2521 was an amazing, all-rounded 10/10 drama that i spent every weekend looking forward to. This drama was so good that at times, it was as if i could not bear to even watch the episodes because of what immense perfection they were!! Everything from the writing, to the acting to the cinematography just worked together so well that every episode was a masterpiece in itself... though I'm still reeling from the ending, i still had to try and write a review to do some justice to the drama. 2521 is a perfectly imperfect coming-of-age, slice of life, romcom and i HIGHLY RECOMMEND everyone to watch this drama!
[spoilers ahead]

Story/writing:
> This drama was such a masterpiece and each and every episode was so well done! In a single episode, i could go from laughing to crying then back to laughing again. Every single character, side plot all came together and even those small seemingly insignificant moments in the drama added much value. So many memorable scenes in the drama that it would be hard to list them all out but my favourites include:
- Restaurant scene with the ahjussis when they provided comfort and encouragement to Heedo
- Payphone scenes in the snow where both of them were so far apart yet connected by something so simple such as a voice message
- Beach scene where they were talking about their life stories
- Seungwan talking to her mum about her decision to quit school
++++ so many more!!
> From the beginning, the main story and message about the drama had always been about what a beautiful time Youth is... yet such a wonderful season of life is fleeting and bittersweet. It was a time of innocence; where we could be bold and brave in doing whatever we wanted, earnest and optimistic about the future, ignorant yet wishful that things would last forever. During such an age, we fall over and over, we worry about the most insignificant things and we experience first loves. First loves that are raw, earnest and clumsy, where you think you will stay together forever; together against the world...and where you end up breaking each other's hearts irrevocably.
> Baekdo were each other's first loves and they were soulmates. The fleshing out and development of their relationship was one of the strongest parts of this drama. In each other, they had found missing parts of themselves and thus were able to comfort and provide strength and support to one another. What they had in each other is something other people can only wish for; a once in a lifetime person... The dialogue, the actions and the progression of their relationship were so natural and realistic that it really hurt at times. When they were cute and happy together, they made you laugh and squeal in joy... but in the final episode where they exchanged hurtful words that both of them regretted immensely, it actually hurt me physically EURGHHH. While fans had been hoping until the very end that they would magically end up together, it would not have flowed well with the overall tone and message the drama has always had since the beginning. What happened to Baekdo finally, while it was really painful to watch, it was realistic and kept to the message the production team wanted to convey: that what is important is that it happened, not that it ended. The journey the couple took was more important and the memories they shared would never be lost. Their breakup was the fault of neither party but just that life was taking them both in separate directions. However even as adults living separate lives, they had still supported and loved each other and that was what made their relationship so beautiful.
> Adulthood is harsh and comes with responsibilities and commitments. The drama had slowly introduced this concept from the very beginning where Yijin had to suddenly grow up because of his family circumstances. In so many scenes, the distinction between his maturity and the innocence of OT4 was palpable. It was also shown through Seungwan where she had to break without bending in keeping up with her own values. She recognised that she was not yet mature enough to be flexible in her convictions and she had always been clever beyond her years. And in the later episodes where 9/11 happened and the cruel reality of the world finally burst the bubble that the characters had been in. It all culminated near the end where OT5 had all stepped out into the world and got too busy to meet up, only having the time when they were attending a funeral. And this is the sad truth of adulthood, being busy, rescheduling, cancelling and then always missing the right timing to catch up with old friends because of how life has lead everyone in different directions.
> Friendship:
- I really liked the cradle buddies relationship portrayed in this drama. Both seungwan and jiwoong provided each other with unconditional support and love... im really glad that the writer decided to keep their relationship a platonic one because it worked out really well when they could support each other in their endeavours.
- I also really liked the friendship and rivalry between Heedo and Yurim. They respected each other immensely as athletes and only between them could they understand the kind of struggles each other faced: dealing with the media, being under pressure to perform, missing out on important school events and outings...
> Family: There were many types of families depicted in the drama... broken families by divorce, by bankruptcy, absent parents, close knit families etc etc. The drama gave each family time to flesh out the feels and i really appreciated the focus other than just pure romance.

Cast/acting:
> Baek Yi Jin: I have watched many of NJH's previous dramas and his acting has improved by leaps and bounds. His portrayal of BYJ was all the right amounts of swoon, cute and restrained angst. From him promising to never being happy again to being clingy while drunk to crying because he felt like he betrayed the ones he loved... it was all acted out very believably and you could see what he was feeling from his subtle clenching of his jaw or from his expressive eyes. He's just like an overgrown puppy that was forced to grow up
> Na Hee Do: I have also watched many of KTR's previous works and she is one of my favourite actresses. Her acting as a high school student was done so well that no one else could have portrayed NHD in a better way. From her labile emotions as a growing teenager to her increasing maturity as she grew... it was all acted out to perfection. When she laughed and got excited about simple things like romantic characters in Full House or bread stickers, you smiled along with her. When she got upset and felt wronged, you cried along with her. EVERY SINGLE TIME when she cried, it just made me cry too because of how well her hurt carried across the screen.

Cinematography:
NO WORDS FOR THIS... JUST PERFECTION!! So many times during the drama i had to pause and take a moment because of how gorgeous the scene was... You could just pause the drama and it would be a postcard or painting
> My favourites would be the snowfall scene as Heedo was on the payphone as well as the beach ASMR scene with the seagulls, waves and their laughter layered over in the background... I CRIED because of how beautiful it all was omg

Music:
OSTs and background instrumentals in this drama were used tastefully in scenes to highlight the emotions at that time. All the songs are amazing and have made it to my Spotify repeat playlist HEHHE

Overall:
While this drama might not have ended in a way that most people wanted it to, I think overall it was still coherent in its message and tone. This drama provided me with much comfort, laughter, tears and has been immensely memorable. Never have i ever been so enraptured by a drama before and i have watched like >150 dramas lol... This drama was a masterpiece in ALL aspects and really is a gem... but i have -0.5 for the ending hahaha because while it was realistic, we watch kdramas for the heart-fluttering moments and escape from life it offers :'))

WILL BE REWATCHING FOR SURE