reemj13

GP Ilyoung using his rare permission to leave the palace to visit a famous astronomer (rather than compete) and tricking his little brother into going with him with a dumpling bribe is soooooo precious. “just kids” 😭😭

I think the point when I drop a drama is when I’ve stuck with a lackluster one for a few episodes (or less) before realizing it wasn’t getting any better. So far I’ve only *really* dropped a handful of dramas for various reasons - like The K2 for Islamophobic (and just plain Bad) writing, Dating in the Kitchen for how annoying/obnoxious the leads are (I need to like at least some characters to want to watch a drama, you know?), A Business Proposal for the way it leaned into the whole “drunken kiss + blackout sex is Romantic, didn’t you know?” - but I have many more that I watched one or two episodes and wandered away from with a vague thought to revisit later when I was “in the mood”…

…and sometimes I do go back to them after a break! I did this with The Red Sleeve (which I LOVED), Prison Playbook (also loved), Hometown Cha Cha Cha (enjoying, still haven’t finished, pace a little slow and easygoing), etc. Some I liked the start but have yet to revisit but never say never, right? I just…haven’t found that Right Time yet ha.

Also even with “dropped” dramas, I’ve reconsidered them. I had given up on Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (actually the very first drama I tried watching) after a few episodes, but I may check it out again this summer, just because I’ve watched a couple Park Hyung Sik dramas and heard he’s good in that too lol

ngl i felt myself straying a bit after episode 10 but episode 11 won me back (have not watched episode 12 yet though)

Also i’m not yet decided on how i feel about them as a couple but the way Junghwan shielded Yumin from his fans’ cameras was very sweet.

I just had to give into temptation and click play rather than waiting till I had two episodes…oh well. At least! i’m now reasonably certain Taejun won’t blame Taeyang for his sister’s injury (but I can only guess if he’ll admit Junyoung is his sister, or if Taeyang will distance herself from him if she finds out). Still, i was a little worried but I’m assured! …somewhat. gimme episode 8 ;_;

i do find that as the drama goes on, i have more interest in some side plots and characters but care much less about others. like i was very meh about the little flashback about the coaches. i also don’t really care about Junghwan’s doubles partner (it was lowkey hilarious how petty Taejun was about the scratch). i do find the Secret Couple adorable (and I think it’s fun how Taeyang has Sungsil to look up to her like how she looked up to Junyoung!), and i’m very fond of Yunis’ trainer (the short dude with glasses). i think Youngshim has the potential to be interesting and for redemption too but…it feels like there’s been too little progress on that front so far? that said, even though i disliked last episode’s food poisoning incident (i don’t like toilet humor), i appreciate it for galvanizing Yunis into trying to act more like an actual team lolol.

That all said, GOD that scene at the beach. ughhhhh. i want next episode. and i want to know what Junyoung’s deal is already (lowkey wonder if she started the rumor about Taeyang’s supposed bribery scandal out of jealousy…wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d been jealous/felt threatened by Taeyang too)

Gosh that would be so nice. they’re so sweet together and supportive i’d take the next ten episodes of them just learning how to be in a relationship, including the bumps but without the (temporary) breakups

plus from what we’ve seen so far it just…wouldn’t be in line with Taejun’s character to outright reject Taeyang or blame her for his sister’s career-ending injury. i can see him being taken aback, sure, but ultimately affirming that the accident wasn’t her fault.

…of course, it may just be my heart talking ha. either way, i hope the writer will pleasantly surprise us!

I have so many Thoughts about this drama already I want all 16 episodes yesterday (I usually only watch completed dramas so this is an experience for me ha).

I keep thinking about how their family situations and badminton outlooks mirror each other’s. Taeyang excelling to guarantee her parents’ attention while Taejun refused to excel because it didn’t guarantee any for him. And then there’s the fact that Taeyang asked him to be her doubles partner BECAUSE of his skill and potential. And honestly I think it’s…nice? Fine? That Taeyang doesn’t (seem to) know that Taejun is Junyoung’s brother? It means she got to know him on his own merits, irrespective of his sister and the shadow she cast over him most of his life. and I can imagine that means a lot to him. (His family problems have been downplayed so far, but I hope we do get into them, especially since it looks like Junyoung will be returning soon.)

if they try dating or not looks like it’s topical for next episode.

and with respect to the first snow fall, i THINK the first snowfall has a romantic connotation culturally, so it’s not necessarily to do with Taeyang’s unsent letter as it is with the atmosphere and the fact it’s on both their minds at some point, if that makes sense

Even though they’re teens and it shows them at school sometimes, the school-ness of it is underplayed quite a bit. It shows them hanging out and playing badminton more than anything. And There is a little romance but it’s definitely not a focus!

I’m glad you liked my rambling. i just have a lot of Thoughts about this drama so far ha. and yes i think the balance between Serious and Humorous is very good. love a couple that can have fun together!

For similar vibes and if you do like sports dramas I’d definitely recommend Racket Boys! the main cast are mostly teens rather than adults but their interactions are adorable and they grow so much as players and as a team. it’s fairly light and fun too but still has its deeper heartfelt moments

I doubt it. 2521 was first and foremost a coming-of-age story (rather than a romance), and there were hints and foreshadowing scattered throughout that the main pair weren’t meant to last. on the other hand, Love All Play centers romance (with teamwork!), so i’d be VERY VERY surprised (and tbh it would be a betrayal of audience expectations i think) if its ending isn’t mostly happy

Made the mistake of saying YOLO and watching all four available episodes in one day and now I have to impatiently wait for more. but gosh i’ve enjoyed what i’ve seen so far so much. i think one thing i love about this drama so far is that the characters are adults, if young, and their actions sort of carry that weight, no matter how immature they may still be *cough Junghwan cough*

like notably Youngshim has very “adult” problems but she expresses herself in very immature ways. She definitely annoyed and frustrated me right off the bat, and i’m still not sure why she reacted so strongly to Taeyang’s presence on the team since it doesn’t seem like they were that close when they were both on the national team. yet she bullies the rest of the team into ostracizing Taeyang and it WORKS. i do feel for her a little, that’s she’s got so much baggage, and when it was revealed she goes “berserk” just when her ex scores a goal the first thought that crossed into my head was “this woman needs therapy”. still, i am so EAGER and WAITING for the tables to turn on her, for Taeyang to stand up for herself and/or the rest of the team to decide they’re not having it either. i’m eager for the team actually becoming a team that wants each other to succeed rather than working to isolate one member, and i think Taejun blackmailing the Secret Couple must only be the start. like these people are adults! and they’re understandably wary of Taeyang considering the rumors about her. but some of them sure love to act like children.

man speaking of the rumors…i’m sure there’s way more to what happened three years ago with Junyoung than we’ve gotten. i’m definitely curious about how “injuring teammate during ill-advised recreational activity” became a bribery scandal. also in if Taejun knows about any of the details, since it so closely concerns his sister.

and Junghwan…he’s a little turd right now for sure but i think that just means he has the most potential for growth. it’s terribly underhanded though how he’s so adamant against playing on the same team as Taeyang that he’d pull strings so another team will scout her (can’t wait to see the fallout of that next episode…i don’t want the “Park twins” to separate)

and on scouting, GOD how little Taeyang values herself! i hate how she thinks her adopted parents’ love was so conditional that she just ran away when the scandal happened, but i understand why she’d think so (speaking of which, it seems a bit illogical that her father didn’t know anything about the scandal if he coaches badminton and used to play too. or did i miss something?). and i hate she only makes barely a third of what Taejun does because of the stigma attached (talk about a gender pay gap) and she was probably only hired because of her supposed notoriety. i hope she’ll get to negotiate a higher salary for herself later

and man i love the protagonists’ relationship and journey so far. i love Taejun encouraging her, and covering for her, and i love how Taeyang challenges him to be better and sees so much potential in him. they’re both so relatable in their respective journeys, in how Taeyang feels like she’s past her prime but can’t give up what she loves and how Taejun lost his passion and now only sees it as work but is starting to enjoy it again, thanks to her. when i first finished i admittedly worried that their relationship was too one-sided, that Taeyang got more from Taejun than he did from her, but after thinking about it i don’t think that’s the case at all. plus we got twelve more episodes left for their relationship to evolve, so why worry so soon? i love it all so far