The buildup was phenomenal but the finale was too anticlimactic and boring. A waste of time getting past all that honestly.
70 Reviews
unexpectedly bleak
froghaos27 October 2020
Below average
bhardwaj-9058016 November 2020
Much needed k drama topic! Hard core reality check
Giselle17108 September 2020
This show did an amazing job at showcasing how male actors in Korea are alws in a tight spot because of their career and nonstop military duty pressure! The struggle is real and this drama shows it beautifully. Only few episodes aired but I was hooked from the first episode and I m sure it will be another masterpiece of Park BoGum like reply 1988. Most interesting fact is that he joined military immediately after shooting this drama! Talk about coincidences!
Light, realistic, wholesome and well acted!
anneclairedrocourt28 November 2020
I'm relatively new to SK dramas but, saved for a few, most dramas I've seen were incredibly unrealistic, overtly dramatic, and had exaggerated acting, which made me want to stop with the genre altogether! In that respect Record of youth is a breath of fresh air, it realistically depicts the trials and tribulations of young people with family, friendship, romantic relationships and work.
The cast is great, the outfits are on point, and the filming is very good!
They've really well represented the issues young people are faced with in SK, especially, as is the case of the three lead characters, when they are unwilling to compromise on their values.
In my opinion, they've also perfectly depicted how a new romance might unfold, how two individuals get more confortable with each other, how they learn about each other, how they try to support one another, etc. (a cute example of that is when they go to the movies really early because she has work and cannot do another time).
I've been surprised to read that people think the lead actors do not have chemistry, I wholeheartedly disagree, it might not be as intense as in other SK dramas, but they definitely have it, and I love how the romance does not overpower everything else in the series.
One of the best thing about the series for me is the fact that they have touched on many of the issues prevalent in SK society, i.e. star status, online bullying, the press' unaccountability, family and social pressure, toxic work environments, access to education, compulsory military service, etc.
I think people more used to fast-paced dramas with dramatic events and revelations every minute might not enjoy this one, but if you're looking for a cozy, light and realistic drama, this is definitely the one!
Good, but boring
blebbe4 October 2021
Brilliant Timing
triciastone-7001117 September 2020
Only three episodes in, and totally hooked. The poignancy of watching knowing that Park BoGum was on the cusp of enlisting. The casting is excellent. Can't think of a single character yet who hasn't nailed their performance and made their character credible. The undertones are palpable and a sense of pending drama. Superb job.
I hate the end
qubeck14 November 2020
Nice to watch
jquant-212388 November 2020
Boringgggg. The worse PBG series
jul319753 November 2020
Huge kdrama fan now
mpmunoz-6299029 October 2020
Hmmm, I have to comment on the negative reviews stated against "Record of Youth". I felt they were a bit harsh.....the actors in my opinion were incredible. I would like to see the haters try to act in a tv series or movie.......I guarantee you won't be able to. I couldn't wait to see each show, I especially loved the close relationship between the grandson and grandfather. I could relate to the father and sons relationship and was very pleased to see that their relationship issues were resolved.......kudos to the director. Ok, now the reason for my score (8/10).......in as much as I LOVED this show, I felt the ending was a little weak. I'm a huge romcom fan and I love to see happy endings. When a tv series like this one builds you up to the point of sheer bliss, the final scene between the girl and boy should be just as exciting as the build up. I can't wait to see my next kdrama.......I am a huge fan, go fighting!
Interesting in parts. Bad hair
phd_travel26 November 2020
Some parts of this show are interesting and different. The struggles and success of an actor are neatly laid out here. Also the support of his grandfather and mother, his father's opposition and effect of his success on the family members is interesting. The various problems success like press looking for scandal and opportunists are shown. Also the scrutiny they face when dating is quite real. The problem of military service is something not seen in other dramas. The grandfather's character is interesting.
The family plays a big part. The main fault is the romance itself feels more like a friendship. The wealthy nice best friend is a change. Not all rich people are bad. The story telling format of jumping forward and then going back to fill in doesn't work well here. One good thing is the villains like the reporter and the jealous actor are quite realistic instead of over the top types. Park So Dam looks better with black hair than orange hair. She seems a bit matter of fact in her attitude. Different from Parasite. PBG has a bad hair style in this show. His acting is okay but his hair style is too short. Military almost. Some parts drag but the interesting parts now and then keep it worth watching. Just that the romance is weak.
The family plays a big part. The main fault is the romance itself feels more like a friendship. The wealthy nice best friend is a change. Not all rich people are bad. The story telling format of jumping forward and then going back to fill in doesn't work well here. One good thing is the villains like the reporter and the jealous actor are quite realistic instead of over the top types. Park So Dam looks better with black hair than orange hair. She seems a bit matter of fact in her attitude. Different from Parasite. PBG has a bad hair style in this show. His acting is okay but his hair style is too short. Military almost. Some parts drag but the interesting parts now and then keep it worth watching. Just that the romance is weak.
Top lead actors, bad script
nyss111-808-76893027 October 2020
Indie Cap On!
cc26829 October 2020
This is like an "indie" K-drama. The pace is really slow but the script does leak the ambition to help the audience slow down enough not just to name but to feel the intricacies of each tension (within and between the characters) - also, to honor how, as a literal "record of youth", many things are also yet to be seen or understood from the protagonists' point of view. When I switch to this mindset, I'm able to taste and enjoy the range of subtle flavors in this grounded work (and the courage behind following through with it by the whole cast and crew).
Good enough to show how a Star cannot really have a private life
natassa-athens17 November 2020
I liked this drama because it showed how the star system works and how a star cannot really have a private life, or how his life can be affected by publicity.
I also liked it because it showed that someone can be successful against all odds.
I loved Park Bo Gum, because he had a great performance! His character in the plot was great too! Unfortunately the woman lead was not good enough for this drama, per my opinion. Was it the script that made her look quite cold? Was it the director? Or was it her own acting? I don't know. I did not also like the plot of their romance as it evolved during the last episodes (I refer to her part and what she did). It was a bit disappointing and her character looked somehow selfish.
I found it a bit boring in some points, but generally it gave me food for thought about this specific way of living (the star system) and about the treating of other people.
Generally good.
I also liked it because it showed that someone can be successful against all odds.
I loved Park Bo Gum, because he had a great performance! His character in the plot was great too! Unfortunately the woman lead was not good enough for this drama, per my opinion. Was it the script that made her look quite cold? Was it the director? Or was it her own acting? I don't know. I did not also like the plot of their romance as it evolved during the last episodes (I refer to her part and what she did). It was a bit disappointing and her character looked somehow selfish.
I found it a bit boring in some points, but generally it gave me food for thought about this specific way of living (the star system) and about the treating of other people.
Generally good.
Good acting but pedestrian
petermarendy27 October 2020
Superb acting by Park Bo-gum
hasneetchowdhary7 September 2020
Another typical drama?
thehopefully28 March 2021
This drama perfectly sums up the struggles young adults face when trying to pursue their dreams.
Money, relationships, friendships, family and reputation. All these subjects requires your attention.
The story is about people struggling to achieve their dreams: to be successful. Sa Hey-Jun, a young adult born into an ordinary family, tries to make it as an actor. He has been in the shadow of his good friend Won Hae-Hyo for far too long. When he finally start to rise to fame, Won Hae-Hyo, born and raise into a wealthy family, is shocked and scared that their positions will now be reversed. Now he stands in the shadow of Hey-Jun, which led to disapproval from his mother. He must do better.
Kim Jun-U is also part of their friendship. He likes to start his own photography business, but it hasn't worked out yet. Later in the drama, he finds himself facing Hae-Hyo because of his relationship with his sister. Will their friendship survive?
An Jeong-Ha faced some problems in her childhood, but she managed to stand on her own feet. She likes to start her own beauty salon. Her plans might change unwillingly when she ends up in a relationship with Hae-Hyo. How does she deal with this?
As for chemistry, I love the relationship between the three friends. The interactions and development of their friendship is admirable. The drama also focus on Hae-Hyo's family. His relationship with his dad and brother is tense. They both disagree with the (career) choices he has made. Later in the series you see them growing closer to each other, which made me shed a few tears as I watched the ending scenes...
However, in my honest opinion, there was no chemistry between the actors who played Jeong-Ha and Hae-Hyo. I found it awkward to watch. The awkward smile Jeong-Ha gave in response to Hae-Hyo's efforts to make her happy, no, it didn't work out.
Although the drama contains some clichés, such as the exaggerated love relationship between Jeong-Ha and Hae-Hyo while Hae-Hyo also loves Jeong-Ha (a common thing in most K-drama series), it doesn't affect the storyline. Actually, it adds a little bit of spice to the series.
Aside from all this, I highly recommend that you watch this episode if you are looking for a drama that keeps you busy for the next few days .
Money, relationships, friendships, family and reputation. All these subjects requires your attention.
The story is about people struggling to achieve their dreams: to be successful. Sa Hey-Jun, a young adult born into an ordinary family, tries to make it as an actor. He has been in the shadow of his good friend Won Hae-Hyo for far too long. When he finally start to rise to fame, Won Hae-Hyo, born and raise into a wealthy family, is shocked and scared that their positions will now be reversed. Now he stands in the shadow of Hey-Jun, which led to disapproval from his mother. He must do better.
Kim Jun-U is also part of their friendship. He likes to start his own photography business, but it hasn't worked out yet. Later in the drama, he finds himself facing Hae-Hyo because of his relationship with his sister. Will their friendship survive?
An Jeong-Ha faced some problems in her childhood, but she managed to stand on her own feet. She likes to start her own beauty salon. Her plans might change unwillingly when she ends up in a relationship with Hae-Hyo. How does she deal with this?
As for chemistry, I love the relationship between the three friends. The interactions and development of their friendship is admirable. The drama also focus on Hae-Hyo's family. His relationship with his dad and brother is tense. They both disagree with the (career) choices he has made. Later in the series you see them growing closer to each other, which made me shed a few tears as I watched the ending scenes...
However, in my honest opinion, there was no chemistry between the actors who played Jeong-Ha and Hae-Hyo. I found it awkward to watch. The awkward smile Jeong-Ha gave in response to Hae-Hyo's efforts to make her happy, no, it didn't work out.
Although the drama contains some clichés, such as the exaggerated love relationship between Jeong-Ha and Hae-Hyo while Hae-Hyo also loves Jeong-Ha (a common thing in most K-drama series), it doesn't affect the storyline. Actually, it adds a little bit of spice to the series.
Aside from all this, I highly recommend that you watch this episode if you are looking for a drama that keeps you busy for the next few days .
Sustaining and improving
fionawilson23415 September 2020
Mostly enjoyable.
elc200514 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The continuity/editing was overused IMHO. Too many times something would be happening on screen, only it really happened 12 hours later or 36 hours earlier and with no onscreen text to tell us that, the viewers just had to guess what day it was....
Bo Gummy was perfect. The brother was excellent. All 3 mothers and the agent were great!
Not my favorite role for So Dam so far but it just her character and or the translation. Everything was a contradiction with her. These K Drama writers still can't come up with a legitimate breakup reason even when one is standing 6ft tall in our faces (Hello Hae-Hyo). The Best friend liking her really served no purpose in the drama if no one was gonna be conflicted by it.
Anyway - SPOILER - I choose to believe they get back together because they walked off talking the same way they did when they first got to know each other.
7/10 Will recommend but will not rewatch.
Bo Gummy was perfect. The brother was excellent. All 3 mothers and the agent were great!
Not my favorite role for So Dam so far but it just her character and or the translation. Everything was a contradiction with her. These K Drama writers still can't come up with a legitimate breakup reason even when one is standing 6ft tall in our faces (Hello Hae-Hyo). The Best friend liking her really served no purpose in the drama if no one was gonna be conflicted by it.
Anyway - SPOILER - I choose to believe they get back together because they walked off talking the same way they did when they first got to know each other.
7/10 Will recommend but will not rewatch.
The live of every youth is worth recording
yuyiyi27 September 2020
It is the best kdrama series after reply 1988. The acting of Park Bogum and Park Sodam are natural, easy and immersive in these series. The delivery of the story is refreshing and attractive. It is a story about the development of youth, a story about family issues. I was amazed by how easy and fashinated the drama looks like while such deep and hard issues were discussed.
Loved Actor Park Bo-gum and Grandpa, Disliked the Script
PalmBeachG7 April 2022
Record of Youth on Netflix in the US. You are bound to really love some characters in this drama and dislike some of the characters in this drama. I usually watch K-drama romantic comedies but I do take a break from that every so often and look for a K-drama sans the romance and comedy. The reason for my preference for the romance and comedy is escapism from all the stresses of everyday life that seem to go on too much. That's why I really didn't like this script as I felt there was just too much family bickering going on - it seemed to be constant and I get that the script was portraying that some conflict in families is good and there is growth in that too, but it was just too much. Thank goodness for Grandpa who I really liked who was as cute as a button and brought the relief from that drudgery. I loved Actor Park B-gum as he did an excellent job in his role and he made you love his honesty, compassion, good way of life, responsibility and you wanted him to be 100% happy so bad. I cannot say that I was happy with the ending as I felt like I was left hanging there and would have liked more closure. I really don't like giving out ratings for scripts that I dislike because I feel like I am cheating the actors that did such a good job, and all my stars that I gave are for Park Bo-gum and Grandpa.
EDIT: After I wrote this I looked up Park Bo-gum's biography since it was the first time seeing him act. Now I am wondering how much of the series is actually Park Bo-gum's "real" Record of Youth as I noticed many similarities to his biography and the scenes in the series - for example the academy award scene, some of the acting shots in the series are parallel to what he has done in real life, and military enrollment responsibility. If so, then my review would have been totally different if I had known that. That makes me feel much better about the series. Maybe I didn't get closure in the ending because it isn't written yet in real life? Just a thought.
EDIT: After I wrote this I looked up Park Bo-gum's biography since it was the first time seeing him act. Now I am wondering how much of the series is actually Park Bo-gum's "real" Record of Youth as I noticed many similarities to his biography and the scenes in the series - for example the academy award scene, some of the acting shots in the series are parallel to what he has done in real life, and military enrollment responsibility. If so, then my review would have been totally different if I had known that. That makes me feel much better about the series. Maybe I didn't get closure in the ending because it isn't written yet in real life? Just a thought.
Record of Passable
singakd27 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Its OKAY for relative new take in KDrama but there is no story progression and heavily lacks character development. "Idol falls in love with his fangirl" at the speed of light and then they breakup over nothing solid. "Sorry" is the reason but they never show if they tried working their relationship out any point before that. Romance between them is so dull and unenthusiastic. I normally like Park So Dum but she is just too blant and forgetful in this show. I get that her character is maybe supposed to emulate this cold stone personality but even psychopaths show more emotions that this one! Bottomline is just about anyone could have done her role, she doesn't make it memorable. Park BoGum isn't bad as lead but then I believe its the poor script and direction that pulls him back from giving his best. Hes supposed to be very emotional guy but he barely questions anything or even fights for it. Only thing he fought was his old agent. Give him a star there. THE only people I enjoy are grandfather, brother (quirky) and his agent to some extend. The show is simply passable nothing impressive.
Could have been a hit
Randala8012 March 2024
I don't agree with very negative reviews. It's sweet to watch.
However there is definitely an issue of mis-casting. Some actors seem to be doing their best in this drama and others are too laid back in their performance (including main lead actress who is a weird choice!!)
Timelines in the story are weird especially towards the end, and the plot is not convincing.
The dialogues and interactions between characters are nicely written though.
I am very picky with Kdrama and I usually ditch from first episode if not worthy but this one did keep me doing.
Alas it could have been much better though for sure.
However there is definitely an issue of mis-casting. Some actors seem to be doing their best in this drama and others are too laid back in their performance (including main lead actress who is a weird choice!!)
Timelines in the story are weird especially towards the end, and the plot is not convincing.
The dialogues and interactions between characters are nicely written though.
I am very picky with Kdrama and I usually ditch from first episode if not worthy but this one did keep me doing.
Alas it could have been much better though for sure.
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