Cover Here are the reasons why Twenty Five Twenty One is a must-watch (Photo: Netflix)

Twenty Five Twenty One will see the highly-anticipated team-up of Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk

Our first Korean romance drama of 2022 is almost here. After thrilling zombie series, All Of Us Are Dead opened Netflix’s Korean slate of the year and Our Beloved Summer ending, Twenty Five Twenty One is next on the list—a drama with a sprinkle of comedy but essentially about a coming-of-age story which hopes to inspire us for the rest of the year.

The drama will be one of Netflix’s K-drama releases this month, joining the likes of Forecasting Love and Weather, Love and Leashes, Thirty Nine and Business Proposal. If you’re this spoiled for choice, you might be backtracking on what you should watch and what you should skip (or save for later).

To help with that, we break down all the interesting facts to know about Twenty Five Twenty One and why it should definitely be on your watch list.

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1. It has amazing lead stars

Two of South Korea’s hottest stars are leading Twenty Five Twenty One. Nam Joo-hyuk might be a familiar face to many—he starred in two other Netflix dramas, The Schoo Nurse Files and Start-Up.

The model-turned-actor also impressed viewers with his dramatic transformation in The Light in Your Eyes after leaving us swooning in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo. It will be exciting what new side of him he’ll show in Twenty Five Twenty One.

Joining him in the lead cast is Kim Tae-ri who was last seen in the sci-fi movie, Space Sweepers. The upcoming drama will only be Kim’s second one after Mr Sunshine and marks her first foray into a romantic comedy work. Kim is best known for her breakout role in Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden. She won the part after beating out 1,500 other actresses who auditioned.

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2. It has an inspiring plot

From the looks of it, Twenty Five Twenty One is a lot of things: romance, healing drama with sprinkles of comedy but above all, a coming-of-age story.

The drama will chronicle the dreams of two young people who are crushed by the financial crisis in the 1990s. Na Hee-Do (Kim) is a member of her high school’s fencing team which got disbanded due to the financial crisis.

Meanwhile, the crisis also leads Baek Yi-jin (Nam) and his father’s business to go bankrupt. The spoon-fed man becomes poor overnight. To make ends meet, he starts working part-time. Later, he becomes a sports reporter.

We will see how they are able to overcome difficulties and what they will do to achieve their dreams.

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3. It will showcase the chemistry of its two leads

Based on the synopsis of the drama, Na (Kim) and Baek (Nam) first met when they were 18 and 22.  And at ages 21 and 25, they fell in love.

We will be able to see how their relationship has changed due to the financial crisis and how they will navigate life together—through thick and thin. Characters supporting each other through tough times and unknowingly falling in love? Count us in!

It’s the first time that Kim and Nam are working together and while Nam’s character is supposedly older than Kim’s character, Kim is actually six years his senior in real life. It will be interesting to see how their chemistry will unfold.

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4. It has amazing crew members

Twenty Five Twenty One will be helmed by master director, Jung Ji-hyun. He previously worked on other Netflix titles such as You Are My Spring, The King: Eternal Monarch and Mr Sunshine with Kim Tae-ri.

For this drama, he reunites with screenwriter Gwon Do-eun whom he previously worked with in the drama, Search: WWW.

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5. It has a talented supporting cast

Besides Nam and Kim, Twenty Five Twenty One has a stellar cast lineup. Bora was previously in Chicago Typewriter and Girls Generation 1979. She plays top fencing star Go Yu-rim.

Meanwhile, Choi Hyun Wook worked on Netflix’s Racket Boys and plays Moon Ji-woong while Lee Joo-myung was last seen in Kairos and plays top student Ji Seung-wan. Squid Game’s Kim Young-sun also joins the cast Baek’s mother

Run On and You Are My Spring’s Seo Jae-hee plays Shin Jae-kyung, Na’s mother while Kim Hye-eun from Itaewon Class and The Guest will take on the role of fencing coach Yang Chan-mi.

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Twenty Five Twenty One premieres on February 12 on Netflix.

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