One of the best coming of age stories in a K-drama.

I am already rather reminiscent of this drama and I am going to miss waiting every week for it. To state it briefly, this is a very well rounded coming of age story and I love how they have wrapped it into this quaint bundle.

Kim Min chae picks up her mother's coming of age story when she herself is dejected and unmotivated. Twenty Five, Twenty One is solely told from the perspective of Na Hee do. It is not a story about the love between Yi jin and Hee do, it is only the story of how Hee do grew up to be the person she is.

I love how they captured the IMF crisis and how it effected different people from different walks of life.

If I break down characters, Hee do is such a refreshing Female Lead. Kim Tae ri is brilliant actress who has played Na Hee do to utmost perfection. I love how they've represented Hee do's temperament throughout the show. When they show her as a child and as she grows as person as well. The writers have taken careful account of how Hee do is as a person and created a rather inspirational character.

Baek Yi jin is another character that is rather well rounded. Nam Joo hyuk is one of the actors in the K-industry that is rather expressive with their eyes (kind of like Jung Hae in). He displays emotions like Yi jin's from innocence, joy and happiness to his depression, fear and sorrow through his eyes. Yi jin as a character is a person who had to grow up too soon because of unforeseen circumstances. Yi jin is an individual who hasn't had the opportunity to grow consistently and has had his growth happen very haphazardly. When it comes to upholding responsibilities , Yi jin is matured and put together. Yet, when it comes to emotionality, Yi jin is very similar to a teenager. I think that is why Yi jin starts being friends with Hee do and the rest of the gang. It allows him to embrace the childish part of himself that he has to lock away when it comes to his daily circumstances.

The rest of the characters- Ko Yu rim, Ji Seung wan and Moon Ji woong were all perfect aspects of the story. Each of the characters were special and all of them had their own nuance. I loved Yu rim's determination and her passion. Seung wan was one of the most interesting characters I have seen to date. She represents the ideal qualities of a leader. I loved her relationship with Yi jin and how similar they were in certain aspects. Ji woong and his creativity and charm was a pleasure to watch. I loved the friendship between all of them and the interconnectedness each of their relationships had with one another.

Coming back to my initial statement. Twenty Five, Twenty One is a story purely from the perspective of Na Hee do. All of the characters are in some way connected to her. Yi jin plays large role in the entire story because he is the one that has influenced Hee do the most in her youth. From emotionally growing up to maturing and understanding the world. Baek Yi jin features as an integral part of Hee do's youth. Similarly, for Hee do's fencing career, Yu rim is a key factor that built Hee do up as a fencer. Therefore, Yurim features alot during Heedo's youth

As I read some of the comments, I did notice that a lot of people were not very happy about how the last two episodes turned out. I understand the frustration about getting a rather bittersweet ending for the couple and not really knowing more about Yi jin and Hee do in the present. Yet, I believe the ending was well done too. Like I said the focus was Hee do and her story. Yi jin does not really play a part in her story after her youth and that's where their story ends. Especially since this story is read by Min chae who wanted to know her mother better, this is just the story of how her mother became the person she is. Therefore, making the ending justifiable.

Likewise, I do have a few issues with the story. Such as they gave a lot of emphasis on the "Twenty Five, Twenty One". Yet, there was barely an episodes worth of the characters in that time period. As much as I love Hee do and Yu rim's relationship, I did not understand why Yu rim was so mean to Hee do in the beginning. Even though it was explained in later episodes, I felt that the contempt Yu rim had for Hee do was a little too strong in that sense.

Factoring the other elements of the drama, the acting was pretty good and all the characters like said was done well enough. The music was beautiful and I bloody loved songs like Very, Slowly by Bibi and 스물다섯, 스물하나 by Jaurim.

The drama encapsulated the retro 90s aspect in Korea and the mise en scene catered wonderfully to all of the very 90s elements of the drama.

Would I rewatch this drama, definitely. I hope all of you who watched this drama had a pleasurable experience.

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An overall review of Nevertheless.

Since the drama has finally ended, I have decided to write a holistic review for it. I sympathize with the fellow viewers who have been on this rollercoaster ride for the past couple of months.

I'll start by saying the element that carried the drama for me was the vibe. The drama has an attractive aesthetic and innate sense of style and usage of color. I love how color also plays a role throughout this drama. Whether it be Bit-na's hair color, the little drink packets that Jae-on and Na-bi have together, or Sol's intricate pair of headphones, the presentation was fascinating and was one of the primary elements that kept me watching the drama.

Even though the story falls through midway for the drama, I felt the redeeming factor will always remain the drama's vibe.

Coming; to the point of discussing the story. The drama started rather interesting. Like most people are saying here, the drama had a great deal of potential to be a drama that does something different and does not fall into the cliche category of finally boy and girl get together. Alas, that is not what happened, and there were a few questionable turns within some characters.

The character that confused me the most with his motives was Jae-on. He's introduced as this free-spirited, good-looking, fairy-like boy who has undeniably fantastic artistic capabilities. Yet, I was never able to understand his philosophy. In the beginning, I did not want to categorize him into the box of a typical fuckboy. Yet as the show progressed, I could not comprehend him more than that. I understand the drama is narrated from the perspective of Na-bi, and most of the characters have significant detail to give them have a certain amount of depth. Yet, I would have appreciated some more depth in Jae-on for the first almost seven episodes. The rushed-up character development was poor and they could have done so much more with his character. I'm not saying that Jae-on was destined to be a fuckboy and he should remain one. I believe the final ending would be justified if his character development was gradual and did not occur right after Na-bi ghosted him and deciding to get closer to Do-hyeok.

The acting, in my opinion, was pretty good. I felt all the actors absorbed their role rather well and displayed it beautifully. In my opinion, Han So-hee played Na-bi undeniably well. She captured Na-bi's hesitance and timidness, yet she also embodied her distress and anger in such an appropriate manner. Song Kang as an actor regardless of his good looks can soften the perception of his character. Jae-on's character would harbor a lot of hate because of his attitude, yet Song Kang playing Jae-on gives this pleasant take to a rather harsh reality. The performances from the remaining actors were beautiful and refreshing to watch. Yang Hye-ji and Lee Ho-jung were some of my personal favorites. Bit-na and Sol were dynamic characters that were adapted to fruition by these actresses. Our dear little potato boy, Do-hyeok pulled at my heartstrings, because of the way this man acted with his eyes (I will weep at the sight of it). I loved watching Do-hyeok played by Chae Jong-hyeop, and I look forward to seeing more of his performances.

The final component of this drama is its music. I'm aware I'm not the only one who has been listening to Love Me Like That by Sam Kim on repeat since when it was released. The drama has a phenomenal playlist that encompasses the emotions the drama aims to focus on. *Chefs Kiss* It was so good, I have no words.

To wrap up my review. Would I watch this drama again? Maybe. Do I wish it was executed any differently? Yes.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this drama and the rollercoaster ride it brought along. I do look forward to seeing more dramas created for a mature audience.

I hope this review was helpful and you enjoyed reading this :))

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