Takes you to the Dizzying heights of Makjang to view K-Dramas from a new summit
This was among the one of the first K Dramas I watched and it got me hooked to the Korean Industry which earlier I knew only through the works of Joon Ho Bong...Starting with the plot/ story first which is very clear with the title itself (18 Again), the focus on the main characters is not much in the first few episodes and there are few sub-plots inserted (May be to spice up the story for younger viewers else it would have become a tearjerker).
Personally, I didn't liked the subplots and believe that script writers did a poor job. However, it keeps you interested in the story and sub-plot push the key characters towards collision by the end of the show.
The star cast was good and well researched (There should be an award category for them too).
Lee Do Hyun (Younger Male Lead): Able to make his mark and post this series, he went on to take only Lead roles from just the supporting ones earlier tells about his capability and grabbing the opportunity with both hands.
Kim Ha Neul (Female Lead): Surprisingly, she gave her best to this one (better than some of her serious & unconventional roles). This is more of the reflection on the Director to get the best out of the characters and she reached at her pinnacle building up on her work in A Gentlemen's Dignity & The Wind Blows.
Interesting Note: I believe I am yet to watch a K-drama without Kim Mi Kyung in it. However, she is so good in whatever roles she does and that too with ease. It reflects on her filmography as well with most of her recent works rated 8 and above.
Lastly, the kind of messaging given in the series about the current society without any preaching makes it more watchable and entertaining. They touched upon the early pregnancy, late career, teenage pressure, divorce/ separation, age gap, existing bias & stereotypes etc. All in all it tries to utilize all tropes coming out of the Magic hat called Makjang style story telling.
The end of the story satisfies the viewer and the feeling is like completing a full multiple course meal as it leaves an after taste as well.
Congratulations to all those associated with this project and wish them luck in future as well.
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All cliche elements are build beautifully till now... Let's see what's ahead.
This one is having all the elements of what one expects in a Makjang.Till now, all the cliche elements are built beautifully around the chracters and their stories. Looking forward to carry the same excitement and more surprises in the coming episodes.
Though it becomes difficult to maintain the same stress/ tension in the middle episodes unless one brings in new characters or a very different angle.
Will revise the review once it gets completed.
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