Twenty Five Twenty One (2022)

Must watch!

This is one of the best slice of life drama. I saw that many people complain about the ending but according to me it was a good one. Don't avoid watching this drama just because you don't get the ending that you wanted because this drama has a lot of life lessons. This has become one of my comfort drama. If you are planning to watch and you are unsure whether to watch it or not then I would ask you to watch till episode 3. If you didn't like it then maybe this is not the genre you are looking for. Anyways I'm gonna rewatch it again when I need some comfort or motivation.

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Sometimes life gets in the way, and there's nothing you can do but keep living.

Oh i loved this drama SO much, it has definitely become my favorite show EVER. There’s so much to say I think I would have been able to analyze every single episode individually and still write several paragraphs for each one.

This drama is a celebration of friendship, of love, of passion, of trying your best… and its SO well done I don't think I have a single bad thing to say about it. I was completely hooked from the very first episode and it's completely amazing from beginning to end. If I could only ever recommend one show to everyone I’m pretty sure this one would take the win I mean everyone NEEDS to watch it idcc. And I have to admit, when I realized it was set (for the most part) in the 90s I thought I wasn’t gonna be a fan for some stupid reason but the cinematography HELLO???? Oh my god it was so good. AND THE MUSIC… Oh the music. Such a great OST. Same goes for the fact that it’s so centered around fencing, which I knew nothing about nor was interested in learning about; I thought that would make it harder for me to get into the show, but I was proved wrong really fast.

This drama also has what I think is the best written romance I personally have ever seen in a drama (probably in any show I’ve ever watched) like oh my god Heedo and Yijin… my heart hurts for them. They loved each other SO MUCH and they never stopped loving each other but life got in their way and tbh I will never forgive life for that. Their story i just so… I don’t even have the words to explain man, you just have to watch it idk. The way they were always there for each other even if they weren’t physically together for literal months living on voicemails like… god. And the way that just hearing each other’s voices and words of encouragement helped them to keep fighting and never give up was so endearing. I feel like I could write and entire book on this two. BUT ALSO Yurim’s and Jiwoong’s relationship was so freaking sweet I’m so happy that Jiwoong didn’t let Yurim just give up on them and that I got to see them together until the very end, I loved them so so so much. AND THE WAY HE PROPOSED it was so cute.

Heedo’s character… woah. Literally woah. She’s so strong and amazing and she was clueless and childish and just a fool a lot of the time too but that only made her all the more endearing and admirable idk. Her decision and perseverance woah… She tried so hard and she went after her dreams no matter what and she made it and idec that she’s fictional you can’t help but be proud of her.

Literally every character in this drama is freaking amazing. I am not gonna stop and write about each one cause this is getting long enough already but i just LOVED them so much. Them as a friend group just <333 absolutely loved the found family trope in there. There were so many iconic moments like the beach outfits??? I was obsessed they looked SO cool and the amount of fun they had there… woah. AND THE TUNNEL oh my god the edits about the tunnel that I’ve seen on tiktok I want to bawl my eyes out. I am going to miss them so much, seriously.

I don’t know, everything about this drama was just beyond perfect, I smiled like a fool during many of the episodes, every episode I watched felt like the best one so far (now that I’ve really finished the show though, I think the beach one has to be my absolute favorite ep) and even tough there were sad moments it just made me so happy to see everyone overcome difficulties and do their best at life. And it’s the way that I wanted to just go ahead and start rewatching it when I had just finished it… I am going to miss it so much. However, I don’t think a season 2 would do it for me, I don’t know, I get why some people would be disappointed, but I think the ending was perfect as it was.

Overall a 10/10, I highly recommend watching.

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A Girl's Journey

I completed this drama one week ago.

I wanna write the review after the watch , but I think I don't love it enough it to write one immediately.
With my personal rating , it should be rated 8.5/10.
But because it is so good , I wanna rate it higher than this.

If I have to talk about 25-21 , I wanna divide Heroine's story into two parts
1. HeeDo's Coming of Age Journey ( Her personal life)
2. Her love story.

1. The Coming of Age Part is so well done.
I am Not the one who cry easily while watching media. ( except for the ones with animals)

But , Here there is one particular story arc ( Her first Gold medal) that really made me feel her sadness & frustration. I cried with her.

HeeDo's passion about Fencing , all of that was realistic as I had been transported back to the past & saw this passionate gold medalist .

Also, her friendship with Go Yurim is one of the best I have seen among millions of Asian Dramas.

2. Before I watched the drama, I had known the ending already.
May be that's the reason why I might subconsciously try not to care about the love story too much.

(I don't know how should I say this but I will try.)

✨If you consider & watch this as a drama, you will feel like they could do this much better.

There are a million ways to make the happy ending.
If you couldn't ,either wrote the Story of Adult HeeDo better or gave a stronger reason for their breakup.
In this way, we feel less bitter about that ending.

✨But if you are immersed in this story as the real life, the ending is not that bad.

It is understandable that they couldn't be together anymore because they had different life goals.
HeeDo tried but neither of them could make a big sacrifice to meet in the middle .
( HeeDo wanted to continue her life as an international fencer , Baek YJ with his life as a report er in potential war zone )

Some will say 'They loved each other too much.Couldn't they wait?'
May be. But at that time, they didn't know how long the wait would be .
If you were them, would you take the risk with 'The Wait'.

Apart from the Heroine's story, all of the side stories of secondary characters are interesting too.


I would recommend 25-21 to anyone who wanna watch a feel good coming of age Story .

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One of the best dramas I have watched and trust me I am very picky with the shows I like

I just lovedddd this drama. I was putting this off for so long bc its not my genre and i already know the ending and i hate spoilers it always ruins the watching experience for me.
But i finally decided to watch it yesterday bc i was v bored. And I totally binge watched all 16. episodes.

It was a simple story but the way it unfolds was beautiful. I love the fact that the first few episodes was solely dedicated to get to know the main lead and her goals. Really helped me empathize and connect with her emotionally, everytime she accomplished something and the go! ost by dk plays it felt like my personal achievement and gave me a huge adrenaline boost lol . Of course Kim tae ri did an amazing job as always.

Usually in dramas with this genre there are alot of filler episodes and I will lose interest around the 12th episode. But this drama got me hooked till the very end,

One of the best and heartwarming but at the same time it was heartbreaking. Despite knowing the ending beforehand I couldn't stop crying.

I personally liked the ending. I think na hee do deserves better. Yes yi jin is a sweetheart and loved hee do dearly. But I empathize with hee do, throughout her childhood she has always been the second choice, she kept getting ditched by her mom even in some of the most important moments of her life bc of her job and she was always expected to be understanding and adjust. It is not fair that she is expected to adjust that way in her adult relationship as well. She deserves someone who can be actively present in her life as a strong emotional support and fill the void of loneliness in her heart.


It was a realistic but bittersweet ending (But a part of my unrealistic petty ass still hopes that her husband died or something and those two kind of reunites in the end like in how i met your mother lol)

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Youth, passion and growing pains

This drama is the epitome of youth, passion and growing pains.

I’m not much for watching coming of age stories but this one got me good. Right now as I’m writing this I’m still picking up the pieces of my broken heart caused by that heart wrenching end. No kidding I was a sobbing mess.

Honestly I haven’t cried this much watching a drama before (like I’ve cried before but not like this, I was gasping for air?!). I was like Jesus can you please stop I want to stop crying!! I could not stop sobbing throughout the last episode so much so that I kept thinking I couldn’t cry anymore because I didn’t have any tears left and then BAM! the waterworks started again.
And you know what? I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The lesson that this drama and the writers set out to teach was that sometimes love is not enough.

And in this case it didn’t matter how stupid in love they were with each other if they couldn’t overcome their problems. In some ways it felt to me like they loved each other too much. So much so that it ended up being their demise. She loved him too much to be selfish and ask him to be there for them and he loved her too much to share his burden with her because he didn’t want to taint her or drag her down.

Ultimately what killed me the most was that *we don’t know whatever happened with Baek Yi Jin?!?!* Did HE get married? Did he stay single pinning for the love that never was? Had any children??? Does he regret anything???!! I know that the story is Na Hee Do’s but STILL how could they leave him out and only put him in that ending? Scene??? Though it was ironically sad how the name of the person you THOUGHT you would have by your side, love forever and grow old with becomes but the answer of a security question. 21st century sadness.

The cast did a terrific job. Everyone say thank you to Nam
Joo Hyuk for making Baek YiJin what he was. I saw an interview were him and Kim Taeri where they said that YiJin in the script was totally different to JooHyuk’s YiJin. Apparently Yijin was cold and distant and then JooHyuk said let’s make him warm and cutely dorky/weird. I’ll love you forever for that Nam Joo Hyuk. Taeri WAS Na Hee Do no more needed. And the rest of the cast was great too their chemistry was good.

The ost was top notch, the cinematography excellent, the nostalgia on point and it even got me excited for FENCING -didn’t see that one on my bingo card-. Tough tbh I was low key salty about the other couple making it through

At the end of the day Twenty-five twenty-one can be summarized with two words: first love. And, sadly, the undeniable truth is that we usually learn a lot from it before it reaches its final destined day for it’s seldom made to last. Because first love is as fleeting as youth.

Ps: now I’m going to sleep because my eyes and my head HURT from all the crying! I have half a mind to sue the writers for causing me distress and irreparable emotional damage. So excuse any grammatical or spelling mistake.

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Bittersweet drama with an emphasis on VERY sweet

A lot of people are saying it had a sad ending. But I disagree it was a happy bittersweet ending (not to invalidate their feelings). It makes us think as viewers what really constitutes a happy ending. I recommend everyone to watch this because the story and characters are so sweet and made me feel things. acting superb. Nam Joo Hyuk special shout out he improved by leaps and bounds. So sad he is enlisting. Please read full review! <3 <3

Let's talk about the ending first without spoiling anything. It was a very sweet almost sickenly sweet so it had to have some..., a lil, bitterness to give the final beautiful bitter sweet flavour. It's like dark chocolate with cranberries. The ending was very beautiful and felt like a dream. The relationships in this story were completed to a perfection. Each and very relationship received a beautiful alluring conclusion.

Na Hee do and Baek Yi Jin are sweet hearts to one another and the first loves of each other. Even though Yi Jin has dated others girls in high school none are like Hee do. Only Hee Do deserves being Yi Jin's first love. I am not making this up. Hee do and Yi Jin supported each other in life's hardest times and believed in each other when no one could. They were capable of anything and everything and were also capable of breaking up.

But don't worry the ending is not bad writing. The characters are all very well written and there is no troped cliche drama. It is a vanilla story and sweet. All the characters are precious cinnamon rolls that must be protected at ALL TIMES. Watch it and find out for yourselves. A sweet rivalry between two girls, two sweet heart lovers that grew into and out of each other, a sweet relationship that survived the ups and downs and long distances, two childhood friends who remained good friends and a queen who stood up for wrongdoing in her school. Watch it for these stories.

The acting was top notch. Kim Tae Ri made me believe I was really watching a reckless loving teenager, Na Hee Do. As expected from a seasoned actor ofcourse. BUTTT Nam Joo Hyuk OHHH MAAHHH GAWWWD. His acting has improved so much by leaps and bounds. Before 25-21 I was not a fan of Nam Joo Hyuk's works, although I liked weightlifting fairy. But now I have become a die hard Nam Joo Hyuk fan. I am even depressed that Nam Joo Hyuk is going to enlist in December. Hee do is a character that makes you want to do something. Because she is trying so hard to make her dream happen. And Kim Tae Ri made me want to do something too with her acting. The supporting characters and story is also very beautiful.

A drama everyone should watch!!!!! Bonus the OST's are nice too! JOOOOOOOO OOOOOO OOOO

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I did not regret watching this!

I stopped watching this drama at Episode 6… and then heard and saw spoilers until the drama ended. Even though I already knew the ending, I can’t resist and I am still curious of the whole story that’s why I continued watching from where I left.

ON THE STORY: The drama is set mostly in the 90s going back and forth in the present time. A sports-themed drama which focuses on achieving dreams, love, friendship and family. I love the fact that they did not focus only on romance but on many different aspect.

In a long time, I am glad that there were no love triangle between the main leads. The rivalry between Na Hee Do and Ko Yu Rim were not annoying and I loved the character development between the two characters. I also liked the unexpected friendship made by the five characters. Each of the characters have their own unique story to convey.

ON THE CASTING/CHARACTERS: For me, Kim Tae Ri acted so well that I can’t think of any actress who can play the role of Na Hee Do other than her. Hee Do as an athlete is a very inspiring character. Her character development is also well seen. Then there’s Nam Joo Hyuk who stars again in a sports-themed drama. I am not a fan of his acting on this one, feels like it isn’t remarkable in my opinion. Bona who played Ko Yu Rim got me hating her the first few episodes. You’ll love her character when she started to open up especially when she became friends with Hee Do. Choi Hyun Wook (Moon Ji Ung) and Lee Joo Myung (Ji Seung Wan) were great characters too and compliment well on the group. The portrayal of their friendship isn’t awkward but the slow development felt more realistic.

ON THE ENDING: If I were Hee Do, I would’ve done the same thing. I think their LDR wouldn’t work either, in my opinion. Baek Yi Jin even accepted the job offer in New York without even telling Hee Do. I kind of accepted the ending that they’ve shown. It was realistic. It is also noticeable that the other four characters is not shown on the present day or the ending. We never even got to know who is Min Chae’s father. Nevertheless, I am well satisfied with the drama. It brought out a lot of emotions.

I am glad I continued watching this. I am also glad that Tae Ri is finally receiving recognition on her work as she rightfully deservers. Though I loved this drama, for now, my re-watch value on this is low (LOL) because of the roller-coaster of emotions I felt the whole time I was watching this. It has a lot of good moments and lots of drama which made me cry (Refer to specific scenes on the picture above! You’ll know what I mean.)

RECOMMENDATIONS: This drama is slightly similar to the Reply series in terms of the setting and the various stories involved. Another similar drama with a lighter story is Weightlifting Kim Bok Joo, also a sports-themed drama that stars Nam Joo Hyuk.

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A Failed Romance Story

What starts as a flashback set in 1995 to 2000s , with Korean Economy being bad and everyone struggling financially, we have Na Hee Do ( Main Heroine ) wanting to become a Fencing champion and we have Baek Yi Jin ( Main Hero ) wanting to solve financial crisis for family. Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin eventually fall in love, but in the end they separate because their jobs keeps them busy and they don't have time for each other. This drama is good, but it could've been much better. Na Hee Do in the present ( 2020 ) doesn't meet Baek Yi Jin , which was disappointing. It is a good high school romance story set in the past. We also have Ko Yu Rim ( 2nd Heroine ) , also fencing champion fall in love with Moon Ji Woong ( 2nd Hero ), and their romance, chemistry is much better than main Hero , Heroine. This journey is growth of these characters over the years, but it would've been better if it was set at high school only. The show could've been much better if it had incorporated elements from 1990s but still a good watch

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Tem spoilers

Apesar de eu ter gostado bastante o final me decepcionou, sei que foi proposital eles n acabarem juntos mas mesmo assim acredito que aquele final não faz jus a história incrível desse dorama, todas as as vezes que aparecia as partes do presente me dava uma vontade absurda de pular pois eram muito chatas algumas até insuportáveis. Mesmo não me agradando nesses pontos como eu já tinha dito anteriormente a história é maravilhosa e me fez refletir muita coisa, 25 21 é uma história divertida e emocionante que me fez surtar de felicidade mas também chorar muito, valeu muito assitir esse dorama! Recomendo!

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