Racket Boys 라켓소년단 [2021]

[mademoiselle]

43 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

She is really good!! You're right about her deceptive shots. I'm in awe as well  and I was only 4 minutes in.

You know what's devastating? With her skills, she still isn't as good as men's world no.4 (2021)! I was asked to check out her video against Chou Tien Chen. I thought she was so good that she cream the guy but it was the complete opposite! The speed/force of their shots are just on a complete different level. Gaaah.

Spoiler

 

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by mademoiselle

[ktcjdrama]

42 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

The speed/force of their shots are just on a complete different level. Gaaah.

But I don't think it's fair to compare different gender... the force will surely be different  and it could be because it's a practice session that she's taking it easy? She missed quite a lot, haha...

[mademoiselle]

 

5 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

But I don't think it's fair to compare different gender... the force will surely be different  and it could be because it's a practice session that she's taking it easy? She missed quite a lot, haha...

@ktcjdrama No it is not. Chou Tien Chen is 180 cm and she's 168 cm. Just by height it already is a disadvantage since he's longer and can reach further. Their style is also different from the looks of it. He moves faster; shots are faster whereas hers aren't. His smash is strong too so she couldn't block or return well and the moment her return is low in quality, he gives her a good front smash. We call this a set-up in a game - One smash sets it up for the next kill shot when the opponent didn't return with a quality shot.

[LaLa]

I do also questioned myself why Han Sol is acting that way? Such a contrast from the boys reaction. Even when they were cautious about Hae Kang answer to the scout chance, they still asked it and Hae Kang gave an answer just in his own style. He hid the true answer and just said he hates for not being the captain and has to obey Park Chan LOL. 

 

Se Yoon started to share her answer but Han Sol immediately cut it off. I wonder why. Maybe she feel insecure because Se Yoon keeps getting the opportunity and she's always in her shadow? She already knew about the scout news the night before and didn't surprise to see the Seoul Coach. 

And maybe coach Ra and their teammates should believe more in themselves rather than keep relying solely on Se Yoon. She's still a human not a machine after all. 

 

@abs-oluteM yes the short video that you shared, it wasn't aired last night so that clip is cut from the actual episodes. 

 

@ktcjdrama @mademoiselle Tai Tzu Ying did hold the 1st rank for women singles for quite some time before her injuries and drop in performance. She could play 3 games with long relays and still have the stamina to smash and run around the court. I don't think women singles play as fast as men singles. 

Chou Tien Chen really play good and could hold against the Chinese and Japanese player whose ranking are higher than him. Men usually play with fast ball and only several brave enough to do net play because it's tricky. Smash or drop shots are the way to gain points. But I haven't watched any match on TV for almost 2 years since pandemic started so my memories might be wrong. I used to glued on TV for the whole day to just watching the 5 matches for final in one tournament LOL

[stroppyse]

I think this was a scene that was cut from episode 13 from Tae Seon's story, after he returns to Haenam and before he finally meets with Coach Bae's wife and then with Coach Bae. @abs-oluteM

 

 

Noh: Yah! You’ve come in looking exactly as you were 15 years ago.
TS: Hey. Coach doesn’t look as if you’re in your 40’s either.
Noh: Do you want to die? I’m in my 30’s. How have you been all this time?
TS: Just, you know, getting older and working in convenience stores.
Noh: And do you have a goal going forward?
TS: Just living day to day is the goal. Even though it feels as if it’s a hard life, when you look at it closely, it’s just living.
Noh: True! But why are you here now? After 10 years?
TS: It’s my house. And, my mom is here, too. It’s nothing in particular.
Noh: Tae Seon, you actually want to play badminton again, don’t you? That’s why you’re back.
TS: Coach, I told you. I don’t have any ambitions any more or any particular goal.

 

 

TS actually alludes to this scene at one point, I think when he's talking to his mother's ashes in the columbarium. He mentions how people have been asking him why he's back, whether he's trying to get back into badminton, but that Coach Bae's wife knew that he had come back to apologize to Coach Bae.

 

When I was writing up my thoughts on ep 13, I left out mention of TS' story. It's a moving story, but in a sense, it doesn't entirely make sense. If TS was going to quit badminton anyway, so he wasn't thinking about his future prospects as an athlete, why wouldn't he have stepped up to say that it wasn't Coach Bae who had been hitting the players? I suppose if the time line was slightly wrong so that TS kept quiet for the sake of becoming a national athlete, but then guilt overcame him so that he ended up dropping out anyway, perhaps that makes sense of the boy that TS was?

 

The one surprise during the scene is that the woman who proudly sent TS off to the national training grounds was Coach Bae's wife rather than TS' own mother. I guess that was meant to show that TS had been almost like a son to Coach Bae and his wife, which makes TS' actions harder to take, but makes it more of a Prodigal Son story.

 

I also didn't understand why Coach Bae was stepping back from the boys just before Nationals, but he must have gotten word that TS was back in town and wanted to stay behind to make sure that he could speak with TS. Otherwise, if it really had been something that Coach Bae had been planning for awhile, then why wouldn't he wait until after the National's to start his search for TS? It's the boys' biggest tournament, and one that they had not been even been able to dream of in years before. It was jarring to think that Coach Bae would start his hiatus just as the boys were going to the Nationals.

 

[stroppyse]

8 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

The reason:

 

YT does have severe boy crush on his hyungs!

 

8 hours ago, bluepebbles said:

can she bring Chadol too

 

I second that! Yuri could be the coach who brings the elementary school prodigy Chadol to meet the Haenam boys team?

 

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I got confused a little when the coaches narrated Se Yoon was playing too fast.

 

The coaches were talking about how SY wasn't pacing herself, scrambling hard to make each one a point and not lose any points. So, rather than allowing for volleys or letting a questionable ball go to see if it's out, it seems that SY was trying to killer smash every shot. And, it's so that she could finish the match as soon as she can and make the flight back to Seoul, of course.

 

SY's face was the saddest thing when the flights were grounded because of the storm.

[ktcjdrama]

1 hour ago, stroppyse said:

 

SY's face was the saddest thing when the flights were grounded because of the storm.

O, I thought that scene was so well done! The despair that rendered her into a statue staring into the sky and the flight board. 

[stroppyse]

3 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

O, I thought that scene was so well done! The despair that rendered her into a statue staring into the sky and the flight board. 

 

Yes, totally. SY fought so hard to try to get back to her team in time for the Nationals, but ultimately, the weather has downed her. Though in the preview, it seems that at least she might get there in time for the final match as a spectator if not as a participant?

[mademoiselle]

19 hours ago, LaLa said:

I do also questioned myself why Han Sol is acting that way?

The more I think about it the more I think Han Sol must be angry that Se Yoon had a great future before her and she's not going for the open opportunity because she's worried about her team. Han Sol had always knew Se Yoon is good so it would be out of character she had an issue now and I think the hurtful things she said to Se Yoon was more like what Hae Kang usually does, say the opposite things of what he means because she wanted Se Yoon to focus and not worry. We'll know next week, hopefully :)

 

@LaLa @ktcjdrama Oh man, I thought I'll watch an actual match of Tai Tzu Ying last night before bed just to see how she actually fair in a game, not highlights. But good god, I chose the wrong clip (from BWF, year 2020). I was so annoyed by her opponent, Carolina Marin. She was sooooo noisy & loud. I feel like my ear drum will burst. It kinda hurt my head too. I like quiet players so back then I prefer Federer's match because he was a calm player.

Edited July 14, 2021 by mademoiselle

[bluepebbles]

 

[mademoiselle]

Deleted scenes from ep13

 

Spoiler

 

 

VLog

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

New stills

 

[abs-oluteM]

Oh dear ...maybe the finale may be delayed then

 

[abs-oluteM]

On 7/13/2021 at 10:10 PM, stroppyse said:

I also didn't understand why Coach Bae was stepping back from the boys just before Nationals, but he must have gotten word that TS was back in town and wanted to stay behind to make sure that he could speak with TS. Otherwise, if it really had been something that Coach Bae had been planning for awhile, then why wouldn't he wait until after the National's to start his search for TS? It's the boys' biggest tournament, and one that they had not been even been able to dream of in years before. It was jarring to think that Coach Bae would start his hiatus just as the boys were going to the Nationals.

I am just as confused...is it because he was trying to pave the way for Coach Yoon to be the central figure where it comes to looking for guidance etc? I felt quite bad for our Captain Bang. Long before Coach Yoon and Hae Kang, Bang was already on the team training under Bae. And I remember that Bang was Coach Bae's favorite. So it looks like Coach Bae will become TS's personal coach and help him make it into the national team. But how old is TS supposed to be? Won't he be too old since he hasn't played competitively for so long. 

 

On 7/14/2021 at 3:36 PM, mademoiselle said:

On 7/13/2021 at 9:24 PM, LaLa said:

I do also questioned myself why Han Sol is acting that way?

The more I think about it the more I think Han Sol must be angry that Se Yoon had a great future before her and she's not going for the open opportunity because she's worried about her team. Han Sol had always knew Se Yoon is good so it would be out of character she had an issue now and I think the hurtful things she said to Se Yoon was more like what Hae Kang usually does, say the opposite things of what he means because she wanted Se Yoon to focus and not worry. We'll know next week, hopefully :)

Oh ...this is possible. Like @LaLa I was baffled by why Han Sol was behaving rather out of character. Maybe she is upset that SY is "sacrificing" to stay back when she could have more competitive training in Seoul.

 

One thing that made me laugh was when Yong Tae was so upset that Bang and Han Sol are dating. ahahaha he is still a little boy at heart ...Yong Tae - ah , you will like girls soon too ! 

[bluepebbles]

 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

New stills

Hahaha OMG, how cute. The villagers have come to cheer for them!

 

[mademoiselle]

Episode 15 Preview

Did they lost again?

[JenL]

I caught up!...But not in writing my opinions so I'll write them now  Prepare for long posts!!!

 

Episodes 7 - 8

 

-Hahaha HK taking photos for the ahjumma at her mural is like what my mum expects me to do when I take photos for her 

 

 

 

- Episode 7 made me so mad a few times...I was so annoyed at those rude city people who were harassing the villagers!!!  Sure that village lady was grumpy, but they chucked rubbish, fully vandalised the mural and nearly burned down the viillage and they were so rude!!! Ugh I also can't believe the village chief didn't say anything till much later! 

- Also I was so so so mad for Han Sol and Bang Yoon Dam. Honestly that line judge/ senior kid was such a sexist pig  I mean he was such a jerk to HS. Girls are especially nervous and sensitive to having their crushes exposed at that awkward high school age and he was obviously enjoying his power of embarrassing and harrassing her. Thank god Bang is such a decent guy - the one thing that jerk was right about is that Bang is the handsome type though, haha. I would totally crush on a guy like Bang too 

- Also the one silver lining to that incident is that it pushed them to admit their feelings for each other with Bang risking sports to get back at that jerk harassing HS 

-Hehe also really like the scene where HS and Bang apologise to HK and SY for losing the doubles matches. The girls hug and Bang tries to apologise but HK just tells him to shut up and that the losing match wasn't a big deal and pushes him away. Lol, boys.  

- I love how much of a team effort it is to win matches in this series. It's not just because HK is a strong player, but also because IS is a strategist which helps HK win against the Yellow hair kid 

- I really love how SY can only really be vulnerable with HK and cry because he's the only one who doesn't pressure her to win 

- With actor who plays the national youth team Head Coach Peng, Anh Nae Sang, he's coincidentally played the same type of character in every drama I've seen him in over the past few years - he's the guy that starts off being dislikeable or suspicious and then he turned out to be the one totally on the main character's side! He was the sexist boss in 18 Again who ends up being so totally upset when they fire Da Jung and in DDSSLLS, he was the dad's secretary who you think has cheated her from her inheritance, but it turns out that's a red herring and he's actually a nice guy who even gives Lala money. And in this one, you think he'll be the mean head coach who will not be HK's dad, but it turns out he is nice and hates the swarmy suck up attitudes of the other lower coaches and likes sweet canned coffee!  

- That scene with NWC and his father was quite touching - the stoic dad learns to accept his sons' hobby and has been secretly going to matches and worried about him 

- Love that HK pulled off the old fake injury card on that Busan team who seemed to do it a lot to them and beat old curly hair at his own game ...But then it turned out to be a real injury?!  Still it made me laugh that HK was still like "Your ace is fine!" and "I'm National Youth Team player HK" ...he's such a trash talker in this series that I'm charmed! 

Edited July 20, 2021 by JenL

[mademoiselle]

 

This writer is so so so mean, for making me cry so much. I cried for the girls when Han Sol won (+when Han Sol was narrating how Se Yoon became her friend). I cried because Coach Ra was beating herself up for not trusting her team and relying on Se Yoon too much. I cried a little too because I was so touched that the whole village came to support the Racket Boys.

 

Writer is so cruel. Why oh why. Je Hyuk couldn't pitch after the left shoulder's injury but luckily he was able to pick up baseball again with his right arm. Now writer makes Hae Kang potentially lose his eye-sight...? Don't tell me Hae Kang either have to have a cornea transplant or have to now compete with one eye! That's too harsh!

 

The city person who litter everywhere returns as the person who wants to build a golf course. I kind of don't think we need to worry too much because the villagers hated him. They may look like they were swayed by money but I have faith they'll chase him out.

 

Lastly, even though the girls made up just like that, it didn't explain why Han Sol is angry at Se Yoon.

Edited July 20, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

BTS

 

[JenL]

Episodes 9 -10

 

- The training the kids have to undergo is so intense! Sandpits? Strap on belts?  ...Running up a mountain?!  I laughed so hard that HK and HS tried to slack off and cheat but Head Coach Paeng is there watching behind a tree 

- Episode 9 was such a sweet, sweet HK and SY episode. Is it weird that I'm here for this subtle romance? Probably not since I seem to like gentle, implied romances. There were a lot of cute scenes between the two, but even when there wasn't, there were fun things like HK being jealous of PC being next to SY in the group photo etc 

- The scene by the river was super cute....when her shoe fell in, he jumped in without thinking to grab it for her. Imagine if she fell in...

- At the town meeting when YT suggests building a mall or airport in the town, I laughed so hard. I could never be a country person, so I think I totally would have made the same sort of suggestion as YT. I loved how they had an animal fight over the state of town 

- HK's Karoke singing of Park Chan is so annoying was hilarious!

- The Japanese matches were exciting, but I loved how mature the kids were. Perhaps the thing about adults is they have the Japan-Korean history and grudges drilled into them, but the kids have less grudges and show a better chance for a new start. But I don't exactly blame the adults either - there were terrible things done in those wars. But the kids were so mature! 

- Awww, those dates were adorable - the look on HK's face when he saw SY! And then I thought it was so cute that Bang bought the grumpy teddy for HS and HK was desperately looking for someone to take a photo of him and SY at the beach. I was worried that his phone would get stolen, but he just almost got bashed up...oh well, for love! 

- Teenagers and a bottle, eh?  Well, it's not unexpected HK and SY would end up in a wardrobe. I love the innocence in this drama...this would not be the case at all if this was an American drama  And then HK sacrificed himself to stop SY from getting caught 

- HK's mum getting farted on by his dad reminds me of the reality of marriage though... less romantic, huh? 

- Have you guys tried rose tteokbokki before? It looks so nice and creamy and I crave that and fried chicken when I watch this series. Also YT is such a relatable character for me - love that he makes Coach Bae pick up snack for him when he's going somewhere! 

- HK's dad is such a softie! I bet every Asian kid is watching this and thinking where can one get a parent like this? He actually was concerned that he had forced HK into badminton...but again, I loved how mature HK was 

- I love the twists and turns of this series too - lot of tricky little things like D-Day being HK's dad's birthday. It was so cute that they got him pricey sportswear  And he cried coz he had been mean to the kids when all they wanted to do was hang out with HK

- Another heart-warming scene was older grandma's birthday  I love warm gatherings like this that bring everyone together, especially since she passes away in a later episode. It makes it feel like she was happy before she left.

Edited July 20, 2021 by JenL

[mademoiselle]

[Eng] W Korea with the Racket Boys

English subtitles will be added later. Please check back. I'm looking forward to their W Korea photoshoot although I must say I'm not so sure of the clothes they are made to wear in this video 😅

[JenL]

18 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

[Eng] W Korea with the Racket Boys

English subtitles will be added later. Please check back. I'm looking forward to their W Korea photoshoot although I must say I'm not so sure of the clothes they are made to wear in this video 😅

 

Haven't replied to things because spoilers, but this just caught my eye because Magazine shoot and interview 

 

But what have they been styled in and how is this fashion??? 

[stroppyse]

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

This writer is so so so mean, for making me cry so much.

 

Yes, episode 14 had a lot of very touching scenes. As you mentioned, the friendship between Sol and Se Yoon, the villagers coming out in support of their boys! (Though what about the finals the next day? Will they come again?), Coach Ra's self-recriminations and her team's responses. Even though they weren't necessarily tear inducing, the quiet couple-y moments between HK and SY as well as between Bang and Sol were sweetly done as well.

 

I appreciated that HK bribed the baseball guys with his phone to go away and leave them alone rather than fighting them all because the Nationals was more important for HK and his team then pride or getting even just then. For me, it demonstrates that HK isn't really a hot head, that he knows his responsibility to his team as well as his priorities to himself.

 

I am concerned about HK's eyesight, and wonder where that is going to lead to. Is there time for HK to get it checked out by a doctor before the Finals? I don't doubt that HK will eventually confess to SY, and that they will become a couple. (Also cute how SY would only eat the chips that HK bought her.) However, I wonder if the boys will have to win the Finals without HK?

 

I think there will be some relevance to HI trying to teach the grandparents to write. It seems that the gold course people were maybe trying to pull a fast one on the fact that the grandparents couldn't read? I don't think that they will be swayed by the money, even though they're reacting in surprise to the amount that they are being offered.

 

As for Tae Son's story, it was actually a bit of an anti-climax in ep 14 to see that TS had actually not been blacklisted from the National team, but rather that he had been sent away from the team at the time because of fighting the guy who was bad-mouthing Coach Bae. It showed that TS had still been loyal to Coach Bae even if TS had initially been quiet about Coach Bae taking the fall in order to keep his place on the National team. However, wouldn't Coach Bae have asked about it and heard something about it when TS dropped off the National team?  I think this story line was supposed to be a bit of a twist in terms of scandal and redemption, but it frankly felt a bit flat versus the rest of the story line. It feels forced and doesn't completely make sense in terms of a beloved Coach and his best player. Anyway, turns out that TS just has to win tournaments to get enough points to think of qualifying for the National team again.

[ktcjdrama]

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I cried for the girls when Han Sol won (+when Han Sol was narrating how Se Yoon became her friend).

Yeah, I cried this part too... Glad that Han Sol was able to overcome her insecurities and win the game. Although I still could not fully understand why Han Sol was feeling what she was feeling from ep.13 when SY was leaving the country through this episode. 

 

19 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

I appreciated that HK bribed the baseball guys with his phone to go away and leave them alone rather than fighting them all because the Nationals was more important for HK and his team then pride or getting even just then. For me, it demonstrates that HK isn't really a hot head, that he knows his responsibility to his team as well as his priorities to himself.

Yes, that was so unexpected... haha... and it's cute that the boys knew for sure that HK did not fight the boys at all despite his claim he sent them to the ER.

 

Love that SY could notice something is wrong with HK's playing and urged him to be open about it to Coach Yoon.