Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)

A beautifully captured moment (okay years) in time

This drama is such a trip down memory lane, relatable lovable, sweet and deep. Not so much for the sports and romance this dramas strengths are rather the slice of life, nostalgia, real events, issues, mixed with beautiful stories of friendship, hardship and some other ship...

To be honest I was a little bit annoyed at the way they portrayed the female lead in the first few episodes making her seem a lot younger than she was supposed to be as well as making the male lead seem a lot older than he was supposed to. I understand that it was probably done to set the scene and mood but it was little bit over done and borders on annoying. However that faded out as the story progressed and rather turned in to character growth instead of annoyance.

I was also annoyed at people pushing blame, wishing others harm o and it did have just a little bit to much yelling for my taste... But hone it had all these really good one liners and scenes encouraging mistakes that I almost forgot about those annoying elements.

There are a lot of good and interesting messages in this drama, great cinematography, gorgeous use of umbrellas... cuteness, fluff and everything painful... The short visits in to present day are well placed and though they could be considered spoilers making this drama spoil itself... the spoiling still keeps us wondering why, how and in what way are they going to... dare I feel happy? In other words these so called spoilers keep the emotional level high thru out the drama.

The people and situations portrayed in this drama are often complex and are often shown from different angels taking a step away from the typical good guy/bad guy as well as showing the affect on the people behind them.. As well as showing the circumstances leading up to the situation or sometimes questionable decision.

The setting in the late 90´s was so much fun to watch, having been a teen at that time my self I just loved the way they used tapes, showed the fashion, the computers, the first phone... the fear of the 2k-bug and the events that helped form the people of my generation, even if I myself liven on the other side of Asia at the time,

I have, laughed, cried, been angry... Yep felt just about every single emotion out there making this drama just right for me and would have given it 10 stars if it wrest for some cringey annoying dialog here and there as well as a few (very few) twists that felt like they were trying to make us a bit to emotional. The emotions were there just fine without those scenes so they ended up annoying me. However I do love this story, the way it is told and the overall messages conveyed in this drama

In numbers
Bingeabilaty: 10
Lovable and interesting characters: 10
Annoying elements : -2
Frustration: 7
Sidestorys: 10
Main story: 10
Oneliners: 10
Relatable characters: 9
Visuals+ eye candy: 10

In conclusion I loved it!

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Only the Main couple doesn't get together? Are you serious?

Ep 1
6:46 minutes - July 1998.
FL: 18 at 1998. 21 at 2001.
ML: 22 at 1998. 25 at 2001.
EP 4
45:53 – FL’s mum said, ‘I met him last month.’ 2022.
EP 7
1:07 – ‘It’s from Dad.’ He is most likely in the US. The only one who travels in this drama is ML.
EP 8
2:18 – ‘Your mum couldn’t get what a 15-year-old you can understand.’
EP 14
1:59 – 10/07/2009. ML & FL talked on the news after the San Francisco match.
1:16:32 – congratulation on your wedding. Congratulating himself?
EP 16
41:21 – Got Package from Kim Eun-Su. So, ML got an idea & changed the name to Kim?
52:33 - 7 years later. 2001-2008. The year ML became a new anchor.
53:24 – Ten years? 1998-2008? Doesn’t matter.
57:01 – FL thinking of retiring after coming back from San Francisco which will be held in 2009.
At 2009, FL 29; ML 33; his bro at 26.
01:01:21 - Breaking an engagement is less complicated than getting a divorce.
1:01:31 – since it’s coming from a married person? They don’t ask about her husband at all which means only FL and ML knew that they are married.
1:09:56 – ML said, ‘she doesn’t like to ask about her personal life.’ To keep his identity.
1:28:37 - 2022-15 = 2007. (Their daughter's age is 15 too.) He was in Korea cos his senior was there. That’s why she only got 3 gold medals cos she got pregnant. They probably got married in 2006.
FL & ML are both celebrities so they gave Kim as a family name to let their daughter live a normal life.
---
Okay; there is no valid reason why Kim Min Chae doesn’t know who Baek Yi Jin so I will change that she knows Baek Yi Jin as her Dad and FL’s friends know who her husband is. Done. End of the story. (This crazy theory is for me.)
Another theory would be, that FL got divorced long ago and waiting for ML to retire as an anchor. At 2022, FL would be 42 & ML 46. They still support each other from a distance to be reunited one day. (This seems more realistic for pessimists but not for me.)
=================================================
FL & ML loved each other the most in this drama and didn’t get together while their friends did?
Doesn’t make sense to me. Go Yu Rim’s nationality is Russia but she could come back and live in South Korea and get back together with her first love! Okay.
FL & ML, they are first love to each other too but not possible for them?
Ji Seung Wan and Baek Yi Hyun even get together after 9 years with no contact! Okay, writer, you must have hated reporters cos you separate FL & ML just because of their careers. I thought a doctor's job is already terrible but you just showed me that a reporter's job is worse. He could have retired and taken other jobs. He could become MC at anything.

(FL's diary keeping a diary just cos they ended their relationship on good terms? This doesn't make sense to me.)
Why do they still love each other if they decided to let go? This will only make them suffer. Think about how their partners would feel. They got married but their partner is longing for their ex. This will only make all four of them to suffer.

Thanks for the beginning. For the mid part, I love how brave FL confessed her love but ML is just enjoying and laughing at it. Stop being pathetic ML. It's not like you can let her go wholeheartedly just for her better life. Stop pretending! For the ending, I will just end it as I like. I am out.

Realistic? My ass.
They could have achieved their goal first and met up again. FL retired after 8 years anyway.
This is my opinion. I am not trying to persuade anyone. You believe what you want. Don’t say you don’t understand enough to know that this is “realistic”. Blahblahblah.

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What a disappointing last two episodes

I have such a mixed feeling of this drama. Up to Ep14, it was one of the perfect score 10 that made me cried so many times. However the ending of this drama was total disappointment. That’s why my review is rather low.

It is well written family drama, sportsman-women ship, school friendship, teenage first love and etc. However the drama created such an anticipation how it will end, then it crashed me. The final episode was total disappointment, especially for ML. It may have been a bitter sweet teenage first love experience for FL, but ML was already a young adult with hardship due to family issues. That is one of the reason why I hoped the ending would be a happy one. It was too much hardship for young adult to down fall financially at such a young age. It would have been much better drama if ML and FL to stay together by overcoming the difficulties. Such happy ending may be a cliché but I will give 10 if this was happy ending.

Oh boy, I just have such a bad taste in my mouth after watching such a disappointing ending. It is funny thought, I do not dislike bad ending like ‘Moon Lovers’. It was such a heartbreaking drama, But I keep watching the last episode over and over knowing I would cry so hard.

Too bad there is no way to make season 2 since characters are already in 40ish. Especially FL closed her chapter, her true love , at the very end. It would have been better if it was an open ending to bring them back together and makes happy ending at season 2. I would liked if ML meets FL at funeral and finding they are still single. Then daughter was their love child. And she was finding their parents love story in season 1. Hmmmmm I should have been the director of this drama. LOL

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These types of dramas really makes me think and look back. It makes me wonder what have I done with my life? When I grow old is it something that will make me proud? laugh? or cry?

I loved how realistic the story was. It tackled problems that most of us experiences in our every day lives. It shows that not all our decisions are perfect and we should learn how to own up to our decisions. And that no matter what happens, we need to move along with life or else we will drown in our own miseries.

The casting was superb. Hands down they were all great. They fit their roles perfectly. Can't believe the Kim Tae Ri is in her 30s already. Just wow.

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An amazing journey, but a sad ending.

I gave it a 9.5 because I loved every single moment of the show until the ending. If it weren’t for the ending it would have been probably my all time favourite rom com kdrama. And I truly thought this was a rom com. But they ended up breaking up and I’m so sad and angry, it honestly makes zero sense to me. However, that doesn’t take away how the entire rest of the drama made me feel. It was an amazing 8 weeks, and this show made me so happy. I haven’t loved a drama this much in forever. I’ll just keep the happy moments in my memories and act like the ending never happened lol. thank you twenty five twenty one fore at least being perfect and wonderful for 15 eps. I’ll really miss you and I’m sad now

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A wonderful experience

To anyone considering this - I would always recommend. So happy to have experienced this. Truly an emotionally engaging show with well fleshed out and loveable characters. This is not happy-go-lucky or simply happy. Every episode takes you through various emotions and quite a few left me sobbing but it was still a worthwhile experience.

Remaining paragraphs allude to things that might be spoilers so stop reading if you haven't watched.

I'm not going to say too much. I watched this as it aired and looking back at it now, the ending should never have been a surprise. It was always obvious but what makes this drama beautiful is the fact that it makes you forget. You watch these memories and you forget about the eventuality and simply enjoy the story. For that it deserves a lot of praise.

The actors did a wonderful job capturing the growth in the personalities of the characters. Their portrayals in the first episode are wildly different from the characters a few episodes later but the change seems natural and organic. Truly a beautiful story of youth that emotionally engages you.

The ending was bittersweet. I cannot comment on whether I liked it or not but it made me sad. Their end was explosive and real and ugly while their love was beautiful and pure. It seemed like such a loss. However, I think that's how things are in life and the writers never wanted us to hope for their happy ending, they wanted us to simply enjoy the characters' experiences. That's what I take away from this.

The rewatch value is low because you can get very emotionally drained by the end. And you might not want to put yourself through it again. I will definitely come back to watch some of the happier parts again - maybe not the whole show.

A well portrayed story of youth with a lot of messages we can take with us in life.

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Perfect drama from A to Z

Twenty-five twenty-one is my favorite drama of all time. I will try to explain as much as I can why. I will add some spoilers to illustrate my point of view on the ending.

First, the writers did a fantastic job with the characters and their relationships. They were not a single one created only for another character's purpose, as we can see in dramaland. They bring us joy, sadness, laughter, and many different feelings. I want to thank the writers for their outstanding job.

Secondly, the cast was great, especially Kim Tae Ri. She managed to show the same person with some slight differences that show us that she is becoming an adult. That was impressive. But to be honest, the entire cast was terrific. I hope they will all get rewards for that, and I hope they will work together on future projects. The only thing I might criticize is: that they should not have cast an older version of Hee Do. It breaks the link between 2000 and 2021. It might be one of the reasons the people did not connect with the ending. We did not see the Hee Do we know as a mother, but another person.

Thirdly, the story was great. The writers managed to show teenagers becoming young adults with their first loves, deceptions, and happiness. It was beautiful to see. They gave us easter eggs to help us guess the ending and the path. The OST was magical. I added a lot of songs to my playlist.

SPOILERS BEHIND THIS POINT -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, for me, the ending was perfect. I get why people are upset, but I want to give you my 2 cents. We are watching the drama from Min Chae's point of view. So we got the story from the diaries she is currently reading and the story behind the news interviews and articles she found. So we don't have any information about her dad, as she already knows him. We might also have missing information about her dad because he might no longer be in the picture for HeeDo. They gave us a lot of hints saying that she might have divorced. Why do we have no information about the other ones in 2022? Because Min Chae (our point of view) did not ask, or she already knew about them. From my point of view, there is a closure for the 1998-2009 era, but it is an open ending for 2022, and I love that. They are still in love with each other, and they might have a future together. And I hope they will.

END OF SPOILER ------------------ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Brilliant show with a terrible ending

I was prepared to give this show a 10/10 rating until I saw episode 15 and 16. So bizarre! I've adjusted my pre-final rating of 9.5 to 8.5 just because of those last 2 episodes.

The story begins with a national level fencer, Na Hee Do, who is now retired dropping her daughter, Kim Min Chae off to perform in a ballet contest. However, seeing her competitor's performance, Min Chae runs away and eventually goes to stay with her grandmother in Hee Do's childhood home. She discovers her mother's diaries and learns about Hee Do's passion for fencing, her rivalry and friendship with Go Yu Rim and her first real relationship with Baek Yi Jin. Most of the story revolves around these characters growing up in the 90s and how they deal with hardships and forming a strong support system for each other. This journey (until episode 14) is the most beautiful part of the series. The realism and the positivity is inspiring.

Then from episode 15, everything starts to spiral downwards eventually crash landing in episode 16. Ep 15 was a drag. There was a huge build up surrounding what happened between Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin and who is Kim Min Chae's father? The answer is weak to non-existent. Of all the obstacles, both endured, the result does not make sense. Even if the writer did not want to deliver a positive ending, which not all stories and real life experiences have, why not answer some questions as to who Hee Do married and why focus on this elaborate story if it was all about the kid going back to ballet?

Overall:
The Good
1. Na Hee Do's fencing moments are thrilling.
2. The rivalry and friendship between Na Hee Do and Go Yu Rim are beautiful! I adored the development and result.
3. The way Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin's relationship develops and their journey as each other's support system is endearing.
4. Baek Yi Jin's struggles from his family facing hardships and his growing responsibilities as the new head responsible for bringing his family together is worth watching.
5. The friendship between Moon Ji Woong and Ji Seung Wan is adorable and provide a lot of comic relief!
6. The coach and Hee Do's mother are wonderful characters and their relationship with Hee Do is interesting to watch with plenty of ups and downs.
7. The OST is wonderful.

The Bad aka the parts that are left unanswered:
1. The writers wanted a sad ending but Yi Jin's choices did not make sense since he switched fields just to avoid ever hurting Hee Do and in the end completely avoided her.
2. Why send a rookie in local news to cover a major international event? This is entirely illogical in the real world setting. It does not sit well with me progression wise.
3. Why did Yi Jin leave coins over the telephone booth at the beach? It wasn't clarified who it was for.
4. Who is Kim Min Chae's father and what was the need to hide his identity towards the end? There is no communication between the family and the father over a call either which is bizarre.
5. Why was Kim Min Chae and the older Hee Do required for the story? Was it all just so that Min Chae is motivated to pursue ballet? Could Min Chae not have the same life experiences without it?
6. The unnecessary dramatic departure that was stretched way too long.

I wanted to rewatch this series but after this ending, I might skip it. I would only recommend this show until mid ep 15. Don't bother with the rest.

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The ending ruined what could've been a masterpiece...

It's such a shame because every single episode of this drama was amazing and I loved it so much but the ending was so rushed, badly written and left so many plot holes and unanswered questions. I'm not upset because it was a bittersweet ending, Youth of May has a sad ending but that's one of my favourite dramas of all time. I'm sad because their break up at the end was so out of character. I get that the writers wanted it to be realistic but the whole drama they're portrayed to have this amazing connection but in the last episode they give up on it all and loose touch, we're not even told if they still remain friends. Its disappointing because the burning questions we have throughout the whole drama are never answered... T_T I don't think I could ever rewatch this drama which is such a shame! But aside from that awful ending the soundtrack in this drama, the friendship and the amazing fencing sences are top notch. My advice is to only watch to episode 15.

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A refreshing coming-of-age drama

I'm only on episode 9/16 as I'm writing this review. Originally, I was going to wait until all the episodes were released until I started watching this drama. But I kept seeing so many clips that I just had to start. The beginning started off a little slow and now I've just spent the whole day binging the show. This is such a good, refreshing, and touching drama. I love the way its shot and I love how we, as an audience, is reflected as Min-Chae. For example, when Hee-do said she had a boyfriend, I was like WHAT and it immediately cut to Min-Chae with a similar reaction. There has been so many moments of this drama already where I felt so touched and moved to tears. I love watching the characters embark on their journeys, learning painful lessons and growing from them. It's exactly as Yijin said, they're going through their growing pains. I can't wait to see how the rest of this drama unfolds and I really hope there's a very happy, very cute ending waiting for us at the end of this journey.

EDIT: Coming back after finishing the rest of the drama
I knew it was coming, and I knew it wasn't going to be a happy ending but I really had high hopes for a happy ending anyways. Honestly, I'm not too mad about this ending but I definitely don't think this ending was done as well as the rest of the drama was. I understand that the writer wanted to portray a realistic ending, but I didn't think the reason for the breakup for that justified. I definitely think that it was a bit out of character for Na Hee Do and Back Yi Jin to basically give up on their relationship. The break up itself was beautifully done and really captured the pain of a break up, but I just wish the reasoning behind the break up made more sense. In addition, i didn't even know Na Hee Do's husband is someone working overseas, so it seems even more ridiculous that Na Hee Do would break up with Back Yi Jin because she didn't want to always be waiting for someone and be in misery.
I didn't think too much about the present-day Na Hee Do and Kim Min Chae, but after reading other reviews, I agree. The present-day characters basically served no purpose to the show and only teased the viewers. I was also annoyed because they included that scene where present-day Na Hee Do forgot about the their first beach trip, but the scene made it seem like something happened to her to make her forget, instead of her just forgetting because it's been so long. I feel like it makes more sense that once it was brought up, she would fondly but faintly remember her friends and the memories that they once shared.
But overall, the drama was still emotional, impactful, and really captured the exciting but turbulent time of youth. I don't regret watching this drama but I really wasn't expecting the emotional damage this drama has given me.

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This story is Atypical

I love unique stories and this one embodied that. Yes, everyone hated the ending, but to me I was satisfied. Probably because I was so impressed with the intelligent story telling, directing, cinematography and of course strong acting leading up to episode 16. The journey that this screenwriter takes you with their careers and their awkward yet beautiful relationship was truly beautiful. I don't think I've seen writing like that and the way the director and the actors carried out that story is what keep me so engaged with this drama. It was so unique and lovely. Relationships are about the journey and yes about the end game too, but think if it were a happy ending, you'd probably say that was good and move on to your next drama. But nope, you're still here, you're still thinking about it and maybe yes you're upset- but the writer made you think and that's what they want. That's their happy end game. This one will be in my 10 ten of all time.

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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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