Why You Should Watch: Racket Boys

                                                                                       HELLO 

How are we feeling today? I hope everyone is staying safe and hydrated. Here’s our article on why Racket Boys is a must watch.

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN MILD SPOILERS EVEN THOUGH  WE TRIED OUR BEST TO KEEP IT SPOILER FREE 

PLOT  Racket Boys revolves around the lives of young badminton players as they win and lose together. Yoon Hyun Jong starts to coach the male badminton team of Haenam middle school. The team’s condition is poor as they are low on players,  leading them on the verge of disbandment. Will he be able to make this team stronger with the help of his son, Yoon Hae Kang, and the other teammates, Bang Yoon Dam, Na Woo Chan, and Lee Yong Tae? You’ll have to watch to find out. On the other hand, we have coach Ra Young Ja who is the coach of the girl’s badminton team, who ranks number 1 on the leaderboard. The team members include the main characters:  Han Se Yoon and Lee Han Sol.

A quick character sketch 

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Coach Yoon Hyun Jong (Kim Sang Kyung) Yoon Hyun Jong is a comedic and refreshing character. As a father, he takes wonderful care of his two kids, and as a coach, he strives hard for the team. Although you may find him lacking as a coach, could he get better? Watch to find out.

Coach Ra Ja Young (Oh Na Ra) Ra Ja Young is a competent coach who has a cold face and no shortcomings when it comes to coaching, but that doesn't mean she excels in all areas of life. The show takes on a journey that reveals her hardships and her true emotions.

Tang Jun Sang - Yoon Hae Kang Yoon Hae Kang is a competitive and rebellious 16-year-old who puts up a lowkey tough exterior. However, he is kind and has a great affection for the people around him.	Son Sang Yeon - Bang Yoon Dam Bang Yoon Dam is a responsible captain of the Haenam badminton team and a talented player. However, his biggest addiction is social media.	Choi Hyun Wook - Na Woo Chan Na Woo Chan is another member of the team who is addicted to hip-hop and handshakes. Yet, he has a gentle and quiet character, which helps him act as a mediator of the team.
Kim Kang Hoon - Lee Yong Tae Lee Yong Tae, the youngest member of the team, is a loudmouth and badminton know-it-all. He portrays a complete contrast character to Na Woo Chan, which makes them a perfect duo!	Lee Jae In - Han Se Yoon Han Se Yoon, widely known as one of the best players in the field of badminton, is a strong-willed and adorable girl who carries big dreams of becoming the youngest member of the national team.	Lee Ji Won - Lee Han Sol Lee Han Sol is a talented and outspoken girl, who also seems to have a crush on Bang Yoon Dam.

Our favorite support

Jung In Sol - Kim Min Ki Playing the class president and the cute nerd, you'll just love his character. We'll probably stop here before we spoil anything more.

Yoon Hye In - Ahn Se Bin Starring as Yoon Hae-Kang's younger sister, she's an adorable addition to the cast.

We love a lot of things about Racket Boys, but the thing we adored the most is the fact that people of any age could watch this show and love it. No matter how old you are, whether you are a child, a parent, or an elderly person, this show will not leave you without teaching you a few lessons about life.                 If you're still wondering if you should watch it or not here are a few more things to convince you <3

Youth

The story progresses as this special group of people who share the same roof and practice halls navigate through their badminton practices, matches, and sweet teenage life by relying upon and always having each other’s backs. What makes this show precious is how the friendship evolves as a result of good character development. The special bond that they create throughout the show will not fail to bring happy tears to your eyes, leaving you to feel nothing but wholesome. Nevertheless, their friendship goes beyond expectations and can be certified to be called a found-family.

The Villagers

These beautiful connections are not only limited to the youth but also cover the relationships of coaches and villagers.

I now understand the famous proverb: ”It takes a village to raise a child” - the villagers have this special connection uniting them. Sure the city is great... In the cities, one has malls and restaurants, and the entertainment is endless. But we don't get to have this special bond of knowing and relying on everyone. Not to spoil anything more, but there’s a lot of elderly people in the village, and you can already guess how adorable and precious they are.

Are you a romance lover? If you are, don't worry! This drama offers some cute and light romance. Even though it's not the main focus, the amount of romance in the drama is done just right, because the story revolves around middle-schoolers and focuses on sports. However, just because it’s not highly romance focused that shouldn’t make you miss out on this gem because it will take you on a journey of feels from your first love and those one-sided fiddly crushes. Besides that, the way it’s acted out by all the actors gives it a smooth, convincing, and natural touch that you will not regret watching.

To give you a heads up, you're going to see a lot of badminton in Racket Boys. Don't fret if you are not interested in badminton as a sport, because you are still gonna love this show regardless. This show will not only make you fall for the story and characters but also badminton itself xd. The sport portrayed in the drama is kept realistic and to the ground. Moreover, this show is not about the usual overachieving competitions and playing world cups but about the ground reality of a team coming from a small village and trying to win the junior national school championship. This adds a very real and nice touch and helps the show to be accurately defined as a slice-of-life.

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

• “I want to be the person who gets to choose what I do with my life.” 
• “Back then, knowing who their true friends are is everything they need to do.”
• “When she passed away, it felt like the world was ending. But life moves on, I guess.”
• “When you play thinking about the person you deeply care about, sometimes, a miracle does happen.”
• “Half of the kids don’t know what to do with their lives. But most of the kids listen to their parents when they pick their goals.”
• “Do I have to like only the things I'm good at?”
• “I’m a huge coward. You know I can’t even go to the bathroom by myself late at night. But I've been  waiting for you here.”
• “Of course, it would be nice to win. But people don’t always win, you know. That doesn’t mean they didn’t work hard.”

This section is full of spoilers. If you haven’t watched the show, please skip it.

As a slice-of-life, it truly stands up to its purpose by showing both the pretty and the ugly aspects of life. Thus, besides all the amazing directions, plot, and acting, this drama is relatable to most of us in our daily lives.

1. The grandchild of Grandmother Ome (Kim Mi Kyung) refuses to visit her in the village as the 5-year-old grandchild feels that village life is boring. Honestly, this is a harsh reality for many grandparents who live in the countryside. Wishing her grandchild to visit her, she develops an entire playroom full of toys and wifi (a necessity she found for the Gen-Z). Which ends up attracting all the kids from the village and finally her grandson as well.  

2. The peer pressure experienced by Yoon Hae Kang. If you have watched the show, you know that he was an ex-badminton prodigy who later changed his career to baseball. This can be as a result of being negatively influenced by the constant look-down perspective of people on badminton as a sport and the ever-glowing charm of baseball players.

3. A small talk they had regarding Covid-19 touched and warmed our hearts. It also gave us a throwback to good old pre-covid times.

4. The drama also subtly touches the subject of ‘death’. It portrays the jarring reality of today’s time where during the funeral gathering you realize that no one other than the real family cares for the deceased. (However, here, the villagers are more of a real family than the actual blood family. ) It might be a gathering event for others, but its death is strikingly painful for the close one.

5. It also subtly talks about pollution. At first, villagers loved it when the townspeople used to visit villages often for hiking. However, with the frequent visitors, the usual contaminations followed.

I knew from the fourth episode this drama would be a 10/10, and I never wavered. Definitely a masterpiece of 2021! - _{suckerforhappyendings} 

 I had high expectations for the drama, coming from the same screenwriter as Prison Playbook, and it certainly didn't disappoint. A gem indeed! - _kie

 Yes and that’s hugs. Lots and lots of hugs that will definitely make you swoon over the most amazing found family.

With that, we're done! Thank you so much for reading and do share your thoughts in the comment section!!!

All images and gifs used in this article are credited to original owners. We also thank our editors and MDL for this opportunity.

^{Edited by: Cookie (1st editor), BrightestStar (2nd editor)}