A Juventude de Maio (2021)

What would you do for your loved ones?

I really didn't expect to love YOM as much as I did, I stumbled upon it while waiting for another drama to air, and seeing how it was a 12-ep drama made me severely underestimate how powerful this drama was. However, my expectations were shattered upon watching the first ep.

Story/Casting: I've never seen Lee Do Hyun in any other drama, and Go Min-Si I saw in a supporting role in the Smile Has Left Your Eyes, which didn't give me much exposure to her acting capabilities. In YOM, these two make every emotion feel authentic. Their subtle expressions of happiness or heart-wrenching sobs of pain were enough to make chills resonate throughout your entire body. The problems they had to face during the 1980 Gwangju Uprising made me realize how significant the event was- the scriptwriters couldn't include every detail for the drama's sake. Nevertheless, I also really enjoyed how every character had an important role to the development of the story, and no one felt left out and disconnected from the plot. Seeing Myung Hee and her father highlighted the issues of misunderstanding within a family, and how it could threaten to tear one apart. A parallel relationship was Hwang Hee Tae and his father- the father made for a very ominous and unstoppable villain. It was almost comical how evil he was portrayed, as it isn't fully revealed what his motives and intentions were. On the flipside, YOM also emphasized on the more positive aspects of what you'd consider a family, regardless of blood-relationship or not. In terms of the Gwangju uprising itself, the drama is heavily centered around the protests and those involved in it- obviously I'm not a native, so I can't speak will full reassurance on the events that took place, but as a viewer, YOM made it seem very real and impactful.

OSTs: Quite literally some of the saddest (but amazing) OSTs I've ever heard in a drama. Notable ones: Winter of May, Words I want to Say To You, I Regret, and Days In Memory.

Overall, this was one of the most heart-wrenching and emotional dramas I've ever seen. I've seen some people quip about the ending, but personally, I felt like it was rightfully balanced and didn't pull any fast tropes on us either. It felt like a very natural ending with lot of drama and tension building up right before then. In 12 strong episodes, YOM pulls through with a powerful narrative with a compelling cast to make it stand out from the dramas released in 2021.

Leia Mais

LOVE AND SACRIFICE

It’s a sad story, but I think that’s meaningful in its own way.”

This is a bittersweet drama about the sad things that happened during the Gwangju Uprising. It's a drama, you will start watching with a great sweet and loving romance, with a bit of suspense during the middle and you will end the drama with a lot of pain.

It's a sweet love story about 2 people who didn't give great childhood memories, which made them act strong and not worried about themselves much when they grew up but once they found each other. They didn't want to leave each other even when their family and close friends were all against them being together. They try all their ways and options to be together but guess God had different plans for them.

The drama also tells how the people were deeply affected because of the Gwangju uprising and how much pain it has caused for victims' families who made it out alive while their family members didn't.

In the end, it is about how you live even after losing someone who meant the world to you, and the worst part of it is that you will be the one living in regret about letting that person go first and you couldn't save them or be with them but in you will also be relieved that you are the one who survived, the person who left you didn't have to go through this pain for 41 years if you were the one who left the world first.

"I prayed every day that worse pain in life would come to me instead of you.
If I had been the one to die in the crossroads of life and death and you had lived, you would've experienced the tides i had experienced all this time."

Leia Mais

This drama is a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing melodrama that will also teach you about Korean history through the eyes of ordinary people and soldiers. Before starting it I had no idea what Gwangju uprising is so I am happy that I was able to learn more about it while watching and enjoying the drama itself.

All the four main characters were easy to love, I especially loved how they were putting the happiness of their friends and siblings before their own and just how genuinely selfless they all were. The actors did really a great job portraying these characters, especially but not entirely in the emotional scenes.

This drama also had some comedy scenes and although there were not many of them, they felt really funny and the humour was heartwarming. The drama itself was nicely paced and I think that the 12 episodes were enough and that it did not need to be longer as the story was told in a good way.

Leia Mais

the best k drama of 2021

i didn't think it would have a sad ending but that sad ending has a really good meaning I really liked the story and the acting was so perfect and smooth between the main roles I especially like the role of lee do hyun he became one of my fav heroes after watching this drama and the slang they speak shows how much hard work they have done to learn that slang but I will definitely recommend you, people, to watch this drama this one of my ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv drama in 2021

Leia Mais

Fantastic blend of fuction with facts

A commendable job to each and everyone who is involved in this project from writers to actors to production team each one have excel it.

Firstly, the OST of the series is so beautiful eventhough i don't know the language i still felt connected.

Hung-tae and myeon hee portyal was done so beautifully you will adore them till last episode.

One will get familiar with the korean hostory as well.

The aesthetics of the scenes just made me go crazy they were simple but personified greatly.

Overall, you must add this drama in your list

PS:- if you think 25-21 was sad then this will be remorseful for you

Leia Mais

This was honestly a great show and I'm ecstatic that I watched it but I think at some point, it kind of fell short for me and it was actually quite disappointing. The show wasn't at all, it was good, from the story to the acting but it was so fast paced and eventually I ended up not caring at all for the romance but for the story of how things will end and in the end, they ended up exactly how I thought and I think because of that ,it broke my heart a little more. I loved the chemistry and I loved how the story really flowed with the era that it was in but there were so many scenarios where things could've been fine and things could've been fixed but with the time, the rebels, the army and being children still at a mindset, it was all so much. So overall, it was a great show, I really liked it, but eventually, I just wanted it over because it really just ended up crushing you.

Leia Mais

Loved, loved, loved

An amazing show, even if you as myself have heard of a sad ending I still encourage you to watch this show. I loved that it was a bit shorter than usual as thats what works for me (hate fillers and have bad attention span). The story begun lightheartedly,fun and interesting it caught my attention rigt away and I couldn't wait til the next episode. It started out with characters having normal, typical issues but then later led into with more depth. Majority of the characters and character developement where they realized things about their life and relationships. I honestly thing star crossed lovers/sad romances are my thing becuase although at times it was gut wrenching and painful between the two lovers it made the times to they were together and happy even more meaningful. It felt more realistic and giving. I loved the historical setting, although its usually something i stay away from I loved it here and taught me things about the gwanju uprising. When it comes to the ost it wasn't anything extrodinary. The normal ones were good nothing in particular. They also had 70s music which was a nice touch. One thing I noticed was that it seemed that were working with a lower budget? mabe or something or they prioritize it somewhere else. Due to the sets, there wasn't a big variety imo, in the beginning there was toawrds the end it felt very like repetetive some of the sets also seemed a bit lower quality. I knoe they had to adapt considering its set in a differnt time so its a lot of props and so one that arent typical however i've seen better prepared historical sets in other shows. Another thing was that since medicine was a pedning topic as well as the protests (duh) injuries were shown on screen. I felt that some of the injuries, blood, medical talk could have been a bit better (might just be because I'm watching GA at the same time). Other than that I loved it. Actors did an amazing job. I thought it would be weird for me becuase i recently watched sweet home where the mains are siblings but they did amazing. Their chemistry was great and i was really inmpressed by do hyun honestly hes becoming a favourite. Characters and plot were written beautifully. One more thing is that I felt the last episode (at least the first half,second half was good) was a little rushed? A lot happenend in no time and at the same time therefore it felt a bit rushed and poorly directed.

SPOILERS


I just need to say this, okay I know its a justa show and it had to happen but still.
in myeong hees last moments, in that shot/scene they zoom onto thr brother to show that he is close, in danger, basically explanation for why she does what she does. He's pretty close and within range so its understandable that she tries to protect him. However in the next shot with kung soo? and the little brother they seem to be much farther away considering the way it looks (no soldiers, sister, lights etc), how they act after hearing the gunshot (if they were as close or close to what was insinuated in the previous shot they would have been able to look around and see what had happened) and from the gunshot sound itself. Sounded prettyyyy far away. So why she gotta jump :(

Gut wrenching moments (from what i remember)
when the sister and brother were hiding behind the rock, the promise she made (how its a recurring theme)
the five minute promise before they split up
the turn around turn around the second time, first time was cute
him in the café with the fliers, aka he never found out until the end ( that kyung soo moment when thet communicated with their eyes :() the song festival playing on tv. It had been so important in the beginning and it felt like he had many obstacles against it and in the end it seemed like such a small and trivial thing. Like so much had happened remember the time he just wanted to write songs. so i broke down with him.
And when she said she was afraid of him after the whole studying abroad thing.

Leia Mais

Sweet Sadness

From the very first you can feel the sadness. A young man was visiting hospital for his friend who was in coma. Then came the sad love. There was sorrow of each family. There was sorrow of each relationship. There was unfulfilled loves. Not only love between male and female but love for freiends, love for siblings, love for parents - it all remained unfulfilled. Lee Soo Reyon was such a lovely character. Her momentary affection for Hwang Hee Tae made the story more sad. And her effort for the people's freedom was extraordinary. All the characters of activists students was so real. You will definitely feel like themselves. And for the main couple I have nothing to say. It’s just natural to have those feeling for each other. In every country in the independence movement many people lost their loved ones. But after all these sadness there was a hope, an encouragement for doing all for democracy. At the end they got what they faught for.

Leia Mais

This Hidden Gem is a Must-Watch

This show told such an amazing story, and I am so glad that this show was created. This show began as a fun dating story, with the twist of the character switch, but as the story went on, this show got way more complex. The love deepened, but the turmoil of the era also intensified. To put it simply, this kdrama told the beautiful story of two lovers who just wanted to be together, but were caught up in a storm that tried to tear them apart. This idea is not particularly unique, but this show did it amazingly. Also, the show did a good job with getting the audience invested in the characters, I know I was invested and I was really rooting for the characters. The villain in this show was also perhaps one of the best villains in a kdrama I have seen, I truly hated them. With a strong OST and great characters, this show is a must watch. The setting also makes this show both unique and so fascinating. The student protests and the Gwangju uprisings were so interesting to watch, and it evoked a lot of passion and fire from the audience, so if you watch this I promise you will definitely feel something. This review will not do Youth of May justice, but I urge everyone to find a way to watch this show, it was never boring, and the story arc is done so well that this will not disappoint.

Leia Mais

Forever within a numbered days

There’s really something about tragic love stories that I really like. Call me a masochist but I really really love watching these types of dramas and bawling your eyes out.

The plot and number of episodes were perfect because just like the story of our leads, it was short and straight to the point.

Just like the ML here, I too lost my other half. Not to a gun shot but to a terminal disease. I think that is why I feel for his character more especially during the last part where he was looking back to all the years that has gone by without the FL and how he coped up with everything. This drama made me think also of all the what ifs that could’ve been but it also made me realize that things do happen for a reason.

I think the only thing I’m missing from this drama is what happened to the people who were left behind? Like the FL’s family? What happened to the ML’s dad and stepmom? How did everyone moved on from what was happening?

I recommend this drama to anyone who wants to have a good cry and watch a heartwarming love story. Really really worth it!

Now, unto the next one

Leia Mais

A cliché and simple romance story but beautifully executed. Their story is really common, but it was so pure and heartwarming to the point that you are rooting for them. The unique thing for this drama, is of course the setting, Gwangju uprising that becomes more obvious towards the end of the series. At first of the series it was just their love story with some other conflict. But i love it! it was beautiful, soothing, old-fashioned and very innocent. Acting were definitely definitely amazing. i'm a fan of lee do hyun, and of course, he did super well. all other cast are amazing as well and brings the best out of their characters. I expected the ending, and I love the ending so much (the future part and the prayers) anyways, love it! sometimes we need this cliche soothing type of drama, and I'm thankful for it :))

Leia Mais