Where shall I start? It is very hard to express my feelings in words.
Youth of May is a drama one of a kind. It is funny, aesthetical, shocking and sad.
I do not know if you would consider this a historical drama, but thinking of usual historical dramas they are set to play more than 500 years ago, at least. 1980 was 41 years ago, and this is why it hits that hard. The people are living just like we do now, just with less technical stuff.
Altogether, I wished there was some more background information about the happenings, which was apparently not needed for the intended audience but my international a$$ :D. But, after recruiting the internet on the topic, I understood the situation better.
Otherwise, it was a first slow and then very fast pacing story. We saw the relationships between the characters develop, the fundamental problems were explained and decisions were made, and I totally could understand why (of cause only on the civil side).
I really do not give away too much of the story, so I keep my thoughts short.
The cast acted amazingly, especially the kids.
For me, there is the need to talk about Lee Soo Ryun. She knew what she wanted and what she believed in. Of course, that made her ignorant at times, but she never forgot who her friends are. At parts, she absolutely blew me away.

I was really shocked about the happenings and cried many times through the drama.
It is really heavy but worth watching. You just need to be aware of it.

Why not 10 points? At parts, I found myself being on the phone, so it could draw my attention for an entire episode.