Ball Boy Tactics

Almost a slam dunk!

At first glance, this drama may seem like another campus romance, but there is a surprising amount of depth and freshness in how characters were written and how they behaved compared to your typical University BLs.

The story follows Han Ji Won, a retired gymnast, as he steps away from the limelight and tries to adjust to a more ordinary life at university.
He may seem timid , socially a bit awkward and reversed. Zooming in, it may look like he hesitates a lot but he also reflects on his actions and reactions, and then acts on it. I agree that he is emotionally guarded but I feel he was very kind and thoughtful!

His decisions may be seen as cowardly and frustrating at times but considering his star background and how he would have endured both admiration and harsh judgment, it's understandable he sees through the world with caution. Deep down, he fears not only getting hurt but hurting others, especially those who grow close to him. Once I look at his decisions from that point of view, I do understand where he is coming from. I like how the drama handled this.

Coming to Kwon Jeong woo, initially he comes across as the classic campus heartthrob who is confident, well-liked and effortlessly charming. But rather than playing into expected tropes, his presence balanced the story. His openness, both in acknowledging his feelings and expressing them so clearly was really refreshing!

It's rare in BL drama to see a lead who is so self aware about his emotions and doesn't go into "panic" mode and mess with others 'emotions. I really liked how Jeong woo came out so casually in front of his friends. I like how less dramatized this was and how respectfully everyone handled that. This was definitely a stand out aspect for me.

The chemistry between them was strong and from the get-go! It was our "timeless opposites attract" setup. The little glances... The accidental touches here and there... Their personalities did clash but in the right way. It never felt forced. They had these small genuine moments that build up to something meaningful and intense with an actual emotional weight.
Also, the kisses were done so tastefully. I felt like I was intruding on them by just staring at the screen! Lol. Again a surprise!

The supporting cast also did a great job though there weren't many of them. I enjoyed the dynamics between Jeong woo's friends with him and with Jiwon. They definitely brought a dose of light heartedness but the support they showed made their presence more endearing.

Also, even though they never actually showed the two friends in a relationship, the subtle "I like them" moments totally got me. I just know they liked each other, it was really cute.

I do wish the drama would have been slightly longer so that the story and characters could have breathed more. The pacing was decent overall but in some moments things moved a bit too quickly. And I am also not a fan of leaving conflict resolution to the last episodes. But considering the standard 8 episode KBLs , I am very happy with what was presented.

Acting wise, I did the actors did a great job. I hope to see more of them in future. Production also seemed quite decent! But what bothered me a bit is the background music. Sometimes it was too distracting.

I didn't think I would vibe with it, this much but here we are. It's very binge-able and genuinely adorable. Yes it does lean into some of the overused tropes we have all seen before, but the way it’s done is well. Maybe I do see things through rose-colored glasses, but compared to a lot of other BLs in the same lane, this one actually felt like a fresh take.
I would definitely recommend it!

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fantastic chemistry (need a spin off)

Overall: stellar chemistry, but too much plot for a short run time. This is based on the web novel "Ball Boy Tactics" by Ji Seung Hyeon which I have partially read but I tried to review the series based on its own merits. 8 episodes about 27 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (not available in U.S, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, U.K., Spain, Portugal, Japan, Korea) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5418/ball-boy-tactics-2025-e01 ; iQIYI (assuming for the other countries) https://www.iq.com/play/o48rhx5yhw and Heavenly (South Korea).

Content Warning: slap, past abuse

What I Liked
- opposite personalities (I'm normally not a fan of timid characters but I think his personality made sense based on his past and there were a few changes)
- chemistry/tension
- that a character recognized his feelings fairly quickly and was forthright about it (also stated his sexual orientation to his friends)
- the friends (supportive, funny)
- ongoing intimacy (might get a number of hugs award), episode 8 was very well done
- visuals
- production value

Room For Improvement
- not generally a fan of voice overs although it didn't bother me as much as it normally does
- the plot zoomed by too fast, many things took place off screen, felt choppy in places, 2 weeks supposedly passed but it felt like a couple of days
- seemed to be not drunk then the morning after said he didn't remember the night before (which he would have needed to be extremely drunk) and a character said he didn't take advantage but there was heavy kissing...
- a potential side couple had an open ending, would love to see a spin off with them
- (neutral) didn't really have time for episode 7 stuff and I generally hate this trope but it was much more realistic (better reasons for it) as well as the time frame felt like it could happen in the real world vs 10 years later nonsense

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