Hello, Me! (2021)

Hello, Me! (2021) - if this drama was released before, like 2014-2016 era, I think it would have been a big hit.

I think the watchers nowadays have different types in looking for korean dramas, and this drama seems like it was left behind. There are plot holes, but also lessons to be learned from the 17 year old Hani and the 37 year old Hani.

I was not sold out with the romance part/love story part. The fun parts is funny and the friendship and family part is well played, I cried but on the romance I just didn't feel anything. Overall I did finish the drama, I just felt down that it was not a big hit.

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Hello me, finding the courage to stand up again

Truthfully when I first heard the premise of this drama, I was skeptical that they could pull it off. A 37 year old and 17year old in the same body? I just this drama would be a disaster in the making. I'm so glad that I watched episode 1 and 2 because I became so invested in the lives of our characters.
Ban Ha-ni is 37 when we meet her, she has a had an awful day where she has lost her job, gotten arrested as a troll and is ready to give up on the world. As she recovers from a life threatening accident, she meets her 17year old self who is full of hope, confidence and is shocked to see how her grown up self has turned out.
We learn that Han-ni feels guilty for her father's passing and has shut herself away from her family and friends in her grief. This is a romance drama about accepting yourself, facing up to the past and looking forward to the future. In a year where we have been stuck at home, stuck in lockdowns, its a gentle reminder for everyone who feels lost, heartbroken, that there will be good days ahead.

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What Would I say to my younger self

I initially had dropped this drama because I got enrolled in the victim hood of the main FL (The older version). I couldn't watch her pitiful nature.

About few weeks later, I decide to watch it simply out of boredom. I am glad I picked it up again. I love the dramas that get me emotionally involved and this one met that goal. I normally would have given this drama an overall rating of 8.5 but I gave it a 9 because of its powerful message about life.

From my own life review, I know this much: My current life is a result of my inner conversation about the past. When I learn to embrace my past, take responsibility, I can change the present,

Would everyone like this drama? --- NO!! But if you are into life coaching or about learning from life, and have a heart then this drama is for you.

The story was simple and some episodes tended to drag. There were times when I wanted to fast forward. BUT, at the last few episodes won my heart. I can imagine that it would be tough to say good bye to my younger self. The self-love that was present between the older and younger FL was powerful.

I highly recommend this drama if you are willing to put up with some down moments.

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ALL ABOUT LEARNING TO LOVE YOURSELF AGAIN

“WOW! THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED! “ - my first reaction and last reaction.

If you like dramas about self- love portrayed it a light/cute/comic way then this is for you. You won’t find a lot of romance here, as in no fluff scenes but rather the leads have a strong connection with each other built upon friendship, warmth, love and support. No misunderstandings, no heavy plot twists. It’s a calm happy drama that is really inspiring. The plot is not a heavy one.

When I finished this, I felt warm. I laughed and cried with the characters. It left me with the same feeling I had after watching Reply 1988( the dramas aren’t similar, the after feeling is). Every character in this drama feels important, and there is a learning from every relationship. The male lead is extremely loveable and a warm person. ?

How do I feel after finishing this? I cried, my heart literally melted at how beautifully they made it. The entire drama is about “ Finding Happiness Again'. If you need inspiration to fall in love with yourself, go for it ?
If you loved Suddenly Seventeen, you might like this. ?

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''Remembering and forgiving my past self. Hello to me.''

I loved the drama because it can directly show that if we don't embrace ourselves and our past we won't be happy in our present time and this will affect our future.
If you are unhappy because you did something that can hurt you in the past this drama will make you different sides of the story. You can see that we all have childish sides but at the same time, we all are mature enough to move on.
I loved the drama even though there wasn't too much romance it was understandable because it is about you and your past self.
This drama made me see that I am worthy and even though there is something I did wrong I can change those, think about it if I hurt someone at least I can say sorry to them.
Please look at your past and find your faults and try to change them. If you can't change it just understand why did you do that and forgive yourself.
If you don't forgive yourself, they can't forgive you either.
I loved the drama because it is realistic, there are some questions that made me think a lot but life is full of questions and you can't always find the answers so just live your life fully even there are some paths that will hurt you, you will see happiest days too.
Love yourself because you are worth it.

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Relatable female life comedy.

I should start by saying the fake freckles on this actress are a little distracting in some scenes. The actress I've liked since Queen of Mystery, she's got a really unique look and voice. She did really well in this role, and the comedy was totally on-point for female-specific life experiences. The male lead...I can't even remember his face and I only watched this show a few weeks ago. He was very forgettable, but I guess that's ok because this story is mostly about the woman and her experiences as she traverses a life that really didn't live up to her own expectations of herself.

That being said, this was not as fun or as memorable as I had hoped it would be. The lead actress often just comes off as whiny and ditzy. I would have liked to see something other than a panic induced high-pitched whine session from the main character in every single episode. It was CONSTANT episode after episode two chicks bickering. SO MUCH BICKERING. And 90% of the bickering wasn't comedy. There was plenty of lol moments, but definitely a lot more whiny bickering.

I think it's still a good watch when you're out of other things to watch, but I definitely would never rewatch this drama. I got all I'm going to get out of it...which is disappointing because I was really looking forward to it.

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Strong female cast with an unconventional rom-com element

What a treat to have a kdrama that's not the stereotypical pretty-young-girl-swooning-over-handsome-rich-heir type. This story focuses on a nearly 40 female protagonist whose dreary existence gets a shake up call from someone very familiar to her.

Although the synopsis mentions that BHN doesn't want to remain single her relationship status wasn't a focus in the show at all. Instead, BHN starts out by just wanting to survive life as best as she can and then, after meeting her younger self again, wants to live up to and regain her old vibe again. Lee Re's acting as the younger BHN is consistently effervescent. She projects a palpable power and presence that convincingly puts even the mature Anthony in his place. She is a joy to watch and acts so well with Choi Kang Hee as the mature BHN. The story really is less abt the romance than it is abt a self rediscovery or, more accurately, a journey of atonement and forgiveness. BHN's backstory is heavy on the tear ducts and tissues. Her relationship with her father is believable as both actors' acting comes across as authentic and not a cheesy, forced backsobstory plot device that does tend to happen in other kdramas. The present BHN's growth from her timid self is a slow and tentative progression at first that ultimately takes pace until the she comes into her own power at the presentation, which is apt for the storyline as the energy dynamic changes soon after when the young BHN discovers the truth of their father's fate. When that happens, it feels like the baton of effervescence is passed to the mature BHN as she steps in to be her younger self's rock, just as her younger self was for her at the beginning. Lee Re's more muted carriage from then on is great acting and effectively justifies the weight of guilt and shame that's haunted the mature BHN all these decades. The viewers know the backstory already and can fathom the depths of guilt and shame that made BHN such a servile person now but it was satisfying to see the younger BHN catch up with the discovery and no longer think that she was pathetic. Before I knew abt BHN's backstory I too tot she was a pathetic person and felt guilty abt having judged her when her backstory came to light. The younger BHN's apology for having judged her was as much mine.

The journey to her return in the end was a bit rushed, imho. I expected the shaman and rain would factor into it but then that was dumped after the accident so it felt weird. And the explanation abt their first photo trip felt a bit tagged on rather than an organic plot. I didn't take stars off from that coz the time travel aspect, to me, was a minor trait of the story rather than the main focus itself. Hello, Me! never positioned itself as sci-fi so it's not a big deal that they just seemed to have fudged that part of things. It is significant that they didn't try to give a happy ending and kept the father's fate on schedule. That was courageous plotting and made me respect the story immensely because the culmination of the show, for me, was when the younger returned to her father's side as he lay dying as at that point, the viewer realises that this isn't just about the younger saving the older—it's maybe really about the older saving the younger. As the younger had said, she didn't know how she's going to survive knowing what she will lose. The mature BHN, on the other hand, has lived through it all in its grueling depths. It's her reassurances that helps the younger to trust in herself to be able to find the strength within. And the peace amid the sorrow on her face as she holds her father in his last moments kinda capstones this whole journey. We know that she'll be fine and, in turn, so will the future/present BHN in an exponential way. It was beautiful.

Finally, this review can't miss mentioning Kim Young Kwan. This guy's portrayal of the male love interest was ADORABLE AF! Stuff the smooth, suave, well groomed, casanova-turned-tamed-lover corporate heir types and bring out the goofy, well intentioned, kid-at-heart, reliable-in-a-pinch guy friend. The slow pacing to their relationship was great to watch and made it feel realistic and mature. I was not a fan of how the writers diluted Choi Kang Hee's dialogues in the end to a constant "thank you, thank you so much, thank you" between them as they were making her sound like a parrot. I think it's perhaps the directors and writers feeling uncomfortable with showing a romance between a younger good-looking guy and an older, ordinary looking lady maybe, but no stars were deducted for that clunkiness because I really liked their pairing. I believe they have a greater chance of working out than most kdrama romcoms featuring the more societally acceptable combo of gorgeous slightly older guy and stunning younger gal.

I wholeheartedly recommend this show to anyone sick of the usual kdrama romcom formulae who wants something new AND with a strong female lead.

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So-so comedy drama

Whilst I'm not familiar with Choi Kang Hee, so don't know her other roles, I am not sure she was the right casting for this drama. Her chemistry with Kim Young Kwang didn't work for me, as the romance just wasn't believable, they were more like good friends. I am familiar with him, and whilst he did well portraying a lead male who's immature (but not completely clueless) and 'disinterested-in-the-company heir' type character, I'm again not feeling his casting quite worked, but that may be due to aforementioned lack of chemistry with FL.
Apart from the 2 company kitchen staff ladies, Geum-ja and Mi-ja, none of the characters stood out for me, and Ha-ni's younger self, I really found quite unlikeable.
It's also another one of those lead female characters who, whilst in her downtrodden mode, is shown as unattractive and frumpy. I get fed up with that, although I suppose it did show that a person's overall image has less to do with features (or even build) and more with hairstyle, flattering clothing and a little makeup; they worked wonders in her character's case.
Her family were also forgettable and treated her extremely badly, I thought, especially the awful sister.
The plot didn't fully engage me either and I lost interest quite early on, when she readily accepted being treated as a doormat. How the arrival of her younger (selfish, whiney and conceited) self, spurred her on to take a restock of her life, I honestly questioned, as she wasn't exactly a great role model.
I also didn't get the odd shaman character, or her younger self's return to the past, although that could be due to losing interest in the overall story.
Certainly not one I'd watch again and with so many other, better, dramas out there to see, not one I'd recommend either.

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soft and funny

I hadn’t originally planned to watch Hello, Me!, but I was in the mood for something lighter, so I decided to give it a go. And I’m glad I did! This drama was so much fun! It’s lighthearted with so much comedy gold as well as a nice helping of heart. Count me as surprised!

You all know that I’m pretty particular with comedy and what I find genuinely funny. Well, this drama was exactly my comedic style. The humor is zany and fun, and it’s present in the bulk of the drama. I laughed so much! Seriously, this is the kind of comedy that I wish there was more it. It just leaves me feeling happy.

While not exactly old school, Hello, Me! does have a more classic feel to it in terms of overall tone. Of course, this was something I quite enjoyed, and it made it feel more refreshing compared to the style of dramas of the present day.

I loved the fantasy aspect with 17 year old Ha Ni meeting the 37 year old version and spending the entire drama together. That’s actually a pretty unique concept in Dramaland, and I really enjoyed it.

A major theme of the drama is the exploration of Ha Ni as an individual. She gets to see what she lost to time as well as what she has gained. That also gives her the opportunity to get support from her younger self and slowly regain her confidence.

These two bickered a lot, but they also cared for each other deeply. It was unique relationship for sure. It’s a lovely journey to see play out, and the drama is filled with wonderful positive messages about self-love.

We get a bit of romance too as Yoo Hyun falls for Ha Ni. It’s not really swoony, but it’s pretty cute with Yoo Hyun being a puppy with his devotion to Ha Ni as well as very supportive of her. I enjoyed watching this couple grow close and to see their relationship develop.

There’s a lot of fun to be had around Anthony too. His character was slightly annoying at first, but it didn’t take long before I found him hilarious. His personality in general gives way to a lot of jokes. Combine that with his interesting relationship with Ha Ni, and there were plenty of laughs to be had. The younger version of Anthony (Kim Song Woo) was also delightful in his very quirky way.

Another highlight is the fun relationship between Yoo Hyun and his father Han Ji Man (Yoon Joo Sang). Ji Man actually turns out to be the rare nice chaebol. These two have the best bickering chemistry which I thoroughly enjoyed. Ji Man really cares for his son though, and it was evident. I smiled a lot watching this duo.

There are many other funny and interesting supporting characters too. Anthony’s team is hilarious. Ha Ni’s co-worker and old friend Ji Eun (Kim Yoo Mi) had her own nice story arc to explore involving both her friendship with Ha Ni as well as with her husband (Ji Seung Hyun). Plus, there are lots of great other family members and co-workers. So many wonderful characters!

Since I liked all of the characters, this made every scene enjoyable. I definitely laughed a lot with all of the zany comedy and hilarious situations these people got into. The heart also came through too. There were definitely feels as several of the relationships were explored.

Even though I would consider this a feel good drama, it does have a few slightly more serious parts concerning some of the issues various characters are facing. The last quarter of the drama definitely gets more serious as many of these things come to a head and have to be addressed while also dealing with a villain and some corporate power shenanigans.

I personally didn’t feel like any of it was out of place, and it was all a natural progression of the story. I liked how they handled many of the issues, and there were plenty of warm fuzzies to be had between the various characters.

I would also recommend not taking the time travel aspect of this story too seriously. It mostly serves as a vehicle for getting the characters in the right place for fun and character exploration. The time travel stuff mostly happens quietly in the background until the end of the drama. You will find some plot loopholes involving this element, but I still thought it was well done and succeeded in delivering its overall message which was obviously what was most important in this drama.

Hello, Me! really was such a pleasant surprise. It brought me a lot of joy, and I laughed a lot. I came to like all of the characters and enjoyed their personal journeys of growth. There was a nice helping of heart to provide the feels too. I liked this drama more and more as it went, and it left me feeling very satisfied.

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Great character development

To be frank, I was surprised by the writing of the show and didn't expect that I'd like the story line this much. The focus on the characters' internal developments and how they stayed the same/differ from their past selves were a joy to watch. I love the dynamic between the teenager Ha-ni and adult Ha-ni, learning about the moments that shaped who the adult Ha-ni's life choices. I also appreciated that the romance line going on is a sub-plot and that there are actual progress of the two falling for each other. The only major issue I have regarding the storyline is the time skip at the end, the way the ending went doesn't makes sense based on how traveling generally work (if you change something in the past, the future will change). I suppose it's ok for having a very nicely tied up ending.

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