Our Beloved Summer – Full Review
Welcome to Our Beloved Sumer – Full Review. Stars of a 10 year old documentary revisit their hopes, dreams, and complicated relationship. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Our Beloved Summer
♥ Aired: December 6, 2021 – January 25, 2022
♥# of Episodes: 16
♥Where to Watch: Netflix
♥Genre: Romantic Drama
♥Starring: Choi Woo Shik and Kim Da Mi
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The Story
Choi Woong and Gook Yeon Soo appeared together in a documentary when they were in high school. On-screen, the two argued and fought constantly, but off-screen they ended up falling in love and dating for 5 years. Eventually they go through a difficult break up that neither one of them ever got over. Now, 10 years later, their series is regaining attention. In the hopes of cashing in on their sudden renewed popularity, producers approach them about doing a follow-up show. But being involved in each other’s lives again will stir up lingering feelings and misunderstandings. They will have to decide whether their relationship is worth mending or if they should just walk away again.
The Leads
Choi Wook Shik as Choi Woong
As a high school student, Choi Woong had the lowest grades in the school, but he loved reading and drawing. As an adult, he turned his love of drawing into a stable, successful career as an architectural artist. His break up with Yeon Soo was the darkest time in his life and he has no wish to relive that horrible experience. But when his best friend comes to him with the idea of a sequel to their high school documentary, he is forced to at least consider the idea for his friend’s sake. And knowing that Yeon Soo would hate the idea of a reunion even more than him makes him support it. Spending time with Yeon Soo again, Woong quickly realizes that he is still in love with her, and the question that has haunted him for 5 years may be the key to whether they should try again; why did she break up with him in the first place?
Choi Woong hides his abandonment issues by spending time alone so that he has nothing to lose. He has never told anyone that he remembers being left by his birth father or that the nightmares from that trauma keep him from sleeping at night. Yeon Soo is the only person he was ever willing to take a risk with, and when she left him with no explanation, the pain was almost unbearable. Choi Wook Shik was perfect for this role as a sensitive artist with deep feelings about love and loss. This was his first starring role since 2017 and the part was exactly right for him. The emotional depth he was able to convey made me love and understand this character.
Kim Da Mi as Gook Yeon Soo
Gook Yeon Soo was the driven top student in high school. Now she works as a publicist for a small company. She isn’t at all interested in spending time with Woong again or filming another documentary. But when Woong offers to participate in her next big event if she does the film, she is left with no choice but to give in. In the beginning, she hopes to get the sequel done quickly without letting Woong know she still has feelings for him. The more time she spends with him, the harder it is for her to hide the truth. And when he suggests they just try to be friends, she knows she wants more. If she can be honest and put aside her pride, she is sure she will be able to win him back.
Gook Yeon Soo grew up poor and alone, with only her grandmother to support her. She learned early that pride was her best defense. When she found out that her grandmother was sick, she broke up with Woong because she was too proud to tell him about her troubles or lean on him for help. But Woong was the only one who ever understood that under that cold, confident exterior was a vulnerable girl who just wanted to be loved and accepted. Kim Da Mi captured Yeon Soo’s brash confidence while giving us glimpses into the gentle sensitivity that hid behind her eyes. I enjoyed her in this role and felt like she was able to show good character development.
Supporting Characters
Kim Sung Chul as Kim Ji Woong
Kim Ji Woong is Woong’s best friend and adopted “brother”. The two of them grew up together and Woong’s parents took Ji Woong under their wing when his mother was absent. Ji Woong has always had a crush on Yeon Soo, but he had never told anyone. Watching the filming of the documentary when he was in high school inspired Ji Woong to go into a filming career because he was drawn to the idea of being a professional observer. He is in charge of producing the sequel his friends are starring in.
Roh Jeong Eui as NJ
NJ is a famous idol who meets Woong when she becomes interested in his art work. She develops a crush on him and makes excuses to see him whenever she gets a chance. She and Ji Woong bond over their unrequited loves and become friends. NJ is candidly self-aware which makes her character endearing and relateable.
Park Jin Joo as Lee Sol Yi
Lee Sol Yi is best friends with Yeon Soo. Sol Yi made enough money to open her own cafe, but business is slow and she is struggling to stay open. She becomes friends with Woong’s manager, Eun Ho, and the two commiserate together about their friends’ problems. Eventually, there are some romantic sparks between them.
Things I Liked
♥ “Parents”
I love this subtle theme that parents are made through love not blood. Both of the biological parents we see in this series, Ji Woong’s mom and Woong’s birth dad, walked away from their responsibility as parents and hurt their children terribly by their actions. But on the other side of that, we have Woong’s “adopted” parents and Yeon Soo’s grandmother, who chose to be loving and supportive to the children given to them. Woong and Yeon Soo both have such special relationships with their caretakers and I enjoyed watching their sweet interactions.
♥ Chae Ran’s Confession
I really felt bad at the very end that Ji Woong never got to make his confession and tell Yeon Soo how he felt. So it seemed somehow appropriate that Chae Ran made a point of being completely honest about her feelings for him. It seemed to even the scale in some funny cosmic way. And I prefer to believe that her confession was just the start of a wonderful relationship for the two of them, free from the ghosts of the past that had haunted Ji Woong all this time.
♥ Time Shifts
Sometime time shifts can get messy and confusing, but I really felt like they worked well in this drama. I enjoyed going back and seeing how everything started, and I never had to figure out which time we were in. It was clear and the background gave the stories good foundation without feeling disjointed from the main plot.
Things I Didn’t Like
Ji Woong’s Story
Ji Woong had a couple great storylines. It almost seems like a waste that so much time was spent on the anti-climatic love triangle that never really has much impact on the story as a whole. He and Woong have a week or so of awkward discomfort and then everything goes back to how it was. I would have much rather seen more exploration of his relationships with his mother and Woong’s parents. There was more that could have been done with those plots to make Ji Woong more of a central character than he was.
Clueless Yeon Soo
Ok. So Ji Woong was in love with Yeon Soo in high school and followed her around with a love sick puppy look on his face and Yeon Soo never even got a hint of it? I know that Yeon Soo has her insecurities, but that seems like a stretch. And 5 years later he is still yearning after her. I would have liked it better if Yeon Soo had at least figured it out at the end so they could have taken a moment to appreciate each other. It feels kind of wrong that she is still the only one in the dark on this one.
More Noo Ah
The story of Woong’s rival artist, Noo Ah felt rushed and a bit incomplete. I think his confession at the end that he actually did steal Woong’s work would have had more impact if we had seen more about the evolution of their relationship. Were they ever friends? Did Noo Ah really have cause for his jealousy or was he just being overly sensitive? Kwak Dong Yeon is such a great actor. It seems like they should have given him a few more scenes to tell the full story.
The Ending
Well, we get our happy ending with this one, and a couple tentative hopeful ones. Eun Ho is working at the cafe with Sol Yi while Woong is studying in Paris. Sol Yi has completely fallen for Eun Ho but she can’t tell for sure if he is just pretending not to notice or if he isn’t interested. But their last scene together, Eun Ho takes the straightforward approach and asks her on a date. Love is definitely in the air for these two. Chae Ran finally tells Ji Woong that she likes him. He seems surprised at first and then a bit embarrassed, but there is also a glint of interest that hints at a future for them as well. As for our leads, the writers play with us a little bit with the whole Paris story. But in the end, Woong goes away, which he needs to do for his own growth, and Yeon Soo stays home to be with her grandmother and wait for Woong to finish. They show some quick ups and downs of distance relationships before Woong surprises Yeon Soo and shows up to tell her in person that he loves her. The final scene shows them sitting on the couch, filming the end of their documentary, and with big smiles, they share the news that they are married. This ending is a perfect warm and comfortable wrap up that fits the tone of the drama well and ties everything up neatly.
Should I Watch
“Our Beloved Summer” is a nostalgic slow-burn romance. I really love this kind of drama that takes its time and concentrates on character development. If slow moving plots frustrate you, then this one probably isn’t what you’re looking for. The mood of this series is light but the storylines have a depth that draws you in and the chemistry between the leads and secondary cast is fun and touching. If you are looking for a slow-paced, warm romantic drama with sincere characters, this is a great choice. I give “Our Beloved Summer” a 10 out of 10 ramen.
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