Summer Strike is a 2022 launch, that is based on the webtoon I Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything written by Joo Young Hyun. The drama has Im Si-Wan and Kim Seol Hyun who portray the male and female leads of the show. The show has 12 episodes, which run for 43-45 minutes appx.
Now, answering the titled question, which is, should you be watching the Korean drama in the first place or not?
On that note, let us get going with-
Table of Contents
Things Which I Like About Summer Strike & You Might Like As Well
The Narrative
So, the overall story of this Korean drama showcases a simple girl, Lee Yeo-Reum who struggles to keep up with the city life where she is working. In the drama, she was working for a publishing company, that extorted her A-Z, and the extortion was growing day by day. Things become much more challenging when Yeo-Reum loses her mother in an accident and her life genuinely takes an unacceptable side which I was not feeling comfortable watching. It was harsh for the girl.
However, one day she misses her station stop which becomes a turning point in her life. She decides to quit her job and live for herself. This situation was something that everyone felt once in their life, isn’t it??? But tell me honestly it’s only possible if you have saved enough in your bank, otherwise considering the same won’t even drop by your head anytime soon before you turn 60.
So, I found a similarity between Yeo-Reum with Akira Tendo from ZOM 100: Bucket List of the Dead. It is because both of them never received credit for the hard work they put in every day. Once you watch the drama you will understand my perception. And if you have already watched the show give me thumbs up in the comment section.
She quits her miserable life in Seoul and decides to visit a small town, Angok to spend a day. But the beautiful scenery and the library in the countryside steal her heart which makes her decide to stay there for one year until her savings runs out.
These were all summed up in the first episode beautifully and I was interested to know what happens next in Lee Yeo-reum’s journey in life. Now her new beginning did not take off as she wanted. She was not greeted well by the town people and I was once again not happy about the same.
Only Dae Bum who is the male lead of the Summer Strike treated her nicely. He was the Librarian of Angok as well, who showed genuine respect for the newcomer in the town. Can’t forget the lady of the Angok Supermarket too, she also showered positivity toward the newcomer of the countryside.
Lee Yeo-Reum was made feel unwelcome and scorned by each one of the townspeople. She was extorted here in Angok as well. Her kind and humble nature was taken for granted. The instances were generously infuriating.
See, Lee Yeo-Reum felt that she was hated by each of the humans in this world already, and it was kind of understandable. She experienced a series of negative events in her life which was obvious to make her feel that way.
She lost her mother, then her long-term boy freind left her for good and her brother was not an example of a good sibling in any way; actually, he hardly cared about Yeo-Reum. So, when things were not looking good in her new place, I genuinely felt disheartened a lot.
But her good nature and kind heart finally get appreciated by the townspeople and things take a bright turn suddenly but slowly. She befriends good people from the town whom I genuinely found suspicious in the beginning(except for Dae Bum, who was a man with a gold heart). She gets herself a dog and reads a lot of books which made her happy.
But the story is not this simple. The plot takes a darker road when Yeo-Reum’s place gets vandalized for the first time. Also, the place where she resides in Angok has a bloody past. Further, the vandalization and the past have a relation which was answered very nicely when the series ends.
Summer Strike is a package deal according to me. It has a very old-school romance, beautiful countryside, and a lot of young energy which keeps on inspiring you. You will find a lot of relatable context from your life, and several emotional instances too which will generously make you teary as well. Also, I can’t skip the suspense and thriller part of the plot.
Every time, when the episodes ended, I was always wondering what happens next, I mean I was hooked on the plot from the beginning till the end. But it was the simplicity of the episode which made me love the show most. The thriller and suspense part came a lot later in the narrative.
The Characters
So, the characters in Summer Strike are very local. I mean you will find them in your neighborhood, for sure. Both the good and the bad people from this small town were quite familiar, which is also something that hooked me up to the plot.
Now, Lee Yeo-Reum is a very simple girl who tries to look at the brighter side of the picture all the time. She is kind and very simple. Her choice of life is what I enjoyed about her. She decided to take a break from her life which was squeezing out the best of her. She was distanced from her inner child whom she wanted to nurture and nourish in Angok.
Her struggles to keep up with the fast-paced life in Seoul eventually made her lose her bright smile. But when she was living in Angok the love and care she later received from her new acquaintances, literally became her family by the end of the series. She is loved and cherished which was something her spirit needed really badly.
And as for Ahn Dae Bum, when he first appears in the plot, I seriously assumed him to be mute. But the moment I heard him vaguely and it was quite fast as well, so, I started doubting myself. Then everything cleared, and I started enjoying the character. I took a dig in the content because of Im Si-wan only and also because I trust his judgment in the script which he did not fail this time as well.
So, Ahn Dae Bum is a very kind soul who is loved by the people of Angok. He is a loner and loves reading books. Later in the series, the audience comes to know that he is a math genius as well. He too suffered a lot in his life but it was all in his past. Now, he loves working as a part-time librarian and is a good friend to Lee Yeo-Reum. He along with the lady of Angok supermarket welcomed our heroine with warm hearts.
The sweet and wholesome relationship which brews between the two was nice. There was something profound between them. They were together which was not announced properly in the drama at all, but they were together.
They smiled a lot more than usual and talked a lot more as well. I loved the slow yet strong dynamic which was forming between the two. It was classy and extremely pure. They understood each other without communicating it verbally and this is what I enjoyed the most about the couple.
And as for the other significant characters each of them was layered, and had something going on with their life. It was not a joy ride for the people in Angok and watching them I genuinely felt bad. So, when the kids along with the adults were gifted the opportunity to enjoy it for a bit as well, I loved it.
The Ending
The series ended on a very polite note. It’s not a happy ending for everyone. However, if you give it thought the state of being at peace and content is what being happy actually is. So, we can conclude that it was actually a happy ending after all. I totally appreciate the ending since, after everything that happens in the story, each of the characters deserved joy, even if it’s for a brief period.
The Production Team
The production company GTist did a superb job in building this light-hearted, realistic, and emotional Korean drama. The team was excellent in their job and thus we have so soft and gentle story to watch right now. Thanks a lot for the drama GTist.
TOTT’s Take On Summer Strike
I totally recommend that you sit for the drama, Summer Strike right now. The K-drama has good leads, an emotional narrative, a relatable context, deep characters, and a beautiful landscape which might motivate you to take a short break from your life and see what you really want from yourself.
I give Summer Strike –
Now, have you watched this 2022 Korean Drama yet? If so, please do share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below about Summer Strike right now. But if you have not, I hope my take on the series may have made you decide better.
But, this is it for today, hope to meet you all very soon for my next publication.
Till then, go through Cobweb 2023 Review; Should You Watch This Horror Film This Weekend?*SPOILERS*
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BYE BYE, my TOTTers.
