Age of Youth has an interesting and engaging story line that doesn't really drag at all. It's very well cast and well acted. Especially the five girls. Some (one) of the guys didn't impress me so much, but everyone else was fantastic. I like how character driven the drama was rather than being entirely plot driven. By the end the girls don't feel like character tropes, they feel like they could be real people.
The OST is full of really fantastic and well chosen music. The music fits the mood but never overpowers. I find a lot of dramas have that one repetitive song that's either super addicting or super grating or that kinda becomes a part of the idenitity of the show. Age of Youth the background music stayed in the background. That was actually extremely refreshing.
What impressed me most is it's entirely female lead. When I read the synopsis for the first time I automatically put it on my Plan to Watch list. While it isn't strange to have an ensemble cast in a drama and have multiple "leads" with their own individual fleshed out arcs, it IS a bit out of the ordinary for the story to center almost exclusively on a group of female characters. And that's not unique to Korea either. It's fairly out of the ordinary even in western television. Sure we get little glimpses into their romantic and sexual relationships, but that's really not the focus. The focus is on their relationship with each other. The series portrays female friendship in a much more realistic way than most other media. That alone is worth watching it for, if only to say "We want more like this."
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If you're like me, you'll definitely love this drama!!
I have so many things good things to say about this show, but i'll just talk about some points that i think are worthwhile to know.
- I really like that this show focuses on the theme, 'The Most Beautiful Moment In Life' - a time where there are a lot of anxieties and doubts that youth go through, although also when lots of good memories and stories are made. This theme is reflective in its korean title, 'Belle Epoque', meaning 'Beautiful Age' in French - which is also the name of the girls' house.
- this made the drama realistic and very relatable, as the drama touched on many topics which the majority of the audience will be able to relate to.
- i don't think i've ever cried AND laughed so hard throughout the whole drama like this one. this just shows the extent that a viewer can connect with this drama.
- i appreciate the development of the individual characters, as well as the development of the girl's friendship. they are just so , so precious.
- there are also some characters that hardly change their less pleasant qualities at all. after all, change is hard and can take a long time, and sometimes this change is impossible.
- i really like how each of the girls were completely different, in terms of their personalities and their circumstances. the actresses played their characters very well. Yoon Jin Myeong (Han Ye Ri) was a standout for me!
- how the show was set out was interesting. i won't spoil it so i will just point out where to look out; the openings of each episodes, camera shots, the very very end of each episode (i made this mistake and skipped!! don't skip!! watch until the episode completely finishes.)
- i was so sad that it ended so soon. it was too good. after a while, i'll definitely come back to this drama!
PSA: in the last 2-3 episodes, abuse is featured so please be aware!
(this is my very first time reviewing smth... i signed up just to review this show bc it was just so good and underrated.. i think? smh)
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Actresses did a really good job, where three of them really got into me, into my heart for real. Han Ye Ri as Senior Yoon- her scenes were the most heartbreaking to watch, her strength, her will, her on the surface coldness and her good heart were shown in every tiny detail, I admired her from the beginning till the end, and Ye Ri is one of my favourite Korean actresses. ? Ryu Hwa Young as Senior Kang- strong, cool, sexy, feminine, interesting, mysterious and so damn beautiful, this girl has won me and I totally fell in love. She was for me the most caring one, the one who was there secretly for all of them doing all that she could, simply a true friend that I'd be proud to have. And Park Eun Bin as Song- oh boy what a unique piece of art, I totally cheered for her 100%, she is crazy, funny, positive, talkative, confident yet shy, she has such a pure heart and always up for some weird and original stuff, she really steals your heart with her charm and wittiness. Yes all of them have their own flaws which is totally normal and I love them even more cause of that, in the end no living creature is flawless. The other two girls were maybe the weaker part for me, couldn't get into their characters nor the way they were dealing with some situations but hey, it'd be a fairy tale if all the girls are strong, smart, confident and cool. This way we get to see 5 different kind of women that slowly start to like each other and become so close.
Side characters were also good, those men have done pretty good job with their roles and I liked that, how every person in this drama had some importance. I had a real feeling like I was a part of that gang, that bunch of not ordinary women and that I am involved with their family and love lives. And I liked their apartment very much and that Belle Epoque's Landlady, she was so awesome.
Music is very nice with lots of wonderful songs, I really find every melody appropriate in certain scene and definitely added a more beautiful feeling.
This is kind of drama that you could talk about all the time, kind of drama that you could watch and rewatch and that every time you see and feel something new, the kind of drama that gives you such insight in how other women or different age live and it will tell you how the real life works, with nothing to make it bubblier of fluffier. If you're curious to see that, then Age of Youth is a perfect choice. Enjoyable, lovely, amazing and precious ride it was for me and I do hope deep inside of my heart for a second season. ;)
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From the end of the first episode I was completely hooked! It not only captured my heart but my whole being! I was invested in these woman and lived each second with them. The feels that I felt while watching this show were like a roller coaster, not just for the things they needed to overcome but because I could empathize. The dilemmas they were faced with pulled poignantly at my heart strings.
This show was utterly amazing. For the first time in all my drama watching years I have rated something above a 9. And for me 9 is like the most amazing drama that hit me right in the feels and was perfectly suited to steal my heart. You can't get better than that for me, because most dramas have something that I was was better or different. Now, I'm not saying that this drama was perfect, but it was pretty damn close. It has completely toppled my expectations and set me up for huge disappointment with whatever I watch next. Because I'm pretty sure there's nothing that could match how much I love this show.
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A realistic drama that doesn't overly romanticize the life of a young woman
This hit me in my feels like damn... Believe me when I say that this is underrated shit compared to all that other cliche k-dramas! You actually FEEL this show because it's real and not overly romanticized, because here we see young women from different backgrounds who are struggling in very relatable and relevant issues. If YOU are in your 20's and worry bout stuff like finances, family, love or just yourself then you will relate because this is the most realistic drama you will find.I could not help but cry when I finished this hidden gem.
Here's some good points to why I gave my rating:
- Girl besties growing together
- Protagonist learns from their mistakes
- Cute guys
- 10/10 acting (minus Park Hye Soo)
- Good background jams
- Not CLICHE
- And in the end we value our friendships
I recommend this drama to all genders<33
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Kang sunbae's story was the most interesting, I always looked forward to her scenes. Yoon sunbae's love interest was intriguing, I'm not sure how I feel about him though, I feel as though the actor could have done a bit better but he was decent enough. His intense feelings for her were never quite justified which made his acting not very believable. To be fair, neither were Yoon Jong-yeol's feelings for Eun-jae but I'm gonna let that slide. There was also never any explanation for Song sunbae's impulsive lying, as a result, I found her annoying at times. Episode 1 and the beginning of ep 2 were really really good but things just went downhill from there, I did not enjoy it from there up until like episode 5. It's safe to say that it took a while to get into as it got better in the second half. With that said, I really forced myself to finish this show. Another thing that really annoyed me was how the genre would switch between scenes, it was so sudden and didn't blend well. 'Strong girl Do Bong-soon' did this too but it worked really well. Also, what happened to the story of the old roommate?? they got us so excited and then just brushed it off. They also set up the housemates in episode 1 to be really mean girls so there's a sort of disconnect from the first episode and the others.
As I haven't watched that many dramas, this is the first one I've come across with only english songs and I'm not annoyed at all, the songs blended really well in the scenes and none of them were annoying. I LOVED the song for the opening sequence, so catchy!
Overall it was a good drama if you can bear the irritating things that the characters did at times and overlook parts of the story that seemed to have been dropped by the writers. If we're being honest, most dramas do this but it's bearable as long as it's not overdone. Personally, I'm not rewatching it, I can't put myself through some of the torturous scenes again (maybe a few scenes here and there though lol). P.S I'm really surprised that this drama has such a high rating of 8.8, guess I just have high standards.
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STORY/CAST
the story is really good, it doesn't just show us the good side of each main lead's life, but also show the dark side realisicly, i really like eun jae's story except her family's story, it was kind of confusing for me, but there is just a lot of girls out there are just like her, an introvert who don't know how to get along with other people, i really hope her story end up good and thank god it does. i really like her love line(IT'S MY FAVORITE) i mean, she's just look so cute when she's in love, i've never been so lonely after watching this drama.
Kang yi na is another really charming character, i really love the way she speaks, i can also feel her loneliness in the drama, i'm so glad that she became a better person, i also really like her &quot;friend&quot; and her chemistry, they just look so adorable together
Song ji won... she's a really funny character in my opinion, but instead of funny, i would love to know more about her story how and why is she like that but, the drama doesn't show that much, but she's also a really important character who bought all of them together, i really wish to know more about her if there's second season
Jung ye eun, i'm not really sure about her... i mean, i can relate with her about how people like to lie to make themselves feeling better, but other than that, i don't really like how she like to gossip the other roommate with other people, and i'm not sure has she grown or not throughout the whole series also
Yoon jin myeong is a really look cold at the first glance, but as you get closer to her, she's so warm, she feels just like a mom, an emotionless one, but still really care about other people, i was kind of sad look at her family condition, but, that also show how realistic the drama is.
ACTING
all of them are really good, definitely out of my expectation, especially park hye soo, ryu hwa young and park eun bin i really hope to see her more as main lead
MUSIC
the music is just so good, i really like how they find song from other singer that really suited the drama, i kind of had some hard time fo find all of them though, but they're still really good.
REWATCH VALUE
of course i've got to rewatch this drama, absolutely, however not in this few weeks since i've rewatch every single episode for like 4 times already, but someday, i'll definitely rewatch the drama
ps. this is my first review, i'm really sorry if there's any mistake on the post or i have offended any of you btw, this drama is really good, all of you should check it out
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This review may contain spoilers
“Age of Youth” aired July 22, 2016, to August 27, 2016, and had a cast that I am personally not all that acquainted with. There were familiar faces here and there, but it was my first time encountering our 5 female leads, so that was pretty interesting. I’m not one to be a huge fan of the romantic comedy genre, but I have to say I am quite surprised. This drama had me laughing, crying, and sometimes even a little bit spooked and I like that about this drama. However, with all the changing mood shifts throughout the drama, I sometimes found it to be a bit jarring. The first few episodes I couldn’t really tell where and what the show was going for, but after a while, I could see that perhaps it was trying to be a little different than most coming of age melancholy shows. The dynamic between the five women who lived in this house was my favorite part of the entire show itself. The female leads were all distinctive, and had different points of views on life, and lived vastly different lifestyles. The way they all interreacted and how their friendship grew throughout the show was really the most satisfying part. Having seen them grow individually as characters and how they dealt with the obstacles that life threw at them was compelling. I think this drama has some really special qualities about it and I really did enjoy it, but I still have some gripes with it.The intro sequences were really strange to me, the openings really seemed out of left field. I guess they sort of matched the title of each episode, but I wasn’t really about it. I enjoyed the first episodes’ little drawings incorporated throughout but wished that it would persist the entire drama itself. The ending of the drama was strange to me, it was a little forced to wrap things up, and still left us with a lot of questions. I know there is a season two but for a first-time watcher during the broadcast of the show, we are left wondering so many things. Like whatever happened to the roommate that Jung Ye Eun replaced? We heard a little about her situations but it seemed more serious than that and we never really got anything more about it. They built it up and then nothing really came of it. There are other questions to be asked about each female lead, but I don’t want to really go into spoilers about it so I can’t really talk about it. I felt that this drama dealt with some pretty serious issues but I don’t think that 12 episodes were enough to get fully fleshed out storylines for each of the girls. We would see things happen and situations they were all in, and of course, we got our outcomes, but truly it wasn’t enough time to sort through it all. It sometimes felt just a tad rushed for my liking and I think that perhaps 20 episodes would have done this show better justice.
The female leads in this drama were all great. They all won my heart in some way or another, even though during the first few episodes I was unsure about some of them. I have to say that Ryu Hwa Young as Kang Yi Na was my favorite housemate, and her lifestyle and “job” were my favorite. I know this may sound weird if you have seen it, but I kind of wanted to dive deeper into her lifestyle because I genuinely found it interesting. Han Ye Ri as Yoon Jin Myung was great as well and I think she is a great actress. Her emotional scenes had me in tears and I really want to watch some more dramas with her in it. Park Hye Soo as Yoo Eun Jae was pretty good as well, her character was a little wishy-washy for my liking because she just never seemed very strong and so unsure about everything, that I have to say I was a little annoyed with her. But, I grew to be attached to her character anyways, especially when she had scenes with Shin Hyun Soo as Yoon Jong Yul. Han Seung Yeon as Jung Ye Eun was the girl that I’m sure most were annoyed with. She was the typical Korean female lead that you see where you are just not sure why she is so attached to someone who treats her the way they do. She is whinny and overreacts to everything, but even though she can be annoying she was still fun to watch. She just seemed the most generic to me out of the five girls. Lastly Park Eun Bin as Song Ji Won was great. I loved her character and her personality. Her confidence and boldness was pretty important to the story, and was infectious as a viewer, as she got a lot of balls got rolling which leads to bigger events, and I appreciate that about her character. I just wish the writers would have flushed out her storyline a little more. We just never got enough time with her.
Like I said before the show could have had more episodes to really pull us in and give us more information on each girl; their love and personal lives were all intriguing and I think I would have enjoyed the drama so much more with more development. But with what we had to work with, I’m still pretty fond of this drama. The girls have latched onto my heart, and each of them truly was great characters, I just wish they had more time to shine. This romantic comedy was something that I really enjoyed and may get me more into the romantic comedy genre. I hope that I can watch more of what each of our leads has done because I was impressed by them all. I also hope that season 2 will give us a little more information on some of the girls because the ending was a little too vague. Overall though, I thought it was a pretty great drama that drew you into the world and got you invested into each one of the characters enough for me to want more.
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This intelligent and creative show is about five young women who live in a share house. Of course, they come from different walks of life, have different backgrounds, and much like most people, each of them carries a secret. Like any roommates who share a living space, they get along, they laugh, they cry, and they often argue and fight. But make no mistake. These girls truly love each other and do their best to be there for each other. That is truly the beauty of this show. It proves that a "family" doesn't have to be your nuclear family. In fact, it's a bit interesting and ironic, that in some cases, these girls seem closer to each other than with their parents.
There are some truly touching moments that might tug at your heartstrings, some incredibly hilarious moments that might get you laughing out loud for a spell, and even some thought-provoking moments. In short, this show has just about everything.
First, we have Jin-Myung Yoon. Yoon doesn't say much, but when she does speak, she is honest and sincere, even to the point of being blunt. She comes across as cold, but she really isn't. Her "tough" exterior hides the wounded woman suffering through the pain of believing that she's alone. She's cautious about who she opens up to, and when she does, Yoon speaks her mind. She has a challenge of truly connecting with people and showing them who she is. However, she loves her roommates, and will do anything for them. She works three jobs and goes to school. She is the most mature of all of them, and she is my personal favorite.
Next is Ye-Eun Jung, who is probably the most immature of the group and has some serious self-esteem issues. She adores her boyfriend, despite the poor way that he treats her. Everything is about status with her. She cares about how she looks, what she wears, how much she weighs, and what everyone thinks about her. She is prone to be thoughtless, but she is also cheerful, cute, and despite her clashes with Kang, she also cares very deeply for her fellow roommates.
Ji-Won Song is the most energetic and creative of the bunch. She also has absolutely no problem expressing herself. She's never embarrassed. She will also frequently take the initiative in activities where others are hesitant. She lives her life a bit on the edge, and sometimes gets a bit carried away with the "truth." She is rarely ever down or upset, and she is the one most likely to try and cheer up a friend.
Kang Yi-Na is the only one who doesn't share a room with anyone else. A woman with a tragic past, she works as an escort. She also has no vices about walking around with little/nothing on, which makes some of the other roommates uncomfortable. She has more "life knowledge" than the other girls, especially about how men behave. She isn't tricked by the antics that men play, and this gets her into fights with Ye-Eun over Ye-Eun's naivety about her own boyfriend. It's a toss-up as to who is tougher: Kang or Yoon.
Lastly, we have Eun-Jae, who is the newest addition to the house. She is also the youngest with the least amount of life experience. Coming from the country, she is a young woman who is extremely naive about how things work. It is also very difficult for her to speak her mind or even speak up about things until it's already reached a boiling point. Very sweet with a timid personality, she is very much like the "baby sister" of the group. All of the other girls feel a sense of "protectiveness" toward her.
Not only is the writing top-notch, but so is the acting. These five women have a certain chemistry that can't be overlooked. They know their characters inside and out, and they make the show work! Each brings something special to the table, but it's those moments when they are truly looking out for each other as well as being there for each other that demonstrates the true power of the show.
I would guess that many people would love to have a "family" like this! Why? Because no matter what happens, at the end of the day, they truly love each other, and isn't that what a family is?
**Netflix finally released Season 2, and the show is just as good as ever, adding a couple of new characters, and leaving me hoping and praying for a Season 3!**
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That' the first time that I have a special feeling towards a drama!
The story isn't really original but I like to watch slice of life and youth dramas.
I liked all the characters thanks to all the superb actresses, especially Han Yeri and Ryu Hwa Young, they had for me the best ones!
They all have their own story, which were really interesting!
I laughed a lot but I cried too watching it, because we can all relate to them and their feelings, It was like they were my friends too.
I really wish that more dramas will be like that in the future!
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