Come i fiori sulla sabbia (2023)

Transformation as its finest

A short drama with a big impact. I like this drama its mixed with friendship and romance. I like how Jang Dong Yoon's dedication in this drama because he really gained weight to portray his role of a wrestler and the cast are also dedicated on the language the intonation are perfect as if their are locals of the said town.
Its a story of group of childhood friends who grew up together. The only thing that separate them is when Du Sik decided to go far to avoi bad talks about her family. When she came back she is already an adult and disguise as a married woman she also changed her name, but Kim Beak Doo really noticed her as her childhood friend Du Sik. From then on he really not get off her eyes around her. And later on he realized that his instincts are really true and he found out that she's really not married. They found out that they are attracted to each other.
The reason why Du Sik came is to solve a case which is also involved his late father. She managed to solved the case with the help of her childhood friends.
The moral story of this drama is to never give up, you need to do that you loved to do not what others would want them you to do.

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Beautiful Cinematography

Jang Dong Yoon is to be congratulated for how he literally threw himself into this role - so different from previous characters he's played. Every scene he does has a real authenticity to it. Personally I have no interest in wrestling, but the cinematography is absolutely stunning, whether landscape or interior shots of the matches or carefully color co-ordinated and filtered images of the community. The production really is beautifully made. The plotline is slowly introduced leaving us with continuing questions, so there is also a subtlety and air of mystery which isn't easy to unravel.

The only thing I didn't like was the f/l writing - nothing against the actor, but her adult personality was kinda dull set against all the others and what on earth with the continual head hitting ?!! They could at least have made her grow up and stop it!
Her detective skills also aren't that great!
That is the only reason I have marked it down.
It's definitely worth a watch for a gradually unfolding interesting story with skin.

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Dumb witted boy meets his feisty childhood crush again and both help each other in facing the world.

This funny sometimes chaotic show set in a small town is one nice ride with many heartwarming moments. A countryside bumpkin ML who has given up on his dream and is living a life with no goals ahead meets his child hood friend after years.

ML is kinda dumb witted and sometimes irritatingly childish but someone with a pure heart. He has some self esteem issues and rarely stands up for himself even being a doormat to his Ssireum buddies. Then there is FL a strong willed undercover cop with a sad and broken past returns to her hometown to catch a killer.
Both the leads meet and many hidden feelings emerge again.

The show has many genres mixed in it making it kind of a mess sometimes. It isn't too strong on romance but more on sports, crime and healing tropes. The leads and their friends help heal each other and in the process many bonds that were broken before strengthen.

So if you are looking for some good lowkey sports -romance show, this is a good one time watch.

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So wholesome

When I started Like Flowers in Sand, I didn’t think I would enjoy it, but I was so wrong!! Lately, I have been struggling with finding a kdrama that I would truly enjoy, something cute and lighthearted that isn’t too long or cringey. I am glad I came across LFIS.

I want to start by talking about the characters. Baekdu was super cute and likeable, he really grew to my heart! Jang Dong Yoon did an amazing job from the dialect and ssireum to the acting itself. That’s not to say others did a bad job! The entire group of childhood friends was too cute to dislike. Each character felt like an actual individual rather than just an archetype.
The synopsis didn’t really intrigue me, but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved that it wasn’t unnecessarily long, and that the focus on romance was subtle. I think it’s great that many people can learn about ssireum this way, as well as life outside of Seoul.

I am glad to have watched Like Flowers in Sand and I highly recommend it to everyone!

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Kim Baek Du Swag!!

Wow, what an underrated gem! This show truly captured my heart and deserves so much more recognition. The storyline was incredibly refreshing and heartwarming, and I couldn't help but fall in love with all the genuine characters, especially our main character, Kim Baek Du. He reminded me so much of Kim Bok Joo from Weightlifting Fairy, which just added to the charm! We definitely need more dramas like this one. While the story may have been slow-paced, that's what made it so special and captivating. I'm usually not a fan of adding murder mysteries to feel-good shows, but this one was surprisingly okay. They didn't dwell too much on it, which I appreciated. Instead, I found myself completely engrossed in the adorable interactions between our two main characters. They were just too cute together! And let's give a big shoutout to Jang Dong Yoon for his dedication to the role, gaining weight to truly embody the character. I had never heard of or seen this sport before, but he portrayed it so convincingly that it piqued my interest. Kudos to the entire cast and crew for delivering such an unforgettable experience!

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I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WONDERFUL END ?☝️

This was one of the dramas that I started without any expectations and I thought it could have a futile and boring plot. I'm happy to say I was completely wrong.

The story and character development is wonderful!!!

I laughed and cried with pride as the drama unfolded. The development of the protagonists' relationship is not at all forced, but rather light and passionate.

The drama as a whole is very light and enjoyable to watch, the type of K-drama that you finish and don't even realize you've watched so many episodes lasting over an hour.

I loved the friendship of the characters, the discoveries of the drama and I loved the mystery brought in the drama much more.

It has definitely become one of the K-dramas that I will recommend to the wall lol.

I will miss you, I sincerely hope you get more recognition in the future!

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Feel good

March 2024
Great cast, great location, great story, great fun! This has everything. Family, community, enduring friendship, loss of purpose and mystery. It's all wrapped up in a more sedate coastal life, where the most exciting thing to happen, outside of the local ssireum (traditional Korean wrestling) team's matches, is a local dog constantly slipping its leash and running off, hotly pursued by the 2 local police beat officers.

The warmth this drama exudes is so lovely. It's a small town, where everyone knows each other's business and when they don't, gossip takes over. In some cases small lives breed small minds, but as happens, many find it hard, or even impossible, to face up to their mistakes and mistreatment of others, when they should know better.

I loved that there was NO stupid, slapstick humour in this, even though it's a comedy-mystery-romance. There are plenty of laughs, generated by daily comings and goings; main character, Kim Baek Doo's, innocent, simple (NOT stupid though), contemplative personality (wonderfully interpreted by Jang Dong Yoon); and the often comicly mundane.

I really liked the coastal setting (filmed in a small area of Pohang, North Gyeongsang), which felt so normal, rather than picture-book pretty. It wasn't unpleasant, by any means, just normal, if that makes sense!

A serious incident leads to the lives of almost everyone in the heart of the town and connected to the ssireum team, being affected one way or another, as tensions build.

The past comes rushing back and some old scars are revealed, to be finally allowed to heal.

Whilst simplistic, it really is a great watch and although I guessed the culprit, it didn't spoil my enjoyment at all (typecasting has a lot to answer for).

The ssireum matches were fabulous and honestly had me twitching in my seat!

Not one character irritated me, even though there's a fair bit of physicality between a few. They get away with it though, because it's not mean or nasty, but out of affection and simply how they interact. Very exuberant.

Most characters are pretty noisy, too; but again, it's how most (not all), speak to each other. Their accent is fabulous. I really found myself engaging with so many of the characters and the cast did themselves proud.

Definitely one to try. I'd happily watch it again.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Like Flowers in the Sand '' is a slice of life drama with many other genres blended nicely in the main plot.

The drama is a sports drama that handled it well, with some training, some games, and a championship of course.

However, the drama didn't forget the rest of its plotlines. The mystery case was solid and blended nicely with the story of the friends and their backgrounds.

The romance was, in addition, subtle, but cute.

Finally, the performances were all great by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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PENDAPATKUUUU

Untuk story nya ini menurutkuu kurang, karena diselipin kasus pembunuhan yang berbeli2 tp disini tersangkanya bener2 gak bisa dibilang plot twist juga karena terlalu keliatan bgt malah jrg ada sceen nya, nahh kalau olahraga ssireumnya oke sih cukup gak kurang gak berlebihan jugaaa, chukaaaee baek duu yang td nya mau pensiun akhirnya juara jugaaa ?? karakter baek du juga pas ngomel ngedumel sendiri fav banget HAHA
untuk warga sekitarnya juga gak diraguin kalo dipedesaan gitu pasti solidaritasnya julidnya gosip nya kenceng lebih2 dari 5G seruuu suka ngidupin dramanya

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