Twenty-Five Twenty-One

Worth to watch it

Ok, the last ep was kinda not peoples cup of tea, but if we all go back and rewatch the first 14 episodes, its all full of joy, existence, energy, funny, motivation and heartwarming scenes… just because the last ep wasn’t satisfying it doesn’t mean the whole show is not low rated! Although if the one who has already completed watching goes and rewatch the show will feel a sadness since watching them being happy, jumping around and not knowing in 10 years they wont be together anymore is so heartbreaking!
The show was so good! Don’t hesitate and go watch it now!

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Rare Gem

this is just a personal opinion, many might disagree, some might agree :)

to me, this is a well-written piece. it's a story about one's first love, friendship and growth.
i liked the story-telling and how it focuses on the characters development vs just another drama.
this is one of those rare gems.

i enjoyed the fact that it's like a trip to memory lane - taking some of us back to our younger days, being foolish and reckless (being our true self)
it brought back those feelings of having crush on our seniors, can't tell what is really love (vs like, we're only 18! 19?)
how we grew from failure and hardships
how we then learned about liking someone, what it really means falling in love with someone
then breaking up with someone, that we really like (love)

however i do admit, this is so rare that one really have to start and keep going until the end without a break.
how most of us stayed and waited, that actually breaks the momentum in my opinion. (will rewatch this during the summer!)

and for those who got crushed by the ending, whether or not it delivered the answer you were expecting, try to think of it as you are now going through the "breakup" - the agony you were feeling when watching the last few episodes? (korean saying) It's okay, cry and rant all about it. and once you're over it, you'll then remember the sweetness it brought you :)

and one last thing to add, Kim Tae-Ri. my god, she's really Good.

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Bittersweet & Touching to the end

Wow…what a drama. It truly yanked on my heartstrings so many times, I am usually a “happy endings only” kdrama watcher but I couldn’t resist being drawn into this one, despite guessing it would not end well for the romantic relationship between Baek Yijin and Na Heedo.

The heartache and struggle they all go through to achieve their goals - be it love, success, helping family, supporting friends - it was all such a beautiful portrait of the transition between being a brand new young adult to the actual adult realities of responsibility, tragedy & incompatibility. Freedom and possibility are so exciting, so the crash down to earth when they had hard lessons and had to make sacrifices was just so hard to watch :’( I am only a bit younger than these characters, old enough to have watched 9/11 from a high school TV, all of us frozen in horror. The endless tragedy unfolding in the news for weeks and months after….I really felt Baek Yijin’s deep exhaustion and hopelessness. Nam Joo Hyuk did an amazing job.

I absolutely ADORED the relationship between Na Heedo and Ko Yurim, from beginning to end. It was the highlight of the show for me, even though I also loved Baek Yijin. Everyone’s growth as individuals was so real and satisfying, and I didn’t feel like the ending was out of place, despite it being very disappointing. Life is clearly as much full of nostalgia, regret, and moving through pain as it is about happiness and success.

The soundtrack was nice enough but not super memorable to me. The 90s aesthetic was perfect. I think the modern scenes were interesting since they actually showed COVID-era details with masks, but otherwise it was unnecessary and I found adult Heedo’s acting a little too subdued and depressing (and annoying, I guess she is that type of Mom). One of the most disappointing things about the ending was the daughter being SOOO invested in the story but decided not to read the last diary?? She just dropped it like that? I wanted her to be more disappointed, since she was like all the rest of us viewers, desperately rooting for Heedo and Yijin! At least admit that it was a crushing disappointment for us all! I’ll be moping about this drama for a while.

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"You will have no idea how much your love has brightened up my life." - Baek Yi Jin

STORY: More than the journey of love, 2521 was a coming-of-age story filled with friendship and family. Yijin and Heedo's story started with their respective struggles with their family and friends. Yijin in the middle of the wreckage the the IMF has left his family and Heedo trying to survive and fend for herself with the absence of her mother. I love how they narrated and showed their story from being strangers, friends, someone they can rely on to being lovers and eventually back to being strangers again.

SOME QUESTIONS WORTH PONDERING:
1. Was it an open ending? - For me it wasn't. If anything, it stayed true to its roots--Na Hee Do's journey. Saying her proper goodbye to Yijin at the final scene was heartbreaking but it was fitting since that moment haunted her a lot in the years that followed. I understand the outrage since this is something new to kdrama. But also, it is beautiful in its own way. Heedo and Yijin will remain beautiful.
2. The break-up did not make sense. How can they break up just like that? - If you paid attention to all the things happening before the break up, you would understand that it was inevitable. Heedo practically raised herself when her Dad died. That is because of the path her mother chose to cope with her grief in losing a husband. In contrast, Yijin is impliedly asking her to go through all that waiting, being sorry, being disappointed AGAIN. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There was a scene in the original break up when Yijin said that everything fell apart when he went to NY. But if distance was the only problem, Heedo would not have felt so exhausted. It was the fact that Yijin was making decisions where Heedo was no longer included and Heedo just doesn't have the strength to go through another round of trauma with an absent lover. Her mother was enough in her lifetime. So yes, the build up to the break up was being true to the story.
3. Why didn't they reveal the father? - This one is the easiest to let go. They did not reveal him since the important point is that it wasn't going to be Yijin anyway.
4. Why? - Honestly, I haven't felt this beautiful pain about a kdrama in a long while. The last time was with Scarlet Heart and that had been so hard to let go. With Heedo and Yijin being as wonderful as they have been, giving me this bittersweet ache was welcomed. They both looked happy in their respective lives. I regret not seeing enough of present day Yijin but we can't always have what we want. What I know is that regardless of the outcome, Heedo and Yijin brought me so much comfort just by sharing their story.

ACTING/CAST: Hands down one of the best performances from Kim Taeri and Nam Joohyuk. There was that confrontation scene in the tunnel where they were both shouting at each other. When Heedo said, "Did you ever really love me?" and Yijin replied, "Watch what you say" that was the culmination of their relationship. Their range really did shine all throughout the drama but that one moment was so memorable because of all the emotions they had to portray. I don't think another couple can play Heedo and Yijin as well as they did. Their supporting cast has been outstanding as well. Can't wait for everyone's next drama project.

MUSIC: The music was great but not as memorable as I would have thought. Fave song, Very, Slowly by BIBI.

REWATCH VALUE: Would definitely rewatch it. Even though I know it will only bring me pain in the end, it does not discount the fact that their journey was so comforting and beautiful to witness.

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“It’s better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all”

I watched this show with no expectations as I’m not into high school dramas, but episode by episode, I’ve grown to love it.

The acting is superb! Very convincing as emotions were delivered perfectly! This is a show about life experiences rather than anything else. It’s about the memories we created wither the happy or the sad ones, the memories that shapes who we are.

As for the ending, I think I loved it because it’s very relatable to me, I’ve been through a similar experience emotionally and I can tell you that I felt what they both did exactly. People who are in the 30’s will understand how those experiences make us grow so much and when we look back, we can’t help but smile because as they say “it’s better to have loved and lost than the never have loved at all”

The only downside about this show was the time transitions as they weren’t gradually convincing.

P.S: the single thing that was missing for me would be, them meeting in the current time even if it’s only for a glimpse and with only an eye contact.

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Loved it! Perfect love-story

I really loved this drama. Sure, it may not have been something you're used to when it comes to romantic drama, but I loved it either way! I cried so many times, especially in the last three episodes.

I love that Hee Do and Yi Jin have amazing chemistry, but I think I cried the most when it came to the relationship between Hee Do and Yu Rim. I loved their friendship once they were over being each other's 'evil' rivals.

Even if it's not something we're used to, the drama was still amazing. I loved the story and the music. Everything was done perfectly. But yes, I always do wonder what might have happened IF she had read her lost diary sooner, would it really have changed the course of the story?

I'm glad that even the second character got to shine!

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One of the best coming of age stories in a K-drama.

I am already rather reminiscent of this drama and I am going to miss waiting every week for it. To state it briefly, this is a very well rounded coming of age story and I love how they have wrapped it into this quaint bundle.

Kim Min chae picks up her mother's coming of age story when she herself is dejected and unmotivated. Twenty Five, Twenty One is solely told from the perspective of Na Hee do. It is not a story about the love between Yi jin and Hee do, it is only the story of how Hee do grew up to be the person she is.

I love how they captured the IMF crisis and how it effected different people from different walks of life.

If I break down characters, Hee do is such a refreshing Female Lead. Kim Tae ri is brilliant actress who has played Na Hee do to utmost perfection. I love how they've represented Hee do's temperament throughout the show. When they show her as a child and as she grows as person as well. The writers have taken careful account of how Hee do is as a person and created a rather inspirational character.

Baek Yi jin is another character that is rather well rounded. Nam Joo hyuk is one of the actors in the K-industry that is rather expressive with their eyes (kind of like Jung Hae in). He displays emotions like Yi jin's from innocence, joy and happiness to his depression, fear and sorrow through his eyes. Yi jin as a character is a person who had to grow up too soon because of unforeseen circumstances. Yi jin is an individual who hasn't had the opportunity to grow consistently and has had his growth happen very haphazardly. When it comes to upholding responsibilities , Yi jin is matured and put together. Yet, when it comes to emotionality, Yi jin is very similar to a teenager. I think that is why Yi jin starts being friends with Hee do and the rest of the gang. It allows him to embrace the childish part of himself that he has to lock away when it comes to his daily circumstances.

The rest of the characters- Ko Yu rim, Ji Seung wan and Moon Ji woong were all perfect aspects of the story. Each of the characters were special and all of them had their own nuance. I loved Yu rim's determination and her passion. Seung wan was one of the most interesting characters I have seen to date. She represents the ideal qualities of a leader. I loved her relationship with Yi jin and how similar they were in certain aspects. Ji woong and his creativity and charm was a pleasure to watch. I loved the friendship between all of them and the interconnectedness each of their relationships had with one another.

Coming back to my initial statement. Twenty Five, Twenty One is a story purely from the perspective of Na Hee do. All of the characters are in some way connected to her. Yi jin plays large role in the entire story because he is the one that has influenced Hee do the most in her youth. From emotionally growing up to maturing and understanding the world. Baek Yi jin features as an integral part of Hee do's youth. Similarly, for Hee do's fencing career, Yu rim is a key factor that built Hee do up as a fencer. Therefore, Yurim features alot during Heedo's youth

As I read some of the comments, I did notice that a lot of people were not very happy about how the last two episodes turned out. I understand the frustration about getting a rather bittersweet ending for the couple and not really knowing more about Yi jin and Hee do in the present. Yet, I believe the ending was well done too. Like I said the focus was Hee do and her story. Yi jin does not really play a part in her story after her youth and that's where their story ends. Especially since this story is read by Min chae who wanted to know her mother better, this is just the story of how her mother became the person she is. Therefore, making the ending justifiable.

Likewise, I do have a few issues with the story. Such as they gave a lot of emphasis on the "Twenty Five, Twenty One". Yet, there was barely an episodes worth of the characters in that time period. As much as I love Hee do and Yu rim's relationship, I did not understand why Yu rim was so mean to Hee do in the beginning. Even though it was explained in later episodes, I felt that the contempt Yu rim had for Hee do was a little too strong in that sense.

Factoring the other elements of the drama, the acting was pretty good and all the characters like said was done well enough. The music was beautiful and I bloody loved songs like Very, Slowly by Bibi and 스물다섯, 스물하나 by Jaurim.

The drama encapsulated the retro 90s aspect in Korea and the mise en scene catered wonderfully to all of the very 90s elements of the drama.

Would I rewatch this drama, definitely. I hope all of you who watched this drama had a pleasurable experience.

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Very Good Acting !

It is a wonderful drama even though only 6 episodes have been released so far.
“Twenty Five Twenty one” is a really easy-to-watch drama, and the atmosphere of the drama is so relaxed.
The acting of the actors which touches us from the first episode is one of the strong points of the drama.
This drama will make you laugh and cry.

The drama osts are adorable, I really didn't expect them to look so good.
What I really like in this drama is the relationship that develops naturally, we see the two main characters fall in love, it's very beautiful to see because it's not forced.

I wanted to emphasize the very good acting of the actors.
Kim Tae Ri who plays Na Hee Doo is amazing.
During the first episode I said to myself: "Wow, she was made to play Na Hee Do."
Na Hee Do is a very endearing character, so strong, so brave and brightens up the day with her character.
We should all have Na Hee Do in our life.
There is also Nam Joo Hyuk who plays Baek Yi Jin, such a touching and kind character. He deserves to be happy and to live well.

The other strong point is of course the chemistry between the actors!
The fact that the actors play their character roles so well intensifies the chemistry and connection between Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin.

For me, what makes a romance drama gripping, interesting, good to watch,...
It's the story of course, but also the energy that emerges from the actors and I can tell you that in this drama there is a real chemistry between the characters. They are so cute to watch.
So if you like dramas with cute romance, strong friendship,...
You have to watch it ^^

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the age gap between de leads made me really uncomfortable, he was an adult and she wasn't

I watched it because everyone was saying it was SO good, but I ended up disappointed.
I think the drama is overrated, the story was okay, but there was not much new/ different than any other romance drama.
The ending was fine for me, because I don't think they should have ended together.
She even said at some point that he treated her like a child, and that she felt inferior. Which was indeed true; because he was an adult and she was not, and that type of relationship is not good. He even said that a student should date another student, then why did he ended up dating her? It made me uncomfortable.
He had power over her emotionally, and they were in different stages of their life.
I don't understand why the writer had to make them have that age, the story would have been okay otherwise, it was entertaining and the second lead couple were cute.

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TOP 5 K-DRAMAS OF ALL TIME !!

2521 was an amazing, all-rounded 10/10 drama that i spent every weekend looking forward to. This drama was so good that at times, it was as if i could not bear to even watch the episodes because of what immense perfection they were!! Everything from the writing, to the acting to the cinematography just worked together so well that every episode was a masterpiece in itself... though I'm still reeling from the ending, i still had to try and write a review to do some justice to the drama. 2521 is a perfectly imperfect coming-of-age, slice of life, romcom and i HIGHLY RECOMMEND everyone to watch this drama!
[spoilers ahead]

Story/writing:
> This drama was such a masterpiece and each and every episode was so well done! In a single episode, i could go from laughing to crying then back to laughing again. Every single character, side plot all came together and even those small seemingly insignificant moments in the drama added much value. So many memorable scenes in the drama that it would be hard to list them all out but my favourites include:
- Restaurant scene with the ahjussis when they provided comfort and encouragement to Heedo
- Payphone scenes in the snow where both of them were so far apart yet connected by something so simple such as a voice message
- Beach scene where they were talking about their life stories
- Seungwan talking to her mum about her decision to quit school
++++ so many more!!
> From the beginning, the main story and message about the drama had always been about what a beautiful time Youth is... yet such a wonderful season of life is fleeting and bittersweet. It was a time of innocence; where we could be bold and brave in doing whatever we wanted, earnest and optimistic about the future, ignorant yet wishful that things would last forever. During such an age, we fall over and over, we worry about the most insignificant things and we experience first loves. First loves that are raw, earnest and clumsy, where you think you will stay together forever; together against the world...and where you end up breaking each other's hearts irrevocably.
> Baekdo were each other's first loves and they were soulmates. The fleshing out and development of their relationship was one of the strongest parts of this drama. In each other, they had found missing parts of themselves and thus were able to comfort and provide strength and support to one another. What they had in each other is something other people can only wish for; a once in a lifetime person... The dialogue, the actions and the progression of their relationship were so natural and realistic that it really hurt at times. When they were cute and happy together, they made you laugh and squeal in joy... but in the final episode where they exchanged hurtful words that both of them regretted immensely, it actually hurt me physically EURGHHH. While fans had been hoping until the very end that they would magically end up together, it would not have flowed well with the overall tone and message the drama has always had since the beginning. What happened to Baekdo finally, while it was really painful to watch, it was realistic and kept to the message the production team wanted to convey: that what is important is that it happened, not that it ended. The journey the couple took was more important and the memories they shared would never be lost. Their breakup was the fault of neither party but just that life was taking them both in separate directions. However even as adults living separate lives, they had still supported and loved each other and that was what made their relationship so beautiful.
> Adulthood is harsh and comes with responsibilities and commitments. The drama had slowly introduced this concept from the very beginning where Yijin had to suddenly grow up because of his family circumstances. In so many scenes, the distinction between his maturity and the innocence of OT4 was palpable. It was also shown through Seungwan where she had to break without bending in keeping up with her own values. She recognised that she was not yet mature enough to be flexible in her convictions and she had always been clever beyond her years. And in the later episodes where 9/11 happened and the cruel reality of the world finally burst the bubble that the characters had been in. It all culminated near the end where OT5 had all stepped out into the world and got too busy to meet up, only having the time when they were attending a funeral. And this is the sad truth of adulthood, being busy, rescheduling, cancelling and then always missing the right timing to catch up with old friends because of how life has lead everyone in different directions.
> Friendship:
- I really liked the cradle buddies relationship portrayed in this drama. Both seungwan and jiwoong provided each other with unconditional support and love... im really glad that the writer decided to keep their relationship a platonic one because it worked out really well when they could support each other in their endeavours.
- I also really liked the friendship and rivalry between Heedo and Yurim. They respected each other immensely as athletes and only between them could they understand the kind of struggles each other faced: dealing with the media, being under pressure to perform, missing out on important school events and outings...
> Family: There were many types of families depicted in the drama... broken families by divorce, by bankruptcy, absent parents, close knit families etc etc. The drama gave each family time to flesh out the feels and i really appreciated the focus other than just pure romance.

Cast/acting:
> Baek Yi Jin: I have watched many of NJH's previous dramas and his acting has improved by leaps and bounds. His portrayal of BYJ was all the right amounts of swoon, cute and restrained angst. From him promising to never being happy again to being clingy while drunk to crying because he felt like he betrayed the ones he loved... it was all acted out very believably and you could see what he was feeling from his subtle clenching of his jaw or from his expressive eyes. He's just like an overgrown puppy that was forced to grow up
> Na Hee Do: I have also watched many of KTR's previous works and she is one of my favourite actresses. Her acting as a high school student was done so well that no one else could have portrayed NHD in a better way. From her labile emotions as a growing teenager to her increasing maturity as she grew... it was all acted out to perfection. When she laughed and got excited about simple things like romantic characters in Full House or bread stickers, you smiled along with her. When she got upset and felt wronged, you cried along with her. EVERY SINGLE TIME when she cried, it just made me cry too because of how well her hurt carried across the screen.

Cinematography:
NO WORDS FOR THIS... JUST PERFECTION!! So many times during the drama i had to pause and take a moment because of how gorgeous the scene was... You could just pause the drama and it would be a postcard or painting
> My favourites would be the snowfall scene as Heedo was on the payphone as well as the beach ASMR scene with the seagulls, waves and their laughter layered over in the background... I CRIED because of how beautiful it all was omg

Music:
OSTs and background instrumentals in this drama were used tastefully in scenes to highlight the emotions at that time. All the songs are amazing and have made it to my Spotify repeat playlist HEHHE

Overall:
While this drama might not have ended in a way that most people wanted it to, I think overall it was still coherent in its message and tone. This drama provided me with much comfort, laughter, tears and has been immensely memorable. Never have i ever been so enraptured by a drama before and i have watched like >150 dramas lol... This drama was a masterpiece in ALL aspects and really is a gem... but i have -0.5 for the ending hahaha because while it was realistic, we watch kdramas for the heart-fluttering moments and escape from life it offers :'))

WILL BE REWATCHING FOR SURE

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A great drama

I enjoyed this drama for what is was refreshing break from everyday. The intensity and passion they all had for life was so beautiful to watch and I hope I take some of it with me each day. That I would push for whatever it is I want out of life just like Hee do and the others did in this drama

The ending wasn’t exactly my favorite but I truly believe it wa realistic and suited the flow of events thus far. I would definitely recommend anyone to watch and enjoy the greatness that is Twenty-Five Twenty-One. I probably wouldn’t rewatch because I don’t rewatch dramas and I personally love happy endings. Especially since life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to.

Butt do enjoy watching it! You will not regret it!

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IT WAS FLOWING BEAUTIFULY BUT THEN COMES THE WATERFALL

first of all great drama regardless of the things i am going to say later you should give it try their is no doubt about watching value of this drama .....first of all acting was wonderful great work by actors not only main leads all the actors and actresses did a great job..... then the music was fabulous .....it was catchy it was pleasent now the main thing the only thing i and millions of kdrama fans didnt liked was the holes in story everything till 13 episode was very done it was a masterpiece in my list but then writer director couldnt digest this much positivity form viewers and messed it all up i still cant wrap my mind about what happened in last two episodes everything was too fast it was like i was watching in 2x ....many people will say this is all beacuse they didnt end up together and all but its not all about that yes i am angry about writer showing us shitty 'reality'based ending but come on the one thing i hate more than sad ending is open ending they didnt explain things in the end at all and the most wanted still remains 'who is her father'....i will give this drama 10 star when they give us special episode a movue or anything just anything which explains everything...still i had a very good time watching those 13 episodes.

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