Without Dilemma the Plot Lacks Depth

The acting here was great, however the dialogue and plot were lacking. I found it difficult to understand why these two fell in love, beyond physical attraction. There's no journey of getting to know each other, just typical K-Drama long shots of lingering gazes.

There seemed to be almost no dilemma to overcome, without which, there's no real story.

Also, as a musician, it's not the *worst* offender out there, but from the beginning with he says "Ah yes, Am and G" then plays a Cm chord... I knew to temper my expectations. It's good that the actor could play the piano I guess, but when the story centres so much around music, the producers could try a bit harder to get that right.

Signing a record deal that explicitly passes all creative control to the label, then whinging when the label excercises said creative control, is a good way to get dropped. This part of the story irritated me.

The setting had a lot of potential, but sadly they blew it. Hopefully, though, the popularity of BL series and films will lead to better things.

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A heartwarming exploration of female friendships

I loved this drama - it reminded me of Hello My Twenties, which I also loved. The growth of the bond between the four main characters is beautiful to watch, and also relatable. It's refreshing to see a drama that isn't centered around a love interest, but takes the female leads seriously as human beings with life goals, wins and losses, problems large and small.

The drama is a celebration of women from all backgrounds, and in the end the message is that we're stronger together. The way the girls handle their romantic relationships and budding careers is inspiring and empowering; in so many dramas the female lead clings to the man as if he is her whole life. Twenty Your Life On is the antidote to that misogynistic trope.

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Widespread appeal, but not a winner

This is a solid drama. The acting, writing and characters are compelling. However I'm not sure why it's so highly rated on MDL; it didn't grab me and hold me like Goblin or The Untamed (and I tend to like slice of life dramas).

It's a bit like Korean Scrubs, but with perhaps a bit more attention paid to being medically accurate.

Many of the relationships seemed somewhat forced; Chu Min-Ha's crush on Yang Suk Hyung was cute and well acted, but I never truly believed that he returned her feelings, though I was happy the plot went that way. In general there wasn't enough romantic build up. Even though Chae Song-Hwa and Lee Ik-Jun were clearly compatible, it still somehow felt like they were settling; it was never explained why Ik-Jun turned Song-Hwa down when they were younger.

I loved the chemistry of the friendship between the main characters, on the other hand, and the cute side-bromance between Je-Hak and Jun-Wan. Despite being a support character, Je-Hak's storyline was one of the best, with a really satisfying ending.

Still, not sure why it's so highly rated, but I'm glad I watched it. I just wish the episodes were half the length. Who has time to watch 90+min episodes everyday?!

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Everything about it is stupid

The characters are stupid. The story is stupid. Just... give it a miss.

The most offputting thing for me was that the lead male was so unlikeable. The was he treats Go Min Nam at the beginning is simply abusive. Yes he *kind of* has a character arc, but nowhere near enough to make up for his initial behaviour. He's basically just narcissistic eyeliner with stupid hair.

I could not bring myself to believe that Go Min Nam liked him. Especially when there was Shin Woo: kind, intelligent, perceptive, and the best looking of the bunch. Why on earth she picked Tae Kyung after the constant bullying is beyond me.

At best, this drama didn't age well. At worst, it sends a damaging message to young girls: that if you put up with abusive treatment and keep apologising for who you are, a man will eventually come to like you. Urgh.

They could have made so much more of Jeremy's storyline - discovering his sexuality and accepting himself for who he is. But no: the guy he liked is actually a girl so it's all fine and he's COMPLETELY STRAIGHT (he isn't)

I gave it an extra half star for the scene about fanfics, which was legit hilarious.

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Weirdly Relatable

As someone with social anxiety, this drama made me feel so seen. I mean I'm not a handsome chaebol (sadly) but the way the main character reacts to other people, takes on tasks just out of awkwardness, and the way other people misunderstand him and react negatively takes me back to my own experiences working in an office. It was a very cathartic drama.

The sister's suicide, even by the end, seemed unrealistic to me, and the family's grief (particularly after the mother also died) didn't seem deep enough considering the situation. However I liked how the rest of the characters were portrayed, even the 'villains' were mostly three dimensional (save the old trope of the evil rich father).

I recommend this to every shy person, or anyone who works with a shy person!

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Beautiful slice of life

I teared up multiple times while watching this series and I still can't put my finger on why; I think it must be the simple beauty of the story, characters and setting.

This isn't a drama, the character arcs are very subtle and many things go semi-unresolved (such as Ryoko's unhappiness). However I think this adds to the zen-like experience of watching the series. I learnt so much about traditional Japanese culture through watching and I enjoyed every minute. It made me want to see a Geiko's performance IRL, they're so elegant yet expressive.

The acting was so natural at times it felt like a documentary. The OST was composed by the same woman who wrote for Cowboy Bebop and she did a fantastic job - the music perfectly reflects the beautiful simplicity of the story. I always kept the credits playing on Netflix just so I could listen to it!

I highly recommend this series to anyone interested in Japanese culture, and anyone who wants a chilled-out, easy to watch experience.

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Can't a girl and a guy just be friends?

Honestly, all the wrong people ended up together, and it felt so forced. What annoyed me most was that Choi-Hun is clearly gay - the actor was obviously asked to play him 'gay' and there was absolutely no need for him to get together with Ga-Rin. In the first season they were written as best friends, and that worked so much better. They were cute and funny as a couple but there was no romantic chemistry between them at all. Just let him be gay!

Speaking of which, the lead pair, Tae-O and Song-Yi, had no chemistry either. Honestly, it would be so weird to get together with someone you'd been childhood friends with for that long. It felt weird watching them, like brother and sister kissing. I think when the series began the writers hadn't decided how it would end, otherwise they would have done a better job framing romantic feelings between the two - particularly in Song-Yi's case. We had no evidence that she had feelings for Tae-O at all (it is possible to love someone deeply in a platonic way!).

It felt like a lot of storylines were half-heartedly left - who was the guy in the yellow car that Se-Hyun kept going off with? What actually did Ga-Rin's mum do to make her so anxious? How did Song-Yi start rebuilding the relationship with her mum, to the point they could live together again?

So much wasted potential!

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