See You in My 19th Life

if i had to live nineteen times i would've become some pyschopath by now

i actually don't have a lot to say beside that this kdrama had a very easy going development!

what brought me to this drama was some gifsets i saw on tumblr and even though i thought i would, i didn't became obsessed with the drama within the firsts episodes... but the characters are so lovable that they just pull you into the story!

i think i have some complaints about the "villains" i think that the story could've been more interesting, but since is an adaptation from a webtoon, i need to recgonize that a webtoon and a drama are very different medias and maybe the webtoon wouldn't be able to develop the idea that i had it on my mind.

but even though the story isn't dark, it's such a great production. shin hye sun (like always) just gives all of her to bring life to such a deep character like ji eum and i cried at least five times with her acting. the other actors are also so into they characters that they make all this production worth it.

really wished we had more screentime for the second couple because i think that if they had more time we could've had a story like wang yeo and kim sun from goblin... but since it was just a 12 episodes drama i understand why they had to focused all in the main couple. and in this matter, i saw some people on tumblr saying that the end felt a little bit rush, but i think a lot of this drama was rushed to be able to fit the time they had (which is a little bit sad tbh).

gave it 10 stars because i really enjoyed it but... the soundtrack is horrible. like... i don't know if they spend all of the money in the actors contracts to invite some kpop artist to create a good song, but i don't know anything would be better than some random beat that played like 5 times in random moments.

also didn't like the clothes of the second female lead. this don't interfere with the score i give but it was so horrible that i just wanted to say it somewhere. like. they put my beautiful girl to wear some pink cardigan that didn't suit her at all, some ugly white boots that didn't match her personality and even put her in some ridiculous jeans dress. i honestly think that yoon cho won closed suffered more than jesus christ.

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I watched this for a really long time and I was too lazy to finish the drama. The whole idea of the story and its execution was great, even the cast was amazing, but at times I was extremely bored because it felt like they were just repeating the same thing over and over again (what happened in the accident, who the main character is and the main character's past). Of course there were some scenes that we hadn't seen before from the main character's past, but some of them were repeated unnecessarily many times and there could have been something else instead. But I think that as a romance to drive away boredom or to put in the background, it's a good series

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interesting story, but weak execution

See You in My 19th Life - 8,5/10 -kdrama

interesting plot and story which showed much more promise than they managed make out of it. At other hand I never read source webtoon... so I cant tell if drama makers didnt manged dig out story potential or that webtoon writer.

Still its quite good drama. Alot comments I read had problems with ending, but not me. It wasnt great ending, but not even bad one.

plot - FL is weird always around 8-12 she gets to remember memories from her past lives. Now its her 19th life and she just got her memories back. She found out she found her true love in 18th life, but she died too soon too young. Her new family aint great either. She decides to find out what happened to her love from 18th life. After she finds him to be alive... she decides to get him back in this life.

genre - romance, supernatural, comedy

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Very interesting concept and could be amazing if executed better

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25 (rounding up because I had a good time binge-watching)

The concept of “See You in My 19th Life” is so interesting that it probably attracts many viewers. There are many things I love about this drama and other areas which I would like to explore more. I did not watch the webtoon and this review is solely based on the drama. Nevertheless, this is a very easy binge and I was able to watch it all on a Saturday in one go.


What I Like:

1. Shin Hye Sun - I may not be a super fan of Shin Hye Sun but it’s without a doubt she’s a great actress. Her role as the female lead Ban Ji Eum showcases her talents so well. I usually am not a fan of girl-chases-boy but she does it in a way that I don’t find annoying. She’s assertive but not overly stalkerish and irritating. I find her teasing ML cute and not overdone. I love how she just busted out her flamenco moves. That’s hilarious! When it comes to the emotional scenes, especially the last few episodes, I can’t help but cry with her.

2. Young Actor/Actresses - Young Ban Ji Eum is adorable and smart. Her conversations with her ‘niece’ are both mature and innocent. Young Yoon Joo Won has the poise of someone who lived 17th lives, yet her appearance has such an innocent look. Young Moon Seo may not have as much screen time as Joo Won but the scenes of him trapped in the car were heartbreaking.

3. Uncle and Niece relationship - I love seeing these two individuals who technically don’t know each other, don’t have any familial love, yet come together and form their own special family.

4. Guest Stars - With 19 lives, it’s the perfect way to bring in many guest stars. I would love to see more of them (see my mixed feelings below).

5. Production - There are many scenes that are shot beautifully and in different angles. The OST has some great songs that I will add to my Spotify playlist. I also like that we see an appropriate interior of a hotel. A hotel that needs renovation and you can see that it’s not a super modern hotel, but one that has history and its own charms. I like the setup of ML’s office where it feels warm.


What I have Mixed Feelings About:

1. Pacing - I was hooked from the first episode. It has a great introduction of the characters and the background story. The pace is good in the first half but definitely slows down in the second half. I especially feel that the last two episodes are very slow and it keeps repeating on finding out the past, yet not much happens. They are the same flashbacks for 2 episodes.

2. Past 18 lives - I would have loved to see more of the different lives and the guest stars, and how their stories directly relate to FL’s personality and experiences. We mainly saw clips that lasted a minute or two. I want to see more of the person and the love story of Chae Jong Hyeop composing the love song for. I want to see more about the first life and not just the same flashbacks.

3. Romance - I wouldn’t say the chemistry between Shin Hye Sun and Ahn Bo Hyun is bad, but it’s also not amazing. There are criticisms of Ahn Bop Hyun’s acting and I think he did a fine job. I think he was quite cute when he’s being cornered and was very shy. It’s when he is NOT shy anymore that I am finding the chemistry lacking and not sweet enough for me. Oh, and they have ONE great kiss when both of them are such good kissers. I am not satisfied! LOL. On the other hand, the secondary romance is also a little lacking for me. Here, I do find Ahn Dong Goo a little bland in his portrayal of the ‘cool’ role. I am missing the micro expressions that you see from great actors when they portray someone who is ‘cold’ on the outside. I think the secondary romance could have been developed better and with better pacing.

4. Unexplored Plot - Did the drama forget about the hotel renovation after the initial episodes? I want more background story of ML’s family and the older generation as the twist about the accident is not very satisfactorily explored and explained. I want to know more about Ha Do Yoon’s (ML’s BFF/secretary) history with ML in Germany and his responsibility to the Chairman. Without going into too much spoilers, I want to know why the other lady can remember her past lives when she wasn’t in FL’s first life. Is that a plot hole or her existence is just a device to move forward with the hotel fight for power narrative?

Overall, this is such a cool concept and could be an amazing drama if executed better. Despite my criticisms, I did have a fabulous and easy time watching it. I will recommend it to those who love this type of fantasy drama but not to those who are very particular about writing and execution.


Completed: 8/20/2023 - Review #342

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I get the reviews

Honestly I agree with most of the reviews here. I've struggled to find a show interesting enough to start for a week and then found this and wanted to be obsessed with it and for the first 5-6 episodes i was! Feet kicking, giggling, gasping, i was invested☝🏼 but then i suddenly wasnt and at first i thought it was just me i couldnt get why i wasnt but now that im done with the drama and read through other reviews it seems like it wasnt just me.

Dont get me wrong, its still a good drama, hut it started off amazing so it fell off from that severely. The acting was great from all the characters there just stopped being any development in their personalities or dynamics for a good few episodes and thats on the writers and not the actors.

Overall still an okay drama, i personally am just not a fan of when dramas have this sudden pit of cliche romance focused episodes with no development in plot *cough cough* love next door *cough cough* but if romance is your thing im sure you'll enjoy it !

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it was intersting , but they should have put more effort in the ending

It was interesting at first and then boring , when u read the story and saw the trailer I thought wowww , this story is mad . I thought I would love it I reallly like the start , it felt interesting how will she live with all her memories , living around people she meet in her past life ? , what gonna happen? will people accept her ? all these doubts made me wanna this drama a lot , i started watching it i loved ae gyeong’s character moreover the drama is nice to watch but the ending is not satisfactory, they remember her , but she forgot them , it’s a bit sad ,but definitely suggested , loved the acting btw , the feeling were shown in their faces each of them had their own pain , they portrayed it perfectly, thank you bye bye ❤️❤️

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Reincarnation romance with surprisingly a strong emotional gravity in a sense

✨ THE GOOD (THE MAGIC):
The premise actually works , past life memories + present life choices = emotional depth you don’t always get in rom-kdramas
The leads are warm, grounded, and grounded in a way that doesn’t feel forced
The story rewards patience, each reveal adds shade, tear fuel for somepeople, or that “oh f*ck, I didn’t see that coming” .
Highlights emotional growth over surface-level flirting.

🙄 THE “CALM DOWN, STORY” PACKAGE:
The pacing is intentional… a bit too intentional at times. Slow enough that casual viewers and me we might check our watch.
Some character arcs wander before coming back , like they took a stroll without telling the plot.

🤦 THE “SERIOUSLY, DID WE SKIP THAT?” ENERGY:
A few transitions hit like they were cut short or forgot context.
Emotional payoff is real , but sometimes taxing because it trusts you to remember micro-details from earlier arcs.
Does it deserve my scoring f*ck no! But , and that's a huge butt , you'll enjoy the ride.

💔 THE “THIS IS WHY I WATCH K-DRAMA” DEPARTMENT:
This show gets heart right at most part.
It’s nostalgic without being cheesy, dramatic without being stupid (modtley) , and tender where it matters.
Characters evolve in ways that feel earned , althought sometimes there is taht damn checklist™.

🎯 FINAL VERDICT:
A beautifully layered reincarnation romance that rewards emotion over speed and vulnerability over flashiness , it doesn't deserve an 8 tbh but sue me !

✔ Watch if: You love emotional depth, romance that grows, and stories about fate with actual meaning.
❌ Skip if: You need descent pacing, constant action, or zero slow burns even if there is a good pay-off.

💫 Best paired with: A warm drink, quiet evening, and tissues within arm’s reach , because this one sneaks up on you.

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See You in My 19th Life Review - ZyKuu

"All of life is beautiful yet tragic" - The story was very intriguing and unique in terms of how the concept of time was incorporated. I experienced the genre of time travel through a different lense and it was entertaining. I loved how when we visited the past it included all types of cultures and generations. The plot was interesting during the first half but started to lose me in the second half. The main lead Ban Ji-eum is a phenomenal actress. The way she portrayed her emotions was captivating. The male lead Mun Seo-ha was amazing in his own regard. The secondary leads Yoon Cho-won and Ha Do-yun were amazing as well and I enjoyed watching them. The romance was very unique, we had different dynamics in each relationship. The main relationship between Ji-eum and Seo-ha was very passionate, and even though spring bloomed late between Cho-won and Do-yun I was happy for them as I found them to be very passive but caring towards one another. The OST was great and I found that the soundtrack had a piece to match each mood. I'd honestly recommend this show to anyone as it was an easy watch and it feels like a classic that will never be forgotten!

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Great casting and ost, odd story

I'm a big fan of Shin Hae-sun, so I was already heading into this drama with a bit of bias towards her. I overall think that she and the rest of the cast did a great job but the backstory felt so odd to me.

The overall concept of the 19th lives was good in my opinion, but the past lives her character had were confusing. In her first life, she had the same appearance as her 19th, with everyone from her 19th life also having the same physical looks in her first life. However, in all of her other lives she just represents completely different people? It was kind of weird to think about when in one of her lives she was an Arabian man, a young Spanish woman, a baby, a male warrior, a male circus performer, a young girl (Ju-won), and then as a young girl in her 19th life. I think this sort of backstory just didn't really make sense to me, especially once she started to regain her full memories of her first life in which EVERYONE from her 19th life was completely identical. On a side note, I also thought that Min-gi was a weirdly written character. He acted really ominous ever since he appeared but in the end all he wanted was forgiveness? I personally thought that he was going to be the main antagonist of the show based off his first few appearances but I feel like they sort of botched his character at the end.


Overall, this drama hit a lot of positive notes with the acting, casting, ost, and ending. I think that it struggled with the actual backstory of Ji-eum's past lives and lack of making Min-gi an actual antagonist.

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An OK Kdrama...

Solid kdrama. The supernatural/power parts of the kdrama were built up and explained well in the end, and it made sense in the context of the culture. I liked the characters except Seo Ha, the guy has like 2 emotions and is also the worst decision maker. Why they would make him director of a hotel is beyond reason besides being a nepo baby. I wish they would have explored the other lives more in depth. I cannot believe they shot obscure no context scenes of her life in WWII Korea, full with likeable characters and absolutely stunning settings, only to see like 3 or 4 second snippets during her flashback. Why was he playing the guitar? What was the story? Exploring the stories of the different lives would have added so much flavor to the story.

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