Episodes : 16
Released : 2022
Leads : Kim TaeRi, Nam JooHyuk
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Twenty Five Twenty One tells the story of Na HeeDo, an aspiring fencing athlete.
The main plot spans over four years of her life. Starting from the year 1998 when she was just 18.
We walk with her through her journey into adulthood. Witnessing her fight for her dreams, finding friendship, mending relationships and watch her fall in love for the first time.
This one will definitely go on my recommended list. A solid storyline and exceptional acting in particular from young HeeDo, YiJin and their friends.
I cannot say the same about present HeeDo. I feel there was an oversight in choosing the actor for present HeeDo. Personally I think they should have just continued with Kim TaeRi in a more refined makeup and attitude. It would have worked given her talent as well as it would probably make more sense for viewers to see that she has gotten older and there is an obvious shift in her outlook on life after all those years. That is what they did for her mother's character.
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!!Spoilers ahead!!!
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In 1998, Na HeeDo is an 18 year old who only had fencing and Full House to look forward to. She had no friends to call her own. After losing her father at the tender age of 13, Na HeeDo raised herself and lived a separate life from her successful anchor mother. Na HeeDo can be described as immature judging from the ways she tried to get herself arrested. She is also an open book. She does not filter her words nor her actions. In some ways she is childlike and looks at the world with hopeful eyes.
Despite her cheerful and positive outlook on life, Na HeeDo was scarred by the early passing of her father and her absent mother. She is a lonely child with no one to talk to.
She took up fencing as a child and has many happy memories with her father. She remembers how her father cheered her on in fencing. An innocent promise made with her father to win a medal that many years ago became a life goal. She was up to a certain degree obsessed with fencing and started to idolize Gold Medalist Ko YuRim.
However, no matter how much she fills her life with fencing, Na HeeDo is still a child stuck at the age of 13 yearning for love and recognition from her mother.
This sets the tone to her actions at the end of the drama.
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In 1998, Baek YiJin is a 22 year old who lost his once perfect life. Forced to grow up too soon and thrown into an unknown world without the protection of his loving parents. The people around him never fail to remind him of his once glorious past. He was sad, broken, and defeated. But Baek YiJin has a goal in life. And that is to bring his family back together by any means possible.
Despite his circumstances, Baek YiJin remained kind and faithful to his family. However, we cannot deny the fact that this young man had too much taken away from him that he is unable to give more than what he is doing now. His loyalty remains to his family throughout the drama.
Amongst the things highlighted about Baek YiJin is his tendency to leave people behind. We see this first with YuRim, then later his sudden disappearance from the group of friends and much later his decisions that would take him away from HeeDo.
His decisions to leave is justified to him, albeit without much consideration on the damage caused by this action to the people being left behind. His hope is that others will accept and understand his absence to a point later in the story, he took the people waiting for him for granted.
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The beauty about this drama is it never fails to include happy moments in each episode. We feel excited and joy watching the lives of these youths. There were many moments of tears shed as well, but the drama succeeded in making the issues feel light and bearable. This was a gift and a curse at the same time because it left viewers devastated by the ending of their relationship. However, there was no foul play in the storytelling as they have hinted to us from the opening of episode 1 with the introduction of Kim MinChae that our main leads did not make it till the end.
Baek YiJin and Na HeeDo began their friendship in 1998. We see them support each other, root for one another and was each other's comfort on days filled with bliss and sorrow.
Till the end I believe, they loved deeply and gave to each other as much as they could.
Both YiJin and HeeDo had a part to play in each other's lives. For YiJin, HeeDo is his source of hope and the motivation to move forward. For HeeDo, YiJin is her companion that fills her once lonely days.
The breakup that came later in the story was not random or out of character, rather, they both have fulfilled their purpose, reached their limits and are now exhausted. In that moment, they have nothing left to offer to each other and taking the decision to part was what is best for them both.
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Time pass us by but the good memories of yesterday remains. It does not conclude one is unhappy of present times. They chose to remember the fond memories of what was. The comfort of knowing they once had each other and that relationship was extraordinary. They both chose to move on with their lives and achieve many great things but in the end, when they think about how it all began there will be a constant reminder of what they once shared.
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