This review may contain spoilers
AOY is a very realistic portrayal of youthful, 20s life. Realistic in the fact that it doesn't try to hide ugly truths as you will see for yourself when you watch this drama. Personally, the problems that each of the characters face are very relatable: first love or even finding a romance that's right for you, poverty, self-confidence, self-value and so on. It is a drama that will make you cry, spoiler alert. I, myself, shed plenty of fat teardrops. It's a drama with a very dramatic plot and very intense because what could have been a 24 episodes long drama is squashed into 12 episodes of comedy, romance, heartbreak and sibling-like love between friends. You will miss out on a lot if you don't watch this drama honestly. Was this review helpful to you?
It's a slife-of-life story about five female roommates between 20 and 28,, and every one of them has a singular character and background story. We see them struggle with romance, money, fate and life in general. Oh, and there is the "ghost", of course...
While especially in the first half of the drama I cannot deny some dragging moments, it was still entertainning because of the very unique and quirky humour. Talk about sex and armpit hair shouldn't ruffle your feathers. There are dark plot aspects regarding the girls' pasts, but it stays mostly light and you don't have to be afraid of the ending.
I'd say the rewatch value is really high, because all these small moments are so entertaining, that it doesn't matter whether you know how the drama ended.
Yeah, definitely a breath of fresh, pink air :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Age of Youth draws parallels to any slice of life anime. There is no coherent plot, just a nice flow of events to help you not only relax but think about life. I picked this show up thinking it would be similar to Waikiki, as it involves a group of roommates. While Age of Youth does have its comedic moments, the show touches on various real world topics. While watching the show it does not feel like I am watching a drama, but more so a reality show focused around 5 girls who live together. Each one has their own story, their own hardships and struggles, their own challenges to overcome, and we get to see how they tackle these issues first hand. Each character distinguishes themselves throughout the show and the viewers get to understand them at a personal level. The only reason I gave the show an 8.5 instead of a 9, is because in my opinion, one of the main characters Eun-Jae was very boring. I personally found nothing about her or her story arc interesting, her personality is very bland compared to the rest of the cast, and her relationships with her boyfriend and mother aren't that interesting. The only part I enjoyed with her was during Episode 11, where she steps in to stop the kidnapper.
Despite that, I did enjoy the rest of the cast very much, they all had quirks about them that made them likeable, and I loved how the writers included their ugly sides as well, depicting that nobody is perfect and we all have our flaws.
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“I searched for love like a madman all my life, but I’ve never loved myself.”
I like how the girls watch each other’s lives like it’s part of their daily television viewing.
The girls’ personalities are so different. We've got the doormat, the man slayer, the quiet one, the bossy one and the princess. They have a hierarchy of course with the two main seniors, and the three younger ones. But I liked seeing them cross the boundaries to team up together.
I think the main thing about this drama is that since we have five heroines we get a lot of personality. Things that we don’t usually get to see in Kdrama heroines, because obviously they all have to be different not the same cardboard cut out copy.
The girls have different combinations of dynamic because obviously the girls aren’t always all together at the same time.
Eun Jae
Eun Jae is the seriously boring one who is so meek and mild and the only interesting thing about her is her love interest and her backstory. So weird that such a personality has a mother like she does. The story starts and ends with Eun Jae though, and in a way, it kind of wraps it up nicely for me. We underestimate her screen value for most of the drama.
Yi Na
Senior Kang is the man slayer, and even though she was the second to arrive at the apartment, she kind of reminds me of the oldest sister. Taking everything for granted but secretly protective over the other girls.
Jin Myung
The quiet one is my favourite. Because she isn’t exactly exaggerated quiet. She’s just no-nonsense and dignified, and I loved her so much. I like how I’m surprised every time she speaks or smiles and jokes around, but she totally owns it. I really felt for her as she cuts off romance before it has time to do anything, it’s totally something I would do. There are so many things about her that I really could associate with. I had such a girl crush on her. Everything she does is awesome. The other girls also act like Jin Myung owns the house. It was sweet how much they thought of her and how she didn’t even realise how much they respected her. In a way she’s so gentle but she’s for sure the scariest of them all. Even though she’s the reserved one she has no problem being part of the girl team and being one of them.
Jin Myung’s dreams and longings are so intense and unattainable for her. She wants so much but feels she can’t ever get there.
Ji Won
Then there’s the bossy one. She’s also the eccentric one but I liked how she was the comforter of the group. She had the biggest heart and stood up for justice and all. She observes and understands people. She’s also desperate for a man, she’s everything and she tries to be so friendly and I also feel that annoyance when you try so hard to make someone like you and it just doesn’t go down. I like that Senior Kang wasn’t the only one who could talk with guys. Ji Won is so confident she kind of overpowers her men, is all.
Ye Eun
Actually, she probably bored me the most. I was really glad that she broke up with her douchebag.
Romance
It was also really great getting interested and involved with the girls’ love lines.
I could kind of see myself in all of the girls and the way they approached romance. From Senior Kang’s trust issues, to Jin Myung's too-busy excuses, Ji Won's forwardness, to Eun Jae's awkwardness, and Ye Eun's attempts at putting on a show.
“A party?”
“Yeah. They’ll be a cute girl, a lovely girl, a glamorous girl"
This drama has a bunch of fresh faces. Sure, I recognised a few here and there, but it was nice to see nobody that I already knew from another drama.
Also the fact that there are a lot of get-to-know-you relationships in this drama, it was cute and fun to see how they developed from shy or antagonistic or friends-to-lovers (“Friends shouldn’t photoshop the reality of their lives to one another”). Korean love interests, are such softies, so innocent and nice, it’s very satisfying. Also, they’re tall haha.
Even the landlady was so funny with the way she threw things at the men who lingered around the girls’ door. I really loved that part near the end when all the love interests show up one at a time to check on their lady love and each lady is so surprised to know that she has a gentleman who would bother to show up.
There’s very little soundtrack involved, which is refreshing.
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The actresses are a great casting. They suit their characters. Park Hye Soo plays a innocent girl named Yoo Eun Jae, who has a unique taste in men. She is the youngest one of the bunch. As she is petit and has that little sister vibe, she really fits her character. Ryu Hwa Young is Kang Yi Na, a good looking girl who is considered to be a golddigger. Her chic, feminine vibe and fit body makes her a perfect match for the role. Han Seung Yeon portrays Jung Ye Eun, a cute & girly character. Her outward appearance is fitting for her character traits. The outfits are selected very well as they go with pastel colors and girl clothing that are kind of cute. Han Ye Ri is senior Yoon Jin Myung, who is a hardworking & late student. Her portrayal of Jin Myung is good as she is normal looking which makes it easy to focus on her actions. She doesn’t wear flashy or cute clothes but casual & comfortable clothing. That goes along with her character. Park Eun-Bin’s character is called Song Ji Won, a quirky senior with a lot of life advice. The way she acts and dresses suit her character. Really funny yet serious when needed. They really complete each other as every character has her own personality & charms. The acting of the actresses bring the characters to life. You will slowly open up to each character as you get to know them one by one. Feeling sympathy & empathy through the good & bad times of our main characters lives.
The music is nice and feature different artists from all over the world. However, the OST is mostly made out of songs which have already been released late 2000’s. That doesn’t matter though as they are well suited and fit perfectly with the drama.
Age of Youth is not your typical drama. As many shows rely on something special, like fantasy elements or a star studded cast, this serie excels in being normal. And that's perfectly fine because that's one of it's charms. The way it taps into the slice of life genre and the realistic portrayal of the lives of 5 women is very refreshing. Paired with a lot of beautiful life messages, this drama gives you a lot more than you expect. It’s a pity that the drama only has 12 episodes as I wouldn’t mind to see more. Great pacing, great topics, great characters. A brilliant drama which will shock you by how a laid-back but realistic serie can be so amazing.
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To anyone looking for a heartwarming drama, filled with all the emotions, I definitely reccomend this one!!
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Each of the five girls in this show has a certain quality to them that makes them unique in their own way. You can automatically find a quality of yourself in each girl and may even relate to a specific girl more than the others because I know I did (I'm pretty sure I'm an irl version of Senior Song). The struggles that these five girls face everyday is so very much relatable especially if you're a university student yourself. If you have any idea what it's like to have a roommate or roommates/housemates then every problem that they face with each other will make you go "I feel you !". From problems like friends borrowing clothes to boyfriend drama to part-time jobs, this drama easily peeks into the lives of the youth of today. But what makes this drama even better is the bond that these girls have with each other, how even though they were strangers at some point with extremely different personalities, they've come together and became this unbreakable bond that'll remind you of you and your own friends.
The cast is great I think each girl represents their own personalities very well and will come to remind you of certain people in your lives. The stories associated with each character is very unique yet relatable to stories in real life.
I really like the music to this drama mainly cos I'm sucker for indie. It's very light and bubbly which goes along well with the vibe of the drama . As for rewatching, this may be a drama I'd rewatch in the future. Honestly speaking, 12 episodes was not enough for me I flew threw each episode so quickly I was so shocked when I realized I was on episode 10 already! I do wish they focused on some questions I still had at the end of the show that were left pretty unanswered and focused on some of the characters more and their backgrounds, which is another reason why I'd want an extension on this drama. But overall, it was worth every episode.
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Seriously though ... this is what I have been missing in dramas recently. I needed this whole female cast that tries to juggle personal issues, carreer, romance and friendship together. The creators approached females as humans that are not perfect WHICH I LIVE FOR. Farting, investing a lot of time into looking a certain way, having body hair or for example the fact that Eunjae has some sort of social anxiety is a great topic to touch upon. Personally, I felt the most for Jin Myeong's character. The hardwork she put into everything while trying to keep her problems to herself and basically following a "life plan" she came up herself even if she isn't sure if that's what she wants to do. It was nice experiencing her perspective on working hard for a career and reflecting on life. On another note Park Jaewan is a total keeper. Bless this man.
However, that doesn't mean "Age of Youth" was completely flawless. For instance I noticed problematic scenes that involved slut and fat-shaming. It didn't take up a lot of screen time and I didn't pay much attention to it since the girls supported each other overall but the fact they still included such hateful scenes made me sad. If I had to name one thing to improve about this drama then I would chose to take out such scenes.
All in all, if you're down for some honest youth and a female cast consisting of adorable and fierce women then this is for you.
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