definitely recommended
it was a very good movie definitely recommended it is a romantic movie and also very sad.it's one of my favorite series but the ending was really disappointing.only watch it if you want your heart broken and it literally just felt like I was in that movie it was also set in 1980 I think if I'm correct and now I just want to live in 1980.WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH ITWas this review helpful to you?
My frist love
2521 kdrama is the best especially the friendship and the story is very good execpt for the sad ending the drama showed the hard work of athletes and they lifestyle and the cast did good job and the darma reminds me of my childhood days the beach secen is my favorite 😍 overall the drama is mixed of emotions i cried so hard at the ending.......Was this review helpful to you?
Not a fan
I passed over this series several times before watching. After reading a few reviews and seeing that the ratings were decent, I figured that I would give it a try. It started off cute and then I just wanted to throw something at the screen. The FL character development was nearly non-existent. The chemistry between the ML and FL was a stretch which made the depth of the 'love factor' more trying than endearing. I have seen ML (Nam Joo Hyuk) in different series, and he really needs better scripts. The concept of the script was good. However, so much of character development was lacking. Also, the hole in the script still remains in the end about the child. The series was too tiring to have you still guessing in the end. All in all, once it ended, I was more relieved than fulfilled. I would not recommend nor rewatch.Was this review helpful to you?
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Falling action was very disappointing
To get this out of the way, I find it weird that people want to point out the age gap when the main couple were at the same emotional stage and was looking for platonic support-- as Yijin was separated from his family and Hee-do was always left alone since her mom was a famous anchorwoman. I think the love grew very platonically to what it is now and do not see it predatory at all.Putting that aside, I loved every single aspect of the drama. However, the falling action was the most disappointing and unrealistic part of the drama. For everyone talking about how "realistic" this drama is, it is not even close to realistic at all. It made no sense why Yijin, a novice reporter, was sent to a foreign country to fend off alone. While at that, Yijin also applied to a position in New York despite how much "hell" it brought him-- is he a masochist? I'm sure that he did feel like it was his duty to bring these victims' stories to light, but there was so much potential for the couple to simply make up. Instead, they simply ended in one heartwrenching fight.
Seung-wan also got done dirty in the end, she went to college and still was bored with her current occupation? I was expecting her to get some sort of "revenge" on those teachers. Her hitting on Yijin's brother was really weird. This group went from being the closest knitted group to a group that only sees each other at funerals? Is this the "realistic" message that the drama wants to give at the end? There are so many unanswered questions such as: Why did present-day Hee Do forget about her trip to the beach with her friends? Why did she forget about her first love? Who did she end up with at the end?
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My favorite Drama!
I really loved every second of this show. Everything was amazing, even though it smashed my heart into pieces. I mean it was obvious that they don’t have a future cause her daughter was reading the story, but I wished so many times that it would be different. I never thought I could be so excited about a series that was mostly about fencing. At first I wasn’t sure if I should watch it because I thought fencing would be boring, but god I was wrong ! I would advise everyone to watch it. Have fun!♥️Was this review helpful to you?
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Intinya bagus:)
SOOOO WORTH TO WATCH??! jaraanng jarang aku SESUKA ini sama drakor yg sad end😓 tapi ini baguss. pertemanannya erat dan lucu ajaa. makin dewasa memang ga bisa lagi dapet momen momen kyk pas masi muda dulu. kurang fun gituuWas this review helpful to you?
Dreams, Youth, and the Bittersweet Weight of Time
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is deeply reflective — a coming-of-age story about the choices we make, the goals we chase, and the failures that inevitably shape us. It captures the beauty and heartbreak of ambition with rare honesty. The friendship at the heart of the story feels real and lived-in, showing how people can grow together and apart with equal tenderness.The cinematography is stunning — every frame feels drenched in nostalgia and emotion. It perfectly captures that fleeting moment in life where everything feels possible and fragile at the same time. A beautiful reminder that growing up means learning to love, lose, and keep moving forward.
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I hate this series so much - hate it the same way each time Na Heedo saying she hate Park Yijin.
Well wrap-up. It's so hurtful. This pain almost suppressed the positive score I had for this series, but because of the way they wrap up with recollection scenes to remind the viewers what their messages are - and those messages are so strong I just can't deny it. In this way, they kind of console me to not let the anguish bury the valuable points we've gained from watching the series. The original plot is complex and well built, the characters are interesting and well created, the dialogues are well written. The FL's acting is superb. I don't feel much chemistry between the leads though, and still hate the ending so much. I think maybe because I've been through only ordinary kind of love, never this kind that so intensely intertwines with life to the core. So when I see this kind of love that two people went through so much before being together falls apart, their break-up just doesn't make sense to me.Was this review helpful to you?
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OMG GUYS GUYS GUYS!
I loved this drama. Its was very happening....like i kept wondering what was gonna happen next. I also BALLED my eyes out and i am a sucker for emotional dramas soo i absolutely loved it! i like how the leads became friends first then jumped into a romantic relationship. Plus the CHEMISTRY between them was FIRE. Also the camaraderie among female in the show was EPIC. It was ALL SO REAL. It liked Kim Tae Ri's outfits so much. BUT i feel like i didnt get CLOSURE from the ending sadly.Was too invested in this drama and i get the sad ending but maybe they could have dwelled more on how they partly ways but again it can be because i wanted them to end up together. I really want to watch it again but i just CANNOT bring myself to see them go separate ways.LOVED IT!!!Was this review helpful to you?
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yijin and heedo were supposed to be endgame
absolutely the best show I've watched for all the right reasons. the casting, perfect. the songs, perfect. (excluding tae*l) yurim and jiwoong getting married, cutsie. but hee-do and yijin breaking up and ending up not being endgame...? just shoot me now. genuinely this was so sad to watch for this exact reason.. which is why rewatch value is 5.5, because I wouldn't want to put myself through this excruciating pain again, but the show overall is 10/10, very interesting. but lowk everytime yijin cried.. DAMN... but yeah 10/10 would reccomend, even though its super depressing once you finish it, and u probably wont get over this heartbreak (cause ik i didnt..)Was this review helpful to you?
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Bittersweet end but still a beautiful story
25 21 was a drama in a weird spot for me. I wanted to watch it but didn't at the same time. I had spoiled myself and checked the spoiler of this drama because I heard that it was a hot topic from fans. It took me a while to decide to watch this drama preparing for what would happen.My honest opinion is that I very much loved the first 9 episodes of this drama. But the other episodes after when Hee Do and Yu Rim become friends weren't as good as the first 9. They still were good but weren't incredible like the first 9. The drama captures you in with our main characters backstory to connect and root for. Both of our leads have clear goals and issues. Hee Do strives to become passionate with fencing again and also becoming her fencing idol's rival. She has a mother who is a popular busy news anchor that neglects Hee Do leaving her alone a lot. She is not there to support her which leaves their relationship miscommunicated and bickering. Yi Jin wants to bring his family back together one day as they are separated from the times crashing his father's career. He once had it all but now has to start at the bottom alone. Both of the leads become each other's support as they get through these tough times.
The ending to this drama is the most talked about whether you were fine with it or hated it. So in short our two leads do not end up together. If I saw this drama when I was couple years younger, I would be on the outrage of why they didn't end up together. But my current self "ducks undercover" was fine with the ending and understood it a bit. They had this friendship or "rainbow" relationship as Hee Do was growing to become a fencer winning gold medals and Yi Jin starting out as a news reporter. When they became more successful and older, their relationship became well romance. Their turning point is when Yi Jin goes to America suddenly to cover the 9/11 attack. He is there alone and suffering from how this news affected people and himself. He then holds his suffering to himself which he stops replying or reading messages from Hee Do. Yi Jin got accepted a job in New York where he will be staying that would lead to their break up. He returns back to Korea and they both break up. Hee Do mentioned that when they became a couple, she wanted to share everything with him including his suffering. He thought her support was burdensome to her. She sees her relationship with Yi Jin as her relationship with her mother now. She waited for her and was let down leaving her alone a lot which Yi Jin is doing now. Also Yi Jin's career path is similar to her mother's too. She doesn't want to experience that kind of relationship again in the future which is a reason to their break up.
I can agree that it was a sad ending for me when they didn't stay as a couple and gotten married. But I don't find their breakup ending to be bad. It does make sense to me. I think I missed some stuff but I couldn't find a reason to support Yi Jin's side. I could only understand it from Hee Do's side on why their relationship had to end. He stopped communicating with her sharing his suffering with her and their schedules were too busy to handle a relationship. I feel like they became a couple at the wrong time when their journey was at it's busiest. Some might say well why couldn't they get back together when she retired from fencing and he was back in Korea? Well he still would be busy now as the news anchor which doesn't fix the issue Hee Do had with him of how he was going to be not there for her like her mother.
Their story is told from a perspective of the present from Hee Do's daughter reading her mother's diary. A couple of episodes in, there are clues that can give away the end game. Her daughter's name is Kim not Baek which is in Yi Jin's name. I don't really like this idea of their story being told from it being in the past. It didn't interest me. It also kind of played viewers into the guessing game of who Hee Do's husband is. Unfortunately or fortunately, they don't show her husband and to me that's ok. I realized her husband that isn't Yi Jin was not a important part of the story. I think the drama would have been fine without it being told in the present from a diary. I can see a bit why they done this so you can feel not as sad when the ending happened assuming you caught on the clues they gave out early on.
The cast was phenomenal. Kim Tae Ri was an excellent choice as Hee Do. Music of the drama was good as well. Would I rewatch it again, surprisingly I would. The story built of how it all happened is worth it even if it's a sad ending. Sometimes dramas go with the sad ending that doesn't make sense but here it does make sense for me. The leads had great chemistry together. Dare I say their chemistry before becoming a couple was better.
My favorite story in the drama was the determination of Hee Do training to win the gold medal and beat Yu Rim. My favorite scene was when Hee Do was congratulated, cheered up, and proud of her by the old folks at the restaurant after she was being called horrible stuff by the public.
Whether you liked the ending or not, I hope you at least admire/enjoyed the story.
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I loved it, but…
This was a great show but I felt they left a lot on the table. There is still more story to tell imo, especially in the present day setting.It’s interesting that the ML gave up on their relationship , whereas the 2ML did not give up his relationship with the 2FL. The contrast between their two decisions could have been addressed more. The ML didn’t have to take the job in NYC. They should have stressed that career move was essentially and he had no real choice but to stay there. Him staying in NYC just felt like a plot device over a logical decision.
I’d love to know more about the FL’s father. Did he divorce the mother b/c he found out the FL settled for him and never fell out of love with the ML?
Why does the daughter know nothing about her mother’s childhood friends? It would have been interesting to see the daughter try to reunite the old gang for her mother.
Again, a great show, but this is a show that probably needed four more episodes.
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