Lies, girlfriends, and growing pains in JTBC's Age of Youth

29 July 5, 2016July 5, 2016

Lies, girlfriends, and growing pains in JTBC’s Age of Youth

by girlfriday

I’m really hoping that this show will be the frank, realistic breath of fresh air that it seems to be. I’m optimistic about it—JTBC’s new Friday-Saturday drama Age of Youth is a short 12-episode series that centers around women, their friendships, and their relationships, complete with all the mortifying details. The slice-of-life comedy is about five college roommates who couldn’t be more different from one another, who connect over the growing pains of being in their youth.

The five roommates in the sharehouse are: Han Ye-ri (Six Flying Dragons), a pragmatic, hardworking student who works multiple part-time jobs and has little time for anything else; Han Seung-yeon (Jang Bo-ri Is Here), a hopeless romantic who’s a slave to love; Ryu Hwa-young (Ex-Girlfriend Club), a dating master who knows how to play the game; Park Eun-bin (Secret Door), a desperate single girl who can never seem to get past the first date, who’s also hiding a rowdy personality underneath the ordinary exterior; and Park Hye-soo (Yong-pal), the shy girl who supports her roommates through all their drama.

The latest teaser is all about “the lie that is youth,” and runs through all the lies the girls have been told about the day you enter college, like how you’d automatically get prettier. Or that all the studying to get there would magically pay off, only real life is a hell made up of part-time jobs. That you’d get a boyfriend. That you’d be part of a campus couple [CC], but the only Cs you get are grades, heh. Dramas don’t often portray youth in a realistic way, but I think this one might pull it off, and with a sense of humor too.

Age of Youth follows Mirror of the Witch and premieres July 22.

Via TV Report

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1 sungjong

July 5, 2016 at 8:14 AM

This seems good! I'm waiting eagerly for this show!

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sungjong

July 5, 2016 at 8:16 AM

Especially wanting to see if i am able to relate to my own college and hostel experience

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2 juniper

July 5, 2016 at 8:34 AM

So excited!!! Very glad Park Eun-bin is showing ambition in her career choices. Secret Door had a lot of potential (...), as does this.

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Kiara

July 5, 2016 at 9:09 AM

Same here! I've been dying to see her in a drama.

I guess I'll have to thank Sunny for this :).

So good to see Han Ye-ri back so quickly after The Hunt. I hope jTBC will keep her.

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juniper

July 5, 2016 at 10:22 AM

Sunny was pretty brave to turn it down. If only every idol had that much self-awareness and gumption.

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3 Chiisan

July 5, 2016 at 8:39 AM

Han Yeri, Park Eunbin, and Ryu Hwayoung seems perfectlly casted for their roles!

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4 AL

July 5, 2016 at 8:41 AM

It would have been nice if they weren't attractive.

Lets be real, all of these women are on the higher end of what is considered conventionally attractive - they would have outgoing men lining up to date them.

The only character that sounds interesting is the "pragmatic, hardworking student who works multiple part-time jobs and has little time for anything else". That is the character I think most people can relate to, especially those who don't come from a wealthy family.

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I Quit

July 5, 2016 at 8:52 AM

Comment was deleted

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AL

July 5, 2016 at 10:43 AM

I am skeptical about the studies you reference. Attractive women get approached all the time.

As for the rest, I agree that in order to make it in the world it takes everything you have, unless you come from a privileged background. I never had time for romance between studying, research, and jobs.

Honestly, I think genuine romantic love (not infatuation) is incredibly rare for anyone, and most people go through life without it, so we get our fix from books, dramas, movies.

If you have it, be grateful.

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Firdhiye

July 5, 2016 at 10:13 AM

Of course it was totally realistic it would more mundane, normal looking girls and not pretty actresses, model looking. I thought the same when i saw the teaser, the least pretty girl of the group would still have 10 guys chasing her through college....

But lets be real that the nature of the game in tv,film through out the world. You have to be Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep to have an acting career while not looking like very handsome pretty actor/actors.

Also these girls are not idols chosen to look pretty while they cant barely sing, they are actresses that have worked years to get their first leading roles. Han Ye Ri for example.

Lets not dismiss them because of their good looks when fans rave about Joo Won, other acclaimed young male actors who still look like models despite they didnt start in that field....

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Ben Lee

July 5, 2016 at 3:26 PM

Not going to delve on your other points but I'd like to point out that a Young De Niro(despite his tendency to try to look the part in his many roles) or Streep would beat a lot of current actors in terms of looks.

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Firdhiye

July 5, 2016 at 4:01 PM

I meant that there are always prettier actors,actresses chosen over other actors because of their looks. Meryl Streep wasnt compared to todays broader Hollywood where there are many actresses that are not there as sex symbols.

In the 70s she was told as young pretty actress that she was too ugly to get a lead role by a famous Italian producer. Streep herself said that. She was also told to star in witch roles because she was 40+ years old and her looks. This is from her own words in interviews of telling the dark side of fame for actors who still cant compare to perfect looking leads.

Thats why i think we as fans shouldnt call these girls are too pretty or too ugly by the crazy film, tv standards. They hear enough of that from people who cast them in the roles.

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Ben Lee

July 5, 2016 at 3:27 PM

*in terms of good looks.

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Requiem

July 5, 2016 at 11:11 PM

LOL, I actually only think 2 of them are actually attractive enough to get 10 guys chasing them, except that they're all in good shape, and a lot of guys really just care about the body, so in that sense, I guess you're right ;)....

And I second you on the double-standard with harping on not enough "average-looking" actresses and no one saying the same for "average-looking" actors. It's actually, one of my favorite things about dramas like monstar and Misaeng. They actually had a fat person in a major role! (Granted not a leading role, but fat chance of that happening.)

I DO think they have a legit gripe with the potential casting of the South Korean weightlifting champ, though she actually should be in good shape as I know some female weightlifters and they actually have very little fat on them (a LOT of muscle, though, and a killer, though muscular, body).

As to the drama itself, it sounds pretty good. It kind of sounds a little like Sex in the City for College?

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Firdhiye

July 6, 2016 at 1:07 AM

The weightlifting champ drama is a joke because i have seen those athletes in the Olympics. They tend to be short, muscular body who are thick, almost looking like short fat person than other the rare lifters who are thin, muscular. They are not too skinny looking model. LSK would be broken by half of the things they lift.... Like wrestlers some fat is needed to have alot muscle.

They are like heavyweight boxers its not about the little fat procent in their body but they are alot thick and often become bigger when they stop training everyday.

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5 john

July 5, 2016 at 9:00 AM

Yay for college setting.

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Kiara

July 5, 2016 at 9:12 AM

Yes, so tired of High School dramas with characters played by actors in their 20s and 30s.

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juniper

July 5, 2016 at 10:23 AM

lol agreed.

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windsun33

July 5, 2016 at 3:10 PM

And so tired of 24 year olds playing high school students.

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6 mary

July 5, 2016 at 9:11 AM

I'm excited! Sounds like Answer Me, College. :D

Plus it's scheduled for 12 eps so I feel like they didn't put fillers in the story and will end it exactly how they want to.

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7 eva

July 5, 2016 at 11:44 AM

Looking forward to it! I don't want July to end, but...but I want to watch it already!

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8 blo

July 5, 2016 at 12:28 PM

Okay, I skipped over this when I was skimming through drama titles on Asianwiki, but this actually sounds good. Looking forward to Han Ye-ri. Still missing SFD.

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9 fab

July 5, 2016 at 2:27 PM

Hoping along with you for this to be good! Female centred dramas are rare and good ones even more rare. Also like the college setting, I feel like it's more universally ralatable than HS dramas.

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10 windsun33

July 5, 2016 at 3:12 PM

If this is actually as realistic as it claims to be, I am in. My biggest fear is that after 3-4 episodes the anti-fans will attack and it turns all Pablum on us.

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11 Chandler

July 5, 2016 at 3:41 PM

I really can't believe I'm getting a drama focused on women my age from a writer I adore and a cast that I can (mostly) trust. Love the 12-episode format they're going with. Thank you, jtbc :)

July just started, but I already want it to end so that W and this can get here already.

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12 ren

July 5, 2016 at 6:04 PM

It looks a lot like Ode to Joy, the Chinese drama.

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windsun33

July 5, 2016 at 9:43 PM

Ode to Joy though - like nearly all Chinese dramas - is super sanitized and censored, I gave up after 4 episodes.

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13 ⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐

July 6, 2016 at 1:47 AM

I am very excited for this. One of the reasons why I always love jTBC drama is because they have some good female centric dramas. And.. they give the chance to underrated actors. I hope it will get a good rating too.

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14 nnan

July 6, 2016 at 7:34 AM

looks like chinese remake of ode to joy

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Age of Youth