Thirty But Seventeen (2018) - Kdrama Review

 -May contain major spoilers-

Photo source: SBS

Thirty But Seventeen (서른이지만 열일곱입니다) also known as Still 17 is a 32-episode (each episode is divided into 2 parts) SBS romantic comedy starring Shin Hye-Sun, Yang Se-Jong, Ahn Hyo-Seop and Ye Ji-Won.

Summary 

Woo Seo-Ri (Park Si-Eun) is a 17-year-old violinist, she is very cheerful and bright. One day the bus that she is traveling in suffers an accident and she goes into a coma and wakes up 13 years later without any family by her side. 

Seo-Ri (Shin Hye-Sun) is now 30, but her mentality is still that of a 17-year-old girl 

She decides to escape the hospital she was staying at and goes to live in her old house, which is now habited by Gong Woo-Jin, Yoo Chan and Jennifer.

Gong Woo-Jin (Yang Se-Jong), is a 30-year-old set designer who recently arrived from a trip. Due to the trauma he experienced 13 years ago, he is also stuck at 17. He has a weird personality and likes to measure things around him to make miniature models for his sets. 

Yoo Chan (Ahn Hyo-Seop) is Woo-Jin's nephew and is the captain of his high school's rowing team. He may not be the brightest, but he means well. He has a crush on Seo-Ri and likes to say "Don't think, feel" a lot. 

Jennifer (Ye Ji-Won) is their housekeeper and "nanny". She has a strange personality and behaves like a robot. 

Seo-Ri and Woo-Jin's lives are intertwined without them knowing who the other is... 

Thoughts

Thirty But Seventeen, although heavy in some parts is really fun and lighthearted. A lot of the characters in this drama have a lot of personal development SPOILERS For being in one way or another "involved" (not in a guilty way, of course) in the same accident as Seo-Ri SPOILER ENDS. 

One thing that did bother me in this Kdrama is the amount of "almost revelations"(I don't know how else to call those moments) that it has throughout, for some reason they feel like a lot.

The acting is really good. Shin Hye-Sun shines as Seo-Ri and I really like how she acted the confusion of when she looks in the mirror for the first time after waking up from her coma. 

Yang Se-Jong was great as the weird yet charming Woo-Jin. He does a great job with his character development and has a lot of chemistry with Hye-Sun's character (and so does she). SPOILERS I feel so bad for Woo-Jin living 13 years believing he accidentally caused the girl he loved to die on that bus. I've seen the episode where the truth gets revealed so many times, I love it. SPOILER ENDS

The young versions of the main characters were really good and they actually ended up acting together again as main leads in a short drama called Everything and Nothing (later Si-Eun [Seo-Ri] became a member of STAYC).

I really loved Ye Ji-Won's Jennifer, her character is so funny even though she is very serious. Ahn Hyo-Seop also did a great job as comic relief and Yoo Chan's use of Bruce Lee's "Don't think, feel" is hilarious.

My favorite song from the OST is "Just Stay" by Hyolyn (of Sistar). The way Hyolyn sings this song sounds lovely, almost like floating. 

I recommend this Kdrama if you like to watch stuff where there is lots of character growth and a very cute romance. 

Rating

Acting - 10/10

Plot - 9/10

Romance - 10/10

Soundtrack - 9/10

Cinematography - 9/10

Overall Rating - 9.5/10

Extended Drama Info.

Quantity of Episodes: 32.

Run Time: 35min/each.

Release Date: July 23, 2018.

Network: SBS.

Directed by: Jo Soo-Won.

Written by: Jo Sung-Hee.

Starring: Shin Hye-Sun, Yang Se-Jong, Ahn Hyo-Seop and Ye Ji-Won.

By the way, I really loved the moon bunny keychain that Seo-Ri had (and also Woo-Jin). In 2018 I wanted to have one so badly (although I had no money TT). Isn't it so cute?