As soon as I watched the first 2 episodes, I knew this was going to be one of my favourite dramas. I was hesitant about the ending because there have been too many dramas that start off well but slow down in the middle and may rush the ending, and no longer have the same feeling as the earlier episodes. This show surpassed my expectations, and maintained the warm, cosy feeling throughout.

PLOT:
Anyone looking for a fast-paced action packed drama, should look away now. This show really defines slice-of-life. I am sure everyone watching this drama could relate to one of the girls or even just a situation faced by the girls. I was able to relate to different situations and aspects of many of the girls personally and also have seen other friends/family facing similar situations:
- Jin Myungs hardships! I could especially relate to her feeling lost.
- Ji Wons non-existent dating life
- Friends who have faced similar situations as Ye Eun in their relationships/love life
- Eun Jae's hesitation, timidness
- Yi Na questioning herself and her decisions in the last 2 episodes or so
There have definitely other aspects. I just listed some that were especially relatable to me.
I was really glad that the plot focused on the girls the most and not the boys. It didn't take a detour. It was consistent. Each girl's individual storyline and character growth was moving, and the different episodes focused on different stories perfectly. The show shows us how the girls are important as individuals as well as their relationships with each other. It was very apt and moving that throughout, the relationship between the girls, them as a 5, was way way more important then their relationship with any of the guys/ or any one else tbh. They valued each other and nothing came in between them. It was very realistic in portraying their relationship, even though they lived together, and despite the closeness, each individual has their own personal hardships (defo last ep), and you don't share every single detail with everyone. Another point was that they didn't try to force the 5 girls being close to each other equally, it made perfect sense for some girls to be closer to each other then to others - this never undermined their bond as a 5 though. I could ramble on about this but I'll stop.

CAST/ACTING:
I don't have any complaints. I could imagine the actors as their characters perfectly. Never once did I doubt the acting, or imagine anyone else doing a better job. I was immersed in each and every character and that is partly due to the actors job (also story/director etc). The guys played their part really well, and very convincingly. I didn't think the acting was over the top or anything.

MUSIC:
The songs were so perfect! I have been replaying Sogyumo Acacia Band - Butterfly. There is something about the song that makes me just want to reminisce my youth and think about stuff (lol). It fitted the show so perfectly. It was subtle yet it did its job.

REWATCH VALUE:
I gave it a high rewatch value, because I'll probably rewatch this at some point - probably after university finishes and I miss my college days. Though I don't know if I'll be able to handle it. It has already made me feel so much, and taught me a few life lessons, I don't want to rewatch it and make it less impactful on 2nd watch. Its too soon now.

FINAL THOUGHTS
The highlight of this show is definitely the girls. The only negative I have is the shortness, but they sure packed a lot in 12 episodes. I know each girl's story didn't complete (in kdrama completeness - happily ever after sense), esp YE EUN at the end, but in true fashion of this drama and its genre: life isn't start and stop, its ongoing for them, they don;t all need to have a boyfiriend or everything figured out, because thats what life is for. They only showed us a snippet of their life and so we can't expect everything to end completely and perfectly.

[A lot of comments going around earlier about when Jin Myung will develop her backbone. Speaking from life experience, I know someone in similar situation who had and still has many many hardship, but keeps quite and deals with it all. It took her many many years before she finally came to realise that this is her life, and she needs to live it her way, that she need to speak up for herself and not put up with people who hurt her. So people don't just change overnight. It takes a lot of self-realisation and growth. And I'm glad the show touched on this the way it did, for everything to reach a limit before you finally break down]

Age of Youth was definitely one of the best written, acted, and directed kdrama I’ve seen so far this year (this and Signal). And I sincerely pray for a second season!

This is so long.

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Story: Having seen the Japanese version, it was nice to see this version change things up slightly. I really enjoyed these changes and really liked the ending!

Acting: 10/10!! I number of times I cried watching this. The Kids were amazing!! The chemistry between the maknae and the housekeeper just make me emotional, they were the best! All of the actors were fit for role! I have no faults! If you must, just watch it for the maknae :')

Music: Beautiful/emotional songs like Lim Kim-I'm Asking You with the emotional/tense scenes just turned me into an emotional mess. It was perfect! Gah

Overall: I would highly recommend this. It is a bit long and I asked myself at episode 9 "What are they going to do for the rest of the episodes?'! It could have easily ended at episode 18 but I'm glad for the last two episodes, as we got a clear ending which wasn't rushed.

Gah I can't get over how well the kids acted. I loved watching them so much!

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STORY:
This is such a nostalgic, true-to-life trip from start to finish. Reply 1988 exceeded my expectations, after Reply 1997 it was hard not to. What made it stand out from the previous Reply series was the focus on family and friendship instead of the romance. This meant we got to know EACH and every character and feel what they were feeling. The story isn't fast paced with big ups and downs. It depicts the true day-to-day life, which made it feel even more real. It wasn't the big things that made me laugh or cry; it was the small acts, unsaid things that touched my heart. I truly felt like a part of the Ssangmungdong community.

I was thoroughly disappointed with the ending (romance and the lack of present day gang). One of the highlights of the Reply series, is watching the present day (future/older) part to see how each character is getting on in their lives (and looks in this case). Not being able to see that was frustrating as I felt not all of the characters got a proper deserving finish (Jung Hwan, Jin Joo etc).

ACTING/CAST:
I cannot fault the acting of any of the actors. They were brilliant and true to their characters and by the end of the show, each and every character was dear to me (some more than others but I loved them all).

MUSIC:
The music was wonderful, subtle and matched the show and scenes very well. The goat sounds are a treat!

REWATCH:
Even though I didn't enjoy the ending, I still gave it high Rewatch and Overall value scores. This was due to the fact that the focus of this series was FAMILY and FRIENDS and not romance. I could ignore the last two episodes and say this was my favourite drama ever.

My full review including spoilers:
http://sweetgirl-haz.tumblr.com/post/137642116448/this-is-my-review-for-reply-1988-i-dont-usually

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Just marathoned Ode to Joy and Ode to Joy 2! So many things I love about this show, especially this season.

I agree with others and thought this season was better. I think this way because the friendship was already established, and there was less bitterness between Xiao Xiao vs Ying Ying/Sheng Mei. There were more instances in the 5 of them sitting together and sorting the problems out together instead of just a few of them at once.

I though Guan Ju was very relatable to me during the first half of the show. Everyone had boyfriends/work to keep them busy and she felt quite alone. She joined classes and kept busy instead. She was also a great friend to the rest of them, her relationship with each of the other girls was so pure and special.
Despite being loud and sometimes annoying Xiao Xiao was one of my favourites along with Andy. Xiao Xiao has strong opinions on what is moral and stuck by them and anything that was unfair, I like how honest and ruthless she was in most situations. How she did not put up with Sheng Mei's family and also Ying Qin backward thinking! So badass and just. Andy was so objective and fair in most situations and decisions (apart from her own)

Loved loved Bao so much. Such a wonderful character!!! I wish Bai Chuan didn't have to struggle so much the whole drama, and was really frustrated at how Sheng Mei treated him at times.
Ying Ying annoyed me too much. This girl is just so stupid and ignorant at times. The bit when she says Guan forgets friends when she gets a boy. GIRL you disappeared when you got with Manager Bai (?) and Ying Qin - who are you to talk! I just wish she took other peoples feelings and thoughts into perspective. Also her hatred or wariness of Xiao Xiao (over Manager Bais betrayal) lasted way too long. Get over it girl. Xiao Xiao just exposed what a jerk he was to you. Be thankful not hateful.

Guan and Xie Tong's relationship was cute, and they were so well suited!

Overall, a wonderful drama with relatable experiences and characters!

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This is such a lovely family drama, so many wonderful characters. Some of my favourites below:

Grandmother and Grandfather - These two were definitely my favourites. They were so cute together and the love between them. Especially in the later episodes when he looks after her. Also him asking her to sing for him. Grandfather was also one of the best Grandfathers in kdrama world, he was so wise and smart, made great decisions most of the time and stood by right and wrong.

The Uncle - Oh how much I disliked him at the start! But grew to love this character. So thoughtful. How did he stay single and unmarried for so long. Mum and Uncle

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