Twenty Five Twenty One (2022)

VIBE OVER SUBSTANCE

The plot was interesting enough for me to try it out but ultimately, despite the hype, this show didn’t really do anything for me. I think for me the first 7 episodes were superior to the other half of the drama, from the vibe to the story building. The cinematography and the beautiful OSTs couldn’t save this or make it a favorite that I will revisit. It’s not the breakup that made this dull(I’ll get to that later). I think it has more so to do with me just losing interest. I really did try to get into this but I just couldn’t. I was engaged within the first few eps but after a while I found myself checking my phone and multitasking while watching.

The characters were ok. I did like Yijin and Heedo’s story, and their interactions were very natural. They were very charming and relatable to the youth of today. Personally I felt their chemistry was good enough to be believable and some of the moments they shared together were heart fluttering. Their characters were well written, but I can’t exactly say the same for Yurim and Jiwoong. Yurim just frustrated me a lot and I found it hard to care about her struggles. She improved in the end. Jiwoong was cute but nothing too special.

Ok so the BREAK-UP. For me I didn’t really think Yijin and Heedo would be the end goal from the way things were headed. Actually I thought it was kinda obvious after a certain point. However I get it when people are mad that they didn’t get that happy ending, but I don’t think the story would have been as authentic if that had happened. Sometimes people just come into your life for a season, whether it be for support, comfort, encouragement, or other things. Those things can’t always last because that’s just how it’s meant to be. Life might take you in a direction that other person can’t follow, and that’s ok. It’s ok to let go of people. Natural even. It’s especially necessary if you and that person don’t serve each other at that point in your life or you’re not maturing/growing. I feel like some viewers needa hear that.

Saying that, I think the strongest attribute of this drama is the vibe. It’s centered around teens but there is this nostalgic undertone in the early episodes that I really liked. The double feeling of possibility and uncertainty young people know so well is really well done. I think what I enjoyed most was the vibe this show exuberated. In the end this wasn’t my cup of tea but the writer really nailed that universal feeling of being young, struggling, and pursuing your dreams despite the difficulties of life.

Lire davantage

A MUST WATCH DESPITE THE ENDING

Given all the moments that made me irritated, which also shows how much I truly LOVE this show to be so involved in their characters and their lives, shows what a STELLAR show this was. I do think the ending could've been better though.

PROS:

1. I still keep thinking about the intimacy of the scene when they had a match together in episode 4. When he first saw her in her gear, his appreciative gaze and respectful attitude was so sexy, and when he got curious enough she made him wear some man's gear, which of course looked like it was made for him. But when she helped him put it on, that quietness felt SO natural and sexy and organic. And the way he was looking at her then...GOSH.
Their match was as expected, and then when she looked at him afterwards, that realisation was amazing.
2. Another scene I cannot forget, after the intimate and sexy match in episode 4, is the beautiful snowflake scene in episode 5.
Each second the scene got better and better, first they transitioned so beautifully, and that MUSIC WOW, and THEN looked at each other, THEN they both reacted to that man calling her out, AND THEN he pulled her to him AND THEN THEY LISTENED TO EACH OTHERS MESSAGES.
I love this supportive and soulful relationship.
3. I also can't help but swoon over when they walked under the rain with an umbrella and reached her hotel, I couldn't help but swoon over how NJH conveyed his feelings with his eyes, the way his eyes shone when she was doing what she was doing. He stood perfectly still even as she turned around, because he knew she would climb back down the stairs! He knew she wanted to spend more time with him, and he was allowing it, he allowed her to lead their relationship pretty much, because he probably realised then he couldn't help but return her feelings as they were too strong. His conversation with her 'ex-boyfriend' was telling, he wanted what was best for her, and finally he believed that he could be the best for her!
4. Then their kiss, the anticipation, the tension, that moment was amazing, and the way she clarified her feelings right afterwards, because she knows him and probably spent ages thinking of possible reasons why he wouldn't return her feelings, and came to the (right) conclusion that he was simply doing it to protect her.
5. And then when he sent the patrolman on the road just because he knew she was going to go home alone at night, my heart melted.
6. Also how he keeps protecting her in a non-oppressive way, simply to protect her from the harm that she may not be able to see, not because she's incapable but because she may be blindsided, was so sexy of him, even when they were breaking up.

CONS:
1. That ending was sloppy and rushed and inconsistent with each character of the show, it really feels like they changed the writer after episode 13, to the point that the actions of each of the characters didn't necessarily make much sense.
Until then the theme of the show was that everyone choses a different path in life and sometimes life chooses a path for you and that's okay.
2. But there are many odd things I noticed about their behaviour after the random accident in ep 13, how NHD was insistent on getting into a relationship initially yet somehow regretted it as she noticed the similarities in him to her mother (that's because of his job which you already knew which everyone told you to be careful of!), and then when she was shown to be tenacious and optimistic, but somehow turned their relationship into wanting someone to be there for her, even though she herself keeps travelling and doesn't really stay in a place for too long?
He was in a very dark place mentally and she wasn't really there for him as even a silent support, he was covering a tragedy and she wasn't patient enough to see through it and maybe give him one chance to get therapy and work on himself (and that airport scene when she just left his bag carelessly? No.) before breaking up with him.
3. The reason for their breakup makes sense, but it was a surprise to me that she saw it happening very early on, that means she was expecting to be separated from him anyway, and that the tragedy and his lack of attention simply fast forwarded things. Also from his behaviour maybe he had already given up on her but then he was wanting for her to get back together with him? Idk that just confused me.
4. That breakup scene was emotionally charged and very well acted, but the actions afterwards, with somehow fate bringing her diary back to her, and then him actually remembering her as his first love, also the whole interview with the lack of personal questions which he insisted on, and her left side being better which she insisted on, just SCREAMED to be explored and expanded and explained and continued. It made no sense otherwise tbh.

Lire davantage

É A MELHOR COISA QUE JÁ ASSISTI EM TODA A MINHA VIDA!

Apesar de a sinopse trazer a ideia clichê de dois jovens solteiros se encontrando por aí e depois formando um casal super fofo, ‘Vinte e Cinco, Vinte e Um’ não se resume a isso. Na verdade, essa é a menor das pautas abordadas pela série.
Contando com a presença de nomes famosinhos no mundo dorameiro, como Kim Tae-Ri (A Criada) e Nam Joo-Hyuk (A Fada do Levantamento de Peso), o que se espera é boa coisa. Nossa querida Tae-Ri, que interpreta a Hee-Do, deu um show de atuação nesta série. Eu senti como se estivesse ali, pessoalmente, vivenciando cada um dos acontecimentos.

No decorrer dos episódios acompanhamos não apenas a trajetória de Na Hee-Do e de Baek Yi-jin, mas também de outros personagens que possuem um papel fundamental na trama. Apesar de ser um slice of life, cujo objetivo é tratar sobre situações cotidianas, ‘Vinte e Cinco, Vinte e Um’ conseguiu ultrapassar as barreiras entre realidade e ficção. Por vários momentos eu tive que me relembrar de que tudo ali não se passava de algo inventado. As atuações foram maravilhosas, mas o trabalho dos roteiristas e diretores também foi essencial!

CONSTRUÇÃO DA NARRATIVA:
Sendo dividida em duas linhas temporais, uma no momento presente, durante a pandemia de corona vírus, e outra em 1998, a história é contada por diários escritos pela própria Hee-Do, que acabam sendo lidos futuramente pela sua filha. Porém, quase todos os episódios são dedicados à história de Hee-Do, havendo poucos minutos em que temos conhecimento do que acontece no tempo presente. A obra termina quando Hee-Do para de escrever em seus diários, aos 21 anos (e Yi-jin aos 25, justificando o nome da série).

A trama gira em torno do amadurecimento pessoal de cada um dos personagens, focando principalmente em relacionamentos de amizade, amor e família. Tudo é construído lentamente e para o nosso casal temos o tal do ‘slow burn romance’ (aprendi esse termo recentemente, achei chique!). Fala sério, que galerinha boa para se ter uma química, hein. Tae-Ri e Joo-Hyuk tiveram muito mais vibe de casal do que o que vimos em ‘A Fada do Levantamento de Peso‘, e olha que o Joo-Hyuk e a outra protagonista tiveram um relacionamento na vida real. O que um bom roteirista não faz, né?

Acredito que o maior diferencial da obra, que trouxe esse ar mais realista, foi a falta de alívio cômico-exagerado que costumamos ver em outros doramas. Sempre rola aquela ceninha meio absurda que na hora a gente já pensa: “Isso com certeza não aconteceria na vida real”, e felizmente (ou infelizmente) a gente não encontra isso em ‘Vinte e Cinco, Vinte e Um’. Talvez seja esse o motivo de muita gente ter se decepcionado com o final: costumamos assistir esse tipo de coisa para fugir da realidade, não para sermos lembrados do quão dolorosa ela pode ser às vezes.

CONCLUSÕES FINAIS:
De toda obra que consumimos durante a nossa vida dá para se tirar algum aprendizado, e ‘Vinte e Cinco, Vinte e Um’ não seria uma exceção. O considero um dorama essencial pela mensagem que ele transmite sobre a importância dos relacionamentos e fechamentos de ciclos. São boas lições que servem para qualquer público.
O final de fato não é feliz, mas eu acredito que tenha sido a melhor resolução possível para a obra. Eu gostei muito, e não tenho nadinha do que reclamar.

Lire davantage

It's one of the best story out there side by side with the solid acting

It's full of 4 years bright, beautiful and painful story of teen and young adult in their youth.
I root for Hee Do really much, her character really bring what grit means to never give up on something you passion and love to do
Its also the time when the beautiful friendship form between these taeyang highschool kids and Yijin, a young adult who get a strength to rebound from Hee Do
Its really beautiful friendship and love story that's really reflect the style during the era .. its not showing passionate kinda love but more to kinda love that thrills you even with the simple act
No matter how beautiful a moment, it won't last forever

Its one of the best story out there with solid acting

Lire davantage

The adventure of five friends

It's the end of my spring vacation, almost the end of the week, and also the end of the beautiful k-drama Twenty-Five Twenty-One.
I will be honest - I cried about 6 or 7 times through the final episode xd

2521 brought me some of my memories with my classmates, fun, happiness, and sadness, it healed my 40°C fever xd, gave me a good time, a lot of life lessons, and many more things - it's still so many that if I could write it here it would be probably like a minimal 500 pages of word document with text size 12 xddd
Also, I'm glad I had the best childhood I ever could have, all thanks to my loving parents ^^♥

https://mydramalist.com/profile/Lamaclon_CZ/feeds/WVNWzi3
As I mentioned in the post of episode 3 on my feed before, it has a superpower, can transfer me to "another dimension", and it's definitely something I would (will? • ᵕ •) watch after a crappy or tiring day. And now I'm going to the main point I said there - If it ends well it will be in my favs.....
..... AND IT WILL!
It didn't end How I thought it will end but that's good I think. Well my ending is still there a few episodes back haha xd
But let's get back to the real ending - I really like how it ended, it's probably better than the one I thought about so here's a big thanks to Kwon Do Eun, Jung Ji Hyun, Kim Seung Ho, and the rest of the staff for creating this beautiful story ^^

And of course, I need to write something about the actors - without them, it wouldn't even be possible xd
I really liked the main gang - Kim Tae Ri, Nam Joo Hyuk, Bona, Choi Hyun Wook, and Lee Joo Myung ♥
I liked all of them and I also discovered them thanks to this drama.
It will be a little tough I think but I'm already planning to watch every drama or movie they were in xdd
I think I will suffer a little but why not set a little challenge right?

Oh I almost forget about the OST xdd
The OST doesn't have as many songs as others but I think it's still enough. I don't know if it's possible to add a link or something to this post, so I will do it in the next one.

That's probably also the end of my little review/thoughts ^^
And because I don't want to end it, here are some final sentences:
• If you will ever write a message, warning or something don't forget to reread it once again - you never know if there isn't a misspelling like do not distrub xdd
• Treasure the moments you experience with your friends and colleagues.
• If you will have a hard time, be tired, bored, or overworked take a pause for a few minutes or an hour, or even a few days off if it's possible, to heal, chill or have a fun time with friends or family ^^
• Even if sometimes it doesn't look like it, your family still loves you no matter what
• If you have a dream go for it, you never know, it might come true

OK, that's it for real now xd
If someone is still reading this then I thank you a lot for reading this ^^
I had a really good time with this :)

Well I know I said this is THE END but let me write a few quotes please :)

• “In some moments, we’re doing our best but all of that is just a practice.”

• “Doing your best is a given. Don’t just do your best. You have to do well.”

• “Your skills don’t improve consistently but in steps.”

• “Improve your perspective. That will help you to see yourself objectively.”

• “Back then, I believed I could have everything. There were so many things I wanted to have. I had thought love and friendship were mine to have for a brief moment.”

• “Feeling pressure is also an experience.”

• “Life is long and fireworks are short.”

• “The summer belongs to us!”

• “Running away isn’t the solution.”

• “You have no idea how much your love has brightened up my life.”

• “Let’s suffer together when we’re in pain. It’s 100 times better than being lonely alone.”

• “You always lead me to do what is right and to a good place.”

• “It’s not a rainbow. It’s love.”

Lire davantage

A Beautifully Cynical Portrayal of Youth and Emotions

An emotion, whether it be a sweet or sour one, eventually succumbs to the nature of time. A memory solidified in the past, that can no longer be tapped into, once a passionate emotion becomes a far-off glimpse into the past. The stance taken in 25-21 is that drunken youthfulness eventually sobbers up and becomes part of the ephemeral nature of life and that one must take the breakups and sadness in life and continue to move on.

One of my favourite lines in the drama, and one that sums up both my love and quarrels with the drama is, "We only love each other during our good times, but we become a burden to each other in our low points". The relationship between Baek Yi-Jin and Na Hee-Do initially starts off as a promise to "only be happy together" however this exact promise and the inability to rise above this promise is what leads to the eventual breakup.

Throughout the drama we see Hee-do and Yi-Jin develop a relationship that is greatest than friendship, they fall in love and spend the beginning of their young adult lives together. The issue between the two is not their lack of opportunities in meeting with each other, but their lack of communication. Hee-Do despite being in pain at Yi-Jin's avoidance of her (by solely pursuing his career) keeps these conflicts to herself and never truly expresses her discontent towards Yi-Jin until their eventual breakup. Yi-jin suffers this lack of communication to a greater extent than Hee-do, where he rarely opens up to Hee-do and continues to keep his issues bottled up (tighter than the alcohol corks on the bottles he gobbles down), creating a rift between the two where they only ever show the good parts to each other, rather than sharing and growing together through their shared grievances.

I view this drama through a more cynical lens, where the ending is not one of happiness and moving past one's miseries, but rather one that demonstrates the results, for couples, when they lack proper communication. The way that Yi-Jin and Hee-do gaze at each other, and think about their past (in the 2009 interview) is not one that is of a couple who has moved on. Instead, our two protagonists look at each other with deep sadness behind their words. who were unable to work together to solve their issues together. I do not think Hee-do will truly be happy without someone like Yi-Jin in her life (and vice versa). I've seen the comment that the couple's relationship was 'realistic' however the extent that both Hee-Do & Ye-Jin go for each other was beyond realism from the get-go. Their "realistic" ending is not realistic, but rather tragic. Their breakup is a tragedy, one where the missing piece to their relationship was open communication about their grievances.

Hee-do, we see at the age of 41, has let go and forgotten most of her precious memories with her main friend group, as seen with her forgetting of the beach memory. This was a memory which not only was documented and aired on TV but was also a first for her--her first school trip. For hee-do to forget this moment leads to her tragic departure from Yi-Jin because had she truly gotten over Ye-Jin she would've been able to look back at that memory with a sense of bittersweetness, instead, she needs, to forget these moments to truly erase--not get over-- Yi-Jin. First and Last memories are not easily forgotten, for Hee-Do to forget her first school trip exhibits her mid-life sadness. Erasing someone and healing from someone are two different things and from the Hee-Do we see in 2020 we're given a woman who has completely let go of her past in an unhealthy manner. To convince herself that she is happier without Yi-Jin, she has to forget the precious moments she has with him.

In a 65-61 future I see both Hee-Do and Yi-Jin stuck in their denial, that they were not meant to be with each other, and that they made the right choice. They, in my opinion, made the wrong choice and must live with that choice for the rest of their lives.

It's the tragic and frustrating nature of this ending that also makes the series more memorable, we see a glimpse of a couple and what they could have had together.

Overall, despite my grievances with the ending, I truly loved this drama--especially the character development between the main friend group (the only expectation is the development of Yi-Jin to take on a job without discussing it with Hee-Do, which was just plain dumb). We grow with the characters and it shows, because it hurts just as much when we see them in pain and not together.

I would describe this drama as an extreme roller-coaster of emotions.

Lire davantage

A very good drama with disappointing ending

I loved 2521. Its easily in my top 3 dramas ever. I cried a lot and i laughed a lot. I even got jealous. The life of the characters seemed so light and free. Everything was perfect untill the last episodes.I love sad endings and i love happy endings. But this was neither. I didnt get the satisfaction of knowing Hee-Do's future and i also didnt get closure for her past. It felt so empty.
This drama is definitely worth watching, but beware the ending is not that good. If youre a person capable of switching your opinions often, my advice is to not read the reviews. You will not be able to enjoy the drama fully.

Lire davantage

"That summer was ours to keep"

firstly, what a drama this was... i have so many emotions that i went through in these 16 episodes in a span of 3 ish months. throughout this drama, i felt sadness, grief, giddy, soft, frustration, single and most of all, i found all the characters relatable. it was like watching so many versions of myself in a drama. that's when you know a drama is done well. you feel so much to the point that you want to reach to the screen and say, "i feel you buddy"

it's crazy but the friend group almost felt like real people to me. the struggles that these characters had and the funny plus wholesome interactions they had; it all makes me feel nostalgic. twenty five twenty one takes you back to your good days and bad days but manages to take it up a notch to deliver a story in which anyone can resonate with it. i grew attached to the characters, the story and the atmosphere to the point that i kept this drama in my list for more than a month. i couldn't let go of it.

the struggle of adulting, the beauty of friendships, how backward the thinking was to excuse abuse of students, the bitter circumstances of others and how love doesn't always work out. everything is in this drama yet the pacing is not weird at all. if i were to complain about anything, the ending definitely felt quite rushed though i still understood where the characters were coming from.

here's me rambling about other stuff i loved in this drama:
-can we please talk about yu rim and hee do? they're legit so precious and it was a joy to see how their relationship evolved. i think besides the whole friend group and the cutesy romance, these two definitely made this worth a watch. the chemistry was so good that you could almost fool me that these two were into each other.

-i really enjoyed seungwan's character and her strength to go through what she did. she was like a mom in the group.

-ji woong was also fun to watch and he was really cute with yu rim. everything about these two were fluffy.

-hee do!!! my sunshine! i love everything about this girl! she's the literal definition of the meme "never back down never what" she improved so much as a character but she always had that fighter spirit in her. i'm proud of her.

overall, i really enjoyed this. this drama is something i wouldn't mind rewatching in the future but i'd definitely need some emotional support. it is a one-of-a-kind drama that you won't get to see much of. the great pacing, wholesome friendships, beautiful romance and meaningful lessons are all what makes this drama such a good watch.

Lire davantage

Give the drama a try

The drama altogether is superb.It has many positives and some negatives.

Positives.
I had a very beautiful ride when i look at the drama as whole.
The relationship between friends, parents,teacher .. everything was just marvellous.
The game fencing was potrayed so beautifully that i even wished to study it.
The actors had done their part so well that we fell in love with every character whether it's main leads,second leads or supporting actors.
It was a relaxing and calming story except last ep.It gave us the hope to dream and capture your dream and also teaches us many lessons.

Negative
The main negative is the ending.The drama initially itself gave many clues that it was a sad ending.so i was ready for it but the fact that made me hurt was that the ending was not satisfying.It didn't explained well about each characters life after all the happenings.
The drama us not full of big twists and turns .It has some though.It depends on your taste whether it will keep u thrilling or not.


Don't decide to not watch this drama just because of it has a sad or unsatisfying ending because this drama gives us so many other beautiful memories and moments in all other episodes.So give it a try...

Lire davantage

the ending was dissapointing

i'm a bit dissapointed. the first too episodes i wasnt super invested but still wanted keep watching and until the 14ish episode i actually enjoyed it a lot. but the ending totally ruined it for me. i didn't like that the daughter and older hee do were included. i don't think that it was needed and it spoiled things too much. main leads had great chemistry and all but the age gap still felt iffy to me. and the ending didn't really make sense? i feel like the female lead was too strong and willing to not give up on anything in life to just break up like that? we didn't get enough happy moments or enough bad moments for it to break off so soon just because of their work. their relationship developed so slowly however they ended everything so soon. people that made this really decided to play w the audience's emotions. a harsh break up. meeting again to make up? but it actually turned out to be a break up again? how was going to russia not an obstacle for the 2nd lead couple then? i knew that it won't have a happy ending however i felt like the ending was way more dissapointing than it could've been. if they really wanted to go w a daughter reading her mom's diary it could've easily been about her parents and not her mom's first love which would've made a happy ending. a sad ending could've worked too if made better. i still rated the overall rating pretty high even tho it was dissapointing but i liked it too much to rate it low.

Lire davantage

A good drama, had a lot of potential but might disappoint in the end.

This drama could've been a very nice, lighthearted one, but I don't know what the writers thought. The pace for 1-14 episodes was mind-blowing, as if it kept one interested for further episodes, but the last 2 episodes went downhill.
This drama is about their youth. One wanted to do what she loved and the other had to give up on his dreams to survive. They both met due to an incident, and that the friendship they developed was worth it. Meanwhile, NHD also made friends with her idol, and that bid was THE BEST in friendship. The second lead couple, no triangle, just a sweet, innocent, and non-giving-up relationship. And the last JSW, she is gold. Her personality and her confidence are so cool.
Apart from that, NHD and BYJ slowly and steadily form a love relationship. It was all good until BYJ made it into the local news. From there, the NHD's part of the problems began. And when BYJ had to go to NY, it all changed and it led them to breakup.
Honestly, I was fine with the break up. They had their own opinions and they made sense too in the last episode when they burst open. It's just that something is missing in the end. I don't know how a breakup that is 20 years old still haunts a happily married woman. Of course it was her youth, but still, the ending wasn't that satisfactory.

On the other hand, the title "25–21" was just about their youth. The past that she lived and which has nothing to do with her present. If we think that way, the gap for her present life for us can be filled.

Lire davantage