MY FAVORITE DRAMA
THIS DRAMA IS AMAZING!!! it's addictive and portrays the story of gwangju's rebellion (it can be very confusing to watch if you don't know what the rebellion was about, so I recommend reading about it on the internet first if you're interested in watching). everything portrayed is immensely moving and each episode makes you more and more connected to the story. the drama development is fantastic and the performances are absolutely sensational!!!! this is, without a doubt, my favorite drama, I highly recommend it!!!Was this review helpful to you?
Both heartwarming and heart-wrenching
This drama really feels split into two sections; the first two thirds that deal with a blossoming love between the two leads and the final third that is primarily focused on the Gwangju Uprising and its impact on the characters. This jarring difference works to the show's benefit in my opinion, since it highlights how terrible the uprising was by juxtaposing it against everyday life and love.This was my first time watching either of the two leads and they both really impressed me. Lee Do Hyun was so likeable as Hwang Hee Tae. He also did a wonderful job at portraying a character who is pretending he is okay in order to reassure others around him. His work here made me super excited to watch him in other dramas. Go Min Si was equally as impressive, taking a character in Kim Myung Hee that could have been a stereotype (the poor, nice, hardworking female lead) and gave her nuance in a quiet yet powerful performance. Their chemistry was wonderful and this has to be one of the purest and "protect and them at all costs" couples I've seen recently.
The supporting cast all did a really great job with their characters and kudos to the writers for giving all these characters quite a bit of development over the 12 episodes. Props to the actor playing Hwang Hee Tae's dad because I hated that character so much. The child actors were stand outs too, playing characters far too young to be dealing with the horrors they did.
The overall setting and atmosphere was perfect. Nostalgic and simple. The use of music from the time period was absolutely perfect in some cases and added a lot of emotion to the scenes. The Rose and Annie's Song stand out in this regard.
Watching the episodes that dealt with the Gwangju Uprising was particularly difficult; just imagining that this really happened in the not so distant past and that people have to live with those memories to this day is absolutely horrible. KBS didn't shy away from showing the horrors and really pushed that 15 rating as far as I've seen in terms of violence and disturbing imagery.
My only problem with this drama was the end. Not necessarily what the end was but how the writers got to said end point. It felt like the writers knew what the ending had to be and had the characters make dumb decisions to get them there. The "let's split up" scene felt like writers forcing characters apart instead of a decision that two intelligent characters would have made. I was still moved and emotional at the end of the drama but there was a nagging feeling in my brain that it didn't have to be this way; if the writer's had a better path to get to the end point this could have been avoided.
The first two thirds are very rewatchable, however the final third not so much since it was hard to watch even for a first time.
All in all this beautiful drama is one I won't soon forget. The way it combined a heartfelt love story with terrible real life events was pretty close to perfection for me.
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Awesome plot and acting
This drama was so diverse in characters but they were interwoven in the plot flawlessly. Their attraction was unique in a sense that they were both broken people (which they did not over-mask unlike other dramas). The acting was superb, you can see their angst in their crying, you can see when they are mad but trying to hide and put a smile on their face, you can see the deep pain, the frustration, etc... It is a sweet, honest love story that also reflected that time in history.... It provided just enough suspense and hope (in the ending) but it made sense.Was this review helpful to you?
Another gem...
I was thinking a lot whether to watch it or not, I don’t know why. I tend to avoid really famous dramas most of the time, but I was searching for something that would touch my heart, because I wasn’t enjoying dramas lately. So I needed one which will convince me that it’s worth to spend my time with watching all those shows. Well, it was definitely worth. It’s been so long, since I last loved a drama like I love this one.At first I thought they could have a happy ending, but as we came closer to the end it was clear to me that we have to lose someone for the story to remain realistic. I personally really like dramas which do not force the happy endings. They broke my heart in the end, but this is what I really liked about it. Just like in real life, it’s not like we always have happy endings, so I like to see the sad but more realistic endings. And in this situation it was barely impossible to wrap things up happily. The plot was building up slowly, but it wasn’t too slow or too fast. I think it was just perfect how the story bloomed and reached its peak. I enjoyed each and every moment of it. We could see their happy moments and the way their relationship was formed which wasn’t far-fetched as I already mentioned. It was heartwarming to see people who could sacrifice themselves for each other, as well to see some of the characters grow and understand things that might be unusual to them. We learn as we go, and we could see that here too.
It was reassuring to watch the main leads slowly falling in love with each other, and choosing each other above everything else. It was just natural and lovely and their hardships were also perceptible. The actors and actresses did really well, and I was satisfied with everyone. I was able to empathize with the story thanks to their acting that imparted everything well. I was able to understand and enjoy each and every moment of it, even the saddest ones.
What added a plus flavor and made it more interesting for me was that it’s based on true historical events. It’s fun to learn like this and it’s not something we all know unless we are Korean or really interested in Korean history. So I’m thankful that I could learn new things thanks to Youth of May.
All in all I can only recommend this drama for everyone who wants to see a lovely old school romance and have some beautifully sad heartbreaking moment. It was definitely worth watching and an amazing start of the New Year.
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What would you do for your loved ones?
I really didn't expect to love YOM as much as I did, I stumbled upon it while waiting for another drama to air, and seeing how it was a 12-ep drama made me severely underestimate how powerful this drama was. However, my expectations were shattered upon watching the first ep.Story/Casting: I've never seen Lee Do Hyun in any other drama, and Go Min-Si I saw in a supporting role in the Smile Has Left Your Eyes, which didn't give me much exposure to her acting capabilities. In YOM, these two make every emotion feel authentic. Their subtle expressions of happiness or heart-wrenching sobs of pain were enough to make chills resonate throughout your entire body. The problems they had to face during the 1980 Gwangju Uprising made me realize how significant the event was- the scriptwriters couldn't include every detail for the drama's sake. Nevertheless, I also really enjoyed how every character had an important role to the development of the story, and no one felt left out and disconnected from the plot. Seeing Myung Hee and her father highlighted the issues of misunderstanding within a family, and how it could threaten to tear one apart. A parallel relationship was Hwang Hee Tae and his father- the father made for a very ominous and unstoppable villain. It was almost comical how evil he was portrayed, as it isn't fully revealed what his motives and intentions were. On the flipside, YOM also emphasized on the more positive aspects of what you'd consider a family, regardless of blood-relationship or not. In terms of the Gwangju uprising itself, the drama is heavily centered around the protests and those involved in it- obviously I'm not a native, so I can't speak will full reassurance on the events that took place, but as a viewer, YOM made it seem very real and impactful.
OSTs: Quite literally some of the saddest (but amazing) OSTs I've ever heard in a drama. Notable ones: Winter of May, Words I want to Say To You, I Regret, and Days In Memory.
Overall, this was one of the most heart-wrenching and emotional dramas I've ever seen. I've seen some people quip about the ending, but personally, I felt like it was rightfully balanced and didn't pull any fast tropes on us either. It felt like a very natural ending with lot of drama and tension building up right before then. In 12 strong episodes, YOM pulls through with a powerful narrative with a compelling cast to make it stand out from the dramas released in 2021.
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This review may contain spoilers
LOVE AND SACRIFICE
It’s a sad story, but I think that’s meaningful in its own way.”This is a bittersweet drama about the sad things that happened during the Gwangju Uprising. It's a drama, you will start watching with a great sweet and loving romance, with a bit of suspense during the middle and you will end the drama with a lot of pain.
It's a sweet love story about 2 people who didn't give great childhood memories, which made them act strong and not worried about themselves much when they grew up but once they found each other. They didn't want to leave each other even when their family and close friends were all against them being together. They try all their ways and options to be together but guess God had different plans for them.
The drama also tells how the people were deeply affected because of the Gwangju uprising and how much pain it has caused for victims' families who made it out alive while their family members didn't.
In the end, it is about how you live even after losing someone who meant the world to you, and the worst part of it is that you will be the one living in regret about letting that person go first and you couldn't save them or be with them but in you will also be relieved that you are the one who survived, the person who left you didn't have to go through this pain for 41 years if you were the one who left the world first.
"I prayed every day that worse pain in life would come to me instead of you.
If I had been the one to die in the crossroads of life and death and you had lived, you would've experienced the tides i had experienced all this time."
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All the four main characters were easy to love, I especially loved how they were putting the happiness of their friends and siblings before their own and just how genuinely selfless they all were. The actors did really a great job portraying these characters, especially but not entirely in the emotional scenes.
This drama also had some comedy scenes and although there were not many of them, they felt really funny and the humour was heartwarming. The drama itself was nicely paced and I think that the 12 episodes were enough and that it did not need to be longer as the story was told in a good way.
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the best k drama of 2021
i didn't think it would have a sad ending but that sad ending has a really good meaning I really liked the story and the acting was so perfect and smooth between the main roles I especially like the role of lee do hyun he became one of my fav heroes after watching this drama and the slang they speak shows how much hard work they have done to learn that slang but I will definitely recommend you, people, to watch this drama this one of my ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv drama in 2021Was this review helpful to you?
A love story about family, fighting and youth
That was a beautiful yet tragic storytelling i'm never going to forget. The genuine portrayal of love towards family and humanity, truly got my heart, I was touched by these characters and their stories. It shows the contrast of the darkest point of humanity fighting with the purest love for people. This series deal with the loss of someone you deeply love in such a bright and even poetic light. The soundtrack and cinematography helps you feel this love, this losing. It's cruel, emotional and lovely.Was this review helpful to you?
Fantastic blend of fuction with facts
A commendable job to each and everyone who is involved in this project from writers to actors to production team each one have excel it.Firstly, the OST of the series is so beautiful eventhough i don't know the language i still felt connected.
Hung-tae and myeon hee portyal was done so beautifully you will adore them till last episode.
One will get familiar with the korean hostory as well.
The aesthetics of the scenes just made me go crazy they were simple but personified greatly.
Overall, you must add this drama in your list
PS:- if you think 25-21 was sad then this will be remorseful for you
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Loved, loved, loved
An amazing show, even if you as myself have heard of a sad ending I still encourage you to watch this show. I loved that it was a bit shorter than usual as thats what works for me (hate fillers and have bad attention span). The story begun lightheartedly,fun and interesting it caught my attention rigt away and I couldn't wait til the next episode. It started out with characters having normal, typical issues but then later led into with more depth. Majority of the characters and character developement where they realized things about their life and relationships. I honestly thing star crossed lovers/sad romances are my thing becuase although at times it was gut wrenching and painful between the two lovers it made the times to they were together and happy even more meaningful. It felt more realistic and giving. I loved the historical setting, although its usually something i stay away from I loved it here and taught me things about the gwanju uprising. When it comes to the ost it wasn't anything extrodinary. The normal ones were good nothing in particular. They also had 70s music which was a nice touch. One thing I noticed was that it seemed that were working with a lower budget? mabe or something or they prioritize it somewhere else. Due to the sets, there wasn't a big variety imo, in the beginning there was toawrds the end it felt very like repetetive some of the sets also seemed a bit lower quality. I knoe they had to adapt considering its set in a differnt time so its a lot of props and so one that arent typical however i've seen better prepared historical sets in other shows. Another thing was that since medicine was a pedning topic as well as the protests (duh) injuries were shown on screen. I felt that some of the injuries, blood, medical talk could have been a bit better (might just be because I'm watching GA at the same time). Other than that I loved it. Actors did an amazing job. I thought it would be weird for me becuase i recently watched sweet home where the mains are siblings but they did amazing. Their chemistry was great and i was really inmpressed by do hyun honestly hes becoming a favourite. Characters and plot were written beautifully. One more thing is that I felt the last episode (at least the first half,second half was good) was a little rushed? A lot happenend in no time and at the same time therefore it felt a bit rushed and poorly directed.SPOILERS
I just need to say this, okay I know its a justa show and it had to happen but still.
in myeong hees last moments, in that shot/scene they zoom onto thr brother to show that he is close, in danger, basically explanation for why she does what she does. He's pretty close and within range so its understandable that she tries to protect him. However in the next shot with kung soo? and the little brother they seem to be much farther away considering the way it looks (no soldiers, sister, lights etc), how they act after hearing the gunshot (if they were as close or close to what was insinuated in the previous shot they would have been able to look around and see what had happened) and from the gunshot sound itself. Sounded prettyyyy far away. So why she gotta jump :(
Gut wrenching moments (from what i remember)
when the sister and brother were hiding behind the rock, the promise she made (how its a recurring theme)
the five minute promise before they split up
the turn around turn around the second time, first time was cute
him in the café with the fliers, aka he never found out until the end ( that kyung soo moment when thet communicated with their eyes :() the song festival playing on tv. It had been so important in the beginning and it felt like he had many obstacles against it and in the end it seemed like such a small and trivial thing. Like so much had happened remember the time he just wanted to write songs. so i broke down with him.
And when she said she was afraid of him after the whole studying abroad thing.
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