Our Blooming Youth

Our Blooming Youth is a story of two individuals - a Crown Prince and a noblewoman who are thrown together when calamity befells them, who grow with each other, as they protect each other from forces that want them dead. Their romance is not run of the mill boy meets girls and falls in love for no reason kind. There is practically no skinship but their bond and chemistry is so powerful that even them standing close to each other is fraught with sensual tension and has you rooting for them. It's based on trust, respect, and true need for each other. They express their love in so many ways that it's beautiful to behold,"actions more than words' being the theme. In fact, it stays true to the eastern culture of personal space between a man and a woman who definitely would not have touched each other in the Josean period unless strictly platonic. This means that one hug can be more powerful than thousand other meaningless kisses. It stays true in many parts of the world today. The side characters of Myung Jin and Ga Ram are equally fun who bring in a lot of livety. The development of the bond between the four of them, and even between Min Jay Yi the the royal guard is given a lot of thought. Li Hwan and Jay Yi are goal driven individuals who single mindedly persue larger objectives, keeping aside their personal feelings, yet their need for each other only grows. The underlying social theme that is responsible for their plight is depicted beautifully. The story starts as a murder and a curse mystery but the actual plot is way bigger, and very complex, the root cause being what makes the world a dangerous place even today - greed for power and authority. It might take a couple of rewatches to connect all the dots, but every dot is well connected.

The story does suffer from a bit lack of direction in a couple of episodes in the middle where reveals could have been faster and more effiecient, but it's something that can be easily overlooked as the last episodes not only get your adranalin pumping, but the sheer brilliance of the Li Hwan's character, and Jay Yi's perseverence bowls you over. You would be reaching out for tissues in many places. The costumes are spectacular, there are many many genuine laugh out loud moments as it's peppered with humor which is thankfully neither slapstick or bufoony. A terrific series, a must watch for those who are a fan of period dramas.

A nobleman's daughter played by Jeon So-nee is framed for murdering her entire family and she escapes with her handmaiden played by Pyo Ye-jin. They end up in the capital where they disguise themselves as men and So-nee ends up in the palace as a eunuch serving the Crown Prince played by Park Hyun-Sik and Ye-Jin work serves a nobleman who spends his time investigating crimes using a scientific approach. There is of course the usual palace intrigue with various factions competing to get the upper hand to appoint their candidate as the Crown Prince. The storyline has been done before but the cast do a great job and it is still entertaining and the relationship between the leads is a believable romance.

The cast is superb: I love the characters and story lines. And I adore both leads: he is subtle and calm with a wry sense of humor; much of his acting is through his eyes alone. She is adorable and spunky, more than a match for his highness. Their scenes together are funny and touching; the growing affection and mutual protectiveness come through poignantly. Support cast is excellent, and I cared about their characters, especially the 2nd male lead who nearly steals the drama he's so good. My only complaint is the writing could have been tighter, and the plot strengthened. 16 eps might be better than 20 because the longer series too often flounder in repetitive plot re-enactments and filler scenes. Still, I recommend the series: though for me the series just misses being great, it's very good, and I'm glad I watched it.

Everything about this drama, from the intricate storyline to the eye-catching and beautiful aesthetics and incredibly talented cast, everything about this drama was impeccable!

I had been waiting for this drama for over a year now and I can say with full confidence that every second of the wait was worth it. I rushed here to write this review after finishing the last episode because this drama truly deserves it. This drama really managed to tug my heartstrings haha.

I was also really glad to see how the ending allowed the characters to have their deserved closure. If you're thinking about giving this a watch, please don't waste another thought and watch it right away, you won't regret it!!

"Our Blooming Youth" is the story of two lost and wronged souls who find redemption in each other. The underlying themes are friendship and trust with very subtle meaningful romance throughout. The male lead has major trust issues and doubts everything to survive and protect everybody around him. The female lead is a smart detective but also impulsive, acting first and thinking later. Despite this chaos, their chemistry is beautiful, deep, and palpable. Such an intriguing plot!

Park HyungSik as Lee Hwan hits it out with this one. Not only he looks every part like a Prince (he is gorgeous in this role), but his dreamy, deep eyes are pools of despair, mischief, brilliance, haughtiness, wisdom, and rage in turns and they cloud with confused desire for a girl who is betrothed to his best friend (in a social contract of arranged marriage) and out of his bounds for all means. He tells her at one point, 'You must never know,' knowing he will lose her if he makes one mistake. Nonetheless, he would go to any length to keep her by his side. Also, in a very competent performance, Jeon SoNee as Min JayeYi only has eyes for her Crown Prince. She has no idea she is begun to exist for him and will do anything to be by his side at all times, even if it means living her entire life disguised as a Eunuch. Their relationship is a difficult one, fraught with danger and distance that's far more than physical.

Overall, the show deals with science, superstition, psychological warfare, social injustice, greed, and revenge. The crime and mystery elements are very well placed, the usual political intrigue is present (the Josean court was known for this, so it would be surprising not to have it) and the Crown Prince's losses and victories are told innovatively. It's a lot going for all against the backdrop of a very cute romance. Most importantly, keep an eye out for a feminist male lead who breaks down barriers for the badass woman in his life during a suffocating era when women were merely objects raised to serve social contracts between families. He has complete faith in her mental and physical abilities and treats her as an equal outside of their strict social hierarchy (watch them switch from best of friends to being master servant in some truly hilarious scenes). It's just fantastic!

In short, "Our Blooming Youth" is worth watching if you're looking for an engaging & mixed-genre series.