7
3
A wholesome, uplifting story with just enough bite
Edit: Mea culpa. I had a brain fade while writing review 1.0 and posted it. It was not good. My bad. This is version 2.0. 🙏
On the surface, this is a sports centric youth drama. We are talking about junior soccer packed with senior high school boys. So much testosterone! ;)
I'm thankful they are a bunch of good kids. I mean that literally. Sure, there are friendship issues and bullying, but they are minor compared to the usual idol dramas. When you have a band of soccer bros, you know who have your back.
I have my doubts about the FL's role in this setting. She is a square block in a round hole. She has no teaching qualifications nor sporting prowess. She went back to her grandparents’ hometown after a nasty experience at university where she is doing her doctoral thesis. Ditto, our ML who was a star junior soccer coach came back from the UK as a dejected man. Both are ready to execute their version of lie flat.
This drama basically has 3 themes, soccer, soccer and soccer. Oops! I mean our OTP's romance, multiple healing journeys and the beautiful game. ;)
The pairing of our leads is nicely done. Their meet-cute is tropey but very effective. Thankfully, there are no second leads to muddy the water. Even then, it wasn't all smooth sailing as the ML has an ulterior motive to get close to the FL. Once they sort out their misunderstanding, we are rewarded with some nice skinship.
On the other hand, there are enough angsts in our OTP's backstory to allow the writer to inject some real-world issues like cyber bullying, mental illness, identity thief into the plot. Some might find the resolution superficial. I won't judge.
Let's be honest, this is a feel-good drama at its core, good will triumph over evil, eventually. Communication will resolve any misunderstandings, eventually. Our soccer bros will bring their A-game . . eventually. Hwaiting!
With the excitement of the recent FIFA World Cup, the timing of its release is perfect. The show doesn't try to be too technical. There is just enough talk about tactics and game play to give it some credibility. Everything is grounded. Not a hint of Shaolin Soccer anywhere. ;)
The young actors played their roles well. Their interactions give us real Band of Brothers vibe. It is uplifting and heartwarming. They made the soccer segments fun to watch.
You will cheer on the underdogs. You will appreciate the long game played by the elders. It touches on some societal issues, but only lightly. It is a relatively small world they live in. For this type of drama, that is enough.
Is it any good? It is good. Solid rather than inspired. Entertaining and brimming with empowering, feel-good messages. This series has hearts and an easy watch. There are evil in the world, but in this little corner, there is only soccer and romance. That will do.
Ultimately, this is not a big budget production. It is not perfect. We could nitpick until the referees come home, but what’s the point? We should be thankful for a few hours of uncomplicated entertainment in these times. Peace.
P.S. I noticed Ms. Yu toned down her acting and even modulated her voice in this drama. Is this part of her long term plan to transform her image? Intriguing.
On the surface, this is a sports centric youth drama. We are talking about junior soccer packed with senior high school boys. So much testosterone! ;)
I'm thankful they are a bunch of good kids. I mean that literally. Sure, there are friendship issues and bullying, but they are minor compared to the usual idol dramas. When you have a band of soccer bros, you know who have your back.
I have my doubts about the FL's role in this setting. She is a square block in a round hole. She has no teaching qualifications nor sporting prowess. She went back to her grandparents’ hometown after a nasty experience at university where she is doing her doctoral thesis. Ditto, our ML who was a star junior soccer coach came back from the UK as a dejected man. Both are ready to execute their version of lie flat.
This drama basically has 3 themes, soccer, soccer and soccer. Oops! I mean our OTP's romance, multiple healing journeys and the beautiful game. ;)
The pairing of our leads is nicely done. Their meet-cute is tropey but very effective. Thankfully, there are no second leads to muddy the water. Even then, it wasn't all smooth sailing as the ML has an ulterior motive to get close to the FL. Once they sort out their misunderstanding, we are rewarded with some nice skinship.
On the other hand, there are enough angsts in our OTP's backstory to allow the writer to inject some real-world issues like cyber bullying, mental illness, identity thief into the plot. Some might find the resolution superficial. I won't judge.
Let's be honest, this is a feel-good drama at its core, good will triumph over evil, eventually. Communication will resolve any misunderstandings, eventually. Our soccer bros will bring their A-game . . eventually. Hwaiting!
With the excitement of the recent FIFA World Cup, the timing of its release is perfect. The show doesn't try to be too technical. There is just enough talk about tactics and game play to give it some credibility. Everything is grounded. Not a hint of Shaolin Soccer anywhere. ;)
The young actors played their roles well. Their interactions give us real Band of Brothers vibe. It is uplifting and heartwarming. They made the soccer segments fun to watch.
You will cheer on the underdogs. You will appreciate the long game played by the elders. It touches on some societal issues, but only lightly. It is a relatively small world they live in. For this type of drama, that is enough.
Is it any good? It is good. Solid rather than inspired. Entertaining and brimming with empowering, feel-good messages. This series has hearts and an easy watch. There are evil in the world, but in this little corner, there is only soccer and romance. That will do.
Ultimately, this is not a big budget production. It is not perfect. We could nitpick until the referees come home, but what’s the point? We should be thankful for a few hours of uncomplicated entertainment in these times. Peace.
P.S. I noticed Ms. Yu toned down her acting and even modulated her voice in this drama. Is this part of her long term plan to transform her image? Intriguing.
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