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Our Blooming Youth korean drama review
Completed
Our Blooming Youth
1 people found this review helpful
by angeliviki2022
Nov 1, 2023
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

An intriguing sageuk with mystery and palace machinations

The synopsis for this drama is quite inaccurate. After watching the show, I was laughing at their description of Min Jae Yi as "a gentle and poised daughter." In truth, she was a tomboy who dressed in boy's clothing from an early age and charged kids toll for crossing a river she supposedly owned. She also frequently hopped walls with her trusty maid/sidekick to escape her house and often got into trouble.

After being accused of murdering her family, Min Jae Yi didn't randomly run into Crown Prince Yi Hwan; she specifically sought him out, hoping to get his help in clearing her name, while also intent on protecting him, as her Father had begged her to [his last words to her].

TLDR: Historical, Mystery, Romance, Drama
Historical - Joseon period
Mystery - Secret curse letters delivered to Crown Prince; one by one are coming true.
Romance - if you're looking for skinship and insta-love, this is not the drama for you. The romance is about trust and deep abiding love that takes time to develop.
Drama - I laughed, I cried and my heart was touched.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this drama as I had a chance to keep guessing and the revelations came in bits and pieces. I delighted in the rapport between the main leads whose bickering kept me entertained. But they also worked well together when they were investigating crimes, and they eventually were each other's confidants. As always, Park Hyung Sik did a fantastic job as Crown Prince Yi Hwan; he really showed a range of emotions in this role and was so forward thinking in saying that Jae Yi was a woman, not an object. Jae Yi is probably one of the most feminist characters I have encountered. Her true self is the tomboy that jumped over walls, exhorting coins from strangers to help the poor; in the meantime, Society dictated that she had to grow up, get married and place duty above all.

Lee Tae Sun as Kim Myung Jin (coroner, investigator, scientist, general people-helper) stole the show with his lack of self-awareness. Jang Ga Ram (Min Jae Yi's maid) was perfect as Myung Jin's student. They made me smile and laugh so much. The other leads and supporting actors did a fabulous job, resulting in the well-produced drama. Even though I meant to watch this while it was currently airing, I'm now really glad I was able to binge watch in 4 days. My patience would have been sorely tested if I had to wait so long in between episodes.
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