See You in My 19th Life

The short of it: A contemporary romance with a dash of supernatural dealing with themes of trauma and grief. See You In My 19th Life has very likeable characters and is able to fully develop the potential of its story and themes. If you want to read a romance that’s swoon-worthy but is also really smart and deals with heavier themes, I can’t recommend it enough. The long of it: I was a bit cautious when I started reading See You In My 19th Life because, although I had enjoyed Lee Hey’s previous work (A Good Day to Be A Dog), I was a bit disappointed byit, mostly because I thought it didn’t exploit the characters’ and story’s full potential, and some of the plot points felt like they were there to add drama and fill time rather than contribute to the story. With that said, I was immediately hooked by the characters and set up of See You, and I’m happy to report that my interest didn’t waiver throughout the story. You may read the synopsis of See You, maybe its first few chapters, and think you’ve already seen this plot a thousand times: a reincarnation romance? A main characters who is a genius because she lived several lifetimes? The male lead is the aloof heir to a rich corporation, whose thin glaze of coldness covers awkwardness and hurt? I’ve seen all these story beats elsewhere, but the way See You stands out is that it uses them really well, to the point where you barely even realize they’re clichés anymore I feel like Lee Hey’s deftness is that she really focused on the psychology of her characters. Seo-ha, our main lead, is aloof and emotionally stunted in a way that felt like a direct product of his education and the trauma he went through, which made him feel like a real person rather than an archetype. Ji-eum, on the other hand, really conveyed the impression of someone who has lived through several lives: a little devil-may-care, very playful, and smart. Oh God, is she smart! I feel like your average strong, intelligent female protagonist tend to ring pretty hollow because you don’t get to see her display those traits often, but Si-eum proves herself to be thoughtful and perceptive several times through the story. I also found her straightforwardness and the fact that she’s the one courting Seo-ha rather than the other way around very refreshing. I won’t go into details about other important characters, mostly because it takes a while for the story to really establish its main cast and I don’t want to give too much away. I’ll simply say that, although See You’s cast is pretty small, it’s also really solid; we get a few really well-rounded characters, and the others, although they are relatively one-note, didn’t feel like caricatures, which is enough for me. Like most romance stories, the plot hinges mostly on the lead character’s relationship, and it was thoroughly enjoyable and well-written. Seo-ha and Si-eum’s personalities played nicely off each other, and the added tension created by the fact that they’ve known each other for a long time but Seo-ha doesn’t know it was nicely explored. There are somewhat dark implications to what Ji-eum is doing – barging in the life of someone she hasn’t seen in twenty years, trying to get close to him while hiding an enormous secret from him – and the author wasn’t afraid to tackle them, while keeping it a light and idealistic romance story. The other plot threads were all pretty tightly woven together, and contrary to A Good Day to Be a Dog, it didn’t feel like they were added for drama’s sake alone, and were rather a continuation of the story’s universe. About the art: while it’s not necessarily special (I’ve seen more than a few Korean comics with a similar artstyle as Lee Hey’s) or breathtaking, it feels appropriate to the style of story being told, and it looked really nice and cute. Also, not to be shallow, but there are some really nice outfits in this comic. When I read the end of the story, I felt really proud of Lee Hey. I feel like she was able to really improve her writing and go beyond the limitations she had in her previous work, and it’s really wonderful to be pleasantly surprised by an author.