Love All Play (2022)

Cinematography - The saving grace

The headline makes it sound worse than it is. The cinematography is great and decent acting from two promising young actors in Park Ju-Hyun and Chae Jong-Hyeop. Other than that, the rest is questionable. The series starts well with the introduction of the characters with Taeyong's and Taejuns' backstories. After that, it spends most of the time on pure negativity that it's become frustrating. Frustrating is neither entertaining nor educational. Fine, there should be frustrating characters and scenes but shouldn't take up the bulk of the show. Firstly, the more senior athlete agrees to drink and go snowboarding while drunk. Bad move for a senior and she has the nerve to bear hatred. Secondly, a parent puts her daughter on a towering pedestal that she can't see anything else below that. Is that really a way for a parent to behave? Writers and producers have great power to influence viewers and with great power comes... you know the rest. The issue between Taeyang and Junyoung could've been wrapped up in one or two episodes. At least then, the story could've been explored more from what goes on in episode 16. Furthermore, that love story formula of going out, breaking up and getting back together again is starting to err on the side of yawning. This could've been a great show had it followed the story of the manga novels or at least something very close to it. This probably sounds more like a rant than a review but I loathe to see a good show go to waste.
As a side note, professional athletes will usually have nutritionists looking after what they eat and drink and the amount of alcohol consumed shown is a hard No. The story is grounded in reality so it should at least be as close to reality as possible.

Leia Mais

Something between good and bad!!!

The drama love all play depicting the story of badminton players so basically the genre was sports drama but let me clear it for you that this drama is not a sport drama its a romance melo drama with unnecessary plot holes
It started so well first episodes focused on romance and chemistry between the leads and other members and after 9 episodes it became so stretchy and boring and i hate the way they resolve the misunderstandings like it took them 14 episodes to resolve the controversy
At last the romance can't even saved it for me
Now about sports part a sports drama is basically where you show that sport properly but here badminton was a side trope not the main so it was not Sport for me
The leads and second leads chemistry was fine for me i love taejun
At last watch it if you love melo and don't basically care about storyline

Leia Mais

Could've been great.

Let's start off with what I liked about the show:

- It looked really good cinematography-wise, I liked the overall atmosphere and aesthetic of it.
- The characters had their charms and sometimes were very comedic.
- They had a bunch of funny moments which I genuinely enjoyed (one being the spoon scene, that was really funny for some reason).
- Yumin and Junghwan were endearing.
- Taejun vs. Junghwan
- Also that golden retriever Yunis junior.

Now, onto what I didn't like about the show: (warning: rant)

- The story was very all over the place. For something that was supposed to be a sports romcom, it was so angsty and Taeyang's and Taejun's growth as athletes weren't even touched on as much. (Honestly, their growth as characters in general wasn't really shown that much).
- The characters' arcs and stories weren't properly showcased. We just suddenly see these developments and I'm always left thinking "when did that happen?" or "where did that come from?" It's like I completely missed the show and I'm just learning about all of these developments secondhand. And because of this, I find myself not caring about their struggles that much and when they get through them, it's like "alright, good for them I guess".
- The conflict was so repetitive and kept going only for it to end just like that? The potential for conflict and resolution could've been really good but it wasn't.
- The show felt like it was focusing on too many stories and conflicts (or too many angles of one conflict? idek) and problems of Taeyang that it couldn't really understand what it wanted to say properly, leading to a very scattered show with no proper growth therefore leaving the characters with so much wasted potential for their arcs (especially Seungwoo's—I would've loved to see him at least want to play before ending his career). Honestly, I wanted to love this because I love sports stuff (2521 and Haikyuu! being some of them) and it started off pretty well! I find it really interesting when the characters have different goals for their athletic careers while also having to balance their personal struggles and how that's interwoven into their stories as athletes. But this was just, too much angst and very all over the place. In the 15th episode, they show flashbacks of Taeyang and Taejun playing badminton together and it's literally only from the first three episodes. That's how little we've seen any of the characters play badminton. Where is their growth as athletes? How is Taejun becoming more passionate about badminton? How is Taeyang coming back from her 3-year break? And why is the Yunis team suddenly accepting her? SHOW MEEEEEEE.
- I genuinely didn't like that Taeyang just kept taking all the bullshit too? It was fine for the first few episodes, but it just kept going to the point that it was annoying. Idk.
- Also why do Taejun and Taeyang hug like that? It feels so stiff, the only exception being the last hug they had during episode 16. Like just HUG! Put your heads together! Nuzzle!!!! Jeez.
- Lastly, I wanted to see more of Taejun's emotional struggles. With his parents practically being very absent when it comes to his badminton career, how he feels being overshadowed by his sister, his relationship with the sport, etc. But nope. I didn't even care when he gave his medal to his mom and said that he was never good enough because they didn't show his struggles. (Also, his mom is the worst).

Anyway, this was disappointing. I really wanted to like this, especially because a lot of people are saying it was good.

Am I missing something? Someone tell me because I would love to love this. Maybe I'll give it another watch during my free time, but for now these are my thoughts.

Leia Mais

Not Good Enough

Korean Drama "Love All Play" had potential with the sports theme and the tragic figure that was the main lead, but they were all wasted.

The story was boring and the pattern of breaking up and making up, again and again, was tiring. The main couple, moreover, was cute at first, but they didn't have enough chemistry to support the whole thing. The second couple were better, but they didn't have enough screentime. Also, the main lead's tragic story got unbearable and almost idiotic, as she let everyone treat her badly without even acting up. Her relationship with her mother should have been further reviewed as well.

At least the performances were enjoyable.

So, overall, four out of ten.

Leia Mais

Park Twins Supremacy !!!

It was an overall enjoyable ride!! The first half was great, I enjoyed the writing and the characters despite the flaws many of them had. The 2nd half was angsty and less exciting than the 1st half for me but there were still good moments. The last episode was very enjoyable!

Story- The sports genre is there but it takes a backseat when the personal situations come more to light. LAP also has more of a melo feel in the 2nd half rather than the romcom feel it did in the beginning. I wish some of the plots ended more satisfyingly like Taejun's mom (I felt like she got off easy lol). I also wish the 2nd couple was developed better or slower, they felt a bit rushed. Overall, I think it's an enjoyable & simple story. It has comedy as well so it's a lighter melo. I did get a little tired during episodes 11&12 but the rest of the episodes were great!

Acting/Cast- Everyone was good! Taejun has made it to my best dramaland boyfriend's list as well <3 He is the standard!!! I wish Taeyang and him felt more equally yolked in their relationship but I did love them together. They made me smile so much :) I loved all the team members by the 2nd half!! Some of them needed character development but everyone was lovable by the end and they brought a lot of humor to the show haha

Music- It was good!! The theme song made me smile every week :)

Rewatch- I don't rewatch usually but I would love to watch the Park Twins moments as well as the funny moments again <3

Overall it was a good watch for me. I have a couple complaints but overall I did like it, mainly because of the characters (excluding TJ's parents, they were awful). First half was great, 2nd half just didn't live up to the 1st. You should definitely watch if you love Chae Jong Hyeop as he was AMAZINGGG in here! If you're the least bit interested I don't think it will hurt to try either, the characters are pretty lovable :)

Happy watching!!

Leia Mais

It’s everything and more

Gosh! Did I love this show…
Watching the park twins and their teammates as they navigate the world of badminton, friendship, camaraderie and love is like bathing in sunshine. Dark clouds may cover their sky from time to time, but they have no chance against the endearing warmth of Park Tae Joon’s smile (Chae Jong Hyeop). His acting was so superb in this show, it truly elevated the character.
This show has so much heart, that no matter where the plot line took us, you got your happy dose alongside the angst.
The soundtrack is wonderful too, hearing it immediately made me smile, and the sweet moments the show dished out in generous doses were sweeter than honey without ever being boring or overly clichéd.

Honestly? My only complaint is that we didn’t get more episodes.

Prepare to fall in love!

Leia Mais

Started strong but went downhill

The first ten episodes are interesting and engaging. Love how they put more backstory about a run away renowned badminton athlete which hinder her to play badminton. But after the 10 episodes, it got draggy. The conflict between Taeyang and Junyoung could be resolved in earlier episode without making it repetitive. I was excited to see Taeyang play again and her playing without feeling guilty but instead they give us more drama and less badminton scenes. The only thing that keeps me going is the chemistry between the leads and the other players. Park Juhyun really gives an amazing potrayal as a used to be famous badminton player who now feels guilty to even to play because the conflict she has with her best friend and how she's having this inner problem within herself because her mother left her and she got adopted, and she feels that her adopted parents will abandon her if she fails to play badminton. Chae Jeonghyeop also gives a neat potrayal as Park Taejun, a skilled badminton player living under the shadow of his sister success. I hate how his parents, especially his mother, treats him. He and Taeyang find comfort and love on each other. Both Juhyung and Jeonghyeop have good chemistry with each other. On the other hand, I don't really feel the chemistry between Yook Junghwan and Lee Yoomin. It's too bad that I don't feel the excitement to watch after the 10th episode, really wish it could be better.

Leia Mais

How to Make a Very Solid Breakfast Sandwich

"Love All Play" is like a hearty egg, sausage and cheese sandwich at a neighborhood diner. It doesn't take a culinary school trained chef or a Michelin star restaurant to plate a terrific one. But there are a couple of things that separate an average one from a very good one. First, there's no great sandwich without outstanding bread. It should be freshly baked. None of the spongy, preservative-stuffed, plastic-bagged tasteless kind. The eggs and cheese just have to be fine. But the sausage can't be. It should be spicy and savory with plenty of silky fats.

In "Love All Play", the fresh bread is a bevy of likable, complex and organic characters from the two leads and going deep in to the supporting roster of characters.

The spicy meat is an astonishingly strong cast that has a few recognizable faces, but no high-powered stars.

Is the plot a brilliant, novel one with twists and turns and surprises and reveals and climactic moments? No. It certainly places enough credible obstacles in the way of the happiness of the various characters to keep a modest amount of tension going, but there's nothing here that hasn't been seen dozens of times in other dramas.

Is the production value on that viewers will confuse with Bong Joon Ho? That's a very firm "No.". There's a nice theme song and the editing is fine. But the badminton scenes are nauseatingly repetitive. The wardrobe is mostly athletic warmups. In fact, there's nothing in the production design, makeup, hair, lighting, sound, photography, etc. that's noticeable.

Despite such non-noteworthiness, Chae Jong Hyeop is an unfiltered delight as Tae Joon. It's hard to think of a more warmhearted, selfless, strong and mature male protagonist. In fact, if there's a less than credible moment, it would be where Tae Yang's father has any doubts about his character. Is he too good to be true? Perhaps, but there's enough of a self-destructive, reckless element to him that Tae Joon doesn't seem inhuman.

Park Ju Hyun may not have the natural charisma that Chae Jong Hyeop exhibits, but she's a marvelous complement. Park Ji Hyun is scintillating as her Jun Young has to be very delicately layered with resentments and damages and hopes and dreams. This review could list just about every other member of the cast and try to find some unique and effusive praise for each of them. If there is a weak member, it would be In Gyo Jin as an assistant coach who comes across too erratically from one scene to the next.

Special mention, however, must be made for Choi Seung Yoon and Jo Soo Hyang. They are [chef's kiss] pure, distilled magic in virtually every moment they are together on screen. If there is a spinoff of "Love All Play", it must be featuring these two. Or give them their own new concept.

It should be a simple formula. Wonderful, multi-dimensional characters with a solid cast and simply put them in a room and let them have at it. Unfortunately, those two ingredients are trickier than they look. Props to this production for accomplishing it with aplomb here.

Recommended and highly.

Leia Mais

Melodrama with some sports and romance elements

This started off quite well; it had a lot of promise and I liked it better than 2521 ( which I dropped at Ep 14) It’s not a rom-com, that’s why I say it’s a melodrama- which means there’s a lot of crying, relationship problems, unresolved past issues and wait... more crying.

The FL is an ex-national team badminton player. She “ran away” for three years because of an incident and has never resolved it. The ML is a promising badminton player who had been hiding behind his sister’s shadow his whole life and is desperate for his parents and the world’s attention. Both found solace and comfort in each other, and eventually love starts to develop. They are quite cute together, and there is some skinship ;) but it’s not the centre of the storyline.

You have your typical side couples, side teammates who initially hate you, treat you badly then after a long while start to stand up for you and encourage you. Some issues with the writing and characters eg the coach. Head coach and assistant coach are pretty incompetent- very old school kind of training, not encouraging nor inspiring. [Spoiler: Male doubles team- one player pushed his partner to the floor, grabbed his racket to hit the shuttlecock. Umm.. I don’t think that kind of play is EVER allowed on the court. End spoiler]

Initially rated it a 8/10, now dropping it to a 7.5. It’s getting kinda slow and draggy. Let’s see how it develops and ends. ;)

Update: Ending was a nice wrap up of all characters. I still didn’t like the mother: it remained quite draggy throughout the last 5 episodes which was unfortunate. I did complete it but ff here and there.

Leia Mais

Downhill after a great start

I was hooked to this story mainly because of our ML. Their interactions and conversations felt so inviting and you will find yourself rooting for them from the get go. The overall casts are good. The dynamics is chaotic but interesting.

However the premise of Badminton really drops the ball on this. Idk whether its normal for an athlete to have booze once in a while during training, or such controversy has ever really occured in RL , but I do know for a fact that if you want to excell as a great athlete, of any sport, alchohol is a big NO-NO. So the big plot of this story really didn't sink in with me coz I'm a badminton fan myself in RL. So yeah since the big secret was out I keep FF through all the shenanigans. I could not relate to it coz it didnt feel real. Yes, you reap what you sow, but knowingly that it will jeopardize you in the end doesn't really resonates with me especially if you are an athlete.

I enjoy the beginning, happy in the middle, but puzzled towards the end. Wish it would have been better.

As always; Would I watch this whole drama again? No.

Leia Mais

One of the weaker rom coms of 2022

I´m a sucker for well-made rom coms. Even if they are full of clichés, I actually don´t really care as long as they are successfully played out. Of course chemistry between the lead characters and supporting cast are a must; story line, strong and/or witty writing, great acting and well developed main characters with an appealing arc are also a must.

Unfortunately Love All Play does not check all the boxes, actually it only has two things going on for it, great acting and great chemistry from the leading actors, the rest ìs MIA.

I´m surprised I´m saying this because I loved the opening two episodes, the set up and badmigton as the background was just very promising. I fooled myself thinking that if Love All Play was half as good as Racket Boys I was in for a treat, but oh boy oh boy it turned out just as bad, if not worse, than other recent droppable series such as 2521, Forecasting Love and Weather, Business Proposal, Our Beloved Summer, Shitting Stars, etc… list goes on. You got the point.

In 2022 the only two shows that I have actually enjoyed are Crazy Love and My Liberation Notes (which is not considered a rom com, but a slice of life).

What a waste of talent in Love All Play seriously. I really hope that Park Ju Hyun choses better projects with great characters in the future since I consider her one of the most talented and promising actresses of South Korea. Her portrayal of Bae Gyu Ri in Extracurricular set the bar quite high for herself and positioned herself as an actress capable of playing intense and complex characters. So I have to say that Love All Play is a total letdown.

Would I rewatch it or try to finish the series? No way in hell.

Would I recommend it to others? If you really don´t have a choice or if you´re brain dead, yes go ahead.

Leia Mais

Such a fun watch! Light and breezy

This sort of reminds me of Weightlifting Fairy in tone...light and easy to watch. It's a sports romcom that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's more about a story about forgiveness and falling in love than the journey and growth of becoming the best at badminton.

Likes: For sure, Park Ju Hyun and Chae Jong Hyeop as the leads. Both are entirely charming in their own way. I like that they are not super famous because I feel like you can see their characters more. Park Ju Hyun has a tomboyish athletic look which is not typical in female leads, but I like that. It's more relatable. Also, I can't pinpoint why I feel like this...but she comes off like she may have a bit of a smart ass side to her which immediately makes me like her. hahaha. She was perfect as Tae Yang.
Chae Jong Hyeop reminds me of a smiley cute Labrador. He has this "good guy" boy next door feel. He first caught my attention in Nevertheless and I'm glad to see him in a leading role. He didn't disappoint and I feel like more good roles will come his way after this.

The two of them have a fun chemistry, the sole reason why I enjoyed this drama so much. I enjoy teasing banter so the first half had me hooked. The second half did get a little more weighed down with oppression. The problem here is that it felt like they were really stretching for these obstacles. Also, I think they should have paid a little more attention to the growth and struggles of being in sports. It felt very downplayed which I wouldn't say I minded that much, but I think a little more personal growth would have fared better. As for the rest of the cast, they felt like caricatures at best. Sometimes funny, sometimes overkill.

Overall, the tone was pretty light imo, even when it got weighed down a little in the second half. It's because the show doesn't really delve down and explore the deeper emotions the characters have. It just barely touches the surface. Some may not like that, but it was fine for me as I just wanted to watch something easy breezy and the chemistry carried the show for me.

Leia Mais