Rom-com at its peak

Our Beloved Summer adds a brand new and refreshing layer to romcoms that I feel most have lacked. Although sometimes entertaining, I'd gotten bored of the regular rom-com K-Drama formula; two main leads, one with a very traumatizing and troubling past, they both somehow had a connection all the way back when they were children that they're unaware of, they get together by episode 8, spend some time resolving a side-conflict which forces them to break-up and then get back together in the end. Our Beloved Summer very VERY loosely follows this formula and adds their own charms along the way. But mostly, instead of relying on overused plot points to get viewers emotionally attached, OBS takes a more realistic and simplistic approach as they deeply dissect the true complexities of a human relationship. It's a worthwhile watch that touches you in ways without being too overtly dramatic or incredibly traumatic (not necessarily an issue if other shows do, but it's nice to see something new). The show has a way of portraying loneliness especially, and I find that it does a great job of doing it.

Besides that, OBS also has a knack for absolutely amazing cinematography. The colors not only look gorgeous on screen, but also hold their own significance. The use of seasons was stunning and overall, very pleasing to the eye. You can find several edits of The Beauty of Our Beloved Summer to see it for yourself.

And I cannot write this review without mentioning how great of a job they did on the main relationship; one of the healthiest and best executions and subversions of popular dynamics into one couple. It goes without saying that Kim Dami and Choi Wooshik absolutely killed it with their on-screen chemistry. In fact, my main complaint of this show is that I wish I had gotten to see even more of them.

If you're someone who enjoys character driven slice-of-life stories with said characters actually well-written on top of having pretty shots and scenes, definitely give this a try.

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