Daebak K-Rambles

Re-watch value:2 out of 5 stars

Synopsis

*partially taken from Dramafever*

Gong Woo Jin (Yang Se Jong from Temperature of Love) is a 30-year-old set designer. In spite of being a handsome bachelor, he shuts himself off from the world, unable to move on after witnessing a traumatic accident at age 17. Woo Seo Ri (Shin Hye Sun from Stranger) is a former violinist. Her dreams of being a successful musician were destroyed 13 years ago when an accident placed her into a coma at the young age of 17. Now, at the age of 30, Woo Seo Ri has reawakened. When Woo Seo Ri comes out of her coma, she is still emotionally a 17-year-old. The world around her, however, has moved on. Gong Woo Jin reunites with Woo Seo Ri, but they don’t recognize each other. The two soon start to grow closer, but “teenage love” can be a tricky thing.

Rambling

*beware of spoilers*

A perfectly adequate K-drama that, upon further inspection, is unremarkable.

Main characters falling into comas is a terrible trope that I try to avoid at all costs, but I gave this show a chance, wondering how Yang Se-jong would fair after Temperature of Love. Answer: he was alright.

The accident and trauma happens early (in the very first episode), and Seo-ri wakes up from her coma after 13 years. A medical marvel, to be sure. I appreciated that the drama covered her recovery, going through physical therapy, gaining back lost muscle, conquering atrophy, and even learning how to walk again. Go, physical therapists!

::How about a round of applause for not giving Seo-ri memory loss on top of all this::

My main issue with the show has to do with how the romance was fated and they coincidentally bump into each other 13 years later, after Woo-jin’s family has *conveniently and unwittingly* purchased Seo-ri’s family home. We know, from flashbacks and how the show portrays the bus accident from Woo-jin’s point of view, that Woo-jin always had a crush on Seo-ri and either misheard her name or assumed her name was Soo-mi (Seo-ri’s BFF). He experiences PTSD over the accident and maintains some extreme guilt, thinking he killed her because he told her to get off at the next bus stop.

Once all this comes to light (during an acutely melodramatic episode 14), Seo-ri reveals that she actually had a crush on him, too. It feels like yesterday for her because she’s simply skipped over the last 13 years and still feels like she’s 17. Ehh

It’s a famous K-drama trope to be so intertwined, but there were too many coincidences after another for my taste. Not to take away from their strong chemistry, but I couldn’t suspend my disbelief here.

Despite all this, this sweet, fated couple had some memorable moments. Seo-ri remembered Woo-jin as her “crescendo,” a musical term meaning the gradual increase in loudness in a piece of music. Super cute and unique way of putting that emotional and physical high of being around him. The Onion Peeling Scene® was a big deal, too. Seo-ri just crying and crying while peeling an absurd amount of onions, and Woo-jin comes downstairs, invades her personal space, and wipes her tears and cups her face. A very intimate moment (that doesn’t culminate in a kiss), and one that I thought wasn’t real at first because he was cold toward her not long before. Lastly, I liked how Woo-jin confidently told her to pursue music in Germany and then was a mess behind the scenes, crying the entire day and secretly booking a flight to Germany to see her the very next day after her departure.

Interestingly, Thirty But Seventeen didn’t really have second female or male leads. Woo-jin’s nephew Yoo-chan and Seo-ri’s childhood friend Hyeong-tae each made valiant but ultimately half-hearted attempts to be with Seo-ri, but it never posed any threat to our main couple. Same thing with Woo-jin’s boss Hee-soo, who had zero romantic feelings for Woo-jin.

This show was laugh-out-loud funny. I can’t stress that enough. I had a good time watching Seo-ri gain her bearings in a new world. The highlight for me was when she drank water from the decorative fountain. Priceless. A close second would be when Woo-jin sits on her chocolate and walks around looking like he shit his pants. L O L.

The entire mystery behind why Seo-ri’s aunt and uncle abandoned her wasn’t as salacious as I hoped it would be, either. Spoiler alert: her uncle becomes an alcoholic as a coping mechanism, gets cirrhosis of the liver, and dies within two years of Seo-ri’s hospitalization. Her aunt, who was related to her by marriage, quickly sells the family house and gets the hell out of dodge, leaving behind most of their belongings and even the dog! With the way this played out in the flashback, I thought she was running from something or she was pressed for time of some sort. Not the case at all.

It’s further perplexing why the aunt would quit paying Seo-ri’s medical bills and literally abandon her, despite giving birth to Seo-ri’s blood-related cousin. This bitch hides from Seo-ri and refuses to come forward to explain anything. Even more baffling is after she finally faces Seo-ri, she still seems to harbor some malice toward her, blaming her for something? Her uncle’s death? She doesn’t want to reunite as a family or have her son, Seo-ri’s cousin, hanging out with her often? It didn’t make any sense.

Points given for the cutest dog costar I’ve ever seen! All in all, it was a fine drama, but not the best drama.

How did you feel about 30 But 17? Tell me in the comments below!