South Korean popular culture continues to seek out success worldwide. That features Ok-dramas, which embody Korean scripted tv of any style. Romantic collection from Korea, specifically, are fairly common globally and have turn into a rising staple in Netflix’s library of acclaimed Ok-dramas. Even so, there are nonetheless loads of ignored or underrated Ok-dramas of this particular selection on the streamer. Living proof: 2022’s “Twenty-5 Twenty-One,” which was well-received each amongst South Korean audiences and overseas. Mixing nostalgia with a coming-of-age love story, the present presents traditional Ok-drama tropes in a contemporary means, making them really feel thrilling and fascinating another time.
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The plot begins with the narrative framing machine of disillusioned teenage ballet dancer Kim Min-chae (Choi Myung-bin) discovering her mom’s highschool diary in 2021. Flashing again to 1998, Min-chae’s mom Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) is a gifted fencer on her highschool workforce. Due to the IMF monetary disaster affecting South Korea, nonetheless, Hee-do’s faculty shuts down its fencing program, forcing her to relocate to a unique faculty. Hee-do’s journey is paralleled by Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk), whose household falls into poverty due to the disaster, with Yi-jin taking up a number of part-time jobs to assist them. As Hee-do and Yi-jin acclimate to their new circumstances, they meet and start to fall in love with one another.
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And whereas this premise could appear by-the-numbers at first look, “Twenty-5 Twenty-One” masterfully brings its narrative components collectively for a superb romantic coming-of-age story.
Why Twenty-5 Twenty-One is a pitch-perfect romantic Ok-drama
Any romantic present or film lives or dies on the chemistry between its leads; fortuitously, the rapport between Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk in “Twenty-5 Twenty-One” is electrical. Kim, specifically, was lauded by native audiences upon the collection’ debut, together with her efficiency resulting in her being labeled “Korea’s sweetheart” because the harmless however fierce Na Hee-do. However the majority of the present’s attraction lies with its evocative interval setting and wistful sense of nostalgia. And like many real looking tales of past love, the ending to “Twenty-5 Twenty-One” is heartbreakingly bittersweet as its nostalgia turns into melancholia.
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With its 1998 setting, “Twenty-5 Twenty-One” revisits a well-recognized period, even for individuals who did not dwell in South Korea throughout this time in historical past. Many common Ok-dramas, together with the universally acclaimed “Reply 1988,” supply extremely detailed historic backdrops but handle to keep away from being beholden to the previous, utilizing their settings to successfully elevate their tales as an alternative. “Twenty-5 Twenty-One” replicates this method efficiently and equally floor its narrative in real-world historical past organically. Between its leads’ chemistry and the way the present evokes life in 1998, “Twenty-5 Twenty-One” feels all of the extra relatable, making its ending that rather more emotional.
“Twenty-5 Twenty-One” is at the moment accessible to stream on Netflix and well-worth trying out for followers on the lookout for their subsequent favourite Ok-drama to take a look at. In the event you love a great coming-of-age love story (like “The Marvel Years”) otherwise you’re a Ok-drama fan, it is a must-watch.
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