It has been just a few days since Our Beloved Summer came to an end. The adorable K-drama, starring Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi, revolved around relationships, trauma, and friendships. As soon as the show came to an end, a sense of void set in, leaving us craving for a new drama to get hooked to. Thankfully, we have another show that will attempt to explore the hurdles of mature relationships releasing this weekend, titled Twenty-Five Twenty-One.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One stars Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk in the lead. The official description reads: In a time when dreams seem out of reach, a teen fencer pursues big ambitions and meets a hardworking young man who seeks to rebuild his life. The show also features WJSN’s Bona, Choi Hyun-wook, and Lee Joo-myung in supporting roles. While the premise has us intrigued, here are a few other reasons why we are looking forward to Twenty-Five Twenty-One:
Yet another take on 20 Somethings:
There was a time when unrealistic K-dramas had all our attention. However, there has been a refreshing change to the wave. More realistic and relatable dramas have been the theme lately. Twenty-Five Twenty-One too seems to come from a similar school of thought.
Set in the 1990s, the series follows two individuals whose dreams are shattered following the financial crisis in 1997. Kim Tae-ri plays the role of Na Hee-do, a youngster who hopes to find her way into the national fencing team. On the other hand, Nam Joo-hyuk plays Baek Yi-jin, a youngster who is forced to live a poorer life after his father goes bankrupt. He eventually becomes a sports reporter. The on-screen couple first meets when she is 18 and he is 22. They then fall in love when they turn 21 and 25 respectively.
A season of comebacks:
Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Tae-ri have been away from the small screen for a while now. While Nam Joo-hyuk was last seen in Start-Up with Suzy Bae in 2020, Kim Tae-ri’s last drama was Mr. Sunshine back in 2018. While she did return on a relatively small screen with her Netflix film Space Sweepers opposite Song Joong-ki in 2021, Twenty-Five Twenty-One will mark her first drama in almost four years.
It would also be interesting to watch Nam Joo-hyuk return to the screen and hopefully not have the second lead syndrome hovering over his show this time around. Fans would remember that Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Seon-ho had the fandom divided when Start-Up was airing.
A refreshing pair:
Twenty-Five Twenty-One marks Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Tae-ri’s first show together. The teasers are already hinting at their on-screen chemistry, making us all the more excited for the show. Nam Joo-hyuk also has a good international fanbase courtesy of his older works, which works in the show’s favour. Whereas Kim Tae-ri has made a mark with her award-winning performance in The Handmaiden and Mr. Sunshine. Thus, it would be interesting to see what the duo will bring to the table with Twenty-Five Twenty-One.
– Nam Joo-hyuk in yet another sport-themed drama:
Nam Joo-hyuk might be exploring a new turf with Twenty-Five Twenty-One. However, the genre is not completely new for him. The actor has done a sports-themed drama with the lead actress part of the sports team via Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo. However, the show did feature Nam Joo-hyuk as a swimmer as well, unlike Twenty-Five Twenty-One where he seems to be a spectator.
– The King: Eternal Monarch’s director at the helm:
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is directed by Jung Ji-hyun, the filmmaker behind Lee Min-ho’s hit comeback show The King: Eternal Monarch. The show not only treated fans to a new on-screen couple to root for — Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun — but also went on to become one of the most popular shows of the year. Will Jung Ji-hyun manage to work his magic on Twenty-Five Twenty-One? We’ll have to see!
Twenty-Five Twenty-One premieres on February 12 and will stream on Netflix. Are you excited?
