Twenty-Five Twenty-One

A story of youth and great love that gave you the best memories but it's not endless

So we have come to the very end of this drama.

It was a beautiful journey with a lot of lessons that we can bring into our everyday lives.

First of all, I want to say that this drama really found me in the right time. The crisis that these characters went through somehow parallels what we are going through right now which is the pandemic. I relate a lot with Heedo's first situation being the "prodigy" but not living the expectations that the others have for you and Yijin's having the time take away a lot of things from you. It was really a timely drama.

The drama portrays the struggle people go through in their lives and I loved it for that. It was so precious and I really really learned a lot from it.

With regards to the cast, hands down, they are the perfect cast for each of the characters. They really portrayed each character well. All of the actors did really well and because of that the drama was able to resonate with us more. Nam Joo Hyuk really did well in this drama, I am not his fan and haven't watched a lot of his works so I based my expectations on hearsay but because of this drama I think I will watch more of his works.

For the OSTs, this is one of the few dramas that I have watched where I love every single song that they used. Literally, every track is worth listening to. Also, I love how they involve the main characters' actors in the production of soundtrack. Kudos to all of the singers, songwriters, and all those involved in making it.

Now, for the ending. At first I wasn't really impressed or something as I've always rooted for the main couple to go through every struggle and end up together building a family, being each other's happiness. However, looking it without this lenses of someone rooting for them and seeing as a whole, it was a beautiful bittersweet ending. It was bittersweet because it is somehow sad that moments that makes you feel happy, the ones that made you who you are, is not meant to last. It will always be a memory. The love that you thought will last forever ended up being a heartbreaking moment. However, this also is a beautiful thing without these things you might not have come this far. Baek Yi Jin and Na Hee Do's break up is justifiable. Their love was a great and deep love and because of that, it hurts more. However, if ever they continued being together they might have hurt each other more and make the memories they once considered the sweetest being the most hurtful and a thing they want to forget. It was the right decision all along.

*I just want to add, I think their love was more than just first loves, they are each other's great love. They were meant to be but they were not meant stay.

I believe that BYJ and NHD have their own happy endings. HD having her own family(husband and kim min chae), achieving a lot of things(bringing honor to her country), and having a better relationship with her mother. YJ being on the top of the journalist's game as he became the anchor, he also brought back his family together again. It may not be the happy ending that almost all of us want(them being together at the end) however, we can say that they became happy in the end.

It was a story of youth. A beautiful youth that we all share. The youth that will lead us to the path we will take for the years to come. It was also a story of growth that we all need to undergone as we must always remember nothing lasts forever but at least you have it at one moment.

ps. there is stilll some lingering feelings that i want them to be together at the end

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Nostalgic Young Love Story

I noticed quite a few negative reviews on this drama after the final episodes aired, so I wanted to put forward an alternative perspective.

I think the reason why people are reacting so strongly to the ending is because they had expected a certain outcome, or had formed some theories in their minds surrounding Hee Do's daughter (MinChae). But for me, it was quite clear from the beginning that MinChae's role is merely a storytelling device - she is the means through which the audience discovers Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin's love story. Her mother's story is what also helps MinChae rekindle her passion for ballet.

The writers definitely wanted to portray Hee Do and Yi Jin's love story as an idyllic romance from a distant past, which so many of us have experienced and left behind. It was always clear that Kim MinChae is not Yi Jin's daughter, and that Hee Do and Yi Jin are not together in the present day.

There are many such beautiful love stories in the world that end before they even begin. Love stories between people who have been friends for years - whose lives repeatedly cross paths, collide and intertwine - but ultimately unravel and fall apart very quickly as soon as a difficulty arises. This is a story about two young people who only knew how to be happy around each other, enjoy each other's company and to unconditionally support and encourage one another towards their goals. But when it came to prioritising their relationship alone, it failed. It is much easier to be a supportive and loving friend, but not that easy to be fully present as a romantic partner.

I do not blame Yi Jin for anything. He came from a family who had it all but lost everything. As the elder son, he felt the responsibility to succeed so that his family can once again live together and be financially secure. This was the reality of his life. He loved Hee Do immensely. He was affected by her infectious positivity when he was with her, but when he went to New York, the deep unhappiness he was harbouring came to the surface. Words unspoken and life circumstances is what drove them apart - they were sadly victims of "the times".

Ofcourse - I do not think the drama is perfect and there could have been some things done differently. I do agree that the last few episodes were rushed and more time could have been spent on building up the conflict in their relationship. I also didn't like the way Go Yu Rim's character did a 180 degree flip midway through the series. The way she intentionally belittled and hurt Hee Do in the first half of the series did not match with the fiercely loyal and affectionate friend she ended up being. I did really enjoy her romance arc with Moon JiUng, they were super cute. The actor Choi Hyun Wook did a phenomenal job and was refreshing and loveable to watch. All of the main cast members were great, in my opinion.

Overall I think the drama was one of the better ones I've watched so far - it was charming and engaging, even without being heavily plot driven which is an achievement in itself. I just wanted to offer my alternate perspective on the Hee Do and Yi Jin's story, to make sense of it in my mind and hopefully help others rationalise it too!

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Mostly About The Ending.

Twenty Five Twenty One broke my heart into two. Not like the first K-drama I watched, My Girl (2005), which had me ugly crying for days. However, it left an incredible impression on me. This drama left me thinking so much about the ending and why the relationship ended the way it did. After I finished the drama, I started reading reviews online and it left me feeling that the ending needed to be that way.
Na Hee Do and Back Yi Jin found each other and became the most important people for each other. They each gave support to one another and pushed one another to become what they dreamed of being, for Na Her Do's case. It is truly a story of recollection of Na Her Do's most important period of her life. Through Bak Yi Jin, she was able to be the Gold Medalist worth making her late father proud. She became a carpenter because of the advice that Bak Yi Jin gave her. Back Yi Jin was able to move through a difficult part of his life and became a great reporter in the end.
Their support started platonic and as they grew together, eventually became more. However, because of their careers, they drifted apart. Towards the end, their needs differed and they were not meeting eye to eye. I have no doubt they truly loved each other, and many say that there was more that they could have done to be with each other. But in that case, that would have made everything that they worked for and supported each other for seem like it was for nothing. They supported each other from the start and still support one another, from afar, even though the relationship reached its ending.
Don't get me wrong, the drama is not without flaws, but I wanted to give my point on why the ending is great in my opinion. It was a great chapter of her life, but one that needed be closed for Na Hee Do to be the person she became in present time. At least that's how I view it.

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Live in the moment, cherish them and have no regrets!

Beautiful! Spectacular depiction of what real life is. Life struggles and achievements are beautifully shown in different personalities. Sorrow, pain, struggles are all parts of growing up. Parts of LIFE!
I adored every second of this drama. Especially the friendship. Love how the episodes gradually makes you feel all kind of feelings. It’s true you can learn and understand a lot from kdramas. I would suggest everyone to watch this well written masterpiece.
Last but not least this was HEARTBREAKING BUT BEAUTIFUL WHILE IT LASTED.

안녕, 스물다섯 스물하나
(Goodbye, Twenty Five Twenty One)

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A quality drama with a controversial ending, but ultimately worth the watch.

WARNING: this review is going to contain some spoilers.

At first, I agreed with the outraged reviews around the ending. But now that the initial emotion has worn off, I'm a little more at peace with this finale. I don't have an issue with the outcome of the pairing itself, but I do still think they should've executed it differently (there are countless other ways I can think of that would've given me more closure!!), and that might have alleviated a whole lot of anger and betrayal that everyone's been feeling.

But ultimately, this story is a tribute to youth. When we're 18 with the world in the palm of our hands. When we're 18 and we feel like time is ours for the taking. When we're 18 and we think our today will be our forever. It's a frozen snapshot in time; a first love that endures long after it's ended, immortalised in old worn photos and creased diary pages. That was what this drama sought to capture, and they did that to perfection. This was sophisticated storytelling - an elevation of the coming-of-age genre to a level that I haven't seen another youth show before 2521 achieve. I felt the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with this drama, and to that, I have to credit the quality of the storytelling - the writing, the directing, and the acting, all somehow coming together to create a magical synergy that made this drama glow and pulse with life.

Episodes 1-13 and 15 were more perfect than any drama has ever been for me, and I've been watching dramas for over 13 years now. Episodes 14 and 16 were the hardest to get through, and reviews might tell you that it's no longer worth watching because of the ending, but I do believe that if you go into this show knowing what to expect, this will still be a magical watch, and the heartbreak will still be worth it. It's been a privilege watching Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin grow together and love each other these past 16 episodes. My heart still hurts for them, but as Adult Na Hee-do once said: "Nothing lasts forever. Everything flows away. And that's not always a bad thing."

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The story with a more realistic ending

The time we spend being reckless with friends and passionate about life would end up being one of the best memories of your life and at the same time, it would also be the one to pass by most quickly - well, that is what this series is all about. I can't help but loving all the story buildings for both the main leads and their friends throughout the entire drama. To have such amazing support and motivation by your side just when you hit the bottomless pit of your life is simply a miracle and a huge blessing. I loved how beautifully NHD and BYJ grew alongside each other as their life progressed and at the same time, how delicately they expressed their love for each other just at the right time - it felt like all of it was meant to be.

But then, in the end, I just couldn't absorb their breakup really well. They have been good to each other, grew and motivated each other, GENUINELY LOVED EACH OTHER and then got separated just like that? It's just sad that they felt that letting go was easier than holding on after all these time. After all these time of endless laughter, happy moments and endless dreams, it was easier for them to let go of each other instead of working hard enough to stay in each other's life.

As I was watching the end of this drama, I was getting my heart broken little by little and just to think of that, for most people in the world, they do not end up being with the person whom they truly love was even more of a painful realization for me. I understand that they didn't want to feel sorry for each other after one point, but was letting go really worth it?

Anyways, I would highly recommend the drama for its good feelings and (to some extend) a realistic ending for viewers who are looking for a good drama. You won't be disappointed but you'll definitely have an emotional roller coaster ride! :)

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My first 10/10 kdrama

That's right, after watching 21 dramas, this show is my highest rated one. There is everything to love about this show, with few to none critiques. This show has so many fun and emotional scenes, and it highlights the beauty and fleetingness of youth. Just to be clear, this show is a story, as in a chapter in the past. It is clear that is the case in the first few episodes. The characters are no longer in Hee-Do's life. That is why I was confused why everyone hated the ending, because it was a really great ending. But for my non spoiler part of this review, this show had it all. It was a sports, romance, coming of age drama all in one. It also was one of the best friendship dramas I have seen. Fantastic character chemistry with really fun moments that make you feel young and like you are the characters made this show so special. Also a phenomenal OST of both fun and emotional songs really made this such a well rounded show that absolutely everybody should watch. This show was never slow, and often times really exciting and emotional. I could not wait each Saturday and Sunday morning to watch the new episodes, so to anyone considering, please watch this Twenty-Five Twenty One.

SPOILER TIME: The ending was meant to read us the final lines in the Yi-Jin chapter of her life. We knew it would not be a happily ever after ending because the daughter did not appear to know a lot about Yi-Jin, meaning he was not the father. Also, we do not always need a happily ever after, they are fun but sometimes predictable. This was a nuanced ending, a bittersweet if you will. This show in its entirety was Hee-Do's reflection on a story of beautiful friendships, her first love, and the end of her youth. I know the ending did not tell us who her husband was, but it kind of did not matter. He was a random person, and we kind of already knew that. I would rather them not have spent time explaining who the random person was when at the end of the day, he was just a random person. I would much rather spend the last episode seeing Ji-Woong and Yu-Rim get engaged, and see how Yi-Jin and Hee-Do ended their story.

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Couldn't stop my tears...

I usually like dramas with bad endings but how should I say... I wish it was a good ending. I mean in some ways Baek Yi Jin was the reason of their ending. Even though I loved him so much, how could someone decide to move to another country without asking his partner? If there is love, there must be a communication. That was their problem for me. But even from the start we already knew they've been broken up ages ago.

Overall, it was a great drama except the ending. I cried, laughed and felt the friendship I've never had. I just wished to see all of their adulthood. How was their relationship-friendship in the future, did other couples got married etc.

All the actors were awesome. They all carried acting in to a different level.

Hope to see this kind of dramas (but with better ending) in the future.

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Will always have a special place in my heart.

It was a beautiful journey right from the first ep to the last. I laughed when the characters were silly, I cried when they were in pain, I was determined towards my aim watching the characters strive for their future, I was motivated by their avidity for their passion and learnt what it actually means to be happy. This drama went right through my heart.
The ending hit me with a strong message that the awful and joyous times we experience in life will be a precious memory in the future and it will complete our life, eventually.

I like how the story goes back and forth from the present to the past and vice versa. It makes the storytelling more engaging. Sometimes, this way of storytelling also leaves a remarkable takeaway for me; don’t worry too much, the sadness/mistakes we make today will going to be just okay someday and we’ll learn something from it.

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I liked the ending...

I know that a lot of people have to say about the ending, a lot of people say that the ending was either rush or it just wasn't the result they wanted. But looking back at my comments and my prediction from the beginning of the series, I wanted this type of ending or at least really similar. My prediction was that they weren't going to be endgame and they were going to standing on their own and different side of the screen in present time. In this case they kinda were but not in reality and not in the present. Let's go down to the pros and cons.

PROS: I really like the story, how it was played out. The idea of the reporter and a fencer, and etc. I also liked how each character got its own background, we get to see each character grow and how their upbringing got them to where they are now. A lot of people are sorta iffy about the whole present and past thing, but I think with that it allowed speculation between the watchers. I think the quality was really good, a long with the ost. It was a pretty standard netflix kdrama. I really enjoyed the fencing scenes and the friendship. The fencing was well done that made me want to watch it, and even though Hee Do did not get to go through the same pain that BYJ went, though we saw it I was kinda glad about that.

CONS: Like I had said in the beginning I liked the ending, however I do understand people frustration of it feeling a little rush. I like the open ending but it did feel rush and felt like it could've been done a lot better. Thinking about this now, I know that people wanted to see BYJ in the present time, but I think it was an okay idea to keep him out of it so that it followed the story of like its in the past, nothing lasts forever. However seeing him the present if they were to do it I think a talk with BYJ and the daughter explaining their love story and why it ended would've been good, instead of having the book store owner give the book, have some interaction or something. I think also the ending of the House manwha was kinda just let go, i wish they continued it and I also believe that for some reason during the romantic scenes after they were together felt a little weird ish.

I really did like this drama and would recommend for those who don't want a full on romance drama but a lot of friendship and family.

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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.

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