Please don't stop reading this at my negative points. I have a lot of positive things to say about this drama as well.

Negative:
At first, I didn't really get into this drama that much. I decided to watch it because I like Sports/Teen dramas, and it looked good. I'll be honest, I have a few issues with the filmmaking.

Issue #1:
They often don't show the ending of a badminton match. It'll show the middle of the match and right at the height of the game when tension is high, they'll cut away to a later scene where the characters will verbally mention who won. I don't get why they don't show the ending of it so that you can watch a character win for yourself. It's super tacky in my opinion to just tell who the winner is without showing it. It's very unsatisfying and doesn't make sense from a filmmaking perspective at all. (After Episode 8-9 this issue resolves and they show you the ends of all the rest of the matches)

Issue #2:
Sometimes they would introduce a small plotline and resolve it almost immediately without developing it or using it as something to really push the main plot forward. I think there are a lot of scattered storylines and conflicts in this drama and sometimes it kind of interrupts the flow of the main story. In my opinion all conflicts should add to the overarching plot, but they failed to do this well often and sometimes this caused dragged out or boring scenes.

Positive:
(I loved this drama after I got over my initial issues)

#1: Great character relationships
There is a really strong joy that I took from watching the boys in the team develop their friendship. It's truly heartwarming and meaningful, and the drama does an excellent job of portraying very realistic and wholesome teenage relationships, both platonic and romantic. I liked it because it wasn't cringey or overly sappy, but it still felt very meaningful in a purposeful way. You really start rooting for the boys and their friendship.

#2: A Good Balance:
Often Sports dramas struggle with giving their characters a realistic amount of wins and loses. The leads of these dramas tend to always win, and on the rare occasion that they do lose, it's something that they really struggle to overcome. I found that in this drama, you felt the frustration of the characters when they lost (which they did a lot at first), and that made all their wins (both in badminton and regular life) feel very powerful and satisfying. It was easy to root for them and cheer them on, and I appreciated the fact that they supported each other even when they lost.

#3: Amazing Acting:
I really appreciated the actors, especially Tang Jun-sang. They did an excellent job of portraying their roles, and I became very attached to each character. Tang Jun-sang does a beautiful job of portraying Yoon Hae-kang in a way that makes you really love the character.

I felt very satisfied when the drama ended, and I plan to watch it again one day in the future.

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