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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Different- In A Good & Bad Way

The execution of this drama, especially during the first few episodes was spot on from the webtoon. The addendums they added, like the second life of Seo Ha's mother, the relationship of Min Ki to Ji Eum, and how the uncle of Seo Ha surrendered were great and honestly top-notch.

What led to the downfall, in my personal opinion, was the number of flashbacks they used and reused in the entirety of the show. In Episode 12 alone there were three flashbacks already. It was too time-consuming; time that could've been used to add more story and depth towards the ending they gave.

Then there's also the ending, since Ji Eum will not be remembering Ae Kyung, who would've brought her up? Who would be with her during her formative days? Since there's no Seo Ha, what would make her dedicated enough during her younger years to persevere?

The ending they gave- which was VERY different from the webtoon, became too full of plot holes. While it was a meet cute kind of ending they presented, it left too many plotholes in place.

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This drama is supposed to be a MASTERPIECE.

It's 6/10. I love hyesun, but I don't think she match with ban jieum vibes, this is what i notice after first episode. Oh well, i can tolerate this, since this is not the first drama where the vibe of leads are different after some adaptation. Until ep 12, I can't feel any chemistry from our leads. It's too bland, or maybe it's my high expectations for this drama since the webtoon just too good. Idk how non-webtoon reader see this drama, but personally i feel a lil bit disappointed. But one thing that is well described is the scene when Aegyeong was sick and Ban Jieum's mother is faithfully waiting for her child. Scene about family here bring me to tears.

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Never watch after reading the webtoon

This started off promisingly, faithfully capturing the essence of the webtoon with meticulous attention to detail in set design, costumes, and more. However, halfway through, the series took an unfortunate turn, deviating from the original storyline. This decision left me perplexed and disappointed, as the changes seemed unnecessary and ultimately detracted from the overall experience. Despite a talented cast, the abrupt shift in direction felt like a disservice to both the source material and the my overall investment. In the end, it left me wondering why they bothered to stick around till the end, feeling like the potential of the adaptation was squandered. What a damn waste of time. TBF it’s not a bad watch. It’s not that good either. But TBH there’s a shortage of good producers and directors. I’m just a viewer but ultimately I’m the target audience. Please me or be better

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Disappointing ending but still worth a watch

I tried to hold back from watching this series until it was fully uploaded on Netflix but it was hard! I ended up finishing the 10th episode with a few days to spare for the last 2 episodes. When I finally watched it I was flummoxed. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

Firstly, the story is beautiful. The cast and acting were above par. Shin Hye Sun is a confident actress and really takes to this role like a well-worn shoe. She portrays Ban Ji Eum so comfortably it sets the tone for the rest of the cast to follow her standard and Ahn Bo Hyun really takes to the challenge well. His portrayal of adult Moon Seo Ha is convincingly done. Bo Hyun gets the right mix of innocence and naivety in Seo Ha’s deer-in-headlights reactions to Ji Eum’s assertive advances that hits all the right notes. Veteran actress Cha Chung Hwa, as Ji Eum’s grown-up niece from her 17th life, is a fantastic energy to bounce off Hye Sun. It was great to see these two cast together again after their time in ‘Mr Queen’. I was gratified to see Kim Joon Ho here and even though he only occupied small screen time, he still did the uncle character justice. Hope to see more of this actor as he was memorable from ‘Secret Royal Inspector & Joy’. The actress who was his niece character, Go Do Yeon, was a great pairing against his avuncular intensity, lighting up the screen when the duo had their singing and Accordion playing scene. Go Do Yeon was spectacular and had a great voice. Hope to see more of her talent in future kdramas.

Possibly the only one who fizzed in the whole set was Lee Chae Min, the shaman char. From the moment he comes onto the scene he was a wooden character and in the end episodes his lack of range is especially obvious when cast against Hye Sun’s 1st life char’s rageful scenes. This wasn’t really the reason why I was disappointed by the series though.

I’m not sure why this series only had 12 episodes allocated to it when dramas typically run for 16 eps on average. There were definitely areas that could’ve been fleshed out more. The ending left questions such as how did Ji Eum’s 1st life rage vow/curse affect Han Na, Seo Ha’s mother to make her one of the ones who remember their past lives, like Ji Eum? Why is Kang Min Ki allowed to retain his memories when the others had to relinquish theirs—because it’s his atonement for his ‘sins’? Other stuff like pinning the accident and murder on the uncle was implausible to the extreme as, up to the end, the father was portrayed as the villain, and a believable one. I found it a headspin to see that we’re meant to forgive the father and sympathise with him when his character gets a 180 makeover from a clear villain to a repressed, grieving husband. This characterisation of him is not believable at all. Let’s not forget that he had an affair on his wife with a woman who might’ve poisoned the wife while she was nursing her and subsequently handed over his wife’s precious hotel to the woman to destroy in slow measures by her negligent mismanagement. His interactions with Seo Ha is also mostly filled with angry outbursts that suggests violence is never far behind. All in all, Seo Ha never felt safe with him or in his presence and, as a viewer, were I in Seo Ha’s shoes I wouldn’t either. I was expecting to see that it was his dad who had organised the accident, his mistress who agreed, and his brother who, being the lackey character, obediently carried out his wishes because the violent brother is the alpha male not to be challenged. Based on the setup of the characters and the way the story was going, there was nothing at all to make me believe the uncle could ever have taken this initiative upon himself to do something so harmful even if he had only meant for it to have been an accident. His uncle was very much portrayed as not the brain of the operation but the hand. So a big letdown for the way this was done as it’s obvious the writers just decided to BS this story arc just as they BS'd the fact that Cho Won really likes Do Yoon instead of Seo Ha, even tho all signs pointed to her liking Seo Ha, because it was more convenient than trying to figure out how to solve this rivalry between the sisters.

Finally, the way the “curse” was explained felt like such a cheat. Ji Eum herself set this in motion? Really? That’s the best they could come up with? All she did was clutch onto the bells while she said she was pissed and wanted to be eternally pissed at the shaman dude… that’s it. No ceremony. No ritual. In fact, the fact that the shaman had to cut off one of the ribbons from the bells made it seem like that should’ve arrested the curse in the first place because something was broken and he was the shaman. As a viewer, while the whole explanation was very holistic and philosophical the implementation could’ve been more, I don’t know, “oomphy”. Why did her curse work? Did she have gifts in this shamanic field too? Is she a bloodline to something special? Is she part of a group that is susceptible to these types of reincarnations, like Han Na? Basically, in lieu of rituals and incantations, why did her words work? Perhaps she needs to be special and chosen before being the designated dyer and preparer of the shamanic bells’ sacred ribbons. The fact that, for the time and era, she could think of something so adverse to the cultural conditioning and question the validity of their shamanic theocracy shows there’s something exceedingly unique about her. All these perhaps that could’ve been fleshed out way more and maybe even spill into a sequel or season 2 that could’ve rivalled Alchemy & Souls! GAH! Wasted chance!

It's a mixed feelings review but the 5 stars is for the fact that it’s nice to see a reincarnations themed storyline that doesn’t just focus on eros love between lovers. The storge, familial love between Ae Kyung and her uncle was just as relevant and heartwarming, and was the one that really saves Ji Eum in her 19th incarnation! If not for 17th life story, this series would’ve gotten a 1 star for the underwhelming way it was all written.

I would still rewatch this show because the acting was superb but the way the storyline ended was underwhelming and disappointing to the max. It is likely I’d stop watching at ep 10, tbh. However, for those who haven’t seen this show b4… well, oops for the spoilers but hey, u’ve been warned!... I do wholeheartedly recommend giving this show a looksee simply because it is quite a beautiful story. The music is on point throughout and Ahn Bo Hyun’s deer-in-the-headlights acting is cute AF. The adorbs Go Do Yeon is DEFINITELY worth a watch. I’d watch it again just to see her sing and dance alongside her uncle char.

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The discoverer of alcohol was not an Arab, but an Iranian, and his name is Zakaria Razi

The series is very beautiful and you liked it. I like it very much, but I would like to say that the discoverer of alcohol is not an Arab but an Iranian person, and his name is Zakaria Razi, and I hope that the history and civilization of Iran will be mentioned correctly in the next series . Unlike others who rate the series 1 with historical distortions, I only mention this so that others know, and I hope that in the future I will see the civilization of my country in the Korean series that I watch a lot, and I hope that the Korean series and movies of the day become more and more famous in the world. My comment was not that long, but because I should have written at least 500 words, I wrote this. Thank you for reading my comment. I hope you have a good life and love yourself. (: <3 (Sorry if you see illegible words in my writings, I have used a translator)

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I want to give 500 ⭐✨ out of 5 This drama a is so so good

If Perfection exists and it is a drama , it will be See you in my 19th Life.
No loop holes. Everything Perfect. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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I really wish they had done better

I had high hopes for this drama. For one, Shin Hye Sun is one of my favourite actresses. Also, the plot sounded very interesting. Unfortunately, it became one of those dramas that spent too much time on unnecessary details and missing the big plot.

Too much is going on. You have the mystery behind the accident (which took a couple of episodes to unveil by the way). Then you have that plot about how Ji Eum is not supposed to be near people from her past life because it is against nature, which also has been an ongoing topic or build up for a few episodes. Not to mention the romance story between the main characters. Don't get me wrong, I love the acting. The characters are quite well portrayed but if they are positioning this drama as a romance drama, shouldn't the male lead at lead look like he is romantic and in love? That was sort of lacking in my opinion.

After all the built up and all the suspense, as expected they started rushing in wrapping up all the different plots in the last two episodes. The big reveal of Ji Eum's 1st life was quite underwhelming. I thought the characters would have a deeper connection or relationship but it turned out to be a murder revenge. I wish they would expand a bit more on the story about the 1st life instead of spending so much time talking about the hotel, the accident and the evil family.

Aw man, I am quite disappointed with how it turned out. The ending few episodes got me skipping most parts.

Great idea, poor execution

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A missing spark that crashes and burns

This is the first drama that I've watched after reading the original source material (in this case, a webtoon), so this will be a review where I inevitably compare some elements, but I'm still trying to be as objective as possible.

I really loved the webtoon — the plot, the lack of cliches, the straightforward female lead — and was really excited for the drama. But from the start the spark was missing for me. It felt pretty well written but the development of the leads felt jumpy and I'm not sure the chemistry between the actors is all there.

Plot-wise, this was really a drama that needed a full 16 episodes because of how much plot there was. There's the 18th life backstory and Jieum's 1st life backstory, and I really feel like they glossed over the car accident (18th) just to make time for the other plot. The plot that seemed to kickstart everything felt very unimportant by the end.

Now, the biggest issue I have with this drama is the backstory behind the first life and all the changes they made to it. Just in general, the backstory of the first life felt lackluster, but if I hadn't read the webtoon prior to watching this might've been something I could forgive, but knowing what I know, I find myself realizing just how MUCH the overall message was changed. Whereas the webtoon seemed to give Jieum a lot of agency in choosing who could be part of her life and going against "destiny," the drama created a lot of rules to take that away. There were consequences from the universe telling her those decisions were wrong, and even more so, the fact that EVERYONE was incorporated into her first life (vs. the coincidental one in the webtoon) seemed to underline that fate does exist, and that people with so-called intertwined destinies would meet each other anyways. Being anti-destiny was one of the things I loved about the webtoon and I felt like the drama completely undid that.

Next, my other big issue is the ending. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate the amnesia trope, especially when used at the end, and this was the perfect example of why. It just leaves SO many plot holes because she lost memories of specific people instead of just her past lives — why wouldn't she question her life changes and memory gaps? How did she get her job back? What about where she was living? Wouldn't other people talk to her about the people she'd forgotten? The only direction I can see the story going is Jieum starting to second guess herself and the people who randomly started to insert themselves in her lives. But obviously, there were no more episodes. The story just...ended.

Overall, I actually think this had a promising start. The cinematography was gorgeous, and there is so much good material. Even if I wasn't immediately convinced, I was glad I gave this a chance and I did see a few scenes that I liked, some familial bonds that touched me. By the ending however, the backstory had become so messy, the philosophy had become unclear, and the romance had fizzled out. I'd lost all emotional investment in the story.

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could have done much better

When I first heard that this webtoon is going to be made into a drama i was overjoyed.....
See you in my 19th life was a webtoon with a unique and amazing storyline and the plot was unpredictable
The drama didn't do justice to the original story
I was really excited that this was gonna be a shin se kyung drama cuz she's one of my all time favorites but unfortunately her potential was not explored fully
This drama could have definitely gone till a 9 but the poor production and execution just couldn't cut it for me
Also the osts or background music choices are soo bad....such small things are what set the mood
They did stray away a bit from the original storyline of the webtoon but it wasn't all bad
Also this was supposed to be a romantic drama but the romance was just not emphasized enough and at times you would feel like it has nothing to do with the romance part
Overall this was a drama with an amazing cast and could have done soo much better
The only reason for anyone to watch it would be the actors or the original webtoon but definitely not what they have made the drama to be.
The only plus points here are that this is a short 12 episode drama and that it would promote webtoon and the original see you in my 19th life,

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