This review may contain spoilers
Beautiful Visuals, Empty Story: A Drama That Falls Flat
When I saw the poster and everything, I had pretty high expectations. The visuals were great, but the acting, on the other hand, was a mess.The female lead was just an empty character. She barely did anything throughout the show and mostly just stared at everyone with teary eyes.
The male lead’s acting was over the top, almost as if he was trying to make up for the female lead’s lack of personality, but it didn’t work well at all.
The show seemed like it would be about music and artistic themes, but it ended up being focused almost entirely on solving the murder case of Bom’s mother. The main “villains” were supposedly trying to keep the leads apart to stop the truth from coming out, but it was so poorly executed and felt completely unnecessary.
The romance was practically nonexistent, maybe a little in episode 4, but later on they just forgot about it. Also, they had no chemistry. Like, none at all.
And the ending? A total mess. What do you mean you see someone after two years, kiss them, and that’s it, happy ending, yay 😀? It was beyond unrealistic.
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meh drama.
i was expecting TOO much from this drama, first episode was good, but only halfway. didn’t really like sagye’s character, too annoying for the first episode like?? and the way bom just liked him like that because of a concert, then suddenly dated him in eps 4??acting: i personally liked jihu’s acting more in aouad. in spring of youth she’s like.. forcing her expressions to be bom, and yoojon too (i get that this is his 2nd drama, i think) but actings are meh except seunghyub, sunmin & hyewon.
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A Disappointment All Over!!!
This is one of those shows that comes & goes without making much impression!I’m not saying it is boring, it had its own perks. This project was likely written as an attempt to boast main lead Ha Yu Jun’s popularity before he makes his debut as the lead vocalist of the newly formed band, AxMxP in 2025. It is actually surprising because I have never heard of a pop idol being cast in the main lead even before he makes his debut. So, the show revolves and rotates around Ha Yu Jun’s Sa Gye, his struggles and his efforts to seek justice for an incident that actually doesn’t involve him. Must say, that Sa Gye is quite righteous and even after his downfall, he still has the courage and guts to bring down a music empire. The storytelling is crisp in some places but lags in some other places; mostly the main issue gets dragged too much. There isn’t much substantial storyline left to gleam over for almost 10 episodes; so you keep wondering why we are watching the same thing every week.
Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2025/07/04/spring-of-youth-series-review/#more-1962
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This review may contain spoilers
Average
Showed promise with the first episode but unfortunately the wafer-thin plot dragged on for 10 episodes. On the plus side, good visuals, the music is catchy and the actors genuinely seemed to have a blast together. However, the drama is let down by corny lines "JUST THINK OF BOM, ANYTHING FOR BOM", uninteresting/underdeveloped side plots and questionable character decisions. Sa Gye falls into the noble idiot trope and Sang Hun into a manic villain. Tae Yang who seems to have the worst luck of them all has the most depressing ending. I found 12 episodes to be the sweet spot for dramas but this made 10 feel like too many. Ultimately frustrating, albeit predictable watch.Was this review helpful to you?
fun and sad moments felt the same. very blank
watching the main couple always felt empty, and was only watching to hopefully see some romance with gyuri (second girl). The acting was not bad, but not good either, it felt very black and white, and all moments fun or sad had no reaction. Would give a higher rating if secondary roles also had romance, or at least something to be excited for...Was this review helpful to you?
Good and bad in the same time
This drama takes advantage of cute and promising young actors as well as good experienced actors, all of them are a pleasure to watch; especially the side roles were quite difficult and they did very well! I found the music very good, which is not always obvious for music related series. I have mixed feelings about the writing. It has definitive a few good ideas and I enjoyed the parts that felt really as "spring": easy, floofy, exuberant, sometimes crazy - as youth actually is. Yet the story had also a heavy and dark theme and I felt that the mixing of them did not succeed. Sometimes the dark part of the story felt very unrealistic, sometimes really cheap. There are examples of successful mixing of themes and feeling, yet this is not one. Hence, I cannot recommend to invest your time in watching it.Was this review helpful to you?
This drama grew on me
I will be honest, I only tuned in because I was curious of the new FNC band (I think all but one member featured) and of course there was Seunghyub in the drama and I just like him a lot. Probably more as a musician than actor but still. If he is in it I will at least give it a try. And so of course I was annoyed because again he was cast as a college student (come on now, the guy is over 30 years old...) and in the second male lead/band context. Just give the guy a role where he plays a character his age!The drama, I have to admit... it was tough going for me. I nearly turned off by episode 4 but then I finally did get pulled into the story and ended up really enjoying it and looking forward to the next episodes. If a drama can keep me hooked until the end then it gets a 8 from me.
So what did I enjoy the most... Seunghyub of course and his acting I thought was really good, his character, though not the nicest had some depth. And yes, I did rewatch some of the scenes and yes I cried too when he watched the footage at the end of episode 10.
I also really liked the new FNC kid (Ha Yoo-joon, also frontman of the AxMxP), I found his acting really natural and watching him in outside the drama I dont think he played himself (the character is so warmhearted, slightly naive and super optimistic) as he came across a bit shy and introverted in interviews . The FL was also quite cute and I liked her.
Some of the side characters were a bit loud and annoying. From the evil agency boss to the auntie and cousin.
So I guess what I would say, maybe stick around for a bit and you might get pulled in too?! It def doesnt deserve all the bad reviews on here.
OH and of course I loved the soundtrack and listening to the other AxMxP songs (check out Monday to Sunday on their YT channel! Such a great song) I cannot wait for the debut!
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I'm just enjoying
The storyline too forced in some parts, even when they fall in love, I don't feel it and think "hey? They just fell in love like that?" the basic story is very good.Initially, I watched it because I like Park Jihu in SF, I'm a little surprised by her acting here, which wasn't as good as it could have been, even though she's a good actress. But the crying when her mother's case revealed is the best acting throughout this, i'm crying very hard bcz of her, maybe its just bcz the story isnt flow.
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Empty story, lame main lead charecters. Childish
Idol topic.Drama? 0
Story? Empty, Unrealistic and boring
acting? Secondary roles stealing the show.
Comedy? childish
They casted good actors as guests and cannot to make you watch it and still no worth it.
A waste of talent.
It seems a series made for kids to dream fantasies with their kpop idols.
The male lead character is so annoying. not the actor fault at all of course it's what the series want to.
The female lead charecter is too bland and fragil.
The story makes no sense at all. So unrealistic.
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Fluffy college rom com that took a nose dive into meaningless disconnected MESS
The first 4 episodes was ok, nothing special, a fluffy college romance. It was not terrible but it was not total trash. The ML is peppy, and energetic and ful role, the only thing is that I am dying to CUT HIS BANGS so that I can see his eyes, I keep wondering when he is gonna get an eye infection LOLthe 2nd ML is OK and at least looks good so when his acting is too stiff, there is at least a face to look at.
FL cannot act and is super stiff and obvious in her acting, that is annoying.
The plot wasnt terrible.
AND THEN - the deep nose dive into total MESS that just cannot be watched. Ep 5 is ... well.. all over the place, makes no sense, acting is terrible bc the script is total trash, it is just one of those WHOA!!!! what is this??? reactions when you watch something totally meaningless and disconnected
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Spring of Youth – Music, Healing, and the Courage to Begin Again
🔹 Can music give you the courage to start over when life feels too heavy?📖 Overview
🔹 This is a 2025 campus romance drama with 12 episodes.
🔹 Ha Yoo Jun plays Sa Gye, once the charismatic vocalist and guitarist of top idol group The Crown, now forced to enroll in university after an accident turns his world upside down.
🔹 Park Ji Hu plays Kim Bom, a talented vocalist and keyboardist who once dreamed of the Ivy League, but after losing her mother six years ago, chose to stay close to home and music.
🔹 Lee Seung Hyub plays Seo Tae Yang, a med student and brilliant guitarist from a family of doctors, whose rivalry with Sa Gye adds both tension and spark.
🔹 Together, their story is about music, friendship, rivalry, and finding the courage to begin again.
✍️ Storyline & Tone
🔹 For me, the drama felt warm and hopeful, with music tied to each character’s growth.
🔹 It is less about fame and more about healing, love, and rediscovering passion.
🔹 The band scenes were the highlight for me, full of energy and emotion.
🎭 Cast & Performances
🔹 Ha Yoo Jun brings raw emotion to Sa Gye, and you can feel both his charm and his pain.
🔹 Park Ji Hu gives Bom heart, grounding the story in her resilience.
🔹 Lee Seung Hyub adds authenticity as Tae Yang, showing ambition, rivalry, and the pull of music.
🔹 Together, the cast made the friendships and rivalries feel alive and believable.
🎵 OST
🔹 “SEE YOU LATER” by AxMxP (Ha Yoo Jun’s band in the drama)
🔹 The songs blend K-drama storytelling with K-pop energy, making the music scenes engaging and authentic.
🎨 Visuals & Direction
🔹 The campus, practice rooms, and performance stages felt natural and lived-in.
🔹 I liked how the direction gave equal weight to the emotions and the performances. Hence, the music never felt separate from the story.
🏆 Final Thoughts
🔹 I gave this drama 10/10 because it captures the mix of music, healing, and young love in a way that felt honest and moving.
🔹 It’s a must if you enjoy dramas that blend K-pop reality with fictional storytelling.
⭐ Final Rating: 10/10
💭 As SpillTheDramaTea ☕, this drama felt like a song you put on repeat, not because it is perfect, but because it hits something true each time. Yes, I will rewatch it.
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This review may contain spoilers
A hidden gem!
I honestly don’t know how to deal with the amount of negative criticism this K-drama has received. Because of those reviews, I almost missed out on what is truly a hidden gem.For me, Spring of Youth is the very definition of what a traditional K-drama should be. It has just the right balance of romantic comedy, music, and romance without becoming overly sweet, a subtle touch of fantasy, and even a bit of crime-related drama that, while predictable, never feels boring.
What I loved about this K-drama:
-The cornea transplant storyline touched me on a very personal level. My father received a transplant when he was very young, and I had never truly reflected on the person who had to die so that he could see again—someone who once had a life, dreams, and desires.
This theme was handled with great sensitivity, delivering just enough emotional weight to bring tears without becoming overwhelming. I loved the magical, almost fantastical aura surrounding this storyline. The way it was woven into the plot was beautiful; no heavy explanations were needed.
-Another deeply emotional theme for me is the mother–daughter relationship, and it usually breaks my heart. Here, however, it was handled with so much care and beauty. The way both themes connect in such a subtle, almost magical way feels like pure art.
-I’m not a fan of overly sugary or clingy romance, and this drama found the perfect balance. The romance was neither too much nor too little—just right.
-Friendship is one of the things I enjoy most in K-dramas, and the bond between the band members was very well developed. In many ways, it reminded me of Twinkling Watermelon.
-The soundtrack is lovely. The necklace song slowly grew on me, and by the end, I truly loved it.
-Contrary to many comments I had read, I felt that every character’s actions were completely justified. The story felt well-rounded and cohesive, with almost no loose ends.
-The length of the drama was perfect—long enough to fully develop the story, yet short enough to never feel boring.
What I didn’t love as much:
-There’s no clear explanation of what exactly happened to Seo Tae-Yang’s mother. I would have liked to know how she died.
-Seo Tae-Yang’s ending made me sad. I would have preferred to see him rejoin the band.
-The final scenes left me wanting a proper band reunion, as well as more development of Jin-gu’s story and his relationship with Bae Gyu-ri.
This is my first K-drama of 2026, and the year truly couldn’t have started in a better way.
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