amours

I was intrigued to watch The Winning Try after seeing it climb up in reviews, and I honestly was not disappointed. The series was entertaining from the beginning to the end. While it necessarily didn’t exceed my expectations, it met the criteria of a well-thought-out and well-produced series. 

The plot was engaging and easy to follow. When it comes to political dramas, I sometimes have to go back and rewatch some parts because they went over my head the first time. This was not the case with The Winning Try. Even though I know nothing about sports, like rugby, shooting or aerobics, the technicalities were explained well to the viewer. I even learned something new! The pacing was just right and every episode left me counting days until the next would come out. Because the series followed both younger and older characters, it naturally explored all kinds of different themes from classical friendship and love to the anxiety that the uncertainty about their future caused to many of the characters, including I-ji, Seong-jun, Yeong-gwang, Tae-pung and U-jin.

I was overall very satisfied with the acting. Yoon Kye-sang's overly dramatic body language was perfect for the comedic scenes, but he knew how to tone it down for the emotional parts. With the older actors, I expected good results anyway, but I was positively surprised by the younger actors, too. They made me truly empathise with their characters. I just wanted to hug the whole rugby team and pinch their cheeks. They were so adorable, not to mention that Hwang Sung-bin even looked like a real rugby player.

One of the strongest aspects of the series was the understanding that people stress about their future in all stages of their lives and that it is completely fine. It was also pleasant to watch healthy, supportive relationships between the students and the coaches. Every child deserves adults as dedicated to them as Ju Ga-ram, I-ji and Heung-nam. When the rugby team celebrated their victory over Daesang in the end, I grinned like a fool for a good minute or so.

This is for you, if you want to watch a sweet, feel-good series without too much drama or plotting. There is romance, but it’s not the main point which is something that some people prefer. I probably wouldn’t watch this again, but I could have watched a few more episodes. Overall, I’ll give The Winning Try four stars out of five for a better-than-average watching experience.