Why don’t we hire teenagers to be teenagers anymore?
Twenty-Five Twenty-One
The story is set in 1998 and tells the stories of youth who find new direction and growth after having their dreams taken away. Two people first meet when they are 22 and 18 years old and fall in love years later when they turn 25 and 21. Na Hee Do is a member of her high school fencing team. Due to the South Korean financial crisis, the high school fencing team gets disbanded. Getting through all the difficulties, she becomes a member of the national fencing team. The South Korean financial crisis also causes Baek Yi Jin’s father’s business to go bankrupt. This leads to a life change for Baek Yi Jin, from living the life of a wealthy person to a poor person. While studying, he works part-time jobs like delivering newspapers. Later, he becomes a sports reporter for a broadcasting network.
mydramalist
- Genre : Youth, Romance, Sports
- Origin : South Korea
- Episodes : 16 (1 hr. 10 mins.)
- Aired : February 12 – April 3, 2022
- Where To Watch : Netflix
- Starring : Kim Tae Ri | Nam Joo Hyuk | Bona | Choi Hyun Wook
Thoughts: Don’t adjust your streaming, this is NOT a new installment of the Reply series. Regardless of how similar the vibes are, this is something different, or at least I hope it will be. Starting this, I went in thinking it was going to be boring but surprisingly the pacing kept me interested. Also, Nam Joo Hyuk’s ability to play this soft-spoken, spirit broken boy is becoming his niche. I did find myself 100% distracted that Kim Tae Ri is supposed to be playing this 18-year-old when she is clearly not. I will be really surprised if this show takes a different path than the one they’ve set up for us. Too bad they don’t have the balls to make this a Woman-love story between Na Hee Do and her rival Go Yu Rim. Now that would be fun. But for now, I’m liking the side characters, especially Moon Ji Woong. Played by my Racket Boy, Choi Hyun Wook. I love an employed man. Anyway, I’m just waiting for the time jump that will happen so I don’t have to keep “believing” Kim Tae Ri is 18.
Are You Still Watching? : Meh, don’t hate it so I’ll watch
First Impression Score: 7/10 
Unbothered Unnies 
I think it did seem a bit strange to think that Kim Tae-ri is supposed to be eighteen, but I did get used to it. However, I’m a bit disappointed that they didn’t then decide to keep her for the older Hee-do too – if they can make her younger, why not older?