Because This Is My First Life Review: A Delightfully Warm And Sweet Drama

Never judge a book by its cover and never judge a drama by its NAME! Had the title of this drama been Because This Is My First ‘Love’, I would have certainly watched it the first day itself. But the actual title did not interest me so I did not watch this drama till everyone on Instagram started praising it. I asked my friend (who has been watching Korean dramas since 2004) about the drama and she told me how good it was and how it felt like a sweet Japanese dorama. Say ‘Japanese’ to me and you will have all my attention. She highly recommended this drama and the very next moment I was online watching this drama. And I loved it from the very first episode itself. Never thought a trite contract marriage could be this evocative. My friend was right, it does feel like a Japanese dorama.    

 

Because This Is Our First Life (2017) (16 Episodes)

Ji Ho (Jung So Min) is a 30-year-old assistant screenwriter who struggles to make a name for herself in the field of writing. She is unceremoniously thrown out of her house and is forced to look out for an apartment to rent. She eventually finds a house that suits her needs for a low deposit and decent rent. She agrees to move in and share the apartment with the owner unaware that the owner of the apartment is actually a man.

Unable to pay up for the house loan, Nam Se Hee (Lee Min Ki) agrees to rent a room in his posh apartment to Ji Ho assuming her to be a man. After being harassed by his previous tenants, Se Hee is happy with the way Ji Ho maintains the house in his absence and he approves her tenancy. Even later when he finds out that Ji Ho is actually a girl, he does not mind renting a room to her because for him she is the best tenant he has with lived till now.

They continue to happily share an apartment till Se Hee’s mother discovers the truth and forbids him from living with a girl. Desperate, Se Hee asks Ji Ho to marry him on a contractual basis so she can continue sharing the house and he can get the rent to pay off his loan.   

Let’s weigh this blanket warm drama on our drama beam balance and see if it helps to keep you cosy on a chilly winter evening.

Good Weights

I enjoyed watching Because This Is Our First Life because…

…Se Hee reminded me of Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory. His scientific reasoning for every feeling, every emotion made me laugh and go awwww at the same time. In one scene, Ji Ho expresses her feelings about finally being able to relate to others and be a part of a group after being an outcast all her life. Instead of offering some kind words of understanding, Se Hee justifies her feelings with Maslow’s theory. I wanted to strangulate him but changed my mind after seeing his honest face.

Actor Lee Min Ki has done a fantabulous job portraying the robotic Se Hee. Please watch out for the scene where Se Hee announces his marriage to his colleagues and asks who all thought he was gay or asexual. That scene was hilarious. I am laughing even as I write about it.

…I love Jung So Min. This girl is too adorable and her portrayal of Ji Ho is way beyond perfect. Ji Ho is a dejected, lonely and unsuccessful writer looking for love and success. Her’s is a very real character, in a real-world working under real circumstances.

She struggles throughout the drama and even at the end, she does not become an award-winning writer like most drama characters do overnight. She continues to struggle but with a smile on her face. Her optimistic and hard-working character is a delight to watch. Complications in her story show that life is not a fairy tale. Just when you think everything is going fine, life throws a curveball that hits you right in the nose and you are left disoriented for a few minutes. But just like Ji Ho, you have to pick yourself up and keep going. If you are lucky enough then you can even hit the batsman who hit you with the ball. Do watch out the scene where she kicks Se Hee to make him bow before her strict father. I was in splits watching that one.  

…there is a lot of love and romance.

It is almost like an arranged marriage where two people, bound by a relation, hardly know each other but fall in love gradually as they spend more time together.

Se Hee who seems like a heartless robot initially becomes more caring with each passing day and Ji Ho cannot stop herself from falling for her loving husband.

…I love the second-lead (?) even when he is hardly there. The dimpled cutie, Bok Nam is not exactly a second-lead but I still loved him. Wish he had more role in the drama.

…I liked the parallel storylines along with the central love story. I cried when Ho Rang and Won Seok broke up in the drama because theirs was the cutest love story in the show. And Su Ji and Sang Goo’s hook-up then break-up followed by another hook-up was interesting to watch. Mr Ma’s sincerity and love towards Su Ji was very moving. I must applaud the writers for adding their sponsor’s product to the storyline very effectively through Su Ji’s bra troubles.

…I appreciated the girl bonding happening between Ji Ho and her two buddies, Su Ji and Ho Rang. I studied in a convent school and I know how much fun it is to be in an ‘only girls’ school.  

The three girls have each other’s back and support each other without judging. Every girl should have friends like Su Ji and Ho Rang.

…the supporting cast was just amazing. I liked each and every supporting cast member on the show including Ji Ho and Se Hee’s parents. Everyone was just awesome in their roles.  

…I loved the dialogues especially Ji Ho’s voice over where she explains scenarios in her and others lives sometimes through quotes and sometimes through her beautiful thoughts.

…..it gave me the perfect ending I was looking for. When I sensed that one of the three couples would be breaking up for sure, the drama surprised me with their dramatic reunion and I couldn’t have thanked the writers more for this. I prefer realistic dramas but I also like happy endings. Like Shah Rukh Khan from Om Shanti Om, I too am a sucker for happy endings and I feel a drama is incomplete without a happy ending. This drama gave me everything I was looking for and I’m happy as a clam. 🙂

Bad Weights

I did NOT like Because This Is Our First Life because…

Err….naaaah I LOVED this drama. This made me feel so happy that I was grateful to have discovered dramas in the first place. Why do you need anything else when a good drama is enough to give you the ultimate high. Drama is my drug and this drama is one of my favourites.

Oh noooooooo!! One side of our drama beam balance has broken because the ‘good weights’ have outnumbered the non-existing ‘bad weight’ by a large number indicating how much I loved this drama. Because This Is Our First Life is an entertaining and feel-good drama. It is one of those dramas that lift your spirit and bring a smile on your face. If you feel low at any point in time then just watch this drama and trust me, you will feel so so good about life and everything else.    

I give Because This Is Our First Life 4.5 out of 5 rating. No drama clichés (except for the contract marriage) just great content is what this drama comprises of. I will urge everyone to watch this NOW!!!!

 

Image Courtesy: tvN

 

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