Twenty Five Twenty One Review: A Masterpiece That Neared Perfection

My Little Story Before The Main Gist

I vividly recall rounding up 2021 with great satisfaction and wonder even at how good all the K-dramas I saw that year were. 

I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve gotten so good at choosing only high-quality K-dramas, or if it’s really that more interesting K-dramas are being produced. But with my leisure time now being so fleeting, I’ve gotten extra picky. 

And omona, all of my 2021 choices ended up being top-tier. 

Yumi’s Cells, My Mister, Our Beloved Summer, D.P, Hospital Playlist 1 & 2, She Would Never Know, The Red Sleeve, Hometown Cha Cha Cha – these are the dramas that reminded me of and solidified why I fell in love with K-dramas in the first place. So imagine my excitement and anticipation for 2022 dramas. 

The funny thing is I was way, way more interested in seeing Forecasting Love and Weather and Thirty-Nine than Twenty Five, Twenty One.

I’ve always found Park Min-young to be a delight in office romances (even though I didn’t know how her chemistry would fare with Song Kang who I’ve never had an interest in, especially not with his creepy and flirty vibes in the only two episodes I watched of Nevertheless). 

And as a fan of friendship-centric K-dramas, as well as So Ye-jin, and Jeon Mi-do who I last saw in Hospital Playlist, a drama I utterly enjoyed – my anticipation for 39 was on a high.

Now, why wasn’t I super interested in 2521 – a breezy, nostalgic, coming-of-age romantic drama – just the type of drama I would be hyped about?

Well, Nam Joo-hyuk who I fell in love with, in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo made a poor choice of choosing his dense role in Start-Up, so I wasn’t as excited as I should be. 

I’d also never heard of Kim Tae-ri, the leading actress in 2521 (hence knew nothing about her competence). To add, I wasn’t sure Nam Joo-hyuk wouldn’t disappoint me with a boring story and lead role again.

However, this was the catch for me:

I’d just concluded Our Beloved Summer (which I cherished and enjoyed so much) and its vibes seemed very similar to 2521 so there was an appeal there. 

I also realised I still adored Nam Joo-hyuk and favoured seeing him on my screen.

What finally sealed the deal, for me, was reading that the writer of Search WWW, a hugely intelligent and interesting drama that became one of my favourites ever, was the writer in charge of 2521.

I was like. Yup. I’ll check this one out.

I’ll just try out one or two episodes and drop it like a hot potato if it turns out to be a bore.

There’s nothing to lose!

Wow. This line feels haunting now😫

In A Nutshell, Here Are My Feelings About 2521

Let me just say that by episode 5 of my watch…

Forecasting love and Weather and 39, or whatever their names are called, couldn’t HOLD a candle to the profound way I felt about 2521. 

Episode by episode, I was floored. Mesmerised. Intrigued. Astounded. Blown away and deeply in love with this drama.

The writing is outstandingly brilliant, fusing magically with the incredibly charming acting, gorgeous cinematography and dreamy OSTs.

No K-drama has ever had the honour of me – the finicky, judgy, critical, hard to impress K-drama watcher – calling it my best, ever.

But I will be the one to say, right here, right now, that I am honoured to pronounce this drama as my BEST EVER IN MY 10-YEAR OLD HISTORY OF WATCHING K-DRAMAS.

For me to say this despite how flawed (as far as I’m concerned) and gutting the last episodes were, then you know Show had me real bad.

By episode 8 or 9 of this drama, I was on the cusp of calling it my BEST EVER, MY NUMBER ONE DRAMA. The only thing that needed to cement it for me was the ending.

A brilliant resolution and ending that was in tandem with all the magic I had experienced so far, was what I needed to call it not only my favourite drama ever but the most perfect and satisfying drama I’ve ever been blessed to watch.

However😞, the minute after watching that ending, my fallen spirit could no longer confidently say: This is my best, ever.

But guys. 

Guys, till now I can’t think of one drama I would pay millions to watch all over again for the first time, but 2521.

I can’t think of any drama or movie that has engaged all of my senses so deeply and captured my heart so intimately, in the way 2521 has. I can’t think of any drama. And I’ve enjoyed and loved a lot of K-dramas in my lifetime.

Long story short: This is undoubtedly my best drama ever, at least, as of now.

It would be unbelievable to see a drama take over this No. 1 spot. It would really be unbelievable, coz right now, it just feels and seems impossible.

That’s how much of a goldmine 2521 is to me.

Now, Why Did I Find The Last Episodes To Be Greatly Flawed?

The simple answer is: the last two episodes were jarringly different from Show’s original genre.

And as if that was not enough, realistic or not, the ending was needlessly painful and unfulfilling.

You know, the writing of this drama was so freakishly good that even though I worried Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do wouldn’t end up together (as dubiously evidenced), I was rest-assured this unique writer would do justice to their love story and soothe the viewers who are so far gone, emotionally, with a well-deserved closure.

But, oh lawd.

I literally went through the 5 stages of grief due to the ending and I’m not even joking.

Let’s talk about the poor execution of the ending in detail later while I properly appraise this masterpiece, in the way that it nonetheless deserves.

HOW SHOW GRABBED MY HEART LIKE NO OTHER HAS

Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do

Kim Tae-ri is hands down, the best K-drama actress I have ever had the pleasure of watching on my screen.

Before this drama, aswear, no other actress in the world had me this fascinated and whipped.

To be honest, in the first scenes of the first episode, I found her acting to be loud and obnoxious. But it was probably because I was just crossing paths with this chaotic and passionate force of a character. 

Kim Tae-ri is an extremely talented actress who lived and breathed Na Hee-do. I don’t think a fictional female character has ever felt so real and alive to me. I was and still am in awe.

And her beauty was just – ugggghh – enigmatic in many ways. Kim Tae-ri’s beauty supersedes the popular, glamorous ones that are ubiquitous in the industry and a bore to look at after a while. 

You never get tired of looking at this one’s face. She has this alluringly fresh, natural, down to earth, and unique face, made even more captivating by her exceptionally beautiful smile.

Such a natural, natural beauty!

And how mind-blowing is the fact that this woman is not only 31 years of age with THAT face, but she played the role of a passionate teenager at THIRTY-ONE, with such natural ease and endearing quirks?

This woman IS a genius entertainer and was born for this role.

Seeing how I love Na Hee-do a little too much, it’s for sure, highly due to Kim Tae-ri’s portrayal of this character.

Everything from Na Hee-do’s childish yet strong voice to her clumsy gait, fringe hair, love for stickers and comic books, tomboyishness, cute pouts, expressive eyes and bright smile were utterly lovable.

She was an enviable bundle of innocence, optimism and enthusiasm.

Interestingly, Hee-do also has this striking no bull-shit attitude and mental toughness that contrasts mesmerisingly with her quickness to softness, empathy and compassion for sometimes undeserving people who’d hurt her.

So so inspiring, charming and endearing, a character she is!

l could, 1000%, see how and why Baek Yi-Jin fell in love with her. I mean, I am deeply in love with her too.

Well done, Kim Tae-ri. You embodied Na Hee-do with a unique charm like no other.

Her joy, frustration and pain were felt so viscerally. Even her funny reactions and actions were wildly cracking🤣

Well done, Tae-ri!!!❤❤❤

Nam Joo-hyuk as Baek Yi-Jin

The first thing that came to mind when I first saw Nam Joo-hyuk in this drama is:

Does This One Even Age At All?😳

Then my thoughts quickly progressed and spiralled to thoughts like:

Is It Normal Someone Looks That Handsome and Beautiful?

When Is He Going To Stop Being So Hot????

What is Going On, My Lawd…🙆‍♀️

Why Is He So Gorgeous To Look Atttttt?😩

Episode by episode, Nam Joo-hyuk’s handsomeness seemed to worsen, in the best possible way. 

Alas, when he became a reporter and started donning those suits, corporate shirts and round glasses, I…I…🤧

In other words:

Nam Joo-hyuk was severely, devastatingly handsome in this role. 

Now let’s move on to the other gift he dished – his acting talents.

In the earlier episodes, his acting may not have been/seemed on par with Kim Tae-ri’s; but that’s most likely due to Baek Yi-jin’s morose financial situation at the beginning. 

He couldn’t show much or do much yet, so of course, it might have been harder to judge his acting.

But I’m thrilled to say, Nam Joo-hyuk made Baek Yi-jin wholly endearing in all his sombre, good-natured, playful, down-to-earth, dorky and lightly flirty spirit.

Don’t even get me started on his comedic timing and hilarious facial expressions. And when it came down to the more emotional, serious and charismatic scenes, Nam Joo-hyuk delivered.

I will never forget that part where he reunited with his father at the bus terminal.

That crying and hugging scene was so emotionally convincing and deeply moving for a father and son duo I was just seeing together for the first time, that I thought, damn it! My super handsome and talented Joo-hyuk is back on my screen, completely sucking me into his amazing performance!

I’m so so happy that my love and admiration for this man is back in full force. So happy!

Na Hee do and Baek Yi jin’s Magical Relationship

Honestly, I’m still yet to process the immeasurable depth and beauty of Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin’s relationship.

It was simply extraordinary. So let me start with the chemistry I felt. 

To start with, only Lee Jun-ho and Lee Se-young of The Red Sleeve come close to tremendous chemistry shared between Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Tae-ri.

It was endlessly riveting. So unbelievably addictive, natural, intimate and sparky. The more they bantered and interacted with each other, the more every inch of my soul yearned and craved to see them together – both in the platonic and romantic sense of things.

They are categorically my best K-drama Couple in History (I could never decide this, just like I could never decide on my best K-drama). Their love story was so profoundly and beautifully layered that nothing mattered to me in life more than seeing them in each other’s vicinity.

This is my best written and performed love story ever, guys. It takes gold over and over for me. 

Every laughter, tease, and gallivant, shared between them filled the depths of my heart.

Every passionate touch, look, hug, kiss and word exchanged enthralled me from start to finish.

I won’t ever get over this hyper special relationship. It’s forever etched in my mind and heart.

The Super Fun & Quirky Taeyang Squad

Each character in this squad was awesome in their own right. 

Ji-woong was adorkably slick and cheesy. His surprisingly open moments of vulnerability added layers to his character and I loved how it combined with the coiffed, harmless player he was. Such a uniquely written and portrayed character.

Seung-wan is dignity and humility yet offhandedness personified. I admired her. Not just for being book smart and easygoing but being street-smart and defiantly holding onto her ethical values even when it came at a cost. She is a true, brave one and has my respect. I also found her musings about being bored with life and not having interesting things going on (despite being a model student), very relatable.

Haaaa. Go Yu-rim is a mystery to me. I mean, I despised her so much for antagonising Hee-do every chance she got. But omona, the writer’s deep talent and Bona’s charm really shone with how much I came to forgive, understand and love Go Yu rim. Family was everything to her and that alone deserves some respect. Plus, she’s actually a sweet girl. Like her sweet voice😚

All in all, I had a blast watching this squad of five friends.

Special shout-out to Na Hee-do and Go Yu-rum’s friendship. 

Who would have thought they would go on to have one of the most wholesome and mutually understanding friendships ever?

The Exceptionally Brilliant and Immersive Writing

This section is entirely dedicated to the specially gifted writer of this series – Kwon Do-eun. I noticed her talent on Search WWW and felt so refreshed and intrigued by the sharpness and intelligence of her dialogues.

Then came 2521 and I was truly blown away. Not only by the mastery she showed again, but by her versatility. Search WWW is vastly different from 2521 yet both dramas are so rich and brilliant. I can’t spotlight all the amazingness of her writing in 2521, so I’ll just highlight a few parts I can recollect right now.

To start, she created Na Hee-do.

An extremely adorable, inspiring and refreshing female character. Kim Tae-ri definitely played her with a lot of sparkling charm, but I still have to give Kudos to Do-eun. Hee do is a truly original and captivating character that was brought to vivid life in the hands of a hyper-talented actress. 

Moving on to Baek Yi-jin. In an interview with Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Tae-ri, the actors divulged that the Baek Yi-jin on paper was a cold tsundere type – the typical unapproachable, bad boy character. But Joo-hyuk said he decided to play this character differently, and added some dorky and ditzy vibes to him.

That’s truly awesome. I give Nam Joo-hyuk a lot credit. He imbued Yi-jin with his alluring charm and made Yi-jin the new boyfriend standard.

Tae-ri, herself, praised the whole 360 transformation.

But, I still believe Do-eun did a great job of crafting his character.

You know that aspect of him that always looked up to Hee-do’s determination and optimistic spirit, and the way he uninhibitedly expressed how much hope and strength she gave him – that is truly unique of a male lead. Great writing there.

This Fencer who wanted to quit fencing – Lee Ye-ji – and how her arc was handled is another part that stood out to me. I’d honestly thought she would retract her words and get back into fencing during that last competition where she soared. But to my surprise, amidst her happiness, she maintained her stance on quitting to Coach-nim who had wanted to see if she would still give up or not if she emerged victorious after losing competitions all this time.

This was a powerful way to show that some people really do grow out of love for something they were once passionate about. The writer showed that as much as you’re surrounded by characters who never back down and always win, it’s okay to give up when you have given your all and have no passion or will left. In fact, she depicted that it takes more strength to give up and that it can be liberating and inspiring. This was one of the golden moments of the writing for me.

Then we have the whole Seung-wan Justice with the bullying teacher. Her lines about how the teacher mindlessly mistreats students and how she refused to apologise, even with all the threats and highlighted consequences – were laser-sharp brilliance. I was riveted throughout this part, including when her mum showed up with her in school, all badass and poised, demanding to sign the withdrawal papers. These are more moments where the writing shines brightly.

Then we have Show’s treasury of highly-quotable lines.

A lot of characters philosophised (acutely), sometimes flippantly and sometimes not; uttering words that are deep and poignantly reflective. There are literal blog posts created just to highlight all the quotable lines from the show. But here’s the one I’ll never forget. It’s from Baek Yi jin: 

I don’t think not living your dream means you’ve failed at life and I don’t think living your dreams means you’ve succeeded either. I simply want to do well at my job right now. That’s my current dream.

As an adult now living in the real world, this hit me at my core. The sentiment, which I strongly relate to and agree with, is placating, humbling and inspiring all at the same time.

This section wouldn’t be complete without me mentioning the heart of this show – Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do. Yes, them again.

You see this part where Hee do took downtrodden Yi-jin to her former school and they upturned the taps together, and the words Hee do said to Yi-jin after their breathless running, especially that, “Let’s be happy together”: this was the moment I fell in love with the show (and the moment, I believe, Yi-jin totally fell for Hee do).

It’s indeed a beautifully written, wonderfully acted and heart-touchingly shot scene.

After this scene came many more amazing lines exchanged, and magical moments, shared between Baek Yi-jin and Hee-do. The payphone scenes, their intimate (sparring) scene at the fencing gym and the whole “Why do you root for me” and the “Because you give me hope”, their rainbow and platonic love confession scenes, the tension-heightened kiss scenes, the new year countdown where they finally turned 25, 21…and on and on and on such scenes go.

I have no words for the depth, vulnerability and beauty of it all. No words.

As mentioned earlier, I really, really despised Go Yu rim. I was so convinced that no matter the sob story or redemption arc the writer tried to pull off for her, I would never come to like or forgive her.

Colour me in disbelief, guys.

Once the writer showed why she acted like that, with the story of her being scared of child prodigy Hee do who beat her 10-0, every negative feeling I had about her vanished.

Though her past actions to Hee do were despicable and inexcusable, they finally made a lot of sense to me and I found myself loving her. The enemies-to-best friends story was so brilliantly written with a touch of depth to boot.

THE IMPERFECTIONS OF TWENTY FIVE, TWENTY ONE

First Kiss Controversy

I want to briefly touch on the first kiss between Hee-do and Yi-jin at their international age of 19 and 23, and not Korean ages of 20 and 24. 

I would be lying if I said a tiny part of me didn’t feel uncomfortable at 19-year-old high-schooler Hee do kissing 23-year- old Yi-jin in his room. But I would also be lying if I said I didn’t look forward to the kiss as soon as their friends left the room (l will touch on this soonish).

After taking the time to reflect, I concluded that the outrage and backlash that followed was justified.

Teens can be highly impressionable and there are a lot of bad guys in the world ready to take advantage of such female teens. So a scene like that being broadcast to teens can indeed, be harmful.

But why did this scene not exactly feel wrong to me? In fact, why was it so satisfying?

First, Yi jin. 

He is good-natured as well as highly responsible and respectful of Hee do. We know this is someone who wholeheartedly loves this girl not as a fling to toy with, but purely and plainly for who she was. He also didn’t start the kiss or kiss back (as much as I wanted him to, or imagine he wanted to).

And the way they built this love story – so tenderly, unhurriedly and deeply with a maddening climax – I almost couldn’t wait any more second to see them finally do romantic things.

That aside, as innocent as Hee do is, we know how smart she is and how she won’t be the one to be in the vicinity of bullshit people or be forced to do what she didn’t want to do.

And frankly, I don’t consider their age gap of late teenagehood to early twenties (particularly for a pure, deep and meaningfully built relationship like this) to be something wild.

Still the negative reactions to this are 100% justified. It’s still a show being broadcast and not all teens always have the capacity to discern good from bad guys.

So could this scene have waited till Hee do was properly 20, just for the sake of it involving a teen and being broadcast to some impressionable teens?

Yes. I totally agree.

The Confusion About Some of Baek Yi-jin’s Actions

I did not want to include this part, but I remember it being something that niggled at me, so I’m compelled to brush on it.

There are two occasions where I genuinely didn’t completely understand why Yi-jin was acting the way he did.

The first is Yi-jin’s initial rejection, or should I say, persistent rejection of Na Hee-do’s romantic advances, even when we know he wanted to accept them.

Why was the whole thing extra dramatic?

Was it due to her age? The fact that though a senior about to graduate, she was still in high school? The fact that he didn’t want to ruin their friendship? The fear of transitioning to a new phase? Or the fact that he was wary of the warnings about him as a reporter getting close to his reporting subject, Hee-do?

Or was it everything?

Yes, I know that drunken call he had with Ji-woong revealed that it was due to the latter reason (which makes sense. They’d hinted that this would be a stumbling block), but I still wasn’t clear on why he acted that dramatically. I wished the writer had given us more insights into his thoughts, especially as he was ready to completely push Hee-do (and their precious friendship) away right before their second kiss.

It’s not like he didn’t know that she had started to develop romantic feelings for him or even kind of acknowledged and encouraged those feelings.

Anyway, the whole thing just seemed unclear and super dramatic just for the sake of being extra dramatic and building up more tension.

The second unclear part was again, how Baek Yi jin acted like he had murdered someone when he had to report that Go Yu rim was leaving the National Fencing Team to join the Russian Fencing Team.

Yes, it mustn’t have been easy to report the personal crisis of someone he considers to be his sister on TV like that. But: a.) Why did the writer/director make it look like he had to be the only one to report the news? b.) Why was he made to act like he had committed a demonic or abominable act?

I don’t know about anyone else, but the whole thing just seemed over-dramatic. He’s clearly a reporter who gotta do his job, and both the Yu-rim and Hee-do I know would naturally know where his heart is at. So overdramatising the issue, just seemed like another effort at building tension and even showing off Joo-hyuk’s wonderful emotional acting skillz😛.

Onto The Heart-Stabbing Yet Numbing Final Episodes

After I watched the finale of 2521, I didn’t exactly know what to feel – that’s the first sign of the poor execution here.

I was definitely upset. I was also fasting that day so I wasn’t sure if the headache I suddenly had was due to the fasting or what I had just watched.

Whatever it was, I had questions. Loads of it. I needed some form of closure, answers. I felt hollow. I was desperate.

Now this is what surprised me. I’m actually a realist. As much as I daydream a lot, I can accept realism in a drama – no matter how gut-punching it is – if it feels earned and organic.

But even after my very insightful friend, Melody and some Reddit comments, tried to explain why this was a realistic ending, I still couldn’t fully accept it, even though they made some brilliant points.

First of all, the original genre of this drama is Rom-Com and Coming of Age. Why suddenly shift tones at the very last two episodes and change it to a dark, doom-like Melodrama?

Secondly, it felt so cheap, contrived and almost funny that the writer suddenly brought in such a foreign, traumatic and sensitive event like 9/11 to a drama that had been 90% breezy, humorous and down to earth.

This is not how fictional storytelling works (Ironically, I’m saying this about one of the most talented writers I know). Tones, characters (as I’ll touch on below) and imagery have to be consistent.

Why suddenly show us blood, gore and smoke in a drama that was for the most part lighthearted and playful even when emotions ran high and conflict brewed?

It just felt like the writer had little time to be as brilliant and intricate as she was from ep 1 – 13, so she threw in the most horrific and serious event she could think of that matched Yi-jin’s profession (and “the times”) to “strongly convince” us that Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin were not meant to be.

Let’s touch on the manipulation I believe went on from the beginning of this series. 

Now that I’ve emerged from the other side, I wholeheartedly believe that showing present Na Hee-do scenes from the first episode and interspersing scenes of her and her daughter as we watched Baek Yi jin and Hee do fall in love, was to make us watch to the end to find out who Min-chae’s appa is.

If that had not been the intent, they could have easily scraped all the present scenes (they mostly served no purpose) or shown us who Min-chae’s father is at the very beginning. 

But to sustain interest and suspense, the writer kept teasing us up to the last minute of this drama. Even to the part where Baek Yi jin interviewed married Na Hee do in 2009 and even some parts of the breakup roll-out.

Not fair and respectful, especially when the end had already been decided. Besides, the storytelling was already outstanding on its own, it didn’t need mean and cheap tactics.

If it were another love story that wasn’t as intricately and beautifully built as Hee do and Bae Yi-jin’s, I wouldn’t react so strongly, but for a love so rare like this: you don’t play mind games with your audience.

One could argue that the signs and evidence they wouldn’t end up together were glaring but keep in mind, there are other twists and turns (don’t ask me how) the end could have taken, so why wouldn’t I, who naturally desperately wants this special pair to end up together, hold out hope that the writer had really, truly been positively teasing us all along?

And if you ask me, I don’t even think the way Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do broke up was “realistic”. I’m touching on the inconsistent character thingy now. With how desperate and determined Hee do was in getting Yi jin to yield romantically, and with how much Yi jin loved Hee do, it’s hard to believe that after that final teary and huggy breakup, they didn’t at least get back together once. 

If they had gotten back together after Yi-jin finally moved back to Korea, and then broken up again for good due to the same reasons of Yi jin being continuously busy or a different issue (that is brought about naturally), then it would have been more believable and acceptable.

But for people who loved that hard and passionately, and with Hee-do never being the type to give up easily, you want me to believe they never tried to get back together?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

In real life, young lovers who are deeply and passionately in love but constantly pulled apart by circumstances are known to fall into a circle of breaking up and getting back together (not saying it’s the healthy way, but that’s what young, passionate lovers in real life tend to do). Especially if they are still in each other’s orbit.

But those two gave up at that very last teary and wholeheartedly painful yet love-filled hug, never bothering to reach out or try again?

Nah. You really have got to be kidding me.

It just proved that the writer showed a clear inclination towards them breaking up in a bid to be realistic, rather than it being a natural progression and occurrence between the characters I know.

In Conclusion

I can very well accept a realistic ending. I can accept a devastating breakup. Even with a couple like Baek Yi-jin and Hee-do, I can accept that they don’t end up together. I will cry but here’s what I won’t do: Whine like, yes, I know I’m doing right now.

I wouldn’t whine or fail to accept this “realistic ending” if the breakup was properly built and not randomly brought about by an out-of-place and disingenuous plot device.

Because, for all the deep emotional investment on the audience’s part, and beautiful moments witnessed and shared between the characters, there should be an emotional payoff. 

A level of satisfaction, contentment and closure with how things ended both on our part and the characters.

Want to know the saddest thing to me?

I didn’t know if Yi-jin or Hee-do were truly happy in the end. 

They might have succeeded in their careers but is that all to them? To Life? There’s no even clarity about how Hee do feels about her marriage, with all that sombre look. 

Urghhh. 

So much for the hope, the drama pulsed all along with. So much for the hope, I could swear it promised us, me.

Look at The Red Sleeve. It had a tragic ending yet I felt at peace at the end. No questions. No grudges. Even the pain I felt was not a cruel one. The writers had built up the reasons they would most likely end tragically, so naturally and convincingly, you wouldn’t have gripes with anything. Even the final scene was done so sensitively with enough hope and satisfaction for the audience to carry in their hearts.

To end my long story: Is 2521 a masterpiece? Yes, mostly. But could it have wayyyy better planned and executed the ending even if it was going for a realistic one? 

Absolutely. 

The lines Hee-do and Yi-jin parted with finally through that diary were perfectly written and genuinely touching – though I wasn’t exactly concerned at that moment. I was feeling too empty and angry.

But, trust me, I would have bawled my eyes at this scene, if a more natural breakup had built up to it. Things would have sunk in properly and the otherwise special moment would have been heartbreakingly real and piercing.

All in all, I will forever cherish 2521.

Imperfections aside, it’s a masterful, unforgettable, humorous art about youth, friendship, love, dreams, and nostalgia. If only it didn’t unfurl its final chapters in such a woozy, inorganic and uncharacteristic way. It really could have been a perfect piece of art.

***

P.S:

I wrote the first draft of this review when my anger was still fresh, pain raw and heart, broken. I’d thought I would take a long time to heal and find it impossible to re-watch the happy episodes between Yi jin and Hee do without feeling stabbed in the heart all over again.

Astonishingly, I recently re-watched Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin scenes of the first 5 – 6 episodes and felt cool with everything. Even the breakup scenes don’t hurt like before.

I really did go through the five stages of grief, guys, and have come to a state of acceptance (who knows, this might change a few months from now when I re-watch the happy and breakup scenes. Grief is not linear you know😄).

But right now, mind is clear and my head is at peace. I’ve gotten to the level where I’m just grateful the drama exists and that I was able to witness all the magic with my fellow K-drama enthusiasts. I’m also delighted and pacified that I can re-watch the drama and relieve the memories anytime with immense fondness, still.

The pain was worth it after all. It was. I was even naturally taken out of my blogging slump due to it. The passion was duly awoken😆

FOR SURE, the pain didn’t have to be sooooooo cruel, but it was ABSOLUTELY worth the ride.

Thanks for reading my long ass review, guys. I appreciate it. See you in my – fingers crossed- next passionate review.

To Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin – you forever live in my heart❤️

And to 2521, thank you for existing. Thank you for being my best drama, ever.

Final Rating: 99%