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I put off seeing this series because it felt so cliche from reading the summary. Now, I fully understand what not judging a book by its cover means or in this case, a movie by its summary.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a South Korean quirky, coming-of-age drama chronicling the lives of five friends navigating their dreams and the challenges of early adulthood as they grapple with the social and economic upheaval caused by the 1997 IMF crisis. It features Nam Joo-hyuk who played Baek Yijin, Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do, Bona as Ko-Yurim, Choi Hyun-wook as Moon Ji-woong, and Lee Joo-myung as Ji Seung-wan.

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The Cast

Ko Yurim x Na Hee-do

These characters portrayed the very saying that goes something along the lines of finding gems in mud. The relationship between these two started off as a rumbling volcano, always ready to erupt. The tension and constant strain on their relationship due to misunderstandings was real and the two actors brought it to life with their immersive acting skills.

First, I got to understand Yu-rim's justification for her nasty attitude towards Hee-do. Hee-do claimed she was a fan, but what made her think that she could be on the same level with Yurim who has had to deal with family responsibilities and sacrifice just to be a fencer? I understood Yurim even if it did not justify her attitude towards Hee-do.

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Na Hee-do on the other hand had her own challenges. Maybe she didn’t have to worry about money, but she had to deal with internal turmoils caused by the remarks of her mother and the berating of her idol, who in this case happens to be Yurim. Hee-do had to fight to prove herself as the fencer she was despite her skills being labeled as mediocre. That must have been a lot of pressure.

Looking at these two, and the friendship that blossomed between them, I have to say that the writer of this plot understood very well the dynamics of friendship. We may dislike people very much because they seem very much like us and many people can’t stand themselves. They just don’t know it.

Na Hee-do x Baek Yijin

I felt so conflicted watching the interaction between these two. With every episode, I was excited but at the same time, I was filled with a lot of dread. During the course of watching this episode, I halted from episode 13, going a full day of not watching because I felt the clouds as they brewed.

These two characters depict the full meaning of coming of age. Sometimes, we even outgrow people and the circumstances by which they came into our lives. This is a sad reality and it was even sadder watching how these two grew apart but grew all the same.

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Na Hee-do said something during the conflict that climaxed the movie which was, “...my support has stopped reaching him”. That was crazy sad. Given the circumstances at which Hee-do had arrived at that conclusion, it was more heartbreaking because Yijin was only a man dealing with crises not only from the world, but from within as well.

And when they both decided to let go, I cried. I bawled my eyes out because the actors were not just excellent at delivering their lines, but also capturing the heart of the audience through their gaze. It was almost as if they weren’t acting.

Despite the bad times, there were good times. I watched these two grow together and be each other's pillar despite the reservations they had, especially Yijin. It was fun to watch them get red from jealousy and embarrassment.

My Thoughts and Feelings - Scenes That Hit Me most

Ji Seung Wan and her Decision

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Ji Seung-wan was like the mother of the group who always had her big girl pants on. At some point, I thought she might have feelings for Ji-woong but it turned out she just really cared about her childhood friend.

Seung-wan took a step in defying the school discipline system when she reported a teacher for bullying students. Seung-wan not only made her disgust known, she also followed through by dropping out of school when the teacher tried to blackmail her into apologising. She decided what was right and stuck to it. It requires a whole lot of conviction and determination to stick to your values.

However, I have to praise Seung-wan’s mother who respected her daughter’s decision and backed her up. Not all mother’s can stomach the thought of their child dropping out of school to prove “God knows what”.

Ko Yurim and her “Betrayal”

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Ko Yurim faced heat from her countrymen when she decided to take the option more beneficial for her family. Her country labelled her a traitor but in reality, her country was the one to let her down. Yurim won medals for a country that still let her struggle financially.

I was pissed at this because entitlement had never looked so nauseating. I mean it is almost the same thing with Nigeria, but I digress. What struck me was the scene when a business owner refused to sell to her for “betraying” her country and Yurim refused to cower. Rather, she stood her ground, knowing her worth and demanded her due. It gave me goosebumps because that attitude was not from the old Yurim who bent low for bullies, but the Yurim influenced by her friend Na Hee-do.

Na Hee-do - The King of Fence

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When Yurim rushed to see her friend again after all that time, she was turned away. Na Hee-do told the coach that she needed to win against Yurim. That gave me goosebumps. First, these rivals turned good friends and at the hands of destiny made rivals again during the match.

When Yurim turned her back to Hee-do and pulled the fencing hat on, Hee-do kept looking at Yurims back and her eyes, goodness her eyes, it was brimming. I felt my breath hitch. It reminded me of the conversation the two had and Yurim admitted she was afraid of Hee-do. Hee-do, during her introspective sessions, admitted to us that she wasn’t scared of Yurim at all. That said a lot.

So, as I watched these two go against each other as best friends, and Na Hee-do emerging the winner, I also remembered Na Hee-do saying in one of her introspective sessions,

“I’m positive that I’ve worked the hardest out of all the fencers here. That’s why it’s only natural that I win…”

Cinematography x Soundtracks

Every single detail I could possibly want was thought of. The attention to detail was almost scary from the lens of the camera and the lens of I as a person. The soundtracks were on point and served to only immerse me further into the story. Your Existence by Wonstein remains my absolute favourite among these.