Liberte a Maldição do Taekwondo (2024)

Montanha russa de emoções

Fico impressionada como conseguem te envolver tanto a ponto de sentir as emoções junto com os personagens. Você se apaixona pelo primeiro amor deles, a felicidade e inocência. Depois sofre com a separação, chora pela perda do relacionamento lindo deles. No reencontro sente uma confusão, a felicidade de terem se encontrado, mas a confusão pelo tratamento frio do Doehe e das palavras não ditas. Aí vem a reconciliação, eles voltam juntos, mas a sensação de vazio permanece, como se mesmo juntos, um muro entre eles permanece, não são mais os mesmos e o relacionamento também. Finamente chega à parte que o Doehe desenterra o seu passado e se liberta dele. Sinceramente fiquei muito incomodada como ele tratava o outro, mesmo entendo seus motivos. Por orgulho e culpa, tentando se provar para o pai e todos que ele podia ter sucesso, mas mesmo conseguindo isso não era feliz, por viver uma mentira e ser assombrado pelo passado. Achei interessante também o amigo dele, antes im0plicava por gostar dele e não entender seus sentimentos, mas passa os anos o apoiando e ao seu lado. Se não fosse pelo sol do Ju Young a vida dele seria sombria, tanto como no passado como no presente, ele chegou trazendo esperança de um futuro melhor e feliz. Mesmo com raiva do Doehe fiquei feliz quando ele conseguiu lidar com suas questões e mentiras, o final é simplesmente um dos melhores, um final simplesmente deles sendo felizes juntos e sendo família. Vou manter esse bl no coração por muito tempo, cheio de camadas e emoções. E QUE ATUAÇÕES MARAVILHOSAS

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Boa construção

eu me questionei muito sobre o plot ao passar do meio da história pro final, mas o autor conseguiu administrar bem os conflitos e trazer um final mais que satisfátorio, ainda fico meio duvidoso sobre algumas tomadas de iniciativa e motivações dos personagens, alem de escolhas estranhas para desenvolver alguns conflitos, mas tudo se encaixou, mesmo que fique confuso a narrativa em muitos momentos kkkk Mas é uma boa hiostória, te prende bem e muito original, gostaria de mais ep para desenvolver esse plot, eu vejo facilmente ele como um drama longo que requer mais tempo para conseguir contar o andar, mas ja surpreende com o pouco que teve, muito bom ver como os Bl´s coreanos vem ganhando mais carinho e espaço, um dos melhores do ano.

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Another masterpiece of Hwang DaSeul

This drama is so well written, directed and acted. Hwang Daseul surprising us and delivering deep stories with complex and adorable characters.

I must also highlight the excellent performance of Lee Seon, in his first drama. Kim Nu Rim also stood out a lot in his first role as the protagonist, showing how much potential he has. Nu Rim and Lee Seon delivered such a great chemistry, charisma and outstanding performance.

I hope that many people can see this series that transcends the romance, which touches us and excites us, and makes us eager to look forward to the next episodes.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this series. You have created another beautiful masterpiece!

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"Your hand touching mine. This is how galaxies collide.”

One of the best Korean BL drama with super charming characters . A super healthy storyline .


OVERVIEW - Do Hoe , a brilliant student who grown in a brutal and abnormal atmosphere without his parents love and care . He never felt happiness in his life like other children but suddenly he met Ju Yeong who carried the light of his love in Do Hoe's life .

POSITIVE - Super handsome and soft hearted ML with charming and cute MC . Their chemistry is unbeatable . The way they always stand side by side in each other's trouble really makes my heart melt .

The visuals , cinematography are awesome . Really felt like I was watching a high budget drama . Smiles of both ML and MC are heartwarming . The ice cream and rain scene in ep 1 were definitely romantic .Tiny slow music when they did eye contact ...ah it's ear candy .

NEGATIVE- I haven't found any negative points yet .
OVERALL- People who like to watch healthy, slow burn romance dramas then they can try it . It's really so good.

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how a painful past affects relationships

Overall: I was very impressed with the first two episodes that had a slice of life/serious vibe; however, many plot elements, the shifting characterization and editing has brought my initial 9.5 rating down. 8 episodes about 35 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala for Southeast Asia and most of Europe (not UK or Spain) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4854/let-free-the-curse-of-taekwondo-2024 and iQIYI for I'd assume the countries not covered by GagaOOLala https://www.iq.com/play/1713h09ez2k?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4 Watch after the initial credits of episode 1 for an extra scene.

Content Warnings: child abuse, violence, beaten up, death, trauma, dub con kiss, fraud

Watch Suggestions (to get rid of angst between the leads and the love rival)
- watch episodes 1 & 2
- watch episode 3 up to 25 min
- skip episode 4
- watch episode 5 21-23
- watch episode 6 11-14:35 and 32:45-end
- watch episode 7 beginning to 4:45 and 27 to the end
- watch episode 8 6:12-8:10, 19-19:45 and 21-36:45

What I Liked
- chemistry
- caring/sweet moments especially in episode 3
- realistic nervousness/awkwardness
- good kissing
- production value (except the confusing editing)

Room For Improvement
- ominous voice overs
- wish they had established the year in episode 1 (was established as 2004 at the beginning of episode 2)
- the cut to black after a certain moment/not showing the reaction
- plot elements were not well explained, there would be a brief flash or 1 sentence about major events that the viewers didn't get to see
- the plot element at the end of ep 3/beg of 4 was too long and not seeing something very important was cliche
- flashbacks/flash forwards made things unnecessarily confusing
- love rival and other side plots (student, drawing) instead of fully developing the main storyline
- I didn't ship the 2 characters romantically, felt like the cliche 'love heals all trauma'
- the very ending of episode 8 was anticlimactic

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The curse was gone, but messily and realistically. Though the journey was far from perfect!

The storytelling is in a very classic Hwang Daseul style—delicate and nuanced.
The drama dives deep into the complexity of trauma, self-discovery, guilt and love through the journey of DoHoe and Ju Yeong.

DoHoe's journey is filled with pain and inner conflicts, much of it rooted in the toxic environment created by his abusive father who runs a Taekwondo gym. Several moments conveyed the inner struggles of characters with small but very significant details.
Because of his toxic upbringing,he is someone who struggles to confront his past and doesn't allow or think worthy of himself to heal. His inability to face his wounds is both heartbreaking and frustrating at the same time. As a result, his relationship with Ju Yeong is complicated by unexpressed emotions, the trauma that was never addressed and the weight of the past that neither of them can escape even after 12 years.

Ju Yeong was the emotional anchor that kept Dohoe from drowning by constantly reaching out and putting in more effort despite the hurt and confusion Dohoe threw at him. There were few brief moments of comfort amidst that frustrating yet realistic push-and-pull dynamics between them. JuYeong often compromised trying really hard to bridge the emotional gap that DoHoe can't seem to cross. The imbalance does seem unfair but at the same time, their love story is portrayed as both beautiful and painful showcasing how even when people are deeply flawed and overwhelming, sometimes the connection between them can be profound and will last.

The chemistry between the actors was undeniable and their emotional journey felt raw and authentic. It mirrors the complexity of moving past trauma and being in a relationship when both of them are carrying their own and shared emotional baggage.

While the narrative is filled with emotional highs and lows, the pacing felt rushed throughout. The rapid shifts in the character arc without addressing their actual issues in detail left me craving for more. I wanted to understand them better. It felt like there was so much more beneath the surface, a whole world which just didn’t have enough time to really explore.
While the supporting cast like Hyean Ho added a new layer to the story, I am still a bit unclear on the mysterious circumstances surrounding his and Dohoe's past. They introduced him for bigger purposes, but his character felt very undeveloped.

And my biggest gripe was the editing. It seemed choppy and confusing. There were many scenes that missed the mark and their meaning relevant to the story because of this.

Overall, while the drama isn't without flaws, it keeps you hooked with its nuanced portrayal of love and healing. It's a powerful attempt at exploration of how our pasts shape us and impact our future decisions.
Sometimes addressing those past ghosts is the first step towards healing. Definitely recommend.

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Thoughtful and compelling character study...with a few flaws

Definitely a worthwhile series, albeit with flaws. Below, I outline three sharp criticisms where I think the writing stumbled. None of these missteps is fatal to the story or characters. Definitely a case of falling short of potential greatness rather than a series that misfires on every level. Throughout, the acting, directing, and writing (script/diaog) are mostly high quality. These flaws owe to writing (story structure, story choices) that I believe undercut this series' chance to rank among the all-time greats.

Three criticisms:

1. The high school era was more interesting than the adult era.
-- First: Two boys wounded by family, stuck in unpleasant circumstances. Finding their way toward solace by finding their way toward one another. That is a damn good premise for a BL romance. And our young protagonists had a good thing cooking, too. Enough character, story, and emotion introduced in eps 1-2 to sustain a whole series. Instead, the writers chose a time jump prior to working through all that potential. Second: Two adults wounded by their past. Placing obstacles in the way of their own solace. That is a less satisfying premise for any romance, BL or otherwise. And our older protagonists induced this viewer to contemplate in multiple episodes whether these two humans belonged together at all.
--overall, the bipartite storytelling does work. And yet. Because the later episodes prove far less compelling than the earlier episodes, the result is a series where both timelines underperform the potential baked into the characters and story. Again, to reiterate: not fatal flaws! Still a compelling series.

2. That was the most preposterous time jump any BL series has ever foisted off on viewers.
--12 years? Really? To Be clear, the idea that high school sweethearts reconnect in their early 30s is not a problem in itself. Indeed, one could easily build a whole series around that premise as well. But during the intervening decade, the two individuals ought to have lived some life, grown into new people. Even if the reunion rekindled dormant feelings, the vibe should feel like two near-strangers starting fresh--because none of us at 30 is the same person we were at 18. Characters ought to adjust to Who Are We Now? Here, it is as if both characters have been in stasis since high school. Pining away for one another yet not reconnecting. Apparently (and we must surmise, for the writing reveals very little about how the two protagonists spent their decade apart), neither of them moved past the other. No intervening romances to provide the sort of life experience 18 year Olds didnt have. They do not reunite as older, wiser versions of their younger selves but as emotional cripples stunted in growth at 18. No more savvy about love at 30 than as callow teens. I am all for reigniting the lost flames of a youthful passion. But not for wasting the entirety of one's 20's waiting for something that did not work out. And after 12 years apart, trying to pick up where you left off? No no no. So to be clear: my gripe here isn't the exorbitant length of this time jump. It is for the illogical way in which the writing fills in the gaps.

Note 1: The series hired two actors roughly 25 years old to play the same characters at age 18 and age 30. While that tactic of "splitting the difference" does work visually in the sense these actors can believably play either age, it is nonetheless jarring to see "Twelve Years Later" pop up on screen and have the actors look as if no time has passed. (The make up folks dyed Dad's hair gray. Effort!) As much as I admire the performances of these actors, I think a time jump of this magnitude warranted recasting the parts because that would have emphasized the natural growth humans experience in transitioning from impulsive but callow youths to responsible adults. Here, the actors' non-aging just added to my sense that these two characters got stuck in high school.

Note 2: The obvious BL story that comes to mind with a comparable time jump is His The Series and His The Movie (Japan). That production team did re-cast the TV actors for the movie sequel. The film plot also depicts the rekindling of a dormant romance, one also spoiled by one party abandoning the other. But those characters had to work to rebuild trust, with no expectation of resuming where they left off. In that telling, their present-day situations mattered more than the shadows of the past. His (film) is one if the best "gay men overcome obstacles to create family" stories I have seen from any continent or any decade. Playing the time jump effectively is one reason why. The missing and unseen years had an impact on the characters that added depth to that story.

3. The fraud subplot was unnecessary.
--Sometimes writers fall victim to a temptation to layer additional challenges into their story. ("What new horrors can I inflict on these characters to ratchet upthe stakes?") Often, simpler is better; editing, warranted. Here, the fraud adds nothing to the character. His story was already compelling. Indeed, it may have become more poignant if every detail stayed except the fraud. Dreams shriveled (like a raisin in the sun) are a basis for tragedy. Explore that concept without destroying the character's moral character. If his personal demons had driven him to suffer in silence rather than to overt criminality, a compelling emotional journey is still at hand. Criminal fraud, in fact, makes any character less sympathetic even if his motives are well-explained, which these were not. Adequately explained and justified--yes. But "adequate" falls short of "well-", just as I rate Let Free falls short of elite status. The character had many burdens already, and this self-inficted gaffe demeans everything he hoped to do.

In summation, Let Free is a very good series. Certainly, worth one's time to watch. And the ending eventually proves sweet and affirming. Flaws in story structure undercut the bid for greatness, as does the too common penchant to withhold information from the reviewers via editing. Here, flashbacks in the penultimate and finale to the high school timeline fill in missing information help us to understand why each character behaves as he does after the time jump. But honestly, the middle episodes would have been far less frustrating if those details had been in the open earlier. Handled properly, the romantic story would play as a tragedy rather than the stunted, slow-burn mystery tale we got.

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That 12 years gap hurt

I'm just a loser with too much pride. Even so, don't abandon me. -- Dohoe made me tear up a little when he said this. This drama had me going through so many emotions. It's one of the best dramas I've seen this year, and I've seen quite a few.

Listen, the beginning of this drama had me smiling. The awkwardness between them whrn they tried to kiss, made me go awww. So awkward, embarrassing and yet, adorable. I was sold on it already on the first episode, but then the 12 years gap happened, and I was like... huh? dafug you mean they haven't seen each other for 12 years? But they are in love. And then, when they got back together, but everything was so uncomfortable, I felt so sad for them.

Not gonna lie, a lot of things confused me in this drama:
1. Why the hell did Shin Juyeong kept in contact with Dohoe's abusive father? Sure, it would have made sense if by doing so, he got information on Dohoe's whereabouts, but he didn't, and yet he kept going back, taking care of him. Dude, he was literally beating you, and you were his student. And he did worse to his son, your lover. Like, why? what was his reason? Good people are such tree huggers!
2. Ha Hyeonho legit thought he could get Dohoe to like him. Boy, you and your friends beat him up, and your excuse was like, 'When we were beating you up you didn't cry, and, I bullied you because I like you.' Bish, did he really think that was gonna change anything? I thought for a second they were dating, and I was ready to riot.
3. Up until they flat-out showed Dohoe faking this documents, I had no idea what he did and what they were talking about. I was just nodding along.
4. If Dohoe was smart enough to fool that school to make him a teacher who was actually good, how did he keep failing his entrance exams? I thought he was paper smart, no?
5. So did he spend time in jail for that prison sentences or not? The voice over said it, then we just moved on. And what the hell happened to that boy's parents?

Yes, my fav character was Shin Juyeong because my man was such a green flag. Though, I still don't understand why he kept staying closer to that toxic father. When Dohoe showed up, and was angry with him, I understood, because why the eff would you be nice to that abuser. Not gonna lie though, when Dohoe started being pretentious and acting like he was better than Juyeong, I was so over him. Yes, you've been through trauma, but the way he kept treating Juyeong was not it. Unlike Juyeong, I almost gave up on him, and then when we found out what happened to him those past 12 years, I cried with them.

This drama was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Although in the end they seemed happy and in the process of getting there, I still wanted to know if they made it. You know, get some concrete closure. Did he finally passed the exams? Did Juyeong find a stable taekwondo job he loves? Open endings sucks, but imma just pretend they lived a good life.

All in all, great cast, the story was good and had depth and pulled you in. The actors were good and made us feel for the characters. It held my interest till the very end, so I highly recommend it to everyone who loves dramas and bls. I look forward to more from the actors in the future.

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not a BL, thank you!

What a powerful story. While it may be confusing at times, everything will get clear the closer to the finale you get.
The acting and cinematography was top notch, the story could be a bit more clear for the viewers even when you will understand it at the end.

This is not a BL, it's a drama, with gay characters. One who denies his past and his pain and the other one who is trying to help his love even when that not always works out as intended. They deliver an emotinal rollercoaster which makes you shed some tears but also depicts how hard a relationsship can be because of all the baggage you have collected in your past and how to communicate to clear the air, to solve misunderstandings, to overcome your faults and your past and make it so you will truly understand each other.

After "Love in the Big City" and "Gray Shelter" we have the third Korean series not fitting in the BL catagory. While BLs can be fun, I personally like realistic, complicated, sometimes painful gay dramas a lot more because they also educate the viewers, that nothing is black and white but shades of gray and that relationsships are complicated and not easy to do especially when your emotional baggage is huge and the world was never kind to you.

This is a must watch for everyone who can cope with painful stories and is willing to give a real drama a chance.

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Not bad, but also not enjoyable to watch

I think there’s a difference between a series being good/bad and it being enjoyable. Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo has many of the elements to be considered a good show. The main actors are talented, the couple has chemistry when they are together and the soundtrack is nice. The scene on episode 2 where they feel shy and awkward about kissing is an amazing portrail of young love, and not something we see often in BLs. But, overall, I personally didn’t find the experience of watching this show enjoyable.

It’s the same feeling I had with To My Star 2, from the same director/screenwriter. Even before realizing that fact, I kept thinking the shows had so many similarities. For that reason, I know a lot of people might enjoy this show a lot more than I did. I really enjoyed To My Star, which reminded me of the first few episodes of Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo. But from episode 4 onward, it's To My Star 2, which I didn’t like at all. And I know I’m the minority on that.

I really have a hard time enjoying shows with protagonists that are not at least a little bit likable. They can be bad, they can be annoying, they can be grumpy, they can be irrational … but they also need to be likable. And I definitely had a hard time with adult Dohoe. Most of the time I just wanted the episodes to end because I couldn’t stand him any longer. Yes, I understand his life was tough. But it’s not like Juyeong had a perfect life after feeling guilty for 12 years. So guilty that he took care of the guy that physically abused him for all those years. He also didn't achieve his dreams.

Dohoe is directly responsible for his unhappiness, he let his pride win. He chose not to get involved when he saw Juyeong getting beat, he chose to remain friends with Hyeonho, he chose not to contact Juyeong and then go work close to him.

It’s been a long time since I wanted so much for a main couple to end up apart in a BL, simply because I despise one of the characters so much. Juyeong simply deserved better.

PS: Hyeonho’s constant presence also annoyed me a lot. It’s not like he had a major impact in the story, other than to cause issues to prevent the couple being together. The fake university diploma and the whole issue with the student’s mom could move forward without him.

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