Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (2024)

a complex onion of character development

It's intriguing to me how much my feelings have changed about this story in such a short time. On the one hand I feel like they did such an amazing job building out these characters right away, and on the other hand the rate at which you go from wholeheartedly loving these characters to near despising them is unbelievable. Episodes 1 & 2 I fell head over heels in love, episodes 3 & 4 I lost interest, and episodes 5 & 6 sweet feelings started to sour. Finally with episodes 7 & 8 we see all the buried feeling and secrets come to the surface for a somewhat awkward closure.

The story follows the life of Do Hoe, a quiet high school student who lives under his abusive father, a the Grandmaster of a Taekwondo gym. Ju Yeong is the mischievous type, he gets kicked out of his home in Seoul and sent off to the countryside to train under the Grandmaster, and there the relationship between Do Hoe and Ju Yeong begins. Do Hoe already has a complicated relationship with his childhood friend Hyeon Ho, and as the story progresses the three of them fall into a mess of a love rivalry.

Initially these characters and their back stories were so beautifully done, what I loved most was the absolutely masterful subtlety they use to tell their story, it was all of the tiny little details that make up each scene, layers on layers deep, each scene peeled back a new layer of the characters personalities. As the story went on, it lost a bit of its chemistry and vibe, and to be honest I developed some second lead syndrome somewhere in the all the drama. It turned into ML being puppy dog followed by both of them and his wishy washy attitude hurting them all, but at least there's a happy ending?

The actors did great, each of them had a unique role to play in the atmosphere and they did a fantastic job. The production was good, each scene was intentional, and the music and editing were solid as well.

Overall, I don't regret watching, but what started out looking like a 10 barely missed getting dropped, while it wasn't terrible I felt like it really could have been something special and they just missed the mark.

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Hwang Daseul does it again

Tbh, as someone who loves Hwang Daseul's work, I was scared that I'd be disappointed but she did not let me down. The story, despite being just eight episodes, flowed so naturally, every part connected to the other seamlessly, it was a delight to watch such a show.

The characters had their own realistic complexities, and the resolution to the same was quite realistic which was a breath of fresh air. It was interesting to see how the way one views themselves changes the way they react to the world around them, how each one finds a balance between morality and selfishness. I do wish there were some topics fleshed out even more like what's Juyeong's relationship with his parents like after all these years, why did Dohoe still feel safe around Hyeonho despite their past, but it didn't take away much from the crux of the story.

I have to commend Kim Nurim and Lee Seon for making us fall in love with their character's cute personalities and cute dynamics and cute chemistry. Their characters have now become one of my favourite couples in the bl world.

A special shout out to Jang Yeon Woo, his characterisation of Hyeonho was beautiful and I genuinely want to see more of Hyeonho's story in a spin off.

The use of music/OSTs was done in the best way, it made the series shine even brighter.

All in all, this is a show that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with life; it shows you how complex self-love and self abandon can be and it's one show you shouldn't miss.

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Montanha russa de emoções

Fico impressionada como conseguem te envolver tanto a ponto de sentir as emoções junto com os personagens. Você se apaixona pelo primeiro amor deles, a felicidade e inocência. Depois sofre com a separação, chora pela perda do relacionamento lindo deles. No reencontro sente uma confusão, a felicidade de terem se encontrado, mas a confusão pelo tratamento frio do Doehe e das palavras não ditas. Aí vem a reconciliação, eles voltam juntos, mas a sensação de vazio permanece, como se mesmo juntos, um muro entre eles permanece, não são mais os mesmos e o relacionamento também. Finamente chega à parte que o Doehe desenterra o seu passado e se liberta dele. Sinceramente fiquei muito incomodada como ele tratava o outro, mesmo entendo seus motivos. Por orgulho e culpa, tentando se provar para o pai e todos que ele podia ter sucesso, mas mesmo conseguindo isso não era feliz, por viver uma mentira e ser assombrado pelo passado. Achei interessante também o amigo dele, antes im0plicava por gostar dele e não entender seus sentimentos, mas passa os anos o apoiando e ao seu lado. Se não fosse pelo sol do Ju Young a vida dele seria sombria, tanto como no passado como no presente, ele chegou trazendo esperança de um futuro melhor e feliz. Mesmo com raiva do Doehe fiquei feliz quando ele conseguiu lidar com suas questões e mentiras, o final é simplesmente um dos melhores, um final simplesmente deles sendo felizes juntos e sendo família. Vou manter esse bl no coração por muito tempo, cheio de camadas e emoções. E QUE ATUAÇÕES MARAVILHOSAS

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A beautiful gem

Hwang da seul has done it again .I became a fan of this director since Blueming .She is a master at this craft and she continues to impress me with her talent.

How to create a realistic drama which addresses social issues that needs to be discussed thru a romantic story ? This is the main goal of this director .

U can feel how different her shows are from the other BLs which is evident from the first scene itself. Whether it be the cinematography ,music or character building ,she is a master at this art.She continues to engage the audience with her realistic touching stories .

Although it has not dethroned my fav BL of all time - Blueming .This show holds a special place in my heart.

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how to love someone when you hate the world/the world hates you

(pre-finale review)
dohoe and juyeong still feel as intensely about each other after a dozen years without communication as they did when they were kids re the way dohoe immediately kissed juyeong on remembering the note he left him and juyeong going back for more right after they break apart.. squeee.. it's just that they are extremities on a spectrum with how they view and react to abuse. juyeong takes it as what it is maybe it's because he was raised religiously but he wants to reconcile with people; he steps in immediately and fights like it's his second nature but forgives and forgets just as easily. dohoe on the other hand thinks people's behaviours are fundamentally wrong and gets increasingly upset at not being able to fix it and this frustration leaks into every part of his life. he focuses on himself when other people are too much to bear but feels incredibly guilty at his selfishness (he's just like me). if they can't agree to disagree, the differences in their personalities will keep coming between their love. juyeong cares too much and is simultaneously carefree. dohoe thinks and feels A Lot. their personalities can actually balance each other's out perfectly if juyeong stops and thinks for a moment and dohoe stops thinking for one goddamn minute.

story/directing wise i do think the pacing constraints makes it seem haywire especially at first with the random timeskip and the third wheel/side love interest plot seems halfbaked and unnecessary, almost as if they gave up on it half way through.

side note: not to fujoshi out but that reunion sex scene while they were arguing paralleling with their first time is *chef's kiss* like the scene switching is perfect i want MORE such a nosebleed moment


(finale review)
tune in next week ^-^ (i literally have finals next week lolol)

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touching, beautiful, and well-made, but incredibly hard to follow in the second part

This drama has truly beautiful cinematography and acting. The intimate scenes were incredibly beautiful, intricate, and touching. This starts out as a story of two broken teens who find comfort in each other, and I loved it so much.
Sadly, the story didn't capture me anymore after the first few episodes and the time skip. The story got more and more confusing and there were a few jumps that made it even harder to follow. I fully admit that I didn't really understand the plot after episode 5 onward. It still wasn't horrible, but I feel like the writers could've done a better job telling us what was going on.
The soundtrack was really beautiful.

Special shoutout to Lee Seon for being an absolutely amazing and gorgeous actor, and a beautiful crier. I hope to see him in other works.

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A roller coaster ride of emotions with excellent acting

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

Without knowing much about this KBL, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like this small production. KBLs have been hitting all the right notes for me in the last couple years with their more melodramatic/serious dramas. I think they have found their niche and I really like that.

“Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo” is not a happy drama. Moments of joy and cuteness are hard to find, and only in the first couple episodes. Despite praising KBLs earlier, I wish the use of bullying can be reduced in Korean dramas in general. There’s a lot of physical violence and emotional abuse in this drama. So, if you are sensitive to these topics, it’s best to stay away.

One of the positive surprises is the acting of the two male leads, Kim Nu rim and Lee Seon. They barely have any dramas under their belt and I was impressed. Kim Nu Rim, I think, has a slightly more difficult assignment. His character, Lee Do Hoe, was abused by his father and you can see the fear and hate in his eyes. But then you see him falling in love and is so happy for those short moments. When we see him again, he’s changed again into a perfect stranger. Kim might be the more experienced male lead but most of his roles were guest roles. On the other hand, this is Lee Seon’s first drama and what a great first performance. He not only acted well as being happy and outgoing, but the mental toughness to push through an invisible wall and in some emotional scenes.

The dynamics between Lee Do Hoe and Sin Ju Yeong in the present-day timeline reminded me a little of “To My Star 2”. If you don't like the leads story in "To My Star 2", you might not like this drama. I was frustrated and ready to give up on one of the leads. But the other leads are a better person than me. They push through the invisible wall, they are dedicated and believe in their love, and eventually succeed in reaching their other halves. I think I like both dramas so much (esp. “To My Star 2”) is that these two dramas take me on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

However, there are certain areas that could be improved, mainly in editing and storytelling. There are a lot of flashbacks, and the editing of these switches are abrupt and confusing. There are some misunderstandings between the leads and I had to pay close attention to the flashbacks and also what was being said in order to understand what really happened in the past. But, I do like the past/present scenes of when the leads were intimate. What happened in the past and what happened in the present are so different in the mood, feelings and circumstances.

Another complaint I have is in the last episode. Maybe the drama wants to reward its audience after sitting through 7 episodes of despair and give us an episode of the leads being happy. I wish this last episode could be better used in giving us more than just fillers.

Overall, I had a ‘great’ time watching this and experiencing the roller coaster ride of emotions. I think I enjoy the acting of the leads so much that I am rounding this up to an 8.5. It’s not that easy to find good acting in a sea of low-budget BLs out there.


Completed: 11/17/2024 - Review #517

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The knife from the past

JY does everything right except understanding Dohoe's relationship with his dad. JY seems to want to fix that. That's the reason why he does not wish Dohoe to sell Taekwondo place. The day Dohoe had the knife to his dad, their relationship was beyond unfixable. People are right; JY is an angel and a really good guy. He might be too good for Dohoe. But I cry for Dohoe. When you have a knife between you and your dad; I don't think anything can fix him. Your life is entirely dark. JY is only the light and happiness in Dohoe's life, but if JY keeps bringing the shadow from the past, Dohoe might cut those two things altogether and choose his empty life.

And people go so hard on Hyunho, calling him a bully. Hyunho never really lies a finger to Dohoe. He never hit Dohoe. If this is in a different universe, people will call Dohoe and Hyunho's stories an enemy to a lover. Dohoe and Hyunho have something in common, as both are dying to come out from their hell. At some point, they understand each other. Even though Hyunho does not stand a chance as Dohoe's heart has already sailed for JY. However, I think Hyunho is a good example of a character present in the third person in JY and Dohoe's relationship.

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hwang daseul fez novamente!

Vi no twitter alguém comentando como essa série era muito mais sobre trauma geracional do que qualquer outra coisa, e parando pra pensar, é meio assustador como esses relacionamentos afetaram os personagens ao ponto da gente acompanhar uma passagem de 12 anos mas o trauma ser recorrente da mesma maneira que era no passado. Acho que no que eu mais me apeguei aqui é na sutileza transformadora que atravessa os episódios; detalhes que parecem simples mas tem um significado enorme por trás (sou constantemente assombrado com a cena do crucifixo dos primeiros episódios) e como tão denso tudo é mas é abraçado com uma camada de simplicidade. Os dois personagens enfrentaram coisas diferentes, e o modo como cada um reagiu aos tramas também teve aspectos que divergiam mas por algum motivo os monstros que eles enfretaram pareciam o mesmo, acho que é o resultado de você amar tanto uma pessoa que tudo aquilo que é um desafio dela acaba se tornando seu.

Acho que foi uma surpresa geral que ninguém estava esperando ficar tão emocionalmente envolvido na série, com base nos trabalhos da hwang daseul era de se esperar uma boa obra mas ela ainda achou uma maneira de surpreender. Definitivamente um dos melhores do ano

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Just finished, and wow—Hwang Daseul did not disappoint 👏🏻 It actually reminded me a lot of TMS2 🥹🥹🫶🏻🫶🏻 especially with some of those fight scenes and heavy dialogues. It’s only 8 episodes, 30 mins each, but it covers so much. The storyline flows really well, from the conflict to the resolution. Honestly, it pulls you in from start to finish, and the flashbacks add a whole new depth.

They went all out with the topics too, touching on stuff like child abuse, imposter syndrome, and fake identities. You can see the higher budget in the cinematography and production quality, and the cast did a solid job. Definitely worth watching 💗

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