This review may contain spoilers
Refreshing Slice of life/Romance Drama
Absolutely top 3 fav dramas of all time!! It is a slice of life drama which I think is why it's not everyones cup of tea since it doesn't have a lot of dramatic plot points and can get slow but I loved it for the fact that it focused on character and relationship development. (Also just a sucker for good slice of life/exes to lovers/established relationship)Story/characters
I think the strongest point of this drama is that you can relate to the characters so well bc they're very real in the sense that they are flawed in their own way but are living through life and trying to overcome the hurdles life throw at you. I adore how they ended up developing their relationship in a healthy manner and grew to be people that were able t o love each other fully again. I think it was very realistic how sometimes more than love you need to find and love yourself first before being in a relationship. I think the healthiest relationship is when two people are sure of who they are and what they want and know how to be themselves and they find a partner that only enhances those aspects in life and I think this is exactly why woong and yeonsu needed that break. To develop themselves as people and figure out who they are, what they want before being in a relationship again. Getting to know the side characters was also beautiful and the way the side characters were there as support rather than toxic competition was really refreshing, I ended up loving NJ so much in the end although she couldve been easily written as the toxic superstar, she was really the opposite, someone with a lot more layers than you expected. Also super stokes that Jiung ended up having his little happy ending as well;-;
Acting
I love choi wonshik and kim dami so much! their portrayal of these characters was amazing and it felt so real. All the supporting cast was also really well casted, overall acting was superb!
OSTs
Some of the best OST's in a drama I've heard in while!! It's very different vibes from your usual drama Ost ballads but it fits this story so well. I love Christmas tree and I did not know it was sung by V until a good 5 episodes in lol but damn did his voice fit this song and drama so well. The intro song was also lovely and I have most of the OST's in my playlist^^
TLDR
Extrememly well done slice of life drama that focuses on the characters and relationships and portrays them pretty realistically. Very refreshing characters and storyline as well, close to no toxidity/annoying drama tropes/characters. Acting is amazing and OST's are perfect and make this a well rounded, romantic slice of life drama that I'd highly recommend!
Was this review helpful to you?
Not so complicated, youthful, refreshing and warm!
It’s like a refreshing summer drink. But it is also like a warm hot tea you drink when you’re cold. It’s a mix of everything. All the feels, scenes are so relatable and realistic!The plot is simple but mixing everything together made this amazing drama. The documentary is kinda unique. The FL and ML reunion feels so natural. The break up was so painful that I felt like I’m going through it too.
I love that there is no Evil Parents. Well, there’s Yeonsu's grandma but she’s not that annoying. There’s also Ji Ung's Mom but they didn’t explain why she’s like that but we get the gist of it.
I love how all Actors portrayed their roles really well. Feels like each characters given to them are written for them.
Choi Woo Shik looks oh-SO fine! Choi Ung may pretend he doesn’t care or that he didn’t know but I think that’s his defense mechanism. I love how he is when he is with Yeonsu! They’re made for each other!
Kim Dami is a cutie. She looks really really young especially when she’s crying. Yeonsu's defense mechanism is acting tough. I think both Yeonsu and Ung need to develop on how they can open up not just with each other but also to other people. As they are both lacking on that aspect. And I hope it was shown more in the drama. Perhaps Season 2?
Kim Ji Woong, I just hope the writer made him a bit friendlier even only with Choi Ung. I feel like he secretly (even if he doesn’t want to) hates Ung. He envies him for having good parents and for having Yeonsu. But Ung treated him so well. So I just wished him to be friendlier with Ung. If you know what I mean. I just feel like he should have treated Ung better as Ung treated him the best he could!
NJ - I thought I'm gonna hate her BUT I JUST CAN'T. She is such a sweetheart. Even if Ung ends up with her I'm not gonna be mad. (Though it is obviously not possible as both Ung and Yeonsu are obsessed with each other. Haha.)
Ung's Parents- I love them! Their the best parents. Although I think they could have been more honest to Ung. I think they’re also the reason why Ung is kinda aloof with other people.
Eun ho and Sol i are both so cute. They’re the ones that bring comedic scenes here! Love them! I am already shipping them on their first encounter.
The OST is the BEST!!! Gonna add them on my playlist.
The ending? I am definitely satisfied! I expected a lot. I expected it to be sad so I won’t be too heart broken if eve but also hoping to have a happy ending. And they ended it so well!!!
I have so many positive things to say but it will be too long of a review so I’m gonna end it here! Season 2, please!
Was this review helpful to you?
Dont watch the first episode if you have to work the next day.
Story: 9/10A heartwarming, funny yet sad story about a man and a womam (kinda) in love. (what a suprise?)
The romance is a clear 10/10 for me. Kim Da Mis acting is superb and Choi Woo Shik also plays his role to perfection. The dialogues are very well written and not once did it feel like the characters words and actions were incoherent. Why a 9 then? More below.
Music & Audio: 9/10
Theres nearly nothing to criticize here. All songs perfectly fit and push the emotions to another level. It does sometimes feel like the mixing is not perfect, but I believe that is a personal preference. The only minor problem with the music is that all the songs resemble each other, and theres never a big style deviation. While its understandable, at one point in the series they couldve used a change in the musics pace as a stylistic element.
Kinda sad they didnt.
Acting: 10/10: just perfect
Camera&Editing: 10/10
The emotions the series intends to deliver are perfectly delivered through flawless camerawork and impressive but subtle editing.
-------
The only gripe I have with the Series is one of the Subplots. Feels a bit like Perrin from AWoT. It could have been a bit less, but its still okay.
-------
Highly Recommended: 9.5/10
Was this review helpful to you?
Drama that will make you feel all sorts of emotions
This kdrama is so good. And I MEANT IT WHEN I SAY IT'S GOOD.The character's story is so wholesome and the drama itself shows everyone's side of story which makes it 10000% better. You can also see that their acting was good because on ho they portrayed their roles which gave me butterflies T_T. This drama doesn't have the word 'boring' in its dictionary cuz I enjoyed everything. The slow burn romance was really good. Throughout the drama, I was constantly crying or laughing and I was also blushing cuz of the scenes. I can also relate so much to Yeon soo because she is the type of person who gets misunderstand every single time and all she needs was love and care and she always takes care of his grandma because she value her which is super cute. AND the male lead was such a standard. Like, I always wanted a man like him. Someone who will try to understand you and accept you all the time. THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS SO DAMN GOOD T_T. I tear up every time there's like a flashback of them. Also the side characters was so sad too. They also have their own story which made me cry a lot. I really love this drama and I hope you watch it too
^ ^
Was this review helpful to you?
Beautiful OST and Cinematography
First of all, very beautiful OSTs. The OSTs definitely carried the drama to a higher place. It is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard in K-dramas.The story of this drama revolves around the good parts and hard parts of being in a relationship. I think there were some relatable moments to it which makes you think back and ponder over them. The story was overall good. There were a lot of thing happening and they did a good job wrapping everything up in the end. I would say the story falls off a bit in the middle and the main characters literally switch their personality which was a bummer as I would've loved to see the female lead as she was in the first half of the drama, tough and strong. But it was still good and the change made sense. The side characters were good but they didn't have any character buildup to them, they were just there because they had to and for some comedy relief. Except for NJ. I loved NJ.
The cast and acting was good.
The Cinematography was good and made the drama that much more enjoyable.
This drama is not perfect but it did everything right and it paid off. This drama was overall a great experience and I would definitely recommend people to give it a watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Just perfect and poetic!
I'm still in love with Our Beloved Summer. At first I wasn't that interested in the drama, but then, I begin to pay attention to all the details, the music, the silence, the image and the acting. So then, I got caught by the drama. It's a beautiful and subtle drama. I can now comprehend the silence between the main couple, it just make sense. And the actors have this chemistry I can't explain, it just fits in the drama. I just want to rewatch and register some pictures of this poetic drama in my mind.Was this review helpful to you?
Finding own self and How to be loved by our loved ones...........
OMG ! Like OMG ! Okay lets start from the start. I was eagerly waiting for this drama since it was rumored that choi woo sik and kim da mi would be starring in it together. I personally loved their chemistry in the witch so I really wanted to see them together in a rom-com. And santa gifted me 'Our beloved summer'.The story is FANTASTIC. im not saying there are a lot of plot twists and stuff but it keeps you engaged so well. The directing and writing is FANTASTIC. it is always a difficult job when you are story telling the past and the present.
You can either show the past first and then tell the audience abt the present or you show the present and the past together which is not an easy job at all. I got to see flashbacks from the story whenever I needed. The balance between both those timelines was really good according to me the dramas pace was perfect. Not too slow nor too fast. Whenever I had a question while watching the drama it got answered the next moment. So I was never zoned out or it never happened that Idk why this is happening.
I love the character design for yeon su and choi ung. They were unique yet relatable. I could relate better with yeon su. The drama involves us so much with the characters that you slowly start to understand their point of views, decisions and habits etc. You start to live the characters through yeon su and ung. The conflict between these two is so great its like the saying 'opposites attract'. They both are extremely different but its really heartwarming to see them keeping their differences aside and embracing and loving each other as they are.
I really liked the documenatry that played a big role in helping viewers differentiate between the past and present. Also the documentary helped me understand how two people can have different memories and perspective of the same moment.
Dont even ask me about the second lead ji ung I really felt bad for him. He was suffering a lot be had a harsh childhood and craved for love, family but all's well that ends well. I really like how they ended it. With all the pieces of the art together.
Our beloved summer is full of romance, heartbreaks, patch ups, tension, humor. The new love story will give you butterflies while the sad moments will make you bawl your eyes. At the end it was a really fun journey for me ! And I would highly recommend this drama I had to write more but i'll only end up spoiling stuff for you. And if all those above paragraphs weren't enough for me to persuade you to watch it (it has a ost that was sung by V of BTS)??.
See im so helpful now go and watch it ! Im sure you'll love it
Was this review helpful to you?
Kinda watchable
The drama had a nice concept but the story was too thin for a full run drama even with the added side stories. It's also why they sneaked in a useless love pentagon that didn't get anywhere. Although you may find the FL's behavior passable as a teen but that wasn't the case as an adult, it was increasingly challenging to endure watching her. It simply didn't serve the narrative. After seeing her character in action I had a strong hunch to why they broke up. Such a reason may be valid when written adequately but, in this case, it came off as a shallow excuse to progress the plot. Even if we were to over glance that, they ended up giving a half-assed resolution to their underlying problems and opted to supplement the rest with an overdose of mindless lovey-dovey scenes while eliminating any opportunity for the drama to delve deeper into the emotional package they threw at us earlier on. Another prime example of the bait and switch technique the Kdrama industry have been going through recently and it doesn't look like this will change. One last thing, there were some obvious amateur editing mistakes sprinkled in the drama. One singular scene may have multiple camera angles but 2 different color grading, even for the same consecutive face shot.Was this review helpful to you?
Disappointing story and characters
I really like CWS and though I didn’t like KDM in Itaewon Class, I was willing to give it a try. But I’m 10 episodes in and just barely hanging on.CWS is too passive (yes I understand his character, but this is a drama and he lets KDM walk all over him) and KDM’s character is incredibly annoying.
If any of the characters would just share the tiniest bit of what they’re feeling the plot would fall apart. Or be resolved in half the episodes. I think that’s lazy writing.
It’s infuriating to see KDM be so rude to her ex when she’s the one who broke his heart. She only shows vulnerability around her grandmother and best friend. I know there’s more info that will be revealed but I can’t imagine CWS really wanting to be with someone who lied and broke his heart and never apologized.
CWS manages to stay likable through sheer sweetness. And I blame the writing for KDM’s frustrating character. I would love to see her play someone with less of a tough outer layer. Or someone with a genuine sense of humor.
I’ll stick with OBS till the end because I’m a narrative junkie. But I will definitely be skipping sections and groaning with frustration.
Updates coming after I’ve watched all 16 episodes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Slooooooooooooow but addictive so far
Slow burn is not slow enough to describe the show. It’s so full of cliches and so utterly predictable that you can safely guess whatever’s coming a mile away. The problem is that it takes soooo long for the story to unfold that you’re just sitting there tapping on your watch waiting for the show to catch up with you. This story definitely could’ve been told in a few episodes but it just drags on.Despite all that… I can’t get mad at them because I love the main characters. I get extremely frustrated with Ung-i because he’s so passive and slow-witted sometimes (appears to be at least) but he’s so likable.
We’ll see what happens going forward. Hope everything will work out for everyone.
Was this review helpful to you?
The relationship: I love the premise of FL & ML reuniting as ex-partners. It's something so little explored in kdramas, but it's a storyline near and dear to my heart. The tension with which they converse, the awkward familiarity with which they speak and act, and most importantly, the quiet way they care about each other so intimately, are the foundation of this series. Although it's established that their breakup wasn't amicable, their interactions aren't rancorous or acrimonious. The way they interact shows, even in the most sniping of interactions, how much love they still hold for one another. The two couldn't be more opposite: the FL as a driven, ambitious professional who constantly sprints ahead, the ML as a comfort-loving, goofy artist more than content to just stop and smell the roses. Yet, like yin and yang, the two complete each other, even if their journey back to each other is littered with obstacles.
I also love how the problems with their first breakup aren't brushed aside and miraculously solved — it's clear that the issues leading to the cause of their first breakup need to be resolved, and it's the very thing preventing them from getting back together, in spite of their attraction. The show really works well at gelling the past and the present in this respect, displaying both the highs and lows in their previous relationship and the twists and turns due to such in their current story.
The actors: Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry. Perhaps it's because Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi have worked together before, but the romantic tension between them and the ease in which they interact makes the drama so enjoyable. Notwithstanding their previous working relationship, it's clear that both are talented actors in their own right: watching even the first episode demonstrates the gamut of emotions that they can bring forth to portray these characters. I'm simply glad that such amazing actors with massively impressive acting credits already under their belt— Choi Woo-shik with Okja, Train to Busan & Parasite, Kim Da-mi with The Witch & Itaewon Class — have come together to bring this script to life.
The parallels: If there's one thing I love as a literature person, it's this. Perhaps it's a little cliche, but the big moments in this series so far have been prefaced by important parallels to highlight their importance in their budding reunion. It's amazing to see how the director withholds certain cuts from scenes to insert in later & make the most impact, whilst you belatedly realise the poetic resemblance, have a 'aha' moment and watch on even more enraptured. My favourite nugget of information I realised recently is how each episode is named after a classic movie: sometimes tongue-in-cheek or in jest, but other times leading to a more profound reading of the episode.
The cinematography: As the actors have previously discussed in their press conference, the four seasons are exhibited wonderfully in this show. This becomes apparent as you go deeper into the drama — the scenic shots, the picturesque views, the camera's interaction with both the city and countryside is nothing short of magical. The way that the seasons frame the FL & ML's relationship brings a welcomed level of depth into their story.
All in all, if you love romantic dramas, watch Our Beloved Summer. It's perhaps the best romantic drama I've watched ever. Even as a seasoned 'veteran' with 100 dramas or so under my belt. Even with just 8 episodes out. I guarantee you won't regret it.
PS. May be a little biased because I love this drama too much, but I haven't heard a bad word said about it from any other of my kdrama-loving friends.
Was this review helpful to you?
Summer fling or Summer love, both can never be forgotten.
Choi Wooshik and Kim Dami reunite in this beautiful romance genre, synonymously known as Our Beloved Summer.Based upon a webtoon, the storyline contains my least favorite romance trope. Honestly I do mildly dislike this trope of a broken up couple to get together following a second lead syndrome, but I'm just so endeared of how the leads made it work!! (Yeokshii our power duo) It's also very very surprising how much Choi Wooshik (Choi Woong) owns a very very similar relatable personality like me. (And if you're the kind to enjoy you doing yourself, fantasize a therapeautical life and love lying under the sky on soft grass, you too, my lovely person!)
Our Beloved Summer is the hot cocoa to a chilly snowy night. It's enriched with romance, comedy, highschool lovers with a spoonful of documentary theme, and some side characters who are simps of the leads. It's overall such a comfort drama after masterpieces like Hometown Cha Cha Cha and Move To Heaven. You'll love it. <3
Was this review helpful to you?
