Circle

Circle

9.5/10

Circle

Genre:                                   Episodes: 12                       Year: 2017

Mystery

Thriller

Fantasy

Synopsis:

As children, twins Woo Jin and Bum Gyun witness an alien arriving on earth, and shortly after their father disappears with her. 10 years later in 2017, Woo Jin is a hardworking student while Bum Gyun has just been released from prison due to his obsession with finding aliens. In 2037 earth is divided into Normal Earth, a heavily polluted area with many crimes, and Smart Earth, a clean and crime-free city. Kim Joon Hyuk is a detective who tries to enter Smart Earth to investigate a case of missing twins who disappeared in 2017.

Cast:

Yeo Jin Goo (Kim Woo Jin)

Gong Seung Yeon (Han Jung Yeon/Byul)

Kim Kang Woo (Kim Joon Hyuk)

Ahn Woo Yeon (Kim Bum Gyun)

Lee Ki Kwang (Lee Ho Soo)

Min Sung Wook (Lee Hyun Seok)

Seo Hyun Chul (Hong Jin Hong)

Jung In Sun (Park Min Young)

Han Sang Jin (Park Dong Gun)

Song Young Kyu (Han Young Woo)

General Thoughts:

When I really love a drama I either want to talk about it so much that I can sit down straight away and write pages and pages, or I don’t want to talk about it at all. ‘Circle’ definitely falls in the latter category. I adored this drama so much that I don’t really want to sit here and try to dissect it piece by piece, I simply want to enjoy it for the wonderful drama it was. That being said, I’ll still try to talk about this show in as much detail as I possibly can.

So many feelings

So what made ‘Circle’ so great? To start it was a tightly woven story. There were many layers and many details that knit together to form a tight, intriguing narrative. I’ve found a lot of mysteries lately have been coasting along on one question

One mystery after another

(most often being ‘who is the killer?’), which can work fine, but what made ‘Circle’ so interesting and so dramatic, is that we didn’t even know what the question was. We follow our characters and are just as confused as they are about the events that unfold. Granted, this mode of storytelling could completely fall apart and become too confusing, but this writer cleverly let the characters (and by an extension us) solve smaller mysteries while we worked our way up into the finale. It gave the show a beautifully cohesive feel, as each problem solved lead us to an even greater problem. At first it’s about finding out why students are committing suicide, then figuring out if Jung Yeon is an alien, then why her memories are gone, then finding who kidnapped Bum Gyun and why, and eventually what happened to Woo Jin. Having each episode split into two timelines ended up working really well, with each timeline being used to create tension throughout the whole series. The acting was excellent all around. Yeo Jin Goo has lately been picking projects that are only so-so (‘Orange Marmalade’) or that I have no interest in (‘Daebak’), so I’d kind of forgotten what an absolutely incredible actor he is when he’s given something decent to work with.

He has more talent in acting than I have talent combined

He was nothing short of dynamic in this drama. Every time I thought he couldn’t impress me any more than he already had, he pulled something else out and left me completely floored. The gradual buildup of tension in the series let Yeo Jin Goo start off lightly and slowly gather momentum as the story progressed. As our hero of Beta Project (the 2017 timeline), Woo Jin was such a pivotal character.

Pretty much how we all felt

He was our lead into this strange new world where aliens might exist and something strange and ominous is occurring. As he delves deeper into the mysteries, Woo Jin becomes an extension of the viewers- he knows what we know, learns what we learn, and ultimately reacts the way most of us would react. While he was a character that spent almost all his time being very confused and very afraid, as he was the viewers’ eyes and ears he needed to be confident in his conviction to find the truth even amongst his confusion, and relatable and understandable even in his fear- and that’s exactly what Yeo Jin Goo delivered. Next to him we had Ahn Woo Yeon, who played Woo Jin’s slightly derailed brother to perfection. He hit that perfect balance of crazy yet believable. Regardless of whether Bum Gyun’s theories were true or not, I believed that Bum Gyun firmly believed them himself. Unlike Woo Jin, Bum Gyun wasn’t a relatable, reliable insight into the story. Instead he was a catalyst for our confusion. He was elusive and sporadic, and we could never be quite sure if he was on the trail of a greater scheme or simply lost in his own world.

Kinda a lose-lose situation- he's either totally crazy, or there's someone secretly killing people

Ahn Woo Yeon played Bum Gyun with such conviction that it was hard to dislike him as a character- as confusing as he was, and as hard as he made things for Woo Jin, all we wanted was for the two brothers to get to the bottom of whatever was going on and live peacefully together again. In Brave New World (2037 timeline), Kim Kang Woo did a great job at driving the story along. I didn't find the mysteries in BNW as intense as in Beta Project (as if anything could be as intense as the mystery in Beta Project), but Joon Hyuk was a likeable hero.

What cuties

Similarly to Woo Jin in Beta Project, Joon Hyuk was our intro into this new world with all it’s new technologies. Kim Kang Woo incorporated aspects of both Woo Jin and Bum Gyun into his character, so we couldn’t be quite sure which twin he actually was. He had Woo Jin’s dedicated desire to find and save his twin while uncovering the corruption in Smart Earth, and he had Bum Gyun’s reckless obsession with the mystery at hand.

She's growing on me more and more as an actress

Kim Kang Woo also brought a maturity to the character that was completely his own, while always staying true to his character. Gong Seung Yeon was brilliant as the strange alien girl in both timelines. Though I occasionally questioned her character’s importance in BNW, the writers did a great job at ensuring that she was developed as a character and not just a plot device. While the plot was heavily driven by Byul’s creation of the memory box and her forgotten memories, it was her as Jung Yeon that made her an emotional aspect of the story rather than a purely logical one. She obviously has a deep desire to protect Woo Jin and Bum Gyun, mixed with a deep sense of guilt that it was something she created that ended up tearing the brothers apart. Gong Seung Yeon brought great depth and emotion to a character that could easily have ended up as a simple plot device. We didn’t want Woo Jin found only because Bum Gyun was searching for him, but also because Jung Yeon had been searching for him for 20 years. The villains, played by Han Sang Jin and Song Young Kyu, were brilliant. They were inconspicuous enough that they weren’t obvious villains, but both were able to produce an off-putting creepiness that hinted at a possible corruption.

So nerdy...so twisted

What the villains did so well in this story is that they were everyday people. Jung Yeon’s father was a scientist who was willing to do whatever it took to complete his project in the name of scientific development and bettering the human race.

This slightly sarcastic, slightly condescending role was a great fit

Dong Gun was a regular man who quietly took advantage of a situation to ensure it benefitted him most. Neither man was exceptionally cruel or pure evil, their morality just wasn’t quite as in line with everyone else. Having antagonists such as this opens the door for a lot more interesting storytelling as it starts questioning human nature as well as furthering a story. The supporting cast were all brilliant and fit their roles well, with Lee Ki Kwang being a particular standout. I’m not familiar at all with any of his acting credits, but he was so perfect in his role here. A lot of his scenes were used for comedic effect, with him bantering with Joon Hyuk- and Lee Ki Kwang’s simple, straight-faced humour worked really well in the situation. I was happily surprised to see he could also do a bit of heavy lifting when required- a standout being the time his traumatic memories began resurfacing. I was pretty impressed with his acting throughout the drama, and was actually a bit bummed when his character got a bit phased out at the end there. The directing of this drama was really slick, and was a great contributor the high tension that ran throughout the show. Music choices were absolutely perfect and raised the suspense immeasurably. 

The show gave just enough clues at just the right times

What Was Great:

Two Worlds:

What really makes this drama different from others is that it has two timelines being shown at the same time. It’s innovative and interesting, but also a huge risk- there were so many ways it could have gone wrong. And thankfully, the show managed to avoid all of those reasons.

Better than I could have hoped

While the cliffhangers in Beta Project tended to be a bit more thrilling than those in BNW, BNW still managed to have a lot of secrets and a lot of intrigue. Rather than knowing what would happen in Beta Project because we’ve seen events in the future, we’re still unsure how events will play out. A large part of this definitely came from the twin switch-up. Had Woo Jin been the centre in both timelines,

The humans in this drama are infinitely more dangerous than the aliens

BNW wouldn’t have been as thrilling, but by having Bum Gyun as the hero in the future timeline, it created a fear in the audience for Woo Jin. Woo Jin is our focus in Beta Project, so how is it that he somehow became lost while Bum Gyun was found? What really perfected the two world plot is how the stories gradually grew closer together. At first they were completely different, with Beta Project exploring the existence of aliens and Bum Gyun’s dangerous obsession, and BNW focusing on the mysteries behind Smart Earth. As the plot in each timeline continued, we could see that these mysteries were somehow linked and both our heroes in both the timelines were working towards the same conclusion. It’s clear that the writer knew exactly how this story was going to pan out, and chose the perfect amount of time to tell it- I cannot emphasise how drastically underutilised 12 episode dramas are. The story was tight and thrilling with the perfect amount of reveals at the perfect times. The merging of the two worlds at the end of the series couldn’t have been more perfect, and was a brilliant example of how confident our writer was. Having Woo Jin lose consciousness in Beta Project while being pursued by Dong Gun, and then waking up after being used as Smart Earth’s supercomputer was a great twist and an excellent way to merge two stories that had been completely separate until that point.

I'm so sad, but I'm so intellectually satisfied

It made sense how Woo Jin was captured and secretly used for 20 years, and of course the cloning added an extra sense of heartbreak to the scenario, making for a strangely bittersweet ending. Although I was completely heartbroken at the idea of Woo Jin’s death, I sort of loved the ethical complications it brought up in regards to cloning.

As far as cars of doom go, this was one of the better uses and best filmed

Memory was definitely a continuing motif in this drama- with Jung Yeon not remembering her alien heritage, Bum Gyun losing his memories, and Smart Earth secretly blocking citizens’ traumatic memories, and the show seemed to be making a pretty solid stand that memories are one of the most important parts of what make us who we are.

At least there got to be a little bit of happy

The finale took that a step further by questioning this conclusion with the introduction of Woo Jin’s clone. If memories are what make us who we are, what does that make a clone who has the body and memories of someone else? If this clone is Woo Jin because he has his body and his memories, what does that make the Woo Jin that died? I appreciated that the show let these questions hang in the air a bit. For the sake of the drama’s closure Jung Yeon and Joon Hyuk (after some turmoil) accept the clone as Woo Jin. It was a satisfying conclusion to an intense and gripping drama, as this acceptance on Joon Hyuk’s part brought about the brothers’ reunion we’d been longing for all drama long. However, the drama also didn’t exactly say that this was the one and only correct answer, and I love that right up to its ending the drama was making its audience think a bit deeper than we usually do.

What Wasn’t:

Slight Slowdown:

I’m sure that there probably were things in this drama that made it less than perfect, but I was so caught up in the story and the acting that I didn’t even notice any potential shortcomings. This was a drama that just really worked for me. Yeah, I was a little bummed when it was revealed that Woo Jin did in fact die, but then I was so into all the ethical questions that were brought up as a result of his death, that I appreciated the story taking that direction.

I also appreciated that he didn't stand around for 5 minutes staring at the car that was about to hit him 

I guess if there’s one tiny, slight downside to this drama (and only because I’m being super picky and don’t want to leave this section blank), there was the smallest lull in momentum just before the finale. Seriously, it’s so insignificant and lasts for such a short period of time that it doesn’t impact the enjoyment of the show at all. It’s just that after so many hours of racing momentum and heart-stopping cliffhangers, I just noticed one patch that wasn’t quite speeding along like the rest of the drama. Which is kind of fair enough, because boy did this drama rip along.

Recommend?

Absolutely. 

So many mysteries, so many thrills

Age of Youth 2

Age of Youth 2

7.5/10

Age of Youth 2

Genre:                                Episodes: 14                           Year: 2017

Romance

Comedy

Mystery

Synopsis:

Set one year after the conclusion of Season 1, Kang Yi Na is moving out of the Belle Epoque share-house. Jin Myung has found a job, but struggles after having to fire an employee she grew close to, Ye Eun is still recovering from her kidnap and abuse from the previous year, Ji Won searches for the truth behind a lost memory, and Eun Jae is struggling with her first breakup. A new housemate, Eun, arrives after finding a threatening letter addressed to Belle Epoque.

Cast:

Han Ye Ri (Yoon Jin Myung)

Han Seung Yeon (Jung Ye Eun)

Park Eun Bin (Song Ji Won)

Ji Woo (Yoo Eun Jae)

Choi Ah Ra (Jo Eun)

Kim Min Suk (Seo Jang Hoon)

Son Seung Won (Im Sung Min)

Lee Yoo Jin (Kwon Ho Chang)

Ahn Woo Yeon (Heimdal)

Shin Hyun Soo (Yoon Jong Yeol)

General Thoughts:

I love Age of Youth! As soon as I’d finished watching the first season I was wanting a season 2, and now that I’ve finished Season 2 I want a season 3. It was nice to come back to the house and the housemates that we loved so much in the first season, and it’s good to see that not much has changed (though there ARE some noticeable big changes).

I missed you guys!

The second season really does feel like an exact continuation of the stories in the first, and that’s a big achievement considering how successful the first season was. While the two shows are delightfully similar (same pastel colours, same hint of dark mystery, same painfully realistic problems), the actual stories in season two managed to be vastly different. So while the show is a continuation of all the things we love from Season 1, it’s not a repetition.

It's kinda like being welcomed back home

Obviously Kang Unnie has departed the house so we have a whole new housemate to learn about, but the girls from last time are still growing and developing and having to face new challenges in their lives. The structure of the episodes was also a little different. Rather than having one girl take centre stage and narrate the episode, each of the stories were pretty evenly spread out in every episode, and each of the girls shared the narration. Despite this change in format, the individual stories actually felt much more individual than they did last year. At times I found myself missing the interactions we had between the girls previously as the stories this time around were much more event-based as apposed to character-based. I was actually happiest with how Yoon Sunbae’s arc went. It might have seemed a little strange to some, but I personally enjoyed it a lot. Yoon Sunbae was much more relaxed than she was last season, but still had her semi-prickly exterior, and was still the mother hen to the other girls.

With all her baby chicks

When the character descriptions were released for Season 2, I was sad that Chef wouldn’t be playing a major role, and thought that Yoon Sunbae was getting a new romance. It was a delight that Yoon Sunbae was still dating Chef, even if he was far away, and it made her Noona-Dongsaeng relationship with Heimdal really sweet to watch.

Dorky and kinda cringey- but still cute

I’m glad the show through in a few snippets that suggested that Yoon Sunbae might have been reminded of her younger brother when she looked at Heimdal, but regardless of if she did or didn’t she obviously felt some sort of responsibility towards him. Despite how much she wanted to not care, she just did. Heimdal didn’t have a lot in common with Yoon Sunbae- he was following his dreams and believed if he worked hard enough his effort would pay off. Perhaps Yoon Sunbae felt that way herself once, before she was saddled with debt and had to work any job she could just to survive. It was heartbreaking to watch Heimdal slowly realise that he would never achieve his dream of being a famous idol, but it was almost more heartbreaking for Yoon Sunbae to already know that and have to watch him discover that his dreams were just too out of reach and no amount of hard work or effort would get him there. Ji Won seemed to be making up for the lack of story she got last season, as her story this time around definitely got the most amount of screen time. Hers was the only story this season that had an air of mystery to it, and it was carried out quite well. The show dropped enough hints that by the end we were aware of what had happened without the show needing to blatantly spell it out for us.

The saddest of the 'Age of Youth' stories so far

My favourite part of the mystery was less about the actual events and more about the character responses to the event. Once it became clear what had happened between the two young girls and the art teacher, it became less important what the exact details were and much more important how Hyo Jin and Ji Won reacted.

Sherlock Song and her adorable Watson 

I appreciated that Hyo Jin didn’t hold too much resentment towards Ji Won for what had happened, and that in the end it was about gaining closure and revealing the art teacher’s crimes rather than about revenge. It’s a tricky topic to navigate smoothly, but the writers did an excellent job at keeping the yuck-factor to a minimum while dealing with the fallout of the situation, and I think a lot of that was due to revealing just the right amount of information and of that information just the right amount in flash-back form. I much preferred gathering an idea of what happened from hearing Ji Won discuss things with others rather than seeing an overload of flashbacks with a creepy teacher and a young girl. Ji Won’s reactions to her discoveries were always perfect and fit in well with how her character had been developed previously. She latched onto the mystery as soon as there was a mystery to latch on to, but she didn’t shy away from what she was uncovering. Ji Won was ready and willing to accept any responsibility and/or punishment for any wrong she might have caused Hyo Jin- as was evident in the hostage situation.

So much of Ji Won's personality got explored this time around

She was scared and shocked, but she never backed away from her involvement with the incident, which was so in line with everything we knew about her character. Despite the fact that most of what she was going through was something personal and individual, I adored the friendship and support that Sung Min offered her. Their interactions and hilarious banter quickly became a highlight of the show (after being offered so little of it in Season 1), and no time spent with the two was wasted time. Though I do wish that they’d actually got together on screen rather than just having it being heavily hinted at. Again.

Just kiss already!

Ye Eun’s story picked up pretty much exactly where we left off in Season 1. I appreciated that her story really revolved around her anxiety and other issues caused by her violent boyfriend the year before. I was glad that the show was very realistically addressing her mental health issues and gave her a nice, steady progression throughout the series.

Never before has a taser been so sweet and sincere a gift

It was satisfying and rewarding to see Ye Eun start to come out of her shell again, but it had an air of realism in the few steps back along the way. While her progression was steady, it wasn’t smooth at all. There were moments when Ye Eun became more fearful and there were situations that would set her into overdrive. The show defiantly didn’t suggest that there was a quick-fix to her trauma, and was actually hinting more that this was something that would always stay with Ye Eun and something that she would have to learn to deal with rather than ‘fix’. I also appreciated that the show didn’t just throw another man at her to fix the problem. It would have been easy to give her a strong, confident, capable man and say ‘there, now she feels safe’. Instead it was satisfying to have Ye Eun make those steps towards feeling confident and safe on her own. Ho Chang was a great partner to help Ye Eun help herself. As a victim of bullying himself he could sympathise with her and offer slight assistance, but he never forced Ye Eun out of her comfort zone, nor did he suggest that he would be able to keep her safe. It was a cute and sweet romance that never once suggested that Ye Eun needed to rely on Ho Chan for safety or anything else.

She relied on him because she wanted to, not because she needed to

Unfortunately, this time around I found Eun Jae’s story a little exasperating. I really loved her Sunbae romance last year, so I was pretty disappointed when I read in the character descriptions that they’d broken up. At the start, Eun Jae’s obsession with her ex was mildly annoying, and she herself became a smidge irritating. It was all just a little unclear where the show was trying to take her story.

Sorry Eun Jae...you just...weren't as fun as you were last season

For a long time there I thought she was going to get her ex back in the end. Once it became clear that the story was actually more about Eun Jae realising her mistakes and having to let go and move on, I was much more interested and much more sympathetic towards her character. Because getting over a heartbreaking first breakup is much more interesting than watching a girl try and win back a guy she dumped herself. Finally, we arrive at Eun. Last season we came into the house with Eun Jae and learned all about the housemates through her, so it was a nice parallel to have us learning about the new girl through our old housemates. On paper Eun’s story is pretty simple, but it still managed to have its interesting aspects. Thankfully, her story left behind the mystery of the revenge letter pretty early on in order to focus on her own issues. When I think about it, not a lot actually happened, but it was interesting enough to watch Eun, who had become so protective of herself over the course of parents’ separation, slowly start to open up towards Jang Hoon. As enjoyable as her relationship development was with Jang Hoon, I do wish that her female friend had been phased out a bit earlier.

Get rid of her. Like now.

Overall I liked the commentary on their relationship and how having to let go of that toxic friendship was still hard for Eun (as they’d been so close for so long), but I just found the friend so freaking annoying. She was just the worst. I didn’t find her cute and I didn’t find her fun, and she actually sucked a lot of enjoyment of of Eun’s story arc for me personally. Acting-wise everyone was pretty good.

And Min Sukie is even wearing his high shoes

The three girls from last season were all splendid and slid perfectly back into their roles. They felt exactly like they did last yer, but were still able to show how their characters had changed and how they were continuing to develop. Choi Ah Ra was pretty good most of the time, but sometimes I did feel like she got outshone a bit by the other actresses. She was very good at acting the awkward, soft-on-the-inside-hard-on-the-outside sort of character, but I think she struggled a little when it came to portraying Eun’s increasing comfort around the other characters. Ji Woo really had the hardest job of all as she was coming into a character that had already been so loved and so well received when played by a different actress. Overall, she did an excellent job. If given a choice I defiantly would have loved to have Park Hye Soo resume her role as Eun Jae (as she was one of my favourites from Season 1), but Ji Woo did wonderfully at making the actress change as unnoticeable as possible. Her take on Eun Jae was enjoyable and sweet, and she really could have played Eun Jae in Season 1 to the same success that Park Hye Soo had. It’s just so difficult when a show has to recast a character- for both the actress and the viewers.

An excellent job at a difficult task

The boys were all excellent, no questions asked. Kim Min Suk has been a favourite of mine since his ‘Shut Up Flower Boy Band’ days and I adore him in everything he’s been in. Cute, funny roles suit him well (though he can bring the heavy emotion too when called for), and he was undeniably sweet in this series.

Delightfully dorky

It was hilarious to have his height be incorporated into the show’s humour, especially when paired with Choi Ah Ra’s height. It was an unconventional, but still delightful pairing. Ahn Woo Yeon was excellent as the unpopular idol, and I really felt for him when his story arc came to the more emotional moments. He could play the optimistic dreamer well, but it was his moments of grief for his lost dream where he really got me. I was a little disappointed when Onew lost his chance to star in this show due to a rather unfortunate and over-exaggerated scandal, but I completely forgot about him (sorry, Onew) once Lee Yoo Jin made his appearance. He was hilariously endearing as the quirky nerd, and he absolutely nailed all of Ho Chan’s odd, nervous habits and made them look completely natural. And of course Son Seung Won was perfect- when is he not? Thankfully he got much more screen time than he got last season, so he was really given space to sparkle. Not to mention his chemistry with Park Eun Bin is just ridiculously addictive.  

If we're all being real- this is what we came for

What Was Great:

The Girls:

The stories are all fun and are all enjoyable to watch. Season 2 returns with a familiar every-day vibe even when the events aren’t all that every-day. Each of the girls have their own problems to face and each of them deal with their issues in very unique ways. Much of the success of the series comes from how different these girls are and how well developed and structured their characters are.

I love our girl gang

When you consider how often leading heroines feel the same as each other, it really is a marvellous achievement to populate a K-Drama with unique, distinct female characters that have their own identities. Yoon Sunbae would never react to a situation the same way that Ji Won would, and that is clearly showcased in the series. Each character is entirely her own, and there’s no overlap in the house. 

The Guys:

One of my longstanding favourite aspects of ‘Age of Youth’ is how secondary the men are to the girls. It’s not saying that they’re unimportant (because they’re not),

I also love the lads

but the story really focuses on the girls themselves rather than the romance, which is kind of refreshing. In saying that, the boys are are still excellent characters. One of the show’s strengths is having these completely capable, wonderful girls open up and share experiences with these completely capable, wonderful men. Rather than focusing on the romance in the situations, the show really focuses on the relationships- there may be romance involved or there may not be. Similarly to the girls, each of the boys is a fully developed and nicely constructed character. Each of them have their own past and histories, and their own hopes and goals for the future. Jang Hoon’s feelings about his approaching enlistment were particularly interesting as a foreigner watching, as I have really had no experience with that issue before, and I’ve not watched a lot of K-Dramas that present army enlistment as an issue. I also enjoyed how, as the landlord, Jang Hoon was a little bit involved with each of the girls. Previously each of the boys were only really around the girl whose story they were a part of, but Season 2 did a pretty good job at bringing the boys and the girls together. It wasn’t only Jang Hoon, but the other boys also came along for some more group moments- such as apple picking. It was enjoyable to see our boys interacting with each other as well as with the girls, and really made the individual stories feel as though they were part of a greater whole.

Even Chef made an appearance!

What Wasn’t:

No Closure:

I understood the lack of closure in Season 1 as it was clear the writers were angling for a Season 2, but the lack of closure this time around was a little unsatisfying- second seasons are rare, and third ever rarer. I still feel like we never made it to the bottom of Ji Won’s story.

So...so close...

Yes, we discovered what had happened with her and Hyo Jin and had a pretty good understanding that Ji Won would be successful in her trial after another victim stepped forward, but I would have liked to see that play out a little more. And then the biggest disappointment is that she never actually starts dating Sung Min. This is a relationship that has been hinted at since Season 1, and while their interactions as friends is cute and fun in its own way, I really was waiting for them to express their feelings. Ji Won admitted that she thought of Sung Min as more than a friend and Sung Min even went as far as saying he was interested in Ji Won- but then nothing happened! We’ve been waiting two seasons to see these two finally admit that they liked each other, only to have it NOT HAPPEN. I need Season 3 just to see who cracks and confesses first. I also felt there was a little more to explore with Eun and her parents. Seeing her hatred towards her father and his new family start to fade was a good start, but I really wanted to see Eun stand up to her mother.

There's still more Eun to unveil

Her mother has been a hurtful presence in Eun’s life, telling her that she was abandoned by her father and constantly bringing her down (Eun’s short hair being a constant reminder of that), and I thought the show really needed a moment where Eun stood up for herself. Acknowledging that her friendship with Ye Ji had become unhealthy and hurtful was a good place to start, but being the new addition to the house I kind of wanted a little more development for Eun.

Recommend?

Of course! It’s a very similar style as the first instalment of ‘Age of Youth’ and I got just about as much enjoyment out of it. If you liked the first season, you’ll like the second.

Here's to Season 3!