“There is one thing I learned after getting young. No matter how old you get, there is always something new to learn. If you think of it as a regret, that’s the end of it. But when you think of it as a lesson learned, it brings a new beginning.”

First of all, I just want to say that I really applaud the producers for choosing to make a k-drama based on ‘17 Again’, which is a movie I really liked the message of. I think it’s a bold and respectable choice, since the themes and lessons in the original aren’t exactly ‘fantasy’ friendly as they’re very realistic ones, therefore the drama is not your typical romance. In fact, this drama isn’t even about romance. This drama is real life.

I will start with the plot. There is a lot of overlap with the original plot of the movie for sure in the beginning of the drama, some scenes are even literally recreated exactly like the movie. For example the “You reaaaaally look like my husband!” and the ‘dad confronting the bully at school’ scene, even the script was true to the original (with its own spin in addition) and I found that hilarious!
However, what the k-drama really dives into that the movie didn’t get to show is Da Jung and Dae Young’s exact struggles in their relationship and marriage and the raising of their children. The miscommunications, the ‘just bearing it by yourself’ things, taking the other for granted, how they started drifting apart etc. It really shows all kinds of details from the start of their timeline of when they first met in high school until present day. Si Ah and Si Woo (their children) also get more expansion and characterization. There is the main plot but also ‘sub plots’ revolving around them, whilst everything is still connected at the same time. We get to see Da Jung pursuing her dream to become a news anchor and it’s one of the main things that the drama revolves around as well, which I find interesting.
So in the movie Mike started projecting his own unhappiness on Scarlet and blaming/resenting her for it because he regretted not having pursued basketball, and that’s how they eventually divorced. In the k-drama however, it’s not so much just about the basketball thing, but also about how Dae Young started taking Da Jung for granted as well. As I mentioned earlier, there was a lot of miscommunication, or rather, a lack of communication to be more precise, which caused both of them to make negative assumptions about each other, and that started causing cracks in their relationship. Both of them were unhappy at some point and started losing respect for each other, and it showed in the way they treated each other.
For example, in the flashback scene at the beginning of episode 12, Da Jung took her time and prepared a beautiful breakfast, but then Dae Young suddenly gets up all hasty and irritated and yells at Da Jung for not having woken him up in time (yelling = red flag #1), which Da Jung responds to with an apology calmly. Then, he proceeds to say “Nothing stays in your brain. It must have so much space!” in a condescending tone (red flag #2). He is irritated, I get it, but that is a straight up disrespectful/mean comment, which frankly I would have never just brushed it off if I were Da Jung, it’s just not okay. It always starts with the little things, and it really builds up over time. The thing is people often don’t even reflect over what they said because they subconsciously think it’s justified just because they said it when they were angry. Which it is certainly not.
It also happens the other way around. When Dae Young gets mistreated by clients and then scolded and blamed for it by his boss repeatedly, he becomes miserable, and ends up drinking regularly. When Da Jung comes home to him drinking she thinks he’s just ‘pathetic’, instead of making an effort to find out his underlying reasons for doing that and trying to understand him and be there for him. This is also an act due to lack of respect, since she practically ‘gave up’ in her mind and created this narrative about her husband who is ‘just a pathetic alcoholic at this point’ before she even really took the time to dig deeper. When your partner says ‘nothing is going on’ but they clearly look miserable, that’s a definite cue to actually take it even more seriously and take the time to understand what the other one is going through. I’m sure she knew him well enough to be able to tell he wasn’t ‘just drinking for the sake of it’, but since her belief was set she didn’t want to do that. People see what they convinced themselves of and this is a prime example of that.
Back to present day, Dae Young is now back to his younger self and he, just like in the movie, enrolls into Si Ah and Si Woo’s school as Go Woo Young to look out for them. This is his whole ‘redemption’ arc, and he does a really good job at it. I won’t go into every single detail but I like how through his redemption he starts to really understand his family, and starts to learn how to appreciate them better. He starts to notice the little things that contribute to one’s happiness.
What I don’t like however, is that in the end the kids never find out that Go Woo Young is Hong Dae Young. I think he should have revealed it to them, since he really bonded with them as Go Woo Youg. Besides, I find it weird that Ji Ho, an ‘outsider’ in this context (bc he’s not part of the family), gets to know whilst his kids don’t. I just find it a shame since if I were in their place I would feel sad that my really close friend (aka Go Woo Young) is just suddenly gone with a vague explanation. I also think they deserved to know that their father was right beside them this time around, because they wouldn’t know it was his effort if they didn’t know it was him! However I can’t say I dislike the ending, this was just one of the things I would have preferred.
I also found it a bit off-putting that towards the end of the drama when Da Jung finally knows Go Woo Young is Hong Dae Young, she suddenly gets upset and insists that Dae Young should pursue his basketball dream this time and that she doesn’t want to ‘ruin his life again’. I think she should have communicated that differently. I get that she felt doubtful and guilty that it was all her fault that she ‘stopped’ him from his dreams, and regretted telling him she was pregnant, but I’d have preferred if she’d listen to Dae Young’s feelings first before pushing this on him.

What I do like about the ending is that they didn’t go with the ‘and then we lived happily ever after’ route. Even when Dae Young and Da Jung get remarried, their ‘new’ marriage isn’t perfect either, as none is. I like that they still show them fighting, being ‘petty’, being frustrated at times, but in the end having the respect and appreciation for each other to try and learn from it and to communicate better and be better for each other. So this time while still imperfect, it’s different. It’s hopeful.

Acting wise, I DEFINITELY have to say Lee Do Hyun carried the show! Yoon Sang Hyun (adult Hong Dae Young) did amazing too, but since the majority of the drama is about 18 y/o Hong Dae Young’s redemption, we see more of Lee Do Hyun. His acting is absolutely amazing. His crying scenes really break my heart. His expressions are so rich. It’s also interesting to me because for the majority of the time he has to ‘act normal’, and not look suspicious, so he often times ends up watching over his family more quietly in the background, which I found kinda sad but it still managed to be impactful in some kind of inexplicable way.
Kim Ha Neul (Da Jung) I’m actually not so sure about. I don’t know if it’s the writing or her acting or both, but I didn’t find her execution that good in this drama. There was always a sort of ‘I’m acting polite because I don’t know you well and I don’t feel that comfy/free yet around you’ vibe when it came to her interactions with any character. I wasn’t convinced she was close to anyone even if she was, because she always spoke and acted in such a ‘careful’ and ‘formal’ manner? I didn’t feel chemistry between her and most of the cast to be honest, except maybe with Wi Ha Jun (Ji Hun), but I think that’s because Ha Jun is just incredibly charming that it’s hard NOT to vibe with (elaboration will follow lmao).
I also didn’t like that whenever Dae Young spoke from his heart to Da Jung, she would ‘tch’ him (not in a bad way but in a ‘staaaahp why u so cheesy’ way) and just sort of brush it off instead of properly responding back? I really wonder if the ‘tch’ thing is just Kim Ha Neul’s actual habit or if it’s Da Jung’s ‘written habit’. This happened many many times in the drama and I didn’t like it. I also found it kind of weird that whilst hosting the divorce program Da Jung admitted she regretted divorcing Dae Young, and that she wanted to thank him for everything he did, but in the end she didn’t actually do it? As in having that honest, open and heartfelt talk from her side too. It was one-sided because it was mostly Dae Young being candid. But I think this is more of a writing flaw than an acting flaw. However that being said, I also didn’t feel chemistry even between young Da Jung and Dae Young. To me it felt like that Dae Young was always more into Da Jung than it was equal for some reason. I definitely think this could have been done better. Because the plot overall is very beautiful still, I just wasn’t always convinced of her love and affection for him and the depth of it (mostly because of a combination of Kim Ha Neul and Han So Eun’s acting and how Da Jung’s actions/lines are written). For example, back in school, when Dae Young said to go out with him if he scored, Da Jung just said no when he did and walked away, but later reveals she only said no because she thought that attempt wasn’t ‘fancy enough’. With that info, instead of writing it like that, I would have written it like “I like you too Dae Young, so of course I would go out with you! But I want you to make a bit more effort. Arrange a date and ask me ‘officially’ again okay? *winks*”. I just think this would have been way more endearing and playful, and would create more of that flirty vibe between them. It conveys her standard, but it’s not dismissive of Dae Young, and still expresses her feelings towards him all at the same time.
That being said, I think everyone else did well acting wise, I don’t have anything particularly extraordinary to point out regarding the others’ but it was good!

Character wise, I MUST just give a big honorable mention to Ji Hun! Honestly if Dae Young wasn’t the main character, Ji Hun would and should have been. I have to frankly admit that I actually shipped him and Da Jung!! I really like how even though Ji Hun was always clearly into Da Jung, he never overstepped any boundaries or came off too strong. He stayed her friend and encouraged and supported her genuinely, without an expectation of ‘getting her’ in return. He truly is a good person and I really admire that. I also love that they exchanged heartfelt talks and opened up to each other and just bonded as people, regardless of romantic or platonic love. Seeing how he lit up whenever Da Jung got along with his niece was so wholesome as well I melted. I also find it beautiful to see how he got encouraged by Da Jung and decided not to retire from baseball and to continue being him and doing him. Another detail I liked was when he saw how Seo Yeon (his niece) clearly liked it better when Da Jung read to her with those fun voices, he tried it too later and texted her later about it when it worked. I thought it was really cute.
Also, even after being rejected when he confessed to Da Jung, he still stayed friends with her and supported her. He just never had any ulterior motives to whatever he did and I just love that purity about him. Ji Hun is definitely my favourite character in the whole show. And of course he’s hot LMAO (but that’s a bonus).

As for Da Jung, as I explained earlier I disliked some of her script, but if we’re just talking about her as a character there are lots of qualities to appreciate. She’s really strong, really caring, kind-hearted but also resilient. I find it admirable she fought so hard for her dream, and even when she was knocked down multiple times she never gave up. She trained so hard to become a news anchor, and she is really skilled in improvising, which is what got her to where she was and which I find impressive. She also doesn’t seem to hold a grudge even when people aren’t nice to her. She saves Yumi from sexual harassment even when Yumi was a bitch to her before. What I do need to say is that I wish the drama showed more of her interactions with Si Ah and Si Woo though, so I can’t comment too much on that part. However I could still see her being a very caring and protective mother to them. As for Dae Young I don’t have much to say about his individual character without relating it to his family and to Da Jung, but I know that was not the point either so I am fine with that. He becomes a true friend to his kids as time goes on and I found that really beautiful.
Regarding the (other) side characters, I actually really wanted to see more of Deok Jin and Ms. Ok (aka the geek couple), but sadly the drama didn’t show too much of them nor give them enough interactions (in my opinion). Since they’re both geeks and gamers, I wish they would have met in game or something and then decided to meet up and find out each other’s identity, I think that would have been hilarious. Them running into each other at a cosplay con is still funny though! I also must say that that last move of his was IT. Like how can you say no to that? That was just epic. The kiss was also epic (you know what I’m talking about). Their deadpool wedding gift was also hilarious LOL
Choi Il Kwon is trash, while watching him I just hoped for his sub-plot and him to be over and gone asap. His face just looks punchable imo. Yumi was also a bitch but she helped Da Jung later and changed for the better. I also liked that they didn’t make her out to be the typical ‘bitchy shady character’ pulling something cliche.
Chu Aerin is a good friend to Da Jung, but I also liked how she respected Dae Young’s decision to keep his identity a secret when he went back to his younger self.
Si Ah and Si Woo I don’t have that much to comment on either without relating it to Dae Young, but I really enjoyed seeing them get closer to each other. I especially enjoyed seeing Si Woo and Dae Young grow closer through playing basketball together. I found Si Ah bratty in the beginning, but later I understood more of her character. I also think she’s a badass when displaying her self defense moves. That scene where they were beating up the stalker at the police station was hilarious. First Da Jung came and hit the dude whilst saying ‘HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HURT MY DAUGHTER’, followed by Si Ah’s grandma doing the same and going ‘HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HURT MY GRANDDAUGHTER’. We love a good protective family.
For Ji Ho I actually wish he got more screen time/elaboration. Since he grew up together with Si Ah, they must have experienced a lot together. I just think it would have been interesting to see more of him because of that reason. I did find it a bit strange how Si Ah suddenly agreed to go out with him as she didn’t really display any romantic interest to him prior? Not that I’m against them as a couple but just a critique point.
I also enjoyed Hwang In Youp’s cameo as Goo Ja Sung, even if he didn’t have that much screen time either. He starts off as a typical bully but later changes and improves and apologizes to Si Woo for taking his own frustrations out on him. I actually also felt bad when he got turned down by Si Ah…I thought his confession move was really romantic!! Hwang In Youp can SING ok. I just have a weak spot for singers. His character actually reminds me of Han Seo Jun from True Beauty, since there he also starts off as a ‘bad boy’, but is actually a sweet guy. The way he protects Si Ah even after getting rejected also reminds me of how Seo Jun still helped and supported Ju Gyeong even after getting rejected too. HWANG IN YOUP IS JUST CUTE.

OST wise nothing stuck out to me except 'Hello'. It's a really pretty song and the lyrics is sweet too, but I think the composition/melody itself leans a bit towards sad sounding? It's still a good song though. The rest of the OST is fine, just not that special imo.

Overall, I really enjoyed this drama. It dares to be different, it dares to be realistic. It’s not a perfect execution in my opinion, but the sincerity and heart and messages override the flaws. I probably wouldn’t rewatch it because for me the chemistry between the lead actors is essential and I just personally didn’t feel it, but as this wasn’t so much about the pure romance I didn’t mind it as much this time. I would still highly recommend this drama to everyone as it’s very heartfelt.