“30 But 17” Spoiler Free Review: Too Plain Or Simply Healing?

Published Categorized as Kdrama Reviews
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“30 But 17” also known as “Still 17” is a rom-com starring Yang Se Jong, Shin Hye Sun, Ahn Hyo Seop, Ye Ji Won and Yoon Sun Woo.

Its about a woman who goes through a tragic bus accident back when she was 17 that leaves her in a coma for 13 years, she wakes up at 30 year old. Her mind is still in the past but her body is that of an ahjuma so to say.



“30 But 17” are one of the few kdramas that were able to cross over the 10% in viewership ratings in 2018. 2018 dramas didn’t have much luck with ratings and its getting more and more difficult for dramas to cross that 10%.

But is it worth your time? And is it worth the hype?

Today, I will be discussing “30 But 17” in a spoiler-free review.

The plot

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“30 But 17” core plot isn’t particularly innovative but interesting nonetheless, casting the lead female was what will make or break the drama and they chose well, actress Shin Hye Sun is proving her worth as a reliable actress who can play many characters and give them justice.

She does well as a 17-year-old in the body of a 30-year-old and that was not easy to do, if she had gone overboard she would’ve ruined it and if she acted reserved she would’ve also ruined it.



The plot isn’t splendid or out of this world, its simple and sweet. The drama was written in a way that was meant to be healing for viewers, the drama doesn’t have evil wicked parents, no chaebols, no birth secrets, no backstabbing friends, its very simple and clean.

It feels like drinking a refreshing cleansing juice thats plain but refreshing nonetheless.

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However, having said this means that the drama can be boring at times. The plot doesn’t always progress at the speed we’re usually accustomed to. Partially, I believe its because it was originally scheduled to be 20 episodes but then was shortened to 16 episodes.

I thought that 20 episodes were honestly too much because the plot doesn’t offer much content to keep it going for so long. I am not sure why the drama was shortened to be honest with you but I like it better that way.



Towards the end of the drama, there were still some loose ends and parts that haven’t been covered that well when there were episodes that had nothing particularly going on. With the script they had they could have easily wrapped up everything just fine but for some reason that didn’t happen.

Also, I was among the many viewers who thought that actor Yoon Sun Woo deserved more screen time.

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The plot is about average people going through average everyday struggles and finding love, happiness and healing wounds along the way. It also has some pretty funny scenes and there is almost always something funny going on during each episode.

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It doesn’t require you to concentrate much, its very simple. To people who love rom-coms, this will probably become one of their most favorite dramas. Its not overpowering or emotionally exhausting.

If you like kdramas with a kick this one will most probably bore you to death since there isn’t really anything major going on in a lot of episodes and it takes a long time for important revelations to be revealed.

With such an average script, the characters were the strongest point of it. The characters are beautifully written and unique in their own way, every character is charming and they slowly grow on you as time goes on.

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Some of them will remind you of someone you know, your uncle, aunt, friend, etc.

There is no ‘evil’ character and some kdrama fans actually found that great since so many currently airing kdramas are very heavy, scary and emotionally draining.

The Cast

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What made this drama work is the cast. I don’t think I can name any other Korean actor or actress to play any of the characters in this drama, this shows just how perfect the casting was.

Everyone suits their characters very well and give them depth, they feel real. I really liked that. They grew on me and made me stick around to watch whats to come to see how they’ll grow.

Without those beautifully written unique characters, I don’t think the drama would’ve managed to draw so many people in. With such an average plot, if the characters weren’t written like that, it would’ve been hard to keep people glued to their screen.

The Chemistry

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Touching on the topic of characters, the characters did well because the actors were a good choice and had great chemistry together.

Even if those characters were written well, if the actors weren’t comfortable around each other it wouldn’t have been such a smashing success.

Shin Hye Sun is slightly older than Yang Se Jong but Yang Se Jong does look older than he actually is in real life. Regardless, the two suit each other perfectly, this was such an unlikely couple I didn’t think I was going to stan like that.

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Even if you’re not particularly a fan of any of the main actors you’ll change your mind once you watch this drama. I wasn’t the biggest Shin Hye Sun fan but I gained so much love and respect for her as an actress through this production.

Yang Se Jong also has great chemistry with Ahn Hyo Seop, Jo Hyun Sik and Lee Do Hyun. The trio is also very nice and sweet, you’ll end up falling in love with them.

The OST

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I wouldn’t say the drama had the best OST but it was cute and nice and it suited the atmosphere well.

But Hyorin did sing for the drama and of course, her OST song ‘Just Say’ was amazing.

Conclusion

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If you like simple rom-coms with average stories but amazing characters who have great chemistry together “30 But 17” is THE drama for you.

If you like kdramas that have a thick plot that makes sense you probably won’t enjoy “30 But 17” a lot, and you’ll most probably quit watching after 5-7 episodes because the story progresses slowly unlike what you usually prefer.

If you’re interested in watching “30 But 17” you can do so by clicking here.

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By Jass K.

Hi, I am Jass k. I discuss some of the hottest currently airing kdramas on this site in form of reviews an/or recaps, join me in the discussion~

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