Head over Heels

What?

At first it was about Sungha being a shaman, then it was never sorted out. Then it was about Sungha, her FRIEND and her first love, dealing with shamanism as children. THEN IT WAS NOT. Then it was never again. It was suddenly alright at the end. No resolution. That was the crucial part of the story. Some characters should’ve died. Others should’ve been punished. The writing did not allow any villains, However, they did allow wicked characters. Truly wicked characters. These characters were instead tolerated embraced and befriended. Violent Bullies, yeomhwa and H who tormented the main male character and wished for him to die were embraced and forgiven whilst the good characters died in anguish. The shaman part became confusing and consumed the story but did not develop Sung ha’s misery and dispair as a shaman. All very confusing. I kept tumbling. My heels were over my head and then back again, I was still very perplexed. No exploration of suicide and phycological abuse. There was a time skip?! I skipped much of the drama. If a character was a terrible person, you would look at them from a different angle and they would be a good person. It Felt as if our perception was all a misunderstanding And we were simply Doing something wrong.

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Head Over Heels — When the Explanation Comes Too Late for the Emotion

I will admit immediately why I started Head Over Heels: Choo Young-woo. I first fell for him back in 2021 when he played Song Si-on in the Korean BL You Make Me Dance. It was his first leading role, and even in such a small production there was something about him that stayed with me. Since then, watching his career grow has been rather satisfying. School 2021, Once Upon a Small Town, Oasis, The Tale of Lady Ok, The Trauma Code... By the time Head Over Heels arrived, he had even won the Baeksang Best New Actor award for The Tale of Lady Ok. So yes, I came for Choo Young-woo, but thankfully there was considerably more here to enjoy than simply looking at him.

The basic idea is actually wonderfully simple. Park Seong-a is an eighteen-year-old student who secretly works as a shaman. When Bae Gyeon-u enters her shrine appearing upside down, she immediately understands what that means: he is going to die. Unfortunately for her, he is also exactly her type, so she decides that fate is going to have to find somebody else. That beginning is funny, romantic and extremely easy to understand. The official description even sells the drama simply as two eighteen-year-olds trying to defy fate together. Somewhere along the way, however, Head Over Heels becomes considerably more complicated than that.

Suddenly I was trying to remember who was spiritually connected to whom, which shaman had done what, who was protecting somebody, who was hurting somebody supposedly because they loved somebody else, which spirit belonged where, and whether the person I was currently watching was actually the person whose face I was looking at. There were several moments when my brain basically went: “Wait... what? ... Haaaaa! Now I understand!” Unfortunately, sometimes that understanding arrived several minutes after the emotion. That was my biggest problem with an otherwise very good drama. If I have to spend an emotional scene trying to reconstruct the supernatural rules, I am not completely feeling what the character is feeling. Once I finally understand what happened, I can appreciate why the scene was sad or important, but the immediate emotional impact has already passed.

And I don't think that was simply me not paying attention. The supernatural relationships genuinely become dense. General Dongcheon is Seong-a's spiritual mother, but she also has a complicated maternal relationship with Yeom-hwa. Yeom-hwa manipulates Bong-su, Bong-su possesses Gyeon-u, Gyeon-u can sometimes re-emerge from within that possession, and eventually the question of whose body contains whom becomes part of the plot itself. By the final episodes, love, possession, sacrifice, guilt and spiritual obligation are all operating simultaneously. Even contemporary viewer reactions repeatedly asked exactly the sort of questions I found myself asking.

Knowing that the source webtoon contains 156 episodes makes this make considerably more sense to me. Twelve television episodes are not necessarily too short, but when you are adapting such a long supernatural story—and changing major elements of it—you need extraordinary clarity. The original webtoon and drama do not even use Bong-su in exactly the same way, and General Dongcheon's fate is different. The adaptation therefore wasn't simply shortening a story; it was rebuilding parts of it. That ambition is admirable. The execution occasionally needed another pass. Thankfully, the actors carry us through much of the confusion. Choo Young-woo was obviously the reason I arrived, and Head Over Heels gave me another reason to stay. Playing Gyeon-u alone would have required enough emotional range: this is a young man whose entire life has been shaped by inexplicable misfortune, loss and an understandable hatred of shamans after years of adults exploiting his family's desperation. But then Choo effectively has to share the same face with Bong-su. And they don't feel like the same person. The posture changes. The expressions change. The confidence changes. Even the way he looks at Seong-a changes. At points I didn't need the drama to explain whether Gyeon-u or Bong-su was present because Choo Young-woo had already told me physically. Considering that the screenplay itself sometimes made identity confusing, the fact that the actor could make it clearer through performance is quite an accomplishment.

Cho Yi-hyun was equally important because Seong-a could very easily have become exhausting. She falls for Gyeon-u almost immediately and spends an enormous part of the series trying to save him, which in weaker hands could have made her feel like a character whose entire existence revolves around a boy. Instead, Cho Yi-hyun gives her enough personality, humour and stubbornness that I believed this girl would genuinely look at destiny telling her “no” and answer, “I don't care.” And there is something amusing about seeing Cho Yi-hyun and Choo Young-woo together again after School 2021. Back then, Choo Young-woo's Young-joo was the other boy in the romantic equation while Cho Yi-hyun's Ji-won ultimately belonged with Kim Yo-han's Ki-joon. Cho Yi-hyun and Kim Yo-han even won a KBS Best Couple Award for it. Four years later, Choo Young-woo finally comes back and gets to be her actual romantic lead. So perhaps Young-joo just needed to wait for another drama. The 2021 award was perfectly deserved for the couple being judged at the time, but retrospectively the reunion makes the history rather funny.

Then there is Kim Mi-kyung, who is one of those actresses whose appearance automatically reassures me. Her filmography is enormous, and she has spent decades playing mothers, mentors and women who can make supporting characters feel essential rather than decorative. General Dongcheon could have been little more than the experienced shaman who explains supernatural things to younger characters, but Kim Mi-kyung gives her genuine maternal weight. The writer even revealed that the performances of Kim Mi-kyung and Choo Ja-hyun during the test shoot were so charismatic that he went back and rewrote the shaman scenes. That does not surprise me at all. Those relationships are actually where Head Over Heels becomes more interesting than its cute premise suggests. Almost everybody is trying to protect someone, but protection continually becomes control. Love becomes sacrifice, sacrifice creates resentment, grief creates obsession, and people start hurting others because they have convinced themselves that what they are doing has a greater purpose.

The problem is that the drama sometimes gives us all of this at once. There is a very good story underneath it about accepting that loving somebody does not give you ownership over their fate. Seong-a begins by wanting to change Gyeon-u's destiny because she loves him. Other characters also interfere with destiny because of love, loss or grief, but gradually we see how differently those motivations can develop. One person protects; another manipulates. One sacrifices herself; another sacrifices somebody else. The distinction between love and possession becomes both figurative and, in this drama, very literally supernatural. I liked that. I just wish I hadn't sometimes needed a diagram. The unusual thing is that despite these problems, I still enjoyed Head Over Heels. It is beautifully produced, often genuinely funny, romantic when it allows the central couple enough space, and filled with actors capable of making complicated supernatural material feel human. I understand why some viewers became frustrated, particularly in the second half when Bong-su occupies so much of a story that originally appeared to be about saving Gyeon-u from his fate. That criticism was common even while the series was airing. But I don't think the drama collapsed. I think it became overcrowded.

Final Thought

Head Over Heels gave me a slightly unusual viewing experience. Usually a drama makes me feel something and I understand immediately why. Here, several times, understanding came first only after I mentally replayed what had just happened.
“Oh... THAT'S why she did that.”
“Oh... so THAT'S who she was protecting.”
“Oh... THAT wasn't actually Gyeon-u.”
And only then did the sadness arrive. That delay stopped the drama from becoming something exceptional for me, because emotional storytelling should ideally allow the audience to understand enough in the moment to simply feel. But when Head Over Heels was clear, it was very good, and its cast repeatedly compensated for a screenplay that occasionally asked us to keep track of one spirit, two bodies, three shamans and several generations of emotional damage at the same time. I came because the BL actor I fell for in You Make Me Dance was starring in it. I stayed because Choo Young-woo has become a considerably better actor than the young man I discovered in 2021 and because Cho Yi-hyun, Kim Mi-kyung and the rest of this cast gave me enough reason to keep chasing the story even when I wasn't entirely sure which ghost I was chasing.

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A Sweet RomCom with Demons, Murder, and Blood

The good: a sweet and brave FL, her loyal friend SML, and a handsome, tortured ML. I enjoyed all the casting. Kim Mi Kyung played the spiritual mother of the FL, and I always look forward to her appearance in dramas (I've seen her in 24 and have nearly that many more I want to see). She's especially good in roles of powerful leadership tempered with maternal instincts, and that's the exact role she played here. The cast of students added warmth and levity to balance the darker issues. With only 12 episodes, the drama maintained interest and didn't drag until the final episodes.

The bad: it seemed all the characters took turns taking stupid pills which rendered them unable to make sensible decisions. FL Seong A told her best friend to avoid her love interest, the ML, but left out the reason why: he's demon possessed. Best friend made terrible decisions without consulting Seong A, which put numerous lives at risk. Worst of all, the big villain was taken into the household and given full run of the place when everyone knew she was plotting evil. Did bad things happen as a result? Darn skippy, they did. After all that, the viewers were treated to a poorly executed time skip at the end of the drama. The last few episodes were once again written by the janitor, makeup artist, and security. That's the only viable explanation for the disjointed and illogical mess the drama became (that, or the writer contracted brain-eating amoebas).

The drama depicted Bong Su as a supreme evil spirit, but the worst I saw of him were a few anger management failures. The Big Bad kicked a tripod once, punched his rival for love in the gut a couple of times, and got into a few altercations. He was also guilty of raising his voice several times. Hardly the evil we were promised! The true villain was the shaman who orchestrated the deaths of a hundred people, terrorized the ML most of his life, and caused the death of her spiritual mother. As often is depicted in South Korean dramas, she was given cheap grace and walked away free and unrepentant. To the very end, even when the viewer was supposed to believe she'd had a change of heart, she was still trying to solve her problems with murder.

I subtracted a star for the execution of the ending, but I added one for the delightful cast.

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Fun show

This was such a fun series. I did not expect it to be quite as entertaining. I mean, I really had no expectations when I started watching it but it was enjoyable over-all. The story was about a young shaman trying to protect her first love who is plagued by bad spirits. What could go wrong? Well, everything.

It is about young love so it was sweet, charming, and fun. It explored youth, growth, and the complexities of first love. That is always something I enjoy watching. The backstories of the characters were also interesting. I particularly enjoyed all the shaman scenes - those were fun to watch.

This show was not meant to be serious at all. It is just to entertain, something to pass time, for fun. The two leads are cute and have good chemistry. I even liked the love triangle. It was not problematic at all. I also love a good slow burn romance, might not appeal to all, but that's really my kind of romance.

It's a short series, so if you're looking for something not too time-consuming, not too depressing or serious, just lighthearted and funny, this might be for you!

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Good Binge watch but dont look for logic....like any

The show started strong. The chemistry lovely. Bromance 10/10. Every single character did an amazing job of portraying their roles, even the support cast and side characters. But the story is messy. Some things, even when I try to not use my brains, don't make sense. Like what was the fuss about ?
The big bad shaman summons 'evil deity' who is just your average friendly ghost, for what reason ? Unclear. After creating all the havoc in the world she suddenly is the good guy still trying to kill the FL because she is trying to now do the right thing.
The plot is so so messy. Everyone just let's the bad shaman so her evil stuff because...... Honestly if not for good acting, chemistry and the fact this was only 12 eps. I would have dropped it. Everything in this show has no point, there is no big picture. It could easily have been a show about self discovery and romcom. Such a wasted oppertunity when the failure is only script makes me ugh!!

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Sometimes the simplest stories leave the biggest impact.

ok so… i actually ended up enjoying this way more than i expected.

this isn’t the kind of drama that’s trying to constantly shock you or throw plot twists every five minutes. it’s more about the characters, the emotions, and the little moments that slowly build up over time. if you go into it expecting nonstop action or a super fast-paced story, you’ll probably think it’s slow. but if you let it do its thing, it becomes really easy to get attached.

the biggest strength is definitely the chemistry. nothing felt forced, and the leads made even the quiet scenes interesting. i liked that they actually looked comfortable around each other instead of just relying on dramatic staring contests every episode. their relationship developed naturally, which made the emotional scenes hit a lot harder.

the fantasy/supernatural elements were honestly handled better than i expected. they weren’t just there for aesthetics—they actually pushed the story forward and added emotional weight. there were a few moments where i genuinely didn’t know how things were going to turn out, which kept me invested.

that being said… the pacing isn’t perfect. there are episodes in the middle that definitely drag, and i found myself wishing certain storylines had been wrapped up sooner. a couple of side characters also had more potential than what the writers actually gave them. some conflicts felt like they existed just to delay the inevitable.

the ending is one of those where i think most people will walk away satisfied. maybe not perfect, maybe not groundbreaking, but it stays true to what the drama was trying to be from the beginning instead of pulling something ridiculous at the last second.

overall, i don’t think this is a drama that’s trying to reinvent the genre, and honestly… it doesn’t need to. it knows exactly what it wants to be and sticks with it. it’s emotional without feeling overly melodramatic, romantic without becoming cheesy every five minutes, and just genuinely easy to watch.

is it flawless? definitely not.

did i enjoy the journey anyway? absolutely.

this is one of those dramas i’ll probably remember because of how it made me feel rather than because every single plot point was perfect. and honestly, that’s worth more to me than having the most complicated storyline.

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Well, I have very mixed feelings towards this drama.

Well, I have very mixed feelings towards this drama. Head over Heals is very interesting story-wise. I very much liked the deep cultural representation it brought, from Shamanism, to folklore, to history. It made me want to conduct research on spirits, ghosts, and the grim reaper (one of the topics I am most fascinated by). The cast is very charming, and characters like Do Ryeong, or as he is known: The “Flower Master,” very witty yet kind-hearted, and a nice callback on the cultural aspect of how men can be shamans. On that line of argumentation, I kind of liked Bongsu a little bit more than Gyeon U because he had more of a character in general. His story sparked my curiosity, and I am so into joyful tragic characters and backstories as a whole. He is also a child; it made me feel very protective of him, knowing that he was a victim of war and all he wanted was to be loved. Nonetheless, he acted like a child who was holding and playing with dangerous tools (aka the arrow scene), PERFECT depiction of what he was doing before his death. I am sure it is not a big deal that some of us would like him more, as Seong A is made to be since she likes Gyeon U more, and that's what both the main lead and the spirit really care about.

On another note, I did not know how to feel about Yeom Hwa. She is definitely an anti-hero and a grey character, a bit more lenient towards the villain archetype. She lost her baby, and the realization that she could not protect them even in death is very upsetting. Yet, it definitely is not an excuse to torment Gyeon U, as he was a child himself at some point, and she did not have any empathy for the kid who died in the first few episodes in an accident; like, she moved on very quickly. General Dong Cheon is also very captivating, a mother at heart and a very wise one too. Her death was certainly emotional. Still, I just could not comprehend how Yeom Hwa was blaming the entity in a way. I mean, she cast the spell, was about to summon the grim reaper as a murderer, forcing both Bongsu and Gyeon U to be on the other side, and was protected by her mom as she died for her. Not to forget she was the one who was blinded enough to make Bongsu possess Gyeon U through casting spells, manipulation, and causing harm.

I felt bad for Ji Ho in a funny and not-so funny way. His tragedy comes from being left out; nobody thanked him for all of the stuff he did. He had to confess to his friend in front of her very obvious non-lover (which was kind of weird), then was rejected by her, was kicked by Bongsu on few occasions, was dumb enough to also indirectly cause the death of the General by giving the obvious non-villain the ring, etc. He is a great person and he remained kind, although I wish he could have protected, or at least stood up for, Seong A when she was a push-over.

Other than that, I really could not understand characters like Hye Ri and her motivations, and whatever they did in episode 11 could not make me stomach her. I loved the representations of the Suicide Spirit and wondered why the grim reaper wouldn't be by his side, side by side. However, the grim reaper only appears when there is certain death, plus the ghost spirit already looks like the grim reaper in a way.

Seong A is also kind of a push-over. I like her and dislike her at the same time, since I couldn't see much character development or motivation. I would like to say more about her, but that's what I am mad about: I don't really have much to say about the FL in the same fashion that I do about the supporting cast.

Story-wise, I like the idea of the drama. Still, it felt like... too much? I have finished it in 2 days, yet I felt like it was a week already. Too many events happened, and the second half already felt like Season 2. A lot of questions were left unanswered and things were kind of unresolved (Hye Ri's motivations for causing the arson, how does Seong A feel now about being a shaman, how does Gyeon U feel about shamans now? their parents, how did he carry their misfortune tbg...). It felt kind of too packed and didn't make a lot of sense. Too many plots too. I just wished they could have stuck to one theme or made a Season 2.

The acting was very nice. I found myself tearing up every now and then and cried too, which I was not expecting, the General's sacrifice, the unfairness regarding the baby in the coffin as a punishment for their mom, etc. I wish I could have paid more attention to the OST to be honest!

Very nice, a solid 7/10

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When I first started watching, I got hooked right away~ (｡◕‿◕｡)✨

But somewhere in the middle, something changed. I stopped watching for a while and felt a bit tired of it 😅

Still, I didn’t give up! It took some time, but I finally finished the series 🌸✨

In the end, I really liked the theme of the story 💖

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🌸✨🌈 Hiii~ Welcome to my kawaii corner~ ♡(≧▽≦)ﾉ✨🌸

You can find more of my reviews on Instagram~ 🌟💖

Check my homepage for my account~ (｡♥‿♥｡) 🌷

Some reviews are under 500 words, so I can’t post them here~ (≧ω≦)ﾉ💫

Thank you sooo much~ ☆:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:☆ 💕🌸

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Head over Heels Review - ZyKuu

"A shaman must protect her cursed lover" - The story was chaotic in the sense that there was no true direction. The first half of the plot was easier to comprehend whereas the second half was difficult to follow and make sense of. There were plot holes that appeared in the backend of the show and I would have to blame the pacing for these flaws. The supernatural trope was interesting to come across and I am intrigued to look further into this genre. The main leads Park Seong-a and Bae Gyeon-u were both amazing in portraying their roles and the chemistry between the two was great. Bong-su was a character that was well executed by both main leads, his personality was one of the most notable ones. Pyo Ji-ho is an amazing actor and nailed his role. Ji-ho's loyalty and care for Seong-a was genuine and he is an amazing person to have by your side. General Dongcheon and Yeomhwa were key pieces to the plot although they did not entertain me to the extent that I expected given the importance of their roles. The side cast wasn't anything special either but they did good enough to get by. The OST is catchy and flows well with the show's atmosphere. All in all, this show was light hearted but confusing at times. If you got time to spare I'd say give it a shot, otherwise you aren't missing out on much.

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