This hit drama is a coming-of-age youth drama starring Kim Taeri as national fencer Na Heedo, WJSN's Bona as her enemy-turned-bestie Go Yoorim, and Nam Joohyuk as male lead Baek Yijin, a sports reporter. This show has been on my radar from the start because watching everything Kim Taeri stars in is just something I do, and I LOVE the Jaurim song which inspired this show. I was extremely busy during the time it aired (working full time and doing a Master's part time is no joke), but I picked it back up again when the semester ended and sped through the eps in a week.
The writer of this show also wrote Search WWW, another drama which I love, and there are so many similar elements in both shows. Most obviously will be our strong-willed female characters and the heavy focus on female-centric friendships. I know many were here for the romance between Baekdo, but to me, I was more fascinated by the relationship between Heedo and Yoorim, which started out as fan-idol, then into enemies when Heedo first transferred to Yoorim's school (while they were secretly online chatting buddies), and then the climax of the conflict post-Asian Games, followed by the friendship they built subsequently when they realised they were online besties. The quarrels and fights were compelling, the blind date scene was incredibly cute, and there was even the scene where Heedo went to save Yoorim from reporters (which gave me flashbacks to when Scarlett saved Gakyeong in Search WWW). I was particularly compelled by the Heerim relationship because I'm an avid fan of ice hockey and volleyball, and I know there are many close friends and even couples (look up the women's ice hockey rivalry between Canada and USA and the cross-border couples!) who have to play against each other and truly lay it all out on the court/ice, yet manage to maintain their relationships. Of course, it also helped that Taeri always has lovely chemistry with her female co-stars and Bona was no exception.
I also have to mention the third female lead, Ji Seungwan (Lee Joomyung), who was a fascinating character and super fun to watch. Who can forget all the times she tried to bribe Yijin, who happened to be a tenant in her house. Pure comedy gold. And of course, I was cheering for our class president when she stood up against the abusive teacher cos violence has no place in education. Also, how awesome is Seungwan's mum?
Another similar point I noticed was the male leads. Search WWW's male leads were also very sweet and thoughtful, and our 2 leading guys were similar too. Baek Yijin sometimes seems too perfect to be true, especially pre-ep 15. I have to admit I wasn't particularly fond of Nam Joohyuk, especially after Start Up which I dropped after 10 episodes, and while I still don't think he's the greatest actor, I think he really fit the role here and managed to hold his own opposite Taeri. Jiwoong was also incredibly hilarious with the cheesiest lines, but always extremely sweet to Yoorim.
I love a good comedy, and there were so many hilarious laugh-out-loud moments in this show and I really can't keep count. There are scenes that are funny because of the writing (the 5 bowls of rice LOL), and then there are scenes that rely on the actors' comedic timing (all the scenes of Heedo being scared!) and thankfully our cast was up to the task. And woven into these comedic scenes are nuggets of wisdom, life perspectives, and moments that tugged at my heartstrings. I really have to salute the writer for seemingly spoiling key scenes (Madrid 2001 match), yet the build up to the outcome we knew was coming still felt engaging and exciting.
I know many people hated the ending, but I went into it knowing the ending, so I was okay with it. In fact, I think fans who wanted the main couple to end up together were purposely blinding themselves to the numerous facts (not even hints) presented throughout the show indicating that they did not end up together. I must also applaud the writer for sticking to her guns knowing this would definitely be very unpopular, but probably the more realistic outcome. It also made me reflect a lot about my own youth and relationships, being in my late 20s now and wistfully looking back at all the friendships formed in school thinking they would last forever, but really only keeping contact with a handful of them now. Realising that not all friendships or relationships will last, and it can be scary how someone whom we used to see and interact with daily can become almost like a stranger, but we learn from each person we interact with. I mean, I've gone on vacations and shared key life events with friends that I hardly or don't talk to anymore, so I don't think the outcome of the lead couple's relationship as outside the realm of possibility after the bond they shared. Also, what a masterclass in acting by both leads in this hurtful breakup scene.
I'm in two minds about the narrative choice to frame the story as one of the present looking back at the past. On one hand, I like it because it creates that wistful, nostalgic feels, and made sure that the audience knew they weren't ending up together (but obviously many people decided to ignore those signs lol). On the other, I have to agree with everyone else that present Heedo just felt nothing like how Taeri portrayed Heedo, and honestly I didn't care for adult Heedo.
I need to dedicate a paragraph to Taeri's acting, cos....wow. I've been following her career since her breakout with The Handmaiden (MUST WATCH), and I'm just consistently amazed at how she consistently picks good projects, and also consistently gives great performances which never feel phoned in. I don't know how she does it, but she has this ability to really become the character that I never feel like there are overlaps between the different characters she plays. It's incredible that she's obviously way older than her character in real life, yet managed to so convincingly portray the naivete, youth, innocence and teenage frustration of Heedo. As Heedo progressed through the years, her demeanour/gait was visibly less awkward and gangly and more refined. When she won the Baeksang's Best Actress, my dad was overjoyed (yes my dad watches more kdramas than me XD) and said that I'll understand why when I watched the show, and I have to agree. The rest of the main cast was obviously less experienced than Taeri, and they were all decent and held their own, but Taeri was the obvious star.
As always, the trifecta of a good drama is writing, acting and directing. And the directing in this drama was not merely serviceable but really helped to elevate scenes. So many creative transitions and shots that either helped to enhance the dramatic or comedic impact of each scene. OST was also great, and I really love the song by Bibi especially.
All in all, I totally understand why this was a hit. Anchored by an incredibly strong script that knew exactly where it wanted to go, brought to life by excellent acting especially by the leading actress and elevated by the directing, the show deserves all the critical and fan acclaim.
