WATCH IT or NOT?

NOTE: This review is purely subjective.

I am disappointed with how this drama turned out. Here's why:

IN SHORT: I DONT RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA

What the heck did I just watch??! Whyd they do me sooo dirty??! Duuuude! I dont even know where to start my rant from or comment on :(

Okay here we go with my opinion soup-

I drool all over when it comes to a good ROM-COM. That's my genre and I simp for it. BUT honestly, this ain't that and it did not meet ANY expectation. I was expecting butterfly moments and those knots of rom-com scenes but nahhh. The drama caught a more fantasy-comedy-casual meh scent. This made it difficult to emotionally attach or invest myself into the drama.

Throughout, I felt like there was something missing and I found the answer in the last episode. The GENRE itself!!! They did not emphasise on ROMANCE even a tad bit. There were many characters with their own background stories lessening the focus on our rom-com leads. WHICH SHOULDNT BE THE CASE! Lastly, I was irritated on a bunch-a-things: how the storyline was introduced for certain characters (almost felt unnecessary for both, characters and their storylines), the constant flashbacks to the past and how there felt no clear emotional divide between the male lead and his ex. And another reason I think this drama is so meh is maybe because I am watching this right after KING THE LAND (#majorshoutout : If you havent watched that yet, maybe you should NOW so it will cleanse you and reset you with its cliches and butterflies).

A major disappointment was how the relation between the leads had no escalation after they got together because the storyline soon shifted its focus on mending the main fantasy logic and trying to make sense of other characters (and connect their unnecessary storylines). Moreover, all of this setting takes place almost at the end of the drama episodes until the last one. This displacement caused sudden twists and unsettling scenes in the storyline. It was very unsatisfying. Speaking of which, lets talk about the last episode, shall we??? Like, what the actual heck??? We usually leave an episode at the end not to fix the logic but to give a proper closure with a happy ending (given the genre). What am I supposed to cook with such a vague ending of this drama??? Made no sense to me and I cannot form my own conclusions. And I am specifically writing about the leads. The only closure that was IMPORTANT throughout.

I basically watched this drama in 1.75x while also skipping scenes every 10s. This is vey sad and disappointing because I was looking forward to watch Taecyeon play a romantic. AND he didn't come across as one, in this.

Lastly, if you do wish to watch the drama for your reasons of interest and curiosity, but also wish to save time, you can literally watch ep.1-9 and directly 16. Meaning, you will not miss much between 10-15. Thank me later.

If you have read this far, thankyou for reading and I hope this review was helpful. Otherwise, Happy Watching!

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WATCH IT or NOT?

NOTE: This review is purely subjective.

WATCH IT!!! Here's why:

I drool all over when it comes to a good ROM-COM. That's my genre and I simp for it. Add a little bit of SPORT and voila! I love LOVE ALL PLAY! My pals, I am hooked. I loved watching every inch of the episode. The story escalates at a steady pace and is just perf. In terms of characterisation, storyline, plot, theme, mood and tone, and setting the growth is obvious and neat. There are no major hiccups. It is a happy-happy one. The ending is most definitely not rushed or cramped which often is the cast for most romcom dramas. Another reason to watch!

CHARACTERISATION: Where do I even start? Every role has character development and no role was overlooked or was without a purpose. Every role was given priority and was represented well. Every episode reveals the different sides to each character(characterisation) which was interesting to watch because it was never repetitive or boring. Everyone had a growth story.

STORYLINE & PLOT: The storyline and plot itself would not have been unique if it weren't for the different perspectives shown in the drama. I love the faces of the characters and their interactions which elevate the storyline and truly bring life to the plot.

THEME: This drama includes several themes and sport is the main. Other strong themes are sibling relation, love, team spirit, friendship, forgiveness, and chasing one's dream. Some surface-touched or shallow themes include step-sibling bonding, misunderstanding, and social ethics (especially in the sports industry).

MODE & TONE: The acting skills of the cast is everything. I can't imagine a better crew to pull this off so well. Every actor in the drama is doing an excellent job of delivering the emotions and expressing the dialogue in the best way possible. Usually, there's always room for improvement, but bruh! Their acting and this particular drama cast DONT. I mean it because regardless of what scene it is, be it as simple as a sigh or a fall on the ground while playing during a match, everything has been in perfect sync and not awkward at any point at all. I could relate to all the roles at all times and felt super involved with them as well.

SETTING: Revolves around badminton(obviously). I like that they were attentive to the setting and places at which they shot their scenes. It really reflected the sports spirit well. The setting DEF helped in the delivery and the evoking of emotions.

Other comments:
This definitely reminds me of another Kdrama and my all-time favourite RUN ON. However, LOVE ALL PLAY is badminton centered. Every interaction between Park Taejun (1st ML) and Yuk Junghwan (2nd ML) was so precious. I absolutely love their clashes and their competitive spirit until the very end. Especially in episode 8. (Minor detail: In episode 8 between the 17:00-18:00 time stamp, you can clearly see that Taejun's hair has got brown highlights and Junghwan's hair has blue highlights. This slight yet interesting contrast is much like their personality and roles in the drama. One is warm and hot like fire and the other is cool and cold like water/ice. They are like fire and water. Two opposite elements :) The chemistry between the leads is undeniable and will make you go cray cray. The second lead couple will make you swoon buddy. I honestly didn't expect them to hit me this hard but they grew on me without even realising. I love the pairing and how twisted their connections are in general. Their simple relationships from the past seem to have complicated their present but that is the most interesting part. To see how they deal with the situations and move forward to achieve their dreams. This is also highly motivating for me as a viewer or audience.

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All in all, if you were able to read all of the above and if you liked what you read, you will not be disappointed watching this drama.
HAPPY WATCHING!

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WATCH IT or NOT?

THE DRAMA WE ALL NEEDED IN 2023!

Here's my opinion soup of why you should WATCH IT:

OMG!OMG!OMG! Much of a rollercoaster, innit? Absolutely love what I am watching and what I watched so far. I am super curious at the end of each episode as to what's next. I really love the pace at which the drama is going. Certainly, keeping me on my toes. Just can't get enough and I don't think it was a good idea to watch it during the airing. Had I known how amazing of a drama this was and how addictive it is, I would have watched it after its airing.

Storyline is so interesting and so well knit, with the different themes that it addresses like friendship, first love-crush, family relations, time-traveling, and more. Now, although all these themes packed into a single storyline is not something new or OG, this drama has quite the charm that makes it feel different. It may remind you of 18 Again, at a certain point, but don't be fooled or quickly judge it so. This feels and is different because of its character dynamics. Not to mention, how much I love the casting for this drama. Got a great cast. Also, I say so because Choi Hyun Wook is one of my biases. He's such a great actor and truly a watermelon popsicle to the eye, especially because of the type of character he is playing. FR. Anyways, the character dynamics is what makes this drama worth watching and I must appreciate the casting director for such excellent casting depicting the synergy.

Personally, I am not a "time-travel" theme watcher but this drama just broke my record. Got me hooked. It bought me with it's rom-com theme. If you're like me, who's not a sucker of time travelling series and finds it overrated, this storyline can be trusted and you can watch it. They backed it so up well with romance (love triangle), comedy, musical vibes, and school-setting. I have had such an emotional connect since the beginning because of scenes that touched my heart and got me teared up (in a positive way). At no point I felt a disconnect as a part of the audience. Which is sooo rare with the dramas of today. And this makes the drama even more special.

I really like rom-com and it is perfectly well done in this drama, given the beautiful cast and the school setting in which it will take place. I really like a good love triangle (or maybe square?). It also gives the vibes "she fell first, but he fell harder" which I absolutely love and we get to see it growing.

Most importantly, I really like that there is no toxic equation or nothing toxic or extremely negative. It all seems warm and happy with slight misunderstandings in relations being resolved or unravelling truths within the story over time travelling. It does give twinkling watermelon to me.

Moreover the negative roles in the drama makes it seem like a modern day princess story where the prince comes at the rescue and to set her princess free. The magician or the helper is from the future and it happens to be their child! This is just magical in the sense of refreshing drama given the chaotic reality of today.

If you liked the review, I hope the drama excites you just as much and that you enjoy watching it.

Thankyou for reading and Happy Watching!

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WATCH IT!

In short, I really liked watching all the episodes and it kept me wanting and waiting for more. Did a great job in justifying every second of the screentime IMO. Everything (storyline + theme + OST + cast + acting + genre + setting) are stitched well together. I have not read the novel so cannot tell how good it was in adaptation but as a watcher/viewer, it was very entertaining.

If you are still asking, "Why?", here's in short:

1. Its perfect for thriller-rom fans.

2. The plot has many twists and leads have great chemistry.

3. Production and writing is great with details.

4. Pace is perfect.

PS: Here's a link to an open list of all details/gems found during the drama

https://mydramalist.com/discussions/general-discussion/133588-when-the-phone-rings-wtpr-details-gems?pid=3206600&page=1#p3206600

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