AGAIN MY
LIFE
THE FIRST
ANNIVERSARY
8 APRIL 2023
PART 2
LEE JOON
GI’S
TOUR DE FORCE
PERFORMANCE
IN
THE SPECTACULAR
EPISODE 1
FANTASY
SCENE
IN
AGAIN MY
LIFE
THE MASTERPIECE
TV SERIES
2022
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Lee Joon Gi has elbowed his way to the top of the television
series ladder in the masterpiece 2022 televison series, Again My Life. He
performed exploits as spectacular, thrilling and entertaining as anything
ever imagined on the screen by Korean scriptwriters. Lee Joon Gi, who portrays Kim Hee Woo, the multi-intelligent
time-travelling prosecutor who sparkles with wit, humour and charm, has given
another stunning Tour De Force performance.
Osen says that Lee Joon Gi, ‘gave a flawless performance in
the role of Kim Hee Woo ……. making the drama practically a one-man show. Lee Joon Gi lives up to his name as an irreplaceable actor.’
Lest people forget, Again My Life proved to be a hit
when it aired on SBS from 8 April to 28 May 2022 and unsurprisingly, it has also reached the top when it
was streamed on Viu, Viki, Hulu and Wavve in their selected regions, and also
elsewhere.
That the television series has reached the top rank in Asia on different streaming sites and
platforms is ample testimony to Lee’s calibre as an actor.
It never ceases to amaze global Kdrama fans that every Lee Joon
Gi television series or film seems like a top production. Again My Life, the
2022 fantasy-time travel-legal-action television series is no different. It
is a masterpiece that has gotten everyone’s attention.
Helmed by Director Han Chul Soo who was assisted by Director
Kim Yong Min, the 16-episode series is written by J and Kim Yul. The other
top-tiered stars in the drama include Lee Geung Young (Cho Tae Sub), Kim Ji
Eun (Kim Hee Ah), Jang Sang Hoon (Lee Min Soo) and Kim Jae Kyung (Kim Han
Mi). The television series features a rooftop fight, a theatre in the sky - a
revolving stage and a ginormous screen in the sky, an unusual Grim Reaper and a
gigantic rooftop clock. Again My Life seems to give the viewer the impression that the
leading character is narrating the tale of his past lives while under hypnosis.
According to The Best Poll, Again My Life is the Best Korean
Television Series of 2022 and in another poll, Lee Joon Gi wins hands down as
The Best Actor of 2022. Good Data Corporation has hailed Lee Joon Gi, the
Again My Life star as the Number 1 Most Buzzworthy Star in the 3rd
week of April when the television series was aired. KPOP readers have also
voted Again My Life as the Number 1 Legal KDrama of 2022. Again My Life
scored the highest rating of 12%. Joon Gi was SBS’ Star of The Month for 4
months consecutively, namely August, September, October and November in 2022. The series has also reached the Number 1 spot in Wavve. As for VIU, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia also reached Number 1 ranking. It has also captured the Number 1
rank in the Asian Series on HULU Japan. VIKI records ratings of 9.4%. Lee Joon Gi
has impressed Cultura, the South Korean magazine for the arts and culture
that he was featured in their 100th Celebratory Issue (October
2022). In 2020, Lee was named the 2020 ICON by Cultura for Drama for his tour
de force performance in Flower of Evil.
The 16-episode television series, a masterful tale of suspense based on the manhwa of the same title, is an ode to Kim Hee Woo, the upright prosecutor, whose courage, convictions, integrity, skills and leadership displayed are, in large measure, responsible for the fall of society’s many enemies. According to Director Han Chul Soo, Lee Joon Gi is the right choice for the role of Kim Hee Woo. Lee Joon Gi showcases the many nuanced layers of his role and powerfully portrays Kim Hee Woo, an iconographic prosecutor who puts his life on the line to take down the powerful politician Cho Tae Sub, an evil force who grinds the powerless under his heels. Lee, who is able to reimagine and express the complex character of Kim Hee Woo, seems to also embody the many positive aspects of the leading male character.
      
While
other popular dramas dwell on vicious revenge and sadistic cruelty to attract
ratings and popularity, Again My Life is different. The focus on justice,
intelligence, humour and wit to bring attention to important life issues sets
it apart from television series that pander to viewers who gravitate towards
the darker evils of life. Before discussing the Episode 1 Fantasy scene, one has to take note of a few important details about Kim Hee Woo, the man from The Future.
   In his previous life (The Future), the bespectacled prosecutor Kim Hee Woo was a rash fool. The foolhardy lawman was blinded by his naivette; he thought that the use of the law was enough to strike a blow against the evil politician Cho Tae Sub. Though he possessed martial arts skills to deal with lawless criminals, it was not good enough to deal with ruthless assassins.
Victory eluded Kim Hee Woo in his attempt to bring down the evil Cho Tae Sub in his previous life. It proved that he was just a raging bull destined for disaster. His arrogance and recklessness prevented him from making a difference. He was dealing with a different type of foe. Sad to say, shock soon followed when he was defeated in a brutal fight. The bewildered Kim Hee Woo, who relied on the law alone, was shattered to his core. He suffered the consequences of his recklessness and headlong charge at the evil and muderous Cho Tae Sub. The naïve prosecutor plummeted to his death with the help of Dr K, the assassin.
 
Constantly
bullied and humiliated in school in his previous life, Kim Hee Woo was too
weak and lack the confidence to fight back. He became the target of the
bullies because of his poor working class background. His parents were
factory workers.
   
The young teenager blames his kind and patient parents, whom he thought were the cause of all his problems in school. His working-class parents, with their low income and status in society, became the scapegoats for the resentful and spiteful boy. He was especially rude to his caring mother.
But the tragedy of his parents' early deaths due to an accident greatly impacted him. The camera records Kim Hee Woo’s cathartic experience which Lee Joon Gi portrayed with great emotion. Lee’s emoting shakes the audience up. He perfectly shows Kim Hee Woo’s raw and naked vulnerability when the enormity of his parent’s death hit him.
Hee
Woo’s (H.W.) frustration, resentment, anger and other harsh emotions dissolve
but it is too late. He is filled with anguish, pain and regret instead. He
cries piteously.
Whilst
the realization of his shortcomings comes too late, his eye-opening
experiences shape his personality and character. He aspired to be a prosecutor
and his fury against adult bullies fuelled his drive to take them down.
The
determined and resilient teenager rose to be a just-minded prosecutor who
hunts the big bullies in society - the evil, corrupt and immoral politicians,
business leaders and prosecutors who pervert the course of justice.
It is an
experience that is excruciating to relive when he is shown the Past by the
Grim Reaper. The tears of the viewers must have brimmed over on seeing tears
rolling down Lee's cheeks. Lee Joon
Gi, an acting powerhouse who is deft in his role as Kim Hee Woo, has shown extraordinary
sensitivity in his performance in the television series. He fleshes out the
character and devotedly crafts his portrayal of the hurtful, immature son one
who is short on filial piety and also as the enlightened adult.
    Kim Hee Woo is given another chance at life. On returning to the past, the first thought in his mind is to return home to find his parents. He is hoping against hope to see them alive and he is elated when he discovers that they are still alive.
    Whatever knowledge of future events he may have cannot compare with the enlightenment he has gained from his experiences from The Future. He is determined to treat his parents with love and respect this time around. A loving family life is of utmost importance. And, he also succeeds in preventing the accident that took his parents’ lives in his previous life.
Previously, Kim Hee Woo’s parents were factory workers. Later, they open a Jjimdak restaurant, which gains in popularity as soon as it starts operation.
Kim Hee Woo is brilliant student in his present life. Even his
parents are surprised at his intelligence and academic achievements.
At the university, he studies law and he tops his law
class. With the help of a wise and smart real estate tycoon, the university student makes huge profits from his investments.
In Again My Life, Kim Hee Woo develops a warm and close relationship with his real-estate mentor, Woo Yong Soo, the rich businessman who has taken a liking to the cute, lovable and humorous young man. Though Hee Woo has many mentors, his relationship with real eastate tycoon is intimate and loving as sometimes, Woo Yong Soo’s words of advice for his young mentee would be punctuated with terms of endearment like, ‘You Silly Goose!’
One cannot help but notice the iconic long-sleeved black and white
check shirt which makes Kim Hee Woo
stand out in the crowd. He looks more handsome and appealing when he wears
the shirt.
Despite having a wardrobe full of stylish campus clothes, none can compare with his black and white check shirt. Kudos to the Wardrobe
Department of Again My Life for the choice of stylish clothes for Kim Hee Woo (and also for the Grim Reaper).
   
Kim Hee
Woo, the leading male character, is the Narrator of the fantasy-time
travel-legal-action tale. He seems to be narrating the stories of his past
lives – The Future and The Present.
The
concepts of The Future, The Present and The Past changes with
different perspectives. Kim Hee
Woo is a man from The Future. He
returns to The Past, which, in fact, becomes The Present. If he
successfully brings all the crooks and evil people down, it would mean The
Future is changed. The Present, then becomes The Past.
   
Again My
Life, a tale on past life regression, makes use of the narrative style and
story within a story plot device.
The
tale, it seems, is told from the viewpoint of the lead character on a
hypnotherapist‘s couch. That makes it different from other fantasy or
time-travel tales. Kim Hee
Woo seems to be narrating the stories of his previous lives while under
hypnosis.
Again My
Life is a story within a story. The television series makes you think of
a magnificently wrapped package with layers to peel off. It is similar to the
removing of the top of the Russian Matryoshka doll. When you open the
gift, a thrilling gift is looking you in the eye. There is yet another
exciting gift inside it. Likewise, with the unfolding of the the Again My
Life tale, stories redolent with danger and intrigue confront you.
Seen
from this perspective, there are three (3) layers to the story. 1. The
Future. In Kim Hee Woo’s previous life, the headstrong Raging Bull
Prosecutor tries to bring Cho Tae Sub down. It was a fatal attempt. 2. The
Present. Time traveller, Kim Hee Woo, returns to The Past. The now
cautious, intelligent, humorous and witty prosecutor deals with evil men
strategically.
3. The
Prosecutor on the Therapist’s Couch tells his stories under Hypnosis. The
lead character, who seems to be lying in the Hypnotherapist’s couch,
narrates stories of his past lives – his Previous Life and his subsequent
Return to the Past. The Future and The Present. He seems to be living his Third Life. This seems like a story within a story.
  One notices that there is a slight departure from the manhwa, on which the television series is based. The most glaring difference involves the death and resurrection of Kim Hee Woo. In the manhwa, the prosecutor was pushed into the water and was drowned.
The directors and the scriptwriters have other brilliant ideas. Their ingenious move was to take advantage of Lee Joon Gi’s excellent action and martial arts skills.
As the new story goes, Kim Hee Woo has a fight with some minions before the fatal, brutal fight with Dr K, when he is defeated, injected with deadly poisons and then, pushed off the rooftop of a skyscraper.
    In Episode 1, the confrontation between the idealistic prosecutor Kim Hee Woo and the vile Cho Tae Sub in the interrogation room is one of Lee Joon Gi’s impressive acting moments.
The prosecutor foolishly calls the evil politician in for an interrogation. He has taken risks by stepping across the line and does not understand that by opposing the most powerful man, he is putting his life on the line. The reckless prosecutor is too arrogant for his own good: Overconfident. Harsh and uncompromising. Antagonistic. Combative.
Any one who is against Cho Tae Sup is in mortal danger. Bringing in Cho Tae Tub for investigation gives everyone the goosebumps. Kim Hee Woo foolishly assumes he has the upperhand just because he thinks he can count on the law to deal with criminals. He runs smack against the most powerful, corrupt, ruthless and evil politician. With his single-minded defiance, he openly mocks Cho Tae Sub.
The bull-headed and self-destructive demeanour of the naïve prosecutor is skilfully portrayed by Lee Joon Gi. The flashing of Kim Hee Woo’s eyes. Or his fierce glare, like that of an owl, the winged predator. Prosecutor Kim’s voice drips with venom. His withering sarcasm, scathing tone and his arrogant smirks - dangerous and unwise, amount to sheer folly.
Kim Hee Woo thinks he holds all the cards but his trump card, an important witness willing to testify against Cho Tae Sub, is callously murdered. It was the point of no return. He fails to realise the reality of life. He should have been quaking in his boots but his naivete blinds him.
Despite it all, his opponent stayed calm. After all, Cho Tae Sub has been busy whipping up smokescreens to disguise his evil crimes.
The audience shudder; they are filled with a sense of dread as they watch the foolish antics of the foolhardy and naïve Kim Hee Woo. They suppress the urge to shout at their TV, to warn Lee Joon Gi, who portrays the courageous but misguided prosecutor. Kim Hee Woo foolishly believes that using the law alone and the courage of one's convictions are enough to bring Cho Tae Sub to justice. Evil, in fact, is difficult to topple. The prosecutor would have poohed-poohed the idea if not for the warning of Cho Tae Sub, ‘The role of a witness is carried out in the courtroom… But what if…’ The glaring fact is Kim Hee Woo’s naivete has blinded him to the reality of life. Those in the audience might have felt uncomfortable when the said witness is murdered.
Cho Tae Sub could use his power to destroy those who would not submit to him. Kim Hee Woo’s colleagues, who understand that it is a non-winnable case, stand aside while the lone ranger fights against the top criminal.
Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil that we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men. The Boondocks Saints
 And, there is no way the upright but naive Kim Hee Woo is getting away unscathed. To the audience’s horror, the cocky prosecutor is lured to the rooftop of a skyscraper and defeated in the fierce, brutal but thrilling fight against Dr K, Cho Tae Sub’s assassin. The prosecutor is ruthlessly murdered. The audience must have felt wretched at the heart-rending predeath scene when a powerful combination of poisons is injected into the prosecutor’s throat.
Though there are so many martial arts and action scenes in Again My Life, the most searing and galvanic scene is the fight at the rooftop of the tall skyscraper, from where Kim Hee Woo is thrown. An iconic scene. It is the most spectacular and moving fight scene which showcases an astounding acting performance from Lee Joon Gi. Unforgettable.
There are lots of of thrilling martial arts moves, tornado kicks, swift punches, and
startling leaps in the air.
Kim Hee Woo is no match for the vicious and brutal Dr K. Beaten to a pulp, Kim Hee Woo didn’t have the chance to be
horrified. Darkness settles on him. The assassin slides up to his prone
body like a crocodile and injects him
with a mixture of methamphetamine and alcohol to make people assume that he
was a drug addict. Being framed is tragic. Kim Hee Woo’s vulnerability and
helplessness are registered on his face.
Just before the final moment, there is a slump in the prosecutor’s shoulders. There are convulsive jerks, and shakiness in his body. His confused face contorts into an ugly expression of pain much to the horror of the audience. He lays dying on the floor, making a final gurgling, gasping sound that is dreadful to watch. The tension hangs in the air.
Watching Kim Hee Woo in the throes of death, the traumatized audience weeps for him. The horrified viewers could feel the cold climbing up their ankles. It is a nerve-wracking scene which is excruciatingly painful to watch.
Lee Joon Gi’s moving portrayal of Kim Hee Woo and his dying moments reduce the audience to tears. Lee Joon Gi’s brilliant acting performance has been lauded.  We must pause here to see how the cast and crew of Again My Life has firmly established the fact that the television series is a fantasy in this very first episode.
The world building in Again My Life is cleverly executed in Episode 1. It is a spectacular FANTASY scene. The Grim Reaper in red. A revolving circular stage. An exciting screen showing the past life of Kim Hee Woo’s appears in the sky. A Theatre in the Sky. Time is frozen.
The fall
of Kim Hee Woo from the rooftop of the building is not only
stunning but beautifully done. It must be emphasized that Lee Joon Gi does
his own stunts. Lee's action skills, the action choreography, the direction,
the cinematography, and so on and so forth are top-notch.
  
In this
fantasy tale, the fantasy character, the Grim Reaper, in the form of a
beautiful woman, resurrects Kim Hee Woo. Kim Hee Woo erroneously think that
she is a human, albeit a strange one. To his shock, she tells him, ‘I’m
not human.’
The supernatural Grim Reaper is clothed in a startlingly blood-red pant suit, the blouse of which has billowy sleeves.
None has expected that the Grim Reaper would be dressed in crimson red. The reimagined Grim Reaper in red is a great departure from the usual dark image or dark clothes worn by the Grim Reaper in the manhwa. Great imagination and creativity from directors, scriptwriters and the wardrobe Department. Red means many things particularly joy, courage, energy, determination, action, adventure and excitement. It symbolises Kim Hee Woo's next life.
    The Grim Reaper, the fantasy character in the magical Fantasy World, an intermediate world between The Future and The Present. Han Ji Hyun, the Grim Reaper, is not human. She has the power to revive and give life to Kim Hee Woo who has been assassinated. Though she doesn’t seem to remember anything in the next part of the story, her presence throughout the story continues to intrigue the audience. Kim Hee Woo returns to The Past which has become The Present, i.e., Kim Hee Woo’s present world. The Future World and the Present World are not unlike our own world. The Present World is different from the Future World in that the Present World has a touch of unreality with the presence of 3 characters from The Future – Kim Hee Woo, the leading character portrayed by Lee Joon Gi, Lee Min Soo, his prosecutor colleague played by Jung Sang Hoon and Han Ji Hyun, the Grim Reaper who is the secretary of Cho Tae Sup (Lee Geung Young). She is played by Cha Joo Young.
After Kim Hee Woo is thrown off the roof of the tall building, the Grim Reaper revives him. A spectacular magical world has emerged. The Theatre in the Sky. The Revolving Circular Stage. None in the audience has expected to see the dazzling theatre in the sky and the fantastic revolving rooftop stage. Time is frozen but the revolving stage is not. Dr K, who is in the act of lighting his cigarette, is frozen in time. Only Kim Hee Woo and the Grim Reaper are alive.
With a flick of her hand, the Grim Reaper summons some past incidents to appear on the fantastic humongous screen in the sky. The screen in the sky lights up to show snippets of Kim Hee Woo’s past life. Astonishing. It is an example of a story within a story. It seems like they are in an open air cinema and they are standing on a moving circular stage. The viewers are given an idea about the surroundings as the stage turns.
Kim Hee Woo may be a tough martial arts fighter but he is a sensitive man with fragile emotions. He cries on remembering his lack of filial piety. At times, he had ignored his loving parents. He cried at his parents’ funeral but it was too late. On being reminded of the incident on the screen in the sky, Kim Hee Woo is appalled at his past immaturity. He was mean and self centred. Tears well up in his eyes as he reminisces about the past.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1512675660917280771
It is the time for Kim Hee Woo to reflect on the mistakes of his past including being unfilial, being bullied in school and not standing up for himself, his parents’ death et cetera.
The scene reveals Kim Hee Woo’s own demons, self-loathing and self-hatred which had consumed him in the past. It was a terrible period in his life. The young boy had realized too late his self-centredness and narcissistic attitude only when his parents suddenly died. He hated himself for being so weak as to be bullied and humiliated in school. Tears well up Kim Hee Woo’s eyes when his past is shown to him.      When the
Grim Reaper delegates Kim Hee Woo the task of taking down Cho Tae Sub,
he promises her that he would not allow Cho Tae Sub to
pervert the course of justice. It is the burden that he shoulders.
 In Episode 1 and 16, there are images of a building with a horned top. The horn of the awesome building symbolizes authority, great power and victory. The horn in the Bible has a religious meaning; it can refer to the Horns of God or Salvation.  The impact of the image on the viewer is due to the skill and imagination of the production staff. The buildings, which are contrasted with the modest, shorter, older surrounding buildings, come alive. The panorama of the massed buildings emphasizes the grandeur of the building. There is an image on the ground of the roof top that resembles an open book. A thought comes to mind - The Book of Life. A new life is scripted for Kim Hee Woo who has been murdered but is brought back to life. The ‘book’ is next to the helicopter pad marked ‘H’. One thinks of Heaven and Hell. 
The Fantasy World (a fantastical
intermediate world, which lies between the Future World and the
subsequent Present World) that the Again My Life team has built is
amazing. Due to brilliant direction and using the right camera angles
and lighting, the beauty and character of the buildings are highlighted.
It could be our imagination running away with
us. We are sprayed with magic dust. The shapes of the buildings suggest their
human and religious association. The photographer draws attention to the
curve of one building and the straight lines of the other. The silhouette of
the buildings in the night lights reveal more about the character of the
buildings than a clear image of them in the daylight. The image is arresting.
The surreal, quirky detail of the shapes delights the eye. The building with a horned top appears like the biblical Horn of God or Salvation. It seems to convey the message that when
God exalts the horn of someone, he is bringing victory to the oppressed. The production crew of Again My Life has produced a well-develped fantasy world that makes it easy to understand the fantasy in television series. There are 3 worlds: The Future World, the Intermediate Fantasy World and The Past (which is Kim Hee Woo’s Present World). Kim Hee Woo comes from The Future which is exactly like our world.
The intermediate fantasy world in Episode 1 is the key scene in the fantasy drama and is splendidly filmed. A television masterpiece. No words can describe the feeling when one watches the magical scene, indulgent and artistic. It is a magical moment in an imaginary land before Kim Hee Woo returns to the past. The viewer is transported by the magic of the scene. The viewer feels he is moved away from reality – the unknown only for a slight moment - during Kim Hee Woo’s brief stint in the magic world after he is revived. The story helps us to cross the world of reality into unreality – an urban fantasy world.
The spellbinding creativity and imagination of the production staff is astonishing. The direction, the cinematography, the writing, the story, the lighting, the wardrobe department, the martial arts choreography, the editing and so on and so forth are top-notch. It takes great brains, imagination, creativity and camera tricks to produce the amazing, magical and extraordinary scene at the rooftop from which Kim Hee Woo has been thrown. A spectacular fantasy scene.
We are constantly reminded that Again My Life is a fantasy drama. At the end of the television series, there is this fantastic scene seen from afar which shows the circular rooftop resembling a clock. The fantasy clock is ticking away. It seems the audience is waiting for something to happen.
Kim Jin Woo, the righthand man of Cho Tae Sub, decides to commit suicide.  Clocks, which are timepieces of destiny and a symbol of Life and Death, represent the passage of time. As the clock moves, so does life. The movement of the clock is a clear sign that nothing remains permanent in life. Time moves forward relentlessly and once gone, can never be recovered. Everything changes at some point or other. It is a reminder that every minute is precious and it is important to live life to the fullest.
  The drama continues its fantasy world building. In Episode 16, one can see the surroundings clearly as the circular roof top, which serves as an amazing circular stage in Episode 1. It revolves in a complete circle.
In Episode 16, Kim Hee Woo, the righteous prosecutor, is highlighted in daylight against the background of the same horned roof of the building. It symbolizes his triumph over the evil people that he has fought.
But the truth is, evil will continue to persist until the end. Evil people are hatching fiendish plots non-stop. Even if Cho Tae Sub has committed suicide, evil remains.
In the end, Kim Jin Woo, the righthand man of Cho Tae Sub, decides to commit suicide. Kim Seok Hoon and Jang Il Hyun, who had been incarcerated, are released earlier than expected.
  So, has Kim Hee Woo accomplished his mission of bringing down Cho Tae Sub? He did. What is troubling are the words of the Grim Reaper, ‘You can’t catch the devil unless you become a worse monster.’ Has Kim Hee Woo become a worse monster than the evil, ruthless Cho Tae Sub? Certainly not, but Kim Hee Woo is not a perfect man.
   It is awesome that Again My Life starts with a fantastic fantasy but ends with the brutal reality that the war against crime is an ongoing struggle. Kim
Hee Woo’s facial expression in the final image shows he is not divorced from the
realities of life. He has to continue with his mission to combat evil at
every opportunity. The final surreal image of Kim Hee Woo reinforces the idea that the drama is a fantasy.
The unexpected
ending is an open one, which many suspect might pave the way for the highly
anticipated Season 2 of Again My Life.
It must
be reiterated that the awesome fantasy worldbuilding of the cast and the
crew of Again My Life has earned them global renown and success. Again My
Life is a mirror that reflects the genius, imagination and creativity and
skills in the production of the television series.
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