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Twenty-Five Twenty-One review

스물다섯 스물하나

2022tvN16 ep~75 min~20h total

Checked and re-read

The ratings

Reviewers rate it lower 8.8 on MyDramaList, but written reviews put the story lower, at 7.3. Worth reading why before you start.

MDL rating
8.8/10
99k votes on MyDramaList
Written reviews
7.3/10 story
Rewatch value 5.4/10
Episode by episode
Steady all the way, 9.3 then 9.2

MyDramaList figures checked . See it there. How we read these.

Is it worth it

Fifteen episodes of the best youth writing in years, then a finale that spends the goodwill in one hour. The fencing, the 1998 setting and the friendship between the two girls are exceptional, and the first love material is written with real specificity. The framing device is the problem: it commits early to an outcome, hides from it for fourteen hours, then delivers it badly. Episode sixteen takes a sharp fall in the per-episode scores, and whether the ending works at all is a real argument. Watch it knowing that, and consider stopping at fifteen.

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 feel of it
PaceSteady
RomanceThe whole point
Emotional loadHeavy
Comfort rewatchRarely

Hooks early Episode 2, once the two of them start meeting at night. Episode 1 is loud and abrasive on purpose, and it is the easiest place to quit.

Recommended alongside

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Taken from our own list for Twenty-Five Twenty-One, in the order we ranked it.