“You can tell the size of a person’s love when it’s raining. Even if you use an umbrella together, you can clearly see the size of a person’s love by looking at the slope of it.”
Kim Do Yeon, An Eun Bin, and Choi Yi Ryun had written this wonderful drama. Under Ha Byung Hoon’s direction, 18 Again (1988) continued running on JTBC from 7 September to 10 November 2020 for sixteen episodes.
A remake of ‘17 Again’, an American movie starring Matthew Perry and Zac Efron, 18 Again kdrama (Netflix) shows the struggles of the 37-years-old Hong Dae Young. While he is facing problems at
his workplace, his 18-year-old fraternal twins are causing him to get estranged. Moreover, he is also unsure as to why his wife, Jung Da Jung wants to divorce him.
The tumult in his life makes him want to become young once again. In a miracle, he changes into his eighteen-year-old self but does not forget all the experiences he has had throughout his life.
To give life a second chance, the younger self of Hong Dae Young adopts the name, Ko Woo Young and attends his old high school. Here, he comes across his teenage twins, who happen to attend the same school also.
In the process of forming a closer bond with his family, Dae Young gets to learn a lot of lessons about life. Meanwhile, Da Jung receives her dream job as a news anchor.
Throughout the sixteen episodes, she also learns significant things related to life as well as more about Dae Young.
Page Contents
18 Again Kdrama Cast:
- Kim Ha Neul as Jung Da Jung
- Yoon Sang Hyun as the 37-years-old Hong Dae Young
- Lee Do Hyun as the 18-years-old Hong Dae Young
- Hong Shi Ah as the daughter of Da Jung and Dae Young
- Hong Shi Woo as the son of Da Jung and Dae Young
- Ye Ji Hoon as a baseball pitcher
- Go Deok Jin as Dae Young’s friend
- Choo Ae Rin as Da Jung’s friend
- Han So Eun as the young Jung Da Jung
- Choi Bo Min as Seo Ji Ho, Shi Ah’s friend
- Goo Ja Sung as Basketball team leader
- Oh So Hyun as Jeon Bo Bae, Shi Ah’s friend
- Lee Eun Jae as Uhm So Mi, Shi Ah’s friend
- Ryu Da Bin as Hwang Young Sun, Shi Ah’s friend
- Bin Chan Uk as Bang Gi Young, Ja Sung’s friend
- Kim Yoo Ri as Ok Hae In, Woo Young’s homeroom teacher
- Ahn Nae Sang as Moon Sang Hwi, JBC director
- Jang Hyuk Jin as Heo Woong Ki, JBC team leader announcer
- Kim Yoon Hye as Kwon Yoo Mi, JBC announcer
- Go Eun Min as Im Ja Young, JBC announcer
- Yang Dae Hyuk as Nam Gi Tae, JBC announcer
- Kim Mi Kyung as Yeo In Ja, Da Jung’s mother
- Lee Byung Joon as Hong Joo Man, Dae Young’s father
- Lee Ki Woo as Choi II Kwon, PE teacher
- Kim Joong Ki as teacher
- Kim Yun Jeong as Go-Go Play Employee
- Moon Woo Bin as Go-Go Play Employee
- Yoo Si Yeon as Go Woo Jin
The 18 Again cast consists of several other actors appearing in the guest roles. A gem, 18 Again (Netflix) provided life lessons about several types of relationships in realistic methods. It is more so because of its excellent script and direction combined with the solid performances of the magnificent cast right from the starting till the end.
According to 18 Again reviews, what makes Yoon Sang Hyun and Lee Do Hyun stand out is their brilliant portrayal of the dual role of the older and younger Hong Dae Young respectively. Be it his manner of talking, moving,
or little expressions, and gestures, they could bring Dae Young seamlessly to the viewers. Their synchronization made it possible to believe that they were the same person.
Yoon Sang Hyun’s expressiveness as an actor is visible in his expressions, specifically his eyes. Lee Do Hyun becomes the essence of the entire series as he showcases his exemplary acting abilities.
Kim Ha Neul depicts Da Jung’s facets in a super relatable and realistic way. Besides being an extremely classy character, Kim Ha Neul also managed to bring to light the vulnerabilities of Da Jung’s personality.
Similar to Yoon Sang Hyun and Lee Do Hyun, Kim Ha Neul and Han Seo Eun portrayed Da Jung’s versions fantastically with the small quirks and gestures.
Essaying the role of Ye Ji Hoon, an ace pitcher, Wi Ha Joon was able to endear himself to the viewers real quick.
Hwang In Yeop’s performance also attracted the audience after he acted like a bully in a couple of episodes.
Special mention may be made of Lee Byung Joonas Dae Young’s father, Kim Mi Kyung as Da Jung’s mother, Lee Mi Do, and Kim Gang Hyun as Da Jung and Dae Young’s friends.
18 Again Review: What Makes 18 Again Binge-Worthy?
18 Again reviews state that the themes of the entire show revolved around the significance of honesty in marriage, friendship, the relation between parent and child, and how one needs to support and encourage the other one with patience.
It is evident how the lack of communication between the family members gives way to misunderstanding.
However, they calmed down a little and made it customary to talk to each other at the end. Hence, it shows that opening up and communicating to the other person about one’s feelings lead to a great understanding.
The show is also a reminder that no matter how much we get entrapped in our daily routine, we should never take our families and the people around us for granted.
For instance, Dae Young realized what he had missed and how to adjust to little things such as changing his tone while interacting with his kids.
On the kids’ part, it is Dae Young’s presence that they miss. Often, a small shift in perspectives can help us to make others understand each other well.
The power of second chances and the effect of one’s choices and adhering to them to live a life without regrets reflects in 18 Again as well.
Here, Dae Young receives a second chance in life but does not make any change of decision from what he used to cherish previously, without any iota of regret.
The story does not showcase a typical divorce storyline as Da Jung felt guilty at how things turned out eventually and tried to release Dae Young from his miseries.
There is a great functioning of the love triangle too. Though an extremely patient and great individual, Ji Hoon could not win over Da Jung’s affections as she was not over Dae Young.
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Why Should you Watch 18 Again?
- Struggles associated with teenage pregnancy
Starting a family at a tender age comes with a whole set of problems, such as adjustments, financial burden, and worries pertaining to rearing the child at such a young age. Moreover, one has to sacrifice their dreams as well. 18 Again provides a glimpse into this reality through the love story of the two central characters.
- The different shades of acting
For those who are familiar with Lee Do Hyun appearing as the firefly in Hotel Del Luna, a fantasy drama, you are to get to see him portraying a different role as a young dad in this series. It was not easy to act like a 37-year-old in the body of an 18-year-old boy. However, Do Hyun could pull it off brilliantly. With his detailed on-point expressions, he makes himself worthy of an accolade.
- Keeping a family intact
No drama has ever made such efforts as Hong Dae young to provide the best to his family. He pauses his promising career as a basketball player and performs odd jobs to earn a living. Due to his educational background as a high school graduate, he receives derogatory comments at his workplace. Though he works extremely hard, he does not get a promotion.
- Following one’s passion
Da Jung is exceptionally good at what she does and never stops pursuing her goal despite the prevailing circumstances. Through her iron determination, she becomes a broadcaster. Putting her chin up, she showed that she is the perfect fit for the job she received. Da Jung did not let the ongoing family rift and continual backlash on her status and age stand in the way of becoming a passionate professional.
- Struggles of growing up
Though Shi Ah was popular in school, she blamed herself for the differences in her family. Shi Woo’s twin sister does not let her parents know about her part-time job in a convenience store. Keeping secrets from her family, she becomes a rebel. However, the idea of her parent’s divorce shakes her deeply.
- Power of friendships
You are sure to realize that some friendships are forever as that of Go Deok Jin and Dae Young’s. A game company CEO, Go Deok Jin does not fail to be a true friend and stands by Dae Young during moments of crisis. It was a friendship that began from high school and stayed through all the challenges.