Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)

Bitter Sweet Journey

Production , cinematography, world/year events and scenery were all excellent. The music/OST also was very well done.

LIKES:
The acting of both ML and FL was very good. All the actresses and actors did phenomenal jobs in their roles; the supporting cast, the cast for sporting and news events, all the extras too. The Director did an amazing job for this drama. I felt that the ML and FL had amazing chemistry, but so did all the younger couples. The friendship, love and rivalry flowed nicely throughout the storyline and plot. All the sports competitions and training about Fencing, was the best from all similar dramas. It was as if you were at the competitions yourself as the viewer. The theme of growing up to handle hardship and happiness, while never giving up on hopes and dreams was mostly well delivered. I liked how most of the relationships were concluded. They showed plenty of growth for all the main leads. I enjoyed that the story was based on the diary being read by Na Hee Do's daughter. I didn't notice if there were any "FX". I liked how they concluded or tied in the book store from beginning to end.

DISLIKES:
Baek Yi-jin's mother was very annoying and I wanted her to just shut up. Maybe it was how the writers wanted that character.
Throughout the drama there were some moments that made me say WTF [See spoilers at the end of this review]. The ending felt a little rushed and should've been changed to 2 or 3 more episodes. I think time management became an issue in some of the episodes, especially noticeable in the last 2 episodes. The ending was a little too open, based on what the viewers were fed about the ML Yi Jin and FL Hee Do.

OVERALL: Everything up until the last two episodes was great, interesting and had me enraptured. I would recommend this drama and might re-watch it in the future.

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[SPOILER ALERT ]
I liked that Baek Yi-jin's brother and Seung Wan reunited at the end, to give more depth to their characters.
I disliked that Hee Do didn't show as much growth as Yu Rim. Same with Baek Yi-jin, as a reporter he grew, but as an adult there wasn't much character growth. I was thoroughly annoyed that we don't find out who Hee Do married and had a daughter with. Having focused in the beginning on the fencing and going to the olympics for Hee Do, then at the end nothing of the stress and excitement of going to the olympics and winning gold was shown. In the end I hated that they didn't show Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee Do reuniting (even as friends) at the end and final episode. It made the adult Hee Do seem pointless. Also some of the flashbacks in the final episode, ran too long and they could've used the time better.

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Exeeding Expectations... except the ending

Is this drama overhyped? Not at all.

The thing about this drama is the feeling it gives while watching. It's a one of a kind feeling, and one of the reasons I watch dramas in the first place. I honestly enjoy watching this drama so much, it does everything right and has so many different storylines all pulled together through Na Hee Do.

The main character played by Kim Tae Ri is Na Hee Do, and she is the most enjoyable lead I have ever seen in a drama. An girl with so many hopes, she's entertaining because she's honestly hilarious. This girl goes about life in her own way without being overly relatable, she's just Na Hee Do. Kim Tae Ri pulls off this youthful character so well, and for an actress over 30 she not it's not just about looking like a 19 year old. Kim Tae Ri portrays this character so well that the drama feels completely real, there's no doubt to her character. The other leads are not what I expected, seeing Yu Rim at first I never expected her to be either really mean or really nice. Again with this character she's someone you can root for or be against. There's not a villain in this drama, instead I'd call it a coming of age over calling it a romantic comedy.

This drama has sports, it has amazing comedic timing that even Jungkook had to put a moment on his story because it was just too perfect. The pacing isn't boring, but it's not too quick paced. This drama is one I've looked forward to every week and one I know I would binge watch if I could.

Now a controversies (if any) could come from the age gap between Baek Yi Jin and Na Hee Do. I don't see anything wrong with any of their story so far. Yi Jin looks after Hee Do but he isn't overbearing, he's protective but trusts her. The trust and communication they have in each other is touching, and again there's many moment with comedic timing between the two that is all too enjoyable to watch. The dynamic between the two is not only adorable, it's a word I can't find a name for so I'll call it scissors (if you watched you know :))

To sum this up, Twenty Five Twenty One is so good. I swear I see dramas and I can feel something change, I want to find other dramas like it but I know there won't ever be, and then more amazing dramas come out. Twenty Five Twenty One is an experience that I won't take for granted.

Now coming back after watching the whole show I am dissapointed with the ending. As it was open ended, ultimately they didn't need Present Day Na Hee Do to exist in the story at all, the show would've served much better taking place in the flashbacks the whole time without any present day story at all. That's because there was no closure at all, and there wasn't a resolution between Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin. In the end they loved each other a lot, and to me I don't understand why it was needed for them to stay apart forever. Sadness doesn't equal to a good ending, that's where the drama severely disappoints me. Nonetheless it was a fun watch.

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A promising start learning to no where

A drama that got me hooked from the very start. I literally went to what I was 2 years ago, impatiently waiting for the new episodes. But it came out quite a surprise how, the creators can ruin their own creations. I literally have no problem with baekedo not ending together, but they way the drama was messed in the second part, and it began hitting the rock bottom.

Nam jio hyuk has improved a lot as an actor,and Kim tae ri was phenomenal as usual, osts and BG scores were top notch.

This drama destroyed all of my brain cells. But I do not deny the first half was awesome, the youth phase was incredibly relatable.

WATCH THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

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refreshing slice of life- with some drawbacks

i didnt have any expectations for this drama at all, but it ended up being fantastic (for the most part). it was so authentic and organic, from the friendships to life situations. i found all of the characters to be very human and interesting to follow. this is one of the few kdramas ive seen that depicts humanity so realistically, with their flaws and growing pains.

i will mostly be discussing the negatives of this drama, because everything was good besides a few things that i felt prevented this drama from being perfect. ill still mention all of the good things briefly, and in short i recommend you watch this drama (i recommend only watching ep 1- the first ten min of ep 15 and calling it finished)

a slice of life romcom would be a good way to describe the plot. teenagers and adults alike are struggling amidst the imf crisis, and two young athletes struggle at friendship while competing. kim tae ri is endearing as 18 year old heedo, a fencing prodigy that is strong willed, stubborn, kind, and energetic. yurim, a gold medalist fencer, was difficult to like at first but she became a great friend and worthy of praise. nam joohyuk feels grounding as yijin, forced to grow up too quickly but learning to find happiness again with heedo. jiwoong and seung wan started getting more screentime later in the drama which i greatly appreciated as i thought they added a lot to the overall show. i loved discovering the hidden sides of themselves, how their opinions on the world as teens wanting to rebel in their own ways was slowly shown to us. overall i really enjoyed watching them all grow and form bonds with each other, it was truly the definition of youth.


the friendship between heedo and yijin was one of my favorite on screen relationships to date. i thought they would do well whether it was romantic or platonic and the show did a good job at showing why they would work together, but also why they wouldnt have. they started to rely on and support each other, becoming a source of happiness for the other person. but they were also in two different stages of life: yijin had to grow up too quickly and became more mature and grounded while heedo still had a sort of childlike optimism and persistence. these were traits that drew them to each other: what the other was lacking. they needed each other, but they were still growing on their own. regardless of the romance arc this friendship was just so believable, healthy and organic.

the friendship group formed between heedo, yurim, seungwan, and jiwoong was lighthearted and refreshing. what really brought them together was their willfulness and stubbornness, each in their own ways. heedo in fencing, yurims in her love for her family, jiwoong in his interests, seungwan in her morals. the drama touched on a lot of important subjects, especially with the jiwoong/seungwan school punishment arc. yijin also ended up as a part of this group, and i loved the mentor role he took on. he knew what it was like to grow up too fast, so giving heedo and yurim a school trip and reminding them to enjoy their youth was so heartfelt. when he stepped in to save seungwan from the reporter as well, hes using his knowledge to save them from going through troubles. there were a lot of parallels between the characters and the relationships depicted were all complex and realistic.


and of course the cinematography was unique to the show, the soundtrack was nice, and the acting- obviously- top notch. production wise i have no complains. the 90s vibe and aesthetic alone is enough to watch this drama. i compliment the writers for creating such realistic and smooth conversations and such believable characters.

some of my favorite moments:
-heedo telling yijin they should be happy with each other while running around at night.
-the mini school trip where they all sat on the beach watching sunset.
-the friend group watching the fireworks on the rooftop
-them watching heedo and yurims interviews on tv
-when heedo and yurim cheered seungwan on for quitting school
-jiwoong not being able to park the car and them all jumping around in happiness when they lifted it

some things i disliked about the drama that affected my rating:

1. false advertising

it doesnt actually take place when they are 25 and 21. its mostly when heedo is 18 (korean age) and yijin is 22. considering the description says “ Two people first meet when they are 22 and 18 years old and fall in love years later when they turn 25 and 21. “ i was a little confused. so why did they called it 2521 and give a misleading description & title ? probably because they knew the age gap might cause a problem, leading into my next point.


2. the age gap.

ive seen some people defending it, 18 and 22 is not that far off after all. id love to say “this is just a work of fiction, lets just enjoy this wholesomeness!” but i just cant. especially because it IS a work of fiction and the writers couldve done this differently.
a four year age gap isnt a big deal between two adults at the very least in the same stage of life. if this romance actually happened when they were 21 and 25 i wouldnt be writing all of this right now. thats what the description states after all, and yet the romance happened prior. but heedo was a highschooler, an immature one at that- remember how she dated and broke up with a guy just to see what its like? she thought you have to wash lettuce with soap. when yijin and heedo were out together, it was so uncomfortable seeing her in a school uniform and him in a suit. yijin, despite being a good man, was an adult. not even a college student, but an adult living alone with a job out in the real world. luckily, they started dating when she was old enough to drink alcohol, so i suppose thats adult enough.
but i think the problem lies within his confession to her. we know they like each other, it wouldve been better build up and more comfortable for the general audience had the writers waited for them to both be full grown adults (or at least for heedo to graduate highschool) to have them confess. this is made worse by the fact that ALL of his friends highschoolers. i do understand that this is a small neighborhood in the 90s and it was all by circumstance- yurim due to family, heedo by accident, seungwan as the neighbor etc etc. but he rarely hung out with adults his age outside of work, that’s what makes this whole situation weird to me. and its not just yijin: in ep 10 seungwan tells yijins 15 yr old brother “ 4 more years? ill wait for you”. gross. what is with this show and its love for inappropriate 4 yr age gaps? overall im blaming the writers for not being a little more nuanced about a potentially inappropriate relationship. i dont think this is enough to write off the drama, but this is important to note:

this is the most avoidable problem in the whole drama, especially when since the beginning yijin has said “adults should only date other adults” and “highschool drama is for highschoolers, im an adult” and has brought up how young they all were and how different their lives were. the writers know this isnt okay and made a point to comment on it- but did it anyway.
i dont care if this age gap doesnt matter to you, i dont care if you think this specific situation is okay or if “the 90s were a different time!” or if “theyre both technically adults!” this drama has a responsibility to portray this relationship with a certain sensitivity. a few simple changes couldve been made to make it a little more acceptable to the general public, but like i said i dont think this is enough to swear off watching it.

2. yurims arc

the writers really pushed yurim as a bully from the beginning. she was cruel to heedo, belittled her, affected her personal and school life. she often played the victim despite constantly being supported by everyone around her. being poor and scared of losing was the excuse they gave her, it caused an inferiority complex. i didnt think this was strong enough to combat heedos problems, although i suppose theyre meant to be equal. yurim is poor and loved, while heedo is rich with a dead father and an absent mother. i understood what the writers were trying to do here. but the actual switch, the injeolmi reveal, was a weak turning point. if you watch the episodes one after the other, it makes it obvious how jarring and simple yurims personality shift was. pre ep 8, she caused the whole nation to hate heedo on her behalf and constantly belittles her. none of this matters until yurim sees that she was her internet friend. only this sparks her apology, which means if they hadnt been internet friends she would be forever cruel and unapologetic. this makes yurim seem continuously self centered and flimsy as a character. after ep 8 heedo and yurim are awkwardly kind to each other and start building a friendship. yurim kind of explains herself in the later half but i just thought they built the mean yurim up too well, or at least didnt put enough care into her arc. i am glad yurim retains some of those feelings (ep 11 she says she is still scared of heedo) so it isnt like she woke up a different person.
i guess your opinion on this depends on which you empathize more with, but i always felt more on heedos side. we saw her walk home alone after matches, advocate for herself, practice until she couldnt stand, be bullied by someone she admired, win a gold medal with no support from her coach or mother. im sure yurim went through difficulties, but it was heedos that were shown on screen, so i resonated more with her. all i wanted was the best for her, especially in terms of her and yurims relationship. and when heedo forgave yurim, their scenes were very cute and heartwarming and i did grow to love her and i enjoyed all of their scenes together. but i cant just pretend she wasnt a horrible person for half of the drama. heedo is clearly more forgiving than i am.

i did end up having to just let my feelings on this go in order to enjoy the drama, but i wanted to mention this.

3. the present time

this drama wouldve done well just focusing on the past. it felt unbalanced, we start off in the present and heedos daughter is sort of a narrator, but then we exist in the past uninterrupted for periods of time. i guess 2521 was going for a reply series kind of thing, but i would’ve preferred it to just take place in the past. the story of the friend group, the romance, the sports, the imf crisis, it was all enough to keep us going for the entire duration of the show. the present time brought down the whole mood of the drama and made it dip more into melodrama territory. i didnt want to worry about if someone was going to die or get amnesia. i didnt want angst, i wanted to watch what seemed like a lighthearted slice of life character based romcom as promised. like id be watching the characters laughing and having fun and bam- heedos daughter is on screen killing my vibe. or we are having a cute moment and we have a flash forward sequence that makes us question who breaks up with who. i dont think this drama needed extra mystery or suspense, it already had a sort of darker tone with the imf crisis (which was all but forgotten in favor of other side plots). yijins family troubles were as much sadness as i needed and like i mentioned before, there was plenty of side plots to keep this drama going. i guess some people didnt mind, but i definitely noticed much of the audience speculating on the ending constantly instead of just enjoying the show, which is major buzzkill for anyone wanting to watch and hoping to just enjoy it. perhaps this is just a personal preference but i strongly think this couldve been more powerful as just a slice of life. those are hard to pull off, and they were so close. i ended up not watching the future scenes as they ruined the vibe for me.

4. the ending
just trust me on this, dont bother with the last two episodes. the characters were completely different people, too much angst and a lot of decisions made by the end were so distasteful. the writers just stopped caring by the end. it just goes to show the drama was written to be anticipated for weekly ratings and not just to be enjoyed.

and thats the end of my review. i know it was mainly negative, but again- everything besides these points was top notch. id still recommend this drama to anyone.

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The Villain: Time

Was expecting a happy ending but this is just the reality of life. You don't always end up with your first love, you change, you grow up, you forget and move on. But the people you met will always be part of who you are now. I know we watch dramas to get away from reality, but I think after time I will recover from their sad ending and realize it’s not really sad. They loved each other, and that’s all that matters. They gave each other strength, and she showed her daughter that strength as well. While I admit that I’m broken they didn’t end up together, I would be lying to say that this ending didn’t touch me. This drama was special and will always be special to me. It shows me that in the future if I love something dearly, it was worthwhile and not pointless even if it ends.

This drama taught us how precious youth is. it's precious because it'll only be a phase, it'll be the only time where passion and friendship are the only things that matter. that's why you have to treasure it. This type of finale is kind of new. it was heart breaking but beautiful. Thank you for everything, 2521.

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i feel empty after watching this drama

at first i wasn’t really interested in starting this drama but once i watched the first ep i started binge watching them all. the story, acting, ost is amazing. sometimes i felt like i was floating, leaving my daily problems behind. every episode left me speechless and i cried a lot but also smiled a laughed. the chemistry between the cast is incredible. and one important thing, OST!!! this drama has some amazing ost, probably my favorite of all dramas i’ve watched so far, the ost was perfect for the scenes and cannot describe how it made me feel, my life was complete for a minute! i definitely recommend watching and i feel like i’m gonna rewatch it soon, the ending was a bit disappointing but overall i love this drama so much

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Who are they kidding?

The clues were there early on that maybe this series won't end the way I anticipated. But I have to say I held on in hope. Partly because this is Kdrama and partly because the acting was so darn good.
I rooted for these guys, because a relationship likes theirs is super hard to find. The chemistry, commitment, companionship, was flawless. And that, for me, was the main problem with this show. Yes, the characters made flawed decisions, but don't we all? This show promised so much but it seemed to end on some strange premise that the leads learnt something and that 'something' enabled them to make their next choice. I don't care for ambiguous endings and this series did the ultimate faux pas of being ambiguous and rushed.
Maybe it's just me, but finding love such as the one described in this show, is rare. It isn't a stepping stone to something else. Leaves me to wonder what on earth the writers really intended for us as viewers. Because first love is one thing, but true love is another.

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Almost the greatest most comforting show of all time

Honestly, this show had everything going for it. The cast was phenomenal and their chemistry was unmatched. The soundtrack is one for the record books. The story was simple but heartfelt and engaging- young people fighting for each other’s dreams despite ‘the times’ and the world seemingly all against them. There was a time jump involved in the storytelling with the daughter not having the same last name as the love interest from the main timeline, so there was also mystery involved, which was exciting. Despite the last name confusion, the style of storytelling was very hopeful, leaving you thinking that perhaps there was a clever trick played by the storyteller. The kind of trick that would make you go ‘aha!’ At the end and breathe a sigh of relief and joy because of course- of course! Na Hee Do and Back Ye Jin are still together, why wouldn’t they still be together when they fight for each other and support each other and love each other again and again and again, despite all odds. So so so despite the confusion, we watched this show with hope and excitement for the end but whoops we were fooled- the ending was not happy. Well, technically it was “happy.” Supposedly the characters are healthy and happy, but the viewers experienced the breakup just 20 minutes ago and so a ‘happy ending’ just isn’t sitting well when we haven’t had years of grieving and learning and growing and falling in love again with someone new like the characters have. We weren’t given any of that so the “happy ending” feels false and cruel. I’m left wondering why why why were they not able to work through the final problem like they have all the others? Why?? Yes, I understand that people break up and some people are in your life just for a season, but I don’t want to watch a show about relationships that are like ships passing in the night, there’s enough of that in real life. I want to watch a show about people who make it work and fight for each other and keep fighting for each other so I can see that it can happen and I can have hope.
Anyways, enough of my ranting and sobbing. I’m just really disappointed at the over-romanticization of youth that happened in this show and I wanted more of a romanticization of all of life. But i didn’t find it in this show and I’m disappointed.
Besides how it ended, this show is absolutely gorgeous. But now I don’t want to recommend it to anyone because that ending was a whole lot of . . . Bleh.

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Unnecessary Sad Ending!

After building each character beautifully the writer shits on the very last episode of the show. The character build was amazing and the relationship between all 5 were beautifully written, with focusing majorly on Na-Hee Do and Back-Ye Jin relationship from the start and the series was going great, but I don’t know what went up with the writer that he thought an unpolished, unexplained unnecessary sad ending with major plot holes will make this series rank highest in the list of every k-drama fan, like you got to be kidding me LOL. It completely ruined the mood and I'm sure it disappointed many viewers on so many levels. Both the characters: Na-Hee Do & Back-Ye jin were shown to have great understanding nature, but at the end they were completely out of character and showed no understanding to each others situation whatsoever, fighting over a small bump they had because Ye Jin temporarily moved to NY to cover 911, which could have been easily resolved as he hid no feelings from her but explained everything which caused him depression. Also, she lost some diary of hers on the bus and from nowhere some guy/girl got it and posted it to Back-Ye Jin without any mistake, I mean where did they get the address EXPLAIN?????!!!!, and he after writing some message for Na-Hee Do chose to send it through the "library guy" she used buy comics from, before 2000, instead of sending via post, BOY SERIOUSLY?????!!!!! Well, whatever, the series is not a must watch for sure and you can happily skip if you want. I will not be recommending this to anyone further. It’s a total waste of time!

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"Carpe diem", seize the day!

Time and patience, told to be the greatest warriors, can change your lives to the extents, that you can never imagine, right? Time is not the best thing, it's the only thing. On contrary, time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted time; it might flow like an arrow but still brings out fruitful results. You witness, in 2521, what time is capable of doing with human lives and what it can turn them into.

Produced by Hwa&Dam Pictures and Created by Studio Dragon, "Twenty-Five Twenty-One (스물다섯 스물하나)" is a 16 episode show about blooming youth, that has set on an odyssey to attain prosperity and entirety of life. Written by Kwon Do Eun and Directed by Jung Ji Hyun, 25-21 was broadcasted on tvN and Netflix, for which Lim Ha Young has taken the responsibility for composing the album. The production started shooting on 7th September 2021 and the principal photography was done in Ahyeon-dong, present in Seoul's Mapo District. It was also filmed in parts of Jeonju, Seohak-dong, Jeonju Hanok Village, Jeonju National University of Education's dormitory alley, and the National Intangible Heritage Center, as per the production.

25-21 is a drama about dreams, passions, ambitions and goals of a group of young students who despite their situations and circumstances, not only strive to achieve what they want but also get them and thrive together, through their teenage. It's the story of love and mutual care between characters, who share each other's life with utmost solicitude and look forward to their success. The story keeps at centre, Baek Yi Jin and Na Hee Do, who met when they were 25 and 18; and shows us the flow by which their lives change when they turn 25 and 21, respectively. The most important fact, the story takes us to the year 1998, when the world as well as South Korea is nearing to welcome a new millennia and embrace the changes that come along. I think this is good enough to describe the show without spilling anything important.

Na Hee Do (Kim Tae Ri) is an aspiring fencer, who gives her best and can go to any length when it comes to keeping up with her passion. In spite of the rough days she had to go through while dealing with lonliness, she's not been able to give up what she loves with all her desires. Baek Yi Jin (Nam Joo Hyuk) is a young guy with passion, whose dreams get shattered after sensing poorness from being a chaebol. With the desire to get his separated family back, he does work hard while trying his best to keep up with his mental health. Ko Yu Rim (Bona) is Hee Do's rival and a world champion fencer. Ji Seung Wan (Lee Joo Myung), the class topper and Moon Ji Woong (Choi Hyun Wook), the fashionista popular, guy are friends with the Hee Do and Yu Rim.

Some very familiar and skilled faces in the drama include: Seo Jae Hee, Kim Hye Eun, Kim So Hyun, Choi Min Young and Kim Young Sun.

The acting dept is full of acclaimed actors who wonderfully justified their characters. The kind of role Nam Joo Hyuk plays is definitely his forte and his acting skills has nonetheless been proved since the beginning of his career. I would like him to switch but I feel this particular character was made for him. Also remember him saying in an interview "Wow! That's Hee Do"in response to his impression about Kim Tae Ri. And on that note, I am certain no one will disagree that anyone else could have justify Na Hee Do, like Taeri has done. Being a 31yo woman, she has done the most accurate representation of a 18yo immature teenager, that, I am sure nobody can level with. Been a fan of hers for years, I know that, as a person of cinema, she isn't someone who rashly accepts any drama making it to her home, and 25-21 is the living proof of why I'm saying that.

Bona is a blooming actress and judging her improved skills from this show, I truly wish she goes up and up in the drama world, because I have witnessed the way she has evolved even with handful of experience.The same goes for Lee Joo Myung; I didn't really remember seeing her elsewhere before checking her biobut what an impressive character and what an amazing performance she has delivered throughout, I am impressed. Special mention to Choi Hyun Wook; being the youngest among the 5 main actors, that too only 20, when others are 26+, the way he could establish himself at the level of such amazing acting, he deserves all the appreciation. I wish Joo Myung and Hyun Wook had more screentime, but I guess whatever they had, they definitely brought the best outta it. Also mentioning, Choi Min Young who played Baek Yi Hyun (Yijin's dongsaeng), bcs he was cute; I mean I have seen him numerous times before, but he was the cutest here TT.

Plot Development...There was no definite plot to being with, that was made clear; the progression made it clear that 2521 was an awfully accurate "coming of age" story with bag full of "slice of life" elements. However, after the midway, the writer tricks the audience by setting a definitive goal; the flashbacks of the future comes as a storm to the audience creating confusions and curiousness, thereby bringing more intrest and attraction towards the show. I am sure, it was not just me, who was getting anxious with the ending of each episode; it's like I was walking on the eggshells with concerns about a lot of things. I would like to inform that, that anxiety reaches it's peak as the show nears its ending. I can noway forget how painful yet exciting it was to wait for a week to get my answers and be allayed. I should wrap up by saying that the ending was not convincing, not realistic either. The reason of..... felt very stupid; well, I am disappointed, not sad. It does hurt for why it happened, than what actually happened, Its not what you call realistic; the writer was not thinking right. Not gonna disprove the entire thing bcs of what happened at the end, but yeah, it will definitely affect my ratings.

I haven't been able to make time for Search: WWW yet and Kwon Do Eun jakka-nim has created only 2 dramas including this. Hence, I am not gonna present a criticism rather praise, how beautiful and impactful story she's offered the world through 2521 and any kind of word wouldn't amount to her skills as a writer; this is all I can say. The flow of the story is wonderful. The characters are awfully admirable; their archs were heart touching and accurately drawn with much relation to realism. This has some very gratifying and satisfying character development, I must admit. The storytelling method.... No I put a halt bcs the method here is very interesting and through which it takes place, also make it something to look forward to. Only if the ending waa good, I was gonna think her as one of my most favourite writers, I am serious.

Not so Rookie Director, Jung Ji Hyun PDnim, hit the stage of Kdramas with amazing drama and has continued to produce ones which become acclaimed by audiences, despite the qualities. Nevertheless, he must be credited for he always creates the buzz. I am not sure whether I should comment this but from every angel, I think this should be the breakthrough in his career. The direction and setups never let us down throughout, isn't it? The cinematography is mesmerizing for most of the parts; with bright hue and variable alleviating colour palletes which did correspond to the scenarios, moods and vibes for each and every scene.

Lim Ha Young PDnim who masters in composing for slice of life Kdramas has delivered tremendously amazing scores for 2521, proving again her skills. The OSTs are lovely, likable, memorable and I have come to embrace all of them. To my knowledge and as much I have been updated, there is a set of 9 OSTs.
# "Your Existence" by Wonstein is my most favourite of all and goes into my all time favourite Kdrama OSTs list. Wonstein's harmonizing vocals with the melodious instrumental and pleasing lyrics, makes this song so touchy, I can go on listening to it all the day, especially the rhythm of the song.

# "With" sung by the 5 main cast is something that makes you cry precious tears; of course it's very relatable for the story, given that the characters themselves have sung it.

# "Go!" by SVT Dokyeom serves as the energizing track of the album whose lyrics are also motivating was used during fencing scenes to present athletes' spirit.

# "Starlight" is lyrically beautiful song about passionate love, ornamented with Taeil's (NCT) vocals and has the feels of pre-2010 Kdrama OSTs'.

# "Shine on You with Blinding Flash of Light" by giseong bae is the track with retro vibes, depicting the beauty of blooming youth.

# "Stardust Love Song" by Jihyo is an emotional ode to love and it's essence in life. The vocal is so on point, it can make you melt.

Rest of the tracks include:

"Very, Slowly," by BIBI
"Free" by Xydo
"Your World" by SURL

What I loved...
# Na Hee Do... Yes! The character! Because Na Hee Do was that base of the mountain which held onto the drama of such huge essence. None of the people, watching this drama, would say that Na Hee Do wasn not their most fav character. She was the many people started this drama, she was the reason many continued to watch the drama, she was the reason people ended up falling in love with the drama and she will be the reason many will keep coming back to here.

# The flow of the story... It is very different from most of the drama out there who always set goals and move towards it, with either 'this' or 'that' results. The biggest achievement of the show is that, it made us think, which is very important.

# The narratives and topics... The kind of narratives it has with neutral as well as balanced perspectives of each of the every character even during contrasting disputes, truly commendable. The wide range of topics the writer has attempted to adresss and spark conversations about and also gave it a closure, is praiseworthy.

# The athlete pov.... Not the first drama to show the life and feelings of the athletes but surely the only one to showcase equitable and open-minded perspectives from either sides. The portrayal of true sportsman spirit between players and their contribution to replicating passion in the mass, is amazing.

# The reporter pov... As Baek Yi Jin became a journalist, I wasn't expecting the writer to show more about his life as a professional but to my surprise, untold and lesser known sides of journalism and reporters were brought into conversation, making it an unique set of approaches.

# The friendship... This is definitely going to the list of one of the best Kdrama squads, because it is. The group of five, 4 of which where classmates with Yijin were so adorable and supportive of each other; I swear they brought life into me, every time there was a scene involving them.

# The romance... It amounted to perfectness. It in no way is entirely romance-centric, even though their relationship remains at the center of the drama, followed by the friendship of the squad. It definitely evolved from teenager romance adult sharing of love, with meaningful exchanges throughout.

# The slice of life elements... As told earlier, slice of life is the actual genre of this drama and it was tremendously reflected throughout the show. The monologues narrating lessons of life and the conversations emphasizing the essence of our existence, touched my heart so much, especially in the first half of the show, I had no way but to stick to it till the end.

# The contemporary elements... Be it the IMF crisis or the Asian Games or the revolution in art & lifestyle; the drama is another stupendous representation of the socio-cultural and socio-economic situations of the contemporary time. It's always a pleasure to witness Kdramas set in those periods.

What I didn't like.... THE ENDING. Don't wanna talk more about it. I know that could be a possibility but still, it was a well built story and the reasons the writer wanted to provide don't suffice the conventions; I'm not sorry if anyone disagrees.

Final Remarks... Honestly, I hesitated a lot before writing this review; I was not sure, whether I was worthy of writing a review for this? This drama has touched so many points and made mw reflect on my own, I was not ready to judge it a bit. It's after a long time, I have come to love something that much. After giving so much of thoughts, now that I write this review, I believe, it will reach many more people as it can and I wish you all who are watching it or going to watch, have the same, or even better experience than mine. I was more than willing to give it a 9.5 but provided the way the essence of the entire show got shattered into pieces with the ending, I am deducting the points. I am always gonna acknowledge how excellent of a show this is but the disappointment about the ending bothers me so much, I am giving a 9.0.

Definitely a must watch piece and already the best of 2022 despite it's ending, which I am not taking into consideration anyways. Putting it in my all time favourite list, without a second thought, please go ahead with it. Good luck :)

P. S. Definitely revisiting this post to add points whenever I am reminded of something that's worth telling about this drama.

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Ending Unworthy of a Female Lead with such Fighting Spirit

From the first episode, Hee Do has won our hearts with her quirkiness, her conviction and her fighting spirit. She put everything into her passions, whether it’s her love of fencing or her admiration of the national champion Yu Rim, or her love of her manhwa comics. She never gave up, even when she experienced the painful tragedy of her dad’s passing, she continued on. Despite Yu Rim being such a bitch to her in the beginning, her adoration never wavered.

There are a lot of good things to admire about Hee Do and her bold and dorky characteristics. The friendship between her and Yu Rim is very sweet, it’s stronger than their competitiveness and adversary, and the gossips that try to take them down.
Such unshakable devotion to a friend tells me she’ll also love with the same conviction. Her love for Yi Jin would be just as passionate. She believed in him, she’s understanding and supportive. She wouldn’t give up just because they hit a bump in their relationship. Her competitive spirit wouldn’t let her give up so easily.

The ending was very rushed, all within an episode or two and everything changes. The build-up to the end was steady and we see how their relationship develop and grow. Something that grows on such solid foundation wouldn’t just topple so easily. Him moving to New York is a weak excuse for a break up. It made no sense for Yi Jin to move to New York. That they could grow older and grow apart, sure that’s believable but everything happened so quickly that it’s unbelievable.

Hee Do being who she is wouldn’t give up so easily. She’ll keep on fighting for the man she loves.

If the writer is trying to get across that time and youth is precious, for us to grasp it and take full advantage of it, then the long build-up of Hee Do and Yi Jin’s relationship was somewhat misplaced. Throughout the series, they kept the audience playing the game of Did They or Didn’t They end up together. They keep throwing hints that they didn’t, but we still wait with hope that they did. That kept us going, but the ending never delivered. In the end, it was a wishy washy ending for a strong female lead.

The ending feels forced, a device just to make the audience cry.

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A beautifully captured moment (okay years) in time

This drama is such a trip down memory lane, relatable lovable, sweet and deep. Not so much for the sports and romance this dramas strengths are rather the slice of life, nostalgia, real events, issues, mixed with beautiful stories of friendship, hardship and some other ship...

To be honest I was a little bit annoyed at the way they portrayed the female lead in the first few episodes making her seem a lot younger than she was supposed to be as well as making the male lead seem a lot older than he was supposed to. I understand that it was probably done to set the scene and mood but it was little bit over done and borders on annoying. However that faded out as the story progressed and rather turned in to character growth instead of annoyance.

I was also annoyed at people pushing blame, wishing others harm o and it did have just a little bit to much yelling for my taste... But hone it had all these really good one liners and scenes encouraging mistakes that I almost forgot about those annoying elements.

There are a lot of good and interesting messages in this drama, great cinematography, gorgeous use of umbrellas... cuteness, fluff and everything painful... The short visits in to present day are well placed and though they could be considered spoilers making this drama spoil itself... the spoiling still keeps us wondering why, how and in what way are they going to... dare I feel happy? In other words these so called spoilers keep the emotional level high thru out the drama.

The people and situations portrayed in this drama are often complex and are often shown from different angels taking a step away from the typical good guy/bad guy as well as showing the affect on the people behind them.. As well as showing the circumstances leading up to the situation or sometimes questionable decision.

The setting in the late 90´s was so much fun to watch, having been a teen at that time my self I just loved the way they used tapes, showed the fashion, the computers, the first phone... the fear of the 2k-bug and the events that helped form the people of my generation, even if I myself liven on the other side of Asia at the time,

I have, laughed, cried, been angry... Yep felt just about every single emotion out there making this drama just right for me and would have given it 10 stars if it wrest for some cringey annoying dialog here and there as well as a few (very few) twists that felt like they were trying to make us a bit to emotional. The emotions were there just fine without those scenes so they ended up annoying me. However I do love this story, the way it is told and the overall messages conveyed in this drama

In numbers
Bingeabilaty: 10
Lovable and interesting characters: 10
Annoying elements : -2
Frustration: 7
Sidestorys: 10
Main story: 10
Oneliners: 10
Relatable characters: 9
Visuals+ eye candy: 10

In conclusion I loved it!

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