This review may contain spoilers
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
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Wonderful show!
Just finished Because This Is My First Life on Netflix.Absolutely loved it!
A character-driven, light-hearted, but mature romantic comedy that is a social commentary on the institution of marriage, love itself, relationships and sexual harassment in the work place. Having not read the premise of the show, I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised at how maturely written the characters were. It is not one of those "love at first sight" type of K-Dramas. There are several couples in the show and we witness their love organically build in each episode while they're simultaneously questioning/analyzing their own feelings and whether they personally find marriage and carrying on tradition is suitable in millennial generation of today's South Korea.
The pacing of the show is relaxed, but as you get to know the dimensions of each character, the pacing begins to move quickly. While it is very funny and has its lovey-dovey moments, the fact that it is so intellectually stimulating (along with the most lovable pet cat in K-Drama history) so memorable.
Writing, soundtrack and acting from the cast are outstanding, particularly from Jung So-Min and Lee Minki who play an odd couple.
Absolutely highest recommendations!
Was this review helpful to you?
Promising Start, Frustratingly Hollow Finish
Was expecting a thoughtful and refreshing take on relationships, and to be fair, it does start off that way. The initial episodes feel grounded, relatable, and even a bit charming in how they explore modern struggles—career, housing, and unconventional relationships.But as the story progresses, it slowly loses that spark. What initially felt subtle and introspective starts turning into something unnecessarily drawn-out and frustrating. The pacing drags, and the emotional payoff never quite matches the buildup.
The most irritating part for me was the female lead’s constant internal monologues. They’re meant to be philosophical, but often come across as random, overthought musings that don’t add much depth. Combined with her oddly blank, almost expressionless delivery, it made many scenes feel awkward rather than meaningful.
By the end, instead of feeling satisfied, I was left wondering what the drama was trying to say. It had potential, but somewhere along the way, it got lost in its own attempt to be profound.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Worth watching until the last episodes
I have seen this kdrama being recommended many times. I can somehow understand why but I despise the ending. I don’t trust the FL.The first episodes looked promising, it was the usual contract marriage cliche but I liked it.
The ML is really respectful with boundaries and much more mature than the FL, he has a weird side but that side makes him attractive.
The FL started being likable but as the episodes go on I started to despise her. How can a character not grown when the whole point of the show looked like the development of her character.
Most of the things she said where none sense, she didn’t communicate anything but expected him to communicate, she also expected him to open up but she was not opening herself either, and is not like she didn’t have a chance. Her acting as the episodes go on gets worse, starts to look like she is a robot with no feelings for anything.
I don’t understand how there is so many 10 stars reviews, did we watch the same show? I can’t see how anyone would like the ending. Making the FL leave the ML for no reason whatsoever. She even knew he was gonna confess that same day. I still don’t know why she left and lie to him saying that she is going far away. Also the letter that she left for him is useless and doesn’t mean anything, I was actually expecting more from it.
It was devastating watching the ML suffer like that, even give up his house for a girl that just lied and confused him, just for him to forgive her as soon as he sees her.
Also the way she reappears in his life is awful, acting like nothing happened and considering leaving again. The ML had a valid crashed out but I wish it would have last longer than 5 seconds.
I don’t understand how you can torture the man you love like that and smile about it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE LAST 3 EPISODES, THIS WOULD'VE BEEN MY SECOND 10/10
Like the title of my review states, this drama would've been my second ever 10/10 K-drama if it weren't for episodes 13-16.I'm aware my review is 9 years too late, but I want to get this off my chest, seeing as thoughts about the drama keep popping up.
I loved it so very much, just to be disappointed in the end. But, if I can objectively help someone else with this review, please read on. Spoilers ahead!
What a refreshing and wonderful story! I was so glad I came across a drama that would tackle everyday life, heavier topics, and just "normal" people. I'm not a fan of overly stylized and polished shows, so to me, this was a plus as soon as I started the first episode.
And that one had me hooked! I loved the introduction of the FL. She was still searching for her place in life, searching for who she wanted to be, while struggling to keep a roof over her head. I found her to be quite endearing, naive, but also, surprisingly, strong.
Yes, she sometimes came across as young and inexperienced, but she also had to put up with a lot of patriarchal shit while growing up. Still, she didn't just give up; she kept going and tried to take care of her own problems and make her life work. Oftentimes we see women portrayed as helpless damsels, or they are forced on us as strong women just to keep the show going. I didn't get this vibe from Ji-ho at all. She is simply a normal girl finding her way in the world, and I loved that and was constantly rooting for her.
I have to say that my favorite character was the ML. I have a thing for the quiet, almost antisocial, tsundere types who secretly have a soft nature. Se-hee wasn't the very loving type, and we'd find out eventually why. But what I loved about this character was that he was consistent. He set boundaries and didn't go over those boundaries. Still, he made sure Ji-ho was safe, even though that was not in the contract or his job.
A lot of reviewers tend to find him off-putting, mechanical, or even unlikable. But we have to keep in mind that A: he was written that way, and B: he went through some shit in his past and he is trying to protect his heart. Not everyone can go through life with their hearts on their sleeves, and not every drama should be about a man lusting after a woman like an overheated puppy. I found Se-hee quite wonderful because he started out as stoic, antisocial, selfish, and inflexible, but we ended up with a hero who learned to open up his heart while staying true to his nature.
Both leads showed remarkable character growth throughout the drama, and then came episode 13.
All of a sudden, it felt as if they switched writers, directors, producers, or whatever when they started working on episode 13. Ji-ho turned into an idiotic, selfish, and toxic girl. I don't even want to go into detail regarding her stupid choices and thoughts, but I will just to get this off my chest.
Some of us love slice-of-life dramas because they often mirror our own lives. And I feel it would've been much better if they'd stuck to that until the end, rather than using the miscommunication, idiot damsel, and separation tropes to create some sort of fake climax. Not every story needs to be overly dramatic.
What I hated most from episode 13 onwards:
The fact that Ji-ho stopped communicating directly and clearly. She started speaking in metaphors and keeping her feelings and thoughts to herself. I mean, girl, you know Se-hee is almost a robot. Speak your m-fing mind and tell him what bothers you. The man isn't stupid, but he also can't read minds!
She decided on her own that they should break up because he hadn't uttered those stupid words people cling to. Hellooo: "I love you" means absolutely nothing without actions to back those words up. But noooo, she needed to feed her ego. Even after Su-ji told her Se-hee was planning to confess, Ji-ho still found it necessary to get divorced and leave the man.
I understand some of you will think I only mind what the ML is feeling, but no. Imagine you've been living in hell for 10 years. You kept your life private, only opened up your heart to your cat. Then comes along a beautiful, fresh girl, and she thaws your heart up to the point you decide to give life and love a chance again. Then she ups and leaves you because you haven't said the words out loud. Uhm, okay? And yes, I get that at this point Se-hee could've uttered the words and maybe stopped or appeased her. But remember the boundaries I mentioned earlier? The man was protecting the walls SHE put up. He isn't overly dramatic in showing feelings, so it would be unfair to expect he'd do so at this point.
As I said, consistent.
But here comes the worst. After she left, she was supposed to go find herself; she hadn't really lived her life up to that point. So I get that she planned to travel and see the world. We all understand that, right? What did she do though? She went to the fucking neighborhood sauna, chilled with girlfriends, and wandered around the same fucking city!
To make matters even worse: one random day she decides it's time to start their day one. Absolutely no consideration for the man she left alone, broken in pieces. She baked a cake and thought: hmmm, I'll take this to the love of my life and tell him we're on again. Girl, what?
Forget the previous worst, here comes the worst-worst.
She slides into bed with him. Notices he thinks he's dreaming of her. Doesn't correct him. Lets him think he's still dreaming. Falls asleep next to him. The next day when he wakes up, she acts as if he's crazy. The man wanted to seriously talk to her about what happened and about his feelings, and she went on and on about breakfast. WTF, did one of the writers fall on their head? Seriously.
Look, I'm glad they eventually got back together, because I love happy endings. But this was lazy, sloppy, and we're not young and impressionable viewers. If you write a drama which deals with everyday topics like housing, sexual harassment, trauma, and such, you should stick to that until the end and not fall back on mainstream tropes just to insert unnecessary drama.
Instead of the drama, they could've tackled these points:
- Why didn't they delve into the bruised hands of Se-hee after he beat up Ji-ho's attacker? Maybe that would've opened her eyes more.
- Why did she really turn down the writing contract?
- Se-hee wasn't feeling his ex; he showed her as much by waiting for Ji-ho even after he ran into the ex. Why didn't that sway her a bit?
To me the drama would've been a more "perfect drama" if these were explored:
Instead of forcing a separation in the last three episodes, they could've explored the relationship part better. They were two people starting off as landlord and tenant, got married to make life easier, and started loving each other. They could've shown us how they really took the plunge. I mean, both Se-hee and Ji-ho weren't fans of conventional and traditional Korean marriages. Explore that! Show us how they would've done it better. No slave-like activities at the in-laws.
Respecting each other's Room 19. Really having your own space whilst being together.
I loved that they renewed their contract yearly. They could've dived deeper into that.
Anything, actually, would've been better than what we got.
Anyways, I don't want to rant anymore. This has been the only drama I would've watched back-to-back just like I did CLOY. It left an emptiness in me, and now I'm disappointed at the ending. I'm in no way saying you shouldn't watch, because it started too beautifully and stayed that way until episode 13.
All in all, it's really worth the 9.5 I rate it.
Oh, forgot to even mention the side characters. Loved all of them. I only think that Won-seok and Rang should've stayed separated; they were not meant to be together anymore.
Sidenote: the two first leads made a cameo in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. I read the writer wanted to give the fans some joy by putting them together again, even for something small. Good idea, bad execution.
I wish the cameo was really about Ji-ho and Se-hee. Maybe a collaboration between Lee Young-joon and Se-hee? The form in which we got the cameo left a bad taste in my mouth.
Anyways, I'm done now. Don't let my frustrations stop you from watching this beautiful story.
Was this review helpful to you?
Couldn't stick the landing
Not only could this drama not stick the landing, it was a freaking plane crash over the last couple of episodes. I have never been so disappointed in a K drama I was enjoying for 3/4 of the show. This was headed for a 10 rating from me, but the last few episodes made me so frustrated and angry that I couldn't give it more than a five. And I almost wonder if that is too high. The Show was talking about interesting things related to relationships and how we look at them and it seemed to be saying, one thing, and then it lost the plot and went to crazy town. Just thinking about how it ended makes me angry.I do not recommend watching this unless you are into disappointment.
the ML and FL were fine. I thought they had some good chemistry at times. I enjoyed that they were both slightly unique characters. But they brought in some weird side plots that just didn't seem necessary. Additionally, the big secret that they hinted at throughout the whole thing turned out to be a nothing burger. and they didn't even use it.
I will never revisit this again. In fact, I hope to forget that it exists.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Heartwarming and Relatable Korean Drama that Leaves a Lasting Impression!
"Because This Is My First Life" had me completely captivated right from the start. As I delved into this Korean drama, I couldn't help but be drawn into the lives of the two main characters, a house-poor writer and an overworked assistant, who unexpectedly find themselves in a marriage of convenience. Their journey resonated deeply with me as I followed their struggles, dreams, and personal growth. The drama beautifully delves into the complexities of modern life and societal pressures, touching on themes that felt so relatable. I laughed, I cried, and I found myself reflecting on my own experiences. With its endearing characters and genuine emotions, "Because This Is My First Life" is a heartwarming gem that leaves a lasting impression on anyone who watches it.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Fake Marriage, Real Chemistry, Excellent Supporting Chaos
📝 Review (WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Emotional Damage)So this drama is perfect for that cold ML. Lee Min Ki played this role to perfection—starting out cold and aloof, then slowly warming up. This was also my first “Fake Marriage” trope experience, and it’s what led me down another rabbit hole. I’ve got so many of those now, I could probably take over all of Wonderland with the mentality of a mix between the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat.
What really elevated the drama, though, was the supporting cast. These characters don’t just exist to prop up the leads—they enhance the story, adding layers of humor, heart, and chaos that make the whole experience richer. Their interactions make the world feel lived-in, and honestly, without them, some of the emotional beats wouldn’t hit nearly as hard.
Seriously though, I really did enjoy this drama. It’s smart, funny, and the little domestic chaos between the housemates is endlessly charming. The pacing and the emotional beats never felt forced, and it’s absolutely on my rewatch list (even if I haven’t gotten around to it yet).
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Great Start, Weak Finish
I loved this drama so much at the beginning. I liked the focus on friendship and the chemistry between the couples. The show portrayed sexism and had a pretty progressive attitude towards sex. One of my main issues is that the show focused on the three main friends and their romances, but I only cared about two of them. I found one of these storylines to be incredibly boring and skipped most of those scenes. The last few episodes really took the show down for me, which I would have rated much higher before I saw those. The decisions that the main lead makes in the last few episodes felt really bizarre and out of character.Likes: Soo-ji - a part of me almost wanted her and the CEO to be the main couple because I cared about them so much. The portrayal of sexism, especially that in the corporate world. The focus on female friendship. Forced proximity and contract marriage trope for the main couple. Chemistry between all the couples was great. The way that the main couple bonded over the simple things and how those became some of their greatest joys in life.
Dislikes: Ho-rang's relationship just did not work for me and there is just no way that couple would work. I was frustrated when it would switch to this storyline because it took time away from the storylines I was interested in.
Everything with Ji-ho's family felt very unsatisfying as it didn't seem to really address the issues with her dad and brother. While I liked the main couple for the most part, there were quite a few times that I didn't understand her draw to him, as he felt pretty unappealing. The last few episodes Ji-ho made some decisions that felt almost cruel and didn't make any sense.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Perhaps this drama can learn a thing or two from marathon runners
Perhaps a lot of kdramas can learn a thing or two from marathon runners about endurance and finishing strong. Getting past the threshold of pain in the last few miles, or in this case, the last few episodes would've made all the difference. The drama started out strong, a story about 3 couples in different kinds of situations and discusses a lot of adult topics of marriage and career. That was enjoyable and binge worthy. Although it is very predictable, it is not cliché. My favorite character of the three main female leads will have to be my girl Soo-Ji. Even if the main focus is on Ji-Hoo, she's got nothing on the real badass of this drama.*SPOILERS AHEAD*
This drama could have been a 9 for me but ultimately ended up being an 8. In the last 2 episodes, it seems the writer hit a wall and wrote something that was rather lazy. The main problem seems to be Ji=Ho and the writer trying to write out how to separate the couple for them to realize how important they were to each other. To do so, the writer just made Ji-Ho lose character development and behaved in a way that even Ji=Ho couldn't properly explain. Without honest and authentic conversation with Se-Hee, she simply said she wants a divorce and that she's going to sign to write a new drama with his ex and will have sufficient income to live on her own. But did she really sign with his ex? No, she lied about it. She didn't sign and instead went off to live in a hostel for a couple of months without contacting him. And in order to get Ji-Ho to sign with her company, Se-Hee's ex even helped Ji-Hoo with her legal case with the previous director. And what did she get in return? Ji-Ho not signing the contract. Basically, this made Ji-Ho dishonest and irresponsible. And to top it off, the actress who plays Ji-Ho's slow way of speaking became too sloth-like. If they were going for impact, they got quite the opposite. I wanted to fall asleep whenever she was talking or wanted to speed it up to 1.5x. And her lack of proper communication and honesty made Se-Hee sell his house and ended up suffering for months and moving up to the rooftop room Ho-Rang used to live in. The poor dude suffered for what? So Ji-Ho can just make some cake with a racoon looking cat on it to surprise him randomly at his house months after their divorce? Ta-da! Today is our day one! Yeah, it could've been day one of your restraining order. Ji-Ho's passive aggressive tendencies also didn't get any better. It got annoying. They could've done much better in the last two episodes.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
CLASSIC STORY FILLED WITH EARNESTNESS
"Going through this life is the first for all of us anyway."Unlike my other drama reviews, I have to first preface this one by saying that this drama could very well be universal, one size fits all type of drama. Because through three interwoven stories, everyone and anyone can find themselves reflected in at least one character.
Now back to my usual form of writing.
To start off, the good sides of this drama are heartfelt, true and educational(strangely enough), but it doesn`t mutually exclude the fact that they aren`t, at the same time, fluffy, somewhat funny and easy to watch. Every actor does a phenomenal job of living in their role, as their character. I thoroughly believed in these people, their struggles and way of living. No one here knows exactly what they`re doing or if what they are doing is right by default. But that doesn`t mean they don`t try. The absurdist comedy and lessons presented throughout are much of the time spot on in helping us see each person for what they stand and how. Because we do the same thing. We all have our quirks, routines and principles some might not agree with. Yet we press on. In the midst of relatable scenes that hit harder than most love confessions, my two favorites are:
1.When Ji-ho is walking through a dark tunnel in her pajamas aimlessly, after enduring sexual abuse and barely avoiding ra*e, talking about how your family could, at times, be the biggest strangers to you. How she was ready to take on every toil due to the fact that she chose to be a drama writer. She knew her path would be lonely and dark, like the tunnel she was perusing at that moment, but she still didn`t know the extent of it all. For personal reasons, that spoke to me in this exact moment of time. It was effective, clear and loud without being preachy or coming off as compensating.
2. When Se Hee was subconsciously consoling Ji-ho at that bus stop, which is probably the most well-known scene of this drama and what probably drew YOU to check it out and find out more about it. By watching this scene, I was also consoled on a deeper level not any drama could even touch, let alone soothe.
And this is where the magic of this show is contained. In its earnestness and good understanding of adult life as such. We all love admiring capable, ambitious and focused individuals(like Woo Soo Ji) without realizing that this is life...is a first for all of us. Such a simple truth is sadly almost never relayed in media. Despite being one, if not THE MOST depressed generation of our lifetime, you would never guess it by most pieces of the media we consume. And that`s such a missed opportunity this show tries to highlight. We shame others for being at crossroads, for not knowing what to do or where to turn to. And as this show so clearly expresses...we shouldn`t. Like that poem Ji-ho finds(which became my favorite as well), people are fragile, chipped away by time and situations they had to face by this point. Instead of accepting that and letting them heal, we berate them, rejecting what they can be in the process. It`s such a fruitless cycle. I get this review might be regarded as somewhat of an ode to life crisis, but it`s just an observation of young life and what awaits us as society. The fact that a show got me to think about these ideas and concepts is, in my opinion, an accomplishment on its own. It helps that it`s coupled with some visual cues movie buffs like myself appreciate even more. The OST is also subtle, but appropriate, boosting the atmosphere and letting scenes breathe on their own time. This isn`t a drama which needs emotional songs to relay its message, but when they are put in, it doesn`t hinder the feeling either.
After these compliments, like any drama, there are some drawbacks that got me thinking. First one is the pacing of it, though most Korean dramas suffer in this regard. It can at parts be too long. Especially if you`re not invested in the story, which admittedly, isn`t all that original. It`s the way they decide to present it what defines it. Without it, this is just another cohabitation story between a cold ML and a ditzy FL. To be honest, I can`t fault it for anything else, because it`s a great slice of life drama. One of those I like the most. Unassuming, changing and memorable. Kind of like life itself.
Was this review helpful to you?
