Record of Youth K-Drama Review: Park So Dam and Park Bo Gum Carrying The Show
Record of Youth is a TVN Korean drama on Netflix with a superb cast of characters in a mediocre storyline. It is a romantic drama about adults in their mid-20s figuring out how to accomplish their career dreams while also navigating complex family dynamics/pressures. The main male character, Sa Hye Jun starts off the series as a mildly successful model hoping to make it big as an actor. And the main female character, An Jeong Ha is a makeup artist who is also looking to build her career. This series is a bit unconventional with its storytelling, and I’m not sure I loved it 100% from beginning to end, but the strength of the characters and the acting really held it together. I think that Park Bo Gum and Park So Dam are absolutely fantastic, and I would watch anything they’re in, to be honest.
In terms of story, I think that it starts off strong and ends strong, but the middle gets a little muddled and slow. While many dramas build it up so that the main couple finds happiness at the end, this is not the case in this drama. Record of Youth focuses more on the development of a relationship that starts out pretty solid, and the rollercoaster ride of working in the entertainment industry. I think that because of this, less emphasis was put on the romance between Hye Jun and Jeong Ha specifically. I wish that we had more Jeong Ha scenes. She was my favorite character by far, and I credit Park So Dam’s acting for making her so likable, but I feel like she didn’t get that much screen time. There was a lot of screen time dedicated to Hye Jun’s family members and friends (like Hae Hyo and Jin U), and Jeong Ha felt like a character on the outskirts of Hye Jun’s main circle. Speaking of Hye Jun’s family members, I have to say that Hye Jun’s older brother is absolutely hilarious and ended up becoming one of my favorite characters on this show. You’ll hate him when the show starts out, but trust me…he is truly a gem by the end.
Another thing I did not really like about this show was how the editing would play scenes out of chronological order. It’s fine to a certain extent, but this show did it in almost every single episode. I’m not sure what the strategy was behind it, but it often made me confused and annoyed that I had to watch the boring build-up to a reveal that was ALREADY revealed in the previous episode. Some of the romance lines and scenes were also very cheesy - I remember this one scene where Hye Jun and Jeong Ha were playing around in the rain, and I found it almost unbearably cheesy. However, I will say that I think this drama is more believable than most at capturing the start of a relationship and the sweet dynamics of early love. I also feel like the parent/child dynamics were also very believable, and I loved the mom characters a lot!
In conclusion…
Record of Youth is not a binge-worthy show, but a good show nonetheless. It doesn’t hook you in and refuse to let you go, but it is a show filled with outstanding actors, sweet moments, and memorable characters. My favorite part about this drama was the characters and how they were all so amazing and lovable! The ending wasn’t extremely satisfying, but like the portrayal of the relationships, it felt pretty realistic to me. I cried a lot in the last 2 episodes and felt sad when this drama ended, so I’m pretty pleased with this experience, if not blown away.