Fun comic Korean series explores pressures on teens.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
An organized girl fight happens in an alley -- the girls punch, kick, shove, pull hair and throw each other. Minor injuries result. Fencing competitions get intense, though nobody is hurt.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Be true to yourself even when things are difficult. Don't let your dream die. Be open to possibility. Understand that your parents and grandparents have a story too. Everyone is doing their best to get through tough times. Respect your elders.
Positive Role Models
a little
Na Hee-do's fencing coach is tough on her, but fosters inspiration. The female characters have difficult relationships with their mothers, but both sides try to build bridges over time.
Educational Value
very little
The fiancial crisis in South Korea during the late 1990's is a theme. Characters compete in competitive fencing, the rules of which are demonstrated throughout the series.
Diverse Representations
very little
This series takes place in South Korea; all of the characters are of Asian descent. No LGBTQ+ or ability diversity is represented.
Parents need to know that Twenty Five Twenty One is a romantic comedy in Korean with English subtitles that has some language ("bitches," "damn," "hell"). A multi-generational story about teen girls whose dreams are disrupted by family disputes or political issues, girls are sometimes called "idiots" by their coaches or other adults. As part of a plan to be transferred to another school, a main character tries to get expelled from school by taking part in a fight, and when that fails, goes to a night club where people are drinking and smoking. Some hitting, shoving...and lots of fencing.
Such a great show. I really enjoyed this with my family! I think it’s suitable for ages 9+ because their it a bit of language but overall not that bad!
This show has very positive messagey and you should let ur kids watch it all of them even specific 6 and 9yo and 11yo DO NOT NEED YOU TO WATCH IT WITH THEM!!!
What's the Story?
In TWENTY FIVE TWENTY ONE, a middle schooler named Kim Min-chae is readying herself for a dance competition at a school in Seoul, Korea. But as she watches the girl competing before her land every move, she abandons the competition. She runs away to her grandmother's house in a suburb, blaming her mother for putting too much pressure on her. When she finds her mother's diary from 1998, she becomes immersed in her mother's teenage dream to become a fencing champion. A mysterious young man, whose family was devastated by the economic crisis that ravaged Korean companies at that time, keeps appearing in the story. Will Kim Min-chae learn to forgive her mother? Does her mother's story hold a secret that will change their mother-daughter relationship?
Bubbly, spirited, youthful, Twenty Five Twenty One asks how people can follow their youthful dreams when the world has other plans. Girls in this series are not to be deterred, which is refreshing, if challenging. Mothers' and daughters' voices spiral in dramatic arguments that passersby can hear from the street. Girls run away from home, trying to escape pressure, getting into trouble for the sake of saving their own dream. Though not always artfully executed, the modern Korean woman's plight is lightly explored in this show.
Fans of fencing will enjoy how seriously the sport is taken by characters in this show-- not a sport rom-com's are typically built upon. The romantic aspect of this comedy develops at a maddenly slow pace, which might leave some teens wanting, though others will stick around to witness the innocent joys of first love.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in media. At one point, Na Hee-do participates in a big fight after school. How does seeing violence like this affect you?
Na Hee-do likes reading comics, though she's teased by others as being stupid because she prefers comics to other books. Do you think having a preference for certain kinds of media makes you smarter? Does it matter?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
