3
This review may contain spoilers
A Show I Grew With (and Grew Apart From)
I started Spring of Youth with a quiet certainty that I’d love it, and for a while, it was everything I wanted. It had that sweet chaos of youth dramas: a scandal-touched idol finding a second life, a girl writing music to carry grief, and a band full of mismatched friends trying to make something beautiful together.
The early episodes were alive. They gave me something warm and messy, full of promise: rooftop practices, stolen glances, laughter under streetlights, and the spark of falling for someone who sees you for more than what the world expects. I fell fast. And I didn’t even mind, it felt good to root for something so earnestly.
💖 What worked (and stayed with me):
Sa Gye and Bom’s romance was soft and sweet, not overly dramatic, but filled with little moments that mattered. He was all noise and mischief; she was calm and careful. Together, they made a quietly lovely couple. Their kisses were few but meaningful, and their emotional moments, especially when Bom opened up about her mother, were tender and grounded.
Tae Yang was a standout. A second lead written with restraint and depth. Rich, pressured, and silently hurting. His unspoken trauma, his quiet support for Bom, his forced medical path, all of it made him easy to root for, even when you knew his love would remain one-sided. He felt a bit too obsessive of Bom sometimes but I think I can look over that.
The side characters brought levity and heart.
Gyuri, the fangirl bestie with a sharp tongue and dramatic flair, added chaos in the best way.
Jin Gu, the loyal drummer and class clown, brought the much-needed laughs.
Together, they were the perfect comic relief duo ,never too much, always just right.
The early band dynamic , those moments when it was just five young people trying, failing, and laughing together, felt real. I loved their missions to get Tae Yang out of the hospital, their sneaky practices, and their ride-or-die energy. For a while, they were the heart of the story.
The OST, I loved the soundtracks a lot, and have been listening to them since they were released. I'm looking forward to axmxp debut!
😕 Where it lost me:
The murder/accident plotline started intriguing, but ended up dragging the story into a heavier, slower rhythm that clashed with the youthful energy it had built. The cornea memory twist? Fascinating in theory. But in execution, it overshadowed what made the drama feel special.
Sa Gye’s arc stalled in guilt and confusion. His “leaving for her own good” phase felt frustrating, especially since none of it was really his fault. It hurt, not in the good way, because it lacked the emotional payoff we were waiting for.
Bom’s light dimmed in the second half. She began as a girl carrying grief with strength and clarity. But her creativity and agency got lost somewhere along the way, as the plot shifted focus. Her music mattered, but we stopped seeing her make it.
The pacing and tone shifted too hard. What began as a hopeful slice-of-life rhythm became melodramatic and emotionally heavy. The balance between light and serious got tipped too far, and the magic that made me fall in love faded into the background.
💌 Final Thoughts:
Spring of Youth didn’t end the way I hoped. It got tangled in its own weight and left behind some of the softness that drew me in. But I don’t regret watching it. For those early episodes, with their clumsy kisses, found-family moments, goofy plans, and quiet heartbreaks I cared deeply. I laughed, I swooned, and yes, I even cried a little.
It may not have held its glow all the way through, but it gave me enough light to remember.
7/10 overall — but those early eps are still glowing in my memory.
Sometimes, loving something imperfectly is still love.
The early episodes were alive. They gave me something warm and messy, full of promise: rooftop practices, stolen glances, laughter under streetlights, and the spark of falling for someone who sees you for more than what the world expects. I fell fast. And I didn’t even mind, it felt good to root for something so earnestly.
💖 What worked (and stayed with me):
Sa Gye and Bom’s romance was soft and sweet, not overly dramatic, but filled with little moments that mattered. He was all noise and mischief; she was calm and careful. Together, they made a quietly lovely couple. Their kisses were few but meaningful, and their emotional moments, especially when Bom opened up about her mother, were tender and grounded.
Tae Yang was a standout. A second lead written with restraint and depth. Rich, pressured, and silently hurting. His unspoken trauma, his quiet support for Bom, his forced medical path, all of it made him easy to root for, even when you knew his love would remain one-sided. He felt a bit too obsessive of Bom sometimes but I think I can look over that.
The side characters brought levity and heart.
Gyuri, the fangirl bestie with a sharp tongue and dramatic flair, added chaos in the best way.
Jin Gu, the loyal drummer and class clown, brought the much-needed laughs.
Together, they were the perfect comic relief duo ,never too much, always just right.
The early band dynamic , those moments when it was just five young people trying, failing, and laughing together, felt real. I loved their missions to get Tae Yang out of the hospital, their sneaky practices, and their ride-or-die energy. For a while, they were the heart of the story.
The OST, I loved the soundtracks a lot, and have been listening to them since they were released. I'm looking forward to axmxp debut!
😕 Where it lost me:
The murder/accident plotline started intriguing, but ended up dragging the story into a heavier, slower rhythm that clashed with the youthful energy it had built. The cornea memory twist? Fascinating in theory. But in execution, it overshadowed what made the drama feel special.
Sa Gye’s arc stalled in guilt and confusion. His “leaving for her own good” phase felt frustrating, especially since none of it was really his fault. It hurt, not in the good way, because it lacked the emotional payoff we were waiting for.
Bom’s light dimmed in the second half. She began as a girl carrying grief with strength and clarity. But her creativity and agency got lost somewhere along the way, as the plot shifted focus. Her music mattered, but we stopped seeing her make it.
The pacing and tone shifted too hard. What began as a hopeful slice-of-life rhythm became melodramatic and emotionally heavy. The balance between light and serious got tipped too far, and the magic that made me fall in love faded into the background.
💌 Final Thoughts:
Spring of Youth didn’t end the way I hoped. It got tangled in its own weight and left behind some of the softness that drew me in. But I don’t regret watching it. For those early episodes, with their clumsy kisses, found-family moments, goofy plans, and quiet heartbreaks I cared deeply. I laughed, I swooned, and yes, I even cried a little.
It may not have held its glow all the way through, but it gave me enough light to remember.
7/10 overall — but those early eps are still glowing in my memory.
Sometimes, loving something imperfectly is still love.
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