Racket Boys encapsulates the burning passion of the youth in achieving great things together from a perceived underdog status.
Beyond uplifting badminton as a sport, Racket Boys promotes a life filled with warmth that may be found in the countryside. It highlights the story of growth and sports that tightly bonded the community of Haenam.
- Main Cast: Tang Jun Sang | Kim Sang Kyung | Oh Na Ra | Song Sang Yeon | Choi Hyun Wook | Kim Kang Hoon | Lee Jae In | Lee Ji Won
- Supporting Cast: Kim Min Ki | Ahn Se Bin | Shin Jung Keun | Ahn Nae Sang | Woo Hyun | Park Hyo Joo | Kim Mi Kyung
- Streaming Site: Netflix
- Thrill/Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- Kdramas of Similar Vibe: Reply 1997 | Reply 1994 | Reply 1988 | Hot Stove League | Prison Playbook
Marcie Line watched Racket Boys on Netflix
Episode recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Finale + Review |
Racket Boys Finale Key Moments
“That’s how people live nowadays. What are we going to do about that? What they are doing isn’t wrong. The way of life is bound to change.”
Defying the predictions, Jeonnam becomes the NJSF champion for the middle school men’s division. Woo Chan and Hae Kang successfully win in the first doubles against Seoul. Hae Kang proudly confesses his feelings to Se Yoon, and hugs her in the hallway.
Selected to play in the draft matches for the national team, Se Yoon and Hae Kang represent Haenam in their singles matches. Se Yoon wins her match with a top player, Im Seo-hyeon (cameo by Kwon Yuri). Meanwhile, Hae Kang cries in Se Yoon’s embrace after losing in his match against Kang Tae-seon.
Grandma Ome and her husband have a conversation about the difference between urban and rural life. As they walk in the road, a transition of seasons is shown.
Fast-forward to the year 2022, updates on the lives of the villagers of Haenam are presented. A new potential villager from the city arrives with similar intentions as of the city couple’s finding serenity in the countryside.
Yong Tae becomes the captain of the middle school badminton team. Hae Kang, In Sol, and Woo Chan become high schoolers who are also part of their school’s badminton team.
The boys’ and girls’ badminton careers flourish, and they are interviewed for a TV show. Coach Yoon’s interview makes the boys tear up, and they invite him to their group chat, but eventually kicks him out after spamming the group. The series ends with Hae Kang’s smashing hit at the 65th national summer competition mixed doubles together with Se Yoon.
Racket Boys Quick Plot Recap
Moving down to the countryside from city life, Coach Yoon Hyeon Jong brings his children to Haenam. Yoon Hae Kang, a star player in his school’s baseball team, becomes part of the badminton team of Haenam Seo middle school.
His love for badminton is awakened again, and there, he meets new faces who also become close to his heart. He also gets reunited with people whom he has met before in badminton competitions when he was young.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the boys’ and girls’ badminton teams reside together in Hae Kang’s house along with his parents who are their coaches. They all become close and support each other in their competitions. In addition to that, the warmth from the villagers of Haenam also plays a role in every character’s growth.
Racket Boys Series Peak Points
Friendship and Unity as a Team
At the beginning of the series, Yoon Hae Kang is introduced as an arrogant player who only cares for himself. However, we see the transition of his character becoming more caring and expressive. His bond with his team becomes more solid, and their relationship goes beyond being teammates.
Moreover, the combination of the boys’ and the girls’ team radiate youthful energy throughout the series. They all look adorable together every time they hang out in Hae Kang’s and Grandma Ome’s house. In competitions, they assure to support and cheer for each other, which uplifts every player’s morale.
Serenity in the Rural Life
Moving to the countryside has its merits as presented in the series. Yoon Hae In has asthma, and moving to the rural side has somehow helped the child with her condition. The city couple, who has been exhausted with life in the city, has found warmth in Haenam.
Hae Kang meets people who grow close to his heart while living in the countryside. Compared to his life in the city, Hae Kang shines brighter and enjoys his bond with his team in Haenam.
Notable Character Growth
Characters in the series have notable character development throughout the series. Hae Kang grows to become more involved and caring towards his team. Other members of Haenam’s badminton team become braver and confident with their skills, and other competitors from other towns learn from Hae Kang’s team dynamics. People come to realize how to accept both winning and losing in competitions.
Furthermore, supporting characters also had their spotlights for character growth. Shin Song-hee, who used to be hostile towards the city couple, opens up her heart to them. Before, she used to throw harsh words at them, but in the later episodes, she becomes more accepting of the couple.
For the city couple, they were first presented as lifeless people from the city. Their zests in life are drained, but in the end, we see that they become capable of having more color in their lives. For the three supporting characters, they were all unnamed at first. At the time they introduced their names in the series, it marked a new chapter for each character.
Interaction across Age Groups
Living in Haenam, the elders and the youth are all gathered in one place. They all bond together despite the age differences. The series has shown some clashing traditional and modern beliefs, but in the end, they come to welcome changes that are constant in life.
The series has presented that elders can also learn from the young ones. With open ears to the youth, progress and development in Haenam may be observed. Moreover, in one episode, we see Hae In teaching Grandma Ome and her husband how to write. The scene explicitly expresses the idea that learning from both age groups is possible.
Racket Boys Series Musings
Racket Boys’ schedule of the broadcast this year was timely since the summer Olympics also overlapped with it. It brought relevance to the topic of sports, and also highlighted badminton as a professional sport. Through this series, badminton has been given the spotlight that goes beyond more than a sport for leisure.
Opportunities have also been given to fresh rising actors and actresses through this series. From the main cast to the supporting cast, their portrayal of their characters was excellent. Kim Min Ki’s facial expressions as In Sol were really entertaining to watch, and Choi Hyun Wook’s visuals were truly swooning.
The chemistry in the Haenam village was truly great, and their heartwarming interactions as a group will truly be missed.
A Story Filled with Valuable Lessons
What’s commendable in this series was the morals it has imparted. In every episode, viewers would be able to pick up values that are essential in life. Albeit the series may have mistakes in terms of representation, the production staff has made sure to apologize publicly, and also insert scenes to correct their mistakes. I really admire how they integrated traditional and contemporary beliefs.
The writing was able to successfully break the stereotype of living in the countryside and made sure to present its merits. The series presented that living in the rural side has also adapted to modern living with a bonus of a sedating pragmatic lifestyle. With that, it was amazing how they acknowledged both city life and rural life and made sure that viewers would see the advantages from both sides.
Moreover, Racket Boys has also taught its viewers that apology is given regardless of status. We see in the series that elders know how to apologize and acknowledge their wrongdoings or misdeeds from the past.
Also, in Kang Tae-seon’s story, we see how he apologized even though a long time has passed. Age and time are not the dictators of the necessity of an apology. Characters who have done wrong made sure to reconcile with the ones whom they have wronged.
Overall, Racket Boys leaves a good feeling to its viewers as its purity and consistent delivery of heartwarming messages in an entertaining way has been present throughout the series.
Watch these inspiring and heartwarming moments in Racket Boys, available on Netflix.
Photos: SBS
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