K-dramas have not shied away from spinning storylines based on the IMF crisis that hit South Korea in 1997. Over the years, many series have touched upon the crisis and its impact on businesses, families, and even students. Miss Korea and Reply 1997, of the Reply series, are a few examples. While Twenty-Five Twenty-One is set against a similar background, it offers a different and refreshing perspective on the impact.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
Twenty-Five Twenty-One revolves around two people — Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk) and Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) — whose lives were affected by the crisis. While Na Hee-do, a prodigy fencing player in school, loses her fencing team at school, Ye-jin’s family goes bankrupt. However, both approach their setbacks differently.
Hee-do learns that she has the option to pursue her dreams if switches schools and joins the same fencing team as her fencing idol, Go Yu-rim (played by WJSN’s Bona). While she tries all kinds of tricks to get herself transferred to the new school, her plans fail. Hee-do’s mother eventually steps in and helps her pursue her dream.
Hee-do is thrilled to be a part of the same team as her idol but little does she know that the image of her idol would be shattered. While Hee-do is trying to come to terms with it, she is asked to face her in a practice match. Does she win against Yu-rim? I leave that to you to watch.
On the other hand, Baek Yi-jin’s world comes crashing down following the bankruptcy. He goes from riches to rags overnight, forcing the family to lead separate lives until the loans are paid off. Yi-jin finds a small room in a dingy locality. Known as a boy who once drove a sports car and studied engineering at one of the esteemed universities in Seoul, Yi-jin is forced to drop out of college and take up multiple jobs to make ends meet. At one of his jobs, he bumps into Hee-do and is smitten by her carefree attitude to life.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One experiments with a couple of age-old K-drama tropes but offers a new story. Given that it is set in the 1990s, Hee-do and Ye-jin’s stories are told through a flashback. The series is being narrated from Hee-do’s diary, which is being read by her daughter — a very Kuch Kuch Hota Hai approach. While it comes across as her side of the story, the makers hint at what really happened through her daughter’s conversations with Hee-do’s mother.
Another trope that has been adapted into the show is ‘will they-won’t they’ end up together. The first episode introduces an older Hee-do with a daughter but doesn’t shed light on her husband, leaving fans to guess if Ye-jin and Hee-do truly ended up together. Although an age-old trick, the trope seems to look weak in Twenty-Five Twenty-One, especially since the trailer has already hinted that they do fall in love. Nevertheless, it is to see what kind of twists the show will bring in the couple’s lives.
Regardless of the tropes, Twenty-Five Twenty-One gets you hooked from the word go. Kim Tae-ri draws you into the world with a wide smile. Although in her early 30s, Kim Tae-ri convincingly plays an 18-year-old school student. She switches from comedy to drama with such ease. The scenes involved her pulling strings to get herself transferred to another school and her chemistry with Nam Joo-hyuk serves as a great audition tape for directors considering her for an out-and-out rom-com. She has already hinted that she can carry the show effortlessly on her shoulders.
On the other hand, the K-drama also shows Nam Joo-hyuk has matured as an actor. Playing a timid youngster still coming to terms that his youth has been robbed by his family’s bankruptcy, Nam Joo-hyuk not only makes you feel sorry for his character but also prompts you to join his journey and root for better days. Despite only two episodes being aired, Nam Joo-hyuk already presented a glimpse of his moving performance in the second episode. I didn’t expect to be in tears within the first weekend of the show.
Another element that can be appreciated about Twenty-Five Twenty-One is that director Jung Ji-hyun has used nostalgia as props than mere timeline elements. The director has also maintained a fast pace for the storytelling, keeping the audience engaged. The cinematography of the show might also turn out as one of the key highlights of the show. The ending scene of episode 2 assures you that the show has a few visual treats for the viewers.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is also one of the very few K-dramas since the pandemic began to have actually accepted that Covid-19 has affected the world. Given that Kim Tae-ri’s on-screen daughter belongs to 2022, she is seen wearing masks and sanitising when she steps out, making their on-screen world a tad more relatable.
Having said this, the show stands a chance to incline in Kim Tae-ri’s favour, since the story is being told through her perspective. The storyline could overshadow Nam Joo-hyuk. While their pairing is a breath of fresh air on screen, it is to see if they continue to be each other’s Ying and Yang. The OST of the first two episodes blends into the storyline but the show needs a song that would stand out.
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