Drama Profile
Title: Our Beloved Summer / That Year, We (Literal Title)
Main Cast: Choi Woo-shik, Kim Da-mi
Writer: Lee Na-eun
PD: Kim Yoon-jin
Timeslot: Monday and Tuesday 22:00
Network: SBS
OTT: Netflix
Episodes: 16
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Plot Synopsis:
Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-su broke up five years ago and swear would not meet ever again. But as the documentary they shot in high school became viral, the two had to work together again for a follow-up project.
Maknae’s Impression:
Our Beloved Summer kicks off with a fun premiere filled with bickering, young love, and what-ifs.
The character introductions for Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik) and Kook Yeon-su (Kim Da-mi) was nothing short of entertaining. Through the documentary interview, we got to know their first impressions of each other. And…they’re not each other’s cup of tea. This is where the series’ tropes come in – opposite’s attract/enemies-to-lovers and second-chance-at-love.
Ung and Yeon-su are like a cat and a dog that were forced to be together because of a documentary shot by Park Dong-il (Jong Bok-rae). The forced proximity element was cleverly used in the past timeline and was seamlessly used again for the present timeline where the two needed a good reason to be in the same space again. Although this time, Kim Ji-ung (Kim Sung-cheol) would be in charge of filming the ex-lovers. And unlike in the past, Ung and Yeon-su have baggage from their past relationship that they are yet to unpack. I’m not sure about this but it seems like Ji-ung has feelings for Yeon-su. Making things more complicated too is idol singer NJ (Roh Jeong-eui) who seem to be attracted to Ung. But ultimately, aside from these external factors, I’m guessing the conflict Ung and Yeon-su would face in the future is more about their decisions and actions when they were together.
Even though the series’ premise might come off as trope-y to some but I’m biasedly fond of these story tropes/elements so it didn’t bother me that much. And I think, the series was actually good at executing their chosen tropes. Kim Da-mi and Choi Woo-shik seem to also fit their respective roles. They’re cute when they bicker and their chemistry is so obvious on screen.
Also in its pilot week, Our Beloved Summer was able to show the real difference between how men and women act in a relationship. I would love it if they explore it more through Ung and Yeon-su in the coming episodes. I also liked that they used back and forth narration to show their past relationship and their current status. It’s heightening my interest and curiosity to what happened in those years in between. The series also gets a plus point for giving both characters enough airtime to show their point-of-views. There’s a balance in the narration which I think would make the audience root for both characters instead of teaming up with only one.
This series is really a promising light-hearted romance with a tinge of coming-of-age woes. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the chemistry between Ung and Yeon-su and even to the rest of the cast.
Afterthoughts:
-I was kinda hoping Lee Joon-hyuk would become the second lead
-Can they remake Day6’s Congratulations/You Were Beautiful MVs but with Kim Da-mi and Choi Woo-shik this time?
-I’m lowkey looking forward to Park Jin-joo’s side story.
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