18 Again

This series was on my watchlist for quite a while, but I watched it because I wanted to watch a body swap series. I am not familiar with the works of Lee Dohyun but after watching this, I wanted to watch more of his dramas. It was interesting to watch this series, having already watched the original American movie and wondered how it would execute as a K-Drama. This story is not only about romance, but reconnection and understanding of family and I liked that the most I found it was more of a heart-warming family drama with a love triangle. Lee Dohyun was great in this series. However I gave this a 9/10 due to the ending, I felt it could have been be a bit more.

I enjoyed Ryeoun's character in this series after seeing Twinkling Watermelon and anticipate his acting in the future. His acting in "18 Again" and "Twinkling Watermelon" are different so I am looking forward to seeing his works in "Weak Hero Class 2".

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Valuable life lessons might not come in the best form

'Regretful youth' seems to be the strong premise behind "18 Again". The drama, which is adapted from the infamous American Movie "17 Again", is a lightly-plotted one filled with struggles, family warmth, worthwhile life lessons, and a bunch of jokes (that came off as either purely funny or, most of the time, being more cringe-worthy). Starting off, it must have been a brain-digging ideas to adapt a 2-hour movie into 16 one hour-long episodes. That's almost tenfold of its length. As a consequence, while giving direct moral lessons, a big chunk of the middle part came off as being filler stories, specifically subplots.

A bit of the plot: The journey follows a regretful 37 year-old Hong Daeyoung (who was about to divorce his wife Jung Dajeong) instantly turning into his 18 year-old self out of the blue. While he's at it, he attended his twin children's school. Other than the school's dynamics, the series also follows Dajeong's journey on becoming an aspiring announcer, a dream she put off while being pregnant with the twins at 18.

First of all, I didn't watch the original movie prior to watching 18 Again as I wanted to learn things thoroughly and not comparing to 17 again. However, things took a whole detour after the first few early episodes and only get back up after the two-thirds of the drama. Yes, it has too many subplots. I claim that the main plots are: Daeyoung as Uyeong, Dajeong's work life, and the twins school life. They were pretty much well-written and relatable although most of the times one of them outshines the others in an unbalance way. Things like Sia and Siu lying to their parents about school life could not be more realistic. The story telling is thorough but they might bring the viewers to gain some subjectivity other than making the viewers having more objective view. However, the gap between those subjectivity might help viewers realize on valuable things that humans have ever regretted before. Some simple things they wished they had done, even as simple as being a good son to their parents.

For the subplots, I found Ye Jihun's family plot to be heartwarming while being too coincidental had it happened in a more realistic approach. Seo Jiho's is an interesting character but it felt like he's gone in the middle for some reason. The geeky-adventure of Deokjin and Ms. Ok is lightly funny but adds nothing to the drama's whole weight. The elevator scandal is good. For the others, I found a lot of them to be unnecessary: Choi Ilgwon's whole story of admission scam and problems, the two random employees in Deokjin's company, Aerin's hateful friend, Si-u's barely-appearing girlfriend, and for the worst: the random stalker. I found the stalker plot to be underwhelmingly executed as they had been teasing it since the very early stages of the drama. The reveal was misleading too plus it adds nothing to the drama. Another thing about the story/writing, I found the tear-jerker scenes to be beautiful (although I'm a hard person to cry), especially Sia's bank scene, 2002 World Cup, and Siu meeting dad. In contrast for the lighter comedic scenes, I found most of the jokes to brings me second-hand embarrassments especially when it comes to Ko Uyeong acting as a dad/wife/friend in an 18 year old form. Some people might find the jokes funny, but those are not for me.

For the characters, they seem to be as what they are designated to be except the ones I have mentioned above. The main characters are amazing and their acting are top notch, especially Lee Dohyun for embodying a middle-aged man. At times, Dajeong might seem too angelic but (i'm not sure why) her character just seem so humane. Also love the twins. I found Jiho's character to be interesting and easy to relate to but most times he isn't present in the drama. Jaseong's character development came off as too instant at times that I was shocked one or two times of him showing a more friendly side. Dajeong's seniors and colleague Yumi's character development also seem a bit too delayed at the end. For the others, I might just say they are what they are shown, with the complaints from the plot still stands.

Other additional elements to the drama actually added some value to the drama. The music might be too repetitive with that one soundtrack but it served its purpose. There's not many special effects but they are necessary and didn't devalue the drama. The settings of places and timing are greatly consistent.

Overall, 18 Again is a nice ride of emotions with great acting, decent storyline, not-for-everyone jokes, and valuable life lessons. However, as just how life goes, those valuable life lessons might not come in the best form.

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Even though it was a copy of the 17 again movies but the series was really impressive, and it was more details than the movie. And I loved the way they presented the same story from a different angle. The character combination was really perfect, and they played their role really well. I literally burst into tears while watching. Even though the story was almost similar but I was a little bit curious about what was going to happen next. They make a perfect end to this series. I was confused that maybe they would mess up with the ending. Nah, they just keep it simple, and I love this thing. You can watch 17 again; also, that's mainly US based. But I have to say 18 again is really a good series. It would be best if you gave me a watch. And I don't want to provide you with any spoilers. You should watch it, and I hope you will love the story; if you have already watched 17 again, you should still watch this one!

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My First Kdrama, i really like it hahahaha

"18 Again" is a captivating Korean drama with a unique storyline. It depicts the story of Jung Da-jung and Hong Dae-young, a couple facing issues in their marriage. However, when Dae-young suddenly transforms into an 18-year-old teenager, everything changes. The synopsis you provided is instrumental in understanding the premise of this drama.

In this drama, important messages about family, accountability, and chasing one's dreams are highlighted. The wise quotes you shared, such as "Love alone is not enough to build a household" and "There's no such thing as being too late to pursue your dreams!" resonate well with these themes.

Lee Do-hyun's portrayal of the teenage Dae-young is commendable, and the character development of his children is intriguing to follow. The smooth storyline makes this drama entertaining, and the visual and production aspects are praiseworthy.

The emotional soundtrack adds depth to the viewing experience, and I agree that this drama imparts valuable life lessons.

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100% Recommend, this series was phenomenal!!

Everything about this series was beyond amazing! The acting, music, editing, and special effects all of it was done so perfectly! Especially the editing, they did such a phenomenal job with the transitions from young to old! I loved the original movie, but this series was leagues better and I already want to watch it again. Though I had to buy a copy off ebay to see it with english subs, it was 100% worth it!
The only thing that brought down my rating a little, and only a very small amount, is two things.
First, Ji Hoon grew on me but it did start to get on my nerves how much screen time they were devoting to a couple who wasnt going to be endgame anyways. By the end of the series I felt so bad for him that his feelings weren't reciprocated 🥺 Second reason is, I feel like the kids should have been told. I get that it may have been awkward and they may have gotten angry, but they deserved to know. Especially Siwoo who was extremely close to Woo Young. I get he made the excuse of going back to the states, but in this age with cell phones that wouldn't explain no contact. Can you imagine how heartbreaking that would be for Siwoo. With Woo Young being his first and best friend, to all of a sudden not ever being able to talk to him again, with no real explanation.. He wouldnt understand and would probably think he did something wrong. I know he became friends with the basketball team, but I dont think that would've been the same as his friendship with Woo Young.

Overall as I said, this series was beyond amazing! Its a 9.5/10 for me!

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first time viewers : should you watch this?

this kdrama is a personal favorite of mine. i've rewatched it over 2 times! although the plot is slow and dragged, it's very fun to watch, but it's not binge-worthy. i hate the love triangle in this drama though. i hate love triangles in any show or film, so it's just me.

since one of my favorite actors lee do-hyun and hwang in-yeop acted in this, this was the reason i watched it. i wasn't disappointed, and their acting was phenomenal! the actress kim ha-neul didn't do badly in this either, but some scenes were just hard to watch.

if you like shows or films that have to do with traveling back to the past, body-switching, and things related to that, this is the perfect show for you.

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Rewatched it and I still like it a lot apparently

I rewatched this to see Wi Hajoon and Lee Dohyun, and they did so well, along with all the other actors. I remembered little bits of moments, but I couldn't remember the right sequence of it. So when I watched it, I was surprised when I expected something and it still hasn't happened, or something I expected to come out later is actually in the earlier part of the story. Well, at least that gave it kind of like a shock factor so I wasn't bored. And back then I probably missed some things, or some details I couldn't remember well. And it's nice to see those little details, along with some moments that I thought were really good.

Wi Hajoon did such an amazing job portraying Ye Jihoon. When he's in the field, he looks very cool and charismatic focusing on baseball, the thing that he loves and does best in. When he's with Dajeong and Seoyeon, his sweeter and more emotional side comes out. He's everyone's dream boy and everyone thought he's perfect, but as everyone else does, he does too. I love the way they wrote his story, and tying the story with Hong Daeyoung was a pretty obvious, but nice touch. The man he was looking for all these years to thank is the ex husband of the woman he likes? It was nice. Especially because though he wasn't able to date the person he likes, she's with someone who saved his niece. And that they end up just being friends, it was really nice to see, rather than cutting each other off completely so they wouldn't be awkward.

And Lee Dohyun is also really amazing. I mean, His role is a 37 years old dad that just happened to go back to his 18 years old self, pretending to be a student, a friend to his children and their friends, he's acting as a (pretty bad at hiding his real identity) actor. The only other character that was closest to this I could think of is Jinyoung in The Dude In Me, a student whose soul got swapped with a gangster (who turned out to be a dad, and end up meeting his daughter and his first love) ((and it's really a good movie but these two "teen dads" vibes are VERY different)) Sometimes when he did the things he does as a dad, it can either go the comedic route or touching route, there's no inbetween. One of his best moments is the one where he did sign language to his dad after a competition. If I remember correctly, I probably cried about this on my first watch. I probably cried a lot more on my first watch in like, any moment.

The cinematography in this is really amazing. All of the shots are very beautiful. I loved the moments where it transitioned from young Hong Daeyoung/Ko Wooyoung to present time Hong Daeyoung. It's just a small little thing as a reminder that Ko Wooyoung is Hong Daeyoung and it's pretty cool. The sets are also really nice, but I especially loved Ko Deokjin's geeky themed house. I'm not a big avengers or game fan, but still, seeing props and outfits like the iron man outfit, thor's hammer, captain america's shield was really cool. To have a house decorated with all of your interests in every part of the house seems really cool and it's like a dream house.

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just what I needed

I never wrote a review before, but this one really convinced me to do it. I obviously watched the movie this is inspired to, but the experience was a whole different thing.
The acting was so nice, the intensity of the emotions kept me hooked the whole time. I cried, I laughed and I squealed. It was so refreshing to see high schoolers from this perspective. I am too old to enjoy teen dramas without feeling nostalgic and looking at them almost as if they were my kids. So this POV was exactly as I expected it, it put things in perspective.

Something that really stood up for me was that for once they really let us have a drama-free drama. Don't get me wrong, the story itself and the emotions of the characters are enough to give you cry material for days, but every time the show hinted at a catastrophe it turned out to be actually something good (except for one particular moment that got resolved quickly). It kept me on the lookout for some big drama, some fighting scenes, and some scary moments... you know as usual we get those weird episodes where things get super bad before being good again at the end.
NOT THIS TIME, the plot was consistent, they kept it straight...the struggle and the pain the main character was feeling was already enough.
There were a few moments when my heart really broke for him... the parents' meetings. When the young Go Woo Young met both his father and then his mother in law... those scenes were so full of untold things and it was very touching.

I have no way of expressing how much I enjoyed Lee Do Hyun acting. His sweet smile, his intense eyes and his very touching crying scenes. A whole package. All actors and actresses were very enjoyable to me, the right amount of cheesy too, but it was in the nature of this story anyway.

Another mention is Wi Ha Joon, he played such a cool character, as always we all feel bad for the second lead but he was so graceful about it, and such a good man too. Loved this character.

No need to speak about Kim Ha Neul, she is a queen she was awesome ♥

To me this was a 10/10 mostly because even if the story may seem weird and cheesy, it really has some very deep moments that make you question your own choices and thoughts. It gave me happy tears and tbh now and then we simply need a drama like this.
100% would recommend and would totally watch it again

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Yanno when I first heard that thr drama was based on an American movie I totally forgot that I actually seen the movie with Zac Efron much earlier before. It was only after several rewatch that I started to wonder why some parts are mighty familiar.

Honestly there was plenty to love about the drama and plenty of things to chesish. And I love how the drama expanded a lot of the many plot since the original really moved the plot quite fast that you may not be able to appreciate many of the details.

I really live the choice of casting for both of Hong Daeyoung. Lee Dohyun and Yoon Sanghyun really do resemble each other and even have similar sounding voices, to which whenever the two transitioned to each other you'd barely be able to pick up the differences. And I love how both of them were really great at bringing up the many emotions and how great the two of them in carrying out their characters to the best of their abilities. I really love the focus on the relationship as Daeyoung works to mend his relationship with his wife and kids as well as reconnecting back to his father, whom he missed so much.

I've seen quite a number of dramas with Kim Haneul, and quite a lot of them involved her playing middle-aged women who happened to be caught in a marriage crisis. Of all those dramas, I have to say that I enjoyed 18 Again more than I ever expected. While that may partially be related to the fact she's acting alongside Yoon Sanghyun and Lee Dohyun, I have to say that that the writing play a lot of importance in making Jung Dajung a very likeable character. And I guess because of that, like Hong Daeyoung, we also inevitably couldn't help ourselves from falling in love with Dajung and her family.

I really love the expansion of of Deokjin's story. To which, aside from showing that Deokjin had quite a geeky collection he also dabbled in the world of cosplay. And I really love the focus on Ms Ok and Deokjin as an older geeky couple, not to mention how the relationship was portrayed in a very normalised way.

Loved all the comedic elements and how it always looked natural whenever Deokjin and Daeyoung argued heatedly to the point of exchanging slurs to each other that they didn't even care if other people would see their weird dynamics. I really loved all the tiny additions to the plot that made the drama even more relatable compared to the original movie. This drama was really well-made.

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A Journey Through Time and Wonder

Before I start giving my review of this drama, I want to say first that all the actors did an amazing job in this show! They were all impressive!

Back to my review, I love the story of this show, the way they face their problems, and the way you can really feel their emotions, especially their frustration. The chemistry of the main leads was fantastic; their problems as a couple and individually will really make you cry. A lot of topics were shown, and they did justice to portraying them and solving them as family, friends, and workmates. Hong Dae Young is such a green flag; who wouldn't fall for him? His going back as a young version of himself and trying to work things out will make you look forward to the next episodes. I give this drama an 8/10.

I don't give this a perfect 10 because there is really nothing extraordinary in this drama. I've seen a lot of this kind of show, and nothing here in this drama is outstanding. The start was perfect, but like any other drama, the ending felt rushed. His suddenly going back to his old self while talking feels a little bit out of place. And the love triangle around Shi-A is not necessary, especially his stalker. I really wish they stopped adding random crime to all Korean dramas, especially if it is a romance or drama type of show.

Nevertheless, it is still recommendable and fun to watch.

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