WATCHED: 18 AGAIN (#KDrama Ep 1-8)

“17 Again" is a 2009 American comedy film which follows 37-year-old Mike (Matthew Perry) who becomes his 17-year-old self (Zac Efron) after a chance accident (Source). And while this feature film concludes within 105 minutes, the South Korean drama series "18 AGAIN" will run 16 episodes.

"18 Again" (Hangul: 18 어게인) is a remake of "17 Again", currently airing aired on JTBC on Mondays and Tuesdays (September 7 - November 10, 2020). Featured below is the synopsis (on asianwiki.com / above poster via), and quite frankly with the video clips/snippets seen on youtube for 17 Again, some of the key plot points mirrored each other quite closely too... And though I nearly watched the 2009 film, I figured I'd rather stop spoiling my watch too much, and stick to the Kdrama instead :)

PLOT SYNOPSIS: "This series is based on the film "17 Again". It's a story of a husband who suddenly returned to his golden days, when he was 18, right before filing for divorce from his wife. Hong Dae-young was a basketball star in his high school days. He was a genius who attracted the spotlight with his basketball skills. However, the 37-year-old him is merely an ordinary man. While he was regretting his life, he returned to his 18-year-old body with his 37-year-old soul. He changes his name to Go Woo-young, and started living his new life using this second identity." (iq.com)

I'd actually watched the first episode, and quite frankly was not as enthused about pursuing the series. And while I've in the past enjoyed the time-swap / flashback nature of storylines (most recent watch being Thai 2016 movie "SUDDENLY TWENTY" - where a 70 year old granny changed back into her 20 year old self ... which in turn was adapted from 2014 South Korean movie "Miss Granny"), the story itself is not new, so it depends on the actors carrying out the premise, the reactions of folks around them, and for how long the shenanigans could be maintained, until a final resolution is achieved, and whatever twist the story could afford, to each that end. Most notably for all films, there were one-off features, while on the case of "18 Again", they would need to last 16 episodes... So after watching ep.1, I had my doubts on how long they could sustain the charade.

As of this entry, I've devoured up to 8 Episodes, and here are my impressions of it.

The series is mondo more "sentimental" than I expected it to be. A lot of time and effort is put into "regrets", and reminiscing about the pasts, and the struggle to overcome the NOW, much less the future.

People say "Hindsight is 20/20", and this is very much true thus far in this series. One might not achieve the perspectives / point of views of others, until we are jolted into their shoes - and in this series, the metaphors are quite literal too.

"The grass is always greener on the other side" is also a POV tested in this regard.

"Things are not as they seem", or some derivation of such, speaks for everyone's lives when they are first presented to the viewers, until circumstance and situations are shown, with actions sometimes speaking much louder than words. "What you say" is tested against "what you choose to do", and it is not about "the right things to say or do" too, and there is quite a number of situations what reflect that succinctly.

Everyone is guilty of it. Everyone might be acting out on it. Not everyone is the "devil", and neither is everyone an "angel" (although there is a pretty definite steer to that, IMHO).

And while Episode One turned me off with it's comedy, subsequent episodes helped endear that situational and character comedy, into a soppy mess that I am falling for.



Sure there are still tons of cliches - some very lazy ones (I have to admit) - and the blatant ripping off licensing names and characters as props or even literal mentions, bug me to shit actually ... one of the character's "online gamer" nickname is literally mentioned as "Tony Stark", where his house is filled with Marvel movie memorabilia and expensive props (which you will see in the first episode), could easily have been a shorthand to explain WHO the character represents (hence the "lazy" reference), but perhaps also is just that - a "shorthand" for a secondary character, who is also the default "best friend get-out card" for the main characters to be able to do what they do, to last 16 episodes more than a single feature film would. But I am quibbling. I am not out looking for a "clever script", but choose to embrace being drenched in cliches and soppiness, and endure the melodrama of unspoken feelings.

"18 Again" airs on Mondays and Tuesdays (21:30) in South Korean via JTBC. Launched September 7, with the finale episode scheduled for Novemner 10th, 2020. Watch "18 Again" online on Viu in Singapore.


DISCLAIMER: As of this blogpost published, I had devoured 14 out of the 16 episodes, but have been dragging my feet finishing up the final two episodes, knowing I might be brawling my eyes out, and have delayed watching as I had wanted to concentrate of my TOYSREVIL-blog (a couple of weekend annual events happening/happened) ... but I am now poised to dive back in this weekend (or at least that's the plan), so I thought to publish this FIRST, then maybe come back later (if at all :p), to wrap up my impressions ... maybe...