Twenty Five Twenty One (2022) User Reviews

Enjoy the time, till it lasts

[pranayjalvi · 9/10 · 3 April 2022]

Twenty-Five Twenty-One is one of those series that has tropes of other romantic K-Dramas, but is more concerned with characters and story revolving around them, rather than meet-cutes and overbearing romance.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a show About aspirations, conundrums that young people often face as they try and figure out who they are and what they want their life to be; the pressure to have certain ambitions and a life plan mapped out ahead of you.

Kim Tae Ri as Hee-Do was amazing as the main lead, comical yet mature at times, jolly yet serious about her ambition. That makes her a well written character. Although I do think that there should have been more backstory for Baek Yi Jin since he is the male lead and we heard a number of times about his part, but didn't actually encountered even once.

The story was well developed, even with the supporting characters and the constant shift between in the chronology was well maintained. Twenty Five Twenty One is a show that combines many elements such as romance, drama with comedy but above all a coming-of-age story. It's a story of youth that sees life in various colours and makes us believe that certain things may not be forever, but it should be enjoyed until it lasts..

My Rating : 9.5/10.

SCREAMING

[Yoonluv · 9/10 · 5 April 2022]

WHY WHY WHY. WHY WOULD U MAKE ME LOVE THEM SO MUCH AND THEN NOT HAVE THEM GET TOGETHER LIKE OK I KNOW ITS ABOUT LIKE NOTHING IN YOUR YOUTH LASTING FOREVER AND LIKE LETTING GO N WHAT NOT BUT THE WAY I SCREAMED AND TOOK A WHOLE LAP OF THE HOUSE WHEN HE WAS LIKE CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MARRIAGE I FELT LIKE I WAS PUNCHED IN THE THROAT AND STABBED IN THE HEART. THE END I WAS LITERALLY CRYING A WHOLE MESS IT WAS SUCH A GOOD ENDING LIKE REALISTIC AND STUFF BUT I JUST WANTED THEM TO BE TOGETHER GOD DAMN😭😭😭 it's gonna take me 50-360 business days to get over this heartbreak please and thank you.

The sweet and refreshing representation of young love

[kvraaah · 10/10 · 3 April 2022]

This show was a bloody masterpiece - the characterisations, the aesthetics, the writing, the storytelling techniques... all of it was incredible. It's nostalgic and heartwarming yet portrays the mundane nature of reality and how youth simply drifts away, which I find to be the saddest portrayal of all. I cried throughout the entirety of the last episode. Genuienly beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable: I highly recommend everyone to watch Twenty-Five Twenty-One!

So I got to smile today

[alaningle7 · 9/10 · 3 April 2022]

A young girl tired of learning ballet and angry with her mother goes to stay with her grandmother and whilst there she begins to read her mothers diaries from her youth. Her mother was a successful fencer who competed in the olympics and the main core of the series is her mothers rise and her relationships with those around her. It is an interesting story where whilst pursuing her fencing career she is estranged from her mother and is attracted to a man four years her senior who's parents have gone bankrupt and he is struggling both financially and emotionally. Initially they help each other as friends and provide each other strength and support for them both to do well but overtime the feelings become much deeper. Lots of interesting side characters and the secondary story of the daughter realising the struggles and heartbreak her mother went through is well done as most children forget that their parents were once young and irresponsible. A really enjoyable series which is well directed paced and superbly acted by the entire cast.

First love

[plainlyally · 10/10 · 11 March 2022]

For some reason ..whenever I watch a new episode of Twenty Five Twenty One..I find myself checking how long I still have left till it ends..not because I'm bored ..but to see how much more of its goodness I still have time to enjoy..it's that precious!

A beautiful series with wholesome characters that deserve the world ! It fuels some nostalgia and makes you revisit those sentimental times of your first love.. It has one of the most gorgeous scenery..every frame feels like it's taken from a Ghibli movie!

Shame about the ending but still recommended

[wheatley-20230 · 8/10 · 3 April 2022]

Kim Tae-ri is always a pleasure to watch. It is the fourth thing I have seen her in and each of the parts are so different and yet delivered totally convincingly. Here she does a marvelous job of growing up before our eyes.

The fencing milieu is another reason to watch this drama. It is a world that is entirely new to me and interesting to discover.

K drama is so good at giving us real, rounded relationships and that quality is deployed effectively here. The 5 central protagonists each successfully define their own space in this drama through their interactions with the other characters.

My reservation is with the ending, which detracted from the joy that preceded it - for me at least.

To understand the meaning of Love

[gk303007 · 8/10 · 4 April 2022]

There is a lot of debate over the last episode. It's either 0 or 1; meaning to say a reviewer either liked it or didn't. The other episodes have all same ratings; people loved them, if to say so in a short sentence.

I also wanted to understand the real intention of creators, when they showcased the last episode; where the primary purpose was to portray break-up in a bold and comprehensive way. Maybe the intention was good, but somewhere I felt few pieces missing or not given justice. I would like to elaborate that here.

The two leads: Hee-do and Yi-jin drifted apart, mainly due to their job and workloads. While Yi-jin had to fulfill his commitments after his family's bankruptcy, Hee-do never liked her mother's job, because she never spared anytime for her. Now when Hee-do faced the same challenges through Yi-jin, she thought best to part ways due to known/unknown situations she was already afraid off, rather diving into them again. I would say, yaa, a person in early twenties may think so, but that should not be the case.

Let me now jump to Yu-rim family. Her hard working father mostly remains outside driving his van. Her mother runs a restaurant. Inspite of poverty challenges, they live happily. Yu-rim waits for her father, sometimes for months, and even drinks with him behind her mother: that's called love, that had come after sacrifice and patience. The patience here personfies the trust, the family had on each other.

When Hee-do broke up with Yi-jin, the primary reason was the time that he couldn't offer her, as he used to. Yi-jin always knew about it, and yet he moved forward, thinking he could manage stuff, she would understand him.

Now I have a question here. Would it have been the same if the two had got married? Or after a child? That's where the echo of problems start resonating. It should be the trust that should have kept them together. Out of that trust, they should have worked up to find a solution of their nascent stage problem rather jumping into conclusion of breaking up. As per me, break up is never an option after you have met someone who stands for you, keeps you smiling, beckons you when it's wrong, appreciates your success and above all, with whom you feel safe. If a job was the crux of your breakup, then either your love fell short or it was always a crush.

8 stars for all the other episodes except last.

Best drama of 2022 already!!!

[xxbcdh · 10/10 · 19 March 2022]

Amazing!!!! CANT wait for the next episodes. It has romance,motivation,friendship,funny scenes and it is set in the 90's..what else could u possibly ask for??Koreans did it again❕❕

Soothing, Refreshing, Inspiring, Life's struggling

[Watashiwanayaa · 10/10 · 23 February 2022]

What else do u need to watch a drama !? This series a full package of everything u want!! And the cinematography of this series is extra plus point which make me hooked up with this series!! The starting of this drama was in a unusual way which was interesting to draw our attention..then the plot was totally like boom... this is what u were waiting for to watch!!

Beck Yi Jin's struggles between dropping dream and choosing responsibility and Na Hee Do's determination for her game and the friendship of 5 struggling students in their early 20 nothing could be more better than this amazing plot !! After a long time Netflix brought us something worthy of watching

Enjoy watching 25/21.

Off To A Good Start ; Update: Why???? 😡😡😡

[aggiemanalac · 1 March 2022]

Update: wonderful episodes 1-15. Then they completely messed up last 30 minutes of episode 16. I was hoping for a surprise ending but no - they decided to disappoint.

I am so distraught with the ending.

----------------- Nam Joo Hyuk does very well here so far. There's something about the way he uses his eyes that allows few words to be spoken yet the intensity of his emotions can be felt.

Kim Tae-ri does well too, but needs to tone down her theatrical gestures and speaking. She'll need to remember that in a smaller screen, theatrical movements and delivery of lines can be off-putting and jarring.

Story is refreshing. Can't wait for the upcoming episodes!

Strong start very weak finish

[hanalisss · 7/10 · 22 July 2022]

Very enjoyable, strong well developed backstories and characters.

There are two characters that absolutely and wholeheartedly carry this show, Kim Tae ri ( female lead) and Choi Hyun Wook ( second male lead), they literally disguised themselves inside of the people they impersonate, you WILL believe she is a teenager ( when she is actually 32 years old) and he is showing all the layers of his character and showing a comic side as well as charisma, loyalty and tenderness. I watched them both for the first time in this drama and I have fell in love.

For me the last few episodes were very weak, I found myself loosing interest and doing other things while I was watching not really paying attention.

It was like there's a link missing in the story between the start and the end, there's no build up and resolution to the story since they show you how everything ends (relationship wise and the medals she wins etc..) so there's not really a big twist and you just see them experience everything.

I believe this could have been much better, what a shame because it felt rushed and no detailed enough.

The last two dramas of Nam Joo Hyuk (the main male lead) have been like this ( like startup) strong beginning but a very weak and unfortunate last few episodes.

Perfect !!

[manasidhavale · 10/10 · 4 April 2022]

I started this series just for Nam Jo-Hyuk but i became an instant fan of Kim Tae-Ri. She made the character of Hee-do come alive with her acting. The story looks promising and all the characters are great.

Some scenes will definitely make you tear up a little. Nam Jo-Hyuk is doing a great job at portraying Baek I-Jin's character.

Looking forward to what this story will develop into.

The series has officially ended and took a piece of my heart away with it.

Words cannot express the happiness, sadness, grief, and all the other emotions I have felt while watching this series. I laughed with these characters and I cried with them.

A perfect story in every possible way. All the characters are brought to life by these actors. I have loved Nam Jo-Hyuk for a considerable amount of time, but from now on he will be Baek I-Jin for me.

The last episode, though sad, was amazing in every respect. Baek I-Jin and Na Hee-Do will be each other's first love forever, and that in itself was beautiful. Hats off to the writer, director, actors, and the whole staff for making a drama as great as this one.

I will definitely recommend this drama to everyone.

This is the way the world will end, with a whimper, not with a shout

[druberwolf · 6/10 · 9 May 2022]

This drama started so well, and my wife and I (K-drama afficianados as we are) were pulled in and waited eagerly for what was to come.

But eventually we got the feeling that not only could this drama have no happy end, we would not even be bothered if it did not.

The reason was that a) the main characters, especially. Back Yi-Jin developed into someone less likable as he grew older. His failure to manage his career and his love was not exactly impressive.

Besides, he was full of himself and the not so great job of journalism, and his near collapse from handling the 9/11-aftermath means that either he was very weak, or the story (was weak).

B) Young Hee-do was a girl most would have loved, I supposed,.but the grown-up version? We all wondered what happened from when she retired until she was a mother.

Taken together, no happy end was possible, and sadly enough not missed either.

So, we had a Swedish social democratic moment of 'yeah, well, that is life'. The reason why Chess was a failure (compared to most works by ALW) is the same; in the end, nobody cared. Let me, as a writer, state the rules; the audience shall either leave crying OR laughing ('han' or 'heong'), but never with a 'yeah well'.

We started at 10 and ended with an average of six.

Disappointing

[mkskelton · 4/10 · 6 October 2022]

Feels like the writers got tired of writing and chose to kill it before it needed to be leaving it with a rushed and poor ending. The actors did great with the material they had but after 16 episodes, it left me annoyed.

The back and forth of current time with her daughter to her past with her mom was a brilliant idea. The details of most of the show was great. The ending matters though. If this series continued to keep going, I would give it a better score but the last two episodes left so much to be desired. No history on meeting her husband, all the years in between? So many things left ambiguous after so much detail in the previous episodes. Wish they kept it going with more episodes to fill in the gaps. The idea was great but the writers failed the viewers with the ending.

A breakup story this beautiful, never seen before

[scirohitkumar · 10/10 · 4 April 2022]

This story is so satisfying, nothing seems forcefully added and no over exaggeration.

Overall a great storyline along with awesome character building process and division off story in arcs is great as well.

And actors chemistry is the best especially Na hee do (Kim tae-ri) and Ko yu-rim (Bona).

I highly recommend this K-drama to all .

Nothing lasts forever and it is not always a bad thing

[karnesia · 10/10 · 26 March 2022]

This drama just too good to potray youth which shines and bright that we wish to had it too. We could feel it so precious as we expect it will ended with high expectations for the main lead couple and also the whole characters to keep their relationship like that as it'll lasts forever. After finished episode 16 I also went through phase denial, anger and felt wasted my time and not even thinking that I could rewatch the entire series again. But, as the times pass by, I tried to look back at what was the writer would like to convey through this ending.

Turns out that the relationship between Yi Jin and Hee Do was not like the typical couple you know in other dramas. That kind of love they had was rooting for each other from the beginning, and they were still have it even after they break up and time passed. It will be great if we could have them married to each other. But, we knew that the break up does not make them regret to loving each other. They have genuine love to rooting for each other and this kind of love may lasts forever. I could find this is so meaningful and beautiful.

We don't need to know how is present Hee Do, Yi Jin, Yu Rim, Ji Woong, Seung Wan have been doing, to whom Hee Do marry, is she divorced, how is Yi Jin things are in Hee Do's room, are they still hang out together. They are not necessary since this is a story of Heedo who regretting her fought with Yi Jin and break up with hurtful words. It haunted her and she couldn't take any look back to her good memories even with her friends. Same like us who can't recall the episode 1-15 after watched the ending of this series. After she found her diary back, and found out that Yi Jin has read her honest words, and Yi Jin reply with his words too, she could feel ease in her heart. Because that haunted her is she wished she could altered the words she gave to Yi Jin when they break up, and turns out they had heart to heart conversation through that diary. Now she can recall her good memories with all her friends including Yi Jin, embrace them again and treasure it forever.

This is a rare drama that comes up with well written storyline, beautiful cinematography (can we call it as an art? The details are just wow!), I can invest in all the characters individually and also bond is shown in this drama. Thank you for all of them behind this drama, for not focusing in the main lead, but gives everyone depth development. All emotions are so real and relatable. This drama just keeps on getting better and better in each episode, even I could find the colors from the sorrows of the ending after days of depression. We really went through what Hee Do feels.

Accepting this drama in that way, so I can rewatch again and again this series as Hee Do treasure her youth. The feeling of waiting for this drama to air every weekend also does not lasts forever. But, I will not forget that this drama has comforted and encouraged me the most since first aired. Thank you 2521 for the beautiful story of life!

Almost the best. Still a piece of art

[barbarahfmelo · 9/10 · 6 April 2022]

I don't think you will regret watching because the ending could be better. It's about love, friendship, dreams, hardtimes, all of that with a energetic and endearing development. But we need to talk about the last episode. *Spoilers* They DID not show back yi jin, they did not show about the father of na hee do daughter's and na hee do loses some personality. Na hee was always strong and stand for her believes, but the end does not shows that. It's like she is someone else. And the part way before that, when she "forgot" about the amazing summer trip, no way. Na hee do would never forget. But in the end, she remembers. It supposed to be poetic? Because to me sounds more like she is not endearing anymore and no longer strong with her thoughts. It's not about growing up, she changed and I wonder why... Because of the brokeup? Really? They even clarify things and hug each other. I don't buy it. And it was a lack of consideration with back yi jin, we just get a post credit scene a little bit empty and it doesn't show the actor. Anyways, they did not need to get together, however it was not great ending.

Just wow

[naurin_risat0110 · 10/10 · 7 March 2022]

Watching after completing stressful exams, it is so much refreshing. The whole casts are awesome from their parts, waiting for the upcoming episodes..Highly recommended.

Growing pains but the ending will leave you unsatisfied

[kinogems · 8/10 · 3 April 2022]

I went into this drama because it's Kim Taeri's second drama and I always crave more content from her. Safe to say it was an absolute delight to watch her,she portrayed the character of Heedo so perfectly. The whole drama was a delight, up until ep 13. After that,things just went haywire gradually and it seemed like the writers didn't even know where the drama was going.

The drama depicts growing up and the responsibilities that come with it quite perfectly. Youth,friendships, first love,all nostalgic aspects portrayed beautifully. The characters, even though some Remain unlikable till the very end,all had some form of growth.

I don't understand how they messed up the last episode so royally...the characters' decisions just don't align with their personalities and how they have been throughout the drama. It feels like a sad ending just for the sake of it. It was also very abrupt and we don't even get to see what the ML is upto in the present.

Still,the actors and cinematographers all did a fantastic job worthy of praises. Nam joo hyuk has shown a lot of growth as an actor too and I hope to see him in better written projects in the future.

The ending crushed me but the process was everything.

[sarakhalil-68256 · 10/10 · 18 February 2023]

2521 changed my life. It came to me at the time when I was most miserable and they comforted me. I have never cried this much while watching a drama. This drama means so much to me. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. The ending was not what I wanted but I still liked it. Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do became the bestest friends, they fell in love, they dated, they grew apart and they broke up. The reason they broke up made sense though she didn't wanted to spend her adulthood like the way she spent her childhood, just waiting. The scenes where all five of them were together drinking, laughing, crying, talking about their families and playing means everything to me. Their youth ended without them even noticing. I just want every single person in this world to know about them and be comforted by them as I became.

TWENTY FIVE TWENTY ONE, YOU ARE SO PRECIOUS TO ME AND ALWAYS WILL BE😭💗💌

Bad Ending

[IPyaarCinema · 7/10 · 5 April 2022]

Review By Kamal K

To start with, the vibe of the show is pretty much perfect. I really loved Na eedo's character and how the themes were incorporated into the show, dreams, efforts, happiness, friendships, different types of love, supporting each other from afar...it was all just really beautiful. I still love all the friendships in this, and for the most part the time jumps were done really well with us seeing how the characters grew into adulthood and went about their lives after growing and learning from each other.

Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk starred as main leads and potential lovers. Kim Tae Ri added a likeable charm to her onscreen persona, HeeDo. It is a difficult feat at times for an actor playing the role of a younger character to adopt specific mannerisms or characteristics in order to make their performance feel authentic.

Overall, Everything up until the last two episodes was great, interesting and had me enraptured. I would recommend this drama.

Remembering first love and youth

[btmfgmx · 10/10 · 5 April 2022]

What a masterpiece. From the story writing, cinematography, and the character development it was so well put together. The story from start to end is different from the usual kdrama plot so it's refreshing to watch. The drama has triggered my emotions from my high school days. I don't cry that often in these type of shows, but this one brought me to tears! (especially at the shoe tying scene)

You need to change your perspective on the ending to see that it's really a happy ending. Yes, they did not end up together, but it was never going to work out. Hee-do wanted someone that could share all their happiness, pain, laughter, ect. Yi-Jin however kept treating her like a younger sister, shielding her from all the sadness that he was experiencing. In fact so much his life was filled with hardship that he learned to only rely on himself. As Hee-Do said, they were only lovers when times were great. The times where her encouragement were easy to reach. People think that it was 9/11 event that broke them up, no it was eventually going to happen anyways on any other events. They weren't meant for each other. Even with time, she's going to be continued to be disappointed in him.

But that's what's first love is. You are so filled with emotions that you cannot see anything else except for your love. It's not until you start becoming an adult and start experiencing hardship that you figure out who you really should be with. First love, however, is not all sadness. There are great memories and lifelong friends that are made. You are going to keep looking back at when you were younger and remember all the happy moments. All these moments are part of your youth, part of your growth that made the adult version of you. The ending captured perfectly that sentiment while the adult Hee-Do looked back at the tunnel. It represents a connection from her past and her present. The way she smiles anytime the daughter brings up the memory from the past shows that the same connection is very endearing to her - not something she wants to forget about.

Fine Series Tanked by Clumsy Ending.

[AJ_McAninch · 7/10 · 27 May 2022]

The cast is good, and I love the leads, but for me the script is erratic, repetitive, and filled with gaps. The time slips didn't work well enough, and the series eventually just bogged down. The ending does not work with the characters or the plot. In a word it was tacked on for no good reason. It's not a bad series, but not great either: frankly, I think the writer blew the ending and ruined the beauty of her own series. Because, just as in "Something in the Rain," characters designed as people who love each other that much do not carelessly break up. In that series the writer at least realized the mistake and tried to fix it in the last episode- including the signature umbrella. This time, the damage done is clumsy and so sad.

Open Ending 😩

[MagsMVA · 5/10 · 4 April 2022]

This sucks really.

We fell in love with the characters and we're rooting for a happy ending.

I'm still on episode 10 and I purposely stopped watching until it's completed.

I don't know what's the problem of some writers in giving a happy ending for this genre of KDRAMA? I personally start watching this because it's light, refreshing, entertaining and gives me/viewers smile every episodes.

What really sucks here is not that they don't end up together, what's sucks here the most is the open ending? I mean duh? What's wrong with you people? You can atleast make the viewers moved on.

I'll probably not continue watching this and I will not recommend this to anyone.

The actors gave an awesome performance and they've given life to the characters that's why viewers loved them.

As for the writer, I hope you can find happiness and stop making this kind of ending.

We are all aware of reality and people don't watch this genre of kdrama just to be tormented.

Inspiring

[mgbnppi · 10/10 · 20 February 2022]

Only four episodes have been released yet and I'm already in love with all of the characters! The story is so inspiring and wholesome. The leads have amazing chemistry. Na Hee Do is definitely a memorable character and reminds me so much of Doek Sun from reply 1988! If you're looking for a K- drama with a similar vibe to Reply 1988, this is it.