Record Of Youth is the new tvN drama which has also premiered on Netflix. It marks Park Bo Gum’s last drama before the mandatory military service that he has started recently. I was expecting a zippy and colourful first impressions but I was pleasantly surprised by the slow paced, moody vibe that I got from the first two episodes.

Set in the modelling world, the show stars Park Bo Gum as Sa Hye Jun, a model and aspiring actor. He is best friends with Won Hae Hyo, another popular and rich model, played by Byeon Woo Seok. Hye Jun has a huge fan in the form of An Jeong Ha (Park So Dam), who has left her corporate job to work as a make-up artist.

The modelling industry backdrop is not frequently portrayed in dramaland and that adds a freshness factor to Record Of Youth. We see the struggles through Hye Jun, who despite being a semi-popular model, does not earn much and is unsuccessful in bagging a movie role even though he is talented and earnest. He does not have any connections or wealth to boost up his career. I like him already — he is thoughtful, modest, sweet and naive. He is a nice guy.

I also liked the family portrayal of our hero. In the argument between children and parents, no one is right or wrong, it only requires little bit of understanding for both the parties to help each other. Especially the emotional outburst by Hye Jun hit some of the notes very effectively.

There is also a dilemma between chasing your dreams or settling for a job that is stable but not what one wants. I think the first week established this quite nicely. I also liked Hye Jun and his grandpa’s relationship. The show also throws light on how social media is shaping the entertainment industry in today’s world.

Coming on to Jeong Ha, she is also someone trying to make a mark while struggling as a newbie in the beauty industry. Her thoughts about not wanting to date sets her apart, and her complete devotion to her idol, especially because she thinks he is a good guy, is adorable. I loved all their interactions and the misunderstanding/lie helps in making things interesting. I love that they are already friends and I cannot wait to see how the relationship progresses.

Park Bo Gum looks amazing and acts amazingly. No surprises here, right 🙂

Although I do like the friendship between Hye Jun and Hae Hyo, I didn’t get fully invested in it. It’s more on the surface level for me. Hoping to get more out of it in future episodes. Also, I felt some scenes were too sudden, like the trip to France or the last bit in episode 2.

Overall, I’m liking Record Of Youth.