Summer Strike (2022)

short, realistic, cozy

cozy small town vibes with all the elements of life and characters that you would expect from such a place. depressing at times, hopeful at others. peace and messages of being content in life, however it is, at times, stories of human anguish and tragedy at others.

watched only for shin eun soo - great job and very multidimensional character for her. really loved FL's acting and character too. she fits perfectly with the realistic plain vibe of everyday life the drama wanted to portray.

although i wish they focused more on her mental health and personal healing too (more than just her helping others through theirs) because the girl did go through some trauma. from work pressure to breakip to losing her mom and then moving to a small town where she was unwelcome at first, seeing death and losing people again. taking care of bom and her bro. all this plot though understandable wasn't very concise or clear. what happened to bom's father in the end i wonder. an alcoholic would always be one was that the message, or should it have been a stress point against drinking work culture and peer pressure to do so in thr country.

good and content ending ig. wish we could have seen more of the ml and the lead couple together. by the end i felt like i haven't really seen him all that much?

their relationship - the initial awkwardness, interactions, mannerisms, shy smiles - all veryy wholesome and realistic.

ofcourse there is a murder solving our lead sherlock couples undertake haha along with some high speed running and chasing ?

Read More

watched weekly as it came out

lee yeo reum my fav summer girl <3 i wanted to watch even before it came out because it seemed like the typical slice of life type of show that i love and i did! the slowburn was SLOW and i do feel like we should have gotten at least a kiss Read More

Summer Strike: A Promising Start, But Lost in the Middle

When I started watching the drama, it seemed interesting. Its premise is similar to another K-drama "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" which I liked very much, so I was looking forward to it. This drama is about a girl who was overwhelmed and struggling with her current life and wanted to start anew. It is about self-discovery, healing and finding your happiness. The drama started out good with little sprinkles of romance, jealousy and potential love triangles, but soon went downhill. Here’s where things went awry:

- Too Many Tragedies: Bom and her family faced a relentless onslaught of misfortune. These tragedies, piled one upon another, disrupted the drama’s intended healing vibe. The ending for Bom’s grandmother and her father felt out of place in a story about finding happiness.

- Dismissal of Abuse: The drama’s handling of Bom’s father’s abuse towards her left a bitter taste. Excusing such behavior is inexcusable.

- Murder Mystery: The death of a character and the whole murder mystery was completely out of blue and felt forced. It did not add much to the drama in a positive sense.

- Missed Character Development: “Summer Strike” missed the mark on character-driven storytelling. This drama should have been about various people overcoming their troubles in life and finding their own version of happiness and we were left wanting.

In conclusion, the drama was good in the beginning but had many issues in the middle and later part of the show. While it’s watchable, I would hesitate to recommend it.

Read More

A kdrama that has all my heart <3

One of my favorites <3

Este drama me transmitió tanta tranquilidad, dolor y amor al mismo tiempo ): Me gustó muchísimo, no creí que fuera a gustarme tanto, es un drama que se convierte en mi comfort zone <3

Me vi muy reflejada en Yeo Rum y Dae Bum, muchas veces sentía que una parte de mi habitaba en ellos y por eso me sentía tan identificada.

Es un drama muy realista que te hace sufrir y cuestionar la vida, pero es un drama que te da esperanza también.

Creo que no hay nada de malo en sentirte mal y querer escapar de todo, y no hay de malo en hacerlo y encontrar tu paz y tu bienestar. <3

Read More

One of the best shows I've watched in a while

I have a very short attention span and get bored easily, so I thought I would drop this after the first two episodes but I was so wrong! I personally know what it feels like to burn out in a toxic environment and how your live can change drastically after someone close to you dies. The storyline was very similar and realistic to my experience yet somehow completely different, I liked that.
This show won't be peaceful from start to finish but! it IS worth it. Going through ups and downs in life is totally normal and I think everyone can relate to this show at some point.
The actors and actresses came off very genuine. They weren't cringy or insufferable to watch at all. I also liked how the two leads weren't pushed together romantically very quickly and rather formed their bond slowly. It was a great watch, especially for a hopeless romantic like me. I think a kiss scene after the 4th or 5th episode would have made me drop the show altogether.
Overall, I just love how this is a big fuck you to societal norms and expectations towards women (especially young women) and how we should all be perfect at everything we do. I've never had a chance to take a break from a situation like Yeoreum's but watching her summer strike really made me feel like I took a break as well, it was very refreshing. I think we should normalize not having big goals and living one day at a time. Pressuring people into doing stuff they aren't ready/don't want to do is just weird and unnecessary.
This show will always be very charming to me and I am always happy to rewatch it. If you're hesitant about watching, please give it a chance!

Read More

Madness Strike

The early episodes of this series had lots of moments where you feel mad with the mistreatment the main lead got. The last few episodes were though were pretty thrilling and not so calming. So i wouldnt recommend to watch if youre just looking to sit back relax and enjoy the romance between the main leads. While there is romance of course, it wasnt that much compared to the amount of episodes this show has. But for me those few little moments felt suprisingly enough because of how cute and satisfying it is. It wasnt too forceful and felt very natural to watch because of the main leads acting

Read More

Summer Strike Review - ZyKuu

The small village of Angok is a special place filled with special people. This drama was very entertaining and unpredictable at times. The show successfully incorporated different genres like romance, mystery, and melodrama. The OST perfectly suited the theme and environment of the show. The cast was spectacular as I feel that majority of the characters nailed their roles. The main leads Yeo-reum and Dae-bum were a special pairing. Their chemistry was innocent and gentle. Ji-young and Sung-min had an entertaining dynamic, and it felt wholesome to see their bond get stronger over time. The sidecast had a couple standout performances like Geun-ho, Geun-ho's mother, and Bom's father. Bom's father in particular broke me not only once, but twice. I appreciated Bom's family dynamic because it displayed a realistic situation that exists in many households today, thus making a connection with the viewers. I loved how this show made life feel relatable and taught valuable life lessons along with it. This show inspires me to live in a village and experience life through a different lense. There was a calming peace in watching the people of Angok go about their daily lives. All in all, this was an amazing show that I recommend everyone to give a try!

Read More

Have you ever wanted to quit your job, take only a few of your possessions, and leave behind everyone/everything you've ever known? That's exactly what this drama is about. Yeo Reum finds herself miserable in her every day life. Constantly comparing herself to everyone else and being held to a higher standard that seems unachievable. She decides to leave the corporate life behind, packs a small bag and heads off for a small beach town: Angok.

There we begin the most comforting story of learning to find little things to enjoy in your life. It's a story about finding people who get you with no judgements and finding the true path to what you want to do in life without anyone's expectations getting in the way. I loved everyone in the small town, though it starts out rough at first with Yeo Reum and the villagers. As the show goes on, the town opens up in every way possible... even showing some of the darker cracks that are hiding in the shadows of Angok.

Finding herself in the library quite often, Yeo Reum and the quiet librarian, Dae Beom, become interested in each other slowly. Their chemistry and relationship slowly blooming was one of my favorite parts of this drama and I loved seeing everyone's relationship with each other get better and better as the show went on. Towards the end, it feels like everyone is a huge family that loves and cares for each other. Dae Beom has a tragic past that is the talk of the small village. This is my one flaw with the show.. I understand needing some form of drama after everyone in the town begins to like Yeo Reum, but I felt it could've gone just fine without it. Towards the last few episodes, the darker side jumps out more than the other side stories and it unravels the big mystery in the small village: who killed Dae Beom's sister Sun-Ah? I will say the twist was not one that I could've guessed because the show does a good job of keeping you preoccupied on the obvious suspects. I'm glad that Dae Beom got the closure he needed and could move on with that chapter knowing that he didn't do anything wrong. The last episode spent quite a long time laying out the answer and solving the mystery that I felt it left behind what I was actually wanting to see in the end which was all of the other relationships and how they are now that it's the end of the summer.

I did have a hard time getting through most of the scenes with Dae Beom's close friend and fellow librarian, Ji Young. It's very obvious from the start that she holds their relationship in a different light than Dae Beom views them. She goes out of her way to be rude and hateful towards Yeo Reum without any reason for doing so other than she has a crush on Dae Beom and he doesn't reciprocate. She goes to Sung Min quite often and begs him to kick her out several times and even goes behind everyone's back to talk to Yeo Reum privately about how she gave up on life and doesn't get to push how she lives on everyone (Bom and Dae Beom) all the while doing exactly that to the both of them. She becomes more tolerable too late and I wish that they would've wrapped up her feelings a little earlier than they did.. especially when her relationship with Sung Min was much more interesting and unexpected. I wanted to see more of the 2 of them with Joon.

I did read a few reviews before watching that mentioned that Yeo Reum is too nice and finds herself being walked over many times, but I had to keep in mind during this drama that it's about finding yourself and finding how you want to live your life. Bom's choices drove me crazy, but when you keep in mind that she's a teenager with a rough upbringing and it's her first life with mistakes and all, it makes it feel more realistic. Yeo Reum is kind and giving and will give even when knowing that she is being taken advantage of. She knows the feeling of pressure and judgement and does her best to not push her opinions on others. I found myself relating to her character a lot more than I thought and I loved seeing her become more and more happy than at the start.

Summer Strike quickly became one of my favorites and definitely a comfort show. I found myself laughing and giggling with Yeo Reum and Bom during their sleepovers.. crying with them during their hard times and kicking my feet with them as they began to realize their feelings and crushes. It feels like you become a part of the small village and I loved every minute of it.

Read More

Soothing and Sweet

Summer Strike is one of my favorite dramas of the year, and exactly what I needed: short, sweet, and fulfilling.
The story follows Yeo Reum and her desire to leave the busy city life to fulfill her mother's wish of wanting to do nothing. In her grief, Yeo Reum makes some drastic changes to her life that she would otherwise not have the courage to do. I truly love Yeo Reum as I resonate with many of her characteristics, such as people-pleasing, conflict avoidance, and introversion. However, she isn't a complete pushover as she learns to stand up for herself and people in the community.

A couple of reasons why I love this drama is because I love the theme of Family of Choice, and this drama pulled incessantly on my heartstrings as Yeo Reum gradually found her significance/confidence. It also focuses on how the adults in our lives can truly fail us at times (Bom's father, Dae Bom's Father/professor, Jae Hoon's parents/aunt) but that isn't always the end all be all. The little safety bubble that they created with each other and how the characters learned to lean on one another was just chef's kiss.

Although we see a lot of interaction between Dae Bom and Yeo Reum, we do NOT get a kiss at the end, and for once I was fine with that. I felt that the story was complete regardless of a kiss. Dae bom and Yeo reum have done so much to prove that they admire and are willing to be there for one another, and they were moving so slowly that it made sense that the drama didn't end with a kiss. I enjoyed it regardless.

If you're looking for a low key drama to binge this is definitely the one to watch

Read More

A "Healing" Show

Although many people depict this show as a "healing" show, I feel like it's much more than that. It didn't feel particularly healing to me. It was a show that definitely had healing aspects, however, the storylines felt a little rushed, and not fully thought out, so the ultimate resolution of healing through whatever conflict there was didn't feel complete.

Whilst the female lead is a main part of the story, her main purpose has more to do with the side storylines than her own. Which, turns out well since the side plots were really interesting, but it might've been nicer to get more details on her story and have good closure. Her ex-boyfriend isn't a MAIN part of her problems at the beginning, but his small contribution felt kind of cast out. He was mentioned once after the fact, but it would've been nice if she had been a little bit more affected long term, considering it had been a six year relationship. A little detail like that could've made the story super interesting, and would've been an amazing incorporation of her beginning conflict. Her brother as well, could've turned out to be a MAJOR plot point in her own story, however, the fight she has with him has little effect on it. It would have made her relationship with Bom and her family a lot deeper if it had been carried out further.

The male lead's storyline was probably one of the best carried out. It feels like out of everybody, his story had more closure and was well developed. His "healing" portion was well enough, even if it would've been nicer to see more of his interaction with his dad in the end. The whole "not talking to strangers thing" was a nice detail if a little useless, since it's not really ever seen again after the first episode. It would've been great if he had taken a little longer to warm up to the female lead.

Bom's story was one of the main ones. It felt more developed than the female lead's. It's also amazingly written in my opinion. However, this main storyline had little healing, or at least, healing that felt rushed, and unrealistic. Her story deals with the most trauma, so her healing should have been slower and better thought out than it was. It feels as though one second she's falling apart and the next she's mostly fine. I would've really liked if it had been gradual, and if the experiences she went through left more of an impact on her and everybody involved. It felt like a low-consequence ending for the amount of things she goes through.

This show is also not a romance-centered plot. Although the romance very much exists, it's never the main focus, as it's more supposedly about healing than the actual aspects of romantic love. However, love is a huge theme in the show. Not just romantic, but familial and platonic love. A lot of bonds are made with all of the characters, and in the end you feel like they've all fallen in love with something. Whether it be someone romantically, or a bond of new chosen family, or a feeling of happiness, love plays a role in everyone's ending. However, approaching the show with expectations of a major romance storyline will probably disappoint, since it doesn't have a particularly satisfying ending in that way.

There was also aspects of a murder mystery, which although interesting, was also not a huge genre throughout. It was solved fairly quickly although in the last few episodes, since it only surfaces at the very end. It was unexpected, but also felt like it ended too quickly without much to go on. It was exciting to have some of the genre show up, but it wasn't anything major.

Overall, it was a pretty emotional show and although I felt the end was a little abrupt, I definitely felt like the show was worth my time. Although I approached it with different expectations, it was a pleasant watch, and I would probably choose to watch this show again in the future.

Read More

It's a good drama. But even though it was a very calm drama, I expected more romance. The main actors had a lot of chemistry in the beginning, but in the last episode I couldn't identify all that passion and chemistry. However, it's worth watching, it's cute and calm.

The drama is slow, I believe it is good to watch if you like calm dramas or if you have just watched something very heavy.
However, he talks about important subjects such as murd*r, mental illness (although not as explored, I wish it had been), abuse at work, harassment, school violence and trauma. Even though it was calm, this part was well explored.

The second couple, the teenagers, had more development in their relationship than the main couple, which saddened me because the scene between the two would have been really beautiful. I hope they are recruited for another drama together, this time exploring the ''romantic comedy'' part of the actors.

Anyway, it's a good drama. I recommend.
11/12/2023 - Brazil, Rio.

Read More