Record of Youth

Overall it was fun to watch but the last episode was a complete disaster. The end was so terrible that I questioned my self why I watched this? Really disappointed.

The buildup was phenomenal but the finale was too anticlimactic and boring. A waste of time getting past all that honestly.

I gave 6 star because of Park Bo Gum Otherwise its a 4

This drama is at times enjoyable, but overall is quite a disappointment due to the bad script and bad acting.

The lead actress Park So-dam, who got fame as the daughter in Parasite, showed surprisingly a lack of range. Her expressions: happy, sad, or angry were all bland and similar. I did not believe she was a real person. The 2nd lead male actor played by Byeon Woo-seok deserves some acting lessons. It was just aweful and painful to see him "act". His controlling tiger mom, played by Shin Ae-ra, was overacting and was unsympathetic not because of her character, but her annoying portrayal.

However, some cast members were very good. Park Bo-gum, playing the protagonist Sa Hye-jun, was a strong male lead and brought his character really to life. The family of Sa Hye-jun was the highlight of the drama. Special praise in particular for his funny brother played by Lee Jae-won and the touching scenes with the grandfather.

The mixed performance of the cast could be overlooked if the story was well written and the different plots believable and relatable. But you end up confused, not understanding the morale of the story, and empty-minded. Record of Youth is a record of disappointment.

I'm relatively new to SK dramas but, saved for a few, most dramas I've seen were incredibly unrealistic, overtly dramatic, and had exaggerated acting, which made me want to stop with the genre altogether! In that respect Record of youth is a breath of fresh air, it realistically depicts the trials and tribulations of young people with family, friendship, romantic relationships and work. The cast is great, the outfits are on point, and the filming is very good! They've really well represented the issues young people are faced with in SK, especially, as is the case of the three lead characters, when they are unwilling to compromise on their values. In my opinion, they've also perfectly depicted how a new romance might unfold, how two individuals get more confortable with each other, how they learn about each other, how they try to support one another, etc. (a cute example of that is when they go to the movies really early because she has work and cannot do another time). I've been surprised to read that people think the lead actors do not have chemistry, I wholeheartedly disagree, it might not be as intense as in other SK dramas, but they definitely have it, and I love how the romance does not overpower everything else in the series. One of the best thing about the series for me is the fact that they have touched on many of the issues prevalent in SK society, i.e. star status, online bullying, the press' unaccountability, family and social pressure, toxic work environments, access to education, compulsory military service, etc. I think people more used to fast-paced dramas with dramatic events and revelations every minute might not enjoy this one, but if you're looking for a cozy, light and realistic drama, this is definitely the one!