Racket Boys 라켓소년단 [2021]

[SnowBlob]

@mademoiselle not sure what she exactly did..but she tore her muscles i think? I dont know for how long she was on wheel chair for..coz with covid i didnt get to see her regularly. Anyway..she had to be a bridesmaid for her friend on a wheelchair  Did you just link me to Lee Yong Dae's insta? Ahahhahaha... You like that kind of drill??? That looks hardcoreeeee. I think i would be like ur friend...i like to stand and have the shuttle come to me nice and easy. And then i get to hit it and SCORE!  (so dont think you wanna be partnered up with me :p )

[abs-oluteM]

Love the 1st episode & very happy to finally be able to start this. Coming from a country where this is probably the number 1 most followed & played sport, I am glad that we finally have a show about badminton. . I get that in SK that this isn't as glamorous a sport compared to baseball and football, so it really feels like a show for the underdogs.

 

The 1st episode was a quirky introduction to the characters and I find myself warming up to all of them. Hae Kang is such a sweet kid. Despite his slight arrogance ( perhaps its a high level of confidence ), he's just a good & kind young man. Instant emotional connection to him as soon as I realised he didn't want to burden his father with his baseball camp fees. I also loved how he helped the neighbour grandma to sort out her TV controller problems. Hae Kang is clearly a gifted athlete and was not surprised he was a badminton prodigy before. Was glad that his innate competitive spirit meant that he hates losing and unwittingly ended up joining the team.

 

Talking about the team , love those 3 stooges country bumpkin team mates of his. So refreshing not to have spoilt brat city kids who have a chip on their shoulders. They clearly bonded with Hae Kang quite quickly. I was pleasantly surprised to see the house become a boarding house of sorts. They even have the girl's team move in too.

 

I was surprised that Oh Nara's character was their mum. So are the parents divorced and the father is the one with the custody ? They still seem to be on friendly terms . Would like to see more of their family dynamics . And looks like there will also be a cute teenage romance along the way. 

[abs-oluteM]

Eps 2 & 3 

Looks like Hae Kang has not lost his touch and lives up to his badminton prodigy title. The thing with him now is that he's still thinking of returning to baseball. While at the end of eps 3 , you can tell he has subconsciously chosen badminton and is enjoying it, he will be an unstoppable force in the game once he embraces it 100%. 

 

There were plenty of touching scenes in these episodes and I think the running theme about this whole drama is about showing some kindness & compassion, and extending forgiveness quickly. You can tell that the show does not intend to drag out the issues too long. One of my favourite bits were when Hae Kang and Woo Chan stood up to the bully who hit Yong Tae. This was then followed by the "punishment" for Bang who didn't do anything. Loved how the others took up his punishment when he could no longer continue. Tough lessons on teamwork & unity there for these young men.  

 

So it looks like the parents are not divorced and mum likely took up such a job this far away to help pay off debts. Perhaps them relocating was a blessing since they got to have mum live with them.  Really like the parents cause they are such positive folks. It was revealed that  mum had to give up her spot in the Olympics when she became pregnant with HK.  From the drama we can see that it isn't easy for pro athletes once they have retired to find work and they cannot be too picky in terms of where the job takes them.

[mademoiselle]

Next episode stills

Yes! We have cameo from Kim Sung Cheol (Prison Playbook) and Lee Joon Hyuk (Bossam - Steal the Fate)

 

Were the boys trying to work for more pocket money to play PC games (and Wi Fi)???

[abs-oluteM]

On 6/9/2021 at 3:45 PM, mademoiselle said:

Awwww... I love seeing the PP casts making a cameo! We already have Go Baksa and Kaist! Looking forward to Janbaljang (Winner), Kim Je Hyuk (Park Hae Soo) and Beobja (Kim Sung Cheol) who are reported to cameo. Will Jung Hae In, Lee Kyu Hyung, Kim Kyung Nam and Jung Kyung Ho come too?! Haerongie making a re-appearance would be awesome.

I have been enjoying all the cameos of Go Baksa & Kaist. Each time I see them , I keep trying to recall their names in PP. Looking forward to the rest. Can Looney (Lee Kyu Hyung ) and Jung Kyung Ho cameo please?

 

I am up to speed. TBH I was rather concerned that 1 hour & 20 minutes for an episode may be too draggy but I didn't even feel the time pass. What a gem of a show - this for me is a sweet coming of age drama. No crazy villains or extremely annoying characters. And human kindness displayed all round.

 

Eps 4

Like @stroppyse  I was rather annoyed with Coach Yoon's lackadaisical attitude to on the morning of the competition. Considering how much they had to go through to get them to compete, it was really inexcusable for him to be the reason the boys lost their opportunities to play. If the boys had a coach like his wife, they could go further. I hope he bucks up. He is a nice person and a good father / supportive husband. But as the coach for such a competitive sport , shouldn't he put in at least half the effort his wife does?

 

Anyway,  the episode once again had many touching scenes. But I definitely was very moved when Yong Tae thought that Woo Chan was dying and cried his eyes out. Clearly for these boys , this is more than just a game or a sport they love. The team becomes their family and the bond they share is strong. This is what drew Hae Kang to them - he didn't quit badminton when he was younger because he hated the game, he just didn't have team mates who were true friends. Here in Haenam, he's found some really great kids whom he can call as his buddies. Despite him trying to act tough and be indifferent to their "struggles" of staying as a team, he was slowly thawing over the episodes. And them saving his younger sister finally made him realise that he wanted to stay on and commit to the team , to these boys. I am happy too that the class president has joined them. He is gifted too and you can see he wants to be part of this. 

 

Looking forward now to eps 5 . Excited to see how the teenage love line will develop. So cute!

[stroppyse]

4 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

This is what drew Hae Kang to them - he didn't quit badminton when he was younger because he hated the game, he just didn't have team mates who were true friends.

 

I think it was more than that. It was a combination of things. He was irritated that the baseball guys who didn't win anything still got more praise and attention from his classmates than when he won titles. However, ultimately, it was because his classmates were talking badly about his family. His father had bought all those burgers for his classmates to celebrate his title, but the snotty boys were dismissive of that as being cheap and unworthy. Plus, they were talking smack about his mother not being around and possibly getting a divorce from his family.

 

Ultimately, it was a combination of not enough attention from his family when he needed it, plus not having good teammates and true friends around him that caused him to quit badminton.

 

And, like you, I totally loved it when he accepted his teammates as his friends, even if it required their saving Hae In during her asthma attack for him to realize it.

 

Yong Tae and Woo Chan had me in tears with their scene. For YT, his teammates are his family and his only stability, especially with his parents divorced and his father off being a naturalist wildman. And, for WC as well, his team gave him to courage to assert himself even against his father to do what he wanted to do which is to stay in Haenam with his team and continue to play badminton.

 

That's one of the things I do rather love about this drama, that it reinforces the ideas of friendship and family over rivalry. When YT beats WC for the final singles spot, and the guys think that WC is upset about it, but it turns out that it's his relationship with his father that had brought him down rather than having any ill feelings towards YT for beating him.

[Warm Paws]

[Ep 1-4]

Ahh.. this show. I really want to watch this as a light, fun, stress-free show, but so far it's been a bit frustrating. No deal breakers, but just stuff that's been holding it back for me, even if I try my best not to be too critical on this kind of show.

For me, the least interesting character is Hae-Kang. He's quite stubborn and arrogant which makes him annoying and unpleasant to watch. I know, I know, he's supposed to be a certain type of character, but for some reason, he's ticking me off in different ways. Maybe it's cause for me, Tang Joon-Sang (the actor) doesn't really feel like a good fit for this character. They're trying to portray Hae-Kang as cool and badass, but it's not really working for me, and the way they're trying to do it just makes him look the opposite... I dunno, he just looks whiny and arrogant with no justification. 🙄

Which comes to my second point. I know we're only at the 4th episode so there's still tons of room for character development (which I believe after the ending of ep4, is just around the corner for Hae-Kang) but the way the show has gone so far, there's no real "justification" for Hae-Kang's attitude yet. Sure he was good at baseball, sure he was a legend at badminton when he was young, but right now he hasn't really done anything exceptional. I guess they just want to show how much he's uninterested in badminton at this stage. However, I would have been fine if he was just lazy and uninterested, but making him a bit of a bully just didn't fit for me. 🙃

 

Same goes for his dad. Like father, like son I guess. At the beginning he was sort of enthusiastic and I felt like he'll be bringing something special to the table, but he hasn't really done anything exceptional yet, and actually quite the opposite. He's been irresponsible and just doing this for money, not for the love of coaching. 🙄

 

But again, it seems that the next episode will be the turning point for the father and son, so yey! 🎉

 

With that said, all the other characters have been interesting and fun to watch. I won't touch up on this anymore just to keep it short(er). But yeah, its like the two characters above were the foil for all the other characters so far. 🤣🤣 

[mademoiselle]

Pre-release clip

 

[bluepebbles]

New stills

 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

Some more new stills

SBS also uploaded a BTS of the kids practising badminton for real on instagram but dunno why they don't upload it on YT. I could barely make it out who is who.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQAHIIJB2-g/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

Alternate link (full video, clearer & bigger) found on the official website: https://programs.sbs.co.kr/drama/racket/clip/68639/OC455793239

 

Wonder how long they trained for because from their hit/return, they are already able to hit downwards or straight, and are already doing smashing and netting.

 

EDIT: Found the video on YouTube

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

Episode 6 Preview

 

[abs-oluteM]

Eps 5

 

The boys continue to bond , and now Hae Kang is committed to the team. Class president being the newbie seems to have adapted well , and when partnered with Woo Chan shows promise of being a good doubles team. Coach Yoon decided to pair Hae Kang with team captain Bang hoping to create an ace team given both are his strongest players. But of course like any good coming of age school or sports drama, the characters will have to go through character development - HK and Bang both had to learn to deal with their egos and find a way to work as a team. Coach Yoon was accused by Bang's father ( who was surprisingly very involved in Bang's development despite having so many kids to look after) of playing favorites since HK is his son and that Yoon was a lousy coach more concerned with playing games with his charges. The thing is that the writer of this show , just like in Prison Playbook, likes to make you think the worst about a character , only for you to realise that you shouldn't have judge a book by its cover. As the episode progressed, Yoon's decision was the right one as the boys finally found common ground and a new goal that forced them to work together . They were indeed good being able to beat the uni students who had come for a friendly match. Yoon was also shown to be actually very concerned and put in a lot of hours analysing their games.

 

The other interesting thing for me in this episode was discovering that Yong Tae has inherited his father's skills & knowledge where natural medicine is concerned. He saved Woo Chan who had accidentally eaten some wild poisonous plant . He also was of help to Soo Yeon by getting his father to come up with some natural medication for SY's headache at Hae Kang's request. I was wondering in one of the forest scenes why YT had tied his scarf.  We find out later he was using it to mark the place where he found these expensive wild roots that was highly sort after. LOL ...who knew his father would spot his scarf and get to the roots first. No wonder the dad bough him a new phone. Though like YT said those roots could have bought 5 phones!

 

Last bit of eps 5 was super cute especially with the blossoming of the teenage romance. Gosh to be 16 and liking someone.   SY who has never wanted to play mix doubles is suddenly entertaining the idea and to play with Hae Kang too. Coach Ra has no idea why she had a change of heart . LOL! 

[abs-oluteM]

I love this scene from last night as well

Pre- released . Will Bang have a love line with the other girl ? 

 

[ktcjdrama]

I am only at ep.2, but enjoying this drama very much 

Kim Kang Hoon is growing up fast. Now changing voice and growing moustache already. Then there is a potential future oppa alert for the actor playing Bang Yun Dam, handsome boy.

 

 

[Warm Paws]

[Ep 5]

 

Yey! I'm glad that Hae-Kang and his dad are finally starting to take things seriously. I'm just glad that the sort of necessary arrogant and irresponsible phase is now hopefully done. This episode was now more pleasant to watch for me. 😅

 

I should really stop being over critical, but the doubles match conflict between Hae-Kang and Bang felt kinda forced since they were actually just starting to get along. Felt like a one step forward, two steps back kind of thing, but I guess that's how it really is sometimes. What confused me at first was what Bang's realization was, that even his dad caught it... If I understand correctly, according to Yong-Tae's (or was it Woo-Chan?) explanation, the opponents shots are usually directed to the weaker side. At first most shots were directed towards Hae-Kang, but towards the end, most of the shots were directed at Bang, which made him realize and accept that he was no longer the ace. If this is correct, then it's nice for me since I've actually haven't seen it done like this before. I was expecting them to find out who was better by seeing each other's skill, or maybe they'll get in sync by trusting each other, or something like that. But here, it was through their opponents on the receiving end of their shots did they get a sort of arbitration. 

 

And heeyy. We've got some pretty simple but cute love story development. Aawww these kids 🥲🥲. I didn't expect the whole mixed doubles though. Excited to see what kind of push-pull, give and take dynamic they'll be having, and how different it will be from Hae-Kang and Bang's team-up. Will they also have an ace conflict? Or maybe this time one of them will give way too much? Or will their chemistry just be so good right from the start and they'll just become the ultimate powerhouse? 😆

[mademoiselle]

@ktcjdrama Oh yay! You've finally joined us!! Hahaha I agree Yoon Dam is good looking but I'm banking on you falling for Hae Kang instead. Hahahaha! Ok, I know you are still catching up so just read this and then come back later for the rest below if you're still interested.

 

@abs-oluteM Any chance of adoption here? xDDDD

===

The real ship is actually Hae Kang and Yoon Dam

 

 

--- SPOILER ---

 

Episode 5

 

• I've to question how is 300 MB enough data to sustain with the way they play games, hahaha. But Hae Kang is so Hae Kang. His actions always go against what he says.

 

• Was it Coach Yoon that decided to pair Hae Kang and Yoon Dam? I thought it was Coach Bae's idea? He told another coach during the badminton competition few episodes ago.

 

• Waaa I do love how much badminton scenes there are in this episode! I cringed REALLY hard when their racquets clashed so many times and eventually broke. It was painful when that happened to my new racquet. Mine didn't break but the paint was chipped Eventually I learnt to turn a blind eye over it (not without touching it up with paint of course).

 

• Gotta say Hae Kang was at fault when their racquets clashed. It's a strategy hitting the shuttle towards the middle when the opponents are standing side by side in doubles, so this should ideally be received by player standing on the right, which was Yoon Dam. The shuttle is coming at Hae Kang's backhand, even though if he could return well, he should trust Yoon Dam.

 

• For attacking the weaker one, your understanding are correct @Warm Paws, that is exactly what can happen in a match. I find this a rather mean strategy. It's not fun to be in a match like this because the one not having any shuttle to hit doesn't get to play anything and the other one being attacked will feel horrible for losing the match.

 

• Agree with you @abs-oluteM, PP writer is good at first making us think otherwise of the character and then turn around to show us their good sides. Although it may be true that Coach Yoon didn't take his work seriously because the job he had before didn't require him to take badminton coaching seriously (in episode 1 he was training ahjumma). However now that he sees there's a future for the team and coupled with last episode's mishap, he has reflected on his mistakes and also motivated by the team's spirit.

 

• The surprise in this episode is Hae Kang again with his beat-around-the-bush way of caring for someone he likes (Se Yoon). I was all "awww" to find out Hae Kang was behind the oriental medicine Se Yoon took for her headache. And trust that Yong Tae is slow to pick up on the signs that Hae Kang likes Se Yoon. LMAO! When the boys and Han Sol mentioned Se Yoon hasn't found a guy she likes and here I am thinking, "Oh no she has. It's Hae Kang." This girl has crushed on him since primary school - 100% no doubt!

 

• The ending scene of Se Yoon and Hae Kang is so sweet and put a smile on my face. So awkward and so funny too. I'd love to know how and what happened during their walk that Se Yoon's potatoes get less and less meanwhile the potatoes all went to Hae Kang. LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. I mean, as stubbon and prideful as Se Yoon, how did she agree to let Hae Kang carries all those potatoes for her? xD xP

 

• So Se Yoon wants to play mixed doubles but has she asked Hae Kang?

 

• I'm honestly a bit concerned about the presentation of the scene where the SK team went to Indonesia and the implication that Indonesia didn't provide them a decent welcome and accommodation. I really don't wish for any content of this drama to offend any international viewers/countries. SBS has upset enough people around the globe (first locally with Joseon Exorcist & now internationally with Penthouse 3).

 

New stills

Wait... isn't there way too many PP cameo in one episode? They could totally spread the cameo out.

Edited June 15, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

OST 2 Coffeeboy - Focus On Me

 

More photos!

Goshhhh Hae Kang and Se Yoon hahaha so cute

 

Spoiler

 

Edited June 15, 2021 by mademoiselle

[mademoiselle]

 

[abs-oluteM]

2 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

@abs-oluteM Any chance of adoption here? xDDDD

Aiyo getting younger & younger ....do you think I am like @SilverMoonTea ? Baahahaha....

Tan Joon Sang is only 18 and handsome boy Bang is only 19 . Lookwise I prefer Bang like @ktcjdrama. Call me shallow ! However TJS is the more talented actor .  But I cannot enter them into my oppa league yet . Not so much because of age, just not there yet.

 

@Warm Paws I did find it weird too how the whole conflict between who was the ace between HK and Bang. But I think HK will be the better player because of his natural gift as an athlete. What he lacked before was training. Now there will be no stopping him once he puts his heart into it. 

[mademoiselle]

1 minute ago, abs-oluteM said:

Aiyo getting younger & younger ....do you think I am like @SilverMoonTea ? Baahahaha....

Tan Joon Sang is only 18 and handsome boy Bang is only 19 . Lookwise I prefer Bang like @ktcjdrama. Call me shallow ! However TJS is the more talented actor .  But I cannot enter them into my oppa league yet . Not so much because of age, just not there yet.

 

@Warm Paws I did find it weird too how the whole conflict between who was the ace between HK and Bang. But I think HK will be the better player because of his natural gift as an athlete. What he lacked before was training. Now there will be no stopping him once he puts his heart into it. 

Hmm maybe my definition of Oppa is a bit too broad. HAHAHAHA. I adopted TJS because I liked his performance, character portrayal and that I think he has a bright future. Not at all swooning at him per se. xD Nam Da Reum though might be a different story coz I really do think he's handsome. Still, not swooning/fawning at him either.

3 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

I did find it weird too how the whole conflict between who was the ace between HK and Bang. But I think HK will be the better player because of his natural gift as an athlete. What he lacked before was training. Now there will be no stopping him once he puts his heart into it.

Adding my 2 cents as well. Yoon Dam and Hae Kang had wanted to size each other up since that first single but never did got the chance and mainly because Hae Kang wasn't being serious about badminton.

 

Hae Kang is probably the better player not only because he's natural but also he's been exposed to badminton ever since young by both parents. Watching others play is also part of learning. He's also received proper training (the basics) earlier too. Furthermore, Coach Yoon wasn't studying Hae Kang but Yoon Dam and noted down some of his "bad habits". We didn't see him do that for Hae Kang so this led me to believe Hae Kang still has got his skills/basics, he just needed to get back into the game again. I also think he has the tendency of becoming stronger when he meets a stronger opponent.

 

[ktcjdrama]

I am all caught up 5 episodes... waiting for 6 to drop now, haha...

Really enjoyed the drama, in true style of PP. Because I binged it in one day, my thoughts are still all over and I don't have time to write any down yet. Will probably do so after watching 6 later. Loving the show!

 

3 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I'm honestly a bit concerned about the presentation of the scene where the SK team went to Indonesia and the implication that Indonesia didn't provide them a decent welcome and accommodation. I really don't wish for any content of this drama to offend any international viewers/countries. SBS has upset enough people around the globe (first locally with Joseon Exorcist & now internationally with Penthouse 3).

I was thinking the same thing too... that was quite a daring claim even if it's true. So any news on how that part was received by the Indonesian viewers? So, what's with Penthouse?

 

1 hour ago, abs-oluteM said:

But I cannot enter them into my oppa league yet . Not so much because of age, just not there yet.

That's why I said "potential future oppa" hahahaa.... no, no, definitely not swooning or fawning over them yet. 

 

[mademoiselle]

9 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

I was thinking the same thing too... that was quite a daring claim even if it's true. So any news on how that part was received by the Indonesian viewers? So, what's with Penthouse?

I haven't really look around online whether any Indonesian viewers were upset by it.

For Penthouse 3, it is this. It's the second time from SBS (Backstreet Rookie was the first).

[Warm Paws]

5 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I've to question how is 300 MB enough data to sustain with the way they play games, hahaha. But Hae Kang is so Hae Kang. His actions always go against what he says

 

I actually laughed at this as well. But I remembered that modern games, though more graphic intensive, they actually don't use as much data than we think. Did a quick search and Google says 40-300mb can be about an hour of gaming. I also remembered that I only use around 5GB of data per month. Even if I don't game on my phone, 300MB is still somehow a decent amount. This might be HUGE for these kids who's perception for money is still based on how much they can save from their allowance. 😆 Big gesture from Hae-Kang to do this. 😉

 

Is it just me? But I thought Woo-Chan looked similar to Jang Ki-Yong. Face shape and hair maybe? 😅 

[ktcjdrama]

3 hours ago, Warm Paws said:

 

Is it just me? But I thought Woo-Chan looked similar to Jang Ki-Yong. Face shape and hair maybe?

I also thought he reminds me of Jang Ki Yong. Lots of angles. They can really be cast as siblings or twins even. 

[stroppyse]

14 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

I did find it weird too how the whole conflict between who was the ace between HK and Bang. But I think HK will be the better player because of his natural gift as an athlete. What he lacked before was training. Now there will be no stopping him once he puts his heart into it. 

 

I was expecting there to be a showdown of some kind between HK and YD, mostly because both guys are clearly used to being the alpha male. I just wasn't expecting the resolution to be done the way it was done. As for the expectation of who would be on top, in the drama, I expected it to be HK.

 

If it had been real life though, I would have probably bet on YD. HK is a natural athlete who was grounded in badminton at a young age, and was a rated player in elementary school. However, that was awhile ago while he focused on a completely different sport. He hasn't played badminton much less practiced at all in that time while he was playing baseball. YD, on the other hand, who probably started the sport at a later age, has been training for the past several years, and was good enough regionally, even if he wasn't rated in the country. And, YD is also athletic.

 

I do agree that HK once he actually starts training seriously has more innate talent than YD and will be a force to reckon with, not just regionally, but possibly as a national candidate again.

 

14 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Furthermore, Coach Yoon wasn't studying Hae Kang but Yoon Dam and noted down some of his "bad habits". We didn't see him do that for Hae Kang so this led me to believe Hae Kang still has got his skills/basics, he just needed to get back into the game again.

 

I agree. I thought that HK had had real coaching when he was younger. I think for HK to be ranked nationally, he would have had a strong coach to work with. I think it's implied that his coach was his father? YD probably didn't have the same level of coaching as HK, so that Coach Yoon when he finally decided to take his coaching the boys seriously started really looking at them in order to coach them to be better, rather than just having a team with enough members so that they could participate in tournaments and his paycheck won't be cut. Coach Yoon has come a long way from the days when he told Jonathan to just stand on the court.

 

14 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Nam Da Reum though might be a different story coz I really do think he's handsome.

 

Something about Nam Da Reum. I just think he's such a good looking boy, and such an excellent actor as well. I just hope he transitions well into more adult roles rather than what seems to happen to so many child/young actors in not being able to attract enough of the good roles as they age.