Bluest May

PLOT.
I started watching this drama knowing it'd be a really tragic one, and finished watching it bawling my eyes out. I probably can't rewatch this drama anytime soon 'cause it was too painful, everything was too much to handle so I must recover first. Sad to know my theories were right since day one, and even sadder because most of it probably happened irl. I hate Heetae's father so much, he wasn't human istg. Many of us saw it coming but thank God it was still possible to laugh throughout some episodes. Ngl, there were moments where I coudn't dare to feel a bit of happiness watching the episodes since I knew it was just a warm breeze before the cold storm. Youth of May is a great drama to bring awareness as it was extremely realistic, and it definitely left a giant impact on me.

CHARACTERS.
- Hwang Hee Tae & Kim Myung Hee:
They deserved WAY better, life was immensely unfair and cruel to both of them. Sometimes I just wished Heetae would stop talking so much to refrain getting on his devil father's uglier side. On the other hand I also wanted to see a less sour and regretful relationship between Myunghee and her father. She had a whole life ahead of her with so many dreams, it was really sad.

- Lee Soo Chan & Lee Soo Ryun:
I felt bad for Soochan, he wasn't a bad person. He didn't care Myunghee was poor, instead he admired her for being so strong. He tried helping her out as much as he could despite knowing how much she loved Heetae. He had yet to find a way to live after feeling guilty. Sooryun started the drama as a revolutionary rich girl who wanted to fight and protest, but was way too comfortable inside her bubble. She had a good character development imo. Almost too late but she got out of her comfort zone even being scared of the consequences of her doings.

- Hwang Ki Nam & Kim Hyun Cheol:
It's just unbelievable how cruel and heartless Kinam was to his own family. He even killed Heetae's best friend, what a monster. What goes around comes around but unfortunately his younger son suffered the same fate as his childhood friend/neighbor. Hyuncheol's entire family was destroyed by Kinam, that's too much. As I said above, I really wanted to see him and Myunghee getting back on track somehow. He also deserved better.

CAST.
Hands down to everyone involved into this project. Everyone's acting was on point, I was left empty on the inside many times but I could be comforted as well somehow. Both Go Minsi and Dohyun nailed their lead roles! The two kids who portrayed Heetae's and Myeonghee's little brothers did a pretty good job. Also, last but not least: Won Young Choi was awesome as Heetae's older version. I could see the younger one there for sure.

COLORS & OST.
Wah, such beautiful sceneries! I really appreciate how well they used the color scheme to create the whole atmosphere from the 80's. They delivered that nostalgic vibe perfectly here so I have at least 3-4 songs I really really like! The ost will be even more heartbreaking to listen to once you finish watching it.

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An Unpredictable Roller Coaster

PLOT.
I only write reviews about dramas, movies, etc when either: I really enjoyed and feel inspired or when it's really bad or a total disaster. In this case Start-Up started off with an amazing plot full of promissing characters. It was literally a roller coaster of emotions and the writer could've done something wonderful, something interesting and memorable given those first episodes. BUT! One of the biggest problems was that damn love triangle and how she's chosen how to handle the business part. It simply doesn't make sense to me on why on earth she wanted to push it to this extent. It became both exhausting and unhealthy. The plot could've had a better quality in terms of character development and less holes. I'd love to see young people learning with their own mistakes on how to deal with a start-up. The romance part could've been beautifully written, it was so fun in the beginning! The writer sailed without a map, but it wasn't a wonderful ride.

Seo Dal Mi:
What happened to Dalmi's character baffles me to the core. Why was she reduced to just a love interest and a clueless and reckless CEO? Dalmi used to be a dreamer but somehow she had her feet on the ground. It would've been interesting to see a better development. I feel like after finding out about the lies/letters she kinda lost her initial spark? I thought we'd see a better growth from the girl who wanted to climb to the 16th floor. Dalmi had sharp decisions, as she was always stating to never regret her choices, she was pretty smart. Something about her not getting to actual know Pyeong even after those 3 years it's a no no and I'm not even talking about love here. Oh, not to mention the letters that once gave her warmth and comfort during painful times. It's just really sad how those precious letters were thrown away as if it was nothing. That "I'm sorry" after what Pyeong told her didn't sit right with me. She never reacted to anything he said, not even a no. Unfortunately the writer didn't wrote scenes where both of them could talk more about the letters aside the brief rooftop one.

Han Ji Pyeong:
Althought I was Team Pyeong, at some point I just wanted him to be happy. He deserved to be, he was such a lonely soul. They invested so much into him yk. Since day one I knew deep down he wouldn't be endgame and would suffer a lot, but why make him suffer SO miserably endlessly? What was the reason?? It was suffocating to the point I felt the humiliation, he became pitiful. I love this character, so it was also really heartbreaking watching him get hurt over and over again without any rest for the same reasons. I wanted him to get over all this mess and free himself from all the pain asap. On a more positive (?) note, I'd say he at least did something greater helping orphans the way he did. I got emotional during his scenes with gradma. He was indeed a good boy by heart, but was used as a punching bag as many pointed out. At the end, Ji Pyeong did deserve way better than what he got. Why on earth did he have to work with them till the end? We didn't even get to see the gift he bought. However, I was both impressed and mesmerized by Seon Ho's acting! He's a gem of an actor and deserves every praise and recognition he's getting rn.

Nam Do San:
I really liked his character at first and I was actually rooting for him, so maybe that's why he turned out to be one of my biggest disappointments here. I don't hate Dosan tho, I just don't know why the writer wanted him to be like this. He has character flaws. Many times some of his choices were really questionable, like having those angry AND violent outbursts. His fight with Pyeong was bound to happen somehow but it was so wrong 'cause at the time Pyeong was still his mentor. The reasons were the most unlogical ones as well. I feel like if Dalmi wasn't a love interest of both him and Pyeong they could've been really close friends. A potential bromance wasted. Dosan was a character who needed to find who he was without feeling overwhelmed by Ji Pyeong. He had to let go of that inferiority complex of his and be honest at least to himself for once and for all.

Seo/Won In Jae:
She had one of the best developments imo along with Han Ji Pyeong and Yongsan. She was broken on the inside and covered a lot with that posture, she didn't want to give in. Injae wouldn't like to be reminded by her sister later on that she was the one who made the wrong choice first. What I can't understand is why during those 3 years she was completely unaware of her grandma's eye condition. How could Dalmi not tell her all this time? That's not realistic. Also, why even cast Kang Hana as part of the main cast in the first place if they barely gave her screentime? It was almost a cameo per episode at some point. She did a pretty nice job regardless.

Samsan Tech:
At first I used to laugh a lot watching both Cheolsan and Yongsan. I liked them until they start being unprofessional towards their own company and mentor. Besides, they looked down on Dalmi many times when she was their CEO. Yongsan was even more disrespectful towards Ji Pyeong than Cheolsan. In real life you'd probably get fired. His revenge plot was a waste of time. Both were really immature before the time skip. They didn't know how to handle their business properly, and even after the time skip I felt like something was still missing. However, I did like Yongsan's redemption with Ji Pyeong and the original SST reunited where they began. They had to close that important chapter after all. Last but not least: Jung Saha was a whole mood! I wish they could've shown us a little bit more of her.

OST:
Not a single one skip! I find it kinda funny how many parts of its ost seemed to be related to Han Ji Pyeong but Dodal was on the cover.

Cast:
They did a great job despite everything that happened during the episodes. Regardless all the fan ship wars and all, I did enjoy the behind the scenes and interviews. It was fun reading and creating theories as well. If you read until here, thank you! Just a reminder: please don't drag the actors or crew. Have a good one :)

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A healing drama

Pros:
A healing drama for sure, it'll definitely be missed. Every single detail had so much dedication. I knew I'd like this drama but I didn't know it would be one of the best ones I've watched so far. Everyone who was involved made this one a masterpiece. This drama isn't for everyone but if you need some warmth in your heart you'll enjoy watching it. Kim Soo Hyun, Seo Ye Ji and Oh Jung Se had an amazing chemistry as the main trio. I've lost the count of how many times I smiled, laughed and cried during the episodes. Oh Jung Se deserves awards for his breathtaking acting, he was so perfect. OST, acting, cinematography, fashion, production: all on point so I fell in love instantly. They used a lot of transitions for the first half of the show, it was really cool. I also liked the way they showed the audience how was the world through the patient's own eyes. There were times I'd feel their pain and got emotional because it was too heartbreaking. The character development was superb. The haunted castle matched Mun Yeong's mood and they also incorporated the fairy tales well. I appreciate all those great pieces of advice: they gave us many motivational, warm, inspirational and realistic quotes. So many life lessons to think about. I had so much fun reading and making theories week after week, it was very entertaining. (SPOILER) I liked that they gave new perspectives to almost everyone. They could follow their path allowing themselves to be happy somehow. All those patients had new beginnings as well, they deserved it a lot. The long dreamed trip happened and it was amazing!

Cons (SPOILER):
I'd like to point out some things. Episodes 14-15 seemed like a roller coaster of things all happening at the same time. They didn't explain how her mom survived, so what really happened? All of it was her father's disturbed vision? If not how did she escape from the haunted castle?

Aside from this it was a special drama worth watching so I'd definitely recommend it! I will miss the trio and the drama itself, really. Cast, crew, writer, director they need to be praised for the beautiful and memorable work they have done ♡

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A different type of bittersweet journey.

PLOT.
If I could forget all episodes I would just so I could fall in love all over again, that's how much one of a kind it was. It's been awhile since I last been so invested and attached to a drama. They gave us everything. When the cast, teasers and trailers came out I was so excited! I knew 2521 would be one of the best this year but it ended up being one of my all time favorites. I'm in awe of how beautifully detailed this drama was. They made us laugh, cry and root for them altogether week by week. I'm gonna be honest: it was both a dream and a nightmare having to wait to watch this. From main to side characters, I could feel their pain, sorrow, happiness. 2521 is a roller-coaster of emotions, just like youth and life overall. Even though a handful of unfortunate things happened, the quintet shined brightly as the time went by. At some point I thought everything would go down all at once, and I actually bawled my eyes out because of so much pain. However, I could connect with this drama a lot and I'm grateful for that. Also, I've been waiting for something like Reply series for so long, especially Reply 88. Every single character matters here somehow, they're so well written. As much as Baekdo are the main characters, this show gave everyone a special moment and not a single boring episode in between. Speaking of which, I just want to point out that I love both Heedo and Yijin as individuals and also together as friends and lovers. I had soo much of fun with theories, even the wildest ones! So many dramas lose its freshness once it reaches the second half, they did a an amazing job here sustaining the plot. They made a good number of people question what'd happen next. Writing, directing, producing and acting on point! The majority of us wanted Baekdo to end up together, but so many details were indicating a sad ending: they left clues here and there. All the hints were right there yet I grew attached to its plot and characters. From the very start I had a gut feeling that this drama could end with a bittersweet taste in my mouth (just by watching the teaser with 2521 playing in the background and seeing the poster where they were looking at different directions). I think some things could've been better of course, yet, imo it was a fresh and well-written one for the most part. I'd like to point out some things though. Both Yijin and Heedo had so much potential as a couple, I'm still hurt they grew apart like that, not even remaining as friends who support each other. I'm also sad because Heedo had forgotten that precious summer trip with the gang. However, I understand that's life, things change and we can't always control everything in order to get what we want. I'm taking 2521 close to my heart regardless of this and that.

CHARACTERS.
Kim Minchae: this girl represents 2521 nation so well it scares me ngl. Her father! As much as I was really curious to know who he was I also understand why the writter didn't show us: he was simply not the main point. I'm happy that she decided to go back to ballet and challenge herself in order to create her own experiences.

Ji Seungwan: she stood up for herself while helping other people and is such a great friend. She's so brave and honest, I really like her and I'm glad she had a good ending.

Moon Jiwoong: at first we got to see his reckless self as a funny student and his charms as the 7th pretty boy from class 3. As the episodes went by he shows his other sides as we see his friendship with Seungwan growing stronger and how much he looks up to Yijin. Last but not least, his love towards Yurim: he went from someone who used to appreciate her because of her image, and ends up forcing himself to grow up little by little in order to picture a future with her. He grew up and matured beautifully, without leaving behind his genius personality. The way he proposed to Yurim was so cute :)

Ko Yurim: this is a character with interesting layers. When I saw the umbrella scene I thought she wouldn't be as sweet to Heedo as it looked like - and I was so right. Her mean attitute towards Heedo would always let a bitter taste in my mouth. I was of course waiting for her redemption so when they finally got to know the truth I was the happiest. Yurim is extremelly passionate when it comes to fencing, it's admirable. She had to mature at a really young age and I respect that.

Baek Yijin: I'm glad Joohyuk changed the tsundere Baek Yijin from the script, he's definitely one of the best characters. His acting has improved even more here. This character is now part of my favorite ones, he brought a lot of comfort with his wise words and selfless actions many times. He was such an important person in Heedo's life, so necessary. He struggled so much, I cried watching him getting more and more disappointed in himself. Both him and Heedo started to lose themselves at some point, it was extremely heartbreaking. Baek Yijin had a caring and giant heart but too many issues and traumas at once on his plate. Him and Heedo deserved way better than they got in the end. Nam Joohyuk AND Kim Taeri both deserve nominations, they nailed their characters with top notch acting.

Na Heedo: her younger self was such a daring and carefree character, I'd like to be friends with her. She's become one of my favorite characters as well. Whenever the older Heedo would appear, I knew something would make me sad somehow. She looked miserable and hurt even after so many years after the break up. It was a relief to see Heedo being at peace with her mom while still young. I was shocked when she told Minchae that she didn't remember the gang's summer trip, because it was her first one. Also, her future self had many regrets related to their break up. What they had was really precious, how painful.

OST.
Hands down to everyone involved here, I've been listening to the tracks non-stop (including the instrumental ones).

On a final note, I'd love to see at least Joohyuk and Taeri (or Taeri and Bona) working together again in the future, their chemistry on and off camera is really natural. Oh and I'll definitely watch the whole drama all over again once the feeling of emptiness comes to an end, which is going to take some time. If you read this till here, thank you ♡

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