched a better drama before! So adorable, heartwarming and so real! It was really worth watching ♡
The movie was good but this remake was so much better! I never though they could make 16 episodes from such a story but they made it. The new characters, the flashbacks were amazing and an absolutely wonderful addition that made me move, laugh and warm my heart.
I'm gonna miss everything ㅠ-ㅠ
I'm so sorry jtbc didn't distribute it with netflix because they chose to distribute globally other dramas not as good as this one. It deserves to be known by the world! And Dohyun must win thousands of awards! Everyone has to win awards! A masterpiece ♡

Leia Mais

I started watching this drama on a whim; without any expectations at all, besides 'Lee Do Hyun'. After binge-watching the first 10 episodes, I was pleasantly surprised. Think of the American movie '17 Again' but so much better. Unlike the original American counterpart, 18 Again didn't feel too forced when the story progressed.

This drama is the type that will really stir-up your emotions without the need for extreme situations and thrilling suspense. This may sound silly, but if you made the fantasy portion of this drama a normal occurrence, this drama could definitely be one of the most realistic dramas out there. And the realisticness of this drama is definitely its charm; everything is relatable and you can totally feel the emotions and warmth the script and dialogue are trying to portray.

Well, there are some things I didn't particularly like, but these things are purely subjective. First things first, I don't really react well with really cringy and awkward scenes, and 18 Again at the start was not short of them. And probably the only other thing I can pick on, the drama lacked depth. I know that it's like I'm contradicting what I've been saying in this review, but it just feels like something is missing despite the praise I've given this drama; it's just hard to explain. I personally think it could've been better if they added more of a melodrama vibe in order to make the drama a bit heavier.

OST- this deserves its own short paragraph. No kidding, the songs in this drama are bombs!

Overall, this drama is pretty good. Definitely a drama you could watch when you've run out of highly publicized-mainstream dramas.

Leia Mais

"We got to love our decisions, and never regret on things that made us happy. " -Dae-Young

Eighteen Again, is a tearjerker, I came to say this upfront of a lengthier review down below! As long as you don't hate getting wet eyes, you will enjoy this drama a lot, feel sad and sad, and sad again, and cry like a baby, within every episode, every time the lead interacts with his kids, comforts his sweetheart and is reminded of his past, the flashbacks, the epilogues!

STORY:

THIS IS A VERY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY DRAMA! It's deep, relatable and heart wrenching!

From the lead's relationship with his Father, with his wife's Mother. to his friendship/ father-kids relationships, to the heart-breaking relationship of him as a high school minor who is always there to comfort the mom of his two kids.
Each and every bond is carefully written and the result is something very precious. full of life lessons.

Characters/CAST: Great job done! Kudos to LEE DO HYUN, I couldn't hold my emotions in check whenever I looked into her eyes, which were frequently red and in tears, yet sparkling as bright as a star other times!

Kim Ha Neul was simply gorgeous, Yoon Sang Hyun very charming, Roh Jeong Eui cute and sweet, Ryeoun, calm and a bright star.

I also want to praise the young actress portraying teenager Jung Da Jung. Her expressions were so sincere and genuine. Every time she was on screen, my heart felt her pains, and ached for her. She did a stunning performance! She deserves lots of support and love!

Soundtrack/Music:

Hello, I’m telling you
With a trembling smile, that I love you
Hello, that in these dazzling and beautiful times
It’s you I will remember forever"

I would rate the music 10/10 even if "Hello" by Sohyang, was the only song/instrumental piece used in the whole drama. It was such a heavenly beautiful and perfectly emotional piece. It's a legendary soundtrack.

RE-WATCH: Surely, if I get times, I'll re-watch this, probably with my cousin who recently got into KDRAMA, and already have great taste.

OVERALL: Surely there might be some unnecessary plot devices, cliche and even extended 2nd lead screen times, but it's just I don't care at all, I was so invested in these characters, and loved them sincerely and was rooting for them all along, I couldn't bring myself to rate it below a perfect 10! It's highly recommended, EVERYONE and ANYONE can get hooked as they're done with the first episode, and fall in love with it as soon as watching 3rd episode's epilogue.

I can guarantee that. 99.0000000000000000%

Leia Mais

A better version than the 18 Again film

I started watching this drama after seeing few scenes from instagram. The main thing that I loved about this show is that it shows how messy a divorce can be and the trouble it causes for the people that are left behind.

This drama is a whole package. Every episode has a lot of funny scenes, emotional and times where you want to appereciate the whole team for making this drama. The biggest strength in this drama is the cast. Every character went beyond their scope to prove it.

I hate love triangles, there are two of these in this drama but both ended on a good note which made me happy.

If you are looking for a drama filled with humor and heartbreak, this one is for you.

Leia Mais

A must-see for Lee Do Hyun

So... I started watching this drama because I was curious about this Korean remake of the movie 17 Again. I remember liking the film (I even have it on DVD) so I really wanted to see the Korean version. And... I have mixed feelings about it.

First of all, the story. Well, it's basically the same from the movie (at least, for the main plot). Because, of course, you can't make a remake of a 1h45 film into a 16h drama without developing the initial story. But, if the story was pretty good at the beginning, it became more and more filled with drama... Too much drama... I ended up really annoyed by all the useless drama that they have created. Moreover, there are too much clichés!!! They have used all the typical romantic clichés that we usually see in K-drama and that became more annoyingly funny than romantic at the end... They could've been more creative about that. Also, I think they made some really bad decisions with the main plot (but that's just my opinion). For example, the scene where he goes back to his old self was more impactful in the film than in the drama.

The casting was the only thing that was perfect in this drama. I mean, Lee Do Hyun killed it in the role of a young dad. He made me laugh, he made me cry. I really fell in love with him in this drama. I'll always remember the scene where he was holding the umbrella for his two children, that was so cute. Or the scene where he signs to his dad after the basketball match. The rest of the cast was also good, of course, but Lee Do Hyun stole the show for me.

The music is really good, although overused.

As a whole, I would say it is a good show to watch once. Prefer rewatching the film instead, it will take less of your time.

Leia Mais