Love All Play (2022)

Love All Play Does NOT Play Around (Except With Your Heart)

I was first going to point you in the direction of the synopsis and go on about my feelings instead but the synopsis on here is pretty terrible and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up had it not been for the ML. Which, hey, what a great place to start. The ML in this show is the greenest green flag to ever flag. Or green. Or exist, whatever. You get the idea. He sits at the table with some of my favorite green flag MLs and I don’t give that title lightly. He is literal sunshine and made me smile like an idiot on several occasions. I can’t stress this enough. I just need you to know this before I go on about the synopsis and then my feelings. Okay, cool. Moving on (for now).

Love All Play is about a badminton team. It’s about the different plays on the team and their individual struggles individually and as members of a team, together. Obviously, our focus is on our FL and ML but we get insight into other members of the team occasionally and they are just as special in my heart honestly. Our FL is returning to badminton after leaving the Olympic team in disgrace. There’s a lot of question marks about what happened and why, but the main story is bribery and then she literally disappears off everyone’s radar. Our ML is kind of apathetic about badminton, despite being a great athlete and this being his livelihood. It seems more like a job than a passion, and his heart isn’t really into it. There’s a lot more to it than that, but I can’t really say without spoiling. Both the FL and ML get picked up by a commercial team and the rest is just … kind of magic to watch. She’s scared, holding back (both herself and just so so much else), very much hated by her ex-teammates and others in the profession, and is having a really hard time but she also loves the sport so much she can’t bear to be away anymore. The ML is really great and talented but there’s no spark in what he does and he almost doesn’t seem to care… about anything. Now pair them up together and they really bring out the best in each other. Both leads are really warm and loving in different ways and it was truly a joy to watch their romance unfold.

I will say, the romance isn’t as prominent as other romance kdramas because there is so much focus on other aspects of the show, character growth, and just plot. However, what we do get is so so beautiful. I also need you to know that there are a lot of heavy topics and issues that are addressed and dealt with in the show. It’s not all fun and games, despite it being centered around one. Sometimes it was a lot, especially with how much the FL had to deal with.

Despite all of that (or maybe because of it), I highly recommend this show. It’s criminally underrated. It is about growth, about facing your fears, about loving something (or finding something to love) so much that you can’t not do it, about not just sitting down and doing nothing or letting fear win, but also about knowing when and where to stop. It made me cry and smile like an idiot. It was so well written and had so many different lovable characters that I adored. The cast was phenomenal and I loved them all. One person in particular (outside of our two leads) really really grew to be a favorite despite me hating him initially, and that’s what I love about this show. It’s about pain and dealing with it and growing and doing better. It’s about A LOT OF THINGS aND I LOVED IT OKAY.

Also the ML really really made my heart hurt in the best way. He was so loving and adorable and warm and just … I need you all to watch and experience this love too.

That is all, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Leia Mais

CHAE JONGHYEOP AND PARK TWINS' CHEMISTRY

HELLOOO I LOVE THIS SO MUCH HUHU. want me some taejun so badd like he is the standard fr. this show fits my need the moment i watched this bc i needed romance then it has an additional genre, my ult fav genre-sports, which is badminton and i like badminton!!! I am really happy that I did not watch this when it was still airing. The chemistry of all the characters is *chef's kiss*, the conflict, the relationship of the main leads, and the number of couples in the drama are all so impressive. Waaah, omg the personalities of both main leads are really great, and how they handle their relationship in and out of public is really my ideal relationship. They still show a bit of sweetness in public, and when they are alone, hugs and a few cries is already enough and they can call it a day. What I realized the most in this series is how I totally suck at comforting other people. Although I already know that, every time a confrontation comes and a character needs a comfort, I would always get nervous thinking how am I going to be able to comfort them if i was in their shoes?? Also, both of them is really good at playing their sports. What I can only critic is its ending because I really wanted to see their long-awaited match against junghwan and yumin but that's not enough for me to rate it below 10. If I could, I would really rate this 100/10 huhu yes it is legit nice. This is the first kdrama where I have encountered chae jonghyeop so you can say that this is definitely a blessing. He is so cute and handsome especially during the first eps and he looks and sounds so hot when gets mad and screams. And there's Taeyang (Park Juhyun) whose personality seems so bright but deep inside is struggling with her emotions. Haaaa they are so whipped for each other and they are totally meant to be. Anyways, this kdrama is really realistic and fun. I watched this not in a binge-watch manner, but when I get back to watching it again, it seems like I am still binge-watching it lol that is the best way to express how I enjoyed this one. So highly recommended. Where's my Taejun T^T

Leia Mais

About friendship & healing

This was a series that started off well but began to drag and become repetitive about 1/2-way through.

None of the 3 athletes involved in the "incident" in the past can get over themselves, and it makes them all unlikeable. The female lead's unending self-deprecation was too much. The characters do eventually improve, but it takes a long time. The most likeable character is the golden retriever-like male lead.

The romance is cute, but not the main focus. The private bandminton team environment is OK, but also takes a backseat.

There are other kdramas that handle romance & athletics in a much more compelling way - like the usuals: Fight for My Way, Weightlifting Fairy, 25/21

Leia Mais

OMGGG

Amazing! A great serial. Honestly, i didn't pretty liked this at first and the episodes just felt liked it would take 3 hours to finish. I would say the last 3 or 4 episodes just felt like it finished fast. I am the type who likes the episode to end fast and not, like to not feel like the episode is 3 hour long, but not to finish in 3 min, too. I liked the other couple( junghwan and yumin) more than taejoon and taeyang, but 🤷‍♀️. My opinion. I'm really happy that all ended good and they are happy together. BUT THE FINALLL! OMGG HOW CAN U LET ME LIKE THAT!? I WANTED TO KNOW( i know, you know, we know, lee know, haha) WHO WINS. but i guess we'll never know

Leia Mais

dont waste ur time, it started great but slowly got worse

Beautiful start. I love their chemistry and history. Childhood lovers. it was pretty good, but things started to get sloppy. They rushed the romance. like dating in the first couple eps. The story was rushed and messed up. Some moments were too stretched while some were too rushed. Horrible time and duration management. It was really repetitive and boring.
This show is only for people who have extreme patience to deal with annoying people.

OST: The ost was amazing. It started to remind me of Itaewon class. The singers' voices reminded me of Gaho the singer of the Itaewon class's ost. The story then started to remind me of Itaewon class. I always got goosebumps by the ost.

Characters were annoying:
The main female lead was so annoying and problematic. She ruins kinda everyone's life. I hate her personality and she got on my nerves so much. The main male lead was amazing. Major green flag. He just got unlucky and had a horrible love and personal life. His sister always being better than him and being favourited. And his love is so annoying.

SPOILERS:


When they randomly brought back his sister, I understand her but she is kinda a little dramatic. I would also be mad but i wouldn't bully her for it. In the end tho she had a good heart. Junghwan was annoying and couldn't pick a girl. I felt so bad for the short hair girl. He mistreated her so badly. But Junghwan was amazing for giving up his spot in the national team for her.

Leia Mais

Love All Play My Review

The drama started off with much expectations. However midway and throughout it become draggy especially the girl,
Tae Yang. She was a coward probably throughout the series. Make herself miserable and others too. If I am Tae Jun, I don't think I will stick to her. Crybaby and always depressed. I don't think there's any guys who are so forgiving and generous like Tae Yang. If there's such guy, cling on to him. Taeyang is a much better actor. Of course I don't really understand how Tae Yang friends were against her to the max in the beginning and later start forgiving her totally even when they know is her fault.

Leia Mais

definitely one of my all time faves

i finished this in 2 days and i have to say that i absolutely adore the main leads. the chemistry between park ju hyun and chae jong hyeop is perfect and kinda carried this drama for me. tae yang is a character i relate to a lot and tae jun is definitely the biggest green flag ever. also i love badminton so i was never actually "bored" during the training and competition scenes. park jun young was incredibly annoying after she first appeared in ep.9, same goes for her mom... i couldn't stand neither of them and feel like this whole snowboarding accident thing was unnecesseraly dragged out. moreover i liked the second couple and thought they were quite cute together, but i have to admit that the way junghwan couldn't get over ju young for so long was terribly frustrating to watch and made me feel bad for yu min. oh and the ending was also really great and wrapped everything up well. all in all a good show, made me laugh, cry and giggle like an idiot of the romantic scenes, so 9.5/10 for me😄

Leia Mais

Can we seize the chance?

Why is this drama called Love All Play when even the subs say Going to you at speed of 493? I guess it is easier to remember but it is such a boring title: makes you think of all those insipid c dramas....

Love All Play is not a drama about badminton. It features badminton heavily but if you hope to learn something about the sport, the rules and the gameplay: go watch something else! The badminton training centre serves just as the backdrop for a slice of life story of a redemption of a fallen prodigy.

There are too many characters called Park here so I won't even try to mention them here. It took me about half of the drama to sort the main leads out. They are both damaged individuals.

The FL made a mistake a few years earlier which made her a pariah in the badminton community. But her love of the game was too strong to keep her away so she is willing to suffer all kinds of bullying and rejection in order to win the right to train and play. She's overly cheerful, replying to insults with a big smile which seems frustration and annoying until she declares to prefer to smile when she wants to cry! Her tenacity finally wins her teammates over. She used to be best friends with another woman from the team, she loved her and at one point she declared that her friend was her first love. The FL is bi?

The ML grew up in the domineering shadow of the star, overly talented big sister so much that he felt neglected by their parents. With his sister away due to an injury it is finally time for him to shine.

The story is well written, the topics dealt are balanced and fairly treated: guilt, redemption, love, talent, family. Unfortunately, nothing is outstanding in this drama.
The acting is correct though the chemistry is missing across the board.
There is a slight "criticism" of korean society or rather the repetition and confirmation of usual society norms: the whole family is responsible for a mistake committed by one of its members (the FL), a divorced woman with a child is not allowed to get into a relationship because she's THE MOTHER and therefore it is unseemly, a father getting berserk because his 25yr old daughter wants to date, across the board virgins who never dated (because family and sport, of course!).....I wish someone would show us the current generation of Koreans rebelling against these awfully strict and coded societal norms. This is not the case here!
The badminton matches were filmed with brio but we could not actually see a match just the players running and beautifully jumping in order to catch the shuttlecock. Moreover, the venues where the competitions were held were completely void of the audience. So it is either COVID restrictions (the drama takes place in 2022) or they didn't have the budget for extras. Whichever may be the case, the empty seats were gloomy and ridiculous!
The music was boring: one funky song playing endlessly but luckily it is not a song good enough for it to be memorable.

This was not a drama to be remembered: even though I binged it and the actors were cute, I'd recommend it as a light slow burn watch.

Leia Mais

a rollercoaster of feelings

I didn't hate this show but I wouldn't watch this show again unless I was super bored. I wanted to love this show a lot more than I did. First off this show had one of my least favorite tropes in media and that is when the main couple end up breaking up a few episodes before the ending. But at the same time, I can't hate too much this show because it actually makes a lot of sense why they broke up and couldn't be together but that still didn't make it any easier to watch. Another thing I didn't like is how towards the end the writers of the story started to make the viewers feel more simply with Park Tae Joon's parents. Let's just be honest they were a bunch of assholes that played favoritism with their kid and even later on Park Tae Joon's mom had the audacity to tell Park Tae Joon that he couldn't date Park Tae Yang saying that he was a horrible brother because he didn't think about his sister. Even when Park Jun Young said that she made up with Park Tae Yang and that they were good the mom still tried to tell tae joon what he couldn't do like she never cared about him she only cared that it involved his sister. And so for the writers to just brush it off and try to give them a character development was a poor choice especially because it happened so quickly with no build-up to them getting better. The last thing I didn't like was the second couple. I wanted to like them but it killed me every time Lee Yoo Min would just chase after Yook Jung Hwan and he would just push her away and then when she started to let go he would just pull her back in. It was a game of push and pull with these two. And another thing that bugged me is that he would always bring up Park Jun Young when he was with her and I get it that was his first love and he loved her but if he wasn't ready to let go of her completely he shouldn't have got in a relationship with Yoo min. Yoo Min is a better woman than me because if Jung Hwan treated me the way he treated her I would have broken up with him so quickly you would have got dizzy.

But after talking about all the things I hate I have to say that I enjoyed the sports except for this show. That is the whole reason I started this even though I wish there was a little bit more sport and that we got to see who won the match at the end of the show. Also even though their relationship wasn't that long I love how they interacted with each other and that you could feel the love that they have for each other. So even though I didn't love this show as much as I wished I still enjoyed it and am glad that I watched it.

Leia Mais

It was nice!

I didn't have many expectations as I started watching, and I was pleasantly surprised. The drama doesn't have a fascinating and different plot, but it had enough to keep me hooked. This is a great drama for those who enjoy lighthearted kdramas. The romance builds up (and it doesn't take long, which I'm really thankful for), the couple is adorable, Taejun (the male lead) has golden retriever energy which made it so cute to watch and there're friendships developing, cute secondary couples and amazing supporting characters that have my heart. There were a few moments where I felt like the main thing keeping them apart was being too extended, it could've been resolved quickly. That being said, it definitely didn't bother me too much, there were plenty of great moments and I never felt like quitting it. Comparing to other kdramas I've watched, this had quite a peaceful ending — and I love it even more because they didn't deprive us of the characters being happy until the last minute of the last episode — it was really pleasing and well spread out.

Leia Mais

Love All Play-- a second chance at life.

If youre planning to watch this drama, I'd say do it when you need to pass time. I was under the pretense that this drama was similar to Weighlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. And honestly, its setup of childhood friends, overcoming traumas, motivating each other-- it could've become a kdrama classic.

But what stops this drama from achieving what WFKBJ is the following:

CONS-
1) the entire "incident"- honestly, they could've come up with an entirely different idea. Because rather than focusing on the leads, this plot point made it impossible for anyone to breathe. Everyone was miserable. No one understood the word "accident". This wasn't even a plot hole, this was just...not the right way to add tension.


2) the fl CANNOT catch a break--
--> firstly, i cannot fathom why she has such low confidence. Guilt does not equal unconfidence. The way she was treated by everyone except for the ML....was so heartbreaking and frustrating.

-->secondly, she was too pitiful for me to even remotely hate. Yes, i hated how she accepted a lot of shit and how she never spoke back. I just wanted to hug her and say its okay.

3) the parents-- the fl's father had a slightly better redemption arc.

But the ML's family...oh my oh my. I cannot control my rage. Boys need as much as attention as girls. The concept of equality with the ml's parents ceased to exist. Its funny how this drama portrayed the family on the other extreme spectrum: generally the son is coddled and daughter would be ignored....here its the opposite. To the point where i wondered how the ML is still SO AFFECTIONATE with them.

4) a lot of reasoning did not take place which....put the story out. The pacing wasn't appropriate, which made the pre-post-after the incident coming to light, very messy. We get no explanation, we get only a series of setbacks for our fl and then a 2 minute conversation.

PROS

1) The acting- I'm so sad the story was not it. Because the acting was IT. Even minor characters played their role well. I'm a sucker for pretty smiles and both leads were SO PRETTY WHEN THEY SMILED.

2) the love stories&friendship-- im a sucker for stories where romance is a part of the characters life. Rather than romance being the axis, we had characterisation of the YUNIS members that stood as the backbone, out of which romance was a small, cozy part of it. Every member of YUNIS had their good and bad and so many heart touching moments.

3) the love for sport: i'm no professional player, but i liked that we were able to see a couple of impressive rallies and PARK TAEYANG'S SMASH IS SO GOOD?! I play badminton casually now im all PUMPED to play better. The love for sport unified different people with different mindsets. And thats what is the main focal point of this drama, which never failed to shine till the end.

4) OSTS- i usually skip the intro of dramas, but i didnt. Diamond by Yonghoon(onewe), When the Door opens( intro by JT&MARCUS), There There by Baek A Yeon were insanely pleasing to listen too.

Tldr: had potential, but the story screwed up. Props to everything else. As a drama watcher it was frustrating to see wasted potential. But, do give it a chance when you're doing something monotonous or don't feel anything makes sense in life.

Leia Mais