Going into "Somehow 18" I wasn't expecting much, but oh how I was positivity surprised by this drama! I was expecting the run-of-the-mill high-school drama with the added element of time travelling, but this turned out much more than that.

Plot and Pacing
The plot was great! I loved how the story unfolded at a natural pace. It did not reveal too much at once or kept me waiting with burning questions for too long. How refreshing that was! It can be so frustrating when dramas drag out or narrate too much exposition at once. This drama left me wondering how and why certain things occurred, and I wasn't left feeling dissatisfied with any plot holes. The ending felt satisfying, even though it was here I had most issues with the plot. It seemed like the writer wasn't quite sure how to end this otherwise very well-written and structured story. I won't go into spoiler territory, so I'll just say the ending is acceptable, but I disagree with some writing choices.

Serious Themes
Honestly, I was expecting a silly drama that couldn't tackle the sensitive issues of suicide and bullying that it brought up, but it dealt with the themes in an appropriate way. The bullying did seem a bit silly at times, but it was believable. The theme of suicide was handled maturely, which was contributed positively to the drama. Any drama that can handle serious themes realistically becomes a better story to me.

Acting
Choi Min-Ho (Oh Kyung Hwi) did a great job of playing an honest and pleasant guy. I have seen him in "To The Beautiful You", and he has really improved a lot in my opinion. His delivery is much more natural and his emotional scenes seem more authentic than they did before. Lee Yoo Bi was great as Han Na Bi. Her emotional scenes had me on the edge of my seat. The minor roles did well too. Only the bullies felt very one-dimensional.

"Time Travel Rules"
It was nice that there was a consistency in the rules of time-travelling. It added greatly to the credibility of the drama.

Cinematography
Uninspiring, but it got the job done. Only one scene really stands out to me - when Kyung Hwi and Na Bi are on the edge of the building, looked beautiful. Otherwise, nothing stood out to me.

Music
The music in this drama did not impress me. There was especially one place where the music distracted from the story. This took place when Kyung Hwi travels back in time. It felt like the scene should be emotional, but the music completely ruined it for me. The lyrical allusion to "Alice in Wonderland" going down the rabbit hole was appropriate, but the song that played over this was just upbeat and extraordinarily bland. It felt really inappropriate because this mismatch was so distracting it interrupted the plot for me. There were a couple other scenes in the drama where the mood didn't match the tone of the drama because of the music choice. Perhaps, this won't even be an issue for you as music taste is rather subjective. Besides at this point, it's just nit-picking, as most of the instrumental music fit the drama well.

I really liked this drama for what it is. It's a short and beautiful story. I would recommend anyone to watch it as it's only the length of a longer film. The drama is not too emotional for my liking - I actually felt it was quite inspiring. The message that we should live in a way we won't regret was well delivered, and it left me feeling optimistic.

Leggi di Più