Main Cast
Lee Joon Gi/이준기/李準基 – Kim Hee Woo/金熙宇
Lee Geung Young/李璟荣 – Cho Tae Sub/ 赵泰燮
Kim Ji Eun/김지은/金智恩 – Kim Hee Ah/金熙雅
Jung Sang Hoon/郑尚勋 – Lee Min Soo/李民秀
Kim Jae Kyung /김재경/金栽经 – Kim Han Mi/金韩美
Hong Bi Ra/洪妃罗 – Kim Kyu Ri/金圭丽
Kim Hyung Mook/金炯默 – Jang Il Hyun/張益鉉
Kim Jin Woo/金鎮祐 – Choi Kang Jin/崔康鎮
Choi Kwang Il/崔光一 – Kim Seok Hoon/金錫勳
Kim Chul Gi/金哲基- Jeon Seok Gyu/全石圭
Kim Young Jo – Ji Seong Ho/池成浩
Ji Chan/池燦 – Park Sang Man/朴尚萬
Choi Min/崔珉 – Lee Yeon Seok/李延碩
Lee Kyung Min/李景珉 – Goo Seung Hyuk/具承赫
Cha Joo Young/车珠英 – Han Ji Hyun/韩智贤
Kim Young Hoon/金永勳 – Kim Jin Woo/金振祐
Hyun Woo Sung/玄宇成 – Dr K/K醫生
Park Chul Min/朴哲民 – Kim Chan Sung/金燦盛
Kim Hee Jeong/金姬貞 – Lee Mi Ok/李美玉
Lee Soon Jae/李顺载 – Woo Yong Soo /吳容洙
Yoo Dong Geun – Hwang Jin Yong
Ratings for the Show:
Acting: 7.5
Storyline: 7
Overall: 7
Grade: B
*Disclaimer: Review contains spoilers. Please read only after you have completed the drama.
There are undoubtedly regrettable moments in our lives.
We often lament that “if only” we had a 2nd chance, we would have made distinct decisions or done certain things differently.
世上没有“早知道”，也没有“如果”。
Life is not like a PC game, whereby you could have endless tries to “reset” your game characters’ lives.
As the saying goes “Do not live your life in regrets”.
There’s this belief that most people would regret the things they never did after they passed away.
What would you do if you were bestowed a 2nd chance at life?
若你真的有”预知”未来的能力，你会试图改变其他人的命运和扭转局势吗?
Lee Joon Gi returned to the small screen with “Again My Life” after a hiatus of 2 years since “Flower of Evil“. He portrays the role of a promising prosecutor who gets a 2nd chance (tragically killed in his 1st life) at seeking revenge against a corrupted politician through time traveling.
The dramas that cast Lee Joon Gi, usually set high bars on acting and action scenes. “Again My Life” is one that sets you on the edge of your chairs with cliffhangers.
What would you do if you were given a 2nd chance just like Hee Woo?
Restarting life during your teenage years, implies that you have to go through hardships and difficulties again, but it also means, you have the opportunity to make things right and also be reunited with your loved ones.
何谓“正义“? What exactly does Justice entail?
This is a topic that’s been regurgitated through the run of “Again My Life”.
Hee Woo attempted to alter the course of many characters’ lives, including his family and friends, so that they would not die in vain, redress injustice, lead more meaningful lives and pursue their dreams.
From saving his parents’ lives, helping reporters, prosecutors, saving juveniles to go on to the right routes, redressing injustice, he managed to re-steer the courses of his loved one’s lives.
多亏了他，他们都有了崭新且不同的人生。
It proves that while we can’t control what life deals us with, it is how we choose to react or approach difficult situations in life, that will determine our future.
Every decision that we make has a domino effect, which in turn affect the consequences.
选择就在一念间。
However bleak the future may seem, all it takes is 一念之间 and some assistance at the right timing, to change the course of a seemingly dead-end.
No one’s a saint. Hee Woo is kind-hearted but at the same time, harbours vested interests.
(My most fav Hee Woo’s sinister expression)
He helps these people not only so that they would lead better lives, but also with the motive that they could become great allies in his quest for vengeance against Cho Tae Sub.
Having more connections aka 人脉，makes it easier for him. Regardless personal friends or influential authorities, he’s able to utilise the best of his interpersonal relationships.
Being a pro at mind games, the witty Hee Woo “manipulates” them in a way that they would willingly assist him since they feel indebted. That’s how Hee Woo managed to “recruit” loyal and formidable members to his team.
This is an example of utterly apprehending the logic of “you need to have power, in order to seek justice”.
“必须要有力量，才能实现正义。”
这就是他在第一人生时学会的残酷真理。于是，从头来过之后，他就一步一步地精心布局。打从把学业搞好，扩充人脉，吸引上级的注意和青睐。
Drama Theme
Several schools of thoughts can be derived as the subcategories of this drama’s themes:
Justice
What is your definition of justice?
Do you take justice into your own hands, play around the loopholes or follow the legal system?
2nd Chances in Life
What would stay the same and what would you do differently if given a 2nd chance in life?
Cause and Effect
There’s always a butterfly or domino effect to every action, decision that we make.
不过，每走一步，每个选择，都会带来不同的后果和机遇。
Belief/Faith
When the going gets tough, it is usually our entrenched beliefs and faith that keep us going.
What is deemed as right vs wrong, varies according to individual perspectives.
This phrase from Hee Woo resounded in my head. He said he has no master, except the law.
“我的主人，只有一位。就是法律“。
By only following the law and jurisdiction, Hee Woo is no servant to anyone.
“A dog’s leash on the neck” has been the metaphor used to describe the invisible chains that Cho Tae Sub has put on his lackeys, by keeping evidences of their wrong or evil doings. B
This is contrary to the Attorney General who has lost himself (and his dreams to realise an independent prosecutor system) in his pursuit for authority.
Everyone has their weaknesses and 致命要害
Family would be the biggest weakness for most people.
Hee Woo would do his best to protect his loved ones, friends and colleagues.
For Cho Tae Sub, it would be all the evil doings which he was trying to cover up and the subordinates who would betray him anytime.
人心难测
While you can forestall others’ steps, it’s still impossible for you to decipher their thoughts completely.
人是善变的。人也很容易迷失自己。。尤其在贪欲，权力面前。
Despite Hee Woo being upright, he resorted to deploying some guileful tactics since he also suffered from betrayals from time to time.
Life Can Never be Fair
This is something that we all know, but still try to fight for fair/equal treatment. We are all born equal as humans, but it doesn’t denote us to being treated fairly.
Your wealth and social status would already cause a disparity in treatment.
Righteous people often struggle at the bottom while those who know how to be a 牵牛花 rise to the top. But in exchange for that power, they had to abide by higher power’s “rules”.
There’s always a price to pay for and sacrifices to be made, for what we want to achieve.
年纪越大，需要守护的东西越多
这也是为何年纪越年长，就会开始担忧和害怕，遇到很多阻碍。
历经沧桑的神情，和斟酌的表情。。都道出了许多被世故洗涤的无奈。
年轻人有豁出去的胆量，因为他们拥有的还没那么多。
那肆无忌惮的决心，就是他们最大的武器。即使是失败了，还可以从头来过。
但对于拥有许多的人，this is a calculated risk they have to to consider before taking the next steps.
因为拥有的越多，就会失去越多。他们也没那么多时间和精力，再从头开始。
Human Beings’ Emotions are Easily Swayed
We have seen how the general public’s emotions and stands are easily swayed in the drama.
Most people are more sympathetic and understanding towards “victims”. Thus, it’s much easier to take whatever the victims say at face value as the truth and pass “unfair” judgment.
在还没查明真相之前，大众往往都会采取“同情“心态来相信暴料者就是受害者。。而妄自下审判。
在大选之前，会有许多扰乱民心的小动作。这应该是各国选举前，不足为奇的事件。参选人的“前科罪状“都会一一浮现。 即使 Hee Woo 那么正直的人，都会有不实的报道来抹黑他。
人心也是不堪一击。
There’s a lack of trust in general. When things don’t go our way, we start to question and suspect the people around us. More often than not, it is usually the people who are closest to you who can deal you with the most fatal blows.
Lee Joon Gi as Kim Hee Woo
There are no qualms that Lee Joon Gi can pull off prosecutor or police officer roles that combat crimes, or any role that’s given to him.
He rejected this role initially since he has assumed similar roles before such as in “Criminal Minds” and “Lawless Lawyer“.
Well, I agree that he should take on more diverse roles to expand his 戏路。
His outlook and versatile acting abilities make him 亦正亦邪, which makes it fun to guess if he has gone on the dark side during some scenes.
He has done well in “Again My Life”, but it can definitely be much better if he’s given a more challenging role. That’s how high our expectations of Lee Joon Gi are as an audience.
In just the 1st few episodes alone, you would have experienced Hee Woo’s 大喜大悲 from being killed in his original timeline and then being brought back to his teenage years.
The King of Expressions
No matter how many times you have watched Joon Gi act, you would still be in awe of the countless types of expressions he could display.
The myriad of expressions during many of his 独角戏, were so detailed and 到位 that every minute twitch of his facial muscles, look in his eyes, would give off different vibes.
Be it angst, wrath, surprise, shock, calculative, sly, scheming, coy, snobbish, conceited, bashful, joyful, smirk, sad, fear, regretful, he could deliver all these so effortlessly in a matter of seconds.
从友善，疑惑到 Scheming “放马过来“的表情变化。。细腻且丰富的表情在几秒之内，展露无疑。酝酿地十分到位。
There aren’t as many 大喜大悲 emotions in this drama but these few scenes were remarkably memorable:
– Sitting at the dining table and slowly losing his emotions while eating the “last” dinner prepared by his parents before their car accident
The daily meals that were painstakingly prepared by his mum, which he didn’t bother to eat, has become so precious now…. even if the food has gone stale for 2 days.
It was the 1 last time ever, he could feel his parent’s warmth and love. He regretted not treating his parents better or spending more time with them.
This is something you can relate to if you have ever lost a loved one. The self blame and guilt for taking them for granted while they were still around. It pained us too while watching this scene.
– The fear he had when he thought that his parents had perished once again in the car crash
It happened all in a flash, when he thought he could steer them away from danger by being with them, to the car crashing in from another direction. The shock, fear, devastation, helplessness consumed him as his knees went weak.
He was in a state of denial while staggering dazedly towards the accident site as he could not suppress the urge to ascertain if his biggest fear had materialised. It seemed surreal when his parents called out his name. He was stunned, relieved yet anxious and heartbroken at the same time when his parents were only concerned if he was hurt.
So much upheaval of emotions in barely 3 mins, which was exemplary executed.
– Losing it in the washroom after Sang Man ended up in a coma because of him
It was a mixture of angst, regret, self-guilt, helplessness and felt that he had let his “little brother” down after all the trust Sang Man placed in him and ended up in such a state in order to protect him.
This “seduction” scene was very well portrayed too:
From being flirtatious to lure the suspect, then to acting bewitched and playing the seduction game, Hee Woo managed to “bluff” it through with those 暧昧眼神. It was a mere twitch of his expression to a smirk, with sharp, piercing eyes when he revealed he actually knew she was trying to con him.
GOTCHA! He turned the tables around and showed her the 威严 of a prosecutor. The cat was just buying time and twirling the mouse around its fingers. Half deceiving, persuading and threatening her, he dominated this “cat and mouse” game and eventually led to a “win-win” outcome.
Hee Woo’s such a shrewd and witty one, but you would agree this scene was oozing sexiness.
His sly/smirky/snobbish expressions are just as captivating:
The bashful, playful moments:
The things that Hee Woo did differently after he got a 2nd leash in life:
– Treated his parents better and spent more quality time with them
– Studied harder so that he could top his cohort and get into the law school and be outstanding enough to be noticed
– Became stronger physically, financially and mentally so that he can fight against Cho Tae Sub in the far future
– Building up new networks with people who can help him in the future
– Found ways to get into the “elite” club and have the powerful people notice him
– Befriending arch enemies and luring them into his trap
– Helped his friends and colleagues to lead better lives and pursue their dreams, while getting them to be his allies
– Forestalled tragedies/big events and eliminate the villains earlier
– Helped the maligned and innocent out by bringing the guilty to justice
What’s a Lee Joon Gi drama without some awesome action stunt scenes to showcase his impressive slick moves?
From Taekwondo, Takkyeon, Hapkido, Parkour, Thai Kick Boxing, Systema, to Jiu-jitsu and perhaps (already learning) some others that are unknown to us at the moment, he’s just a pro at everything he sets his heart to.
Was pretty impressed with those high kicks and many action scenes that he did all by himself (without stunts men).
Nothing surprising.That’s Joon Gi Style.
If being 40 means being able to preserve youthful looks and maintaining a 20 year-old flexible body and vigour, most people would shout “Bring it On”!
Oh, he’s pretty good at dancing despite not trained in that area. He’s just good with sports in general.
Hee Woo has the advantage of being a time traveler, who knows what’s gonna happen in the future, so he could 扭转局势。
Once he changed his parents’ fate, everything derailed from what it was supposed to be. He began meeting people whom he never knew in the original timeline, such as Hee Ah and Min Soo.
Time is required to tell if these are friends or foes.
Be it for the better or worse, he successfully changed the fate of everyone who met him.
That’s a “butterfly effect”.
Similar to what we have watched in similar dramas/movies, whereby people tried to change the past, without realising the repercussions it would bring. You would end up meeting people that you have no 交集 in your previous life and things would change.
It gave him the opportunity to piece the missing pieces of the jigsaw together.
Nonetheless, there is more than what meets the eye. People may not be who they seem to be after all.
Hee Woo’s no 善男信女 either. It wasn’t simply for sheer justice, but also his personal revenge agenda against Cho Tae Sub.
While he tried to save his parents and friends’ lives or steer them away from the same fate in their previous lives, he pulled everyone into his plan, so that they could be his allies.
He fully knows he’s endangering their lives too.
Such a sharp and observant guy like Hee Woo couldn’t be that dense towards his 3 lady friends’ feelings for him since their adolescent years.
Fully aware of the fact, he chose to “friend-zone” them deliberately without offending anyone, so that they would still help him in the name of friendship.
That’s sly, but of paramount importance in Hee Woo’s perspective, given the dangers he’s exposed to.
It’s better to have more friends than foes. He’s so excellent with his mind games, that you can’t help but give him the thumbs up.
If you have been a long-time fan of Joon Gi, you would have possibly realised that he doesn’t choose “blockbusters” or “big names” to work with.
The deciding factor is the script and if the role poses any new challenges for him. Many of his co-workers are not the A-Listers, but he attempts to help the newbies, while being respectful and having a good “crossfire” as opposing forces with his veteran co-workers.
Both newbie and veteran actors love working with him as he’s easy to get along with and doesn’t mind helping his coworkers out.
Nonetheless, being such an outstanding actor poses this predicament whereby his less experienced costars are more like sidekicks and are unable to “shine” on their own.
While in his previous drama “Flower of Evil”, Moon Chae Young and Kim Ji Hoon and other veteran actors got to shine in their respective roles alongside him.
It has presumably got to do with their vast experiences, that they seemed more on par in terms of their acting and ability to establish better chemistry.
Things May Not Always Go According To Plan
And that’s Life.
Hiccups would occur from time to time.
Even if Hee Woo had and plotted his revenge carefully over 15 years, 始终都还是会出现变数，因为别人不一定会跟着你的剧本走。
It’s more than easy to lose yourself and fall to the dark side with temptations of more wealth and power.
Such as his supervisor Jeon Seok Gyu feeling unjust that Kim Seok Hoon who would become the Attorney General, his senior Lee Min Soo who suddenly switched grounds to support Cho Tae Sub so that they can be competing against each other.
Supervisor Jeon is the only one with unwavering righteousness despite being in the downs. 就算被打压，也从不放弃。
所谓“屏气凝神，等待时机“。
Jung Sang Hoon – Lee Min Soo
Lee Min Soo is a character that keeps audience curious the entire time. You can’t quite tell his real motives under that cheeky front.
Wont be able to tell if he is a friend or foe till the end, but sad that they didn’t establish a real “face off” between Min Soo and Hee Woo.
Expectations were gradually building up, while viewers were waiting for that “inevitable” face off, but it didn’t take off that well.
However, he has does keep us entertained from time to time with his lame jokes. 像一些用语应该不存在于那个年代，例如”收藏”。
Villains
There’s a strong team of villains which Team Hee Woo was pitting against, from unscrupulous politicians, prosecutors to hit-man.
Veteran actor Lee Geung Young is the biggest villain in this drama, who’s a powerful and corrupted politician that no one was able to pull down.
Cho Tae Sub is the mastermind behind the politics scene and controls the president like a puppet, while having the police and prosecutors under his bidding too.
He will deploy all ways and means to get to what he wants and some blood shed and lives sacrificial is nothing to him.
Fabricating lies and twisting facts are what villains are great at. They will lure you with candies if you are of use to them and leash you with a dog chain, so that you have no way of pulling yourself out but to work for them.
The other 2 villains whom I consider as portraying their roles well, are Hee Woo’s unscrupulous prosecutor seniors, Jang Il Hyun (Kim Hyung Mook) and Choi Kang Jin (Kim Jin Woo).
If you find Jang Il Hyun familiar, he’s the Italian chef in “Vincenzo”.
Kim Jin Woo is also a familiar face as a supporting villain in various dramas.
They added some “spice” to the drama as jealous seniors who would stoop to no end to climb the ladder.
Female Costars
While it’s apparent “Again My Life” boasts more of masculinity, it’s still slightly sad that the 3 female co-leads do not have much opportunities to 发挥。
Kim Ji Eun couldn’t carry off the airs of a brainy chaebol. Hee Ah doesn’t exude the 威严 or 独立女性 vibes, let alone convincing that she’s a 狠角色 who could fight alongside Hee Woo against’ Cho Tae Sub.
Kyu Ri is a loyal friend who carries the torch for Hee Woo and would go all out to catch criminals, but that’s all to it.
Was anticipating to discover more about Kyu Ri since she was out of Hee Woo’s life in the previous timeline and it seemed he was quite concerned about her. That could be a potential budding love line.
We are not expecting a detailed love line in such a packed plot, but Hee Ah felt more like a small supporting role than a female lead.
In fact, Han Mi seemed like a better alternative as Hee Woo’s love interest since there’s more chemistry between them.
She’s probably the one that we see with more zest and guts to take on the legal system and is quite 情深意重 to Hee Woo.
Their friendship went a long way and they have been through some trying times together, like saving Han Mi from the clutches of those lechers, being her tutor to coach her so that she could make it to university.
He was the one who accompanied her during her down times, when she confessed that she was an illegitimate child and when she had to turn against her dad.
Nonetheless, he probably only treated her as a buddy.
With so much on his plate for revenge, it’s understandable Hee Woo had no time for romance and probably treated them all as “allies” initially.
While we know he would end up with Hee Ah, it’s not very convincing how they just got together like this.
Cinematography
The director loves to use split screens/collages to simultaneously capture the expressions and reactions of various characters.
Quotes
Cho Tae Sub: 无权无势的正义，你有想过他的用处吗? 佣人不是因为他是佣人，所以无知。而你是因为你的无知才变成了佣人。
正义，在电影中看到，会觉得还挺帅的。正义并不是你想要拿到，就可以拿到的。并不是你去选择，而是正义会自己挑人。你现在所拥有的并不是正义，而是你的无知为你铸牢的稚气。不是你，而是正义选择人。
Grim Reaper: 要比恶魔强大百倍，才能抓住恶魔。
Cho Tae Sub: 一切龟裂都从细微的地方开始
Woo Yong Soo: 不动产是从空荡荡的土地开始。通过盖楼和种树来提升地皮价格的行为。即贪欲。你知道贪欲的代价是什么吗?
Hee Woo: 记得，您说是丧失人格。
Woo Yong Soo: 既然是为了赚钱而开始的。那便只看钱。若是看着其他东西，便什么都做不了。那就是不动产。丢掉无用的感情，只追随理由。那样才能摸到大钱。
Woo Yong Soo: 办理转让时千万不能有同情之心。因为你的好意经常会变成恶意回来。给予帮助是不错，但一旦给予了空隙，对方会为了自己拽住你的头发。
若是对方的行为伤害到了你，给你的心脏钉了根柱子，血流不止。那你以后便不再是人了。你会对别人的悲惨慢慢变得无感，开始厌烦起别人的眼泪。到那时候，你已经变成恶魔和禽兽了。
Jeon Seok Gyu: 走得太用力会留下脚印。跟过来的，难道只有好对付的人吗? 你要懂惜命。
Hee Woo: 必须要有力量，才能实现正义。
Cho Tae Sub: 拿着绳索的人不是主人，扔饲料的人才是主人。
Kim Gun Young: 金钱胜过亲情，世道便是如此。
Hee Woo: 从细微的龟裂开始，可以击溃巨大的水坝。
Cho Tae Sub: 用手掌遮住天空试一试。无论如何都会穿过我的手掌之间，并映入眼帘。有办法只手遮天吗? 用手遮住双眼不就行了嘛。那么就算想看见天空，也见不到。
把国民的关心转变为生计问题吧。意思是说，换一下框架， 就会被自动遗忘的。
Hee Woo: 我的主人，只有一位。就是法律。
Hee Ah: 战斗一开始，就只考虑获胜。就算自己流血，也不要介意。只需要想着把彼此踩在脚下。
Jeon Seok Gyu: 屏气凝神，等待时机。
After Thoughts
Started this drama with expectations since Lee Joon Gi’s dramas rarely disappoint. Was quite engaged during the 1st half since a fantasy revenge time-traveling drama piqued our curiosity as to how he could now change his and his loved ones’ future.
The plot is indeed interesting & exciting with its twists and cliffhangers, but it became a little bland towards the 2nd half.
It was 痛快 to see Hee Woo 使坏 and carried out his revenge plans, but it wasn’t gratifying enough to see how the villains ended up.
It’s true that there’s no role that Joon Gi cannot pull off.
You will definitely enjoy his acting. I prefer “Flower of Evil” since it’s more exciting and less predictable. It kept me on the edge of my seat till the final episode, while I had to push myself through certain scenes and episodes for “Again My Life”.
Being with Hee Woo for 15 years of thorough planning to seek his revenge and all the “letting the villains” off the loop so easily, instills drama fatigue over time.
It got a little exasperating, since no matter whatever Team Hee Woo did, they just couldn’t get the biggest villain.
The ending episodes were exciting and full of emotions, but lacked in how they managed the final showdowns and villains’ plights.
Was expecting Hee Woo’s parents to have more involvement in the series of events, other than merely setting up a restaurant.
There may be a sequel since the ending hints of a world with no lack of criminals sprouting out to do evil.
Even if there are 100 Kim Hee Woo and his teams out there, it’s still impossible to completely eradicate evil.
Akin to “The Devil Judge”, this is indicative of a world whereby villains will always live amongst us, for this world needs its balance of good and evil.
The world can never be fair. It will always exist in its imperfect form, but it’s how we all find ways to survive and stay firm to our faith.
Hope the drama ends with Season 1 though, since sequels often tarnish a drama’s initial good reputation.
Let’s hope Joon Gi would take a good break for now and make another breakthrough in his new project!
Can’t wait to see another facet of Lee Joon Gi~
