[HanCinema's Drama Review] "See You In My 19th Life" Episode 1

Ji-eum (played by Park So-yi initially) is a nine year old girl who abruptly remembers all of her past lives. As it happens, Ji-eum's current life isn't great, as her father Hak-soo (played by Baek Seung-chul) hoards all the family money. Ji-eum's initial scheme to use the knowledge of her past lives to improve her circumstances thus predictably goes awry. But her subsequent one to utilize personal connections from a previous life as a magician does.

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The first episode of "See You In My 19th Life" is perhaps not the best demonstration of what the overall series is going to be like, since everything is wrapped around Park So-yi's astonishingly convincing performance as a child who abruptly remembers that she knows how to do Spanish dances, as well as read Japanese. The ability to read Japanese is relevant thanks to an unintentionally hilarious bit where she proves to a studio audience that historically, the Japanese did not consider Dokdo to be Japanese territory.

The quintessentially Korean bits of "See You In My 19th Life" are the drama at its most charming. There's just so many layers to Ji-eum starting a career as one of those talent show wonder kids and how that just gets trashier and trashier. Park So-yi shows genuine irritation at starting her new life in poor circumstances, all too aware of how her main disability is just being small and helpless. But it's only irritation. Park So-yi acknowledges that having reincarnated in war zones, early twenty-first century poverty isn't all that bad.

Regrettably, though, "See You In My 19th Life" isn't really about Ji-eum. The story's actually about her 18th life, Joo-won (played by Kim Si-a), chiefly in the sense that Joo-won met Seo-ha (played by Jeong Hyeon-jun), a somewhat annoying little boy who made her feel like an actual twelve year old for the first time since, presumably, her 1st life. Joo-won is an unavoidably creepy character in this regard.

And going by the final portions of the first episode that introduce the adult Ji-eum (now played by Shin Hye-sun), it's Joo-won that's the main inspiration for the fantasy romance aspects of the premise rather than Ji-eum. That weird little smirk she always has just really bugs me, especially since the adult Seo-ha (played by Ahn Bo-hyun) is showing at least some signs of resistance to her charms. "See You In My 19th Life" may look great, but I'm not sure any degree of good direction can compensate for the problematic aspects of the premise.

Written by William Schwartz

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"See You In My 19th Life" is directed by Lee Na-jeong, written by Choi Young-rim, Han Ah-reum-II, and features Shin Hye-sun, Ahn Bo-hyun, Ha Yoon-kyung, Ahn Dong-goo, Cha Chung-hwa, Kang Myung-joo. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2023/06/17~Now airing, Sat, Sun 21:20 on TVING, tvN.