Record of Youth Review

Drama : Record of youth (청춘 기록)

Screenwriter: Ha Myung-hee

Director: Ahn Gil-ho

Actors:- Park Bo-gum, Park So-dam, Byeon Woo-seok, Kwon Soo-hyun, Ha Hee-ra, Park Soo-young, Han Jin-hee, Lee Jae-won, Shin Ae-ra, Seo Sang-won, Shin Dong-mi, Jo Yoo-jung, Lee Chang-hoon and others.

About the Show:-

Record of Youth is a Korean drama that talks about the topics of success, growth, goals and dreams. We are living in the generation where one can strive and dream to become anything but it all comes at a certain cost. The show talks about the records of young people of Seoul and how each individual is working hard to accomplish their goals.

Sa Hye-joon is young, hard working and good looking. He comes from a family that is financially struggling and he receives support only from his mother and grandfather. He is always at odds with his father and older brother who do not support his dreams and aspirations. He aspires to be a successful model and actor, but good luck isn’t knocking at his doors.

Ahn Jeong-ha works as a full time make-up artist. After finishing her work at the salon, she uploads make-up tutorial videos online and also teaches young adults how to do their own make-up. She has many hopes and dreams for her future. She wants to achieve her goals, earn big and make a name for herself but things are not looking all too good for her. While struggling in her daily life, she finds solace by fan-girling over struggling model Sa Hye-joon.

Won Hae-yo has been friends with Sa Hye-joon and Kim Jin-woo since they were kids. Although he comes from a rich family, he has no airs about him. His mother always uses her influence to get him big opportunities and he has no idea about her ways. He wishes to achieve his dreams with his own efforts.

Despite the tough competition and struggles around them, how is this younger generation going to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals?

(*This review may contain spoilers. If you have already watched the show, please continue reading. If you haven’t watched the show yet, you can still continue reading or you can come back to the review later.)

What I loved about the show?

Record of youth is probably one of the most comforting and inspiring shows I have watched. The zeal to make it big in the world, the eagerness to make a mark and the courage and bravery to pursue the life that you want, rather than give in to the pressures of the society have all been portrayed with such finesse. The individual stories and journeys of Sa Hye-joon, Ahn Jeong-ha, Won Hae-yo, Kim Jin-woo and Min-gi Harabeoji and their struggles as the show progresses and how they work on themselves and their life to get closer to their goals and dreams are extremely motivational.

About the Characters and Actors:-

Sa Hye-joon, the character that has taught me so much. The boy doesn't have it easy growing up. The environment at home isn't really encouraging for him yet he turns out to be this gentle, kind hearted and soft spoken guy who is highly considerate of people around him. Even with all his struggles and lack of support from family, he makes sure not to let anyone pull him down or stumble from his path. His perspective towards life, his goals and his hard work to achieve his dreams, his dedication towards his friends, his love towards his lady, make him my favourite character. His perseverance is inspiring. Who could have portrayed it better than Park Bo-gum. It's like the character is written for him. Everything about Sa Hye-joon is Park Bo-gum.

Ahn Jeong-ha is a fighter and she is my second favourite character from the show. Park So Dam has outdone herself with the portrayal. Jeong-ha is hard working, talented at her job, passionate about her career, no matter how much people around her try to badmouth her, she faces it with a smile, has her own set of family issues and yet is gentle and kind hearted. Her character is realistic, where she strives and strives but it's only at the end after years of perseverance that she gets closer to her goals.

Won Hae-yo, another character written exceedingly well. His character is complex. He is born with it all, money, popularity, a mother who will fight tooth and nail to get him everything, amazing friends yet he struggles with his own insecurities. He is always there for his friends and would do anything for them yet he is envious when his best friend gets the fame and success he wishes and the girl he wants. He is oblivious to his mother's cunning ways to get him the success and fame that he wishes to get through his hard work. But he is a friendly and a loving guy who wouldn't do a thing to hurt his loved ones. Byeon Woo-seok does a phenomenal job in his portrayal of the character. The break down scene with his mother and his reunion scenes with his friends will make you teary-eyed.

Kim Jin-woo, portrayed by the talented actor Kwon Soo-hyun, is a character with so much love and joy. He is never envious of his friends and their growth, is always supportive of them and brought immense joy and happiness to his friends and the audience.

Lee Min-ji, Sa Hye-joon's manager played by Shin Dong-mi is another favourite character from the show. Her support towards Hye-joon from the beginning till the end is unwavering. She has always been loving and caring towards him like a noona. She does everything she can to get Hye-joon the success he deserves. She works hard along with him, stands by him and always believes in him. She is selfless through and through.

Min-gi Harabeoji (Sa Hye-joon’s grandfather) is very loving and caring towards his family especially his grandson Hye-joon. His determination to prove it to his son that he is a changed man and his relationship with his grandson and his friends is adorable.

If you are a Reply 1988 fan then another thing to look forward to is Hyeri's cameo in the show for Park Bo-gum.

The Director and the Writer:-

The Director Ahn Gil-ho does a brilliant job with the show’s concept. Many of this generation’s young kids are struggling in their paths, lack motivation to chase their dreams and are on the brink of giving up. Since dramas and movies are a big part of learning and entertainment for this generation, shows like Record of Youth will act as an inspiration to many.

If I fell in love with Record of Youth this badly, I cannot wait to watch his latest creation The Glory and see what a masterpiece it is.

Writer Ha Myung-hee has written for dramas like Temperature of Love and Doctors which I really loved as well. With Record of Youth, she has proved that she is here to stay and produce many more incredible pieces of art.

Although romance was a huge part of the show, my takeaways are about inspiration, motivation, goals and dreams. The show is really one of the best picks for encouragement. When the show aired originally, I waited eagerly for the entire week for the two episodes.

Also for music lovers, this Korean drama has one of the best OST’s I have heard. My picks are Every Second by Baekhyun (EXO) and Go by Seungkwan (Seventeen).

Last but not the least, my favourite part of the entire show is how realistic it is (I know I have said that like a million times but still...), especially the end. Unlike other shows, this drama showed that the characters put themselves first. I won't be giving any spoilers for people who haven't watched it yet but this line ....
넌 네 꿈을 이뤘지만 난 지금 시작이잖아 (You've were able to fulfil your dream but I am just getting started).
This line made the entire series worth watching. I loved every single character, their journeys, their perfect-imperfect lives and how they came to choose themselves over others and the society.

If you wish to fill your time with a realistic show with life lessons in every episode, give this show a chance.