Racket Boys

The Korean title of this drama is Racket Sonyeondan and like its sort of namesake, this drama and its young cast built up its own cult following.  

Kim Sang-kyung stars as a badminton coach and Oh Na-ra as his wife who also shares the same profession--albeit with a more successful team. Tang Joon-sang, fresh from his Move to Heaven stint, plays their sports-oriented son who got into baseball and badminton. 

The story is about a group of teenagers who belong to a badminton team in one of the rural towns of Korea. It's a slice of life drama showing how they handle the stress and pressures of competing and at the same time, nurturing their relationships with their peers, family and neighbors.

You learn to love all of the characters and root for them during their competitions and most of all, you cheer them on as they grow to be better versions of themselves. The character developments were spot on and it was heart warming to see them change that would enable them to do great and wonderful things. 

I loved the Coach, the father of one of the protagonists. He started off as an ineffective teacher--somebody who would care first about himself rather than his players. But as he spent more time with his team, he learned to grow and even exceeded expectations--whether as a father, a husband or as a coach. 

He said something which I can relate to, "You guys made an average player and below-average coach like myself feel pretty good about myself." Seeing how much his boys work inspired him to be better at his job and even made some cool calls in one of the games. 

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT

Character Development

There were a lot in this story--from the young leads, the coach and even the supporting cast. 

One particular touching moment was when the city folks realized that they have something to live for. They moved to the Haenam as they wanted to literally die. It had to take a bowl of curry to knock them off their misery. If they proceeded with their plans, they wouldn't have been blessed with their bundle of joy which they have been praying and wishing for for so long. 

The Cameos

A good drama usually does not need cameos to rack up ratings but the writer managed to get cameos from some of the actors from Prison Playbook--which he also wrote. Loved the interaction of Lee Kyu-Hyung and Jung Min-Sung (they were cellmates in Prison Playbook).

Young Love, Sweet Love

Even if the leads are young, they still invoked the right amount of "kilig" and how puppy love feels like. I guess I've been used to watching dramas were love is passionate and culminated with a kiss (or for other dramas, a trip down the aisle or a bed). For this one, they just hugged it out. You can't help but say, awwwwwww!

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT 

I really can't think of anything. If ever, this drama was considered underrated. There's no big name in the cast yet, the story managed to carry them through. Oh, and the episode delays too! This ran for almost three months. It was extended because from the two-episode a week, it became one-episode a week and then there was a week when they didn't show an episode because of the Olympics. 

RATING

Giving this five tissue boxes! Such an inspirational slice of life drama.  

 

Watched: June 6 - August 10, 2021