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안녕하세요
(Annyeonghaseyo)
こんにちは
(Konnichiwa)
你好
(Ni Hao)
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Record of Youth is a 2020 South Korean youth romance drama written by Ha Myung Hee and directed by Ahn Gil-ho.
The series started airing on both tvN and Netflix on the 7th of September, airing 16 episodes and concluding on the 27th of October 2020.
Main Cast:
Park Bo Gum as Sa Hye Jun
Park So Dam as Ahn Jeong Ha
Byeon Woo Seok as Won Hae Hyo
Kwon Soo Hyun as Kim Jin Woo
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Supporting Cast:
Ha Hee Ra as Han Ae Sook - Hye Jun's Mother
Han Jin Hee as Sa Min Gi - Hye Jun's Grandfather
Park Soo Young as Sa Young Nam - Hye Jun's Father
Lee Jae Won as Sa Kyeong Jun - Hye Jun's Brother
Shin Ae Ra as Kim Yi Young - Hae Hyo's Mother
Jo Yoo Jung as Won Hae Na - Hae Hyo's Sister
Jang Min Sung as Kim Jang Man Jin Woo's Father
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Park Sung Yeon as Lee Kyung Mi - Jin Woo's Mother
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Jang Yi Jung as Kim Jin Ri - Jin Woo's Sister
Shin Dong Mi as Lee Min Jae
Lee Chang Hoon as Lee Tae Soo
Park Se Hyun as Choi Soo Bin
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Jo Ji Seung as Park Jin Ju
Kim Gun Woo as Park Do Ha
Seol In Ha as Jung Ji Ah
Like with most of the Korean dramas I've watched, I fell in love with the soundtrack, check out the ones that pull me right back into the series.
Seungkwan - Go
Chung Ha - You're In My Soul
Baekhyun - 나의 시간은 (Every Second)
Wheein - 그렇게 넌 내게 빛나 (Shine On You)
Bobby - Spotlight
Lee Hi - Brave Enough
Record of Youth Trailer
The drama follows the lives of three young people in the contemporary fashion industry.
They strive to achieve their dreams and love without despair.
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I'm always happy when new dramas get released onto Netflix and I couldn't be any more happier that this drama was getting released onto Netflix, I'd seen Park So Dam post it onto her Instagram that she had a new drama coming out and knew I wanted to give it a watch.
For me, I loved this drama, I thought the cast was spot on and I loved the script and plot, what I loved even more was how the series concluded, I thought it was a perfect ending for all the lead characters.
The main thing I think this drama was about was personal growth, overcoming their own personal mental and self-confidence issues.
I absolutely adore Park So Dam and I loved her as Ahn Jeong Ha, my first drama of hers was Cinderella and the Four Knights, and I love how different the characters are. Jeong Ha seems really sure with what she wants in her life, she has a plan in place but her mindset seems to change when she meets her idol Sa Hye Jun. I think meeting both Sa Hye Jun and Hae Hyo helps her to finally realise what she needs to do to make her goals and dreams to become reality.
This is my first drama with Park Bo Gum and I think this is the perfect drama to introduce him as an actor as he gets to play many roles. We get to see Hye Jun start at the bottom and work his way up in his career, while many people try and bring him down and ruin his career. He seems to battle with both his career and his love life, I think Jeong Ha helps him to focus on what he needs to do within his life, I'll definitely be checking out more of his dramas and I can't wait for him to return to the big and small screen.
Byeon Woo Seok did amazing as Won Hae Hyo, I really felt for his character, he works so hard in his career and his confidence comes crashing down when he finds out that a lot of his success and popularity is down to his mother. I'm curious to see more of his work and can't wait to check out more of his dramas to see him play different roles.
Kwon Soo Hyun definitely brings some comedy to the drama as Kim Jin Woo, this is actually my second drama with him, my first being The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (Which I have not yet fully completed). You can tell he adores his friends, which I think is why he keeps quiet about the fact that he's dating Hae Hyo's sister. He's a skilled photographer but I don't think he has full confidence in himself until his friends remind him that they have his back.
I absolutely love Ha Hee Ra as Hye Jun's mother, I loved her "friendship" with Hae Hyo's mother, I thought they really bounced off each other well. You could see that she loved and supported Hye Jun's career choices but was scared of his dreams falling through, which I think meant at times she took a back seat and agreed with the rest of the family.
Han Jin Hee was just adorable as Hye Jun's grandfather, he really showed that you can try and makes things right at any age, and that you're never too old to find and chase your dreams, he's also the only member of the Sa family that 100% supports Hye Jun.
Park Soo Young did a great job as Hye Jun's father, I think he shows great personal growth within his character, we see from the start that he doesn't believe that Hye Jun will make it and often tells him to enter his military service and often compares him to his brother, who he seems to have on a pedestal.
Lee Jae Won adds more comedy to the series as Hye Jun's brother, like their father he thinks Hye Jun should give up on his dreams and get a "real" job. Watching him defend his brother online was heart warming to see, even if he gets close to being sued for it.
Shin Ae Ra as Hae Hyo's mother was spot on, she's definitely an I'm better than you character because they have money, so much so she pretty much buys her sons career and doesn't see what she's done wrong when he confronts her about it.
I loved Jo Yoo Jung as Won Hae Na, Hae Hyo's sister and Jin Woo's other half, while she loves having money and the privileges it brings, she wants control of her own heart and who she falls in love with, something her mother disagrees with.
I absolutely loved Shin Dong Mi as Lee Min Jae, Hye Jun's manager, even before becoming his manager, she always fought for Hye Jun and she never stops fighting for him, even if it means going against his wishes to try and protect him. There were times she really had me laughing which is why I absolutely loved her character.
Lee Chang Hoon is the perfect villain for this drama series as Lee Tae Soo, Hye Jun's ex manager, that at times seems to be conflicted about trying to ruin his career when in fact he's enjoying playing with both Hye Jun and Min Jae.
Kim Gun Woo is spot on as Park Do Ha, a popular actor that thinks he's better than everyone and doesn't care about the consequences of his actions because he knows Tae Soo will make them disappear, meaning he gets to keep his clean and friendly image.
Seol In Ah is the perfect ex girlfriend that will do whatever she wants to back what she wants and thinks she deserves, and ignores that Hye Jun no longer has romantic feelings for her. One thing I will say is she steps up and helps to protect him when there isn't any real benefits in it for her personally.
I'd happily recommend this drama, I know not everyone was impressed but I absolutely loved it, for me it flowed well, it kept me on the edge of my seat and it made me eager to watch the next episode to see how the story would unfold. For me the series had the perfect ending, nothing was left unfinished and I thought it was the perfect curtain call for Park Bo Gum as he started his military service.
Have you watched Record of Youth?
Were you a fan?
Did you like the casting, script and plot?
Let me know in the comments below.
See you soon!
안녕
(Annyeong)
さようなら
(Sayonara)
再见
(ZaiJian)
Bye
