5
The Poster Doesn't Lie.
Disclaimer: I don't know the webtoon and don't understand Korean as well. So, to me, the drama was exactly what the poster promised -- you don't know who the main character is or what I was signing up for.
I had seen people going off after the trailer, but since I didn't understand the trailer, too, I was 100% in the dark while beginning this one. Also, this drama has apparently been marinating since 2023 or something.
☆ The positives?
--- Technical: Standard production with plenty of colour and convincing performances.
--- Story Highlights:
1. Heesu's internal struggles.
2. Seung Won and Ji Yu's friendship.
3. Heesu and Seung Won.
4. Ho Sik, Heesu and Chan Yung.
5. Ho Sik and Hee Won.
6. Hee Su's family.
Hee Su was the most interesting character. His monologues, introspection and fears were what made me rate this a 7/10. Not to mention, Ahn Ji Ho was perfect for that role. The second would be Seung Won by Lee Sang Jun.
☆ The Cold Pricklies:
-- Chan Yung's individual storyline. Not gonna lie, it was plain bland and boring. I skipped most of his scenes and that 10 tennis practices or so that were stuffed in between. (That's why I cut off 3.5 out of 10 points. They took up a lot of runntime.) An episode or so of it might've been enough to let us see his struggles; but making it an important plot point which revolves around him was useless. Which was often excessive and did not progress well or add anything much to his character.
(EP10 had a whole "insert song" when it should've been spent to speed up the other characters' storylines. Not that the song was bad, but hey, dude! This is not High School Musical.)
Considering that I adored little bit of glimpses of romance we got from other couples such as Hok Sik and even Bob girl, Chan Yung's storyline should've just stuck to the same pattern. I liked Ji Yu as an individual character, but their romance was somehow pale when compared to both Hee Su's and heck, even Ho Sik's and Hee Su's sisters' lives. Probably because they were pretty generic unlike the other characters'; who had to struggle and face rejection.
Keeping aside the romance aspect, the way the character Chan Yung is written might be a major reason why I skipped almost all his scenes. It could've been interesting without making me feel as if I was being forced to choke down his scenes. I didn't care about anything happening in his life. The actor, Cho Jun Yung, did what he could with what he was given and I appreciate him for that.
Chan Yung might be a gem to Hee Su, but not to me.
Also, I don't get 'why' Chan Yung was all that great to Hee Su. That was another aspect that wasn't properly conveyed. Even the currently airing silly 'Something is not Right' and that JDrama 'Kimi Ni Wa Todokanai' does an excellent job expressing why the main character likes his best friend.
☆ Final Thoughts:
Could've been A LOT shorter. And don't get me wrong, there are plenty of JDramas and even KDramas that manage to deliver convincing stories without dragging out the plot.
They should've renamed this something like "Tennis and Class 2" or something like that. I get why so many people are pissed by this adaptation; but as I said; I didn't even know who the main character was while checking out the poster. So, I think a 6.5 or 7 from my side is a good score.
I had seen people going off after the trailer, but since I didn't understand the trailer, too, I was 100% in the dark while beginning this one. Also, this drama has apparently been marinating since 2023 or something.
☆ The positives?
--- Technical: Standard production with plenty of colour and convincing performances.
--- Story Highlights:
1. Heesu's internal struggles.
2. Seung Won and Ji Yu's friendship.
3. Heesu and Seung Won.
4. Ho Sik, Heesu and Chan Yung.
5. Ho Sik and Hee Won.
6. Hee Su's family.
Hee Su was the most interesting character. His monologues, introspection and fears were what made me rate this a 7/10. Not to mention, Ahn Ji Ho was perfect for that role. The second would be Seung Won by Lee Sang Jun.
☆ The Cold Pricklies:
-- Chan Yung's individual storyline. Not gonna lie, it was plain bland and boring. I skipped most of his scenes and that 10 tennis practices or so that were stuffed in between. (That's why I cut off 3.5 out of 10 points. They took up a lot of runntime.) An episode or so of it might've been enough to let us see his struggles; but making it an important plot point which revolves around him was useless. Which was often excessive and did not progress well or add anything much to his character.
(EP10 had a whole "insert song" when it should've been spent to speed up the other characters' storylines. Not that the song was bad, but hey, dude! This is not High School Musical.)
Considering that I adored little bit of glimpses of romance we got from other couples such as Hok Sik and even Bob girl, Chan Yung's storyline should've just stuck to the same pattern. I liked Ji Yu as an individual character, but their romance was somehow pale when compared to both Hee Su's and heck, even Ho Sik's and Hee Su's sisters' lives. Probably because they were pretty generic unlike the other characters'; who had to struggle and face rejection.
Keeping aside the romance aspect, the way the character Chan Yung is written might be a major reason why I skipped almost all his scenes. It could've been interesting without making me feel as if I was being forced to choke down his scenes. I didn't care about anything happening in his life. The actor, Cho Jun Yung, did what he could with what he was given and I appreciate him for that.
Chan Yung might be a gem to Hee Su, but not to me.
Also, I don't get 'why' Chan Yung was all that great to Hee Su. That was another aspect that wasn't properly conveyed. Even the currently airing silly 'Something is not Right' and that JDrama 'Kimi Ni Wa Todokanai' does an excellent job expressing why the main character likes his best friend.
☆ Final Thoughts:
Could've been A LOT shorter. And don't get me wrong, there are plenty of JDramas and even KDramas that manage to deliver convincing stories without dragging out the plot.
They should've renamed this something like "Tennis and Class 2" or something like that. I get why so many people are pissed by this adaptation; but as I said; I didn't even know who the main character was while checking out the poster. So, I think a 6.5 or 7 from my side is a good score.
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