After being in a drama slump post Run On, I picked up Youth of May and didn’t expect to fall in love with it so hard. There are still two episodes left until it’s over, but episode 10 hit me like a ton of bricks. I haven’t seen a lot of discussion surrounding this show and it kind of bums me out, so I figured I’d ramble about why I love it so much.

I know everyone is obsessed with Lee Do Hyun, and I completely agree that he’s doing an amazing job, but Go Min Si has also been nothing short of fantastic. The girl can tear up within seconds, cry within minutes and look like she’s gone through hell and back like no one else. I am so glad she got the chance to showcase the range of her acting skills here because I absolutely love everything that she’s done with her character. I didn’t expect much since I’ve only seen her small role in The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, but wow did she blow me away. Here’s to hoping this role gains her some much deserved recognition!

This is my first drama with Lee Do Hyun, and I totally understand why everyone loves him. The boy is talented, and thank god he starred in a romance drama where his counterpart is the same age as him (cough cough, totally not @ him getting paired up with actresses almost 2x older than him). I could go on and on about how great the OTP is, but maybe that’s for another post…? We’ll see.

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    Anyways, since I’m talking about episode 10, I wanted to touch on MH and MS’s sibling relationship. Their relationship is so precious, and it reminds me a lot of my own relationship with my younger brother. How they banter with each other and even give advice to one another feels very authentic to that of a real life sibling relationship. Along with the unconditional love and just genuine care they have for each other’s wellbeing, it’s hard not to love these two. Everything that MH felt in episode 10 upon finding out about MS was so real and relatable. From the initial shock to the intense worrying and then heavy sigh of relief. I felt all of those emotions to my core. The way the whole situation played out made me bawl my eyes out. I occasionally teared up throughout the show’s run, but this was the episode that officially broke me. The episode that filled me with pure anxiety and desperation because I could see myself in MH’s shoes. The absolute dread of it all to lose a family member who I so deeply care about and cherish. How dire it is for anyone to experience such a thing. It was brutal and resonated with me on a whole nother level.

    I’m glad that YOM had the guts to tackle such a dark part of Korean history without being disrespectful and distorting the events that transpired. Instead, the show has treated its topic with care and sensitivity, helping to shed light on the tragedy that occurred. It’s also confronting people with the harshness of the reality that we’re still dealing with to this day in other places around the world. We get multiple different perspectives of how people are handling the uprising with HT and MH in the hospital, SR and the student protestors, SC and innocent civilians, KS and the military, and finally HT’s dad and all those in high command. The drama could easily focus on just our four leads, but instead, we get to experience the conflict through everyone’s eyes. Even the parents and kids weren’t left out or forgotten about. The Gwangju Uprising was always looming in the background, but now that it’s at the forefront of the show, it’s heartbreakingly brutal and very much real.

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    This post turned out a lot longer than I thought it would be, but I just wanted to appreciate this show for everything it has done so far. It’s been a while since a drama has gotten me this invested, and I’m praying that the last two episodes hold up so I can add it to my list of all time faves. Anyways, watch YOM everyone. It angsty, tragic, depressing and almost pure pain, but it’s got solid writing and directing along with some very strong performances from our leads!

    Also yes, I know Lee Do Hyun and Go Min Si played siblings in their previous drama together, but I didn’t watch it so I don’t feel the same awkwardness that others do. Either way, just from watching this, I would have never guessed because their chemistry is spot on and feels super natural!

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    it’s seriously so good and feed my long melodrama romance drought

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    Yep, sad to see not much discussion around it. Not many viewers either bc of the genre I guess. I only picked it up yesterday so I’m not caught up yet, but it’s a great watch. I’m watching it for LDH but yes GMS is so good! I see the little details and expressions both convey and the chemistry – its so nice to see a young otp of rising actors hitting it out of the park. I guess this will be another underrated series.

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