I want to preface this by saying I have not watched k-dramas in a long, long time. I think 200lbs of beauty was the last one I really binged in 2007? I had lost interest in kdramas and it wasn't until I was bored this holiday season that I started seeing more Kdramas/Jdramas pop up on Netflix. Maybe I'm showing my age, but I had instant nostalgia when I heard Utada Hikaru singing in the preview of J-drama for First Love. My God. It brought me back all those years ago. I watched out of curiosity but kept my expectations low. Holy balls. What did I watch? It was SO FRIGGIN GOOD. Cue to me binging the series in a week and listening to that song on repeat.

That wasn't enough though. I was looking for my next fix and saw Twenty-Five, Twenty-One. Now, I don't usually enjoy coming of age films/shows since I can't relate to them. I had higher expectations now after First Love. The reviews were praising it so I gave it a chance. Ya'll... I went in with no expectations and ended up crying every damn episode. And Hae Do making me laugh. The ending could have been fleshed out a little more and I would have loved an update on the other characters but the message that life is messy and growing up/apart was not lost on me. The depth of the story, the hope and loss of first love, the chemistry of the characters, character development, the score, the 90s throwback and me yelling at the screen when I saw JNCO jeans, the cinematography and flair. Not to mention I love, love, loved the raw emotion from the fencing tournaments and how it was filmed. It was nothing like the k-dramas that I had remembered. How fitting that I finished the finale on New Years Eve. I was getting goosebumps and really invested in the characters succeeding. Both of these are brand new to Netflix, but like, have I been missing on amazing dramas like this over the years?

I tried Hometown Cha-Cha Cha, Crash Landing on You, 39, My Mister and I could not get into any of them. I stopped watching a few episodes in. Maybe they were too slow. Maybe I just like a good underdog story, I don't know. I'm thinking Start up (2020) might be interesting since it also starts Nam Joo-hyuk? Any other recommendations like 25-21 and First Love on Netflix? Thank you kindly!