Side comments: It was really fun watching this drama with the comment section on because when major scenes would play out you could see the audience watching would be split about what they wanted for the main characters. I think thats the marking of a complex show; having people see different paths for the main couple. I think maturity is important when watching this show because some of the characters actions near the end may be hard to understand unless you can really understand how they're doing things out of love
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Along with the development of the lead characters, the supporting characters have fairly unique and memorable character arcs. Aside from the contract relationship premise, Because This is My First Life also tries to tackle the three modern day females with different perspectives setup. This drama does this very well. The roles of Woo Su Ji and Yang Ho Rang are able to share in some very poignant moments throughout the drama. I enjoyed how the portrayal of these female characters provided a commentary of the modern day woman and the challenges that she faces from day to day.
Personally, this was one of my favorite dramas this year. It was just pure perfection from start to end. It astutely created characters that had special circumstances, but were still entirely relatable. A feat not many dramas can aptly pull-off. I can’t recommend this one enough!
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For me I feel like this drama tries to solve that with the stories of 3 modern couples. cohabitation/contract marriage with past romance wounds couple, being a hard working woman vs carefree man, and a struggling long term relationship. This show tackles hard questions like traditional roles, sexual harassment, open/close communication, man vs women responsibility's.... Everything that happens has a reason and a purpose. The writing is very skilled and it is easy to miss something. There is no "filler plot". No one has to have a huge over the top emotional over acted moment to make a point or have the plot move on. More than once there is a cliche plot mentioned but it is glazed over as unimportant because they are adults. Ex- love triangles, yes they are there but instead of conflict that makes the Leads question their "love" it is used to build other emotions like understanding of their core person.
One of the things each couple has in common is money, but it is a factor that effects them differently. 1. Rent/ daily needs- a feeling of belonging somewhere. 2. Being young and together but not communicating about the future/ wedding expenses/ providing for a wife. 3. Being the only person that can support your mom when they get older + they have a disability- leading to holding back your true-self.
This drama hit me on a emotional level. I cried a few times. I feel like no matter where you are at in your dating life- this story has something for everyone to learn from. If not, then at lest you'll understand the importance of room 19 and a pocked of stars. 100% recommend.
Great great kisses....
~soft spoilers-
LOVE-
-For sure high in the list of best kisses.
-Best use of cat- they lived with it. In other dramas you can just tell the animals hate the actors. It felt like the cat could do what it wanted on set and was their real cat. lol
- No filler or extra drama. When the past is brought up its not a huge issues like in other shows.
-They don't use sex as a way to get people to want to keep watching. They don't need to take off shirts to show bodys or be extra provocative. Its there but its not cheesy.
- Lee Min Ki- his acting has so much depth. Starts off like a robot but in the end he is human as he recovers from his problems.
Don't like
The leads are cold-Its not in a bad way. They are just very damaged and try to protect themselves. Ji Ho had dead eyes with Se Hee sometimes -which would bother me as she is happy person.
-creeper plot- not needed for any plot, her going to work was enough for me. I think the protectiveness later is enough.
-sexual harassment- her emotional state is quick to change and we dont hear them talking about it or her finding out what he did for her.
- Her going away- I don't see it as selfish, I see it as poorly done. You think she is going out to collect stars but for me she is going to find herself. After the harassment, her core self was gone. IDK maybe cuz I'v never staying in a hostel, I might not understand. But they make it clear that her english skills make it hard to communicate with them. So I wish she had go on a real trip. Cuz for me after she came back, she left her single life to become an "our".
-
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Okay,i've finished this drama a while ago and i miss it like crazy. This is hands down one of the best dramas that I've ever watched. I don't know why but i got hooked since the beginning. It hit all the right notes. The plot was fun and exciting as hell. The couple felt so natural and unforced and I HAD SO MANY BUTTERFLIES because of them. I enjoyed it as much as Weightlifting fairy kim bok joo and Goblin,and that says something.
This is one of the most amazing, refreshing Korean Dramas I have seen in ages so please PLEASEEEE give it a try. And congrats to everyone who worked on this masterpiece.
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A wonderful story with a generally very positive and warm tone throughout (though things do derail a bit, I am not going to classify this one in the "stupid breakup" category because as much as I wanted it to work out without it, its presence added a lot of weight and I think made the story that much more valid).
The history of the various characters involved, particularly the main leads, adds a nice depth and explains why they act the way they do now, and serves to reinforce that you might think someone is a bit odd but there's a good reason why they are that way. The male lead's character in particular comes off cold, flat, intellectual and unemotional and you'll find out why during the course of the story.
One of the most powerful scenes for me was him going from someone smiling as he watches a soccer game, to a few moments later on the floor crying his eyes out, for a character that is cold and unemotional for the entirety of the show leading up to that point it makes it that much more painful to watch and you fully appreciate what he's going through. Brilliantly acted.
The main leads make a fantastic couple (they were paired up as Kim Mi So's parents in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim too, in Episode 10) and I'm definitely going to be looking out for more from them.
The second leads are awesome too, dealing with their own stresses and pressures both within relationships and within the workplace.
Good strong female leads in this in my view, in fact even some of the support/guest actors are filling strong character roles too such as the CEO that offers the female lead a writing contract (she has a bigger role in the story that shows strength in her character too, but I won't go into that!)
Absolutely brilliant, loved this one and it will definitely be on my re-watch list when I come to start looking for stories to enjoy again, the overflowing warm fuzzies on this one are like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket :)
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Because this is...disappointment
There is a reason this series is taking first places in several "underrated drama" lists. After having put it on hold a couple years ago, I now decided to pick it up again and absolutely loved it. Until... I didn't.When do I recommend watching this:
- You want to see something slow-paced and calm
- You want to see something different
- You like series feeling relatable or down-to-earth
- You don't expect great chemistry, a grand love or swoon-worthy romance (but realism)
- You still can enjoy a series even when the ending is messed-up / you're disappointment-proof
- You don't mind clichés, especially misunderstandings and back and forths
- You don't expect the series to actually challenge your way of thinking, but simply approve of what you already know in a creative way
This had everything to finally be different. It was slow and thoughtful, it showed the characters challenging societal standards, addressed common issues, and many topics were shown very directly and openly without palliating. It felt incredibly relatable. They showed that love isn't the only thing neccessary for relationships to work and proved that even romantic K-Dramas can do without clichés - until they didn't. Suddenly we have all those clichés coming around the corner, love is bigger than everything and issues are solved in ways I'd call irresponsible. You can admit this is your first life to show kindness and understanding towards your own (or other people`s) decisions. Or you can use it as an excuse. During the course of the episodes, the characters' actions and mindsets seemed to turn from one to the other.
As one person mentioned below in the comments, the FL's personality changes drastically when with ML. She suddenly appears so self-conscious and timid and the amount of things left unsaid between both of them started to massively bother me after the first half. FL is pulling the hardest series of back and forth-movements I have ever seen in a character. She is presented as a person who thinks everything through carefully - but she never really follows through. Towards the end I wanted to yell at the characters "being grown-up doesn't mean you never make mistakes - it means you deal with their consequences, so please, finally deal with them". For all the mistakes they make, I never saw an open conversation or a proper apology. In fact, character development was slow and barely existent, and most side characters almost disappeared towards the end.
What also should be mentioned here is the lack of chemistry between the characters. Actually, amongst all the life, relationship and marriage philosophy and the societal critique, we learn so few about the characters that it is really hard to like them for who they are. Which leaves the question - what do their partners like about them? We never find out.
I don't remember the last time I was so annoyed by a series' wasted potential. This promised to finally be different and I give them credit for that, but its messages seem to have turned into their opposites towards the end and that was a huge let-down.
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Started out subversive then descends into a millenial emo cliche.
I was so immensely disappointed in the the way this show got derailed towards the end. When it began, the issues and concepts that My 1st Life touched on were very well tackled. It subverted the whole institution of marriage and examined the cultural and political angles of it. However, because the female protag was a Lit grad somehow this signaled to the screenwriter that it was ok for the show to descend into some emo cliche interspersed with Lit references to somehow make it really meaningful and deep... when it ain't.The whole arrangement that the two protags had were perfectly rational and works. Then the female protag decides to overstep her boundaries and gets upset with the male for standing his ground and drawing the boundary lines clearly. I think from there it was clear to me that this show won't live up to its original premise of being a groundbreaker in the construct of marriage and, sure enough, Ji-Ho continues on this vein of irrational decision-making throughout the rest of the series. Because they need to stretch it to 16 eps, the pace suddenly slows around I-can't-remember-anymore-tbh. I found myself checking on the speed on my TV to make sure it isn't a technical issue on my end but no, it's totally the show. The chars are reduced to stretching out conversations in lifeless tones, all snail speed (maybe aligning with Ji-Ho's love for snails) with interspersed broken pieces of internal monologue and emo music. This is meant to be a TV series. It just ended up being an attempt at a film noire/art festival/avant garde kind of filmmaking that's pretentiously desperate. Viewers aren't dumb.
Honestly, I stayed till the end because of the cat! As other reviews have indicated, Ji-Ho's behaviour is toxic AF. Her reasonings—delivered in broken pieces with emo drama music—are so nonsense that even her mother says, "you're talking crap". It was just really painful to watch if not for Soo Ji's arc AND THE CAT! Whatever "intellectual" proposition the series wanted to make on the topic of marriage was thrown out the window episodes ago and in the end, we're left with characters with conflicting behaviours (first the groom's dad was anti-marriage, then he wasn't), BS profiling (Ji-Ho's mum stayed with the dad coz she remembers how he was so sweet to her when they were dating... yeah, she's full of sh#t too. If she'd won the lottery, she'd have been outta there so fast she'd have left skit marks) and shallow motivations (Ho Rang pressures the hell out of Won Seok to get married and have babies ASAP so desperately to fit in with and be approved by girls whom don't matter at all—WTF). In the end, all the stuff that the show was trying to subvert were reinforced, along with a mystery baby in Won Seok's arms (we are left with the assumption that it belongs to him and Ho Rang) to complete the whole marriage-and-baby-is sacrosanct construct.
All in all, it was a dishonest series that utilised a subversive concept that had so much potential for illuminating the different angles of love for a gimmick purpose.
F#ck this series. "Extremely disappointed" doesn't even begin to describe it. I feel sorry that the cat had to sit through her emo co-stars.
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I'm apparently in the minority, not liking this one
I didn't feel an emotional connection with the characters. He was flat throughout most of the show, he felt robotic to me. His personality was the same, no matter who he was dealing with. I didn't care for the side stories much, I watch K-dramas to get away from all the sex/language that is found in American/British shows, so between one couple living together and the other girl talking about all the guys she's had sex with, that was a turn off for me.Lack of communication really frustrates me. The breakups because they don't talk to each other (mostly her fault) were maddening. I could, to a certain degree, relate to the progression of their relationship, but unfortunately by the time that happened I really didn't care for him at all.
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Meh...
I think this drama had a lot of potential but it failed on so many aspect. I think for one, the ML didn't really have any charm or charisma that made me fall for him. Usually you get viewers invested in a drama because you feel a part of their story and living through the emotions with them but with this drama I didn't understand the leads at all.The ML properly smiled for the first time in the last episode and throughout the rest, even though it was supposed to be this whole 'I have past relationship trauma so I'd rather not feel at all' theme, it was boring to watch. The FL was likable at first and I could understand the decisions she was making but when she decided to leave and divorce him, then proceed to not speak to him for months just because she wanted to 'find herself' or 'be sure of what she feels' I was honestly pissed. Like, good for you but then don't come back, lie down in the bed he's sleeping in and tell him "I'm sorry, I love you"... like no? You left because you were only thinking of yourself and obviously only thought of yourself. I feel like the way the script was written just did the leads dirty. The story was more enjoyable when it was in the supporting character's love stories. Gotta give it a low rating for that...
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The cliffhangers started from day 1 and this is one of the reasons to be so excited for this series. Waiting for the next episodes was really a pain.
What I found so special about this drama were the characters on the first place. Se Hee was such an unordinary person and even though I thought Ji Ho was kinda annoying in the beginning, I just couldn't help but love her as the time passed. Really enjoyed the script writer's work. Almost every episode had those lines, full of metaphors that really make you question your whole existance. I also loved the secondary couples and even though in most drama they're just a waste of time, here they were just as interesting as the main one.
What I found lacking was that there wasn't much of explanation about Se Hee's past, which played a quite a big role this drama. On the other hand I think they could make the ending episodes a little more dramatic and emotional.
Overall if you are looking for something light-hearted, funny and with some good acting, this is perfect for you!
Hope this was helpful and sorry for the mistakes <3
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Laugh, cry, repeat.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:This drama couldn't have popped up on my Netflix homepage at a more perfect time in my life. As someone who just entered her 20s, this drama served as a wonderful guide to the realities of adulting. By following closely the lives of three 30-year-old women, it explores the commonly-held belief that "money is happiness", the distinction between love and marriage, traditional gender roles at home, gender discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and people's various, thus conflicting, goals and aspirations for the one life they're living.
Perhaps because it is my first time watching a slice-of-life drama intended for an older audience, I felt as if this drama was well thought-out and unlike any I've watched before. The storyline was clear and easy to follow yet not overly predictable. I especially loved how it incorporated a good balance of logic and emotion, concrete and abstract ideas, neither one dominating over the other.
The logic part can be seen from the unique personality of the male protagonist, who intrigued me so much at the start. Sehee was shown as this orderly, guarded, and languid cat-loving guy who appeared uninterested in the idea of love or marriage for a reason possibly related to past regrets. The cold, detached behaviors, rigid rules he'd set for his tenants and his sole reliance on data in decision-making was so absurd to me that it made me think..."Wow.. who hurt you boy" to the extent that you would lose trust in your heart altogether. I began to wonder whether he would ever be capable of true affection later in the story and my sincere hope for his character development was the driving force that kept my eyes glued to the screen.
At the same time, though, the emotional scenes in the drama were quite believable and compelling due to quality writing as well as the cast's phenomenal acting skills. Every once in a while, I found myself jotting down lines from the drama that spoke to me, a lot of metaphors and observations of ordinary life that demonstrated wisdom and introspection. More sides of Sehee shined through his interactions with Jiho. Although their interactions were for the most part reserved and polite in the apartment, you can't deny their special chemistry when they get those sudden realizations of understanding of one another. My heart melts simply by watching those precious moments of them drinking beer while watching soccer, calling each other from separate bedrooms, and caring for the kitty together. And the moments where they shared personal thoughts on life through their favorite literature (like that scene by the ocean at sunset!! ahhh!!!) were some of the most endearing ones of all.
LIKES:
- This drama had me laughing one minute and crying another. Really hit me dead center in the feels.
- The humor and comedic twists. I used to dislike office scenes in rom-com dramas mostly when I'm not drawn to the characters there, however, the antics of "Don't marry, date" employees, CEO Ma, Wonseok, Bomi, et al made every moment, every dialogue so precious and entertaining. (Also, I'm a huge Pink Panda, so casting Bomi was like the best decision the directors made. Her nerdy female engineer energy was on point and fun to watch.)
- Realistic portrayal of life events
- Diverse personalities of characters that fit well into the narrative's framework
DISLIKES:
- Noticed less humor and cornier jokes in the second half of the drama. Maybe since they had to start tying together loose ends of all the relationship problems.
- Just me or did the relationship dynamic between Sehee and Jiho change a little too quickly in the last episode? In front of Sehee, she switched from being demure to spunky in a single episode, which felt so ooc to me. The change should have been more gradual.
- The ending. Didn't expect writers to conclude with the message of true love conquers all after they spent 15 episodes portraying a thousand different interpretations of love and life
- Obvious coincidences and too good to be true timing...but inevitable in K-dramaland
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I avoided reading other reviews so that my opinion is unaffected. This review is 100% original thoughts. It took me only three days to finish this drama. And afterwards, I thought about how the me four years ago (still in high school) probably wouldn't have enjoyed this drama as much. She probably wouldn't have appreciated all the mini life lessons and would have skipped certain scenes just to get a kick of the dramatic parts. She would have overlooked the beauty. As for rewatch value, I can see myself rewatching this drama again in my mid 20s and once more when I'm 30 to see if my opinions change. It might be even more relatable then. I went into this drama without any expectations so I can safely say this drama exceeded it and made it onto my list of Top 5 Favorite K-dramas. Definitely go watch it! :D
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