18 Again : A Tale of Love, Regrets and Second Chance
"You are my future. Our babies are my future. So just trust me." "If our story had ended here, it would be a happy ending. However..." They were eighteen, in love, full of dreams. However, all it took was one misstep, and the young lovers found themselves face-to-face with harsh reality. Dreams were shattered. In the face of crisis, all they had were each other. A teen couple with their newborn twins against the world. Even their parents turned their backs on them.
Through the next eighteen years, they stayed with each other, through thick and thin, rain and shine. However...all it took was one sentence. "Yes, I regret it." One of the worst things one can say to their spouse, was what he said on that day, under the influence of alcohol. When he was handed the divorce papers, he was devastated. Heartbroken, he went to a school basketball court - the place where his dreams were. As he shot the ball aiming at the basket, he prayed to be young again. This time, he'll go after his dreams, seeing how giving his all to his family didn’t help at all.
Next thing he knew, he, in fact, turned young, back to his eighteen-years-old self. Now he could see his children not as their father, but as their classmate. He could see his wife not as his spouse, but as an outsider. Little by little, he was learning about a side of his family that he never knew before. In the meantime, his family too was coming to the realization, realization of who he was to them.
18 Again is the best family drama I have ever watched. It actually made me sit down and think about my own parents. The sacrifices our parents make for us, how much do we know about them? Do we even care about them? No, rather, we take them for granted. I admit, I am no different. On another note, the couple teach us another important lesson. They lacked healthy communication. Especially the husband, Hong Daeyoung, had the habit of bottling up his feelings and drinking them away, leading him to become a browbeaten alcoholic. At a point, the wife Jung Dajung admits that if partners were honest with each other, in a lot of cases divorce could've been avoided. In a world where breaking up and divorce have become regular occurances, 18 Again does a great job with the in-depth exploration of divorce and its aftermaths, the regrets that come with it, the pain of parent-child separation.
18 Again tells us a story of love that may or may not stand the test of time, a love that comes with responsibilities and sacrifice. It's a story of love that comes with regrets. It's a drama that I never get tired of rewatching. It has its moments of heartache as well as moments of comic relief (which makes me repeat the scene until I get tired of laughing.) If you have the time and patience to sit through 16 one-hour long episodes, go watch it. You won't regret it.