Editorials 
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Turning the pages of time
The story of an awkward boy who saved a girl, and what began as an infatuation slowly grew into an obsession…or perhaps, in a less intense way, watching and lurking from afar while believing he was her guardian angel. It is a rather eerie way of loving someone, but there are people who do exactly that. Sota simply made it his life for 25 years.
The mystery was compelling and the drama’s intensity was subtle in a very Japanese way…this is not a K drama after all. There are no huge emotional explosions or overly dramatic confrontations. The acting is restrained, sometimes even dry for viewers used to the heightened emotions of Korean dramas, but it works for this story. I’ve enjoyed the entire series, although I have to admit the finale felt somewhat underwhelming and predictable.
What I enjoyed most was how the story progressed one step at a time. Murders happened, secrets surfaced and slowly we began to understand what truly happened 25 years ago. And after all that mystery, to be honest, much of it comes down to one of the seven deadly sins…envy. Or perhaps one of the Ten Commandments: do not covet your neighbor’s wife. Amazing how something so basic can create consequences that last for generations.
The foundation of the story is actually quite simple, but its delivery is subtle and layered. For me, watching this series was like reading a mystery novel…turning one page after another and peeling away one layer at a time. Every chapter revealed another secret, another lie and another person connected to the past.
And then there is Sota and Mariko. What started as something that could easily be called creepy eventually became something more complicated. Sota finally understood that loving someone does not give you permission to make yourself part of their life. His apology was perhaps more meaningful than his confession because, for the first time, he wasn’t asking Mariko to understand his love…he was acknowledging what his love had done.
In the end, 25 Years of You wasn’t really about who killed whom. It was about what happens when love, envy, guilt and secrets are allowed to live for 25 years. I may have wanted a stronger finale, but getting there was the best part.
Sometimes the mystery isn’t about the final page…it is everything you discovered while turning the pages.
The mystery was compelling and the drama’s intensity was subtle in a very Japanese way…this is not a K drama after all. There are no huge emotional explosions or overly dramatic confrontations. The acting is restrained, sometimes even dry for viewers used to the heightened emotions of Korean dramas, but it works for this story. I’ve enjoyed the entire series, although I have to admit the finale felt somewhat underwhelming and predictable.
What I enjoyed most was how the story progressed one step at a time. Murders happened, secrets surfaced and slowly we began to understand what truly happened 25 years ago. And after all that mystery, to be honest, much of it comes down to one of the seven deadly sins…envy. Or perhaps one of the Ten Commandments: do not covet your neighbor’s wife. Amazing how something so basic can create consequences that last for generations.
The foundation of the story is actually quite simple, but its delivery is subtle and layered. For me, watching this series was like reading a mystery novel…turning one page after another and peeling away one layer at a time. Every chapter revealed another secret, another lie and another person connected to the past.
And then there is Sota and Mariko. What started as something that could easily be called creepy eventually became something more complicated. Sota finally understood that loving someone does not give you permission to make yourself part of their life. His apology was perhaps more meaningful than his confession because, for the first time, he wasn’t asking Mariko to understand his love…he was acknowledging what his love had done.
In the end, 25 Years of You wasn’t really about who killed whom. It was about what happens when love, envy, guilt and secrets are allowed to live for 25 years. I may have wanted a stronger finale, but getting there was the best part.
Sometimes the mystery isn’t about the final page…it is everything you discovered while turning the pages.
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