Moment of Eighteen is a high school coming-of-age story about first love and the challenges of life at eighteen.  The story follows a group of students who are in the same homeroom class of a local high school.  This is not the cute rom-com variety of school dramas.  While there are some sweet moments, this show tackles some serious issues like bullying, gender identity, academic cheating, and abuse, both physical and emotional.  The stories revolve around the many kinds of relationship that are a part of life for teenagers; peers, teachers, parents, and romantic.

A couple personal notes from me.  Firstly, every time I watch a high school drama like this, I am so thankful that I am not a mom in Korea.  Seriously, the mean mom culture is like living the nightmare of middle school all over again!  Peer pressure is as hard on the moms as is it is on the students.  Scary stuff!  Secondly, this series showcases some very dysfunctional relationships.  About halfway through the episodes, I found myself wondering if any of them had any healthy relationships in their lives.  Of course, I know that a drama is not a drama without…well, drama, but I feel like this one went above and beyond.     It just made me a little sad.

Should I Watch

If you like high school dramas, this one does a good job of breaking the usual mold.  The young cast captured the essence of teenage life.  If you are someone who doesn’t like incomplete storylines, you might not get the closure you would hope for.  But if you are a Ong Seong-Wu fan, this is a performance you shouldn’t miss.  He portrays all the awkward sweetness of first love with quiet honesty.  I give this one a 7 out of 10 ramen.

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