Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-Hyuk take us on a rollercoaster of emotions in this coming-of-age story of two friends who fall in love from the 1990s to the early 2000s.
A story about dreams, friendships, and hardships that occur in life and brings back the "feels" of our adolescence, Twenty-Five Twenty-One concludes its 16-episode season at the number 4 spot on Netflix's trending in South Korea.
4/5 Stars
*This article contains spoilers.
Quirky, romantic, fun, nostalgic, and definitely emotional, Twenty-Five Twenty-One stars Kim Tae-ri (The Handmaiden 2016, Mr. Sunshine 2018) as Na Hee-Do, a national fencer for the South Korea team, and her childhood crush on Back Yi-Jin (Nam Joo-Hyuk), a conglomerate's son that has been put into tough times because of his father's failed business.
Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do.
Although there are moments of feel-good, childhood moments that only those of us who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s will understand, the themes of family, friendship, and loyalty are tested. Because of their busy schedules, Na Hee-Do always practicing with the National Team, and Back Yi-Jin trying to figure his way through life as a rookie news reporter, the protagonists are tested by their loyalty and trust in each other. With the added rivalry of childhood fencer Ko Yu-rim (Bona), Hee-Do has to juggle her life in the public eye with her looked-down-upon relationship with a news reporter.
Nam Joo-hyuk as Back Yi-Jin.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One touches on subjects like the IMF crisis and September 11th which many viewers claimed the series should have taken a better angle by portraying sympathy for those involved in these tragic events.
Since the series travels back and forth between the present and past, we already know what happens in the end. We're taken into a fun dive into Hee-do's childhood through her diary entries, which she kept meticulously, and are unveiled through the eyes of her daughter Kim Min-Chae (Choi Myung-bin).
Ko Yu-rim (Bona) and Na Hee-do embrace during a fencing match.
This series definitely pulled on a variety of heartstrings and provided a much-needed nostalgic feeling to those of us who are in our 30s and 40s. Of course, there was the car accident turning point that every Korean drama needs to include, but overall a very heartwarming series that brought closure in the end.
Let us know what other series you have seen that reminded you of your childhood! Which other series should we cover?
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