Racket Boys 라켓소년단 [2021]

[stroppyse]

1 minute ago, ktcjdrama said:

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.

 

So true! It's yet another small sign that the boys know each other so much better now.

 

1 minute ago, ktcjdrama said:

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

 

Agreed. HK and SY are already a couple, even if they haven't said the actual words yet to acknowledge that they are a couple.

 

Then again, Bang and Sol have, but they don't seem to be able to tell anyone? Or when they try, they're not believed?

[JenL]

5 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

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.

 

32 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

Yes, episode 14 had a lot of very touching scenes. As you mentioned, the friendship between Sol and Se Yoon

 

9 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

Yeah, I cried this part too...

 

Hahaha, even me with the heart of rock got teary with the HS and SY part of the episode. 2 tears leaked down and then I was fine again, but the friendship and that pressure on oneself when you don't believe you're good enough really got to me! 

 

5 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

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

 

12 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

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. 

 

I could be wrong as it could be explained in a future episode, but I got the impression that HS felt a mixture of emotions...probably abandonment (since everyone kept saying the 2 games were scheduled too close for SY to be at both in time and HS said that SY was always by her side, especially in tough moments), but also a mixture of fear/anxiety (having to lead the team if SY didn't turn up to secure the victory for the team - it's a lot of pressure since she said she always lost to Lee Na Ra) and probably even a bit of jealousy/ insecurity (Like I work so hard but I'll never even be half as good as her...And she definitely knew that the coach and everyone felt secure with SY, but not with her). I think she just took it out on SY because she was in a bad mood from all these things, which was sudden in the last episode but became more apparent in Ep 14. Teens are emotional like that 

[JenL]

Episode 11-12

 

- The city couple do actually have a sad story - I mean they're soft and kind people who lived in a place that was so cold. The friend who committed suicide got the guy in big trouble (and he had tried so hard to kind to him) and the whole office only cared about blaming him. His wife pretty much had her work plagiarised, was looked down on for her infertility and criticised by jealous co-workers....no wonder they were depressed!   I'm glad that by keeping busy in the town and becoming connected to its people they found meaning and purpose for their lives again...and realised that HK's curry was terrible  The town's people saved them without knowing it!

- Haha the little sister asking for homework help from her Oppas was adorable. And their answers...oh, my heart  But I loved that she was not impressed by their hand hearts  Sorry if someone already posted this, but there's videos of them doing the hearts for HI mucking around outside of the drama. I love this instagram account -it's basically meant to be Bang's Instagram account ...how meta!

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRDsDgwls68/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CREJscElfnG/

 

- Haha the evil coach of the other team is the gangster from Beyond Evil. Run away kids! He's evil!!! He also got the white wolf Coach Bae in trouble  But seriously, why even pick on the poor kids and ask for money...like hello, wouldn't you get more money from rich kids 

- I love the symbolism in this series - HK gets his terrible cooking skills from his mum as you can tell when they have a heartfelt conversation over her soup, which turns out to be salty. But this scene is juxtaposed with YT saying he made a booking at the best restaurant in town (Grandma's home made dinner)...and later in episode 14, the villagers lie and say they bought food for the boys from a restaurant, but it turns out grandma cooked it. Despite his mother's terrible cooking, HK requests his mother's food later on when she says she was thinking of ordering food...so Food is strongly representative for family and love here 

- Gotta admit, I would have felt mad at YT if I was HK...He didn't mean to spill the secret, but he it was pretty obvious that it wasn't meant to be told!  But I loved the way HK forgave YT and they both made up as brothers. I was also heartbroken for IS after the draft match - it's hard competing with friends  

- I was wondering why HK didn't just confess to SY since they obviously like each other...but then boys are dense and he probably wanted to feel worthy and be on her level to confess (ie. beat Park Chan) 

- The older grandma's death was sad mainly because her own kids were gold diggers except the youngest daughter...but she's lucky to have found a family in the village with non-blood related family looking after her instead. 

Edited July 20, 2021 by JenL

[mademoiselle]

OST

 

[JenL]

Episode 13-14

 

- Yayyyy! I caught up in time just in time for the last 2 episodes 

- Haha YT really knows how manipulate the egos and competitiveness of the two top players...he can get them to dig for potatoes and justify it as being #1 player ...But I'll tell you impressed me...Park Chan's ability to split a watermelon with his serve... 

- Aw, I agree with @stroppyse, these two are so already a couple....HK said all those sweet things to SY under a starry night sky about how he can find her in a second even if the stadium is packed. And i thought it was so cute that he called himself a huge coward, but said he had the courage to wait in the dark because he was waiting for her......but why does he tell her he's waiting to confess his feelings?! No! Tell her now!!! 

- Hehe I just love HK's overly confident, but not jerky attitude. He's just lots of silly fun like when he gets the crowd to boo for his competition...but I also like how earnest he is when he's serious like when he told everyone his dad was his idol for not caring so much about winning 

- Re-watching the scene where HS is mean to SY, it seems like she was mad about SY talking about the scout from Seoul, so yeah, I think all the reasons I mentioned above check out 

- I felt sorry for Bang that Coach Bae was quitting - the kid seems close to him and this would be a terrible time to not have that support  But somehow I feel like Coach Bae's actions will help the kids in the end?

- Haha it's return of rose tteokbokki again  I like how HK thinks those guys are staring at them...when it's really their food! Also this series gives clues about things that are yet to happen...IS tells HK not to get hot tempered and start something...so you worry when it looks like he'll fight with those baseball bullies...but he just gives up his phone! Haha, so refreshing and funny 

- I have to say I felt disappointed in the Coach Ra for not believing the girls...I know she's competitive and SY was always their trump card to winning. But I kind feel like that's lazy coaching in a way because isn't the fun of being a coach teaching newbies to become pros rather than just easy winning?  (But I forgive her because she was so sorry afterwards!)

- Thank god HS has good friends and a caring boyfriend and a best friend who doesn't care about the limelight but just wanted to be there for her friend  That bit made me teary, that the person she cared about most was SY who never left her out. The boys team were so adorable in how enthusiastically they cheered her on! 

- I love how wholesome this series is too - HS wanted her whole team to be in the photo, the competing girls were not mean, but really respectful of her win, the girls still love their coach and she felt miserable about not trusting them 

- I can't tell which little couple I like more! Why are they all so cute! I can totally see why SY likes HK so much. While everyone, including the adults, are concerned with her winning, HK is just relieved that she didn't get hurt and wants to buy her snacks  No wonder SY likes him. Hehe their snuggle by the tree while hiding from the other couple was high tension! And then the way he yelled out his feelings to those guys who were badmouthing her...Also the fact that SY only ate the snacks from HK...my heart!  As for Bang and HS, they are adorable too. I love that he hugged her when she was having a hard time and then she hugged him when he was nervous. 

- HI teaching the grandparents how to read also stole my heart...I hope it saves them from signing a bad contract! 

- The village people supporting the badminton team was the cherry on top of an already super touching episode! I love this type of community spirit 

- But the ending is so cliffhangery!!! The golf development people are the evil jerks who threw rubbish??? Will HK go blind??? Maybe IS will have to play instead of HK? Or is that player from the past (who Coach Bae quit to coach) come and help them somehow?! 

20 hours ago, stroppyse said:

Then again, Bang and Sol have, but they don't seem to be able to tell anyone? Or when they try, they're not believed?

 

Haha YT's in full denial over the whole situation! 

On 7/9/2021 at 7:00 PM, mademoiselle said:

That's very good news. Is that mean you'll have more time to play on JH now?

Yes, Han Sol is the girl from Uncanny Counter. You have this weekend to binge it hehehe.

 

Hehe going back on old posts, I believe I answered this one by flooding this thread with my thoughts! 

[mademoiselle]

Hahahahahahahaha he's promoting his own ship.

 

You've finally caught up with your writing @JenL

[JenL]

4 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

 

Hahahahahahahaha he's promoting his own ship.

You've finally caught up with your writing @JenL

 

Hahaha I love this ship!   And also the other ship:

 

 

These kids have better romances than a lot of other adult dramas 

Yayyyyy!!! Finally. I am up to date.  Thank you for putting up with my loooong posts 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

Hahaha I love these goofs

source

 

This writer puts me on a rollercoaster for this episode, jjinja. I cry, I smile (for the youth love), I laugh and was so happy the team made it into the final and then 💣 - Hae Kang's eye. Now I've to wait one whole week to find out whether he'll be ok or not. There are occasion times I wish I am a hacker so I could hack into SBS (or whichever broadcast station) so I could watch the new episodes. LOL

Edited July 21, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

 

Video the above news mentioned:

They did practice the moves and swings. I think they even memorize the movement for shooting so that later on graphic team can apply the shuttlecocks into the show. I hope because of this they'll get together to play badminton often xD

[mademoiselle]

BTS

 

[abs-oluteM]

A little sad that the show is ending this week. This has been such a heartwarming stress free ride.

 

Have been meaning to say that in last week's episode- it was great that the drama addressed the issue of Coach Ra's "favoritism" . Coach Ra is a truly dedicated coach but it really does seem sometimes that she may have a bit more love for SY ( can't blame her since SY is the MVP and the star of the team) and rest a lot of her hopes on SY. When Han Sol was doing badly in the game , her (Coach Ra's) disappointment was written all over her face. And young teens are very sensitive to things like that. This is where sometimes I feel that Coach Yoon is a better and  more empathetic as a coach - he immediately encourages them even when they lose. So I was glad that Coach Ra was aware and recognised it. In a game , mental strength and belief can take one very far even if  skills maybe lacking. Han Sol's win was pretty much thanks to that. 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

@abs-oluteM Whaaaaa? OMG, I did not realise we are down to 2 more episodes!

But I just check NF, the finale will air on 3 August so it is not this week. Ugh, I think there will be a time jump because it won't be possible that Hae Kang gets his eye fixed in 2 episodes.

[abs-oluteM]

1 minute ago, mademoiselle said:

@abs-oluteM Whaaaaa? OMG, I did not realise we are down to 2 more episodes!

But I just check NF, the finale will air on 3 August so it is not this week. Ugh, I think there will be a time jump because it won't be possible that Hae Kang gets his eye fixed in 2 episodes.

Oh really....I thought the delay was only for last week. when would we get eps 15? Tonight?

[mademoiselle]

2 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

Oh really....I thought the delay was only for last week. when would we get eps 15? Tonight?

Yeah tonight.

[JenL]

2 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Coach Ra is a truly dedicated coach but it really does seem sometimes that she may have a bit more love for SY ( can't blame her since SY is the MVP and the star of the team) and rest a lot of her hopes on SY. When Han Sol was doing badly in the game , her (Coach Ra's) disappointment was written all over her face. 

 

I agree it's good that the series covered this topic and also that it didn't just feature one female player but also focused on HS's journey, history and romance line. In regards to Coach Ra, I think she's  super competitive and so SY is her key to winning and been seen as a good coach. However, I think most of us believe what's inspirational in a coach is not training a consistent winner, but supporting players with potential so that even underdogs feel confident enough to win 

 

You're right - that's why Coach Yoon is a good coach when he doesn't over drink  He doesn't treat his son or Bang as better players and he's not so concerned about winning being the end goal - by focusing on the boy's growth they naturally become winners 

 

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

@abs-oluteM Whaaaaa? OMG, I did not realise we are down to 2 more episodes! 

But I just check NF, the finale will air on 3 August so it is not this week. Ugh, I think there will be a time jump because it won't be possible that Hae Kang gets his eye fixed in 2 episodes.

 

I'm so sad that they finished filming...the end is nearrrr  I've actually really enjoyed this series. It's sitting on my favourites list for this year

[JenL]

Those W Korea photos:

 

 

I really liked that Yonex photoshoot TJS and LJI did awhile ago. It was such a big booklet of photos...if only they did those types of large photo shoots for all K-dramas 

[mademoiselle]

Yong Tae finally meets his idol

 

 

The W Korea photoshoot... errrm...

[mademoiselle]

E16 Finale Preview

 

[ktcjdrama]

I love today’s episode! Was cheering so much for Yong Dae’s single. And there’s a cameo by the real Lee Yong Dae himself! That was nicely written in. 

Can’t wait to watch the next match, especially because of the unexpected pairing, but have to wait for one week for the next episode, which is also the finale  I really don’t want to say goodbye yet to the Racket Boys... 

 

Will be back with more thoughts tomorrow. 

[JenL]

Racket Boys made me interested in real life badminton! Just watched Australia take down Denmark in Women's doubles at the Olympics and now watching Korea v. Indonesia Men's doubles...real life (grown-up) racket boys 

[abs-oluteM]

I’m watching the eps ….aiyo I was sad but tickled at the same time that village chief got family -zoned at 1st . But when confronting those rude city folks that almost hit the car , I think he may have a chance now !  I laughed so hard when his hands brushed her face 

 

This was so cute. Yong Te found his own groove 

 

[abs-oluteM]

Noooo hv to wait till next week to see the final match .

Oh yay !!

 

[mademoiselle]

@abs-oluteM OMG finally Haerongie!!! Now Jung Hae In just have to confirm too!!!

[abs-oluteM]

Just now, mademoiselle said:

@abs-oluteM OMG finally Haerongie!!! Now Jung Hae In just have to confirm too!!!

Isn't he still in military? 

[mademoiselle]

1 minute ago, abs-oluteM said:

Isn't he still in military? 

Jung Hae In? No, Hae In is one of the few Oppa who has completed his military service before pursuing acting/became famous.