Because It’s the First Time follows the love and friendships between a group of twenty year old friends as they embark on many first experiences in life including school, family, jobs, and romance.
Let’s jump right in and meet our group of friends! Song Yi (Park So Dam) is a bright and cheerful woman, but she has had a lot of difficulties in life. While attending college and working multiple part time jobs, she still struggles to get by.
She often needs help from her friends, especially her long time friend Tae Oh. And I must say how much I absolutely adore Park So Dam! She is such a warm, shining light that makes me smile. She’s beautiful, talented, and just all around wonderful!
Tae Oh (Choi Minho) is the most well off in our group. But watching his friends struggle causes him a lot of heartache. He’s also been in denial over his feelings for Song Yi. But when she has no place to go and has to live with him, he is forced to start thinking about their relationship. Even more so when Song Yi develops feelings for their friend Ji An.
Ji An (Kim Min Jae) is a sweet and down to earth kind of guy. He likes Song Yi, but he worries that he is not good enough for her. He too struggles with money and creating a better future for himself.
Then we have Se Hyun (Eugene Jung). She’s not part of the core group of friends, but she is another college student that Tae Oh meets. She’s a bit closed off, but when Tae Oh starts showing a lot of interest in her, she begins to open up.
Next there’s Hoon (Lee Yi Kyung) who is good natured and humorous. He deals with major issues with his family as he pursues a career in acting.
And finally, Ga Rin (Cho Hye Jung) is sweet and thoughtful. But she struggles with the loss of a family member and being unable to accept reality.
I also just have to make note of the absolutely awesome cameo in this drama by the dynamic duo of Jung Kyung Ho and Yoon Hyun Min as police officers. I was so excited to see them pop up!
This pair is hilarious and oh so good together. Even with just a small part, they definitely left an impression on me! If you haven’t seen them yet, you can check them out in the crime noir Heartless City or the romantic comedy Falling for Innocence.
I guess I’m having luck with a few simple but heartfelt dramas these days. Because It’s the First Time is exactly that. At only 8 episodes, it’s an incredibly sweet and easy watch as it explores the love and friendships of six people. Although they did wonderful with the shorter episode count, I certainly would have enjoyed a few more episodes to go even deeper with everyone and to just spend more time with them.
I instantly connected with all of the characters and was genuinely invested in them. They all had different issues they were dealing with in life. But no matter what they were going through, they always had each other for support. They were moving friendships that I greatly enjoyed.
There are a lot of complicated relationship dynamics at play in this group. Many are fairly straightforward with one person liking another. But the most complex is Tae Oh who finds himself confused by his feelings towards two girls. He has long had a crush on Song Yi, but he had decided he was ready to move on.
So he is more than excited to start a relationship with the beautiful new girl Se Hyun. She excites him in a way that is completely new. Yet he still finds himself thinking about Song Yi. And when Song Yi embarks on a relationship with their friend Ji An, Tae Oh is left even more torn.
Although there are a lot of relationship issues going on, the drama is much more than that. All of the characters feel real and relatable. They are living their lives and dealing with all that comes their way. There is joy, there is pain, but no matter what, they always have each other.
Because It’s the First Time was like a cozy blanket. I just felt warm and comfortable with this group of friends. I felt the emotions with them as they experienced many firsts in life. I smiled with them and also felt their pain. It was a sweet and moving journey that left me with warm and happy feelings.
My Rating: 8/10
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