Como flores en la arena

I don't always seek out a drama with sports as a central theme, but when it's done well they can be really enjoyable. This series does that, but also believably weaves past secrets, murder mysteries, small town beauty and not so beautiful issues, friends, and a slow burn romance. None of those subjects take over the entire experience, they are gently and expertly woven together at a pace that keeps you interested.

The cast was wonderful and it was nice to see so many familiar faces. I was a big fan of the ML's mother, and all of the child actors. The kids made me cry real tears. Both leads were great in that the FL was very good at showing the different sides of herself; while I felt the ML was outstanding with his athleticism and expressiveness. They had great chemistry in all the ways.

The only reason I didn't give it a full 10 was because occasionally the ML would be a bit much for me in his persistent ways, sometimes the dialogue would drag a bit with characters taking quite a while to spit out what they were trying to say, and the ending could have wrapped up a little tighter. But this was still one very worthy and thoroughly enjoyable watch that I highly recommend.

I particularly enjoyed this series. At its core is a complete performance by Jang Dong-yoon as the not so bright Ssireum wrestler whose life has been on hold since his first love left the village. His is a very likeable character indeed, putting others first with kindness and forgetting himself in the process.

You cannot but support his journey towards a brighter future.

I also enjoyed its depiction of the world of Korean Ssireum wrestling. Having watched Sanctuary, about the world of Sumo, the comparison was interesting. Ssireum may lack the semi-religious ritual of Sumo, but I found the wrestling itself more exciting.

It's hard to review this series.

The first half of the series I was somehow bored. It didn't felt like a love story, the mystery story wasn't strong either. I didn't know what to think.

Kim Baek-uk was portrayed as a naive "boy". I didn't like at all that they made him look stupid. In fact he was just a warmhearted guy growing up at the country side and was just happy either way with the simple things in life. He was so caring for others. So beautiful! They didn't need to made him look stupid.

The villagers had an important role for the setting of the series. The way they talked was marvellous.

From half of the series the mystery story became more interesting and the relationship between Baek-uk and Du-sik had more depth. Although I kept missing cute love scenes.

The wrestling theme was nice and the games were thrilling, although predictable I especially liked the last one. A shout-out to Jang Dong-yoon for the wrestling part. Must have been tough. And he even changed his physique for that role. Wow!

If you watch this series for the warmth of the ML and the atmosphere of the town, you will like this series. If you watch it for the love story - like I did -, you will be disappointed.

This show is both comforting and interesting. I felt like I was a part of the small town of geosan as we went on a journey through the eyes of Kim Baek-Du wonderfully acted by Jang Dong-Yoon. He is an absolutely green flag of a guy and I genuinely rooted for him over and over.

I hadn't heard of ssireum (Korean wrestling) before watching this show and by the end, I felt wholly invested in the sport.

Although a murder mystery circled the central plot it doesn't overwhelm the main plot or become gruesome in any way.

This drama keeps the story tight with just 12 episodes so at no point do you feel like it's dragging. I would definitely recommend this for a watch.

I was really surprised this got buried in my algorithm, but I quickly saw why that might've been the case. The general story, characters, and great actors were all there. Unfortunately, what was truly disappointing was the pacing and plot. Although the overall premise was solid, the interactions-especially between Baek Du and the supporting characters-lacked depth and development.

Most notably, it seemed to focus heavily on the main characters, often during moments that felt unnecessary or even irritating, while the central friend dynamics were underdeveloped. I wholeheartedly believe that including more scenes between Jin Su/Baek Du and Jin Su/Mi Ran would have improved the series significantly. Less frequent interactions between the main leads would have left us wanting more, rather than feeling overwhelmed.

That said, it was still an interesting and well-done thriller/mystery. The extended supporting cast-such as the family and villagers-delivered strong performances. I also appreciated the authentic small-town accent and what felt like a genuine representation of ssireum from my perspective.

Overall, I fairly enjoyed the series and just wish there had been more focus on the other characters. I was also glad they kept it to 12 episodes.