Reviews

Netflix is doing it again with a series that ends in the middle after only 8 episodes and no resolution to the story. By the time they realise that the show is well received and decide to make the second half of the series too long has passed and I just don’t care about the characters anymore. Very annoying! I might stick to Vicky or at least skip the shows that start off with a 8 episodes run. Not a happy customer, Netflix
???? xxxxxxxxxxxxxNetflix is doing it again with a series that ends in the middle after only 8 episodes and no resolution to the story. By the time they realise that the show is well received and decide to make the second half of the series too long has passed and I just don’t care about the characters anymore. Very annoying! I might stick to Vicky or at least skip the shows that start off with a 8 episodes run. Not a happy customer, Netflix ????

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Give it a go for yourself

I know theres mixed reviews but personally I really loved this show. Cinematography was BEAUTIFUL as was the cast! Its storyline wasn't the most riveting thing in the world but it also really doesnt deserve the hate in my opinion. Personally i adored this and found it to be comforting to watch so give it a go before being put off by the negativity! Im not saying its faultless and people can have their own opinions but i really think this page has an uneven view of how this drama actually was like to watch. Personally one of my faves this year tbh i loved waiting for its weekly comfort . Also, it brings up some really important topics especially around gay marriage and love in general. Also a lot of the problems it could have are addressed in the last few episodes so, it really has some lovely moments.

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Speechless

I’m more of a k-drama fan, but I wanted to try out Chinese drama for a change. I absolutely hated how her character was written as well as his. The ML was this dominant self-absorbed maniac who needed to stroke his ego by manipulating and using money threatening her to spend time with him. He couldn’t muster up the courage to admit that he liked her, but rather manipulated her into thinking she was the pursuer instead of him. I didn’t want to look up who the writer for this drama was, but I would feel so disappointed if it was a woman who wrote the FL the way she did. She couldn’t think for herself, and was easily taken advantage of and manipulated into doing things. As if it wasn’t enough to write her character as unintelligent, they wrote her as this naive and clueless woman who moved only at the command of a dominant man. I couldn’t finish the drama because it inferiorated me and was so upsetting. So I stopped at Ep 25 about 6 years ago, and came back to finish it because I like to finish what I started no matter what or how long. Still didn’t like it, but this was my first introduction to Chinese drama, and I didn’t like it.

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Truly Masterpiece!

"I Told Sunset About You" is a masterpiece. It's just too beautifully heart-wrenching, yet the most realistic approach to the LGBTQ+ issues we have in society. The thought of the heteronormative standard is the 'normal' standard of society. The idea of "It would be easier if I were straight." The constant pressure and need to prove our worth in exchange for acceptance and validation was executed way too beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

The cast, the script, the production, and the director behind this beautifully made series deserve an award. The message that it brings to the people around us and us who are part of the community is so powerful that it can change lives and perspectives. Indeed it is an eye-opener.

The last episode would be next week, and we hope Nadao Bangkok can give us a happy ending. Just hoping ?

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A must watch coming of age drama "Masterpiece "

It's not a drama it's a real life story with real emotions, confusion and love. The series is soo realistic and soo good. It's soo different than the drama that we usually see. It's beautiful. The acting of the main leads is top notch like who will not love them. They are soo real. The spark between them is soo breath taking. The scenes where Teh smells the coconut is soo good like it bring out each and every emotion. Everybody could relate to one time or the other to the story like when Teh wants to message him but don't. The feelings of Teh are totally understandable. Special credit to the music it beautifuly blends with the scenes. I don't understand the lyrics but the music is so good I am thinking of making it my ringtone. I just made this account to give 10 rating to the series I hope these series gets as much popularity as it deserves. Beautiful story, awesome acting, beautiful cinematography . In all a masterpiece.

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If this is THE best youth drama, then I'd rather stop watching them.

I'm surprised as to how many people loved this drama & gave it the title of THE best youth drama.

PLOT :
The drama was filled with cliché plot and nothing particularly different to make this drama unique. The only difference between this & other youth dramas is that in this one the FL was a little smart. But, not more than the ML. Still, I'd prefer other dramas over this since the FL being smart or not, doesn't matter much.

This drama solely focused on the leads and failed to develop the story of the side characters. There was too much focus on the MC, which made it even boring. Sometimes, misunderstandings also make a drama a good one. No couple is pure.

They introduced difficulties but ended it real quick which ruined the fun. Sometimes, difficulties is what keeps me going since I love see how they would tackle it.

In a 24eps drama, I don't think there was a need to make them a couple in he 20th ep. Okay, I know since they became couple really late, there were 0 chances of a breakup. But, what was happening before they were a couple was just like a breakup.

ACTING :
Tbh, the FL nailed her character of being cute but shy. The ML's acting was decent & not too annoying. The side characters were good; but my only complaint is that they should've focused on the side couple.

OVERALL :
This drama was boring because its the first time fast forwarded almost al the eps. I would like to say that if you love youth dramas, you can try it out. But this! was definitely not for me. :))

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A Girl Crush

If you have ever heard the song, "Girl Crush," you know what I am referring to. Zhao Lu Si reminds us time and time again why she is a fave among directors and producers. She manages to make a viewer like myself, jealous of the love journey she’s experiencing. From her role as a young teen to college, every step is believable. She is the embodiment of young love in this drama.

Between ZLS and Chen Zhi Yuan, I don’t know who to love more in this heartfelt story. Their chemistry is unmatched and it’s the best I have seen in a long time.

Don’t pass this up. You will love everything from the sibling relationship, her awkward facial expressions at a young age to her love that never truly wavers.

This was referred to me by a friend here on Drama List. I can wholeheartedly say this has been the best, involving a romance, in a long time.

Happy Viewing!

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I hate this drama. There's barely anything worth watching about this mess. Don't watch it.

There's barely any point to this whole series. The premise started off kinda interesting, but it grated on your nerves soon after because of how roundabout and pointless it is. The reason I watch dramas is to feel good, but so many things about this drama's plot pissed me off. The first two episodes were meh, the middle part was wholly forgettable (it was mediocre), and the season finale was a complete shitshow. I have no words to describe how HORRIBLE the last episode was. It's as if every single character development flew off the window and the writers just threw in every possible shock value to the last 30 minutes of the series. Totally didn't make any sense at all. I ended this drama feeling like I've been robbed of the 10 some hours I spent watching this series.

There is zero character development, absolutely ZERO. I ended this drama hating everything and everyone, ESPECIALLY Oh Jisoo. He's totally useless, totally uncool, the absolute lamest main character I've ever seen in a K-Drama in my entire life. Bae Gyuri was a b#tch but at least she's got stronger personality (I still hate her too, though). Seo Minhee didn't even have a character, she's just... there. Kwak Gitae is a classic piece of sh#t bully that somehow made it to the main role...? Sure didn't feel like it because of how little role he played. The actors and actresses did a great job in acting but they're playing for such poorly written characters I didn't get any enjoyment from watching.

Music? What music? I didn't remember anything remotely interesting about the music aspect of this drama.

Rewatch value is big fat zero because you'll have already seen how absolutely terrible this drama is. I won't touch it again with a 5 ft pole.

Overall... it's bad. Don't watch it. I'm not sure why so many people liked it, maybe their tastes are vastly different from mine, maybe I'm just too skeptical, but I hated watching this drama. I'm watching dramas to have fun, and this drama was NOT it.

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Interesting story plot, not your typical mushy romance show! The plot has a deep meaning behind it instead of just a plain romance television drama, As someone who has read the webtoon in 1 DAY, I am absolutely pleased with the production and the filming of this series. Not to mention, the visuals of the actors are really amazing. The plot in summary : A homely girl transforms through plastic surgery and debuts her new look at college/university. Unfortunately, she's called a Gangnam Beauty (pretty only because of cosmetic surgery), has to deal with sexual harassment, subtle bullying, and a sly rival fake-friend. The main hero intervenes in her situations, but things get complicated, because the campus beauty has her eye on the hero (who has a mysterious side).

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At first I was very excited about Descendants, but I just couldn't handle the cheeziness in the first episodes. My roommate is a huge fan of this drama so she convinced me to watch it together every week when it aired. If it wasn't for her I think I would have just dropped it. We both occasionally cringed at the overacting, cheeziness and awkward English. The drama just wasn't able to make me care about what was happening or who was going to hook up in the end.

In my opinion some of the reasons it was hugely popular was because, first of all, it was mostly viewed by middle aged women/ajumma (who often have some extra time on their hands) and girlfriends who have their boyfriend enlisted in the army (especially here in Korea). Secondly, because there are many hopeless romantics out there who all have fallen for the charismatic and ideal boyfriend Yoo Shi-Jin. ;) I wonder if a lot of straight men have watched this?! Convinced my bf to watch it with us, but he said the male leads stare too much straight into the camera which make it all too cheesy. He called quits after one episode... ;)

Pros: beautiful filming locations, handsome main leads, great OSTs

Cons: lack of interesting plot, Song Hyae-Kyo's unconvincing acting skills, awkward English, overacting, too much...really wayyyy too much product placements, too much advertisement after the drama... so sick of seeing the actors faces everywhere in the streets and on TV here!

An overall score of 6.5, for the effort and entertainment value. ;)

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TWs for pedophilia. incest, child abuse and heavy gore.

So I saw this movie knowing absolutely next to nothing which I wish I did because there's a lot (A LOT!!) of warnings and I have seen people recommend this movie before but no one ever mentions these things. I think these are the major content warnings: bdsm, explicit sex, pedophilia, incest, sexual assault, gore, violence.

Spoilers but read this if you want to have a little idea about the movie before going in, and especially if you're susceptible to the aforementioned triggers; The main character is used as a sort of sex slave her entire life and her uncle is very abusive and a pedophile.

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Reborn rich so you could become poor again

This drama was a masterpiece until episodes 15 and 16 aired and turned it into something not even worth watching.
I know that adapting from a novel means changing things so the plot becomes more entertaining but not to the extent that it would ruin not only the journey but the whole experience as well.
the writer here tried to subvert expectations with a nonsense ending for no reason but to create controversy and inflate her own ego, and by doing so not only stabbed the novel this was based on but also tarnished what the title of the drama indicated, the main character by going back to his poor body went against what the title of the drama was indicating, "Reborn rich", everything the ML did and experienced on the journey to the end became meaningless, which means anyone who watched this drama to this point has wasted their time too.

PS:I do no recommend this drama under any circumstances and advice to avoid at all costs.

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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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One of the most unnecessarily aggravating dramas I've watched for a variety of reasons. I only completed it because the episodes were relatively short and there were only 11 of them. Though I did groan, after episode 10 when I remembered I had 45 minutes to go before this ride was over.

First, the leads had awkward chemistry. In the beginning, it was ok because they had just met, but later it just became strange to watch. Don't get me wrong, it did have a little to do with the obvious age difference, but I could have gotten passed that had there been real sparks between the two which would have made their need to be together all the more powerful. Alas, I didn't see or feel any fireworks.

Second, I wasn't sure if the main couple's actions were spurred by noble idiocy or mere idiocy. Reasons behind most of their actions were seldom clear. In addition, their reactions to all the supporting characters were often murky. I kind of think that had more to do with the writing and direction, than the acting, but subtext was sorely needed and missing. Additionally, the leading lady's acting often seemed forced and less believable than the leading man and supporting cast.

I don't want to scare anyone away from watching this, BUT I don't want anyone to have high expectations since previous reviews seemed to be glowing.

Since it was set in 1999, I tried to remember that a LOT has changed regarding attitude and treatment of women, marriage, and gender roles, but coming from the present day mindset it was a challenge. Mostly because although the social commentary was obvious from several character's points of view, I never fully accepted that this was also supposed to be entertainment, which I kind of expect when watching a drama.

There were some lovely moments, and seeing how much has changed over the years was interesting to watch, so I would recommend this show for someone interested in watching an older drama in order to study the gender roles and social norms of those times.

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