MOON SUINN IS THE MAN

I came for Lee Sangyoon and Yoo Seonho but stayed for the team. As someone who isn't fond of watching sports anime after I grew out of my anime phase, I was surprised to be so invested in the team and their development.

Seo Janghoon, the national treasure center, did his best in teaching and coaching the team. The start may have been quite rocky but they pulled through and we can see how much the team has improved in such a short span of time. As a long time fan of Knowing Bros, it was nice to see SJH in his area and see how passionate he is in basketball. I was bawling when he said he was happy because the team made him feel like he was the one playing on the court.

I enjoyed Cha Eunwoo in MIIGB but aside from that, I've never really actively followed his works. I know he was added to increase the ratings but I was surprised at how dedicated he is to the project. He is easily the most improved player in my opinion. Considering that he's an idol with a packed schedule (he even went to Italy for a photoshoot), I admire the work he put in to improve his skills. Like you can see how he doesn't really get his shots in during the beginning but by the end, we can see that he's someone the team can trust to get some points in and decrease the gap. I also admire that he gives his 100% in the game even throwing himself to get those rebounds and steals. I love that we can all learn from him and his perseverance ("Hardwork doesn't betray" is one of the captions for him in the show and it is so apt).

The older members are also great to watch: Lee Sangyoon, the reliable captain; Seo Jiseok, the experienced point guard; Kang Kyungjoon, the quiet defender (I love how they always tell him that he did a "good foul" lol); Kim Seunghyun, the lucky shooter (He irked me in the beginning with his whining but he's okay); and Julien Kang, the steadfast center are great in court and shows that experience is also important in playing this sport. KKJ really surprised me; I love watching him block those shots beautifully. JK grew on me with his easy camaraderie with the members along with LSY. It makes their teamwork and friendship all the more special. JK also makes some beautiful plays with MSI; I specifically like that JK told MSI he has him supporting him in the backcourt during the last ep when UTP were double teaming on MSI.

The breakout act is undeniably Moon Suinn whose skills shone in this show. Where do I even begin with this guy? I didn't know him prior to this but damn I came out being such a big fan. His skill, footwork, and plays are something I always look forward to in each game and something I would even repeat (even when the show has repeated it 2-3x already). He plays gracefully and makes basketball look so easy that even the commentators and opponents often commend his abilities. He showed his dedication when he continued to play even when his feet was bleeding during the fight with Owls. He's swift and agile and I specifically enjoy watching him break through the defense that the opponents set on him especially when he's guarded by 2-3 people because that's how quick he is on his feet. I get kinda sad when they don’t cheer for him when he shoots because they expect him to get those shots in. I’ve re-watched HT thrice already and Coach Seo told him he did a great job just around two times? The bar is higher for him but it wouldn’t have hurt to tell him he does well especially when he does his very best to carry the team. Plus he probably wants the approval of Coach Seo as someone he admired for a long time. He’s the main shooter, one of the best defenders and rebounders, and the key player whenever they do court press. Man can’t catch a break lol He's such a great player and it helps that he's also handsome (I've become suuuuch a big fan).

Kang Insoo was a great addition to the team after the tryouts. I always look forward to the SuInSoo plays that would come out during the games. Yes, he made a lot of mistakes during the games (quite a number of turnovers and steals and missed shots when he was unmarked) but he added greatly to their team play. I do hope he practices his shooting more before he joins another sports variety so he doesn't feel burdened and incompetent. (Side note: I kinda felt for him when SJH told him to not shoot during their early games.)

Yoo Seonho was one of my picks in PD101 (baby chick is unforgettable lol) but I was afraid he would be underwhelming. How glad was I to be proven wrong. His 3 points and rimless shots were things I enjoyed seeing in the team. Jeon Jihoon was benched after he got in the team but I am glad his hard work and dedication showed during the end. I wish he was able to show it earlier but at least he proved himself late than never at all. His message to SJH during their trip was the most heartfelt for me and his tears of regret at the end got me crying so bad. Shorry and Lee Taesun were mismatched for me. They didn't add to the team. I'm sure they did their best during training but it didn't show results. I did however enjoy hearing Shorry cheer consistently during the game.

People often discount the role Joy played in the show but I think she did well as the team's manager. I can see how comfortable the members were with her and she always manages to get a smile out of them when it matters. The moments between Joy and the younger members (Suinn, Seonho, Insoo, Eunwoo) were fun to watch and it made me root for their friendship. I hope to see them hanging out sometime again.

I think I enjoyed HT more that LG!DT because the players are fixed. I wasn't that invested in LG!DT because some members would just appear for some eps then disappear (hence why I just mostly watched the episodes with my bias groups). If they ever plan to make a season 2, I hope majority of the cast sign up again because their teamwork and friendship is already there and it would be great to see it grow and blossom some more.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. So much so that I re-watched it immediately after finishing the entire season... and then again. Now, I'll be off to binge on the KCBL videos in YouTube to get some more Moon Suinn :))

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Namkoong Min finally won his Daesang with this drama!!!

"You’ve already dreamed of so many things and are fighting to protect them. It just so happened that I became one dream that fell off. Please don’t lose the others trying to pick me back up. You won’t be able to protect all of your dreams. You can’t break down like this every time. Thank you for letting me have my own dreams even for a little while."

This drama goes in my list of life dramas one must watch. I was expecting a sports drama so I was apprehensive when I started watching it but it's actually about the management of a baseball team. I thought it would be boring and that I will eventually drop it but the script is well written which kept me hooked. The story is gripping and heartwarming and uplifting and there were a lot of times I found myself crying (crying is cathartic for me lol). On top of the script, the cast are all great at acting... there were no acting holes. I highly recommend this drama!

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I was so tired after watching this

I haven't seen the original series and I watched this in two parts, 3 episodes each... and both times left me so, so drained. It has been a day since I finished it but I still remember how stressed, annoyed, and tired I was. Then again, I guess that can be a good sign because it shows that I got attached with the characters.

Honestly, I had no intention of watching but knowing my some of my favorite actors [Park Haesoo (Prison Playbook), Jeon Jongseo (Burning, The Call), Kim Jihoon (Flower of Evil), Lee Hyunwoo (Secretly Greatly, Master of Study)] are appearing bumped it higher in my never-ending list of shows to watch. And they delivered. If there is something I can't find fault, it's the acting. Pacing got too boring in the middle and there were so many scenes I wished they skipped. I think it would even work with 5 episodes.

This is a good show with great acting but not something I would rewatch.

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Impressive scale

The production team really outdid themselves this season! The scale is sooo grand (I lost it when they said that Na PD makes all the money for tvN only for it to be spent by Jung PD for The Great Escape LMAO). Despite that, I didn't find it as entertaining as the other seasons and I can count the number of times I laughed out loud. I love the stories and plot for each episode but I dislike that it takes a lot of time and takes away from the "puzzle solving" part of the show. The horror episodes (ep 5 and 6) really kept me on the end of my seat. Still, it was a good watch although I probably won't be re-watching it in the future.

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I'll miss the gang!

If you've managed to make a cast consisting of around 20 people memorable to me, then you're doing something good. The thing that I thoroughly enjoyed in this drama is how the friendship and trust build up through the episodes slowly but surely. I was a little comprehensive, agitated even, at some of the tenants of the plaza in the early part but they won me over and that negative emotion eventually turned to happiness whenever I see them together.

More than the acting, I would like to commend the script and the direction. I like how serious and dark it is when needed and then it will just suddenly blow you with a comic scene where the humor is spot-on and the execution is flawless. That isn't very easy to do (Welcome to Waikiki comes to mind but that show was purely comical). The lines/script isn't cringe-y or trope-y, and evokes just the right emotion. A little let-down was the last episode though where we were punched with a lot of very cliched tropes, but I guess it's hard to maintain perfection when the first 18 episodes were perfect.

Acting-wise, all of them are experienced actor which is why it's noticeable how Taecyeon is a little bit lacking. I had some scenes where I found it funny instead of feeling scared or fearful and some where the other cast took my attention when he's supposed to be the focus, hopefully he can improve in his next projects. I've been rooting for Kwak Dongyeon since Love in the Moonlight so I'm glad this show was able to provide a boost to his popularity. I hope he hits it big soon, he doesn't deserve to be the pitiful second lead anymore. All in all, I loved the ensemble cast so I hope everybody will achieve great things in the years to come! It was truly a fun 2 months with Vincenzo!

As a bonus: the cast collaborated with Na PD for The Game Caterers and it was soooo funny (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML9E33z2jJ0). The died during the Shout in Silence of the monks. I think I will be watching out for Kwon Seungwoo (Monk Chaeshin)!

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Every death hurts

I started watching because the cast guested on Running Man and finished it in one sitting. The script isn't as good as I expected it to be and there were times when I had to look up stuff because it wasn't explained properly but what made it worth watching until the end was the cast... The entire cast is S T E L L A R. They were so good that I ended up rooting for every single one of them... and every death pained me in ways I didn't imagine (especially "that" man who was warm and kind and understanding... he was decent and consistent throughout so it hurt me alot). I was also taken by surprise when I saw Kim Sung-cheol (my Prison Playbook babies reunited ♥)!! I will be looking forward to the second season because I now have so many questions that I want answers to lol

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IT'S A CELEBRITY BASKETBALL LEAGUE

I started watching this after Handsome Tigers ended when I learned that three of the cast from HT are also players here. Lee Sangyoon and Seo Jiseok play together in team W while Moon Suinn play for team Y. I must say I enjoyed HT more than Buzzer Beater because it has more of that sports anime feels with the training arc and improvement of teamwork and friendship. This one is more like a broadcast basketball league with celebrities and although we do see them training together and hanging out, it kinda lacked some of the warmth.

I was also looking forward to how Kim Hyuk plays because people often comment on how great it would’ve been if he joined HT with MSI but I was thoroughly disappointed because he doesn’t play well with his teammates and he’s focused only on himself? Out of the four teams, I wasn’t invested in his team at all. I was thinking that maybe I was biased towards team Y because of Moon Suinn but I think they're more enjoyable to watch out of the groups because of the easy camaraderie between the members as they’re around the same age and has the same sense of humor.

PS. I watched from OnDemandKorea without subs and I think the episode numbers aren’t in proper order. Ep 7 and 8 are the eps where the coaches chose their players while Ep 1 started with a fight between team W and another team. For fans of Moon Suinn, following the current episode list on OnDemandKorea, team Y played in episodes 2 (K vs Y), 4 (H vs Y), and 5 (W vs Y). In the other eps, he also appear with his team when they watch the other teams play as a member of the audience.

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In Shin WonHo PD and writer Lee WooJung we trust

I've been looking forward to this since Shin Wonho PD announced the series in 2019. I've loved all of his dramas; Prison Playbook remains as one of my best life dramas and is a drama I re-watch at least once a year. I knew this drama would be the same because it is Shin Wonho PD and writer Lee Woojung after all.

And they delivered. Hospital Playlist was a humane, heartwarming, beautiful drama about the life of people in the medical field. The friendship, the growth, the bond they forged through the years reflect beautifully through the screen because the cast were great actors and the script was beautiful to begin with. It's so easy to cry with their sorrows, laugh with their foolishness, and be happy with their successes because the bond is so organic that you will readily root for all of them.

One of the things I've always loved with Shin Wonho PD's shows were the cameos and this series didn't fail to give me the nostalgia and warmth that all those previous characters gave me. Reply 1994? We got Go Ara still the strong independent woman and Kim SungKyun! Reply 1988? We got Choi MooSung and Kim SunYoung still happily married! Prison Playbook? My mans Kim SungCheol selling insurance and Jung Min-sung still being the family man who will do everything for the people he loves! And our favorite father? Sung DongIl comes back as a priest I am wheezing.

All in all, this show delivered and I will be looking forward to season 2! Now I'm off to re-watching NJTTW because of that mini-crossover lol

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