“Record Of Youth” Episode 5 And 6 Review

Published Categorized as Kdrama Reviews
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“Record Of Youth” episode 5 and episode 6 aren’t as good as the previous ones, and I am here to review them and talk about how the viewership ratings reflect my thoughts.

“Record Of Youth” episode 5 performed very well scoring 7.8%, however, its 6th episode rated 6.9%, why?

Let’s talk about this week’s episodes of “Record Of Youth.”

Note: this is a subjective review. I will share my personal opinion while keeping in mind how others might perceive it. This is a spoiler review

Table of Contents:

  1. The Confusing Editing
  2. The voiceover changing from present to past
  3. The awkwardness between the actors/characters
  4. Park So Dam’s character

The Confusing Editing

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“Record Of Youth” episode 5 legitimately confused me, I don’t know whether its because I started paying more attention to the editing of kdramas or if its that apparent. The editing is extremely confusing and sometimes they go back and forth in time without a clear indication and you’re left on your own trying to decipher whether it’s the past or the present.

The example of that would be the scene between Hye Jun and Hae Hyo’s mothers, it took me a good minute to figure out we had gone back in time. The hairstyles are the same and the color palette is the same. It was extremely confusing and I had to pause and rewind just to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

It wouldn’t have hurt the editing team to either change the color scheme so we know you’re talking about a different year or to at least put a small text on the side of the screen switching between the past and present time.

Its lazy editing in my opinion and the fact that the styling team basically gives the characters similar outfits and hair styles even in different times tells me they’re not even trying.

The editing wasn’t my favorite to begin with and I’ve discussed why previously. The editing style is very old and similar to daily kdramas vibes. I am getting used to it but I have to say, I don’t like it, it feels so minimal and not suitable for a drama about youth. The editing needs to be livelier.

The voiceover changing from present to past

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If you haven’t noticed, the characters start speaking in the past tense instead of the present tense in episode 5 and 6. Hye Jun starts hinting at certain changes in the future relationship even though it just started and I found it confusing as well.

It would’ve been better to either follow the past tense voiceover format since the beginning so we don’t get confused when they suddenly start talking as if they’re referring to older times when we the viewers are still living them. I know it’s supposed to add suspense and get people more invested but I guess it took me by surprise.

The plot is already getting slower

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We’re not even half-way through and what I have dreaded has become a reality. “Record Of Youth” is starting to get slower.

This is the issue with many of screenwriter Ha Myung Hee dramas. Episode 6 clocks in at 1 hour and 20 minutes for no solid reason. There were many filler scenes and scenes that could’ve easily been wrapped up faster to fit 1 hour or even less but somehow we ended up with 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Episode 6 is probably my least favorite thus far because we’re nearing the half-way mark and its already getting slower when I know it shouldn’t.

“Record Of Youth” episode 5 and 6 had great moments sprinkled in between people going about their day, some events are more interesting than others but in the grand scheme of things, I could only recall about 5 or 6 small events from the two episodes, I could easily summarize what happened this week in four sentences and in case you don’t know, that’s not a good sign.

“Record Of Youth” seems to be trying to expand on its supporting characters as well, however, it ends up compromising the drama because it goes on for too long. The thing is…. the supporting characters aren’t that interesting (the extended families of both sides). So when screenwriter Ha Myung Hee tries to add subplots here and there, they don’t hold nearly as much effect as the main plot does and this is why it’s becoming boring.  

The awkwardness between the actors/characters

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I sensed this at the beginning but I brush it off, Park Bo Gum shares cute chemistry with Byun Woo Seok and Kwon Soo Hyun, but at times, he feels especially awkward around Byun Woo Seok. I can’t honestly tell if it’s intentional or not. But I thought it was worth pointing out.

I sense the same between Park So dam and Byun Woo Seok, and Park Bo Gum and Park So dam. I can understand why Park So dam and Byun Woo Seok characters would be slightly awkward around each other but in the case of our newest on-screen couple, I feel conflicted.

Park Bo Gum and Park So dam look cute together; their entire relationship just spontaneously began. We don’t usually see male kdrama leads be as upfront and social as Hye Jun and this is part of what makes his character special and different from everyone else. But sometimes, it feels a bit forced. Many fans think they don’t share great chemistry and I have to agree but I don’t think their chemistry is terrible either. It’s somewhere in the middle, but their kiss scene was super awkward, one of my least favorite of 2020.

What I can say is, Park Bo Gum is doing extremely well with his character, he is captivating and looks so cool playing this character, it feels like it was written specifically for him. The scenes where he’s acting like a gangster and how he argues with his parents and brother, I just love his character.

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The rest of the actors are also doing a great job… but we need to talk about Jo Yoo Jung. She’s still a rookie and it’s pretty obvious. Her scenes don’t flow well and she feels awkward at times. I also don’t sense that she’s fully embodying her character. When I compare her scenes to the others, I can easily tell she’s a rookie. She’s a 1999 liner, she’s still young and I can’t wait to see her improve in the near future.

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I also want to point out that I love love Kwon Soo Hyun’s character, he’s so darn cute. He’s very underrated and in case you guys didn’t know, he’s actually 34 years old but with this hairstyle he looks so young. I just love his acting; I think he’s super talented. He needs the right role to shine and I hope he gets it soon.

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Park So Dam’s character

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Onto Park So Dam. One of the blog readers pointed out that I didn’t address her acting in my previous reviews… I didn’t and it’s for a very good reason, I don’t find her character anything special.

Screenwriter Ha Myung Hee writes likeable characters, we’ve already established that but like I said in my previous reviews, her characters tend to become boring with time because they lack that spark. In her attempt to make them likeable, they lose whatever could’ve made them interesting or unique.

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This has nothing to do with Park So Dam’s acting. She is simply amazing and has always been. But I wonder why she chose this drama when her character is written the way it is. It’s not memorable and plain average.

In comparison to the other female characters we’ve seen in 2020, her character is easily forgettable.

Of course, in the coming episodes this could easily change, we’re only 6 episodes in but thus far, her character isn’t interesting at all. I wonder why she chose such a project for her first comeback since the massive success of “Parasite.”

So these are my thoughts on this week’s episodes of “Record Of Youth”. What about you guys? do you like the drama thus far?

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By Jass K.

Hi, I am Jass k. I discuss some of the hottest currently airing kdramas on this site in form of reviews an/or recaps, join me in the discussion~

1 comment

  1. Being from the USA, I started watching Asia movies and shows. Park bo gum is a great young actor, musician dancer. The script writing is terrible, in real life do you take a continue harassing from your father, your girlfriend says she loves you but doesn’t support you in good times or bad. I see why Parasite director is bringing on Rober Pattison. I havnt seen Parasite, dont know how she won an oscar, my 2 cents, really want to see Park bo gums movies, shows after military.

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