Age of Youth (2016)

"Age of Youth" or the Netflix title of "Hello, My Twenties" is a charming, funny, fresh, and often addictive show to get into. I was disappointed to see that Netflix only had Season 1 available. Yes, that is how much I enjoyed it! I wanted to keep watching!

This intelligent and creative show is about five young women who live in a share house. Of course, they come from different walks of life, have different backgrounds, and much like most people, each of them carries a secret. Like any roommates who share a living space, they get along, they laugh, they cry, and they often argue and fight. But make no mistake. These girls truly love each other and do their best to be there for each other. That is truly the beauty of this show. It proves that a "family" doesn't have to be your nuclear family. In fact, it's a bit interesting and ironic, that in some cases, these girls seem closer to each other than with their parents.

There are some truly touching moments that might tug at your heartstrings, some incredibly hilarious moments that might get you laughing out loud for a spell, and even some thought-provoking moments. In short, this show has just about everything.

First, we have Jin-Myung Yoon. Yoon doesn't say much, but when she does speak, she is honest and sincere, even to the point of being blunt. She comes across as cold, but she really isn't. Her "tough" exterior hides the wounded woman suffering through the pain of believing that she's alone. She's cautious about who she opens up to, and when she does, Yoon speaks her mind. She has a challenge of truly connecting with people and showing them who she is. However, she loves her roommates, and will do anything for them. She works three jobs and goes to school. She is the most mature of all of them, and she is my personal favorite.

Next is Ye-Eun Jung, who is probably the most immature of the group and has some serious self-esteem issues. She adores her boyfriend, despite the poor way that he treats her. Everything is about status with her. She cares about how she looks, what she wears, how much she weighs, and what everyone thinks about her. She is prone to be thoughtless, but she is also cheerful, cute, and despite her clashes with Kang, she also cares very deeply for her fellow roommates.

Ji-Won Song is the most energetic and creative of the bunch. She also has absolutely no problem expressing herself. She's never embarrassed. She will also frequently take the initiative in activities where others are hesitant. She lives her life a bit on the edge, and sometimes gets a bit carried away with the "truth." She is rarely ever down or upset, and she is the one most likely to try and cheer up a friend.

Kang Yi-Na is the only one who doesn't share a room with anyone else. A woman with a tragic past, she works as an escort. She also has no vices about walking around with little/nothing on, which makes some of the other roommates uncomfortable. She has more "life knowledge" than the other girls, especially about how men behave. She isn't tricked by the antics that men play, and this gets her into fights with Ye-Eun over Ye-Eun's naivety about her own boyfriend. It's a toss-up as to who is tougher: Kang or Yoon.

Lastly, we have Eun-Jae, who is the newest addition to the house. She is also the youngest with the least amount of life experience. Coming from the country, she is a young woman who is extremely naive about how things work. It is also very difficult for her to speak her mind or even speak up about things until it's already reached a boiling point. Very sweet with a timid personality, she is very much like the "baby sister" of the group. All of the other girls feel a sense of "protectiveness" toward her.

Not only is the writing top-notch, but so is the acting. These five women have a certain chemistry that can't be overlooked. They know their characters inside and out, and they make the show work! Each brings something special to the table, but it's those moments when they are truly looking out for each other as well as being there for each other that demonstrates the true power of the show.

I would guess that many people would love to have a "family" like this! Why? Because no matter what happens, at the end of the day, they truly love each other, and isn't that what a family is?

**Netflix finally released Season 2, and the show is just as good as ever, adding a couple of new characters, and leaving me hoping and praying for a Season 3!**

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Omg this is brilliant!
That' the first time that I have a special feeling towards a drama!
The story isn't really original but I like to watch slice of life and youth dramas.
I liked all the characters thanks to all the superb actresses, especially Han Yeri and Ryu Hwa Young, they had for me the best ones!
They all have their own story, which were really interesting!
I laughed a lot but I cried too watching it, because we can all relate to them and their feelings, It was like they were my friends too.
I really wish that more dramas will be like that in the future!

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As a slice of life/drama about young adults coping with various issues in their lives, this show is quite genuine, fun and well done. Every girl is unique and down to earth. They all experience highs and lows in their life, and most important - they grow.
Everything would have been awesome if not some issues that seriously interfered with my enjoyment of the show.
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This show feels too long. I've never imagined, i would say that about a series of 12 episodes, but Age of Youth has an extremely uneven tempo, where in the beginning it is excruciatingly slow and overextended. Adding the fact that the episodes are all over 1 hour long, it really tried my patience at times. And it's not like i didn't enjoy what was happening on screen but seeing some situations almost on repeat (like Kang Yi Na talking with older dude in the bar again and again, seeing Yoon Jin Myung sitting in that store without much happening and so on) didn't leave a very great impression to me.
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The show feels bloated with unnecessary dark and heavy drama which fails to feel genuine and realistic, because it's just too much of it stuffed in the later episodes. I like that all girls were treated almost equally, but i dislike the fact that 4 of 5 girls has some dark, heavy element or secret in their lives. It made it hard for me to suspend my disbelief. Some parts like the latter stuff with Jung Ye Eun's boyfriend, felt really poorly written and ridiculous, thus making supportive cast quite unimpressive compared to main five. That's why Song Ji Won felt like a superior character to me, because her parts weren't bloated with dark past or heavy drama. And i am not saying that characters shouldn't experience any hardships or can't have any past that haunts then, but when every character is like that it makes the show feel really unnatural.
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Other minor complaints:
First episode was too melodramatic. Creators didn't manage to introduce a new girl without a pool of tears.
The story about previous tenant was basically forgotten and never brought up again after the first episode, thus feeling like an afterthought.
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CONCLUSION
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Age of Youth is at its best, when it's just genuine slice of life show depicting simple, yet unique stories of 5 girls living together. Unfortunately it fails with its uneven pacing in the first half and lots of unnecessarily dark drama at the second half.

P.S. Extreme praise to Park Eun Bin for the depiction of Song Ji Won - extremely funny, well acted and lively character.

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I think I had misaligned expectations for this drama. I thought it was mostly about navigating your 20s, deep friendships, and some romance. Which I think is true, but it was also crowded out with mysterious, dark plot lines (like SEVERAL ghosts, SEVERAL cases of sexual assault and violence, etc.). The change in tone gave me whiplash, and I didn't find myself feeling invested in each person's storyline.

Maybe the issue is that Korean 20-something issues are not the same as those here in North America. But I don't think that's quite true —  the struggles laid out among Joon-Hee's female friends in Something in the Rain felt very relatable, for example, as were the struggles of those in Because This is My First Life (although those were 30 year olds... am I just getting old? Eep!). I mean, the Belle Epoque house definitely made me feel nostalgic for the time I was in school, living with 7 housemates that became so ingrained in my day-to-day life. The first episode showed this best — how housemates naturally grate on each other through little things that add up. But after that, this aspect of co-habitation barely played a part in the rest of the story.

The friendship moments were the most gratifying, like the time the gang filled in for Yoon Sunbae's shift or went to beat up a certain kidnapper. The party prep scene was also hilarious. But they were too few and far between!

Romance-wise, our little maknae romance was THE BEST. So cute, except when there was a bit of hot-and-cold action. I wish this show did more to explore the idea of "firsts" during this formative period in life though. This relationship would've been perfect for that. I also loved Ye Eun's romance story, for depicting a completely different situation (one's first toxic romance). Yi Na's arc was wonderful as well, because it showcased a totally different way of living. Wasn't as big a fan of the other two romance stories. Also, we have to commend this show for depicting some good boy-girl friendships a well, although they were both hinting at something a bit more by the end (please no!).

I think this is one of the first shows that I've seen universal hype for. I came in with expectations through the roof, but ultimately felt that it played into a lot of common drama tropes (frozen kisses, kidnapping, murder mystery plots, wrist grabs, etc.) and was shockingly unrelatable, despite being in my early/mid-20's. Unfortunately, Age of Youth didn't quite hit the mark.

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Fantastic ensemble cast, relatable stories and rewatchable moments

Story: This series is very character-driven and I liked that almost every character had an arc and a development. The series ending left me satisfied and yet wanting more. (thankfully there was season 2) Watching this drama felt as though I know these characters in real life. (although in real life I don't have such friends, which is a good thing I guess?) I could relate to the trials and joys of these characters who are about the same age as me, even though my life experiences are no where as dramatic as theirs. (spoiler alert? but it isn't too dramatic vs other k-dramas)

Acting: Perfect. All of them were best characters, even the supporting cast.

Music: The opening theme makes you look forward to watching their lives unfold. The other songs were pretty solid as well, it supported the different moods/scenes. I especially love 'on your collarbone' by jordan klassen. (I generally like acoustic-ish songs haha)

Rewatch value: As the ending credits roll with the opening song, I really felt like I wanted to rewatch the series or thought that it wasn't the last episode. Did I forget to mention that this series has a lot of life lessons/teachable moments? (lol that sounded serious) Besides that, there are hilarious moments in this drama, making this a very rewatchable series :) There are clips in YouTube to rewatch if you are lazy like me haha

Conclusion: I really don't have much to critique... maybe it might seem a bit slow-paced/less melodramatic? But so is life...?

TLDR: I think the main message of this series is that navigating this messy thing called adulthood, which brings about maturing/romance/heartbreaks/accepting oneself, doesn't have to be a huge burden when you have a close group of friends, not necessarily sharing same interests/hobbies/personalities.

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I love sex in the city with the four girls living independently and taking on the world. This is like that but Korean and the age range is young cause these guys are in college. But it’s all so so good. It’s so funny and the girls are adorable and relatable. Makes me excited to get to their age and live life so youthfully. They make you feel like your 20s are hard but they can also be the best time of your life if you surround yourself with the right people.
Also it seems like a happy go lucky show but it has its own mysteries and that’s actually fitted and written well in the show.
Ive already rewatched it twice and I probably will rewatch it again soon lol.
It’s so good, so precious and so youthfully.

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WTH
this will be the shortest review i wrote ever
VERY SHALLOW & WEAK DRAMA WITH VERY LAME ROMANCE

it wasn't romance nor suspense

the directing  is bad  insufficient,  sequences, with imperfect events
& the story doesn't explain much

two characters  bothered me soooooo Han Ye RiYoon Jin Myung

(THE FRIDGE GIRL Park Hye Soo) & THE NAIVE GIRL

there is no even character improvement  

EXCEPT for (Ryu Hwa Young) i saw her really the best character in that mess

as if the writer didn't had enough
from that mess so he decided to dazzle us with  season 2 which was much worse than season 1

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Age Of Youth is a very interesting take on the coming of age drama.

My biggest issue with this drama was it's plot. The strongest and most interesting storyline was of course Yoon Jin Myung's, who's tale of overworking, romance and character development was definitely the best to watch. Yet very quickly her inner and outer conflicts are resolved, which is the same for all of the other storylines. The slow, gradual plot development which was so strong in the beginning is very much rushed towards the end. Some storylines are disjointed and strange, especially the kidnapping. Some storylines should have lasted longer, and some characters deserved better ones - most notably Song. However, it must be said that this drama does deal with a view important issues and I admired that. Plus there was a lovely mix of comedy and dark storylines too.

What carried this drama the most was 100% it's characters. They were the main reason I kept watching; they held up the plot. You feel really connected to the protagonists and their experiences - while they all have major flaws, they're still ALL likeable. Plus, their relationships with each other as well as their romantic relationships had a lot of chemistry. Props to the actresses.

Age of Youth also has a perfect OST!!! It has a very homely feel - very indie style. Each character had their own theme which fit them perfectly. You can't really listen to any of the songs from Age of Youth without thinking of the show afterwards. They couldn't have picked a better soundtrack to be honest.

I would rewatch this drama, mostly because of the humor and my attachment to the characters. However, it's not one of my favourites, nor is it exceptional. Overall, it's a soothing but dark drama with good characters and storylines that are a little weak at times.

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refreshing and relatable!

I typically go for more romance-themed dramas rather than slice-of-life, but Age of Youth had me HOOKED. Watching this made me cherish my existing friendships even more. I love the differences in each characters' personalities. It was also nice to see that it wasn't a "hello here are the characters! they just met and oh look they're all best friends now!" type of scenario. Each of them go through miscommunication, arguments, and disagreements and along the way, they grow together. It provides an accurate representation of relationships in real life because you DO get into arguments with your friends and loved ones; it's not just a smooth road and this drama proves it. Additionally, the struggles each character goes through is very well thought out with a raw portrayal.

If you feel lost in living through the beginning of "adulthood," this is a good drama to watch then. It makes you feel less like you're navigating situations (good or bad) alone and more like everyone goes through these things in one way or another too.

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This Kdrama is mostly slice of life with simple realistic daily life settings, but I gave full pts cause the story is very unique, dark but bittersweet and full of flavors.. The story also develops really good until the end, no draggy. Wish I'd have such a deep friendship like that too, that's really not easy... the men are mostly so so.. tbh I like the first guy with the long sleek hair and tacky fashion more, why is there a stereotype that she has a bad taste if she like that kind of guy, I wish she would have gobek to him directly at the beginning and not believing in the other guy. All the girls are experiencing very intense life and all of them turns out to be very weird in their own way, but they inspire me! <3

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