Age of Youth Ep 11-12 (Final) Discussion Post

[keytfelt.livejournal.com]

Synopsis:
University students share a house. Jin-Myung is busy supporting herself financially and studying. She suffers from lack of sleep. Ye-Eun is devoted to her boyfriend, she is clear about what she likes or not. Ji-Won has a bright personality and likes to drink. Yi-Na is popular due to her beautiful appearance. Eun-Jae is timid, but she has an unique taste for men.

Cast: Han Ye-Ri, Han Seung-Yeon, Park Eun-Bin, Hwa Young, Park Hye-Soo
Network: JTBC
Episodes: 12
Release Date: July 22 - August 27, 2016
Runtime: Fridays & Saturdays 20:30

Watch here: Dramafever

Sources AsianWiki Dramabeans Youtube 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8


I'm gonna miss these girls so much. I'm not too thrilled with the storyline of ep 11, but I love that these episodes showcased the friendship between the roommates. I'm fine with the open-endedness of the finale because I feel like they're all heading in good directions and I just want them to be happy. Thanks for joining in my discussion posts, I've really enjoyed talking to you all about this fantastic show! Over 2% ratings for the final two eps!

Comments

[valerieau.livejournal.com]

Overall, this show was so so great. It would've been perfect, but episode 11 was so wtf? A situation like that is serious and it should get exposure, but this obsessive ex boyfriend scenario came out of nowhere so late into the series. Ye Eun had a nice and complete story just by breaking it off with that asshole. Oh well!

The finale was cute though there are still so many unanswered questions. Did they just completely drop the storyline of the ex roommate lol?

I was cheering wen Jin Myung went to China and someone was jealous of her for once. That must've felt so good. SHE DESERVED IT!

Laughed so hard when the Heechul lookalike showed up. Hilarious character even though he only had 3 lines in total lol.

Ummmmm real life Eun Jae and Jong Yeol are so cute by the way. She facetimed him during her v live thing and it was adorable.



With that, I sign off.

[tree-star123.livejournal.com]

i was expecting some story/closure about the ex-roommate but it never came. i hope there's a 2nd season.

[londonshowers.livejournal.com]

By the ex-roommate, I thought they already explained that.
She got knocked up and her family made her return back home. The girls didn't wanna talk about it bc she still goes to their school & they didn't want rumours to spread. Or was there more to that story that idr?

[jinkiestabi.livejournal.com]

Omg how cute are those two with Facetime!! He looks so cute on the screen, I'm weak, lol.

[keytfelt.livejournal.com]

Welp, now I have to go watch that V Live. They were super cute together in the BTS stuff too.

[iznanassi.livejournal.com]

OP your icon is so cute

I'm only done ep 11 so far but I'm frustrated bc I think the story was totally realistic but just extremely poorly executed. Seungyeon and whoever plays Yeeun's bf cant act, so everything that was culminating up until this point that shouldve been obvious had to be read into. With everyone else's storylines they really made you feel the nuances with their situations. The worst thing for me was that I had absolutely no reaction to every single abuse scene, but I immediately started crying when Eunjae did in the hospital.

Maybe in ep 12 something will change how I feel but I do appreciate them at least dealing with the topic.

[misoras.livejournal.com]

lol I thought Eunjae was the worst actress of the five. imo Yeeun had a pretty drama free life so I think that explains away her character being unnuanced in comparison?

[keytfelt.livejournal.com]

thank you!
I just felt like Ye Eun's story was done and we had plenty to get to in the last 2 episodes and that weird storyline just took away from characters I really wanted to see. It could have had something to do with the acting (though I'm usually oblivious to bad acting unless it's super terrible). I'm glad that's something the writer wanted to call attention to, but it marred an otherwise pretty perfect drama for me (still up in my top 5 of all time though)

[misoras.livejournal.com]

Abusive bf's lack of remorse... woo...

[bubblyshades.livejournal.com]

I admit when I first saw the preview for ep 11 I felt like I'd been slapped - I knew Dooyoung was a grade A douchebag, but seeing him kidnap and abuse Yeeun like that was such a huge shock. But thinking back on it, the writer had hinted at him being physically abusive before - when he forcefully dragged her from his car and just flung her onto the street. And his emotionally manipulative ways and self-loathing self-centered personality has been established from the get-go.

Sometimes, we don't always see that part of a person coming. And we know, living in our sexist patriarchal society as we do, that men like Dooyoung are unfortunately not rare. So I appreciate the writer showing the extremely harmful and insidious effects of male entitlement and the fragile male ego. I cried with Yeeun when she was bound up and beaten and just so helpless. And to look back and think, This is the kind of guy that I once fell for?? No wonder women and victims and survivors of abuse have trust issues. The ending with her lingering PTSD... I wished I could have reached through the screen and supported her. Another job well done to the writer for not just glossing over what a traumatic event her kidnapping and abuse was.

Aside from that, poor Jiwon when the other girls all had someone who rushed to the hospital in concern. I know she played it off for laughs, but I would have been supremely lonely in that scenario too.

On a shallow note, I really didn't like Yina's hair in the last ep lmao. xD that was a wig, right?? But girl has come such a long way and I'm so proud of her. She's headed to great things.

Omg I think my favorite scene from the last two eps (in addition to the girls taking a pic after they're back from the hospital) was them at the funeral for Jinmyung's brother. How sweet that the girls showed up in support, and how realistic with the awkward formality and uncomfortable somberness of the moment bubbling over into stifled laughter.

I'm gonna miss these girls and this show. please, let there be another women-oriented drama centering on women friendships and featuring a cast of women diverse in looks and personality who shine in their own respective loud or quiet ways.

[victorrules.livejournal.com]

Okay, we need more suggestions for well-written dramas about female friendship. I’ll start with a drama that’s oft recommended here: Detectives of Seonam Girls' High School!

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

i'm not looking at the other comments because i'm just finishing up ep 8 (thanks everyone for the suggestions where to watch!)

i really love the drama so far as a portrayal of female friendship and a diverse set of female characters. i especially love the hard-working yoon jin myung and her stubborn edurance and sunbae song who i think is hilariously loud. their backstories are starting to unravel so i'm just going to continue watching now :)

[victorrules.livejournal.com]

OP I love your icon.

It’s weird that the storyline with the ex-roomate/ballerina (Is she Hyojin, the name Ji Won whispered?) was just dropped.

I think the Ye Eun’s ending is kind of hopeful; she’s no longer delusional about needing the help she needs, and that’s the first step in one’s recovery. I hope she never responds to Doo Young’s letters!

Jin Myung’s chef boyfriend’s interior monologue was funny. I’m glad she has a chance to go gallivanting around the world!

D’aww Ji Won. I loved that moment between her and Jin Myung at the funeral. I wish we had more screentime with her.

Eun Jae, my cuddly (maybe?) murderer.

Yi Na’s awkwardness with the cologne gift made sense, I thought. I would assume that all of her relationships with men have been sexual (sans her colleague?), and this friendship with Jong Kyu would have been breaking new grounds with her. I hope Yi Na and her colleague eventually get there though.

The ending with the landlady was funny. You do you, kickass landlady!

Does anyone know if there will only be one series of this show? How probable is a second season?

[keytfelt.livejournal.com]

❤️ thank you!

I couldn't figure out how to read that scene with Yi Na. All their scenes together even before the reveal of who ahjusshi was had a weird vibe to me and I thought that the gift/cutting her hair how he said he liked it in their conversation at the bar episodes ago meant she was trying for not just a friendship with that guy even though he's old enough to be her father. IDK, I'm hoping I read that wrong and her friend will tell her his feelings and they can be cute together.

Multiple seasons are more common on cable networks but I looked up jtbc's dramas and they've never had a second season before. But believe me, if they announce a season 2 I will definitely make a party post about that!

[londonshowers.livejournal.com]

Ep 11 was really scary.
Yoon Sunbae's bf was the cutest among all the boys imo and I was really glad to see her get a happy ending.
The whole ending of the series was pretty open so I'm hoping they do another season.
There's still so much to explore, Ji Won's life & constant lying, Ye Eun's ptsd, Yoon-sunbae finding herself in China, and showing Yi Na adapting to 'normal' life. [btw this whole time I thought she was in her late 20s almost bc they had all those kids call her ajumma but she's only 24 and I was like ????]

[unelixir.livejournal.com]

I hope they do a season 2 too but do k-dramas usually get season 2s?

[lucyownsjoaquin.livejournal.com]

I'm not a fan of open endings, but I am not mad at this one. Although please make a season 2! I could watch these girls all day even if they are just bickering.

[jinkiestabi.livejournal.com]

I'm so heartbroken. This really was the best drama I've seen in a long time. And it has everything to do with the main cast being all women. ( :D )

I didn't like what happened in Ep. 11, but I wasn't surprised about it. Dooyoung was verbally and emotionally abusive and manipulative while they were in a relationship. I had no inkling that he was going to take the break-up well. But the ending interview solidified his mental state. He wasn't at all remorseful.

On the bright side, the best part about Ep. 11 was the girls coming to Yeeun's rescue. Eunjae getting cut on her palm and everybody being so dramatic. A++++ scene. I laughed so damn hard. I'm like Yina, I was wondering why the girl passed out, lmao.

I'm really happy that we got just a little bit more of Jiwon's past life. I wanted more, but perhaps that's the point of her story line. We don't know what might be the truth or not. I'm glad we finally got Eunjae's story as well. Her guilt and inner turmoil were conflicting. If she didn't take the responsibility, she had to admit that her father wasn't who she thought.

Did anyone else intensely cry when Jinmyung went to hug Eunjae? I mean I cried HARD, I had to step away. I'm still crying, lmao.

Everything finally came out, but...Jiwon...does that mean she lied about what she saw in the reports? Damn, Jiwon had ole boy in the palm of her hand...lol. He likes her despite him acting like he doesn't. It would have been nice to see where that would have gone. I'm happy that Jinmyung is going away for a while. She deserves it. Did they really have to do that to Yina's hair? Lol. And my hope for her and friend will live on, he SO cares about her. And I knew Dooyoung's letter was a crock. I didn't believe for a second that it was genuine. I was waiting for the therapist to call Yeeun out for talking about others and not herself. It was the classic defense mechanism. However, I am glad the true reaction to her traumatic experience was portrayed. There's a lot of layers to Yeeun to be uncovered. She seems sensitive and easily shows emotion, but to her true inner conflicts, it seems like a territory she steers clear of.

I feel this is a drama that can probably have another season, because it told a story as their lives were progressing. And new things can always pop up as life goes on. In any case, this was great. THANK YOU, OP for posting about it on Omona or we would have all missed out on a great drama.

[unelixir.livejournal.com]

I'm really curious too about the reports because of what Jiwon said to her org friend, but the insurance investigator says there's no foul play so I guess there really isn't? I'm not sure how Jiwon would've influenced the authentic lab reports from the government.

[victorrules.livejournal.com]

OP, I hope jtbc's marketing department gives you a commission for convincing everyone to watch this show ;)

[keytfelt.livejournal.com]

This is the best comment haha. I bet they would be happy to know there's some random girl in the US making posts about Age of Youth and getting a bunch of people to watch. You're welcome jtbc!

[unelixir.livejournal.com]

I always thought the the ex-roommate being preggo was a lie because Yi Na said that pretty hastily, and I thought that was just a cover up from what happened. I don't know, the whole ballerina shoes + ballet photo, it seems like the writers were thinking of a different direction during the first part of the story for the ex-roommate and then they got lazy so they just forgot about it.

I have several questions tho:
- Will Jinmyung go back to Korea and stay in the house with the other girls?
- What was that horrible wig on Yi Na at the last episode??!
- Why are they so cruel to Ye Eun's character? They ended the story with her's just beginning.
- What was that horrible wig on Yi Na at the last episode??!

Also, I'm very lost. So Eunjae's dad loved his son so much so he decided to kill his mother for insurance? Why did they emphasize Eunjae's insurance too? Sorry, this is the part wherein I'm really lost, either the subs threw me off, or I'm just really stupid. (Probably the latter.)

Anyway, I'm so sad for Ye Eun's character. As I've said before, it feels like it's only the beginning of her story. I cried so much when she was triggered in the last episode. Fuck, man. That must be so hard, to have that happen to you. Idk, I'm really so sad they gave her that kind of ending. :(

Yi Na please love yourself. Ahjussi is not interested in you. (I got the vibes that she wants him, idk if it's just me.)

AHHHHH, everything is uncertain, I got real sad, it feels like they rushed everything into episodes 11 & 12? The story is so heavy I feel like they needed to add 2 more episodes just to give it time LOL.

Anyone got any recommendations for k-dramas like this? Female centric and just the equal amount of life, reality, romance & friendship? I tried watching Seonam but it's too corny for me, couldn't finish episode one.

Thank you, OP, for letting us know about this drama! If I didn't see these posts, I would've never watched this.

BTW, I really loved Hwayoung's acting in this. And I hope to see the girls collab in the future for new dramas!

[episkia.livejournal.com]

There aren't many dramas that are set in university, which is a really big shame. These aren't particularly what you're looking for, but I'll highlight dramas where I thought female friendships are decently explored in age order: Reply 1997, the I Need Romance series exploring a group of different female friends & their work and relationships each season, Woman Who Still Wants to Marry (similar) & Dal Ja's Spring (one of those rare dramas where each character is a whole person with or without the protagonists). I've also heard Ex Girlfriend Club that Hwayoung was in had the girls band together, and I know some people really liked it, but I couldn't get past the first episode.

There .......... really aren't many at all SIGH.

[rosiemotleymind.livejournal.com]

I can't believe this is over! This is up there with my fave dramas now. The ending with Eun Jae before she found out the toxicology reports had me sobbing my poor baby! But Ye Eun's ending I actually really enjoyed because it's realistic. I'm so pleased with Jin Myung's storyline because she deserves everything. The hot guy, the trip, happiness! I reaaaally like that even though the girls had romantic interests they were still doing them. that said I want Yi Na to get with her friend because they would be perfect together. Ji Won and her obliviousness/thirst is something I'm going to miss. I just feel too many things with this drama. I love the open ending too. The girls have some closure and some don't and I think that's just great. I hope there's a second season. im going to try and get back into Seonam Girls because I live for Stephanie Lee it was just too slow for me.

[keytfelt.livejournal.com]

I agree, it's up in my top 5 fave dramas. I loved that Jin Myung was experiencing life and happy and the cute boy was the one questioning his place in her life. Don't worry, she likes you! She'll write you letters! I love that even though I loved loved all the romantic relationships (minus, obviously, one), I loved the friendships between the girls so much more. Whenever they had a group hug or comforted each other or were happy together it just filled me with warm fuzzy feelings.

[secretkeeperr.livejournal.com]

omg, I can't believe this is over already. I love this drama so much, I love the focus on the girls and their friendships and their lives and I really love the grandma landlady.

My favourite character is Jiwon, hands down - although I love all the girls, and Yina is a close second, but I love Jiwon so much because I feel I use to be like her then depression happened. I use to be a compulsive liar as a kid, mainly because I came from a broken home, and I use to substitute that fact with a) the lying and b) being way too happy at all times so none would think about whats going on at home. I hope if we ever get a second season, Jiwion's backstory gets explored and why she lied.

I also really appreciated when the show showed Yeeun triggered and not fine. I feel it was so respectful and tasteful in comparison to other ways I've seen it done. Also the boyfriend so was manipulative since the very beginning and he physically hurt her early as well. (I'm not going to lie, I was laughing when Eunjae was being put into the ambulance because I did see she only got hurt on her hand and the girls were just so motherly and OTT and it was cute.)

I don't know how I feel about Yina and the old man's relationship because he hurt her. I understand about his daughters death - which is why I'm not on a witch hunt for him but still, I don't think its the best or ideal? idk?Also Jinminyung!!! The best! My darling! I hope she enjoys her self in China, she deserves it. Be carefree my love!

This show is honestly one of my favourite all time dramas, the only other favourites I have are SUFBB and Reply 1997 - this show gives me the same feeling of absolute love and adoration. If you're reading this and havent seen the show- I highly highly highly recommend.

[keytfelt.livejournal.com]

Why do all the best shows end too early and bad shows stretch on forever? I love love SUFBB and R97 is also great so I applaud your taste in dramas!

[episkia.livejournal.com]

I loved this series :(((

I loved every single one of these girls, and I was especially protective of Yeeun because her problems might've seemed 'petty' (in the beginning) but they're so real and important. The other girls' difficulties don't lessen hers at all.

I liked how their storylines wrapped up, especially with the sort-of-romantic relationships that were left open ended. Yi-na's boy's twist of the mouth killed me though. And the internal dialogues of the older dude, chef boy and newspaper boy were hilarious.

[shocko-o.livejournal.com]

I've only skimmed through the final episode, but I love how much care the writer has for each of the storylines. They don't have to have perfectly happy endings (except Jin Myung because girl has been through too much) but each of their stories were given enough attention. I'd have preferred more for Jiwon (who's Hyo Jin? what about that guilt or fear that she experiences when she hears the screech?) but they simply didn't have time to address that in 12 episodes.

I thought it would be too convenient for Yi Na's best friend to like her, but I enjoy their dynamic. Yi Na's not going to have any luck with her current crush, so it's nice to know there's a possible romance for her where the man does care for more than her looks.

I LOVE that Jin Myung decides to put her plans of entering corporate world on hold, because the motivation for that was just to make a good salary. For once she can explore her interests and figure out her direction. I feel like someone had to experience that in a college drama.

[monceri.livejournal.com]

I just watched all episodes in 2 days and I have to say I really liked it.

[velvetpocket.livejournal.com]

damn, I was almost in tears at the end because I want to have friends like that. I loved this show and it was worth every second of it.
The PTSD-storyline was handled very realistically. I worried the whole time they would gloss over it but then that last scene happened, and as sad as I am for her character, I was so happy for the story in that moment because that is how it really goes.
I am also choosing to believe the ex-roommate storyline was purposely dropped, because not every secret is meant to be revealed. I am totally aware that that is probably not at all the reason, but this show was too good to let it be ruined by a fluke in the storyline.
Ugh, I could say much more but many other comments already expressed my feelings. I will miss this show!

[fakelunacy.livejournal.com]

I'm so sad this is over. Rewatch marathon is in order!

So glad a drama came out focused only on women and different daily issue and female friendships. The casting was perfect. So many kdramas are so heavy on the romance even if the genre is not primarily romance that I just can't. And while this drama does have romance, it doesn't suddenly become the main plot. The love interests actually actually helped each girl's development in life/character. :)

I want a second season but at the same time I don't. 8D I'm in if all actors are able to participate!