I tried to review a Korean drama series and here’s what I got. There are many people who want to have a peek of what’s in every series, afraid of disappointment.

Recently, I’ve come across a new Korean drama series my sister introduced to me. It’s entitled Still 17, also known as Thirty But Seventeen. She told me to give it a try. So, I did.

Because it’s a great Kdrama, I wanted to share my experience with you through a Korean drama series review. Primarily on how the writer planned out the whole show and why it remains a popular short drama series up to this date.

As one of the most recently aired Korean series on SBS for three months—on July 23, 2018, and ended with a 32nd episode on September 18—I thought it’s worth sharing to you.

The show starred Yang Se-Jong as Gong Woo-Jin, Shin Hye-Sun as Woo Seo Ri, and Ahn Hyo-seop as Gong Woo-jin’s 19-year-old nephew Yoo Chan. Both Seo-Jong and Hye-Sun played as 30-year-old adults with difficult lives.

I don’t want to give spoilers to those of you who haven’t watched the series yet. So, I recommend you watch the series now or after you read this post to shed the light of the general feeling it shares with its viewers within 32 episodes.

Actually, Still 17 as a Korean drama series is structured short with only more or less 30 minutes versus the typical 1-hour episode for a regular Kdrama.

For an audience like me—easily bored and distracted—it’s a big plus. Especially to light romance as this, it’s a big yes!

From a writer’s perspective, studying how Korean series writers pull off a great episode helps in improving your storytelling skills.

I know some authors and some articles discouraged writers to refer to movies and series to gather ideas on writing their fiction.

However, to me, it’s a big help. If you’re critical enough, itty-bitty details on the process are indeed helpful.

Without further ado, let’s begin. Here’s my take on SBS’s Still 17.

Still 17 Korean Drama Series Plot

If I were to write a premise for the series, it’d look like this:

A 17-year-old violinist wakes up in a 13-year comatose only to find out she’s already a 30-year-old woman. She struggles to live as an adult, resenting her failed dream, having herself skipped her 20s. Shortly after, she meets with a 30-year-old man, struggling with self-blame and depression, only to find out he’s her childhood crush living as an immature adult stuck in the past he couldn’t let go.

Basically, the story revolves with how two people in different worlds could interact, given the odd circumstances they’re in as an adult.

Woo Seo Ri wakes up as an adult. She never experienced the slow process of adulthood as others did. From a 17-year-old ambitious (yet humble and clumsy) violinist to a 30-year-old woman, imagine how difficult it is for her.

Even I, in the mid-20s, I am constantly wishing to return how I was in my teenage life. I believe you, experience the burdens of an adult, too.

Full of responsibilities. A lot.

With that said, this series shows her adventure. She meets different adults in varied backgrounds, even Woo-Jin. He’s a full-grown man, a 30-year-old stage designer, with a stable career and financial status.

Unlike the cheerful Seo Ri, he lives immaturely and continues to burden his family with his sudden change. He’s once a cheerful kid, who turned cold without telling them why.

Because of Seo Ri’s honesty (as most teenagers do), Woo-jin slowly musters his courage to replicate her and lets go of the past he’s resenting for a very long time.

A past he wants to end and start a new chapter.

However, due to complicated events, he’s meeting several challenges that lead him to fall in love with her.

This leads me to the next point.

How Still 17 Effectively Builds Up The Characters?

In order to create a colorful set of characters for your story, you need to allow a special connection between them. You see, they’re different persons and you’re trying to connect them.

What makes them spark?

What creates the connection, the bond between these two different people?

Highlight 1: 2005 Accident

In Still 17, the writer, Joo Sung-hee, does it with the bus accident that killed two people and injured 19, including Woo Seo-ri.

He uses that as a strong connection between Woo Jin and Seo-ri, which plays a big role in creating twists and turns in the series.

Highlight 2: Woo-jin and Seo-ri’s clashing personas

In addition to that technique, he uses the opposing characters or the irony. You see, Woo-jin is an adult but he’s life stuck 13 years ago. Seo-ri is a 30-year-old woman but she thinks like a mature 17-year-old girl.

You see the difference?

The writer creates the irony to emphasize the differences between them so effectively that we always look forward what’s next for them. It’s a hook.

Highlight 3: Chan’s confusion over being teenager & adult

Further, Sung-hee uses Yoo Chan as another mirror to Woo-jin’s persona. Chan is only 19 years old but he thinks and acts maturely, although he can’t help but unleash his being teenager.

If you were to compare him to his two friends, Dong Hae-bum and Han Deok-soo, he’s more mature than the rest.

His presence makes the two, Woo-jin and Seo-ri’s colorful differences, spice up. That heated up when he starts to fall in love with the 17-year-old Seo-ri.

Highlight 4: Jennifer’s provoking statements

Although Ye Ji-won’s character as a cold housekeeper is quite unique, her presence mediates the whole clashing points.

Woo-jin’s cold persona and Seo-ri’s cheerful side, plus Chan’s childish-mature teenager is quite complicated to balance.

The writer has to create a character to mediate them. The person whose role is to bond these characters and push towards the turning point of the story. The truth.

And to highlight herself amid the strong characters living inside one house, it’s important to make her cold and unique at the same time.

How?

You better watch the series to know what I’m talking about. *winks*

Conclusion – Is Still 17 A Good Korean Drama Series?

In my own perspective as a writer, Sung-hee does a great job in creating realistic characters in Still 17.

Though I don’t mean to ridicule overreacting characters as other Korean drama series do, it’s still important to make them as real as possible.

In other words, don’t exaggerate. Create real characters. The characters people could relate to.

Seo-ri is a strong woman and as a feminist, I liked the fact Sung-hee created her as a person who doesn’t want to depend on others to stand for herself and for her dreams.

From that standpoint, any man will fall in love with that kind of character. Of course, there are times a woman needs help from a man. But not all the time to the point she’s clingy.

Because of her perseverance to endure the difficult times for her goals, no wonder Woo-jin falls in love with her. I can testify to that. My husband told me he fell in love with me because of my independence. Hihi.

In addition to Sung-hee’s effective methods in building his characters, he created Chan with the burden of being a mature young man for the sake of his Uncle Woo-jin.

He knows his mom (Woo-jin’s sister) is already struggling and worrying about it. For a teenager, that brings a huge responsibility to act wisely on his part.

The only time he’s wavering is when he meets Seo-ri and learns she’s thinking like a 17-year-old girl. And he sees that.

He’s an athlete (a rowing champion), so he’s quite sharp to studying her behavior. Plus, she isn’t lying to him at all. That’s another admirable trait capturing the two guys’ hearts.

She doesn’t deny her past, her comatose, her life before the accident, and even her feelings for Woo-jin.

She’s a mirror, a direct reflection to Woo-jin’s pretense. The worse thing is Jennifer’s role in pushing these characters to limits through provoking comments and philosophies.

With these characters playing an active role in driving the viewers crazy on the plot, it’s a no surprise why Still 17 receives a high remark from the global audience. Google Reviews gave them 8.5 over 10 overall rating.

Photo credits: Still 17 on SBS

If you like this post, feel free to share it with your friends and family. Especially those who are curious about this amazing Korean drama series.

If you have something more to share, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. 🙂

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