tvN’s newest hit drama is here at last!

tvN has been heavily marketing “Record Of Youth” as the next big hit, it includes the ensemble cast of Park So Dam and Park Bo Gum. The project marks Park So Dam’s return since the massively successful movie “Parasite,” and its Park Bo Gum last drama before his enlistment, he’s currently serving the military. “Record Of Youth” is a pre-produced drama.

I have seen many people share mixed feelings about “Record Of Youth” premiere and I totally understand why, today I am here to talk about how I personally found the premiere 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

The setting

This might sound slightly odd especially if you’ve never seen a daily kdrama, but at many points throughout “Record Of Youth,” I thought I was almost watching a daily kdrama.

Maybe some of the editing/production team who previously worked on daily dramas is also working on this one. I just felt like it was worth pointing out because of the editing the style, lighting and the shooting angles.

Approachable reality

Being the same age as the characters in this drama does provide me with comfort. I liked the premiere of “Record Of Youth” a lot, a lot more than I had anticipated. It could be because I honestly didn’t go in with higher expectations. I love Park So Dam but her last drama was not to my liking, and I love Park Bo Gum but I also wasn’t entirely in love with his last drama. tvN promoted the drama so hard given the star-studded cast, understandably, so I tried my best to stay level-headed and not get ahead of myself.

I’ve seen varying reactions from fans about this drama thus far, some loved it while others not so much, and I think some of those who went in with higher expectations probably were shocked by the slower-than-expected pace. I can understand why this might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

I liked the idea, the core idea. The struggles of today’s Korean youth and how it tackles issues particular to their society but still captures a universal understanding, even if you’re not Korean, you likely still relate to the characters if you’re in your twenties, especially mid to late twenties.

Such setting has the chance to birth amazing development. The first episode was slightly slower than the second one, but still enjoyable. I did fast forward through a lot of filler scenes where characters just stood there or re-visited prior scenes. But I can still understand why some were probably surprised by the slower-than-expected pace.

If you don’t personally connect to the characters or personally enjoy the actors on screen, it’ll be difficult for you to stay focused watching this drama. For those who like faster-paced kdramas, this might not what they’re looking for.

But this is only the start; I certainly hope it picks up as time goes by. I don’t know if I’d necessary enjoy it if it stays at the same pace throughout the drama runtime.

“Record Of Youth” has potential but it could also go bad fast, it’ll be a fine line that the writer has to balance. The screenwriter behind this drama also wrote “Temperature of Love” which I found nice but boring, and she also wrote “Doctors,” so there is potential.  She focuses on social issues, the gap between the rich and the poor and hierarchy. When I saw her name, I was like, ‘yes, that’s screenwriter Ha Myung Hee.’

I can’t say I was wowed by the premiere or felt it was outstanding, it was a light fun watch, I had fun but honestly, can’t say it was anything that special.

The characters

I like everyone so far. I like the refreshingly honest Hye Jun and Jeong Ha. They’re vocal about their feelings but don’t come out overbearing or as if they’re trying too hard to be cool. Ha Myung Hee writes cool characters, but….

The characters she wrote for this drama remind me of her other dramas as well, especially for Jeong Ha, she tends to write feisty female characters and romantic/sentimental/calmer male characters, it’s the same for “Doctors,” “Temperature of Love” and “High Society.”

This means that they could become boring fast, that was one of the main issues I had with “Temperature of Love,” I just didn’t find the characters interesting enough the more I watched the drama.

Since this was pre-produced, I have hope that “Record Of Youth” will be more concise in its delivery. I see potential and the ratings support my theory. 6% is AMAZING for a start and I hope it keeps getting better. I can honestly say that I loved the premiere of this drama more than I did for “Encounter.”

I also wanted to comment on how cute the interactions between the characters are, Hye Jun decides that they should become friends with Jeong Ha and it came off slightly awkward but super sweet. I don’t see male characters in kdramas approaching women and forming friendships this easily. All the main characters are so lovable.

Park Bo Gum’s choice, was it right?

Park Bo Gum has entered the military faster than I expected, I was expecting him to go in 2021 since he still had time, but he enlisted a couple of weeks ago.

I previously talked about Park Bo Gum as an actor and why I feel that he’s limiting himself. This character he’s playing in “Record Of Youth” is very similar to the one he played in “Encounter.” I said previously that I feel he’s limiting his future opportunities by taking on similar characters, I guess he likes such types of scripts. I feel like he’s playing character similar to how he’s portrayed in the media as well.

I would love to see him take on a more challenging role, not to say he’s a bad actor, he’s not, but I feel that he hasn’t reached his full potential yet. I want to see him play more daring characters; I want to see him surprise me.

This is a pivotal point in Park Bo Gum’s career, similar to what his character is going through but at a different scale. It would be sad if this drama doesn’t end up living up to expectations. Taking a hiatus due to the military always weighs down on Korean actors and many have opened up about it.

I certainly hope “Record Of Youth” continues to do well, but I can’t deny that a part of me was hoping she would be surprised by Park Bo Gum’s performance.

So these are my thoughts on “Record Of Youth.” have you guys seen the premiere yet? what are your thoughts on it?