Summer Strike (2022)

Loved it, Untill Episode 9

Sometimes I wonder if Kdramas have an allergy to happy endings, the element of loss can be very powerful in a drama, however when overused or implemented in a way that creates unnecessary forceful emotions for the audience --I find it frustrating.

What I enjoyed about the drama, up until episode 9, was the balance they had between loss and self-discovery, how loss can lead you to rethink the trajectory of your life and then also to use grief as a measure of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in one’s life.

For me, the main character Yeo Reum was perfect for this depiction of loss and discovery. The drama begins with a loss of a mother, which starts an emotional, but healing journey, for Yeo Reum. This loss leads Yeo Reum to head to the countryside, where we are introduced to a new set of characters that will later influence each other's lives. The townspeople have also experienced loss and are forced to cope with it differently. We have Dae Bom, Dae Bom, and Jae-Hoon who each have a different form of loss within their lives. It's these well-written characters who, without the need for the audience to know immense details, are able to connect with each other on an emotional level.

To me, the cope with loss, and self-healing, began to pick up and continue to help the characters grow through her new friendships (dae bum, Bom, yeo ream, and Jea Hoo) where they found happiness within each other, with their healing at the climax, and the most fun in the show, the death of Bom’s grandma occurs, which I found unnecessary and a plot element that really didn’t need to be there.

The drama did very well to move away from unnecessary drama, giving a fresh outlook on healing and love. There was never any misunderstanding, like you see in many other dramas, between the main relationships. To me, my love for the show stems from each character’s ability to, not forget about their loss but to, live intentionally in the present moment. I enjoyed that, after a major loss from Yeo Reum, the show took a tonal shift towards happiness, especially through friendship. These friendships are central to the show: Yeo-Reum & Bom’s sisterly bond, Bom’s Grandma & Yeo Reum’s motherly bond, and Dae Boms & Yeo Reum’s romantic bond. It’s these friendships that, throughout each episode, increase in strength. As each character opens up to each other as they all begin to heal. That’s why, the death in episode 10 took me by surprise, in a negative sense; all the healing, through bonds of friendship, backtrack because of another loss, therefore, clouding the well-established theme of moving forward.

The drama itself is built upon growth and open communication between characters and yet these established growth patterns seem to disappear in light of Bom’s Grandma’s death. The characters, instead of coming together to heal, begin to separate and lack the open and caring communication that held them together before.

I felt that the show tried to take on too many subplots and got lost within the subplot of the mystery of the billiard hall. I enjoyed this subplot--only in the beginning, as it was an anchor for Dae Beum’s trauma. Initially, it was well-balanced because it didn’t take over the show and set up a means of understanding Dae-Beum’s past and connection to the town. However, with the death of Bom’s Grandma, the mystery takes the spotlight and put the themes of self-discovery and friendship into the shadows. I personally didn’t like this tonal shift and ideally, I would’ve wanted the drama to continue towards a happy tone, where the grandma doesn’t die and the growth of each friendship is delved into further. I decided to stop watching after this point, even though I’m sure the drama does get back on track, later on, about the friendships, however to me the unnecessary death was a frustrating factor that I couldn’t get past.

Despite my gripe with the death of Bom’s Grandma, I still loved the former episodes and wanted to touch on a few other factors that made this drama stand out. The unspoken dialogue between Yeo Reum and Dae Bom is so well written that their relationship is a perfect example of how to efficiently display chemistry without an excess of physical display. They have an unspoken love, that translates into deliberate actions, such as doing hobbies together, and sharing loving glances and smiles; they both know they love each other, without any drama or unnecessary elements to get in the way of their emotions. They both pursue each other in such cute and subtle ways that make their delicate relationship so fun to watch.

I also loved how the drama took a lens that focused on a woman’s perspective, that of Yeo Reom. She didn’t go to the country to find love, rather she begins her adventure for herself and to better understand her present needs. Yeo Reum doesn’t set any expectations, for her self-discovery, but rather allows herself to indulge in her individual happiness. The Yeo Reum in episode one and the Yeo Reum in episode nine are starkly different. In episode one we see how she doesn’t stand up for herself and clings to an emotionally abusive boyfriend. We see a tragic version of Yeo Reum who has sacrificed her “I” to the point of transparency. She can barely distinguish her wants and needs, from that of those around her. In the beginning, she lives for others, rather than living for herself. Yeo Reum, in episode one, is a burnout woman that is a product of her toxic environment,

A part of self-discovery is when a person begins to understand that they no longer need to live as a ‘we’, such as being in a relationship or appeasing a boss, but rather when one lives to uphold and stay true to their ‘I’ while also making room, when needed, for the ‘we’. In this way Yeo Ream discovers herself first, then after she is adamant on focusing on being herself, she naturally attracts friendships along the way. By staying true to herself she is not selfish, but solidifies that whether, her coming to Angok, she finds connections or not, she won’t sacrifice self-discovery and understanding of her desires.

We see Yeo Reum change from a woman who initially lived on the validation of others to one who is able to validate her own self-worth. When she decided that she no longer needed the acceptance of others, and puts herself first, she then lends herself to different forms of love. The drama represents the common motto: for others to love you, you must love yourself. By the end, Yeo Reum has learned to love and accept herself unconditionally. I truly loved Yeo Reum’s character, because, although she is in a relationship with Dae Bum, she makes it clear through her actions that she does not need a romantic relationship to survive and that she is completely capable on her own. The opportunity for a healthy romantic relationship presented itself after Yeo Reum’s acceptance of her self-worth. The relationship was an added bonus, not a crutch.

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Si Wan and Seol Hyun's chemistry make Summer Strike worth watching

Summer Strike is worth watching for Dae Beom and Yeo Reum and their relationship. Yim Si Wan and Seol Hyun have a very sweet and natural chemistry and are a joy to watch. More time should've been spent on their relationship. Their individual performances are excellent too.

The supporting characters and storylines aren’t particularly strong with some that are downright unpleasant to watch. Summer Strike has the obligatory murder plot most kdramas have these days which really drags down the drama. The drama was darker than I expected and I wouldn't call it a healing watch.

Honestly, I would recommend fast-forwarding or skipping scenes without the leads. They aren’t very interesting or likeable.

If you aren’t interested in watching two awkward introverts fall in love, Summer Strike is not for you.


https://dramatoast.com/summer-strike-kdrama/

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Your classic case of a Romcom turned Murder Mystery

So I’m not even gonna lie, I found out about this drama through tiktok edits titled as the most wholesome drama of the season and saw some scenes that literally blew me away with how cute they were. So naturally I pick up the show and start watching.

The first episode is awesome, it’s amazing, it’s everything I wanted and expected. Our FL, weighed down by the harsh daily life of the city decides to move to the country side. Great! Everything is settled and arrangements are made and there she was at the beach of Angok basking in the sun. Watching that scene was the most liberating thing ever and you could literally feel your stress being washed away as she runs towards the water and dives in.

Episode 2 rolls around. Now we’re being introduced to the town and the dynamics of the people living there adding dimensions and depth to the story. We love to see it.

The FL meets the ML and instantly they are hooked on one another. Their feelings slowly develop and in each and every scene between them I could literally feel the butterflies.

And so I was hooked. It didn’t require much and I didn’t expect more. Things are slowly unfolding as they should.

As the FL is staying there, she decides she’ll starts journaling so we are baited with this plot point of her developing an interest in writing and all things are going as expected in this tranquil country side. You got your usual nosy kids, angry locals and small town secrets but nothing that can’t be conquered by the power of love and friendship.

Only problem is, as the story progresses, they decide that complicating the plot is the way to go. First of, they introduce the ML’s “dark past” which is alright. Nothing out of the ordinary. But only they decide that no, that’s not enough we need a convoluted murder case and an unnecessary plot twist and that’s where the show completely lost me.

Dae Bum, the ML, had enough of a “layered” backstory and a lot on his plate in the right-now to worry about. But they decided to bring up the past in the most ridiculous, unnecessarily complicated manner. There was no need for a second murder to happen for the first one to be “solved”. In fact, the first plot they went with was more than good enough. Why keep on adding on more and more plot points?

Especially when they dismissed and quickly went over his current present problems. Glossing over everything and quickly resolving it.

As for Yeo Reum who ran away from the toxic city life only to be chucked into this mysterious village of horrors. People complained about how much of a doormat she was but I thought to myself nothing wrong with a meek FL. Not everyone in life is a fighter. But nothing developed at all.

Everything they prepared us for regarding her character “arc” never unfolded. She did a magazine interview and that went nowhere I don’t even know why they bothered adding that in. In the end they teased how she’ll start writing a webtoon. Like, why couldn’t this just be the plot? Why did she have to be this detective Conan all of a sudden?

Her morals were questionable at times, and while I tried giving her the benefit of the doubt, her inconsistency at times confused me. E.g. yelling at Kim Bom for not wanting to be associated with her abusive alcoholic father and then getting annoyed at that mom for wanting to protect her DISABLED son who was falsely convicted for murder?! Make it make sense. All whilst completely forgetting about her brother who was unreasonably villainized and then completely erased from existence never to be mentioned again.

I tried to brush some things off as being part of the “culture” and nature of a small town village but I couldn’t at times. Especially when she, as the main lead, was supposed to represent the opposite of those traditional expectations.

Many of the plot points were left undiscovered. Kim Bom’s childhood friend, her father and his alcoholism (and apparently gambling addiction, too now). Speaking of Kim Bom, she had the most tragic and dramatic plot out of everyone in that show which was poorly executed.

Whenever the writer was at loss on how to mobilize the plot, boom! they threw a tragedy at Kim Bom and that’s how it went. And DON’T get me started on how simply Jae Hun just went and came back from The States. Ridiculous!

Sung Min being a single dad. Like, where’s the mom? In this gossipy small town no mention of her at all?
Ji Young absolutely hating the country side only to decide on a whim that, no! She actually doesn’t. Like, what?

The billiards club and how Sung Min’s dad became the owner. Dae Bum’s family position in Angok and just Dae Bum in general. How he grew up without his parents and what actually happened between him and that professor. He remained an enigma to the very last moment.

And the god damn pacing. How much time went by? Between the multiple time leaps and Yeo Reum packing her bags to leave every other day it was impossible to discern. At times it felt like days other times it felt like months.

And the romance! Where did it go? We never went past the awkward infatuation stage which was cute until the show approached its end and I grew frustrated. The most we got was some hand holding UGH! On the other hand, Kim Bom got a dramatic passionate kiss under the rain. Absolute clownery.

And the beach! You’d think now that she lives by it she’ll be there every other day but, no! I mean, I can’t blame her she was too busy solving crimes.

I was never set up for this amount of disappointment in my life. The last thing I expected was for this to turn into a murder mystery show. Other than the cute moments between the two leads, their chemistry and endearing conversations, everything else seemed to go wrong. It was a shame to see this go to waste especially with how exceptional everyone’s performance was.

I’m convinced something went wrong with either the budget, ratings or writers because to have this easy of a plot then f’ it up this bad made zero sense.

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Sometimes you have to take a break to move forward...

Series "life lesson" more than romantic, but interpreted by great actors.

A young woman, dumped by her boyfriend, unhappy with her job, dumps everything after her mother's death and goes "on a long vacation" to a village. She will gradually make friends, find a lover (math genius with big trauma), solve a 20-years-old murder, ...

We quickly get attached to the characters, who are well developed, moving, full of humanity. The series deals with the themes of grief, alcoholism, harassment, disabilities, etc.

12 episodes are enough, well paced, with enjoyable OSTs. However, I would have appreciated more romance!!!!

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Série "leçon de vie" plus que romantique, mais interprétée par de super acteurs.

Une jeune femme, larguée par son boyfriend, pas heureuse dans son travail, largue tout après la mort de sa mère et part "en longues vacances" dans un village. Elle va peu à peu se faire des amis, trouver un amoureux (génie des maths avec gros trauma), résoudre un meurtre vieux de 20 ans, ...

On s'attache très vite aux personnages, qui sont bien développés, émouvants, plein d'humanité. La série aborde les thèmes du deuil, de l'alcoolisme, du harcèlement, du handicap, etc.

12 épisodes sont suffisants, bien rythmés, avec des OST agréables. J'aurai cependant apprécié que la romance ne soit pas qu'effleurée !!

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Refreshingly low-key

Kim Seol-hyun headlining a romance drama? Yes please! Such a rare sight.

They sure were trying their damn hardest to make her appear as average-looking as possible (unflattering makeup, messy hair, ill-fitting clothes), but as it became quite clear it just wasn't achievable, halfway through it's like they just went screw it and gave up lol. Then cue other characters going like "wow you're so pretty" well no shit, do you have eyes?

This is actually, and surprisingly, very well written with many complex characters and dynamics, although it is a bit contrived at times. I really enjoyed how mature it was in its themes. It's pretty much entirely devoid of cheese (but definitely not drama), so rest assured that you won't find any of the usual kdrama clichés here, so if you're looking for something different from usual kdrama this is one of them. Feels more like a slice of life drama, with a side serving of darker moments.

I think this series's strongest suit is the writing, especially character interactions, while its weakest would be tonal consistency.

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Heartwarming...

Simply a timeless drama which deals with so many beautiful emotions. It is so relatable and very realistic in many ways. Yeo reum our female main character tired of her daily boring day to day stressful workholic life, One day she decided to call it off and take a break from everything. She decided to move into a country side with her remaining savings and start a new journey of her life. the plot was my initial attraction for Starting this drama and also i love to watch the countryside. it was a very heartwarming and beautiful 12 episode journey.

when she moved to the countryside there she met so many people including our main lead the handsome Siwan as An Dae Bam. He was introverted and very shy to speak, his first appearance is also really cute. Maybe some of you can actually relate with him in many things. The drama slowly starts to progress in between characters and relationships and also slight romances.

characters are beautifully written, Screenplay never gets bored on any of the situations and the duration of each episode is short. We already saw so many similar kinds of dramas but Summer strike was totally different from any of the others. May the plot look super relatable and the overall experience was very beautiful and Also they concluded everything with the given limited time.

If you like to watch feel good heartwarming relationship dramas then, Don't miss this drama, it was totally worth it. Completely Satisfied...

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Started off as a promising healing drama, but

I really enjoyed the first couple of episodes and was excited about a light-hearted, small-town, healing drama. But with how the plot developed in the latter portion, it felt like we were being pulled in several directions and I just didn't know what to take from the story anymore. It really did not need the whole murder mystery premise; that seemed so pointless to me. Felt like such an unnecessary plot twist :/ Instead of using the episode time on that, they could've focused it more on Ji Young + Sung Min or the students/bullies.

If the grandma weRe to die in the plot, it could've been from an accident/natural causes and we could go through the grieving process with the characters to learn more about processing and healing, rather than pinning her death on a potential assailant and being detectives to figure out who killed her.

It could've focused more on the relationship between the two main characters; their cute interactions and their healing with each other. While we did get that in the beginning, it was completely lost towards the end until they decided to randomly bring back the wholesome vibes, which gave me whiplash.

I love Im Siwan and I thought Seolhyun's acting was pretty good here too. It sucks that the plot wasn't up to par, at least in my opinion.

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"Summer Strike" is a series that requires a bit of patience to fully appreciate as it unfolds. Initially, I thought it would be a casual watch, one I did not anticipate to finish right away. But it was incredibly endearing; the pacing and the performances felt just right, and I found myself binge-watching late into the night.

The story begins with the female lead, who is exhausted by city life and the monotonous grind of work. After her mother passes away, she tries to continue her routine, but one day she takes a different path than everyone else. Her comments of noticing how beautiful the opposite direction the train was going was the start that made me stay. I knew this drama was going to be up my alley. And it was! She moves to a small town in the countryside and settles into a worn-down building with a dark history. Despite being a stranger, her kindness allows her to slowly connect with the townspeople, leading to a beautiful storyline filled with friendships that last a lifetime.

What I Liked About This Series:

• Relatability: Unlike many dramas where the main character is wealthy and seeks an escape from city life, this one features a gentle soul simply tired of the relentless pace and societal expectations.

• Kindness and Gentle Atmosphere: The series has a slow, thoughtful build that makes the relationships feel meaningful. It’s hard to describe without spoiling it, but this pace really resonated with me.

• Side Characters: I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the supporting cast, including the dog, Bom, the grandma, Jae Hoon, and Sung Min. Each character has their own story that beautifully complements the main narrative.

What I Didn’t Like About This Series:

This is a personal pet peeve of mine. While I recognize that many viewers might appreciate and find closure from this, I found the inclusion of murder and unresolved crime—foreshadowed early on—unnecessary for this type of story. It seems like many K-dramas incorporate crime or psychological twists these days, which isn't to my taste. However, it did provide a backdrop for exploring the main lead’s trauma, which added depth to his character.

If you’re looking for a drama that offers a casual slice of life with a heartfelt storyline about a gentle soul rebuilding her life in an unfamiliar place and making meaningful connections, I highly recommend "Summer Strike." It’s a series that might just bring a tear to your eye.

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Alright While it Lasted

Summer Strike ended up being a drama I could've lived without watching. It was a decent watch while it lasted though.

Story: It's a slower story where the characters are living the best they can, day by day. Yeo Reum leaving Seoul for Angok to finally live for herself was inspiring. We also meet different characters with somewhat different storylines although everyone is connected in some way. Some of the townspeople weren't the best but there was a sense of community between some of them throughout the drama. Bom and Ye Reum's relationship was my favorite.
During episode 9, something awful happens and it changes the feel of the show in my opinion. The same ending could've been achieved without that situation happening. The charm was lost for me and the show became depressing/dreary to watch rather than healing and feel good. The last 20ish minutes of the last episode was satisfying but by then I wasn't really into the show anymore. There were other situations that could've been handled better as well.

Acting/Cast: Everyone's acting was good! I wasn't a fan of certain characters though. FL could've used more character development but I feel like no one in the drama had major development so it makes sense. Character wise, it feels like we're just getting a quick glimpse of the character's growth :)

Music: From what I remember it was decent

Rewatch Value: I wouldn't rewatch this.

Overall, Summer Strike was alright while it lasted. Gradually, I got more fed up with some of the character's actions and how certain situations went down. I wasn't satisfied with the healing part of the drama. Further, if I'm looking for a melo, healing, and/or thriller/suspense drama, I would go for something else. The drama was never meant to be a heavy thriller/suspense drama but it did affect the other themes of the show for me.

Nonetheless, it's better to try it for yourself if you are interested!

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a true beauty and will rewatch it soon

if I ignore one of the episodes where I cried my eyes out for 50 minutes (yes I'm looking at you ep10), I'm thankful for this show. It's a true beauty, almost a masterpiece with all its lesson and happiness—so much joy and love. I'm not a person for sequels, but if this had one I wouldn't complain as I would be able to see more of them and their relationships/families. it's filled with wonderful platonic and romantic relationships that just makes you smile. well-written and loveable characters. refreshing and wonderful to see a main character who's a librarian and well-written shy. the backstories of the different characters make you either love them more or *clutches heart*.
I may be biased and just overjoyed as I just finished watching it but it's truly a wonderful show, and I'm on my way to check what other shows/movies the actor have been in to watch.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama" Summer Strike " is a feel good drama with a dark edge.

The story is soothing and very slice of life at first, having the cottage vibes to is, as the main lead moves to a coastal village to heal and relax.

The drama then takes a more dramatic turn, as the dark details that kept showing up between the summer mood and the friendship sequences got more intense and a solid mystery case introduce itself.

The villages, moreover, were all interesting characters, and the character development was smooth.

Unfortunately, there were moments when the drama got predictable and boring. The mystery case could have been handled in a better way as well.

The performances, finally, were all decent and enjoyable by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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