Our Beloved Summer

A PERFECT drama!

Our Beloved Summer actually pulled it off — a PERFECT drama! You have no idea how thrilled I am about this fact, and how much I love this show. It has layers and depth. It has impeccable acting across the board. It has the most beautiful, calming OST. And I can watch scenes over and over again. Heck, I can see myself coming back and watching the whole thing over to pick up on things I hadn't noticed the first time. This is THAT comfort drama. I feel so lucky to have watched along with this show as it aired.

It's not often that a show comes around and makes you feel something, yet Our Beloved Summer makes you run the gamut of emotions. I laughed out loud, I cried in front of others, but mostly, I found myself smiling from ear to ear. You go in expecting a light, fluffy romcom, but you end up getting so much more. Every episode has a clear theme that brilliantly ties to the episode title (all of which are named after famous movies). The production choices are immaculate (let's talk about that ep 8 turning-point montage or the ep 10 thematic switcheroo!). And the biggest feat of all was how tight the story was. I can't help but compare Our Beloved Summer to the Reply series/Prison Playbook/Hospital Playlist — that writer/director duo pulls off uno-reverse-cards on the viewers in a high impact way, but geez, those episodes are always HEFTY. In contrast, I commend the Our Beloved Summer team for doing more with less and keeping every episode to a neat 60-minutes. It is not easy to convey all the depth, heart, and meaning that this show does with such limited time. Somehow, every episode offers a contained and thoughtful lesson, but all the episodes together also demonstrate progression... with overarching themes, behaviours, and character arcs that simply make sense. So many shows start strong but lose the magic in the second half, while Our Beloved Summer goes from strength to strength. In fact, the second half was even better than the first! My favourite moments in the whole drama came from episodes 10-12 and 15. The weakest episodes were 13 and 14 though; I'd say they contributed little to the story (but at least they didn't actively sabotage the story, unlike many other dramas that self-sabotage after certain plot points get resolved).

As for the acting... OSCAR-WINNING CHOI WOO SHIK DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I've seen Parasite, but this is my first time watching him in a "fluffy" role. He killed it as Choi Ung; a deceptively challenging protagonist who could easily become an unsympathetic, annoying or bland caricature in a lesser actor's hands. I am so proud that he's a fellow Canadian countryman and a veritable TALENTED STAR. Beyond Choi Woo Shik, all the other leads brought top-tier performances of their own. I can't imagine another actress as Kook Yeonsu. There were moments I loved Ji-ung and NJ more than our 1st leads, and they serve as a perfect foil. And the rest of the supporting cast rounded out the drama beautifully. Every single character serves multiple purposes, even the minor ones. How did the writers craft such a compelling story without any hatable villains? Everyone is so delightfully human.

I didn't expect to gush about this drama on every single criteria, but I must also point out that the OST is top-tier. V's soothing voice made a wonderful primary OST, with so many other shining gems. I don't think I've ever saved this many songs off a single OST before (seven songs, in case you were wondering). Also, can we talk about the gorgeous cinematography? The changing seasons make you feel like time is passing by. Speaking of time, I've spent way too much of it writing out this review. The tl;dr? Make sure to watch Our Beloved Summer — it's one of the best in the business.

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Typical tropes made special

Enemies to lovers turned exes to lovers two of my favourite tropes. Yes, they’ve been done before but not like this. Our beloved summer takes two very common tropes and manages to make them different, special and realistic. Such close attention to the smallest details. Beautiful use of colours, tones and weather to reflect the mood. They dive deep into characters emotions and the psychology behind them really drawing you in to help you have a deeper understanding of them. The use of the documentary and showing us each characters point of view. The situations that the characters was in were so realistic and relatable, you find your self feeling more immersed into the story and understanding the pacing of the show more. The script, it was written eloquently! The show deals with really important serious topics; abandonment, depression, loneliness, poverty and more. Yet they were all handled with care.

The acting was obviously amazing. The emotions they were feeling I felt them too and even if I didn’t feel them I still found myself feeling emotional regardless. We have Oscar winning and Chungmuro actors of course the show’s acting was going to be good!! Kim Dami is my favourite Korean actress and after Our beloved summer I like her even more and I’m excited for her future projects.

The music was very enjoyable with a wide variety and lots of respected artist. My favourite OST was definitely Sam Kim’s and BiBi’s!


Now the very few dislikes. NJ I couldn’t really find myself liking or connecting with her character I found her annoying and out of place. The only time I really liked her is when she stood up for herself against her trolls but unfortunately that’s where it started and ended. My only other complaint is one of the love triangles. Jiwoong being in love with his best-friend’s girl friend for over ten years was just silly and it took far too long for him to finally get over the situation. It just didn’t make any sense. 10 years is a very long time for him not to have moved on. It also felt out of character. Was he really willing to risk his only deep and meaningful friendship to try and pursue a woman who’s in love with his best friend and always will be. These are the only reason I gave the story a 9 and not a 10.

Overall, this was a brilliant kdrama and I highly recommend it. At first I was worried that they left too many storylines last minute and the ending would feel rushed but I was very wrong. The ending was done beautifully filled with a mixture of emotions. Kdramas tend to fall flat somewhere along the show but Our beloved summer was genuinely good ep 1 until 16.

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One for the new age

First few things that caught my eye:
It was a nice production, drama was shot very tastefully. Choice of music and art direction were very new age, encapsulating the current trends.
Script at the beginning episodes were interesting as it does not have the typical ‘dragging’ and repetitive dialogues, they were bit more realistic and straightforward. That kept me watching…

Then it became obvious that the main characters were a reflection of the ideal life the young adults dreamt of these days.

Not a fan and absolutely didn’t like the idea that the writer/director was affirming the concept of it’s okay to put in minimal effort in life as one could still be successful and be ‘special’ somehow and to top it, one could still live a very comfortable life (luxury lifestyle) yet without needing to worry about any finances struggle at all. The mentality and attitude of the lead actors were really misleading and disturbing.

This is the concept I grasped from this show:
“It’s okay to live in the world of your ‘perfect’ bubble cause the world and everyone else will give in and see you as the special one.“

This is such a misleading concept to promote and encourage. Second lead however had a more realistic side and depth. But I can see why it gained a lot of supports and views but this is nothing but a nice facade. Just like the main character

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Very lacklustre

I'm a huge fan of sappy KDs, so it took me by surprise when this one didn't hit me quite in the spot. The acting from each cast member was flawless, but the storyline and lack of character development in the earlier episodes was such a wasted opportunity. I think I must've only been 4-6 episodes in when I sort of wanted to give up watching. It also didn't help that I found NJ's character to be extremely superficial and annoying. It brought back memories of IU's character in the 2015 drama "The Producer", who I can't say I also liked. Anyways, I think the point I wanted to make was that if you're willing to sit through hours watching two former flames bickering, making up, acting petty, finding themselves through the lens of each other, and living very mundane lifestyles, then this is your kind of KD. I totally get that the themes of this KD is young love, forgiveness, self-development and rekindling, but what use is it if everyone nearing the age of 30 in the KD is going through teenage angst, and the characters do nothing but feign ignorance most of the time?

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A SERIES WITH A GREAT START & PROMISE BUT SEEMS TO RUN OUT ON STEAM

I can't tell you how delightful the start of the series is. It's like a 'Vantage Point' treatment which onion skins the story. Everything which you saw in the last episode seems to take on a completely new context and hue in the next episode on the basis of what is revealed. Given that it shows no great thrill or disaster or violence or any of the trope high drama, the almost soft grip the story gets on you as the viewer is hard to describe. Well that is at least till the 8th-9th episode. Each week I'd be immersed in the characters hoping, wanting to know more about what happens to them. All this goes on until the 11th episode. When suddenly, the story, which seemed like some smooth champagne till now, loses ALL fizz and then almost becomes long forgotten soda water. I am left wondering, did they change script writers midstream? Or did the script writer suddenly feel lost? But there seems to be a qualitative gulf between how the story started and how it ends. It could have been brilliant, but it isn't. The actors though put up a commendable performance. One leaves the series with. lament of all the potential lost.

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Great OST not a fan of the characters and story

I won't say I don't recommend it because it's honestly not bad it's just not my cup of tea.

So I watched until episode 13 and I wasn't sure if I would like it at first from the first couple of episodes but I gave it a chance anyway.

First, the stuff I enjoyed. I enjoy the OST and the cinematography. The characters are likeable, it has an enjoyable vibe and I like how it has a documentary style like lovestruck in the city. I like how we got to see them from their high school days and how they kind of did like a remake to see where they are now. Just because yeon soo did well in school didn't make her as successful as she thought and just because choi woon wanted to live a calm and quiet life it didn't make him unsuccessful.

The stuff I didn't enjoy. I like the male lead, choi woong, but it did get on my nerves that even how he was treated by yeon soo, the female lead he still went back to her. Yeon soo got on my nerves from the very beginning then after awhile she wasn't that bad and I did like her but I just don't like how she treated choi woong and acts like she didn't hurt him and feels hurt after she thought he moved on. I know they did explain her reasoning but I don't think it justifies the way she treated him and broke up with him (Unless I might have missed something though so my bad).

I did try to get into it and I only got to episode 13 because I thought I could keep giving it a chance and sort of forced myself (I just sped it up honestly) and I don't like to leave dramas on unfinished but I just don't feel motivated to finish this one. Like I said it isn't bad just isn't for me. I'm dropping it for now but I'll probably go back to finish it because there's only like 3 episodes left.

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The Pain We Carry

On the surface, "Our Beloved Summer" is about two unlikely high school students who are paired together for a documentary. Yeon-Soo is the top student in her class. She's driven and determined to be the best. At the other end of the spectrum is Choi-Woong, who is dead last in his class. He appears to be lazy, uninterested, and lacking in any ambition.

On a much deeper level, "Our Beloved Summer" is about the pain we all carry around with us. Much of it has to do with the past and how people are treated, whether it be from parents, other friends, or people from relationships. Pain is inevitable. Suffering, however, is optional. And it's amazing how much we suffer by holding on to the past. Yeon-Soo bitterly states in one episode, "The more you try to ignore the past, the more you become trapped in it. And the more you try to run away, the more it traps you." This is because the past needs to be released. Especially the pain. And much of this series is about that: letting go of the pain, and thus, coming to peace with the past.

Yeon-Soo is a woman who appears confident and doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks about her. This makes her appear cold and indifferent. However, this is what is on the surface, because underneath, she's a young woman in turmoil. She pushes everyone away from her because she feels she not worthy of being liked or loved by anyone. The irony of pushing people away in order to avoid pain, is that the person we really end up hurting, is ourselves.

Choi-Woong is similar in his pain. However, instead of pushing others away, Woong chooses to barricade himself in his house, focusing on his art, and having little contact with others. Why? Because he's been abandoned by those that should have loved him and been there for him. And so, just like Yeon-Soo, he also feels unworthy. And when Yeon-Soo breaks up with him the first time, it reinforces his feelings of unworthiness all the more. Woong is also a gifted artist. However, he draws only buildings, which seem to mirror his own feelings of trying to remain emotionless and distant from anyone else. We come to find that his true masterpiece of art is finally revealed in the very last episode in a most profound and touching way!

Ten years later, Yeon-Soo and Choi-Woong are asked to do another documentary, due to the success of the first one. Reluctantly, they agree. However, the more they begin to spend time together, they not only realize that the feelings they had for each other never went away, but they're able to finally confront their own demons from their past and put them to rest. They do this by acknowledging their fears and realizing what's been holding them back. They also realize that the goal of a relationship isn't to change the other person, but to change yourself. And this is why their relationship ultimately works.

The world is full of Yeon-Soos and Choi-Woongs. People who build up defensive walls, or hide themselves away because they believe what others have told them: that they are unworthy. Feelings of unworthiness truly rob us of our chance of having a happy, fulfilling life. And they exist only within our own minds.

This series is truly beautiful and uplifting in depicting the pain of these two lovable characters and watch their healing finally begin to take place. What's more, is that they also learn how to lean on each other when needed. They begin to trust their own love and strength and use it for each other as well as for themselves.

I cannot speak highly enough of Kim Mi-Da and Choi Woo-Shik. Not only is their chemistry undeniable, but they are able to give us deep, complex characters using subtlety as a powerful acting tool. A look; a smile; a falling tear...all brilliantly showcased to make us feel every emotion that they are conveying.

I was also thankful that the writers didn't succumb to a "typical" ending in the last episode. I love it when writers dare to follow a more realistic path that suits the characters and the situation rather than force a "happy ending" that is contrived and unbelievable.

I rarely speak of the music in my reviews, but Kim Kyung Hee has quickly become a favorite of mine! His title song is something that I've found myslef playing over and over again. I also loved his songs from "Crash Landing On You." He seems to perfectly capture Yeon-Soo and Choi-Woong in his song. I can't listen to it and not think of them!

This is one of my all-time favorite series involving "young" love. I cannot say enough about it. The series was cute, funny, heart-breaking, inspiring, touching, provocative, necessary, and deep. How many series can I say that about in over 45 years of watching shows? Not many.

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The drama gave me butterflies, making me want to love and be loved again.

I waited until the end of this drama before continuing to watch it, and boy was I not disappointed. I completed the drama in one day. The story and its characters completely absorbed me. However, it is not perfect, as the majority of people claim. The couple's relationship is highly poisonous. In their youth, the girl was extremely immature; the boy was content with what he had and lacked ambition for the future. Although they had valid reasons for their behavior, they never communicated effectively. As the story prgresses, character build up is shown. I'm pretty pleased with the ending, though it may appear a little rushed.

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Who said that this was comedy? just who? who?? hehe

I won't accept this as comedy, I'll consider this a half romance hehe, this is really sad and emotional there are funny scenes but actually it is full of sad stories. This drama is not that sweet but I would say one of the warmest drama I've ever watched. Honestly, I started watching this because I thought it was comedy and sweet romance but after watching the first half, I am disappointed because the pace is so slow like the atmosphere between the characters stays the same. But now that I finished it, my view on it really changed, I realised that I watched it not for romantic scenes or sweet or kiss scenes but because of the story itself.

This drama depicts the story of three friends (Ji-ung, Choi Ung and Yeonso). The story revolves about relationships, family and career. The focus of this is they showed how rough is the relationship of Ung and Yeonso, they showed how did they became enemy because of the bittersweet past relationship but as the story goes, they gave in and face their hearts than living their past. They became lovers again who supports and understand each other til' the end.

Another view of it is the story of Yeonso. She grew up without friends because of the fear that she can't treat them like they do to her because she is living really poor. She is parent less and only have her grandma to be with. They faced so much hardship together, financially, and the poor health of her grandma. That was actually the reason she broke up with Ung because her grandma got sick they need to leave their house and they are really financially challenged and that made her the most to feel the pain in that break up. She suffered silently and put all the sadness in her hearts for all the years.

Next is the story of Ung. He isn't poor and he had his two parents that is why they thought that he has a good life. Behind that, ever since he was a kid, he knows that he was adopted, they picked him up on the streets, and because they treat him really good, Ung needs to keep that he knew it but tried to make them happy. He isn't ambitious but really scared disappointing his parents. He was also troubling in his future as an artist because he realised his dream a little bit late that is why he is questioned on his talent because he didn't finished school. And of course he was also so much in pain because of the sudden and no reason break up from Yeonsu.

And lastly, Ji-ung the sad boy because Yeonsu liked Ung not him but he is not evil, he stayed friends with them. ji-ung's life is really sad, he is living a broken family and being neglected by his mother. He never felt that love from a family even though Ung's parent took care of him but he still needs attention from his mother. I never experienced this and I'm really scared to feel what he felt.

These 3 characters have common thing, because of their past and painful memories, they isolated themselves and they never tried to go out of their world and the good thing is they all realised it at the end.

This drama is really so sad but it still cute and adorable because of Ung and Yeonsu (they are really cute that I would like to pinch their faces hehe). And also I will not forget the one who made it funny even with the sadness our supporting roles Mr manager and Sol-i the friend.

There are other side stories but those that I mentioned are the focus.
I really don't like it at first but I love it now.
So, just click the button and watch it now, if you are not satisfied with the first half continue it and you will find out how good it is at the 2nd half. Although I don't want to re-watch because it is really so sad.

WATCH IT NOW!!

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Not often you can experience a drama like this....!

Our Beloved Summer simply one of the best romantic melodrama released recently. At first 3 episodes i thought of little bored because of the documentry scenes and everything looks so boring. But after that i think from the 4th episode onwards it slowly getting more and more interesting. I found something particularly new from this drama, That was the beautiful character voice narration that happens almost all episodes.

An episode before ended with something curious or interesting and after that the starting of the next episode will be with a voice narration of a character, every time all the 4 main character has something to say. And it was so beautiful and very refreshing to hear and understand their part of story in the drama. For me personally i like the 2nd ung's character. His life and everything he went through was really touching to watch. Not often you can see that in a kdrama, the development of that character the relationship with his mother his friend and their parents everything was so heartwarming and interesting.

After that definitely kim da mi's side of story. Her mature decision making and powerful behaviour and handling of situation was one of the highlight of the drama, also the hidden emotions, and ofcourse you cannot miss our main hero ung. Brilliantly narrated everything about him. Also the 2nd heroine NJ. She has a small screen space but even though she also has so many reality to say.

Our beloved summer simply a must watch kdrama. Its not just a romantic drama. It has many things to discuss to you. The development of characters relationships and mature romance and beautiful intense moments that captures makes this a different drama. You must try this for sure. Don't stop after the first few episodes because there is so much things waiting for you after that. Enjoy watching..

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An Emotion Trigger!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I don't usually leave reviews, especially when a drama is still ongoing, but I just couldn't help it. This drama is like a piece gotten out from my personal life at a point. Just goes to show what a relationship really entails. The struggles, thoughts, weird moments, breakups and makeups. The drama brought out a side of realistic relationships that really should be seen. Love requires EFFORT.
The characters did a perfect job ,they all played their part, provoking emotions. Y'all just 12 episodes of this drama, I've cried, laughed, sighed, felt all kinds of emotions, cos I could personally relate to most situations in the drama, especially the relationship between the leads.
I loved every piece of this drama and if you're seeing this review, you should definitely try it out, it's totally worth your time.
You might not understand the message from the onset, but eventually you'll find this drama relatable.
Pros
The leads were perfect and fitted for their roles.
The OST is on another level of perfection, each ost suits each scene/episode

Cons
I can't think of any........

Once it's completed I'll surely watch it over and over again.

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