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IBEON SAENG-DO JAL BUTAKAE

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
12
RELEASE
September 24, 2022
CHAPTERS
114

DESCRIPTION

Ji-Eum Ban has a secret—she can remember the memories of her previous lives...all 18 of them! This means she retains past knowledge, skills, and most importantly, the bonds with the people she cares about. Guided by the bittersweet memories of her last life, Ji-Eum sets out to rekindle the love that was cut short by her tragic death. But little did she know her biggest rival would be her own past self...

(Source: Yen Press, edited)

CAST

Ji-Eum Ban
Seo-Ha Moon
Do-Yun Ha
Cho-Won Yun

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO IBEON SAENG-DO JAL BUTAKAE

Cover Art for Ibeon Saeng-do Jal Butakae: Gieogui Han Jogak

MANGA Slice of LifeIbeon Saeng-do Jal Butakae: Gieogui Han Jogak

REVIEWS

RoseFaerie
82/100
To cling to a cruel past or to forge a brighter future? The choice seems easy, but changing isn't so simple.
If I had one thing to take away from my discussions in my horrible literature class that I took as a freshman in high school, it would be the conversation we had about the Greek gods in the Iliad. Immortal beings are often out of touch with humanity. They don't get attached to people or form human connections with them. So much time goes by that they become apathetic towards common people and life itself. But what about people who reincarnate with the memories of their past lives intact? People who remember their past lives are a bit different, a bit detached from their lives and from forming connections, but not completely dissuaded. They are still human, even if they forget.

See You in My 19th Life is about someone who remembers their past lives. After many lives, they develop a strict code involving who to tell about this gift and have given up on romantic relationships completely, after all the pain and suffering they have endured. But that all changes when they become Juwon Yun in their 18th life. You see, Juwon has someone special in her life, someone who makes her forget all her past lives and makes her feel like her chronological age: twelve. However, that life is cut short by some tampering, meaning she is reborn immediately. As Jieum Ban, she is determined to meet her childhood love again, someone who she wants to live out her full 19th life with.

The major conflict in this story is about holding onto the past over creating a new future. Both Jieum and her love Seoha Mun are holding onto the past as tight as they can. Seoha witnessed Juwon's death. The girl who helped him get over the loss of his mother, the girl he loved so dearly as a child, died right in front of him in a brutal car crash. Twenty-three years later, he still has intense trauma from the incident. He now has a hearing disability, and he suffers from PTSD. He feels guilty, can't sit in the backseat of a car, and can't even bring himself to be around Juwon's younger sister. He's stuck in the past, and he doesn't feel inclined to leave. He's not perfect at handling his trauma. As a thirty-two-year-old, he can't even handle being in the same room as Juwon's sister. He acts like his grief and trauma (while intense) is the only grief that mattered, ignoring how Juwon's family felt about her death. I did appreciate how he addressed that when he was talking about his guilt with Juwon's mother.

Jieum wants to enter his life again, since he's the only one who makes her past lives seem no big deal. There's nothing particularly special about him, but he quickly became special to Juwon. She found a reason to live. A reason to attach herself to her present life. Her past versus present struggle comes later, when she must choose between her past lives and Seoha. She and Seoha are remarkably similar, both burdened by past tragedies. It's Jieum's carefree attitude and wisdom beyond her years (paired with her resemblance to Juwon), as well as her emotional resilience and supportiveness that draw Seoha to her. And likewise, Jieum loves Seoha's vulnerability and tsundere attitude, as well as his humanity.

The other couple in the series are not dealing with regret or guilt, but class issues. Chowon, Juwon's sister is in love with Seoha's friend, Doyun. Doyun came from a poor family, and his father's death and family's poverty happened at the hands of the wealthy. He worked multiple jobs secretly to provide for his family, and he acted as a father figure for his much younger brother as a teen. He has his pride, and he mistrusts those who are wealthy, and he's sick of the rumors who spread about his relationship with Seoha, making him out to look like a leech. He doesn't think that Chowon can understand his struggles due to her status, and he doesn't want unsavory rumors to spread about their relationship, despite being attracted to her.

Chowon had a one-sided crush on him as a middle school student, and her feelings were rekindled once they were adults. Her love is pure and genuine, and she wants to make the relationship work. She's more diligent than she's given credit for. It was hilarious when she started swearing at the guys who were making fun of Doyun in the bonus chapters. She worries about seeming too clingy, and she feels like she's receiving mixed signals from Doyun. Their relationship is cute, but Doyun could get frustrating at times, since he was so obsessed with social class, and Chowon made it clear that she'd be willing to help him overcome that hurdle in their relationship. He was willing to do that for Seoha, but why not the woman he's had feelings for years? It might be realistic, but it was annoying, especially since he seemed like he was leading her on at times. The only reason Chowon thought she had a chance was because of how he never really shut her down.

The earlier story arcs are the strongest. The stories that followed Jieum and Seoha's relationship, as well as focusing on Seoha's trauma felt the most natural. I think having an arc focusing on the orchestrated accident and what was behind it was a smart move. I think it was set up very nicely in the beginning, and the effect of the knowledge that someone orchestrated the car crash on Seoha was well executed. His raw emotions and character growth, as well as the romantic and dramatic plot points that came from this arc were well done and executed in a timely manner.

However, the potential suspects were not even developed as characters. The only characters in the suspect pool who I could even identify were too young to have been involved. The culprit was so underdeveloped I didn't even remember who he was. If you're going to have a "we've got to find the culprit" type thing, at least go over who it could be. And don't just go, "X and Y both want my money" and that's all you know about them other than their relation to the protagonist? The suspects were only really in one other chapter, and they didn't even get names at that point.

I think the plot started to lose traction a bit after the car accident culprit arc. I thought the true soulmate arc was interesting, but it felt awkwardly tacked on at first, but it turned out to be connected to what needed to be resolved after the main conflict, since it covered an obstacle that would come up later in Jieum and Seoha's relationship if it weren't addressed. It just takes a while for you to realize its purpose, and it felt out of place when it started. And the kidnapping arc also fit since it showed Seoha actively overcoming his trauma, and it actively brought about the conclusion. However, I think the "Jieum wanting to hold onto her past memories" stuff to be really strange and not fit in with any of the other clues we received about her and her past. (I also have some questions about the ending and her relationship with her past life memories at the end since it made no sense.) I also thought the whole thing with the evil cousin and the gangs was a bit too dramatic and over the top for a series like this.

The bonus chapters were really cute, and I loved seeing what would have happened if Juwon had lived and how her relationship with Seoha would have turned out.

As for the art, it wasn't my favorite. I really respect the artist, since she was working on it when she was extremely ill, and there were times when her vision was impaired, but she was still drawing and striving to tell the story she wanted to tell. I was impressed when I read her note at the end. I admire her determination, and I hope that she's healed since that happened. She deserves to rest and recover after all that she went through. That said, I don't really like the art. It looked kind of amateurish (I almost mentioned it in relation to On the Emperor's Lap but See You in My 19th Life is leagues better in terms of artistic skill, and nothing deserves to be compared to... that thing. Shudders) However, the artist wasn't at her best, and I don't think it's fair to let the art drag down the score, since it is a strong story.

This is a great series with a lot of emotional depth and thematic relevance. I also appreciated how it went about the horrible parent trope, since I don't see the way See You in My 19th Life handled it often, which is unfortunate. There is a lot to love. However, I can think of a few plot-holes and frustrations with the guys. It was such a great read, and I think it's worthy of recommendation for anyone who likes romance that features mature characters and excellent communication.
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