Crushology 101 (2025)

Come for the Pretty Faces, Stay Because You Forgot Where the Remote Is

Crushology 101 kicks off with a dazzling premise: a young woman, freshly humiliated, decides that from now on, only gorgeous men are worthy of her time. Truly groundbreaking. If you ever wanted a show that promises emotional growth and then immediately forgets about it in favor of pretty faces, congratulations... you’ve found it.

-> Story and Pacing:
The opening scandal is genuinely hilarious. But after that, the plot politely packs its bags and leaves. Bunny’s "handsome-only" rule is less about emotional healing and more about assembling the Korean drama version of a boy band. Growth is "teased" (if by teased you mean "mentioned and ignored"), and episodes start blending together into one long montage of Bunny blushing at different men.

-> Characterization:

Ban Hee-jin (Bunny) begins as someone you root for, until you realize she’s stuck on a hamster wheel of terrible decisions, and the script is too scared to let her get off.

The male leads (Ji-won, Jae-yeol, A-rang)? Icons of originality. We’ve got the brooding quiet guy, the smug flirt, and the sensitive artist - almost as if someone checked off a bingo card titled "Standard K-Drama Love Interests."

Their instant fascination with Bunny is truly touching, considering none of them know her beyond her tendency to trip over her own feet and stare dramatically into space.

-> Tone and Execution:
The show fully commits to its webtoon look, which is adorable until it’s supposed to get serious. Emotional scenes flash by so fast you’d think the editors had a hot dinner waiting. Any heartfelt moment is immediately buried under a mountain of cartoonish antics. Emotional stakes? Never heard of them.

-> Highlights (Such As They Are):

Bunny’s internal monologues are gold if you enjoy secondhand embarrassment.

Jae-yeol and Bunny actually have chemistry (an endangered species here).

Every once in a while, the show remembers it could be about self-esteem and body image... before getting distracted by another "accidental fall into a guy’s arms" scene.

-> Verdict:
Crushology 101 is colorful, chaotic, and as deep as a puddle. It’s the perfect background noise for folding laundry or wondering what more interesting dramas you could be watching. It’s just another webtoon adaptation you forgot you watched.

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This drama is like chewing gum, the more i watched - the more flavor it lost.

I'm going to be honest when I started this drama I was quite excited because while watching hierarchy (despite how mediocre it was) I personally wanted them together in another project as leads and honestly I want to take that back after watching this horrible actualization of my wish.

Cons:
1. Overloaded with clichés : I can usually overlook frequently used tropes in dramaland when executed well but it was almost like the scriptwriter and director were competing to see how many tropes they could fit into a single show. At some point certain things didn't add up and I honestly didn't have the energy to care.

2. Bunny and her boys or as usual Bunny and THE boy? : I absolutely hate it when writers give us the perfect second/third leads but make the character end up with the male lead simply because HE IS THE MAIN LEAD UGH!

3. Lacking chemistry: sadly i did not feel any significant chemistry from the final couple and I frankly could not see why they liked each other besides each other's looks. They also sounded like little kids in elementary for majority of the show and it was so difficult to watch.

4. This show also distinctly felt like a teenager's fantasy after getting rejected by their crush, like why did all the popular guys suddenly take notice of her after she got humiliated and dumped her bf?

5. There were also not much to develop in terms of characters, their backgrounds/personalities/relationships are all pretty 2D and have no depth as such and so there was no personality development or growth.

6. Introducing a New guy: Now we already know she ends up with someone else but they still brought up yet another contender from the past who is also MADLY in love with her YET only confesses to her when he notices she's in a possible relationship? Like whats up with the men in this drama acting out impulsively like men in in love only when they get jealous??

7. Acting: Like many have pointed out both actors are pretty mediocre at conveying emotions via acting but esp the FL, she had absolutely no facial movements, every single shot she either looked like a lost child looking for their parent or like she was spacing out.

8. Storyline: Felt like a typical web drama/soap opera was being marketed as a high budget coming of age show for drama lovers and it was genuinely difficult to watch because I forgot it was airing every other week

Pros:

1. Pretty visuals

2. Supporting cast: Ji-won was a great guy and watching him and yeol's friend was the highlight of every episode


Conclusion:

All in all just like with the chewing gum analogy, if you want to chew just for the sake of chewing something, similarly if you want to watch anything just for the sake of it this drama is perfect. I watched this drama as it was being aired and honestly it was very very difficult to complete but maybe if you binge it might be better.

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Big romantic gestures do not make a romance

It's a shame the plot turned out the way it is because I usually will eat up a college-setting romance, especially a reverse harem. And the first two episodes were extremely promising too, with some really amusing over-the-top scenes that seemed to be making fun of old tropes, and with a female lead that was a little cliche — bright and bubbly — but still ended up sticking up for herself. And I love the bright pastel visuals.

As the drama went on, it felt like the show stopped doing tropes the fun way and just started doing them for real. I felt like I was watching something that should've come out in 2010. The manipulative ex-girlfriend plot device is especially tired, especially when paired with a male lead that just...doesn't communicate. And the way they handled the study abroad plot was so immature and frustrating.

Which is kind of a big issue throughout the drama that really made me stop caring about the leads. The show uses scenes of big romantic gestures to push the leads together, but the two of them pretty much fall flat in everything else. Maybe I'm old now but constant slow motion scenes of the leads saving each other from random situations, or running to each other to say "I love you" doesn't really mean anything to me if they're not going to actually talk to each other in between those scenes.

The side characters feel pretty underutilized. But props to Hong Min-ki for showing up to serve face for a few episodes.

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No Surprises, Just Red Flags - Love Minus the Lessons

Crushology 101 presents itself as a quirky teen romance but quickly falls into a cycle of overused tropes and predictable plotlines. The main leads share a toxic dynamic—his avoidant attachment style and hot-and-cold behavior are romanticized rather than addressed. The female lead’s choices make her feel unrelatable—especially in an era where female empowerment and emotional independence should resonate more strongly.

The second male lead—and other love interests—feel unnecessary. From the start, it’s obvious who the female lead will end up with, leaving no real tension or surprise. Side characters serve more as distractions than contributors to emotional depth. While the show has visual appeal and moments of light charm, it lacks emotional depth and narrative risk, resulting in a glossy but forgettable watch.

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“Promising Start, But Fails to Deliver"

*Crushology 101* starts off with some promising aspects, especially its beautiful soundtrack, with the intro OST being particularly captivating and well-suited to the atmosphere of the drama. The settings are also visually appealing, with well-chosen locations that create a pleasant and cozy vibe, perfect for a romantic K-Drama.

However, despite these strengths, *Crushology 101* ultimately falls short. The plot quickly becomes predictable, filled with clichés and unoriginal twists, and the characters lack depth. The performances, while not disastrous, feel shallow and lack sincerity, making it hard to form a connection with the characters. The emotional moments fall flat, which detracts from the drama's impact.

*Crushology 101* offers a beautiful soundtrack and pleasant visuals, but its predictable story and lackluster performances make it hard to fully enjoy. It ends up being a disappointing experience, leaving you wishing for more.

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Second lead syndrome

The show started off promising although how promising can a show be about a girl who essentially feels that falling in love with a hot guy instead of an ‘ugly’ guy will solve all of her relationship issues.

Hwan Jae Yeol (the ml) is honestly toxic yet we are meant to ship him and Bunny together. This dude bullies her, is overly possessive of her even by K drama standards, runs to his ex constantly, kisses her for the first time in front of his ex just to desperately latch onto her, lacks communication skills whenever Bunny asks him a question, barely makes any effort with her friends unlike Ji Won and genuinely has 0 personality.
I know she clearly doesn’t end up with Ji Won from Lee Chae Min being presented as the ml but he is a much better guy for Bunny. Dude is actually wholesome, kind, cares for his sister, interacts with Bunny’s friends, drives her around everywhere and always cheers her up.
I’m honestly done with the toxic ML always getting the girl.
The story essentially has no substance after a while. Would not recommend. Tbh Lee Chae Min and Roh Jeong Eui really need to start choosing better dramas cause their acting isn’t awful it’s the scripts that suck.

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Messy,repetitive plot and wasted potential.

This show had a huge downfall. This show was supposed to be a second chance for the hierarchy couple but didn't last. now this is supposed to be about a girl finding her perfect man not going for looks. in the start of the show this was absolutely amazing! many people loved it, after ep 8 it became so repetitive which was honestly annoying. now, tell me why did they make a new couple in the last few minutes of the show? bani's character was SO ANNOYING after a few eps! why did cho a rang just dissappear after a few eps? like isn't he one of the MAIN CHARACTERS? and why is bani's first love appearing in the LAST 2 episodes? this doesn't even make sense to me?? the script is written so POORLY! as for cha ji won I loved his acting! but it seemed like they tried to make it like hwang in yeops character in true beauty but a bit different, the second lead syndrome or so I thought. I skipped through all the eps after 8 specially EP 9,10 AND 11. atlast, so much potential wasted. could've been a very refreshing show but failed.

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"A good start, but it didn't live up to its promises"

The drama was okay—not exceptional, but I enjoy simple things, haha.
The chemistry between the leads was nice, but the story became repetitive and lacked pacing, making it feel like a typical “filler drama.”
It was disappointing to see the lighthearted, comedic tone from the beginning fade away.
That said, the supporting cast really stood out—especially Ji-won and his growing, funny friendship with Yeol. Yeol’s friend Dong Ha, along with Kwon Bo Bae (Bunny’s childhood friend), brought a lot of charm and helped lift the overall vibe of the show.

I think people were a bit too hard on Yeol. Yes, he struggles with love, expressing emotions, and sometimes fails to fully understand or respect Bunny’s feelings—but Bunny wasn’t easy to handle either. She had poor communication and often acted ambiguously with other guys…

All in all, it’s a basic drama with pretty visuals and a bit of drama—but nothing more than that.

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The hate is not worth it

I don‘t really get the hate I really enjoyed it. It‘s a little cringy but that made it even cuter. I watched it since it came out and I was waiting the whole week for the new episodes. The only thing I didn‘t really understand was why banis first love is the main character when he wasn‘t even relevant till the second last episode. But overall it‘s really cute you should warch it. It felt like summer while watching it also reminded me of extraordinary you or lovely runner. It was refreshing and it kind of got me out of my slump. Overall it‘s really worth watching if you want to giggle in your bed!!!

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바니와 오빠들

9 because I'm generous—not a 10, since it's not a masterpiece.

Crushology matters to me because of the reunion between Roh Jeongeui, Lee Chaemin (love him as a tsundere), and Kim Minchul, plus the spring setting—the whole drama is aesthetically pleasing. I loved the sculpture university, the angst, and the Nevertheless vibes, even though the premise is clearly a silly romcom, as you'd expect from the webtoon. Ironically, kids would have a much more mature reaction to the later episodes than K-drama fans who can’t handle flawed characters at all.

Honestly, the highlight was Yeol's character—his complexity made him more interesting and adorable. In the end, I missed those kinds of clichés, and it was a beautiful romance. I noticed the writers had only worked on webdramas before, so it’s not surprising they wrote this.

2 posts I made + behind the scenes edit (not by me)

https://kisskh.at/profile/suwunoh/feeds/Ne7k2SZ
https://kisskh.at/profile/suwunoh/feeds/K8rbotA
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdrwFNU1/

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Bunny and her oppas where???

Im not very apt at writing so this is gonna be a mess of a review but I just have to get this off my chest.

I was confused when I saw they were adapting a webtoon that only had one season but I decided to give it a go, as that one season was pretty fun and light hearted. They took the plot of the first two chapters, used the main character and two of the guys from the webtoon and then threw the rest of it in the trash.

Now im not saying the source material had major potential as a drama, in fact, it had too many oppas and the humour may not have translated over too well. But my gosh, why say its an adaption of a story if you arent even going to use the story? They turned this silly little webtoon in to a melodramatic miscommunication-fest of BORING!!! worst part of it, they removed my favourite character/turned him in to another person who is kind of evil???WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT TO MY HIMBO JOCK?!?!

Overral this drama was such a waste of not only the source material, but the great actors and the phenomenal soundtrack. Seriously, this ost slapped so hard.
I recommend reading bunny and her oppas!!!

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