When one first read the synopsis of this drama and saw the poster for “Love All Play”, I think most viewers thought this is a sports drama + romantic comedy. Though there are some comedic moments, this is actually a melodrama. I saw that MDL tag and read a couple comments/reviews. So I am prepared for some angst and heartaches.

Badminton
I haven’t watched a drama about badminton yet and am interested in this, especially when the cast are adults and the setting is in the professional badminton world, and not in high school or college. However, this is not a true sports drama about our leads working hard and trying to be champions. Yes, they still work hard and try to accomplish their dreams, but the sport actually acts as a backdrop to the character development of Tae Yang (FL) and Tae Joon (ML) and how they battle demons in their personal lives. There are more badminton scenes in the first half of the drama and I do find all the action quite realistic. The camerawork really does make it seem like the actors are the ones playing badminton. The second half of the drama turns a lot more melodramatic and the badminton scenes decrease. You see most of the athletes just hanging out, chatting and supposedly training.

Acting/Main Characters
The acting is pretty good in this drama. I noticed I’ve seen all the main leads in other dramas, but the only ones I remember are Park Ju Hyun (Tae Yang) and Park Ji Hyung (Jun Young) . I’ve previously seen Park Ju Hyun in “Extracurricular” and it is quite nice to see her in a totally different character. Playing the female lead, I believe in her portrayal of Tae Yang and her struggles. I do think she cries too much in the second half of the drama, when she has been so tough and strong in the earlier episodes. I am not familiar with Cae Jong Hyeop and don’t remember him at all in “Hot Stove League”. But I think I will remember him now, especially his beautiful and adorable smile. The role of Tae Joon will gain him many new fans. Tae Joon is a walking green flag and we all want a boyfriend just like him - kind, caring, supportive, understanding, and give you space to process and work out your issues. For the first episode or two, I couldn’t distinguish Chae Jong Hyeop from Kim Moo Joon. They have a similar build and look. I am not very familiar with Kim Moon Joon and wasn't expecting a strong performance from him. And maybe my expectations are low, I ended up liking his character and how his character changes from an annoying badminton star to a silly and shy lovesick boy (in a way). On the contrary, I do find Seo Ji Hye’s portrayal of Yoo Min a little annoying. Not that I don’t like a girl who takes the initiative to go for her crush, but her character is a little ditzy, a little fiery, a little stalkerish? Last but not the least, Park Ji Hyun is the most recognizable actor for me in this drama. I’ve seen her as the second female lead in so many dramas. Her character as Jun Young here is not going to make you love her, but you have to applaud her acting because you definitely might not like her here and that’s because she’s doing a good job.

Melodrama
As I mentioned, this is not a romantic comedy. The melodrama vibes are strong in the second half of the drama. To me, there’s too much crying and it took a little too long for the cat to be out of the bag. The drama’s pacing would be better if this drama is only 12-episode long instead of 16. I don’t think there’s really a bad character in this drama, it’s just the accident affects each character in a different way and they have their own ways to get over that hump. Jung Young could easily be the most hated character, but her suffering is so different from Tae Yangs’. It’s true that she could have handled her disappearance a little better, especially her attitude towards Jung Hwan. But when you are in a bad mental state and try to forget what happened, she might not have the mental capacity to care about others. Is Tae Yang the only person at fault? Not necessarily as after all, it’s an accident. But her immaturity and rash judgment caused the accident. Athletes should take special care of their bodies to avoid any unnecessary injuries. I assume all athletes know this and should be in their professional contract. But after suffering for 3 years, it should be enough. She had such a hard life and I am glad she met Tae Joon. They are each other’s light for different reasons and it’s great to see how honest they are with each other. Jung Hwan is probably the most pitiful character in this situation. He’s the one who tried to stand by her girlfriend but ended up being abandoned and with no closure. I guess it takes a nutty/silly character like Yoo Min to break that hardened shell of his.

Main Romance
I really enjoy the main romance between the Park twins. As I said, Tae Joon is a walking green flag. He’s the only one who loves Tae Yang unconditionally, giving her what she wants the most. In return, he gets what he wants from Tae Yang - someone who believes in him and loves him for who he is, not because he is someone’s sister. Their initial interaction is fun and I love the banter. They actually got together as a couple quite early on (K-drama standards). I am glad to see they continue to have that friendly banter while being in love with each other. I hate it when lovers lose their original personalities when they are in a relationship.

Overall, I had a good time watching this drama. I like all the badminton scenes and especially the romance of the Park twins. Just don’t expect this to be a sweet and fluffy romantic comedy. I also like the Korean title “Going to You at a Speed of 493 km” so much more than the cheesy English title, “Love at Play”.