A Few Words on Thirty But Seventeen

To celebrate the end of my exams, I decided to re-watch... well, a lot of things. But I want to talk in more depth today about one of my two favourite shows of last year, Thirty But Seventeen, since I don't think the brief mention in my end of year review gives it justice. When it aired last summer, I found that no-one loved it unconditionally and wholeheartedly the way I did.
Thirty But Seventeen is an exemplary drama for many reasons! It's beautiful to look at, consistently written and extremely well-acted. The ensemble cast is talented and emotive, especially of course Yang Se-jong and Shin Hye-sun who also make for one of the best romantic pairings I've ever seen. The drama bypasses a lot of overused story elements that could have ruined its flow, and the soundtrack is absolutely excellent.
The very best thing about Thirty But Seventeen is its perfect world. When I say that Thirty But Seventeen is set within a 'perfect world', I mean a world in which everyone can and will heal. Despite the fact many of the characters have experienced enormous trauma that has carved the There is no character by the end of the series who has not been saved or redeemed. As a small demonstration of that, one of the characters sustains an injury that we are led to believe could affect his athletic career, and in any other drama, it would. But he is miraculously healed by the next episode, because this drama understands that all it wants to be is cozy and feel-good. I love this with my whole heart, there's nothing to dislike about it, and I hope that there are others who feel the same.