Our Beloved Summer (2021)

Meh (?)

our beloved summer, to me, was one of those dramas - that check off all the boxes of what you wish in a drama, and somehow you still don't TRULY connect with. another such drama for me was Be Melodramatic - it had all the right stances of female friendship and relationships but somehow, to me, it still wasn't memorable. tdlr; would rate it high, but personally wouldnt feel the need to rewatch or recommend.

also, idk but their chemistry wasnt convincing to me i truly dont know why. and, since i know wooshik is a chamelion of an actor, i think the director didnt direct him well - because there were many instances where i couldnt tell his emotions/thoughts from his acting - idk how else to word it but it wasn't his best imho.

tdlr; wasnt boring/bad to make me put it off - but i also wasnt excited/curious about it.

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Nostalgia feeling with feel-good breeze

A romance drama about two grown adults who had their documentary shoot 10 years ago and relationship thereafter, which ended eventually. After 10 years, it happens once again and yes it feels nostalgic in every way.

The best thing about Our Beloved Summer that catches the eye is the cast. The charms of Kim Dami and Choi Woo Shik, who radiate youthful energy, fill up the screen, and the chemistry between the two naturally leads the story. The drama emphasizes the images of summer and thanks to this, the play’s overall atmosphere is full of freshness. Also it might feel relatable to many viewers' teenage life they lived.

The cast, whether be the lead or the supporting, had a great connection. The soundtrack is soothing and melodious which fits the setting of the drama. The story had depth, but it was fairly executed, if not efficiently. Also the supporting characters weren't given much exposure as one would have thought. Although it doesn't come close to other feel-good romance drama (like Hometown Cha Cha or When The Weather Is Fine), Our Beloved Summer manages to hold itself through freshness and nostalgic moments of reminiscing the good old teenage life.

To summarise, Our Beloved Summer ends itself as a dama that conveys the sweetness of love and the freshness of youth at the same time. It's effective enough to catch viewers' attention with it's fair, if not excellent story and screenplay.

My Rating : 6.5/10

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Life Lessons

When I first saw this trailer for OBS, I saw it had both Kim Da Mi and Choi Woo Shik and I immediately thought of The Witch: Subversion. While the trailer depicts this as a romcom, this is more on the slice of life side than it is romcom. It has romcom moments, but the overall message it sends can really resonate with anyone, which to me was in order to find happiness, you must be willing to forgive and let go. This is a very relatable drama as there's a bit of each character in all of us.

I have talked to some people I know that have watched it entirely and some of them only look at the surface level plot of the story, which is the relationship woes between Choi Ung and Kook Yeon Su and then critique them on what they should and shouldn't do. The core of their issues was communication, but as a viewer objectively, it's very easy to say "Oh, just tell them, it's so easy!" If you place yourself in their shoes and experience the kind of struggles/trauma they have, no, it's absolutely not as easy as just telling them straight up.

While the story is mainly about the ML/FL's relationship, but what this drama does very well is through the use of flashbacks, it places you, the viewer, in the character's shoes. You then understand WHY they did the things they did and HOW they became the person they are today. Near the end, when everything is revealed, you get the complete picture of the characters. When you connect all of the dots, you get why Yeon Su has so many walls built around her, you get why Choi Ung acts like he doesn't care when confronted with an issue, you get why Ji Ung has a one sided love for Yeon Su. It's a story of growth and development for them and really just about being an adult and going through life.

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God is in the Details

Our Beloved Summer a.k.a That Year We Are isn't a drama that is flamboyant or dramatic in nature. This drama is not all that new or revolutionary in terms of the plot line since in my opinion there's so many dramas out there about relationship and love.

Where OBS drama excels is in the details and nuances in each episode - it's like watching a painter work - initially you don't see what is special about the painting but as is it worked into completion it becomes a magnificent piece of artwork. The cinematography, the acting, the story, the music are all brushstrokes that created this masterful and wonderful series that is Our Beloved Summer.

I enjoyed this series because of the slow burn, it felt realistic and relatable. While watching it reminded me of another drama that tugs at my heartstrings – Because This Is My First Life, I feel if you enjoyed BTIMFL you would also thoroughly enjoy OBS and vice versa.

OBS shows the growth of the characters as time passes and it’s executed very well. Each episode serving as a chapter that's strung into one beautiful book. The feelings that I get as the writer portrays each episode leaves me anticipating the next.
OBS revolves majority around the main lead's romance but it's also so much more than that. It’s the relationship not only between lovers but also friends and families and each person life struggles that provides viewers an insight into each of the main characters. The transition through the seasons beautifully weaves into the story of the main characters and by the end of episode 16 I know I will come back to re-watch this drama and it is now shelved as one of my favourites to watch of all time.

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The feeling of true love is indeed timeless :)

Love and affection towards a person does not necessarily depend on some quality of your lover, but the person itself - that's what was beautifully demonstrated through this drama. From the time of teenage to adulthood, both Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-su went through several transitions of personality, perspective, environment and struggles but what never changed was how they felt for each other all these times even though they were not together for 5yrs in between. What I loved about this drama is the portrayal of a very important message that seem to be overlooked by most people these days - the feeling of love is about the thought and emotion that you feel towards a person and has nothing to do with materialistic achievements or fame.

I absolutely loved the scenes when both the leads were shooting their documentaries during teenage time and their late 20s, I loved how beautifully the story, thoughts and perspectives of all characters were shown in the drama and honestly speaking, the way each characters expressed their thoughts and emotions to each other in few different episodes really brought tears to my eyes. For some weird reason, few parts of these stories felt very relatable to me. How we feel love and see love during our teenage time is not exactly the way we do when we gradually grow up and life happens.

If you looking forward to a heartwarming romantic drama with a bit of fun, this drama is definitely for you. I bet you'll enjoy the transitions of the characters' personality, thoughts and the way they expressed love to each other in this drama ^_^

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Mature relationship does not take overnight

If you are a spectator that wants instant comeback to every break-ups, then this might not be for you but it's worth the wait.

This is definitely a slow-burn romance drama that deals with how Yeon-su and Ung finds each other again after an awful and sudden break-up from a long-term relationship that started after filming a hit summer documentary. What I got hooked into this drama is how you see each characters grow from their own wounds, shallow to deep ones.

At first, it might seem to be just a childish misunderstanding that resulted to parting ways but a long the way, trust me it is more than that. I know how cute and adorable they were after the documentary that with will made you wonder, "what went wrong?"

The drama did not also neglect to include the problems that could arise in a relationship—what it feels to be in an unrequited or forbidden love. Some may also experienced these when they fell in-love that made the drama more relatable.

The director and writer really displayed a deep narrative on what a pure love away from a sexual representation. I'll definitely recommend this since it's been a while since I've watch a soft romance drama but watch out you might be hopeless romantic after.

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Amazing story, amazing characters, overall amazing

This drama had me on the edge with every episode and told an amazing story. I couldn’t believe how much I could be attached to every single character in this drama. It follows what I think love should feel. It’s quiet, safe, full of life, and comforting. It’s a mix of romcom and coming to age genre as it follows how life can have its ups and down and how strong unconditional love could be. Hands down, this is one of the best stories I have ever followed.


Many have overlooked the significance of Ung's sketching of Yeon-Su in that last scene. He'd never sketch people nor incorporate people in his illustrations.
He'd even turned down his adopted parents' requests of sketches for them
As in Ung's troubled mind set; buildings and objects are the only things that can stand the test of time; almost eternal like. People will simply change or depart;
just like his birth parents and Yeon-Su.
Ung's first illustration of people is Yeon-Su; he'd finally healed from his troubled mind set and is certain Yeon-Su will forever be by his side.
Yeon-Su also recognized Ung's changes. The scene is brilliantly scripted. I take my hat off to the screenwriter.

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JUST GO FOR IT!

I would totally recommend this drama to anyone who loves a slow pacing drama. Eventhough it's not that slow as well. For me it's the perfect pacing. The characters portrayed are human I'd say. They have their own flaws. I love how they make mistakes and works through them. People make mistakes and the point is that what you do to correct them. A regular rom-com drama with a new setting. I love how they showed everyone and their past and perspectives. All of the actors did an amazing job. The musics were on point; in love with all the ost's. Some of the parts in the story need a little bit development. Some of the episodes felt rushed while others felt slow. Especially the last ones; somewhere it felt quite rushed. But still the closing was perfect. This is one of those drama you should go without expecting anything and love every bit of it. That's how it was for me.

OKAY EVERYTHING WAS TOTALLY MY OPINION.

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Not the best

This drama did not do much for me . It is enjoyable , well put together and beautifully filmed , but it failed to grab me .
The story line of the traumatic experiences that the past leaves you with is the kingpin of Korean Drama , and has been done before and better . The acting was not impressive either . Long silences and doleful looks , bland faces unable to express emotions . Sure they can cry and be tearful but their pretty faces do not always convey the intensity of their emotions .
I preferred the characters when they were teenagers , they had a bit more life in them then . As they grew more mature they seemed to have lost their stamina . The sub stories were far more interesting and entertaining and the comedy they provided very necessary . The story of friend Kim -Ji-woong grabbed me most . You could sense the tension , the agony , the struggle in him and I would have liked that story line to be better developed . The ending was rushed and cobbled together , loose ends Not satisfactory .

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L’amour est la poésie des sens ~ Love is the poetry of the senses <3

This drama took me by surprise.
I didn't watch it as soon as it started airing but after seeing an edit of instagram about the characters I had to take a look.
I was hooked from the start. I have eagerly awaited Mondays and Tuesdays ever since I started the drama. Watching this drama became the highlight of my week. I think it's fair to say it is now my all time favourite. Which to be honest is strange, as I usually lean more towards things with action/thrill as well as romance. I just ended up loving every part of this drama.

The story was phenomenal. Each character played an important role and each character was a joy to watch over the course of the show. Their story arcs were unique, interesting and filled with the rawness of true emotions. I liked the jumping between the past and the present, slowly piecing together the whole story and I loved the documentary aspect to the drama. I also loved the artistic part of the story linked to Choi Woong. I thought it added a depth to his character and his story.

The cast were incredible. I thought everyone did a superb job at playing the character they had been given. I could not and would not want to see anyone else play these fantastic characters. From Kim Da Mi to Park Jin Too and back to Choi Woo Shik everyone was amazing at bringing the characters to life.

The music was unique and beautiful. From the intro to the hit Christmas Tree by V, each song added to the beauty of this drama. I for one have been listening to the music non-stop.

Like some kdrama watchers I struggle to re-watch a show all the way through again no matter how much I loved it. But I can see myself rewatching this drama very soon and loving it every bit as much.

So… would I recommend this Korean drama? Yes, yes I would. That's not to say it would be for everyone because it definitely wouldn't suit some people's tastes. However, I would really recommend this if you are looking for a show with a gripping but beautiful storyline and deep and meaningful characters.

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Surprisingly warm and cozy

I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I went into this drama not expecting much but it surprised me in a good way.

I loved the format of the show. The documentary style point-of-view-switching between the characters. It gives us more insights about each characters that made them much more relatable to us. I am never this torn about who to root for between the leads. They are opposites but they sort of represent both of my extreme personalities. Most of the times, I feel like I'm Yeon Su struggling everything but sometimes I feel like I'm Ung who does not really want to care about my ambition.

The actors nailed their roles. I haven't seen much of any of them. Choi Woo Shik made a pretty good impression on me when I watched him in Parasite. Although I loved Itaewon Class, Kim Da Mi wasn't really someone I loved in that show. But here in this series, both of them sneaked to a little place in my heart.

I wished they could've shown us the documentary as some sort of special episodes though. I think it would be a nice bonus to the show.

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