Navigating Love, Loss, and Lifetimes
A Review of See You In My 19th Life
Tags: #Webtoon #Reincarnation #SeeYouInMy19thLife #KDrama #Review #FindingHappiness #CancelNetflix
*Spoilers Ahead!*
In See You in My 19th Life (Lee Hey), Yun Juwon has the ability to remember her past lives. Every cycle, sometime between eight and twelve years old, Juwon regains her memories from all of her past lives. As such, she has become a little jaded from reflecting on her pasts and wondering why she seems to be the only one that remembers. During her 18th life, however, she meets Mun Seoha, a grumpy, but goofy, nine year old boy. Despite a rocky start to their relationship, the two become friends.
While on a trip for Seoha’s birthday, the two get into a car accident, fatally injuring Juwon. For the first time, she wishes to remember her past lives so that she can remember Seoha. Nine years later, after being reborn as Yun Jieum, she regains her memories and is on a mission to find Seoha again. Fast forward 14ish years: Jieum has managed to get a job at Seoha’s family hotel, finally being one step closer to meeting him in her 19th life.
While Jieum is extremely intelligent and driven, she comes across as unusual and very blunt to those around her. Internally, she dismisses this as a side effect of having memories of her past lives and encountering so many people and situations. However, despite her reluctance to form relationships, she is drawn to the people from her pasts: a childhood friend, two sisters from different lifetimes, and a niece. Unsure of where her new curiosity comes from, Jieum is on a mission to make the most out of this reincarnation.
The Webtoon did a lot of things very well. While we wouldn’t quite put this up on the pedestal next to Lore Olympus, there is a lot to love about the characters themselves. The main couple, Seoha and Jieum, are quirky and have some unusual traits. Seoha is dorky and, though traumatized by the car accident, also easily embarrassed and infatuated with Jieum. Jieum often makes odd, unexpected comments to herself and is straightforward to a fault. The two often end up in humorous conversations, due to their personality differences.
They are almost the opposite of what we usually see in media: a very feminine and submissive female lead, with a dominant and super masculine male lead character. They are not quite reverse coded (e.g., see ATLA), but they are flawed and more in line with how side characters are portrayed in Webtoons (e.g., see Extraordinary You). Meanwhile, the side characters Ha Doyun and Yun Chowon are more typical of how main characters are portrayed. Doyun is reserved and quiet, while Chowon is kind and cutesy. Underneath the surface, however, Doyun and Chowon also have their flaws.
As a reader, all four of the main characters are 3-dimensional and have personalities that draw you in. Unlike the cast from New Years Eve, the reader wants to root for the characters’ success. Because of this, the webtoon has a refreshing story without feeling too clunky or forced.
While we will get into the plot more later, another aspect the author keeps fresh in SYIM19L is the twist. Where other Kdrama and Webtoons focus on love triangles (see, e.g., Extraordinary You, Cinderella and the Four Knights, Castaway Diva) SYIM19L takes a different approach and focuses on familial bonds as the big reveal. Without spoiling the whole plot, the author did manage to sprinkle in clues that kept the reader wondering, almost anticipating the triangle. However, pulling a bait and switch, the storyline never fell too far into any one trope to be completely irredeemable. It’s hard to compliment properly without ruining the surprise, but definitely check out the Webtoon, then come back and let us know if you weren’t thinking of a love triangle.
The author did a great job with the red herrings for the mystery elements of the storyline as well. While the Webtoon did not need another aspect outside of the romcom, and it was not 100% successful in terms of implementing the suspense plotline, there were a few misdirects that felt natural, both in their plausibility within the world and the number of hints left throughout the webtoon chapters. These initial red herrings kept the reader engaged in the story, wanting to unravel the next clue.
Although there are certain elements that were excellently done, we do have a few bones to pick, of course. Since we were just on the topic, the reveal of the “big bad” was out of left field. There needed to be more clues that were not misdirects, because Seoha’s uncle was not portrayed in a way that indicated he was anything other than supportive of his nephew. And certainly not supportive because he felt guilty over his past actions. An easy solution would have been to remove this whole portion of the plot and focus on the romance and comedy story arcs, leaving the car accident as a genuine accident. Maybe ignore those parts of the story…
Then we have Seoha’s father. Possibly the worst character in the whole webtoon, for some reason, he thinks neglect and abuse are the only acceptable ways to show affection for his only son. He could have just been a terrible father. We don’t need any of his twisted reasonings, he could be the villain of the romance and that would be totally fine. Better even?
There are some plot elements that we weren’t in love with completely. The rationale behind Jieum’s ability to remember her past lives was a stretch. There have been similar shows that have simpler, more convincing explanations for reincarnation and connected fates. (For example, check out Tomorrow, a Webtoon by Llama.)
Nothing compares, however, to the travesty that is the KDrama adaptation. For transparency's sake, we couldn’t finish the drama. And no disrespect to the cast; they did the best they could with what they were given. Whoever wrote the script should be ashamed. There were changes made that boggle the mind. If the acting direction was to make the main cast as unlikeable as possible, they certainly succeeded. No one should watch the drama without having read the webtoon, because there is nothing redeemable in what Netflix has done. Other than highlighting how good the webtoon really is.
The webtoon is a gem and yes, it does raise some questions that are not answered, but overall it’s a cute read. The Netflix adaptation, however, is trash and don’t watch it for any reason, but definitely support the author and check out the webtoon if cute stories with funny characters are your jam.
Image Credits
Lee Hey [@lee_hye12] (2020). “이번주 6월7일 네이버 일요웹툰으로 찾아갑니다😘 #이번생도잘부탁해#일요웹툰” 2 June, https://www.instagram.com/p/CA64LU8Hc0o/?igsh=ZnN3ZjlmOGdobmNo
Lee Hey [@lee_hye12] (2021). “이번 생도 잘 부탁해52화 미리보기55화56화가 올라왔습니다
이번주도 즐겁게 감상하셨길 바랍니다😘 #이번생도잘부탁해#네이버웹툰#일요웹툰” 10 July, https://www.instagram.com/p/CRJkef2nvno/?igsh=amttcm4zeDJpNDU0&img_index=3