#our beloved summer gif

[ikjun]

I knew all along that this would happen from the very moment we met again.

OUR BELOVED SUMMER (그 해 우리는) Before Sunset, dir. Kim Yoon-jin

[dramashii]

It's so peaceful.

OUR BELOVED SUMMER (2021) | Ep 15

[kdramaspace]

Q: THIS OR THAT: SHARING UMBRELLAS VS. BEACH OUTINGS (as voted by our members and followers)

SHARING UMBRELLAS: Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (2016) | King The Land (2023) | Shopping King Louie (2016) | Splash Splash Love (2015) | Our Beloved Summer (2021) | The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016) | Business Proposal (2022) | I Am Not a Robot (2017)

[wolha]

CHOI WOO-SHIK & KIM DA-MI as CHOI WOONG & KOOK YEON-SOO OUR BELOVED SUMMER 그 해 우리는 (2021—2022) dir. Kim Yoon-Jin

[bbgrlcrying]

kdramas.. I can't live without you :,)

[cuddlybitch]

@userdramas event 04: love 💖

Everyone has unforgettable memories from a certain year of their life. They cherish those memories so much that it lasts a lifetime. And for us, that year hasn't ended yet.

OUR BELOVED SUMMER (2021-2022)

[traveltherightroad]

! 10 gifs from 10 shows, just because !!

[jmnxjmnx]

August is ending

And with her, my hopes are in a line

Where they don't expect anymore

They just wait for September

So that the leaves from autumn save my heart

Bring some joy to my soul

So that I can endure the upcoming winter

To bloom again in summer

Without having to cry every time

August is starting.

[dead-end-street]

@userdramas EVENT 04: LOVE

The most important things to do in the world are to get something to eat, something to drink, and somebody to love you. -- Brendan Behan

[kdramasforever97]

Me, when I start a Kdrama and its the dubbed version:

[growingupisbeyondus]

tag game: Favorite TV shows gifs

Rules: Without naming them, post 10 gifs of your favorite TV shows, then tag 10 people.

I was tagged by the lovely and sweetest @eatsleepandsing ! Thank you!!

I nominate @mayapapayahart and only you because I find that weirdly hilarious Pipes lol

[busylazy]

I initially thought that Our Beloved Summer felt like it was intentionally written to cast Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi after The Witch Part 1: The Subversion.

Boy, I was wrong! Some of the inserted scenarios and sub-plots won't mean much when removed, and the chapter titles mimicking various romance movies are meh, but the gist of the story revolving around the documentaries about the main characters got me hooked.

GIF 1: High School Documentary (top 1 and lowest ranked student)

GIF 2: Career Documentary (subsequently getting back together)

GIF 3: Marriage Documentary (just a teaser, finale)

[asadfangirlbitxh]

Nobody gets it

[wolha]

KIM DA-MI as KOOK YEON-SOO OUR BELOVED SUMMER 그 해 우리는 (2021—2022) dir. Kim Yoon-Jin

[kinetic-drama]

Ep. 1 – Our Beloved Summer

Our Beloved Summer is a k-drama that should be savoured slowly, in those late August days full of laziness and cravings of the May breeze. The two leads, Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik) and Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi), are ex-lovers who never want to meet again. They met in high-school through the shooting of a reality show, where the top student, Yeon-soon, sits besides the one with the worst grades, Choi Ung. Fate – or, actually, a second season of the show – will bring them back together.

The brilliant banter and script is carried out by the lead actors impeccably, making the show enjoyable and light. The drama depicts a complicated relationship of two people different to their very core, the difficulty of communicating openly with the person you love, and the harshness of a break-up and the sweetness of a second chance. The rest of the cast is pretty much perfect in my opinion, and the cinematography is one of a kind, with aesthetic camera angles and unforgettable scenes. Truly a gem of its genre, this k-drama made me want to rewatch it over and over again, just for the excitement of walking with the characters through their journey of discovery of love and themselves.

If you've seen this drama and want to know more of my thoughts, keep reading below!

And here we talk about the serious stuff. In all honesty, this is one of my favorite k-dramas. Not only for its characters, tropes, and message, but also the aesthetic. You know I'm a sucker for pretty coloring, rain kiss scenes, contrasts of lighting, photography and addicting soundtrack. We need more dramas like this one, high-quality shooting paired with cured acting and an abundant amount of chemistry, pettiness, glances, side stories and character development.

It's one of the first k-dramas I've watched and one of the few I've felt the need to start again as soon as it was over, so it definitely holds a special place in my heart. I'd be lying if I said I didn't first start it because of its cast (I knew Kim Sung-cheol from literally one episode of Vincenzo and he was just too pretty), but finding out the trope was ex-lovers to enemies to lovers again – oh god. I was in love.

I usually hate love triangles, but this one was perfect??? The second male lead, Kim Ji-woong, has the most likeable character I've ever seen in a supporting role. He knows Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo still have some unresolved stuff to deal with and never tries to force his own unrequited feelings into their relationship, but his role never feels too shallow, maybe because of his personal life story and his closeness to the leads. At the end of the day, he knows he's just an observer, like he himself says, and accepts gracefully enough the line that separates him from being happy with the person he loves.

The rest of the supporting roles are perfect, from the leads' friends, family and co-workers and their relation with said people. Even the role of NJ, the idol who takes interest in Choi Ung, never comes off as plain and useless. And the lack of unnecessary conflict and misunderstandings and excessive jealousy is exactly what I adore about this k-drama.

About our main characters, I have a lot to say and at the same time so little. Their childish interactions and messy relationship, on the border between hate and love, create the perfect game of push and pull, all adorned with a great amount of chemistry and comic moments. This drama doesn't just tell the story of two characters, but through them shares the incommunicability between people, so different but still so similar. Neither of them are good with words and expressing feelings out loud, and neither of them seem to understand what the other needs to hear. It deals with the mutual hurt, awkwardness and resentment of a hash break-up that happens when both are still in love, they are just unable to deal with it. All this in contrast with the silent understanding of the messages brought by thoughtful actions, private smiles and small touches. It's all about finding happiness and love in those little, short moments, showing a certain side of yourself to that person only, in the case of the cold Kook Yeon-soo, or letting your world be shaken to the core and feeling alive once that person comes around, in the case of the quiet Choi Ung. But as the k-drama demonstrates, most times only actions are not enough.

This view of love, in my opinion, is what sets this show apart and makes it a must-watch.

[threecheersforinking]

WYSW: Our Beloved Summer

*spoiler free!* (WYSW = Why You Should Watch)

Our Beloved Summer focuses on a pair of former high school classmates, one who was the top of their class and another who was at the very bottom. While they were still in school, a documentary was made about their situation and it went viral due to their comedic dynamic and surprising chemistry. Right after the documentary was finished, against all odds the two fell in love and started dating. 10 years later, a documentary sequel is proposed, however the now working adults are no longer together and seemingly hate each other. What happened?

That's all you need to know going in, but if you like romcoms you're already in the right place. From the protagonists Yeonsu and Ung, to Ung's childhood best friend/practically surrogate brother Jiung, to the strange and impulsive young pop star NJ, to Yeonsu's quirky and nosy coworkers, each and every character is likable but complex enough to feel real.

This show is very pleasant and easy to watch. While there are heavier topics sprinkled throughout the series (and I can't deny I teared up at times) it is overall a very soft and fluffy show. One of the main themes the series focuses on is that who you are in high school does not necessarily reflect what your future will look like, and you can't judge others based on superficial notions of success.

The show also has a surprisingly vulnerable portrayal of how poverty can harden people in ways not often talked about. I found this to be one of the most compelling aspects of this series that gives it some much needed depth.

This is a side note but as someone who watches a lot of anime where the average age of a protagonist is like, 17, I really love that this show focuses entirely on characters in their late 20s. Really, most kdramas are centered around working young adults, so if that is something you value I'd highly recommend looking into more of them.

Seriously though, if you haven't watched any kdramas this would be a good one to start with. I actually watched this show with my mom. She had never seen a kdrama before, and she really loved it! Especially if you like rom-coms, I'd really recommend giving Our Beloved Summer a shot.

Thanks for reading,

-threecheersforinking