Eighteen Again (2020)

Not a typical or cliché', shattered all my expectations

Cheerful with a happy ending, but to deliver that ending It went through a whole punch of social problems such as, bullying, divorce, starting late, sexual harassment , discrimination and early marriage.
A couple is getting divorced after a long love marriage, and we have no idea why. All we can see is how they are doing in their late thirties, comparing them to the dreamy image they had as teens when she was a pretty girl, and he was the tall dark and handsome athlete. As we watch, we can notice that their relationship was hit by silence as time passed. Each one of them has become an introvert, and the lack of money added more fuel to their problems. Even the support one offered to the other wasn't understood or made any echo in this silence between them. One of them sacrificed the life dreams to support the other, and one who couldn't see anything but the laziness and the anger of the other one didn't know it's just a hidden bitterness.
Somehow the husband became 18 again, and a chain of comic situations start to happen between him and the member of his family. He became a friend who is active in their lives, not a distant father.
Acting is so good especially from Lee Do Hyun. Other actors are also good, yet they really look much older than the age of 37.
Soundtrack is amazing, and the message and the ending are so perfect with a great perspective of the concepts of marriage, life, regret, dreams, and work. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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Beautiful moments surrounded by nothing.

Here’s the thing - I liked the show when it started airing. I knew few people thought this type of plot might not work out with a drama format, but I was still full of hope. At some point, though, I had to admit they were right and I was wrong.

This show should be 12 episodes long at best. Preferable 6 to 10. It should focus on exactly 3 plotlines: Da Jung and Dae Young, Dae Young and his kids, and Da Jung’s job/dream. They should fill the episodes with school drama, as a lot of interactions were happening there. You can even keep the bullying and teen romance. But why, oh why do we need a love triangle? Why do we need a 2nd couple/romance? Why do we need all the scenes and interactions between Deok Jin and Ae Rin? Why do we need that Il Kwon mess? Or what was the point of this mystery photographer guy? There is so much going on in this show, and yet it feels like nothing is happening. All the most memorable moments that were truly meaningful were the family interactions. We do not need that many filler plots.

The last two episodes were some whole new level of cliche and stereotypes. When you have 2 cars of doom for the price of one, you know you've hit the jackpot. The back story about Ji Hoon's brother being connected to Dae Young was unnecessary and presented in the worst possible way. Such an emotional scene and yet, I could not stop laughing when the 2nd car came out of nowhere.

I don't even want to talk about the last minute "I'm breaking up with you for your own good" plot, because that trope just needs to die, or at least take a few years break from appearing on screen.

The highlights? All the scenes between Dae Young and his kids, both in the past and present. The slow realization he had about mistakes he made, the gradual learning that Dae Young actually cared a lot for Shi Ah and Shi Woo. These are the scenes I will remember after the show ends, and these are the ones that moved my heart the most. These were the gems that made me cry so many times, and if the show focused more on the actually important parts (relationships between main characters), chances are it might have gotten a 10 out of me.

For the acting, Lee Do Hyun aced the role. There are quite a few shows with the “younger actor playing an older character after body switch”, but none of the actors were as believable as Do Hyun. I trust this guy with my life. What do I see? Bright future ahead of him. His talent will lead him to some great roles and amazing projects.

Overall, the acting was on point. The emotional scenes were emotional, happy and funny scenes were just that: happy and funny. No areas of complaint here. Some people might dislike a few overacting moments from Lee Mi Do, Kim Kang Hyun and Kim Yoo Ri, but it was clearly a stylistic choice that has nothing to do with the acting skills of the actors themselves.

Usually I don’t pay that much attention to the soundtrack, unless it’s truly outstanding. Here, I liked quite a few songs, especially Sohyang’s Hello, which truly elevated the emotional scenes to a new level. Not to mention Sondia, who became one of my favorite ost singers, with an amazingly sweet and warm voice.

Overall, nice show, but skippable. I stayed for the parents and kids relationship and Lee Do Hyun’s acting. Even though I am massively disappointed by the obvious ending and last two episodes, the scenes between the family still made me tear up a bit and it shows how amazing this drama could have been if it was not for the unnecessary sub-plots.

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Funny and a tad corny. Based on the American movie 17 again

For me, there are only 2 reasons to watch this drama: Lee Do Hyun and Lee Mi Do.

Lee Do Hyun for his really good performance as a 37 year old miserable father trapped inside his handsome 18yr old self. I totally believed he was this ajusshi which is why the age gap with Kim Ha Neul didn't bother me one bit. I thought they had great chemistry and he nailed the yearning which made me want them to get back together so bad. I also thought Do Hyun's interactions with his daughter were so funny as I totally could see Yoon Sang Hyun in Do hyun's acting which is why I think he did such a good job.

As for Lee Mi Do, she was just the side BFF, but she just stole every scene that she was in. She was so funny and I love her confidence. The elevator scene where she can't give CPR to Kim Gang Hyun because he grosses her out cracked me up! Or the bar scene where she tried to seduce him was even funnier. Her looks of disgust make me laugh out loud and just speaks to my sense of humor.

The script has a lot of problems though especially making most of the characters change their dispositions suddenly so that they are redeemed. It's really predictable too and tends to cross the line into sappy and corny at times, but it had just enough comedy and romance that made this more enjoyable than not, especially when these two actors were on.

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Heartwarming, relaxing and overall a great drama.

I started watching 18 Again because I was out of dramas to watch, but it actually got me hooked and waiting for the next episodes.


The plot is good, I haven't watched a drama with a similar story before- so for me this is new and fresh. I love how they show love from a different angle- from a husband to your child's friend.
The acting is good, Lee Do Hyun's chemistry with Kim Ha Nuel is superb ~
I love the OST too, Hello sounds familiar though- like I heard it from another drama before (?).
But I'd say there's not much to rewatch in the drama, since it's not really a thriller or something.

Drama is heartwarming and teaches us great lessons about love, family and sacrifices. Certainly worth watching.

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Perfect Feel Good RomCom

Story
This series was simply perfect. If you've seen the American version, then you'll pretty much get a gist of what it's about, but it has that k-drama heart and familial love that the American one lacked. You go from laughing to ugly crying in seconds with all the feel good moments this series has. They delve more into the characters and you get to understand the different perspectives of each of them. The cinematography was great also and the story gave us closure of all the characters in the end. It was practically gift wrapped. (brace yourself for the final moments in the final episode)

Acting/Cast
OMG...LEE..DO...HYUN. That man acted his ass off. He played a guy, who was actually an adult, trapped in a young body. (LOL) It wasn't cringy or awkward and his scenes just...….flowed. His voice is so soothing. My gosh. This man deserves all the awards for this show. The casting was great. All the actors played their roles well, even the ones you hated.

Music
Soundtrack was the bomb. I still can't get "Hello" out of my head and you can't help but tear up, when you remember the scenes.

Rewatch Value
Most definitely 100%

Overall
This show is a must see. JUST WATCH IT. Gather around the TV/computer with your family. Hug your Dad. Tell him you love him because this show really makes you appreciate the family that you have. A beautiful life lesson this show has about family and marriage. It was funny, heartwarming, sad, lovely....I'm running out of cute adjectives. Just watch it!!!!

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Not upto my expectations

I had high Hopes for this drama due to the amount of hype and the high ratings I had seen on the internet. But I'm sorry to say, this drama was dissapointing in many ways.
I didn't particularly enjoy the drama or feel much with the characters. I was preparing myself with tissues because all family dramas are usually hard hitting, but this I couldn't connect with the characters at all.
First of all this drama is a remake of a movie which lasts not even 3 hours, the writer really had to drag the show into 16 episodes which is almost impossible to do and the writer really tried to include stories of so many people and so many sub plots that weren't necessary and made the show boring ultimately.
Right from episode 1, nothing captured me and made me addicted to the show. I was bored and always waited for something to happen, but nothing happened. I used to find excuses to not watch the show and had to fast forward the last few episodes so I could finally finish it.
The second leads role was such a waste honestly. I hated every scene the second lead came in just to make the male lead jealous. The storyline was suffocating honestly. I couldn't take his scenes though the character itself was a sweetheart. Every time I saw the repetitive jealousy scenes my frustration really went up. It was hard to watch.
*spoiler *
I couldn't fathom the fact that a high schooler was actually hugging and kissing a 37 year old lady, though he is still her husband. I found it so hard to watch.
I have to say that I really loved the Bonding between the family members especially the dad and the kids, was very warm to watch.
The osts are very beautiful though. Very unique voices and meaningful lyrics. Loved that.
I wouldn't really recommend and would probably not rewatch.

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Meaningful, Organised, Entertaining.

Absolutely loved Lee Do Hyun's acting. The young cast is so good-looking and fun to watch. Great, consistent delivery of message - being grateful for decisions/people, the importance of relationships, finding happiness, regret... Although each episode ending doesn't have such a big cliffhanger (compared to other dramas), every episode was really important for the storyline so it was really painful waiting a week for every 2 episodes. I'd reckon it'd be a great drama to binge-watch. I honestly didn't expect every episode to be so good since it was just a remake of an hour-long Western movie. The staff team elaborated on the main couple's story more (and other characters) which made the story more meaningful and structured - not rushed nor draggy. Also, beautiful OSTs and cinematography (loved the little details at the back!)

P.S Had a strong second lead syndrome with Hwang In Yeob. He is so attractive, I would definitely want to see more roles from him! Also the weeb/s AHAH. Deok Jin is such a humorous character. Some of his scenes are super dramatic and unrealistic (same as turning 18 again). I honestly did consider whether they were necessary but then again, they were definitely really entertaining to watch! The same goes for his love story!!

“If you think of it as a regret, that’s the end of it. But when you think of it as a lesson learned, it brings a new beginning”

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Method actor in action

Surprisingly, this drama delivers great depth in the character interactions. I mean, from the title and knowing it's based on the Hollywood movie, we already know the entire story. And despite the premise, this show doesn't overdo the silly circumstantial humor, which is something I'm not fond of. Instead, it portrays deep character interactions to make the story come to life.

Many have written about the outstanding acting of Lee Do Hyun playing a man in a teenager's body. I've read interviews that mention he is a method actor. This seems spot on considering his overwhelming intensity and charisma. He fills the screen with energy and truly becomes the father's character. He steals every scene he's in, and he makes this show what it is. He is one of the most talented actors I've seen and considering how young and new he is on the k-drama scene (he is only 25 yo in this role), it is impressive!

Some reviewers have complained about the way Dae Young is treated in the story. He shoulders pretty much all the blamed for the failure of his marriage and everything that has gone wrong with his family. I agree that the writing is lacking in this area. Dae Young and Da Jung never have the chance to deeply discuss the elements of their marriage. They also don't get a chance to heal Dae Young's feelings about giving up his dreams for his family. Where the beautiful depth of interaction lies is between Dae Young and his children. They are given many opportunities to interact with each other when Dae Young becomes their teenage friend. These moments are so lovely and well done that you almost wish they could stay friends this way forever. Roh Jeong Eui and Ryeoun play Dae Young's children so well. They are a joy to watch.

There are a few other flaws as well. The biggest are the distracting sub-plots that go nowhere: the stalker, the internet troll, the car crash, and the corrupt coach. These events are silly, brief, and pointless. I believe it's mostly a writing issue, but Kim Ha Neul as Da Jung comes off as too pouty. She isn't given much to do, other than switching back and forth between strong reporter/mother to pouty woman. And disappointingly, there is a scene where a character is at a cosplay event dressed as Aladdin with slightly darker face make-up. It's racist even if the intent wasn't there.

Despite the silly sub-plots, I was OK with the tiny love triangle where Da Jung is wooed by the baseball player Ji Hoon, and supports him as he navigates issues of raising a kid on his own. However, this could have been done with more meaning and deeper conversations between the two of them. And speaking of lacking meaning, I also thought that the treatment of Da Jung as a divorcee who was a teen mom was heavy handed. It's a big missed opportunity to truly deal with the issue beyond simply going with what public opinion of her was from day to day.

I must end by mentioning Lee Mi Do who plays Da Jung's lawyer friend, and Kim Kang Hyun who plays Dae Young's friend who pretends to be his father. Both have amazing comedic talents and despite the over-the-top situations they find themselves in, they never lose empathy for their characters or go overboard with the hysterics. Instead, they balance their characters out really well. And finally, if you've seen the show, you will have noticed the set and costume designers' love of pastel colors. It was fun to see them throughout the show in the school, the office elevator, and in Da Jung's wardrobe. I'm not sure what it was meant to symbolize, but it was a fun addition.

All in all, this was a treat to watch because of Lee Do Hyun's complete transformation. Even though we know how it ends, it was a fun ride getting there.

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Solid heartwarming family drama

What would you do if you can be young again and have a chance to re-do things you regretted in your youth? These are the life questions tackled in this show, and highlights that despite the hardships, fights, and imperfections, usually we don't realize what's the most important are those just beside us all along.

Lee Do Hyun was a charming standout, though a bit green in Hotel Del Luna. But here he totally impressed playing a 30 something father in a high schooler's body. Good all around cast, from the main cast to the comedic actors, and some newbie actors that look all promising (second lead syndrome is strong in this one).

I'll have to commend the PD, writer, and staff, how they depicted the transitions from past to present and vice versa, or even when Lee Do Hyun is onscreen to when he transitions visually to Yoon Sang Hyun is amazing and seamless. Umbrellas are already done to death in kdramas, but 18 Again's umbrella episode is one of the best kdrama episodes I've seen in awhile. It might not have done anything new, but 18 Again took the classic flavors we love about kdramas and executed it very well, and made me appreciate my family and what I have right now.

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Heartwarming and feel-good drama

I wanted to watch a drama again because I hadn't done so in a long time, hence I purposefully chose one with a high rating: 18 Again. I was slightly disappointed, but I still loved watching this episode.

The plot is straightforward: a middle-aged man is unhappy with his current life and wishes to return to his glory days. There are love triangles, misunderstandings, and familial moments, among other things. Nothing new here, but the amazing cast more than makes up for it. Hong Dae Young bonding with his children, Shi Ah and Shi Woo, is one of my favourite plot lines. To be honest, I wanted to fast-forward through any moment in which Dae Young was not interacting with his children lol.

As previously stated, the cast is outstanding, as is their acting. The standout is Lee Do Hyun. He does an excellent job of portraying a 37-year-old in an 18-year-old body. I'd also like to commend Kim Ha Neul. I was skeptical of her acting at first, but later episodes proved me wrong. She portrays a strong-willed, tenacious, and hardworking lady who never gives up on her aspirations. The ones portraying teenagers performed excellently! I enjoyed how Shi Woo's (Ryeoun's) eyes changed when he was playing basketball. I didn't like Kim Dang Hyun's overacting, but I suppose his character, Go Deok Jin, is more to blame.

There are 9 OSTs in total.
➀ Soyou - 'The Only One'
➁ Sohyang - 'Hello'
➂ Choi Nakta - 'If Only It Was You'
➃ Solji - 'One Person'
➄ Sondia - 'How To Love'
➅ Jukjae - 'Becomes A Memory'
➆ Clara C - 'Somebody' :
➇ Yoon Sang Hyun - 'If We Love Again'
➈ Every Single Day - 'First Time'

Out of the 9, my favourite is ➆ Clara C's 'Somebody.' I adore this part: "Moment to moment, today yesterday, love is the only reason to stay." Her voice there was *chef's kiss*
My least favourite would have to be ➄ Sondia's 'How To Love.' It would be good for a lullaby, however, I thought it was too repetitive.
I liked ➁ Sohyang's 'Hello' at first, but the show overplayed this song so much. Now the phrase "hello, hello" lives rent-free in my head and not in a good way :/

I don't rewatch shows but I feel as though this would be an okay drama to rewatch again and again.

There were a couple of things that bothered me. In episode one, for example, Hong Dae Young (Yoon Sang Hyun) asks his son Shi Woo whether he wants to play basketball. He also asked his daughter, Shi Ah, about her future plans. They both replied no (Shi Woo doesn't want to play and Shi Ah doesn't have any plans yet), but they were obviously lying.  This entire exchange foreshadows future plots. As his classmate,  Dae Young realizes that his son wishes to play basketball.  Shi Woo's whole plot revolves around him gaining confidence and joining the basketball team. You'd assume Shi Ah's plotlines would center around her future plans, right? Nope. Her plotlines are more focused on a superfluous love triangle. It didn't help that the end-game has very little chemistry. Nothing against Ji Ho though lol. Dwelling on a love triangle rather than her future aspirations and dreams limits the character development she could've had.

Second, the writers treated Shi Woo as an afterthought. Shi Ah was given all of the emotional scenes. Even in flashbacks, only his sister appears, not him. They could have done a lot more with his character, but instead, they leave him in the dust once the basketball plotline is over.

Third, I didn't enjoy the editing, notably the portions when they repeatedly replay a scene. I'm quite sure this is something that all dramas do, but it irritates me. Something I previously mentioned is an example of this. When Shi Woo plays basketball, his eyes change. It was supposed to be a cool moment for Shi Woo, but the scene is repeated so many times that it becomes repetitious, cringy, and degrades what was supposed to be a cool moment for Shi Woo. A once-bullied student becomes a basketball team ace. Ugh, what a waste.

Finally, there's a lot of filler. It was obvious from the start that this was going to be a problem. It was never going to be easy to turn a 2-hour film into a 16-hour drama. Perhaps I'm simply a fan of shorter dramas, but 12 episodes or less would have sufficed. The Il-Kwon story point was especially useless.

I'd still suggest this show due to the valuable family teachings it contains. I sobbed in four different episodes, which was rather surprising for me. P.S. The two secretaries are the true stars of this story lmao

aight byeee~

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Relearning things you already know

While watching this drama, I realized a lot of things that I already know. Sometimes you don't need to learn something new, you just need to be reminded of the lessons you have already learned. There are precious things in life. We can't deny that time is one of the best treasures we have yet the most taken for granted. We always think that there are next time or there are still time but truth to be told, we have to enjoy it while it lasted.

Here, you will be reminded of the things you did in the past or the memories you never have. Above all, too late is just fine. As long as you take action right after your realizations, you're good.

I am so happy that I watched Sweet Home first before 18 Again. Lee Do Hyun's performance in both series is phenomenal.

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This drama was inspired by the 2009 movie "17 Again" and even though there are many similarities between the movie and this drama in the main plot points this drama is DEFINITELY better. I had watched the movie prior to this drama and had found the story to be interesting but I wasn't pleased by the execution. This drama is definitely one of my favorites now! The story manages to be fun and light-hearted but also appeals to some deeper, more mature topics.

I have watched many dramas but I have never loved a cast so much! If you're into handsome guys and beautiful girls, this drama is meant for you. The actors all managed to portray their characters incredibly well, I was especially amazed at Lee Do-Hyun's acting. His portrayal of Hong Dae Young was great, both when he was a teenager, and when he was an adult trapped in a teen's body. I also LOVED Kim Ha Neul as Jung Da Jung. She managed to make her character incredibly kind and optimistic without seeming like a naive fool, on the contrary, she was incredibly wise, mature, and quick-witted. I just mention them specifically because I was extremely pleased with their performance, but ALL the other actors were incredible in their roles. I truly can't stress how this cast has become my favorite in terms of acting and fitting their characters.

I also really LOVED the plot. It was not rushed, it was funny yet serious (but really funny) and exciting. It makes you want to root for the happiness and success of all the characters. Furthermore, the growth of the characters is evident but gradual and natural, none of them are stupidly naive causing the viewer to be constantly frustrated with their dumb and irrational decisions. Another aspect that captivated me was that there weren't one or two specific villains, whose every actions have the intention of making the leads miserable. The issues they faced were REAL, normal people problems, not the cliche money throwing scenes or the constant (failed) attempts at public humiliation by the repetitive jealous villain.

If I were to point out any negatives I think I would have liked the romance to be a little more present and intense, because (SPOILERS) most of the couples getting together and/or reconciling occurred in the last two episodes or so. It would have felt maybe more realistic if the romances were clearer from earlier on in the story. Also, I would have liked to see the children's story a little bit more, especially the son's. In the epilogue, we find he has a little romance situation that stemmed in high school and I wished we could see that as well (to better understand his growth from what we saw in the drama to what appeared in the epilogue style scenes in the last episode).

It has been a very long time since I have watched a drama I liked so much. I didn't give it a perfect score only because I feel like there might have been one way or another in which the drama could have been improved. You know there's a lot more I would like to write in this review but I don't want to spoil toooo much. So enjoy y'al!

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