In Korean dramas, we can see how dirty politics are run by rich and influential people who only think of their personal motives in the guise of public service. They are the ones who are also controlling the economy, justice, as well as people’s lives. We can see how politicians can project a good image in front of the public to get people’s approval, while their minions do the dirty tricks (to kill people and eliminate evidence). We can see how cunning their moves can be… and this will show us the reality of not seeing things as they are (esp in politics). And when a good prosecutor was given a chance to live again and do the right things better… will he be successful to eliminate the abusive and corrupt people in the government?
FROM WEBTOON TO LIFE
Again My Life has brought the original novel and webtoon series published in 2017, back into the limelight in this year’s drama adaptation. This SBS‘ latest Friday-Saturday drama series premiered on 8th April 2022 and has been ranked with the highest viewership ratings for 5 consecutive weeks, with 10.1% nationwide ratings for its 9th episode aired on May 6th. (source: https://www.allkpop.com/)
Starring Korean actor Lee Jun Ki (see his previous roles here), he played a skilled prosecutor who gets murdered, and after he mysteriously comes back to life, he dedicates his second life to seeking out revenge. The drama is on its 12th Episode as of this writing which is expected to have a total of 16 episodes (Release Date: April 8 – May 28, 2022).
MY TAKE ON “AGAIN MY LIFE” DRAMA
ON SECOND CHANCE WITH FAMILY. Hee-woo, the lead character, is a hardworking prosecutor who lost his parents when he was a young adult. Hee-woo harbored ill feelings towards his parents, who work as nighttime factory workers. He was not interested in school but when they died in a hit-and-run accident, this completely changed his life, his perspective, and his goal. He persevered until he graduated from Hankuk University Law School and was sworn in as a prosecutor. His promising career ended abruptly when he met his eventual nemesis – crime cartel big boss/corrupt politician Cho Tae-sub (Lee Geung-young). Cho Tae-sub’s henchman killed Hee-woo in an action-packed fight. Hee-woo’s soul meets a grim reaper (Cha Joo-young) and is offered to resurrect his life in exchange for punishing Cho Tae-sub. Hee-woo woke up fifteen years in the past but he remembers everything from his “original” life. He did everything to save his parents from the unsolved car accident that killed them. He was able to express his love for his parents in his second life, studied well (again), and made them proud. We can also see him inspiring his parents to open up a business. Indeed, oftentimes, we will realize the great loss of our loved ones when death happens and we regret not loving them… until we are given another chance.
ON “INVESTING” IN GOOD PEOPLE. Hee-woo’s second chance at life gave him more opportunities to help a lot of people who later on were revealed to have helped him a lot in his mission. Kim Han-mi (played by Kim Jae-kyung), a rebellious daughter whom he saved from being sexually harassed by privileged jerks, he tutored her until she got into Law school but later on pursued to become a tenacious reporter. She was later seen as helpful in exposing the rotten deeds of evil people in the government thru the media. Next is Kim Hee-ah, the leading lady in the drama (played by Kim Ji-eun) who was a daughter of a businessman (though the help was indirect, we saw that Hee-woo was able to guide her to become good at taking over their family business). Another one is Kim Gyu-Ri (played by Hong Bi-ra) who is an intelligent student but struggling to make ends meet to continue her education. He also helped her become a prosecutor and became his shadow for legal works that he can’t do under the radar of his enemies. He also changed the lives of his two assistants. Park Sang-Man (played by Ji Chan) spent most of his time clearing his father’s name who was jailed. Later, we saw Hee-woo clearing his father’s name, gave Park Sang-man a job, continued his studies until he become a Management and IT expert who was secretly helping Hee-woo in his operations. We also have Lee Yeon-Suk (played by Choi Min) who was a skilled fighter and a former member of a gang whom he helped and became his sidekick and protector. Lastly, Woo Yong-Soo (played by Lee Soon-Jae), is an old real estate investor who was supposed to lose all his earnings in a real estate manipulation caused by the people in government. But having anticipated this, Hee-woo helped him and gained his confidence. The old man later on entrusted all his wealth to him which he uses to have the power to topple his opponents.
There were more people he helped as the drama unfolds. And I realized that good people really still exist even in the most corrupt government. While there are lots of vile people who only think of enriching themselves and making themselves more powerful, there are those who want to fight for the rights of the lowly, implement the rule of law, and punish those who violate it.
MORE “SECOND CHANCES” DRAMA
Kdrama is never devoid of fantasy elements. Coincidentally, Again My Life was released along with a similarly themed drama – Tomorrow, starring Roo Woon of the boy group “SF9”. In 2019, there’s also Abbys starring Ahn Hyo-seop of the popular 2022 Kdrama Business Proposal.
Other popular ongoing dramas that are released alongside AGAIN MY LIFE include: Our Blues, Green Mothers’ Club, My Liberation Notes, and The Sound of Magic. You should also try and binge-watch them which are almost halfway through the series or about to end as of this writing.
AGAIN MY LIFE is available on VIU – https://www.viu.com/ott/qa/en/arab/playlist-again_my_life-playlist-26272754. Viu is a Hong Kong-based over-the-top video streaming provider (OTV) which is available in different languages: English, Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Burmese, Thai, Arabic, and Filipino.
You can also stream it on other free sites online:
DRAMANICE
CREDITS: with a few references from https://ahjummamshies.com/2022/04/15/first-impression-again-my-life/
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