The "healing" drama reality check
If you’ve spent any time in K-drama circles, you’ve heard the term healing. In theory, it means a show that lowers your cortisol levels and makes you feel better about humanity. In practice, for a teenager used to the high-octane plot twists of Squid Game or the high-school hierarchy wars of Penthouse, "healing" can sometimes be code for boring.
Our Beloved Summer is the ultimate litmus test for this. It doesn't rely on amnesia, tragic accidents, or evil corporate chairmen. The "conflict" is almost entirely internal. It’s about two people who were once the top and bottom of their class, dated, broke up badly, and now have to stand in front of a camera again. If your teen is looking for a show where "something happens" every ten minutes, they will be disappointed. But if they are the type who likes to analyze why people say one thing while meaning another, they’ll find this addictive.
The documentary hook and the "perceived" self
The most interesting thing about this show is the documentary framing. We see the characters as they were ten years ago—awkward, defensive, and young—and as they are now. For a generation that grew up documenting their lives on social media, the central anxiety of the show feels very current.
It asks a question many teens are already grappling with: how much of "you" is just the version other people see through a lens? The show does a great job of showing the gap between the edited, public version of the main characters and the messy, insecure reality. It’s a great entry point for a conversation about digital footprints and how we outgrow our younger selves, making it a standout choice among Coming of Age KDramas: 12 Best Series for 12-Year-Olds & Up.
If they liked "Twenty-Five Twenty-One," they might still struggle here
It’s tempting to group this with other recent coming-of-age hits, but Our Beloved Summer is its own beast. While something like Twenty-Five Twenty-One has the energy of sports and big, sweeping ambitions, this show is much more insular.
The friction here is quiet. It’s in the way a character avoids eye contact or the way they choose to be petty instead of vulnerable. Critics on sites like Letterboxd (where it holds a strong 4/5) praise this nuance, but user reviews on IMDb are more divided. The 8.2 score is high, but the "6.5/10" reviews usually cite the same thing: the middle episodes can feel like they are treading water.
How to watch it without quitting
This isn't a show to binge-watch in one Saturday. It’s better as a "one episode before bed" kind of experience. Because the stakes are low—will they talk about their feelings? will they finally admit they missed each other?—the tension evaporates if you try to power through it too fast.
If your teen starts it and complains that "nothing is happening," they’re right. Nothing is happening, except for two people slowly learning how to be honest with themselves. If they can’t get past the third episode, don't force it; they probably just prefer their romance with a side of momentum. But if they stick with it, they’ll get one of the most realistic portrayals of how hard it is to actually grow up.
