Age Of Youth is like a breath of fresh air in this weary world of tropes and cliches, with a strong heart, realistic characters and a celebration of female friendship.
The story takes us through the lives of our five protagonists as we witness their daily lives, struggles, love, family, worries, careers, goals — through their own eyes as well as that of others. I love that nothing is apparent at first glance — gradually the layers peel off to fully understand our character. However, like life, there is still much unanswered which perfectly enhances this show’s closeness to life, nothing is certain and only the future can answer those questions.
The five main characters are drawn in stereotypical colors — a shy and naive girl, a tomboy, a sexy modern girl, a serious one, and a college girl. But each one is given a mixed color to make it interesting, fresh, and gives depth.
I love the depiction of the relationship. There is a rare show of positive female relationships when we see five girls enjoying each other’s company, laughing, flirting, arguing, helping each other or being a source of motivation for one another. There’s a sense of mystery and enigma and darkness throughout, which balances the slice of life we get from drama for the most part. We see the characters grow and learn, while maintaining their basic nature.
The male characters are also well developed. And we can also see the various types here. I love the two male leads who are very caring and sweet. The loveline between sunbae and Eun Jae is adorable! I love the individual songs of the five women. There wasn’t a single scene that bore me or characters that annoyed me. There are many life lessons to be learned too.
The acting is amazing across the board. My favorite of the girls is Ryu Hwa Young — she puts on a winning performance.
Age Of Youth is my favorite drama in 2016.