Summer Strike (2022)

Started off as a promising healing drama, but

I really enjoyed the first couple of episodes and was excited about a light-hearted, small-town, healing drama. But with how the plot developed in the latter portion, it felt like we were being pulled in several directions and I just didn't know what to take from the story anymore. It really did not need the whole murder mystery premise; that seemed so pointless to me. Felt like such an unnecessary plot twist :/ Instead of using the episode time on that, they could've focused it more on Ji Young + Sung Min or the students/bullies.

If the grandma weRe to die in the plot, it could've been from an accident/natural causes and we could go through the grieving process with the characters to learn more about processing and healing, rather than pinning her death on a potential assailant and being detectives to figure out who killed her.

It could've focused more on the relationship between the two main characters; their cute interactions and their healing with each other. While we did get that in the beginning, it was completely lost towards the end until they decided to randomly bring back the wholesome vibes, which gave me whiplash.

I love Im Siwan and I thought Seolhyun's acting was pretty good here too. It sucks that the plot wasn't up to par, at least in my opinion.

Lire davantage

"Summer Strike" is a series that requires a bit of patience to fully appreciate as it unfolds. Initially, I thought it would be a casual watch, one I did not anticipate to finish right away. But it was incredibly endearing; the pacing and the performances felt just right, and I found myself binge-watching late into the night.

The story begins with the female lead, who is exhausted by city life and the monotonous grind of work. After her mother passes away, she tries to continue her routine, but one day she takes a different path than everyone else. Her comments of noticing how beautiful the opposite direction the train was going was the start that made me stay. I knew this drama was going to be up my alley. And it was! She moves to a small town in the countryside and settles into a worn-down building with a dark history. Despite being a stranger, her kindness allows her to slowly connect with the townspeople, leading to a beautiful storyline filled with friendships that last a lifetime.

What I Liked About This Series:

• Relatability: Unlike many dramas where the main character is wealthy and seeks an escape from city life, this one features a gentle soul simply tired of the relentless pace and societal expectations.

• Kindness and Gentle Atmosphere: The series has a slow, thoughtful build that makes the relationships feel meaningful. It’s hard to describe without spoiling it, but this pace really resonated with me.

• Side Characters: I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the supporting cast, including the dog, Bom, the grandma, Jae Hoon, and Sung Min. Each character has their own story that beautifully complements the main narrative.

What I Didn’t Like About This Series:

This is a personal pet peeve of mine. While I recognize that many viewers might appreciate and find closure from this, I found the inclusion of murder and unresolved crime—foreshadowed early on—unnecessary for this type of story. It seems like many K-dramas incorporate crime or psychological twists these days, which isn't to my taste. However, it did provide a backdrop for exploring the main lead’s trauma, which added depth to his character.

If you’re looking for a drama that offers a casual slice of life with a heartfelt storyline about a gentle soul rebuilding her life in an unfamiliar place and making meaningful connections, I highly recommend "Summer Strike." It’s a series that might just bring a tear to your eye.

Lire davantage

Alright While it Lasted

Summer Strike ended up being a drama I could've lived without watching. It was a decent watch while it lasted though.

Story: It's a slower story where the characters are living the best they can, day by day. Yeo Reum leaving Seoul for Angok to finally live for herself was inspiring. We also meet different characters with somewhat different storylines although everyone is connected in some way. Some of the townspeople weren't the best but there was a sense of community between some of them throughout the drama. Bom and Ye Reum's relationship was my favorite.
During episode 9, something awful happens and it changes the feel of the show in my opinion. The same ending could've been achieved without that situation happening. The charm was lost for me and the show became depressing/dreary to watch rather than healing and feel good. The last 20ish minutes of the last episode was satisfying but by then I wasn't really into the show anymore. There were other situations that could've been handled better as well.

Acting/Cast: Everyone's acting was good! I wasn't a fan of certain characters though. FL could've used more character development but I feel like no one in the drama had major development so it makes sense. Character wise, it feels like we're just getting a quick glimpse of the character's growth :)

Music: From what I remember it was decent

Rewatch Value: I wouldn't rewatch this.

Overall, Summer Strike was alright while it lasted. Gradually, I got more fed up with some of the character's actions and how certain situations went down. I wasn't satisfied with the healing part of the drama. Further, if I'm looking for a melo, healing, and/or thriller/suspense drama, I would go for something else. The drama was never meant to be a heavy thriller/suspense drama but it did affect the other themes of the show for me.

Nonetheless, it's better to try it for yourself if you are interested!

Lire davantage

a true beauty and will rewatch it soon

if I ignore one of the episodes where I cried my eyes out for 50 minutes (yes I'm looking at you ep10), I'm thankful for this show. It's a true beauty, almost a masterpiece with all its lesson and happiness—so much joy and love. I'm not a person for sequels, but if this had one I wouldn't complain as I would be able to see more of them and their relationships/families. it's filled with wonderful platonic and romantic relationships that just makes you smile. well-written and loveable characters. refreshing and wonderful to see a main character who's a librarian and well-written shy. the backstories of the different characters make you either love them more or *clutches heart*.
I may be biased and just overjoyed as I just finished watching it but it's truly a wonderful show, and I'm on my way to check what other shows/movies the actor have been in to watch.

Lire davantage

Good Enough

Korean Drama" Summer Strike " is a feel good drama with a dark edge.

The story is soothing and very slice of life at first, having the cottage vibes to is, as the main lead moves to a coastal village to heal and relax.

The drama then takes a more dramatic turn, as the dark details that kept showing up between the summer mood and the friendship sequences got more intense and a solid mystery case introduce itself.

The villages, moreover, were all interesting characters, and the character development was smooth.

Unfortunately, there were moments when the drama got predictable and boring. The mystery case could have been handled in a better way as well.

The performances, finally, were all decent and enjoyable by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

Lire davantage

Not just summer, a strike of a lifetime, hopefully

Why did you kill Halmeoni?!!?!?!

Now that that's out of the way, let's get into the review.

I find the dramas and films with the most dreamy posters tend to be the most traumatising and yet again it was proven true.
Besides the trauma, the drama was peaceful, purposeful and exciting. I loved that the main couple decided they didn't want to live up to anyone's expectations and did their thing. I'm hoping that's what I'm doing too, so it was relatable and inspiring. I wish I were that brave sometimes.

In kdrama world we're often bombarded with a work ethic that is unhealthy and inhumane, it's refreshing to see someone realising exactly that and going the other way.

The romance was inevitable since the leads are two of a kind. I would love to see it being developed more but I know they're shy and that's part of their charm. Still, you robbed us of a kiss IN THE RAIN and I'm never going to forgive that.

I found the solving of the mystery sloppy, it could have gone horribly wrong. It was probably the most fictional part of the story. The mystery was important but wasn't as interesting as the more mundane parts of the story.

The vibe was good, the place was beautiful. I wouldn't mind moving there too. I hope one day I can live by the ocean.

One last thing, there's no need to follow harmful Disney stereotypes. You don't need to have dogs growl at bad people. Dogs can't measure morality, that's a harmful stereotype for people who can't get along with dogs for whatever reason and that doesn't make them bad people. It didn't even make the ones in the drama bad people. Whenever you think that's a good way of telling people's intentions, please remember Hitler had dogs that loved him.

I'm still not over Halmeoni. I cried so much watching this drama. Note to self: don't trust dreamy posters.


15.02.2024
I rewatched the show again (except the Halmeoni part) and I've been listening to the soundtrack since yesterday too. Summer Strike has, indeed, turned into one of my comfort shows. The theme, the ambience, the characters, the struggles, the simplicity in the way of life they enjoy and pursue are what mainly draws me to it.
It's the definition of contentment and that's my ultimate objective in life. To feel content. To feel like nothing is missing and I can simply enjoy every second of all that life brings.
Friends, food on the table, time to oneself, a fulfilling and paying job I can do from wherever, a calm city by the ocean, access to art materials and the internet and health and energy to enjoy it all.
It does seem like the perfect life. A life of enjoyment and contentment. A goal and, hopefully, not just a dream.

Lire davantage

Peaked at the first three episodes

This drama had a really great start, I was so drawn by the moving to small town and just live storyline but the feelings captured in the first episodes didn't string along during the rest of the drama. It started to drift apart from this by adding the crime-building plot, it wanted to include many characters and a lot of times the scenes that were supposed to be emotional felt shallow due to the script and the acting. Siwan did great and I can't wait to see more of his work but you could tell how his skills were more polished in comparison to Seolhyun. However, I can't criticize her a lot because her character written poorly. Yeorum was almost too perfect, she was almost always nice, naive, and helping everyone. It was unrealistic a bit boring and I couldn't relate to her. I also found strange the decision to make Yeorum friends with Bom and Jae Hoon since they are high schoolers. During the last three episodes, I skipped a lot of scenes because I was bored and wanted it to finish it. Overall, I'm disappointed but I don't regret watching it.

Lire davantage

Mediocre

Two people are struggling to find their way and overcome their troubled pasts. One leaves home, while the other leaves the city. To distract themselves from their unpleasant pasts, they immerse themselves in work. Eventually, their paths cross, and they begin to enjoy each other's company, feeling happy, serene, and at peace. However, an incident occurs, and they work together to solve the mystery surrounding it. Surprisingly, the incident is linked to one of them. In the end, they live happily ever after.

This is a glimpse of the story.

The acting was good, but the story may not hold your attention due to the many dull subplots. Additionally, there is no romance between the main leads, which might leave some viewers disappointed.

Lire davantage

What is happiness?

Happiness is a state where you lack nothing!

I would like to write a review but apart from synopsis I do not know what to write about!The drama is bland, not boring but forgettable. Unfortunately!

Summer is the name of the main character who decides to spend the summer doing nothing in a seaside town! Therefore the title Summer Strike as stopping every professional activity by a person called Summer during a summer!
Yeo Reum is not very happy. Adepte of avoiding conflict, she is taken advantage of by everyone; work, friends and family. Until, one day she cannot take it anymore and, leaving everything behind and only with a backpack, she goes travelling. After a few days she finds herself in a charming little seaside town and she decides to stay there renting cheeply an abandoned building with a bad reputation. In the town she meets a prickly teen Bom (spring) and a mysterious librarian Dae Beom, she adopts a dog named Winter...(running joke, ha ha!) and slowly gets involved with the townspeople !
Summer Strike is a slice of life drama reminiscent of Hometown ChaChaCha but better as it does not exaggerate the local colourfullness or the fish out of water side of Yeo Reum. The librarian is a mysterious character who is silent during the first two episodes but is not mute. He is actually suffering from the PTSD and the reasons for it are slowly discovered.
There are two, maybe three, romances in this slow burn drama. The first one are a couple of teens who just go forward and connect. The second one is Yeo Reum and the Librarian whose love story is very slow burn really, really slow burn considering they fall for each other at first sight but take forever just to hold hands(last frame last episode! No kisses!). The third one is the longtime unrequited love by the local store owner for the librarian's friend who end up finally connecting.
The drama deals with the concept of happiness: what it means to each one of us? Is it professional success? Is it calm and uneventfull life? Is it loving someone from afar? Is it having enough to eat? Is it having a loving family?
There is a murder mystery involving the building Yeo Reum rents which makes certain events clearer!
This drama also touched upon a lot of issues but we were never offered a solution: abuse in workplace, bullying, prejudiced adults, local gangs, psychiatric problems, mental health in general etc...
They give us a general solution for everything: Stand up for yourself! The heaven helps those who help themselves! It is mostly true but I find it hard to accept because sometimes you need someone by your side to encourage you in order to be brave enough!
The actors did a great job. Im Si Wan is cute and secretive as usual. I love his voice and the way he speaks!
The music is nice but not memorable: it is there and that's all...

Slow burn dramas are my favourite genre and I love the slow development of characters and events. On the other hand I never rewatch them. The appeal of this kind of drama is in its pace, discovering things slowly, getting to know the characters slowly. If I had to rewatch it, I'd be probably bored out of my mind!

Lire davantage

Was a great healing drama ... until it wasn't

This was a great drama. It was a healing drama about how broken souls met up in the countryside and found renewed purpose and a new family.

All up to near the end when they suddenly had to make it a murder mystery and rushed through the final episodes to complete everything in 12 episodes. Why is there a need to ruin a perfectly beautiful human drama? Not everything has to be a murder mystery.

The drama couldn't seem to decide what it wanted to be. In the midst of tragedy, suddenly it turned light hearted. It's as if there are two writers and they couldn't agree with each other.

Nonetheless, I'd still recommend watching up till episode 9 where it's a beautiful drama. Drop it right after that. However the only reason I'm watched it to the end is because I had fallen in love with the characters by then. Not a great reason to continue on but curiosity got the better of me.

Lire davantage

Comfort ♡

"Segundo o dicionário, felicidade é um estado emocional positivo caracterizado por sentimentos como contentamento, alegria e satisfação com a vida. Eu acho que é muito longo. E assim que eu o encurtaria. Felicidade, o estado de não faltar nada."

Amei tanto esse dorama! Me identifiquei muito com personagem principal, amei a "pausa" que ela decidiu fazer na vida dela, pois a forma que ela estava vivendo a esgotava de todos os sentidos. A evolução da protagonista foi linda. Assim também cada personagem me cativou de sua maneira. Até mesmo a trama foi muito bem desenvolvida. Foi simplesmente maravilhoso a conexão que foi se formando entre os personagens, se tornando uma grande família. O casal principal são fofos demais, eles trazem uma paz, um conforto. Siwan sempre fazendo personagens incríveis. A filmografia e a mensagem do drama foi impecável.

Não precisamos de muito na nossa vida, é preciso apreciar as pequenas coisas.

Lire davantage

I Want To Run Away

This series genuinely made me want to up and move to a coastal town. It was so simple yet so powerful to me. The way the series was taken to the leads’ interactions and traumas to the cozy setting had me wanting to run away and experience an experience just like it.

This drama started off so lighthearted and became something so much deeper. I was honestly not expecting the things that happened later on. I won’t go into detail because it’s something you should watch instead of asking questions about. This drama genuinely WAS a true summer story, though.

The delivery was so romantic and was genuinely exactly what I would expect from this type of drama. I realize I’m repeating myself tons of times but this drama was SUCH A GUST OF FRESH AIR STRAIGHT IN MY FACE. I watched it a few months earlier because of Siwan and Seolhyun but I was so surprised. Both of them looked amazing together and apart, they were almost built for these roles. I loved seeing Siwan display his versatility once again in his unique character this time, too. And Seolhyun? Seolhyun lived her role with everything she had and brought her to life. If I wasn’t straight, I’m pretty sure I would have fallen in love with her too. The romance in this drama is minimal, it’s there, but it’s kept at a low and I think I appreciate that. It shows how two introverts fall for each other and I live for it.

I genuinely think that this drama is a must-watch. I couldn’t explain it much because of the hidden complexity but there were just so many different things to learn from this drama. It isn’t the rom-com it seems to be and hides a multitude of morals and surprises under its masterful guise.

Lire davantage