What can I expect from the Korean Drama ‘Like Flowers In Sand’, with Jang Dong-yoon
Like Flowers in Sand stars Lee Joo-myung (Twenty Five Twenty one) and the effervescent Jang Dong-yoon (Oasis).So I am the girl who tells people not to even call her during the two weeks of the Olympics. I love all sports, even Curling. I got on the Curling bandwagon even before it became popular. ‘Like Flowers in Sand’ highlights the sport of Ssireum. The Sport Ssireum is Korean Wrestling that has roots in ancient Korea. The major holiday events of Ssireum can draw like the American Super Bowl on TV. Using Ssireum as a backdrop, ‘Like Flowers in Sand’ is a touching Sports Romance Drama about the struggles of a Ssireum competitor, who is at the end of his career. This is a decompressor drama, not very complicated. ‘Like Flowers in Sand’ gives you a glimpse into the world of Ssireum, this unique competitive sport, while continuing with a childhood romance. I loved it as a change of pace drama. I fell in love with this drama.
Actor Jang Dong-yoon put out seven works in 2023, four movies and three dramas. He is very hard working. For one of his movies, Jang Dong-yoon was the writer, director, and actor (Please Be My Ear). Jang Dong-yoon’s acting style is so boyish and innocent. He just draws you right into his performances. I would add ‘Like Flowers in Sand’ to your Korean Drama List.
Jang Dong-yoon is very meticulous about his drama work. He had to gain lots of weight for this role, which misshaped his prefect body. He said that he had to eat so much that he threw up at times. Jang Dong-yoon is a true actor and professional, who gives his all. I am impressed.
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KIM BAEK DOO THE FLOWER IN THE SAND ♥
This drama gives so much comfort and good feeling to me , from the very start it was so funny but in a light way, funny that you would really feel good, and every thing about the place where the characters lives seems so so simple, makes me wanna go to the countryside also and live there and be a Ssireum athlete or a writer, I had no left words to say about this drama as a whole it was just really really good !Kim Baek Doo, my comfort character , like is there a human like that that exists ? so naive but so smart , innocent is the right word, and him taking the 4,000 won and being sent to police was so so funny and so adorable of him even being interrogated by the police and he was just so lovely , and his murmuring after hearing what Doo Sik has told him until the next day was so so funny , that he even thinks of it for days until he finds the answer HAHAH and him who cannot handle alcohol HAHAH, thanks to Jang Dong Yoong for creating that character we adored so much from the beginning to the end and his accent was everything I mean all of the accents of the characters there was everything.
Mi Ran is my Favorite, she was like, hey you cannot fool me , she has that silent strong vibe and surprisingly she knows everything about whats going on on the village, she was just there and love the facial expression.
and the rest of the story was so beautiful, too bad it was only 12 episodes but its alright, it was enough, even the fact that there was a bad things happened to where the story goes , even that MI Rans Dad was killed by that guy , maybe a member of thug or what it was still light, those characters happened to get together happily just like when they where young, it was not somehow realistic but it could happen, I suddenly missed my childhood friends ..
and Ssireum ! woow tha ssireum competition of Kim Baek Doo was so exciting, I was now introduced to that sport and Jang Dong Yoong even gained weight to fit to the character it was just so nice of him , and in my opinion , that body of him looks better on him that of with abs .
It was all good it was super worth watching it was soothing to the soul, makes us wanna remember our good pasts, and makes us wanna think somehow life is simple , we can always go back to our dreams when we were young and who knows it could be our destiny and motive in life if we start to follow it !
Gonna miss this squad and by the way JIn Soo was adorable also .. and KIm Baek Doo the flower in the sand ♥
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Such a simple, heartfelt and beautiful story
I love this! A perfect slice-of-life watch.The story is perfect. The perfect amount of flashbacks, a good balance of romance, the mystery is not dragged unnecessarily, that small town vibe and family bonding, a unique friendship between the five cute leads and discovering yourself. It is such an easy, pleasurable and happy watch with the perfect amount of comedy and feelings within.
The acting is fantastic by all the people. I've seen other small town-based shows but none of them had an accent quite like this one where everyone was speaking so well that you could tell it's a different place. I did get a little cultural shock by just how loud the ML came across tbh, but it did not put me off. All of them have taken all their roles quite nicely and delivered them well. Lee Joo Seung never disappoints in any role he takes on tbh, and he was great here as well. I have not seen many of the main leads and was very satisfied with their roles as well!
The way this show has understood and depicted the meaning of one's dreams and how achieving them brings a sense of fulfilment is quite nice but my favourite part has been the kind of relationships they show throughout, whether it be between family, neighbours or friends. I like how there exists a support system of sorts and how it helps the individuals march forward. Equally nice is how they tackle the concept of rumours widely prevalent in such small towns. I really really liked it.
I think it is very underrated and the rating here should be above 9, for sure! Do not hesitate before giving this a chance, this is a beautiful piece of work that will not let you down.
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Better than an 8.2
This is one of the few Korean dramas that I have watched where the kisskh rating is lower than the rating I gave it. To me, it’s closer to an 8.6. It’s a show that will lift your spirits if you are down. This is a definite must watch.I really enjoyed the chemistry of the cast. I enjoyed the small town setting and the cast of characters in the town. This is the perfect show to watch in the fall.
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Beautiful Cinematography
Jang Dong Yoon is to be congratulated for how he literally threw himself into this role - so different from previous characters he's played. Every scene he does has a real authenticity to it. Personally I have no interest in wrestling, but the cinematography is absolutely stunning, whether landscape or interior shots of the matches or carefully color co-ordinated and filtered images of the community. The production really is beautifully made. The plotline is slowly introduced leaving us with continuing questions, so there is also a subtlety and air of mystery which isn't easy to unravel.The only thing I didn't like was the f/l writing - nothing against the actor, but her adult personality was kinda dull set against all the others and what on earth with the continual head hitting ?!! They could at least have made her grow up and stop it!
Her detective skills also aren't that great!
That is the only reason I have marked it down.
It's definitely worth a watch for a gradually unfolding interesting story with skin.
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I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WONDERFUL END ?☝️
This was one of the dramas that I started without any expectations and I thought it could have a futile and boring plot. I'm happy to say I was completely wrong.The story and character development is wonderful!!!
I laughed and cried with pride as the drama unfolded. The development of the protagonists' relationship is not at all forced, but rather light and passionate.
The drama as a whole is very light and enjoyable to watch, the type of K-drama that you finish and don't even realize you've watched so many episodes lasting over an hour.
I loved the friendship of the characters, the discoveries of the drama and I loved the mystery brought in the drama much more.
It has definitely become one of the K-dramas that I will recommend to the wall lol.
I will miss you, I sincerely hope you get more recognition in the future!
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Heartwarming romantic sports drama with coming of age , mystery and small town elements
9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean coming of age, romantic, sports drama with 12, ~60 minute episodes.First I provide a unique synopsis then review.
Synopsis
Coming from a family of decorated ssireum players, Kim Baek doo (Jang Dong yoon) becomes disillusioned when he is unable to excel as was expected of him. Feeling the pressure of being viewed as a prodigy, and not living up to his name, Baek doo goes through the motions of retiring. When his “soul mate”/childhood friend, Oh Yoo kyung/Oh Doo sik (Lee Ju myoung) returns after dropping out of contact for years, Baek doo feels re-energized to try again to rise to the top in his sport. Problem is this woman who looks exactly like his childhood friend in form and manner insists she is not Oh Doo sik. She says she is Oh Yoo kyung and appears to be married. Still she will be managing the ssireum team which puts the two in the same circle and gives Naek doo more opportunities to determine if she is actually his friend in disguise. With the team on the verge of collapse, it will take the two of them, the team and supporters to keep the team together. But why is Oh Doo sik really back and why is she pretending to be married?
Note: Ssireum is Korean wrestling sport that began in the Goryeo and Joseon period. Each opponent wears a cloth called a satba (belt) that loops around the waste and thigh. The opponets grab each other’s satba and make whatever moves it takes to get the other’s body, above the knee, to touch the ground.
Review
I really like sports dramas. This one is enjoyable on just the slice of life level and having the opportunity to learn more about ssireum. But it has mystery, romance, family and ftiendships all wrapped into one lovely drama series. I will likely watch it again and highly recommend it to others. It ends well and happy.
Spoilers
The way Baek doo mumbles to himself about all manner of things is cute and makes the character incredibly likable.
Part of the charm of Doo sik was her boyish ruff and tumble nature but I would have liked to see her soften more particularly with Baek doo. The way she smacked him in the head bordered on abusive and I did not enjoy that aspect of her character. She could be a bit cold to him and I thought her reasons for missing both of his matches were ridiculous. When you really care about someone you find a way to show up. Still after all,of that they admitted their feelings and got together at the very end. We got so little time seeing them as a couple, I would have liked a little more.
The big reveal on who the killer was fell flat because we did not get to know him much. I watched with my daughter and we were both like “rice cake who?” So it was not a shocking plot twist like I think they were trying for.
While it ended well it would have been even better to know what they were going to do about her living in Seoul and him living in their hometown. Other than her coming back for a visit, there was no mention of how they planned to manage the distance factor. It was also unclear if Baek doo would continue wrestling.
#LikeFlowersinSand. #Ssireum #JangDongYoon #LeeJuMyoung
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PENDAPATKUUUU
Untuk story nya ini menurutkuu kurang, karena diselipin kasus pembunuhan yang berbeli2 tp disini tersangkanya bener2 gak bisa dibilang plot twist juga karena terlalu keliatan bgt malah jrg ada sceen nya, nahh kalau olahraga ssireumnya oke sih cukup gak kurang gak berlebihan jugaaa, chukaaaee baek duu yang td nya mau pensiun akhirnya juara jugaaa 😭👍 karakter baek du juga pas ngomel ngedumel sendiri fav banget HAHAuntuk warga sekitarnya juga gak diraguin kalo dipedesaan gitu pasti solidaritasnya julidnya gosip nya kenceng lebih2 dari 5G seruuu suka ngidupin dramanya
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Really good healing drama.
the beginning is very slow but and I almoat deopped the the series but if you will get through few firts episodes you will not regret it!I love Jang character, he is so pure! 😄
I like there is not evil character in the drama. I was kind of waiting for one of the characters to turned evil as I am use in the other dramas.
It is really good healing drama and It will make you happy.
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Just something enjoyable to watch
My favourite part about this drama is the ML, hes a well rounded character and i love how the actor portrays him. They did well with the casting and I admire that he had to put on a lot of weight for the role. The rest of the cast are pretty good too.As for the storyline, I think it's maybe a little weak but it's definitely enjoyable to watch each week and I look forward to seeing how it develops. I also kinda think its intriguing to learn about traditional sports rather than just the usual drama sports like tennis.
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Korean wrestling in a township, spiced up with murder
ML is a docile likeable character who has been a born loser thus far in life. He simply can't win a championship, unlike his brothers and father. He resides in a closed-knit community with colourful characters. He lacks assertiveness and hates conflicts. We often get to see his almost naked body with flabs of fats. We will likely see his road to his 1st championship.Romance is thrown in when FL Du Sik returns to investigate the murder of a money syndicate leader. The blondie cafe owner is also an enigma, running a quiet and likely money losing business. We see many over-weight wrestlers in numerous eating scenes.
This is a light-hearted family drama with elements of comedy, romance and murder.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama '' Like Flowers in the Sand '' is a slice of life drama with many other genres blended nicely in the main plot.The drama is a sports drama that handled it well, with some training, some games, and a championship of course.
However, the drama didn't forget the rest of its plotlines. The mystery case was solid and blended nicely with the story of the friends and their backgrounds.
The romance was, in addition, subtle, but cute.
Finally, the performances were all great by everyone in the cast.
So, overall, seven out of ten.
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