Kayosai
I think I had misaligned expectations for this drama. I thought it was mostly about navigating your 20s, deep friendships, and some romance. Which I think is true, but it was also crowded out with mysterious, dark plot lines (like SEVERAL ghosts, SEVERAL cases of sexual assault and violence, etc.). The change in tone gave me whiplash, and I didn't find myself feeling invested in each person's storyline.
Maybe the issue is that Korean 20-something issues are not the same as those here in North America. But I don't think that's quite true — the struggles laid out among Joon-Hee's female friends in Something in the Rain felt very relatable, for example, as were the struggles of those in Because This is My First Life (although those were 30 year olds... am I just getting old? Eep!). I mean, the Belle Epoque house definitely made me feel nostalgic for the time I was in school, living with 7 housemates that became so ingrained in my day-to-day life. The first episode showed this best — how housemates naturally grate on each other through little things that add up. But after that, this aspect of co-habitation barely played a part in the rest of the story.
The friendship moments were the most gratifying, like the time the gang filled in for Yoon Sunbae's shift or went to beat up a certain kidnapper. The party prep scene was also hilarious. But they were too few and far between!
Romance-wise, our little maknae romance was THE BEST. So cute, except when there was a bit of hot-and-cold action. I wish this show did more to explore the idea of "firsts" during this formative period in life though. This relationship would've been perfect for that. I also loved Ye Eun's romance story, for depicting a completely different situation (one's first toxic romance). Yi Na's arc was wonderful as well, because it showcased a totally different way of living. Wasn't as big a fan of the other two romance stories. Also, we have to commend this show for depicting some good boy-girl friendships a well, although they were both hinting at something a bit more by the end (please no!).
I think this is one of the first shows that I've seen universal hype for. I came in with expectations through the roof, but ultimately felt that it played into a lot of common drama tropes (frozen kisses, kidnapping, murder mystery plots, wrist grabs, etc.) and was shockingly unrelatable, despite being in my early/mid-20's. Unfortunately, Age of Youth didn't quite hit the mark.
Maybe the issue is that Korean 20-something issues are not the same as those here in North America. But I don't think that's quite true — the struggles laid out among Joon-Hee's female friends in Something in the Rain felt very relatable, for example, as were the struggles of those in Because This is My First Life (although those were 30 year olds... am I just getting old? Eep!). I mean, the Belle Epoque house definitely made me feel nostalgic for the time I was in school, living with 7 housemates that became so ingrained in my day-to-day life. The first episode showed this best — how housemates naturally grate on each other through little things that add up. But after that, this aspect of co-habitation barely played a part in the rest of the story.
The friendship moments were the most gratifying, like the time the gang filled in for Yoon Sunbae's shift or went to beat up a certain kidnapper. The party prep scene was also hilarious. But they were too few and far between!
Romance-wise, our little maknae romance was THE BEST. So cute, except when there was a bit of hot-and-cold action. I wish this show did more to explore the idea of "firsts" during this formative period in life though. This relationship would've been perfect for that. I also loved Ye Eun's romance story, for depicting a completely different situation (one's first toxic romance). Yi Na's arc was wonderful as well, because it showcased a totally different way of living. Wasn't as big a fan of the other two romance stories. Also, we have to commend this show for depicting some good boy-girl friendships a well, although they were both hinting at something a bit more by the end (please no!).
I think this is one of the first shows that I've seen universal hype for. I came in with expectations through the roof, but ultimately felt that it played into a lot of common drama tropes (frozen kisses, kidnapping, murder mystery plots, wrist grabs, etc.) and was shockingly unrelatable, despite being in my early/mid-20's. Unfortunately, Age of Youth didn't quite hit the mark.
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