"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.
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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...
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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.Was this review helpful to you?
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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.
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Love this drama!
I was a bit hesitant to start this series when I learned the story ages of the characters started at 18 and 22. However, any hesitation was completely lost as the storyline hooked me in. The chemistry of the cast, the storyline, the soundtrack, I love this drama! I can't wait to see how they complete the story. I have found my self laughing out loud and becoming teary eyed throughout the series. I feel they address some refreshing topics in this series. They also handle the age gap of the romance leads well. I am enjoying this drama greatly.Was this review helpful to you?
"Twenty Five Twenty One" best kdrama for first quarter of 2022
So far, i really admit that this drama is so so good. I realized that everytime i finished watching an episode, i'll say "this is the best episode so far" then after watching the next episode, i'll say that line again haha i mean this series is getting better and better. Every episode you can choose your fave scene, so many scenes that were really made my heart flutters. You will surely laugh, smile, cry and fall in love with this drama. The two leads' chemistry is too strong and no one expected that at first but damn even very small little details they did made me smile and scream.Toptier directing, excellent acting, refreshing unique storyline, well written, beautiful OST, best cinematography
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A masterfully done coming-of-age story
I would like focus this review on addressing common complaints about the show.1. Main love story and ending. Countless posts and reels/shorts list this show as an example of sad ending. That is understandable since it is rare for main characters to fall out of love and end their relationship. However, it is not so rare in real life, and people do overcome breakups and can still be happy in life. And due to the nature of this show, we knew that they do not end up together right from the beginning. This is a coming-of-age story rather than a classic romance, it is about young people achieving their goals and dreams, which they definitely did.
2. Characters of Yu-rim and Hee-do's mother. Since the show doesn't have antogonists/villains, these characters are sometimes seen as antogonists for different reasons. Yu-rim did say some hurtful things often time unnecessarily and unprovoked. She is immature, prideful and insecure in first half, but she is also a teenager. Many of those things can be explained by her situation and she was just too stubborn and prideful to acknowledge Hee-do, which is also realistic. On the other hand, mom is sometimes portrayed as a bad parent, especially in comparison to Yu-rim's parents. But we have to remember that most of the story is Hee-do's POV through her diary, a classic case of a biased narrator. As a single mother in SK of 90s she did an exceptional job of raising Hee-do (money, comfort and ability to pursue her dreams). And many of their fights were due to lack of communication, stubbornness and avoidance, not because she was a bad mother. Both Yu-rim and Hee-Do's mother are complex characters that do have their flaws, but they are also sometimes misunderstood by viewers.
From friendship dynamics to personal growth this show masterfully captures both youthful optimism and harsh reality of adulthood. Like the lyrics of the song "I thought it would last forever, twenty five twenty one", but here it is filled with nostalgia and warm memories.
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Not your typical high school romance but more of a coming-of-age story.
It was pretty obvious on how things were gonna end considering the direction it was going but the bittersweet feeling didn't leave me. I'm glad it was a realistic ending and not something fairytale. I wish more Kdramas did this where they go beyond the highschool life and show us the truth about young love and friendships. Really loved it.The beginning of the story especially the first 6 or so Episodes present this illusion that makes you think that everything will stay like this forever but also sprinkles a bit of hints about the unforseen future here and there. The writing of the characters are perfect in my opinion. They feel very human and realistic and not fictional and stale like most 1-dimensional Kdrama characters. And the actors did a phenomenal job with the acting. I need to check more kdramas with them in it. The happy scenes made me happy, the sad scenes made me cry and every emotion which the show wanted me to feel, made me feel it; and very few kdramas have done that because not every sad scene or happy scene makes u feel the same way if it wasn't written good.
This might have become a classic. Definitely one of the best, if not the best Romance Kdrama in the genre. In years to come I can easily see people talk about this as generational show.
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honestly so refreshing.
I needed to write a better and more up-to-date review..I loved this show so much. In one single show, it highlights so many different emotions. It's not just a "feel good", but it's also a sentimental, heartfelt and even comedic show...
i think this show is so refreshing, from the way it's narrated through the daughter reading her mother's diary and also how it doesn't just explore a usual love story.. because it's not. It's a love that's so complex and complicated, and it explores a whole different side of love. The two characters, Beak Yijin and Na Heedo, have a beautiful and colourful relationship, which they struggle to label, hence why their love is so complicated yet so refreshing.
Their relationship begins as a feel-good one. where they accidentally but so naturally fall into a much deeper, closer and more emotional relationship. In the height of their new and blooming relationship and bond, they become intertwined within their connection and love. They begin to battle and converse between different silly names, such as "rainbiw" to label their love, since it was so special and unique.
For most watchers, when they label their love as romantic and begin an intimate relationship, it was such a long-awaited moment. A moment that everyone was anticipating. That honestly included me also.
This show was so amazing in exploring all different types of love. from friendships, to best friends, to lovers and yep... to ex-lovers.
This show explores how two soulmates search for a label, and the more they search for ways to express their love, the deeper they get until they can no longer return. After a couple of years, life begins to play its role, and it takes a huge toll on their romantic life, where they split, and it ends with a heart-wrenching scene of the two in the future congratulating Heedo on her marriage to another and Yijin's blooming career. Such career that played a role in their romantic end. Their eyes still showed so much love and memories. because they had always loved each other, but I honestly believe it was a love that cannot hold a name or label.
Also to add, the music they used within the show was one of the best I've seen. It was of an amazing quality and fitted the scenes and show perfectly.
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In my opinion, best Kdrama ever.
Everything about this Kdrama is unforgettable. One of the best Kdramas ever hands down. Story ✅ Acting ✅ OST ✅ Cast ✅. I love this drama so much you might not understand why it turned out to be that way the moment you finish it (no spoilers) but as time goes you will understand and will agree to the decisions that were made. First time I watched it was two years ago and I am STILL NOT over it and also planning on rewatching it a third time. What beautiful about it, it focuses on many types of relationships that you might relate to. 10/10 could not recommend it enough.Was this review helpful to you?
2521 shows that in the end we all will become a memory
As a hopeless romantic and a nostalgic enjoyer (if that is a thing) every episode of this series Is magical. Hee-do and Yi-Jin slow burn and bittersweet ending feels just so heartwarming but heartbreaking at the same time. All the stories are very well written, the characters are very interesting as well as their respective backgrounds, all have and important development which Is one of the topics of the series, a coming of age drama. I really liked Yu-Rim and Ji-Woong romance, they’re so cute.Was this review helpful to you?
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“It doesn’t matter what you do or where you might be, I just will always love you for you.” “I want to stay by your side a long time. And watch you become even greater than you are.”
“She deserves the best experiences and that is something that I can offer.”
“Life is precious. So while we have the chance, let’s love each other with no regrets.”
“You always lead me to good places and tell me what the right thing to do is.” — YES, THAT IS LITERALLY EXACTLY WHAT LOVE IS ABOUT.
My emotions were on a rollercoaster through this 16-episode story. First off, their kiss in the snow was perfect — chef’s kiss.
Secondly, this drama is not only about the romance:
Baek Yi-Jin once said, “If you fail to live your dream, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. And I don’t think living your dream means you’ve succeeded either.”
That one line captures the message of this drama, when it is about love, growing up, finding yourself, and realizing that even the most beautiful things in life don’t always last forever.
If I had to summarize the entire drama in one line, it would be this: “A crazy friendship and an intense love. Because it’s those brief moments that make a long life shine.” This drama hits hard when thinking about nostalgia. It makes you remember what it felt like to be young and to believe that the people beside you would be there forever. It’s a show that teaches children to cherish our youth, because those fleeting days of laughter, love, and mistakes are what shape who we become.
And can we talk about the found family aspect? Every single member of that friend group were pieces of each other’s lives. It was comforting and painful all at once, watching how time slowly drifted them apart, but their memories stayed to tell this story.
I have to admit that I recognize that the lesson of Twenty-Five Twenty-One isn’t about getting a happy ending. It’s about realizing that some people are meant to come into your life for a season, to teach you something, to love you fiercely for a time, and then sadly let you go. It’s about finding peace in that, even if it hurts.
But still… the ending absolutely destroyed me. The things they said to each other, the way they looked at one another, knowing they still loved each other but couldn’t stay. I will never forgive the writers for not letting them end up together. And then the replays — all their old scenes flashing back, the tears in their eyes during that final interview, their last hug, and Baek Yi-Jin’s password reset. Oh man...I couldn't hold it together in that last episode.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One teaches us that love doesn’t have to last forever to be real, rather, it just has to be felt. The memories they shared, the laughter, the friendship, the heartbreak is what makes life meaningful. It’s the kind of drama that makes you cry, smile, and think about your own past all at once. A masterpiece!
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