The Sand Flower

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 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.

Korean Drama '' Like Flowers in the Sand '' is a slice of life drama with many other genres blended nicely in the main plot.

The drama is a sports drama that handled it well, with some training, some games, and a championship of course.

However, the drama didn't forget the rest of its plotlines. The mystery case was solid and blended nicely with the story of the friends and their backgrounds.

The romance was, in addition, subtle, but cute.

Finally, the performances were all great by everyone in the cast. Especially the leading man was really enjoyable and had a sweet character.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

I look forward to this show every week. It is the perfect balance of comedy, sport, romance, and mystery. It reminds me a lot of When the Weather is Fine without the dark elements. I have watched hundreds of dramas and love this one.

It follows the reunion of childhood friends in a little village. You get all the humor of the village dynamics, along with the fun backdrop of the sport of Ssireum. It was so nice they casted actors that looked like they played the sport. They are all regular people, no CEOs or chaebols in sight.

The chemistry of the ML and FL is palpable and of course the ML character is so well acted. You can't keep your eyes off the ML whenever he is on. He is nearly unrecognizable from his earlier works, like Tale of Nokdu, but his acting is 100% better. He makes you listen to every word and expresses every emotion. I absolutely love his character.

This is not a roller coaster of emotions or adrenaline murder mystery, but instead a very entertaining steady and moving story with so many memorable characters. I have lost interest in so many weekly releases, but I absolutely love seeing these characters every week. My only complaint is it is only 12 episodes.

A ssireum wrestler Kim Baek-doo played by Jang Dong-yoon is thinking about retiring as at thirty two he thinks the opportunity to be a champion has passed him by. Before he makes the decision he runs into Oh Yoo-kyung played by Lee Joo-myung who was his best friend when they were children but who disappeared from his life due to an incident which took place in the town. The plot then looks back at the earlier incident and how it impacted on the group of friends and the townspeople who are all involved with ssireum and how they all turned out. It is a well acted series from the entire cast, a gentle comedy with the funniest moments between the two leads and an easy watch.