Twenty-Five Twenty-One: Why High School Shows Still Hit

Being a high schooler is likely one of the most relatable experiences on Earth, with many of us having experienced the fun, embarrassment and growing pains that come with being a teenager. This perhaps explains the sheer amount TV shows produced that are set against the backdrop of teenhood, from dramas like Euphoria and 13 Reasons Why, which claim to portray an authentic image of high school, to mystery thrillers like Stranger Things and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even shows like All of Us Are Dead, in which the main storyline revolves around a group of students fending off their classmates-turned-zombies, still manage to show the challenges faced as a teenager – from crush confessions to brutal bullying.

As someone with fond memories of my high school experience, I have always enjoyed the types of TV series that display the bittersweet realities of being a student, even those which slightly romanticise the truth. Youth, friendship, romance (as well as studying, of course) are all such special parts of high school that I thoroughly enjoy seeing on TV. One show which I believe discusses these topics really well is Netflix’s Korean coming-of-age romance, Twenty-Five Twenty-One, released in 2022.

Perhaps the most special thing about high school is that it ends

Set in 1998, the series follows the 18-year-old fencer Na Hee-do as she navigates her youth alongside the recent national IMF crisis in South Korea.  It also follows 22-year-old, Baek Yi-jin as he tries to recover from his family’s bankruptcy, as well as the romance that begins to flourish between the two in the coming years. As a young girl in the 90s, Hee-do frantically rushes to the library to borrow every new issue of her favourite comic Full House, she retells her days in her secret diary and runs around having fun with her friends when she’s not training for hours to improve her fencing skills. Despite the struggles she faces with fencing, with her friends and family, and with the looming economic problems in the country, she is more than anything a teenage girl with hopes and dreams, enjoying her youth.

We also see adult Na Hee-do, now married with a daughter, in the present day, as she reflects on her youth. Her daughter reads through Hee-do’s diaries, exploring the troubles, pain and heartache her mother suffered during her teenage years, as well as the fun she had with Yi-jin and her other school friends. While to us these seem to be unforgettable moments in Hee-do’s life, she seems to have brushed them off, dismissed them as a distant memory. To audiences, this in fact highlights the ephemeral nature of our youths and the memories surrounding them. Perhaps the most special thing about high school is that it ends – it is an experience to learn and grow from, that doesn’t last forever.

These series can be a way to revisit the ups and downs of high school

What makes this series so unique is the way in which it does not try to sugarcoat the high school experience. Rather than convincing us that the friendships made and love exchanged will last forever, it tells us to treasure the moments of youth we have, because they are fleeting and temporary.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One is memorable because of its authentic depiction of teen years, good times and bad. Not everything goes as planned for Hee-do, but she still has enjoyable times. Her relationship with Yi-jin is far from perfect and (spoiler alert!) they do not end up together, as you would expect. But this is how life is, and, often, as teenagers, we are forced to face this reality just like Hee-do in the show. My favourite thing about shows set in high school is the bittersweetness of it all – how you can sometimes see your teen years on screen, tinted in warm, nostalgic colours. Though our youth is a transient memory, these series can be a way to revisit the ups and downs of high school, no matter how far away those memories seem.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One is available to watch on Netflix.