I know I am slightly late, but I am here to discuss “Record Of Youth” episode 3 and 4.

“Record Of Youth” is constantly in the news for its viewership ratings, for its cast, its OST, cameo lineup and its plot. tvN did a great job marketing wise with this drama and its paying off. The ratings are extremely good for a cable drama on Monday-Tuesday nights.

“Record Of Youth” divided fans and I honestly didn’t expect this, some think its boring, others think its amazing. Its two contrasting sides and I don’t often see this with Park Bo Gum dramas; the reception for his dramas is usually great.

“Record Of Youth” episode 3 and 4 were way more entertaining and fun to watch than what I originally expected. The plot picks up and the stakes grow higher. We see our characters fidget and fumble, it’s an interesting watch.

Note: this will be a spoiler review of the said episodes in the title. This is a subjective review.

The underlying tension

What I grew to like about “Record Of Youth” is the warm exterior with the underlying tension among its main characters. It’s very similar to real life, its not black or white as often as kdramas would like to make you believe.

The way screenwriter Ha Myung Hee creates those scenes were marvelous and the level of details she paid to them adds to the drama in an interestingly unique way. It’s not in your face and very subtle, the way I like it, eventually, our characters will explode and it will be very interesting to see.

The family dynamics and Hye Jun’s character

Screenwriter Ha Myung Hee knows how to draw various demographics into her dramas; “Record Of Youth” is doing well because of this. It’s a drama that can be enjoyed by the young and old, everyone has a character they could relate to.

Even if you’re not Korean, you will relate to the dynamics between Hye Jun and his family. The fighting and bickering is something most of us had to deal with, especially if your family is Asian, you’ll probably relate to this even more.

The pressure of expectations and the ‘way of life’ that adults set for us isn’t easy to follow, boxing someone and trying to make them fit into a certain mold can become extremely suffocating. Park Bo Gum is doing a good job with his character.

The parents might appear to be extremely annoying at times, especially the father, but I understand where he’s coming from. He’s not expressing it in the healthiest of ways but it’s understandable especially since Hye Jun has been trying to kick start his career and he’s nearing his thirties with no clear future in sight. Any normal parent would freak out.

I feel for both sides, on one hand I understand Hye Jun and root for him and on the other hand, I feel for his parents who only want whats best for him. And I like that they’re not trying to portray Hye Jun as the ‘perfect’ human. Aside from his looks, which served a good purpose for a while, he’s pretty average. He has a good and bad side to him and can be quite childish at times. This is truly a drama about today’s youth and I feel like Screenwriter Ha Myung Hee truly understands this generation and knows how to convey both sides’ arguments and present them in a likeable way.

I also like what she’s done with Hye Jun’s character; she emphasizes how much Koreans love good looking men but didn’t reduce his character to only his looks. He’s cheeky, smart and a lot more than just a pretty face.

I like how she presents the argument that good looks won’t get you far in the entertainment industry and a lot goes into what makes a star. She’s also focusing on how much rich people are attempting to kick start their children careers in acting/kpop.

In recent years, I’ve noticed that more idols and actors from rich families are rising in a way that wasn’t as present in 2012. I like the dilemma that she presents about the rich controlling parents who try to step over the poor determined ones showing just how much it affects the ‘dirty spoons.’

A potential love triangle

I must say, I am not on board with this idea. I don’t want another typical love triangle between the main male leads. I am sick and tired of the same formula and was upset to see the screenwriter moving in that direction.

“Record Of Youth” has been a fresh realistic experience thus far, don’t ruin it with that mandatory trope. Sometimes it feels like screenwriters are being forced to write this, are they scared of change? tvN has been releasing many projects that don’t generally follow the formula. I don’t want “Record Of Youth” to go in that direction.

Despite saying that, I think I understand what Screenwriter Ha Myung Hee is aiming for, she wants to expose just how vulnerable and shaky Hye Jun and Hae Hyo’s friendship actually is. It’ll bring out possibly the worst in them and force them to confront each other in a way they had never anticipated. The built-up tension will eventually explode.

I want the love triangle to focus on Hye Jun and Hae Hyo’s relationship and how it causes it to deteriorate rather than focus on Jeong Ha’s feelings, she’s already in love with Hye Jun, let’s not go that way. Plz.

“Record Of Youth” is still not out of the woods

I enjoyed episode 3 and 4. In my review of episode 1 and 2, I spoke extensively about Screenwriter Ha Myung Hee. I want it to be clear that if I have issues with the drama it will not be the cast or the crew, it’ll be the writing.

I like the ideas Screenwriter Ha Myung Hee presents but like I said, her dramas tend to get extremely boring towards the middle and the end. This is my conclusion of her writing after watching 4 of her dramas.

The pacing for “Record Of Youth” episode 3 and episode 4 is nice, it’s just enough to keep me invested but I don’t know if she can keep it up. She wants to give a realistic look at today’s youth and that will naturally include boring moments.

I just hope that the next episodes turn out to be this interesting too. “Record Of Youth” is fun but it’s not something I can’t wait to see. I enjoy my time but considering the drama setting, I don’t get that nagging feeling that I must see the next episode as soon as it’s released.

So what did you guys think of this week’s episodes?