K-Drama: This Is My First Life (10/10)

All I can say is hats off to director Park Joon Hwa for his brilliance. I recently watched Because this is My First Life and LOVED IT SO MUCH. What a sweet, well paced, thoughtful, unique and funny drama. It made me laugh a lot, cry a little, and think profoundly about my life and life in general.

I give it a 10/10.

Summary:

A house-poor man and homeless woman become housemates in a drama that examines the institution of marriage and the problems that young people face today. Nam Se Hee is a single man in his early 30’s. He has chosen to not marry. He owns his home, but he owes a lot on his mortgage. Meanwhile, Yoon Ji Ho is a single woman in her early 30’s. She does not own a home and envies those that do. She has given up on dating due to her financial struggles. Yoon Ji Ho begins to live at Nam Se Hee’s house. They become housemates.

I have no idea how to describe this drama except to say its about the life you expected to have versus the life you actually have in your 30’s, something I identify with completely. And of course it’s about love.

The lead actors Jung So Min and Lee Min Ki are phenomenal in this. Really the whole cast is talented and in case I didn’t make this clear enough, the director is amazing.

I am not sure teenagers and some people in their twenties will like it as much as I did, since it may be harder to relate to, but maybe they will.

Aside from the major storylines, something I liked a lot was that both women who were part of a love triangle were portrayed as strong, smart and mature, which was really refreshing. And the kitty, who plays a starring role is adorable.

My petty gripe: I didn’t like the clothing Lee Min Ki’s character wore. His floodwater pants and orthopedic granny sneakers were awful. So was his haircut for half the show. Because of his wardrobe I kept forgetting that the show was not based in the 90’s. I’ll take the guys in Chinese dramas with their white shirts and perfectly fitting sweatpants over his look any day of the week. Stylists take note.

Readers, I highly recommend watching this. It’s SO GOOD!

I’ll end with some fun trivia. Jung So Min and Lee Min Ki played Mi So’s parents in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?