Age of Youth also known as Hello, My Twenties on Netflix, is a 2016 drama that lasted for 12 episodes. The drama was directed by Lee Tae Gon and written by Park Yeon Sun. The drama touches many topics that females experience in their twenties that shook the base of conservative culture in South Korea. Han Ye Ri, Han Seung Yeon, Park Eun Bin, Ryu Hwa Young(former member of Kpop Group, T-ara.) and, Park Hye Shin star as the leading ladies in the drama.
Five girls live together in a dorm house. All five girls have distinctively different personalities creating a fun, sometimes hostile environment for everyone. Together, the girls learn about love, loss and, friendship. Who said being young is easy?
This drama was very different from what was airing on Korean television during the 2016 lineup. Age of Youth takes influence from American dramas such as Sex in The City and Secret Life of an American Teenager, to mold the Storyline. Not all aspects of the show are American since this is a Korean drama but the way the drama decides to tackle issues is very straightforward. A conservative country like Korea might be scared of the bluntness of it's presentation. The show talks about how women using sex as a form of power over men as well as unhealthy relationships and cheating. I was surprised how American the characters acted at times, Then again, They were still pressured to be conservative about their desires. Don't fret if you miss the old Korean drama love relationship formula. The plot still addresses romance since each girl has a man in their life. These moments are very Korean drama friendly in the way that love is still an uncharted realm to certain characters. Korean Netizens still did think this was enough to make all of them like the drama. Many comments have appeared during the shows airing stating their dislike for the drama. I think this is because the drama can be really blunt about private issues which is the complete opposite of Korean culture. However, Young Korean people's mindsets are changing even as we speak. Age of Youth is a splitting image of this outspread change.
Each actress is so talented that the show could have leaned on their acting. Instead the plot changes directions a couple times. So it's up to the actresses to keep up with all the drastic changes in the plot. Don't watch this drama thinking that you know what will happen next. You will never know what happens until you come up on it. These young actresses also have their own problems that foreshadow the story. One girl has relationship problems, one has skeletons in her closet, one can see ghosts, another can't get over her past sin so she seeks the attention of men, plus a girl who is a workaholic. I felt just like I was sitting among friends while I watched each episode and I'm a guy[INSERT ME LAUGHING.]. Speaking of men, our leading guys are charming inter roles. No, not that cheese cliche Kdrama type of acting thats so sweet, it give viewers premature diabetes. The actors actually take a hint of realism when stepping into the shoes of their characters. Their chemistry with the actresses was so very cute to the point that your heart thump. Only thing I remember of the soundtrack is the guitar instrumental played at the end of of all the episodes. Was there any solid OST tracks? I don't remember…. Too much happened on screen for me to notice.
I liked the stylish method used to film certain intervals of Age of Youth. Each episode used a different editing style to explain a force outside of the girls themselves. The sequence I remember the most out of all of them was the one that showed people from all backgrounds using face shots. There was also scenes of people doing different actions shot separately then edited into a full collage. Can't forget about the character interviews at the end of the episodes either. Some were funny while other interviews were creepy depending on the character.
Age of Youth is a drama for the millennial audience that makes up a big chunk of South Korea's population. Everyone wasn't ready for a new take on Korean drama though. I was surprised when season 2 was announced. I'm sad that two actresses won't be retuning for season 2 but I'll still check it out when the season starts airing this month.
No comments:
Post a Comment