This review may contain spoilers
Twenty Five Twenty One: I Came for the Romance, Stayed for the Edits
I write really long reviews but here's a summary. Keep in mind this is just my opinion and I don't mean to offend anyone ❤️
❗SPOILERS AHEAD❗
The Good
The Actors
I say this in almost every review, but the acting? Chef’s kiss. Especially Kim Tae-ri as Hee Do—her crying scenes hit hard, and not in a dramatic K-drama way, but in a “wait, am I intruding on a real moment?” way. The raw emotion, the red eyes, the realism—it was so good it blurred the line between fiction and reality.
The Breakup
People say Hee Do would’ve fought harder for the relationship, but honestly? She did. She waited, she compromised, she swallowed a lot of disappointment. But after months of being stood up and feeling like a background character in her own love story, even Hee Do had her limits. When Yi Jin missed dinner with her mom, it wasn't just a scheduling conflict—it was a turning point.
Her breakup wasn’t abrupt, it was a slow, painful realization that she was walking into the same lonely life she lived as a kid with her mom. She saw the future and it looked like emotional déjà vu: workaholic partner, neglected family, inner child re-traumatized. Letting go wasn’t giving up—it was an act of self-preservation. Sometimes love is knowing when to leave before resentment replaces what was once beautiful.
The Scenes
The drama had its mess (see: “The Bad”), but wow, some scenes were cinematic gold. The friend group scenes were both heartwarming and a little heartbreaking for us friendship-deprived viewers (just me?). The fencing matches were so intense I forgot to blink, and the Madrid scene? Just pain. Soul-crushing, beautiful pain.
The Bad
Fencing Skills—Too Fast, Too Furious
I know K-drama characters are built different, but Hee Do’s glow-up in fencing felt a little too miraculous. One week she’s getting clowned at her old school, and the next she’s out-dueling Yu Rim, the fencing queen of Korea? Sure, she trained hard, but that kind of level-up usually comes with a time skip, not a montage. Did she just suddenly become psychic with everyone else's moves too? Unclear.
Yi Jin’s Big Apple Detour
Why did Yi Jin move to New York? Genuinely asking. The man had unresolved trauma there, looked miserable, and yet just… went? It felt like the writers spun a globe and said, “Here, New York.” Not to mention he made that choice without much thought for Hee Do, his brother, or, you know, anyone. And calling Hee Do’s support a burden? Sir, please go sit in the time-out corner.
So What Was This Drama About?
Romance? Yes. Fencing? Kinda. Friendship? Also yes? The show felt like it wanted to be ten things at once and ended up spreading itself too thin. It never fully committed to one storyline, so even great moments got a little lost in the shuffle. A tighter focus—like making Madrid the climax for both sports and emotional arcs—could’ve made the story land harder. Instead, it wandered, and at times... yeah, it got a little boring.
Too Real, Too Painful
This drama said, “Let’s talk about how nothing lasts forever,” and I was not emotionally prepared. It hit too close to home with its realism—watching friends drift apart, love fade, and life move on was depressing in the “ugh, fine, you're right” kind of way. I get that slice-of-life doesn’t always mean happy endings, but sometimes I want to be delusional. Let me pretend things work out perfectly forever, okay? That’s why I’m here!
Final Thoughts
This drama was just… fine. Not bad, not great—just aggressively average. It didn’t live up to the hype, and if I’m being honest, the only reason it’s not rated lower is because of that one beach scene song and the emotional edits people made online (they really did the heavy lifting).
The cast was great and there were cute moments, but it didn’t land for me the way it clearly did for others. It’s one of those shows I’ll forget the second I hit “post.” Moral of the story? Keep your expectations in check, or you’ll end up more disappointed than necessary. Glad I watched it—gladder it’s off my watchlist.
❗SPOILERS AHEAD❗
The Good
The Actors
I say this in almost every review, but the acting? Chef’s kiss. Especially Kim Tae-ri as Hee Do—her crying scenes hit hard, and not in a dramatic K-drama way, but in a “wait, am I intruding on a real moment?” way. The raw emotion, the red eyes, the realism—it was so good it blurred the line between fiction and reality.
The Breakup
People say Hee Do would’ve fought harder for the relationship, but honestly? She did. She waited, she compromised, she swallowed a lot of disappointment. But after months of being stood up and feeling like a background character in her own love story, even Hee Do had her limits. When Yi Jin missed dinner with her mom, it wasn't just a scheduling conflict—it was a turning point.
Her breakup wasn’t abrupt, it was a slow, painful realization that she was walking into the same lonely life she lived as a kid with her mom. She saw the future and it looked like emotional déjà vu: workaholic partner, neglected family, inner child re-traumatized. Letting go wasn’t giving up—it was an act of self-preservation. Sometimes love is knowing when to leave before resentment replaces what was once beautiful.
The Scenes
The drama had its mess (see: “The Bad”), but wow, some scenes were cinematic gold. The friend group scenes were both heartwarming and a little heartbreaking for us friendship-deprived viewers (just me?). The fencing matches were so intense I forgot to blink, and the Madrid scene? Just pain. Soul-crushing, beautiful pain.
The Bad
Fencing Skills—Too Fast, Too Furious
I know K-drama characters are built different, but Hee Do’s glow-up in fencing felt a little too miraculous. One week she’s getting clowned at her old school, and the next she’s out-dueling Yu Rim, the fencing queen of Korea? Sure, she trained hard, but that kind of level-up usually comes with a time skip, not a montage. Did she just suddenly become psychic with everyone else's moves too? Unclear.
Yi Jin’s Big Apple Detour
Why did Yi Jin move to New York? Genuinely asking. The man had unresolved trauma there, looked miserable, and yet just… went? It felt like the writers spun a globe and said, “Here, New York.” Not to mention he made that choice without much thought for Hee Do, his brother, or, you know, anyone. And calling Hee Do’s support a burden? Sir, please go sit in the time-out corner.
So What Was This Drama About?
Romance? Yes. Fencing? Kinda. Friendship? Also yes? The show felt like it wanted to be ten things at once and ended up spreading itself too thin. It never fully committed to one storyline, so even great moments got a little lost in the shuffle. A tighter focus—like making Madrid the climax for both sports and emotional arcs—could’ve made the story land harder. Instead, it wandered, and at times... yeah, it got a little boring.
Too Real, Too Painful
This drama said, “Let’s talk about how nothing lasts forever,” and I was not emotionally prepared. It hit too close to home with its realism—watching friends drift apart, love fade, and life move on was depressing in the “ugh, fine, you're right” kind of way. I get that slice-of-life doesn’t always mean happy endings, but sometimes I want to be delusional. Let me pretend things work out perfectly forever, okay? That’s why I’m here!
Final Thoughts
This drama was just… fine. Not bad, not great—just aggressively average. It didn’t live up to the hype, and if I’m being honest, the only reason it’s not rated lower is because of that one beach scene song and the emotional edits people made online (they really did the heavy lifting).
The cast was great and there were cute moments, but it didn’t land for me the way it clearly did for others. It’s one of those shows I’ll forget the second I hit “post.” Moral of the story? Keep your expectations in check, or you’ll end up more disappointed than necessary. Glad I watched it—gladder it’s off my watchlist.
Was this review helpful to you?
