See You in My 19th Life (2023)

Loved it regardless if it deviates from its original webtoon novel

Story: The story was out of the ordinary about a woman who was reborn many times and how the cycle of her reincarnation ended. Despite being precise in its narration, the status of the story became weak when every conflict was resolved so easily in the latter episodes.

Acting/Cast: Shin Hye Sun was the perfect choice for the role. She portrayed her character effortlessly as someone who was carefree and able to remember her past 18 lives except her very own first life. Many were not satisfied with Ahn Bo Hyun’s acting in this drama but I beg to disagree, he played it well since I believed the story required his acting to be subdued by Shin Hye Sun’s strong character. What the production missed about ABH’s role was the poor styling. Prior to filming this drama, he had to trim down his build to fit the role of a young CEO of MI Group but why let him wear loose suits and bottoms with that kind of hairstyle that made him look less of a typical conglomerate heir? I still find their chemistry a bit off, luckily the story was dominant enough to cover that flaw. The rest of the cast fairly showed good supporting acts.

I revered this drama still for its distinctive storyline, and for the FL & ML funny & straightforward interactions. Another wonderful story of love and forgiveness that put the entangled fate in a good place.

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A Love That Trancends Time and Space!

This is a series that transcends both time and space. It reminds me a little bit of the movie “Somewhere in Time” in which a man finds out that he’s had a romantic relationship with a woman from over 70 years ago—but from his viewpoint, she is the only one who knows it.

What we have here is Ban Ji Eum, a woman who has the ability to remember her past lives. In this case, she remembers 18 of them and is currently in her 19th lifetime. Interestingly enough, her 18th life touches on people around her and carries over into the 19th because she dies at the age of 12 in a mysterious auto accident that we come to realize was no accident at all which also yields to a present-day mystery involving her as well as Moon Seo Ha, a boy she knew from her 18th life and is now infatuated with in her 19th. Don’t worry. It sounds more confusing than it actually is. What we end up having is a very endearing and touching story.

Each time Ban Ji Eum reincarnates, she not only remembers who she was in previous incarnations, but she also remembers the things she’s done. In short, she also brings the skills she’s learned in the past into the present—everything from a trapeze artist to a flamenco dancer to a master bowman. We also find out that she’s also been both male and female as well. Her strong desire to reunite with Moon Seo Ha is what causes her to reincarnate in this current lifetime. Of course, Moon Seo Ha has no idea that Ban Ji Eum is the same girl who tragically died protecting him (Yoon Joo Won), and he’s still traumatized by the loss of his only friend—a friend that he obviously loved very deeply as well.

People obviously have different ideas about reincarnation. Most people in the West simply do not believe in it, despite several subtle references in the Bible as well as other texts. People in the East are far more likely to believe in it. For the story to work, it really doesn’t matter if you believe in it or not. There have been documented cases of people who vividly recall past incarnations. For most people, it’s a place they remember. An Indian man toured the Tower of London and remembered a door in a specific place. The tour guides all told him that no such door existed. He insisted it was there. Reluctantly, they checked it out, and sure enough, the door was where the man had said it was. They were naturally astounded and wanted to know how he knew. He simply said, “I remember it being there.”

There’s a reason why people are not necessarily meant to remember past lives. The primary reason is that it would overload you with unnecessary memories that are best left forgotten. Imagine remembering all of the suffering and grievances of your past lives and the toll they would take? Not to mention all of the suffering and grievances that you may have inflicted upon others as well. No, it is actually a gift to not remember, and in the end, it would serve no useful purpose. Even now, most people dwell on the past or the future, and not on where their attention needs to be: the present.

While it may seem fascinating to remember so many lifetimes, we quickly find that it is a great burden for Ban Ji Eum, as she attempts to find out why she’s one of those very few people who is able to remember. She knows there must be a reason, and Kang Min Ki is a mysterious archaeologist who holds the key. We all carry things forward—especially harsh grievances which must be forgiven and let go. This is the wisdom that Kang Min Ki tries to help Ban Ji Eum realize. This is also why forgiveness is one of the most powerful methods of letting go of the past and allowing oneself to move on.

The story takes some unexpected twists as Ban Ji Eum confesses who she is to Moon Seo Ha and also to Yoon Cho Won—her sister from her 18th life. Of course, they can scarcely believe her at first, but then Ban Ji Eum knows things—details—that only Yoon Joo Won would know that helps Ban Ji Eum convince them. These bring some incredibly touching moments, and people can also take solace in the fact that our loved ones are never truly gone or taken from us. They simply change form for a new role.

The only aspect that didn’t quite work for me, was the end. It made no sense that Kim Ae Kyung (a niece from Ban Ji Eum’s 17th life) and her survival depended upon Ban Ji Eum undertaking a ritual that would effectively wipe out all of her memories of her past lives, including those she’s interacted with in her current life. It would have made more sense if the ritual simply removed her memories of her past lives without affecting her current one. I understand that the writer was probably trying to find a more dynamic and unique way to end the story, but it didn’t work very well. Also, remembering past lives isn’t something that’s going to necessarily bring harm to those closest to you. However, I can understand Ban Ji Eum’s desire to remove the burden of remembering so many incarnations. Had they gotten the ending right, this would easily be a perfect “10” series for me, as it keenly held my interest from start to finish.

Performances are astounding, especially Shin Hye Sun, who never fails to impress me. She’s like a Korean Meryl Streep. She can literally do anything put forth to her, and she always turns in amazing performances. She is currently my favorite Korean actress. Everything from a thriller (Stranger) to comedy (Mr. Queen) to historical romance (Hymn of Death) to this one demonstrates that the mastery of her craft is varied and diverse.

I also really enjoyed Ha Yoon Kyung who is also a fantastic young actress! Everything from “Hospital Playlist” to “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” to this drama demonstrates that this young lady’s got a bright future ahead of her. And Cha Chung Hwa (Kim Ae Kyung) is one of the best character actresses in the business. Ahn Bo Hyun (Moon Seo Ha) was fantastic as well.

If this story based in reincarnation tells us anything, it’s to get things right the first time, although people rarely do. There are two types of relationships: dharmic and karmic. Dharmic relationships are those where you have a natural, easy connection with someone. You are together simply for the joy of it. Karmic relationships are those that tend to be strained or have much conflict because there are issues that still need to be resolved. Obviously, our task—as we move in our circles—is to transform those karmic relationships into dharmic ones. So, why wait until the next lifetime, when something can be done about it now? Such is the power of forgiveness, which is the central theme of this series. Let go of the past—grievances and all.

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Different from webtoon

If you watch the webtoon first and then watch the drama hoping that it stick to the storyline, DON’T. I was one of the webtoon’s fan and I watched this drama thinking that it will stick to the original story because to me, the webtoon storyline is already good and I don’t think they need to alter the story anymore. But guess what, totally different than what I imagined. Well, I understand that some dramas don’t follow their adaptation but still, a bit disappointed as a webtoon lover myself. My opinion may be biased so I’m sorry if you think that way.
For the casting, when I first heard about the announcement on who will become Seoha and Jieum, I’m having mixed feelings because Bohyun is known for his strong and muscular role so I was doubting whether he can portray Seoha’s role flawlessly. Turned out, my worry is nothing because I can see that Bohyun really prepared for his role and watching him makes me feel like ‘ah, this person really can act well.’ For Hyesun, I have nothing to worry about because I have watched several of her dramas and I can say that she is truly a brilliant actress. The way she acted the emotions and actions, makes the viewer also felt something with her and that’s what I truly love about her acting. For Chowon and Doyun, I’ve seen their previous roles in another drama and I think they suits the character well.
Next, I will talk about the drama itself. They start off with a strong plot and a bit confusing at first but still can be followed after several episodes. In the early episodes, they follow the webtoon plot and put some detailed information such as her past lives before reaching her 19th life. Various characters in her past lives was utilised very well although for me, if they didn’t put the detailed so much, I feel okay because her 19th life is more important. But when it comes to her 1st life, I wish they didn’t change the webtoon plot. It’s a bit complicated when her 1st life has something to do with her 19th life which I feel it’s unnecessary but I love how they executed the connection into something more resolved (I put the word resolved because jieum’s character has experienced many lives so it feels like she find peace in resolving her first life). Jieum was given two choices whether to remember her past life or forget her past life. In the webtoon, Jieum choose to remember her past life but in the drama she choose to forget and this part was very interesting for me because I was intrigued to see how they acted the scene. And what can I say is they did a great job in changing the plot. Maybe because of limited time, the scene feel like it’s forced but doesn’t bother me too much. They conclude the ending of this drama well.

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THE BETTER DRAMA

I wish this has more episodes. I can't believe we're 6 episodes down to its ending

First, the cinematography is so good even the characters outfits. The story is slow paced but not to the point that you'll be bored. They're good at cliffhangers that you can't wait for another episode.

Acting is on point. I did not expect that Ahn Bo hyun will nail his role as Seoha. Shin Hye Sun is Shin Hye Sun. Give her a role and she'll slay. The second leads are so adorable makes me wanna ship them more than the main leads

I also love the kids in this drama. They were perfectly casted.

I can't wait for another episode.

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Great acting, shoddy writing

I don't mind pot holes, but this was too much.

The pacing was also terrible, I found myself on my phone browsing Tiktok more often than not. It should have been 8 episodes and they should have put more effort thinking about how to end it.

Too bad, since the acting was almost perfect. The OST was also lovely.

The character limit on My Drama List is too excessive. Come on guys, I could have a good review with half the number of characters. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

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Great Acting!!

I haven’t written a review in months, and I didn’t expect too much from this Drama, Time travel stories are kind of hit or miss….or I should say reincarnation, or kind of both I guess. It had my interest from the first episode. I haven’t fast forwarded even once, which is a habit of mine during idle/slow times in a drama, and that is saying something. It started out good, and it keeps going. It has kind of a mixture of everything like…a love story, a mystery, death, sickness, feeling unloved, many surprises in the plot, great acting, and so much more. I loved Ahn Bo Hyun in My Name, so that’s part of the reason I decided to watch this, and he hasn’t disappointed me. The ending was fitting to the story. I think it could have been more than 12 episodes so I would be able to see future events with her life. I don’t want to give the story away by elaborating, but it should have continued. But still a great drama!!

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Beautiful shots, beautiful songs, but the story...

I was really excited watching the first 2 episodes, because of all the flashbacks and the FL's ability to remember all her past lifes.This feeling continues up to the middle part of the drama. Afterwards, I was really tempted to drop this drama.

IMHO, Shin Hye Sun's acting is really the soul of this drama, and fortunately the other main characters also gave a wonderful performance, so it was not at all lopsided. However, the story leaves me with sooo many questions. I personally feel the story are rushed nearing the end, especially Episode 11, with all the flashbacks (despite the scenes having the potential to be a major turning point).

At the end of Episode 12, I was asking to myself, "What's with that progression? What's the point of some of the characters at the beginning? Where are they now?" Well, though in life there are some events which are anticlimactic too, but with how the initial episodes are plotted, I expect it to have a more wholesome ending. Honestly, the tension in the initial episodes is the one keeping me seated for this drama. I guess I'll read the webtoon now for more information.

So, is it worth watching? Yes, and try not to expect much. The acting skills, the shots, and the musics are all excellent. Let's appreciate that.

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too fast paced!

i think it would've been great if this drama were 16 episodes long as usual because the romance between the two leads fell too fast-paced and unrealistic at times, but if it were longer i think it would've been best for the development of the story.

i feel like the murder sub plot was unnecesary as it didn't really help with the story... why did the uncle want to kill seoha? why did his mother came back in a new body to torment miss jang? was it just to help ferment the story of past lives? anyway i thought it could've all been wrapped up if we only had more time.

shin hyesun is one hell of an actress though and she deserves her flowers with the way she carried the last two episodes!

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A story of love, loss, family, and friendship

This drama is beautiful, truly. From the story to the cinematography, everything about See You in my 19th life is amazing. I became aware of this dramas existence a few days before the first episode dropped and I knew I had to at least take a look. This drama follows Ban Ji Eum, a woman in her early twenties who is able to remember her past lives. Her most recent past life, Yoon Ju Won, died as a 12 year old and Ji eum plans to reconnect with the people of Ju Wons life, mainly Mun Seo Ha whom was her first love and who was with her the day she died. However while inserting herself in the life of the now older Seo Ha, they both end up discovering things that will change their lives forever. Does that premise interest you, even if just a bit? Then I beg you to go watch this drama. I truly think this is the best drama I've watched in 2023, the writing, the cinematography, and the OST were all phenomenal and truly made this drama shine. Another thing that made this drama shine is the acting, it was excellent. The two main roles, played by Shin Hye Sun and Ahn Bo Hyun, are not easy roles to play. And both pull it off excellently.
If you are a bit hesitant because serious dramas don't really do it for you, please don't give up yet. While this drama is serious overall, it has no shortage of swoon worthy romance scenes and comedic moments.
Overall I highly, highly recommend this drama and I hope my review encourages you to watch it :)

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Well made drama with excellent acting and gorgeous cinematography

Great drama overall. This series has excellent casting. The actors were superb — both the adults and the children. Glad to see Ahn Bo-Hyun as the male lead. Shin Hye-Sun was marvelous as the female lead. All the support cast did a great job. The cinematography is gorgeous — landscape shots are beautiful, close-up shots are thoughtful, framing is excellent. The editing is very good — interweaving flashbacks and current storyline scenes are well done. While there are other dramas whose ending is a disappointment, this drama’s final episode does not disappoint. The director did a great job in that there are no useless “filler” scenes. I think the cast and production crew did a fantastic job. I haven’t seen the webtoon so I cannot say if it is faithful to the original story. On its own, it stands as an excellent and well made drama series. I would highly recommend See You in My 19th Life.

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interesting story, but weak execution

See You in My 19th Life - 8,5/10 -kdrama

interesting plot and story which showed much more promise than they managed make out of it. At other hand I never read source webtoon... so I cant tell if drama makers didnt manged dig out story potential or that webtoon writer.

Still its quite good drama. Alot comments I read had problems with ending, but not me. It wasnt great ending, but not even bad one.

plot - FL is weird always around 8-12 she gets to remember memories from her past lives. Now its her 19th life and she just got her memories back. She found out she found her true love in 18th life, but she died too soon too young. Her new family aint great either. She decides to find out what happened to her love from 18th life. After she finds him to be alive... she decides to get him back in this life.

genre - romance, supernatural, comedy

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