Head over Heels

Generational trauma is a b*tch to get rid of, I tell you!

Yeah, okay this wasn't as bad as everyone made it sound! It was actually fun! So there was a lot to love about this show. The depiction and use of shamanism in this plot makes it very fresh and engaging. It's contemporary fantasy but make it VERY Korean and I don't know, it was a breath of fresh air. And the show stays very consistent with its involvement. Now, I'm not familiar with the religion or shamanism at all so I don't know how true the practices were to the actual thing but at least the story stayed consistent with its rules. You had the deity-patronized shamans and you had the deity-less shamans and you had your vengeful ghosts, evil spirits, the faceless ghosts, and the lost souls...it was such a consistent and engaging canon. Then there is the character arcs and the plot.

So the story follows Seong A who is a teen shaman who wishes she was just like other teens and then you have Gyeon U who is a teenage dreamboat cursed with misfortune. When Gyeon U walks into Seong A's temple upside down, she knows he is bound to die in 21 days. But he's so handsome so she instantly falls in love with him and vows to save him no matter what. Then he also walks into her ordinary life as the new boy at school and it's like a blessing and a curse all at once as she tries to hide her shaman status from the gloomy Gyeon U while maneuvering her crush and her fate-defying heroics to save him. But little does she know, there are dark forces at work behind the scenes that are trying to thwart her plans.

So the story has two main characters with their own arcs, right? Well, it also has 3 supporting characters who are also going through their own stuff and by the end, all characters reach the end of their arcs having overcome their problems from the start. In addition to all this, there is a great love story (even though it's based on appearances at first, the show makes a not-at-all subtle point of proving that appearances are not enough to love a person without a nice personality to boot. I love that!) that defies convention as our guy is the damsel in serious distress, great friendships that build through the show with humor and compassion, a whole comedy side show, and a freaking sport plot too! And I kid you not...the show pulls it all off. I know, I know! Some reading this are getting angry because I'm ignoring the blinged elephant in the room....I'll get there! Wait!
The thing is, the show takes some odd detours to reach its conclusion but if you actually try to follow each thread to its bitter end, you'll see that by the end of the show, everything is in its right place. Now as for the elephant...the issue with the plot is that, it seems like a while episode is missing between episode 10 and 11 which makes the start of episode 11 very jarring and completely messes up the pace the show had lain thus far. It's a hiccup and that's why this is not a 10-star show because it skips over two very important questions in-between those two episodes but I think it bounces back by sticking to its guns and standing by the rules of the story for the rest of the remaining episodes and two, the fact that even before then, the show keeps some serious mysterious vibe going by not over-explaining characters and their backgrounds. So omitting vital information is already on-brand for the show and if you pick yourself up and get over the sudden jump between those episodes, the rest makes sense again. But they definitely cut an episode out in the middle there. I wonder if they thought a show about shamans having 13 episodes was just too ominous! lol
But really, despite all that, this is a solid show with A+ humor and immaculate dialogue that really steals the words out of your head, at some points. The show also does something really amazing with the second male lead which makes the show that much more fun to watch and leaves us with a very memorable character to boot. That is of course if we ignore the other...SML...but I don't know if that menace counts as one...can someone be their own love rival?! ANYWAY! That brings me right down to...the acting!

So the acting...boy! Choo Young Woo is seriously one of the best young actors coming out of Kdramaland lately. Possibly the best one, actually. This is my second show with him and in both, he has shown such astounding skills that I genuinely think he has an MO now of picking really difficult roles that no one else can really pull off other than him. Like I really don't know which other actor could have pulled something like this off so well...maybe that guy from Weak Hero Class? He could do this too, probably. Anyway, he did so well here and I got chills because he is so detailed with his choices that it's impossible not to be impressed. Cho Yi Hyun is very cute and she pulled off her character really well as well, even though the cute acting isn't my personal favorite but I think she did well objectively, regardless of personal taste. The ensemble were great too. Some of the older actors are tried and well-known actors but the younger cast didn't let themselves be upstaged either.

I think the production was great too. Set design was gorgeous and beautiful (Seong A's bedroom was legit gorgeous! The most beautiful bedroom of dramaland. And Gyeon U's whole house was so cottagecore goals), the white washing in the show wasn't super severe either so the actors looks natural...good thing too! Otherwise how were we to tell the humans and the ghosts apart?! The music was awful...like ew! But thankfully, the show didn't do the slow-mo music video montages so I could easily skip those awful songs...

Now the negatives: The second half of the show has this fundamental hiccup as it depends on the assumption that viewers will have enough emotional investment in the evil spirit to watch and stay with the plot...and I don't know other but omg I could not give less of a F---...I could not care less about that lil menace. And because I didn't like the character, watching a lot of the events of the last three episodes was painful...but I wouldn't accuse the show of lobotomizing itself or to have fundamentally changed its tone. It's more that the show stays true to itself but it's just that the bitter path they're on isn't particularly likable. The show does make a solid point of saying how the scars of war are still deep in the consciousness of the Korean public and how the trauma is inescapable and will still hurt the people. And that the only way to move forward is to remember those who were lost to the unfair violence. That's a beautiful and melancholic message and if you stand by the show, you get to feel that at the very end. Sure, the show skipped one or two fundamental steps there but at least the end was a proper pay off. At least in my opinion.

Overall: Is it worth a watch? YES! Absolutely! This is one of the most fun shows I have come across this year. 2025 has been an amazing drama year, actually and this show definitely falls into the good side of that. I suggest you watch this if you like high school dramas, contemporary fantasy, star-crossed romances, or just a show with a good balance of angst and fluff. It's a great show to binge for sure.

P.S: I would like to congratulate Korea for finally figuring out a show that has 12 episodes but has fans begging for more! This has literally never happened before. Like the 16-episodes-curse is so real and alive and yet! Here we are! *standing ovation* truly another amazing showing by SK drama writers! How do they always manage to miscalculate the plot to episode ratio is truly amazing!

P.P.S: This show was plenty angsty, right? Like Gyeon U would have been a whole edge-lord if he wasn't so wholesome and sweet all the time but then Yeomhwa was like 5 degrees more angsty than the rest of this whole production! lol! Like, she was WAY too dramatic at some points! I was like, girlie needs to unwind a bit! lol

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A Decent Romcom With Healthy Friendship & Nice Chemistry

This is a nice romcom that actually feels like a romcom at the beginning. The chemistry between the 2 leads was off the charts in my opinion. I would love to see them together in other dramas in the future. But the drama was too rushed, and I felt like it ended abruptly. This could have been a 16 episode drama, or the Bangsu track could have been shortened a bit. That track felt dragging to me later. The female lead has done a nice job in my opinion, by not making the character overly bubbly. Otherwise, it would have become irritating. I absolutely loved watching Choo Young Woo switching between 2 characters simultaneously. It was a fun ride that could have been better if it was more focused on the leads' relationship instead of their separation. The 2nd ML was a very nice friend, and I am glad the writer did not turn him negative. Overall, this is a nice one-time watch.

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hard to take seriously

I tried to like this drama but had a hard time taking anything about it seriously. To be fair to other viewers who liked it, dramas that are about shamans do not appeal to me. I guess I don’t fully understand the whole shaman ‘lore’ - whenever I watch a drama that heavily relies on shamans, their meaning and purpose have very weak roots to begin with. I know it involves the spirit world, but it seems to me that, depending on the writer, anything goes in this genre, that’s why I can’t take shaman genre’s story line seriously.

I watched Head over Heels because of the very talented Choo Young Woo. This is the 5th drama of his I’ve watched and it very nicely showcases his wide range and I was not disappointed with his acting here. He was able to shift characters smoothly making it easy to know when he was Gueyon U (with a depressed flat affect) or Bong Su (who was mean, murderous, and abrasive for most of his arc).

My favorite character CYW has played so far is the carefree storyteller, Chen Seung Hwi, in The Tale of Lady Ok, followed by Dr Yang Jae Won in Trauma Code - both excellent dramas…, but I digress.

Back to HOH -
Cho Yi-hyun’s Sung-ah as a High Schooler by day - Shaman by night was very likable and truly well acted. Cha Kang Yoon’s Ju Hu, the loyal friend (with a late and misplaced confession to Sung-ah) to both Sung-ah and Gueyon U was great even if a little cringy a time or two.
The other Shamans - I can’t critique them because I was confused half the time.
I do agree with another reviewer, the lack of accountability for grevious acts was disappointing. Maybe that’s part of the Shaman ‘lore’.

I try my best to take a story as it’s presented and rarely rate a drama poorly just because I didn’t like it. I’m writing a review this time because, beyond the shaman theme, I just could not follow the story. I wonder how many other viewers felt the same way. It seemed there were too many elements and motives of the various characters to follow that the story of the two main leads kept getting lost- so much so that it made the drama was too long.

I did like the budding romance, and I’m aware they needed to figure out issues but, again, a lot of the sub-stories at times were unnecessary interruptions to its progression.

I’m neutral on the music, it neither added or subtracted from the story itself. Nothing stood out to me. 75% of the time I’ll download and listen to OSTs at least once, but don’t feel compelled this time.

I personally would not recommend this drama.

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A short-length fantastic series with a really cute CL

A short-length fantastic series with a really cute CL

PLOT: The FL, a high school student and shaman, meets the ML, a transfer student depressed by the bad luck that has haunted him since childhood. She tries to get closer to him, to help him, but an evil shaman wants to transform the ML into an Evil Spirit. Two teams will oppose her: the "good" shamans and the high school friends.

+++ Very cute CL with young but talented actors.
+++ Good direction with effects and well-suited CGI.
+++ The shaman universe is well-exploited.

### Twists and turns a bit too much.
### The Great Villain's motivation is inconsistent.
### A little too much shamanic universe for my taste.

=> Entertaining, allows us to discover excellent actors, but not memorable.
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A short-lenght fantastic series with a really cute CL

PLOT: La FL, lycéenne et shamane, rencontre le ML, élève transféré, déprimé par la malchance qui le poursuit depuis l'enfance. Elle tente de l'approcher, de l'aider. Mais 1 evil shamane veut transformer le ML en Evil Spirit. 2 Teams vont s'y opposer : les "bons" shamanes et les amis lycéens.

+++ Très cute CL avec des acteurs jeunes mais talentueux.
+++ Bonne réalis° avec effets, CGI bien adaptés.
+++ Univers des shamanes bien exploité.

### Twists and turns un peu too much.
### Motivation de la Great Villain, incohérente.
### Un peu trop d'univers shamanique à mon goût.

=> Distrayant, permet de découvrir d'excellents acteurs, mais pas mémorable.

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Without the Last 2 Episodes, It Could Be 9/10

This drama started so good I originally gave it a 9/10. It felt like a combination of True Beauty and Lovely Runner. Interesting plot, adorable main couple. Even the plot with Bong-su didn't disturb me at first — I actually enjoyed this character, and the actor was great at playing the double role. His performance was really nice, with the immediate difference when switching between the two characters.
I felt like this until episode 10. Then something changed and I actually don't understand what happened. By the end of the drama I stopped paying attention and just waited for it to finish to learn the final outcome. I feel like it could be much better if they kept the original idea with the young shaman trying to find her true self and trying to reconcile it with love.
Also, just my personal opinion: how can one person (ML) be that affected by so many bad things happening in his life? I know it's a drama and so on, but it doesn't sit right with me. Maybe I just have too strong a sense of justice. It just felt like too many things happening to a high schooler. Screenwriters really love torturing their characters with the plot. 😩

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Saving Your Crush 101

Park Seong A lives a double life. By day, she is a regular high school student trying to survive classes and teenage chaos. By night, she becomes Fairy Cheon Ji, a well known shaman who reads fortunes, predicts futures, and helps clients with illnesses and lingering worries, all while keeping her identity hidden behind a partially covered face. One night, a boy named Bae Gyeon U walks into her shrine with his grandmother, and Seong A falls for him at first sight. That flutter quickly turns into dread when she sees his fate. He is destined to die soon. As if destiny enjoys being dramatic, Gyeon U transfers into her class the very next day. Faced with the cruel timing of fate, Seong A makes a bold decision. She will do everything she can to save the boy she likes, even if it means challenging the heavens themselves.

The drama kicks off on a playful note, following Seong A as she hilariously juggles homework by day and shaman duties by night. Watching her switch between a school uniform and ritual robes feels like a coming of age story with a supernatural twist. Just when things feel light and cozy, the mood tilts slightly darker with Gyeon U’s upside down entrance, but the gloom never overstays its welcome. Seong A’s bubbly, lovestruck energy swoops in like a ray of sunshine after midnight rain, keeping the tone bright and comforting.

Once Seong A learns about Gyeon U’s fate, it becomes oddly adorable watching her go full guardian mode, desperately trying to prevent the unspeakable from happening to her crush. Meanwhile, Gyeon U does what emotionally guarded boys do best and pushes her away at every turn. Their dynamic feels like soft chaos, with Seong A persistently closing the distance and Gyeon U slowly, reluctantly learning how to trust again. This push and pull is where the drama truly shines. The chemistry between Cho Yi Hyun and Choo Young Woo is its biggest strength. The bubbly girl and cold guy trope could have been tired, but they make it feel fresh and sincere. I had more than a few fangirl moments watching them share the screen.

What I appreciated most about Seong A is that she never felt immature or annoyingly naive. Despite her bright personality, she carries a quiet wisdom, likely shaped by her life as a shaman. She has this natural protector aura that makes you want to lean on her and believe that things will be okay. Gyeon U, on the other hand, is a walking bundle of unresolved trauma. Haunted by past experiences and burdened by a dark aura that harms those around him, his emotional walls make sense. I admit I am weak for the girl who slowly tears down the guy’s walls trope, and this drama knew exactly how to serve it.

Just when the main romance risks becoming a little too comfortable, Pyo Ji Ho steps in and saves the day. As Seong A’s best friend, confidant, and secret admirer, he adds warmth and balance to the story. I was genuinely happy that he did not end up as a bitter third wheel but instead became the couple’s biggest supporter. His growing friendship with the lonely Gyeon U was unexpectedly wholesome. Cha Kang Yoon fit this role perfectly, turning Ji Ho into the kind of sad boy turned bestie you cannot help but root for.

Unfortunately, the drama stumbles a bit in its second half. The introduction of Bongsu shifts the story into darker and more complicated territory. While the show remains relatively light and easy to digest despite the heavier shamanic concepts, Bongsu’s storyline drags on far longer than necessary. What frustrated me most is how it almost completely sidelined Gyeon U’s fated death, which felt like the true core of the drama. Bongsu himself is a tragic character born from trauma and regret. His first appearance intrigued me, then slowly made me anxious, and eventually left me feeling pity. Still, sympathy aside, his arc would have worked much better as a shorter subplot. The only truly blessed gift from this storyline was Seong A and Gyeon U sleeping side by side, which was painfully cute. Sadly, the resolution of Bongsu’s plot felt far too easy for something that took so much screen time, leaving me shaking my head more than once.

Yeom Hwa is another character who constantly kept my nerves on edge. Her mysterious and dark allure initially made her fascinating, the kind of character who makes you brace yourself for disaster. When her motivations and past were finally revealed, I understood her pain, but I still could not bring myself to like her. Tragic backstory or not, she remained unsettling and frustrating until the end.

The ending itself was fine. Not spectacular, not disastrous. We definitely could have had more, and honestly, we deserved more. Still, it wrapped things up well enough to leave me satisfied. Head Over Heels is a charming mix of romance, destiny, and supernatural flair, carried by strong chemistry and heartfelt moments, even if it trips a little on its own ambition along the way.

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Mystic high school kdrama hits the romcom bullseye

Life is full of surprises that you will never know if your classmate wards off evil spirits after class. Your shaman classmate is no ordinary because she prioritizes her grades over her magic-religious rituals.

Cho Yi Hyun plays the role of Park Seong A, who at first glance looks like a normal high school student but in truth she is a full-time shaman at night. A dashing yet mysterious and cold Bae Gyeon Woo (played by Choo Young Woo) walks into her classroom as the new student. As if by fate, the two had already met the night before when Gyeon Woo and his grandmother visited her to cure Gyeon Woo’s seemingly series of bad luck. Unfortunately, Seong A already saw that Gyeon Woo is doomed to die. As she is instantly lovestruck with Gyeon Woo, Seong A vows to do everything to save him. She will be his knight in shining armor as she takes on all the evil spirits coming at him.

For starters, Choo Young Woo is hella sexy even with the number of band-aids plastered on his face and body caused by his series of unfortunate events. He plays the tall, brooding, athletic high school male lead so well. There are times his acting felt a bit flat and dull but I’m willing to let it go given that he played a fun dual performance here. He effortlessly switches back and forth between a timid, downcast teenager and a disrespectful, sly thug. In addition, Choo Young Woo had a very busy year as a sough-after rookie actor, bagging four main roles. He also starred in a BL series years ago, which proves why bromance with Cha Kang Yoon is a definite hit and highlight of the show for me.

Cho Yi Hyun is a delight to watch with her porcelain doll face card. She is truly a vision in traditional shaman clothing. She nailed her role as a shaman and gracefully performs ritual dances and chants, though sometimes coupled with a bit of chaos. The way she fights and chases evil spirits as if there were no tomorrow is hilarious and serves as a testament to how enamored she is with Gyeon Woo. Her dedication goes so far that even her mother is perplexed by her actions. However, her crying scenes always come off as comical and exaggerated that you wouldn’t take her seriously.

Yeom Hwa (played by Choo Ja Hyun) is the villain of the show and practices black shamanism which is working with evil spirits for personal gain. She has a very eerie aura and deranged personality yet her all-black outfits are definitely head-turners. Thankfully, she is not a one-dimensional character and actually has motives and reasons behind her wickedness.

One of my bones to pick with this is show is its uneven pacing. Some scenes have awkward flow that you will have a hard time discerning if it’s real or a dream or a preview to the next episode. I also need more description and functions of the talisman because they are often left unexplained (or perhaps these details were just not translated and left out in the subtitles).

Answers were also not laid out properly. The last two episodes were the most frustrating and confusing portions of the show. It got me scratching my head like there’s no tomorrow. What did I just watch? Why do I not understand a single thing of what they are saying and doing? There were just too many questions and too many loose ends to tie up at the finale.

Despite the shortcomings and sloppy ending, I still enjoyed watching Head over Heels. It is charming and lighthearted. The main cast captures the youthful and hopeful energy as well as being immature and reckless. Oh, to think back on your teenage years when you were carefree and free to make mistakes haha lol. This show is far from perfect, but I had a fun time watching these rising stars deliver a pleasant story and performance. This is not your ordinary high school romcom. Head over Heels took it up a notch by incorporating spooky evil spirits lurking around the school and our handsome boy Gyeon Woo. This show may be plagued by supernatural beings, but you will surely laugh out loud as if you were possessed, because its mystique and charm are truly infectious.

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FL goes through great lengths to save her First Love .

Rating: 5.83


High school setting... again. Does college just not exist in the world of k-drama?? ML DEFINITELY does not pass as a HS student 😭🙏🙏. Ji Ho passes though.

Some comedic elements were there especially with FL and bong-su. FL interacting with ghosts around people who cannot see ghosts is pretty funny to me. And another thing i wanted to point out is that it was harder to remove bong-su who was tethered to gyeon-u BUT the THE GRIM REAPER just a couple of rites and amulets and he is gone... Bong-su had more flavor than gyeon-u, gyeon-u whole personality is seong a, seong a, andddddd SEONG A...

yeonhwa still being there is sooo no words tbh. They kept dragging the show ep 10-12. Wrap it up to ep 8 and this couldve been a 7.5 rating. And the drama has no OST soooo weird lol. But we see seong-a ep 11 and ep 12 😮 sooo gorgeous.

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Charming but Slightly Unfocused

Head Over Heels tries to accomplish a lot within its 12 episode runtime. Its greatest strength lies in the romantic school comedy built around the light shamanism theme. The playful tone, combined with the youthful dynamics between the characters, gives the show its most engaging moments.

The drama also attempts to introduce heavier emotional arcs to add depth to the story. While these elements do raise the stakes, they don’t always land with the impact the situations seem to call for. Early on, the narrative also suffers from a few inconsistencies that can be frustrating. Fortunately, the show finds its footing as it progresses and becomes more engaging over time.

Still, it’s hard not to feel that the series might have benefited from leaning more fully into its school drama and comedic elements. By trying to juggle too many directions, several characters end up underused despite having clear potential. The villains are certainly effective at provoking strong reactions, but the resolution of these arcs don’t feel quite as rewarding as it could have been.

On the production side, the OST fits the show’s atmosphere perfectly and helps maintain its emotional and comedic balance. Cho Yi-hyun carries much of the drama with a strong performance, though the casting overall works well.

In the end, Head Over Heels is still a good drama and one that I would recommend. However, it also feels like a story that could have done even more with its characters and themes. Shamanism is deeply rooted in Korean culture, and while the series presents it in a somewhat romanticized way, it adds a unique flavor that helps set the drama apart.

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Great drama with shamanism essence but loosing its memento towards the end

I finally understand all the hype about this drama! I was completely hooked from the start, especially the first 10 episodes. Young Woo acting as both main characters was incredible, and he showed the same
impressive talent he did in Tale of lady Ok. I particularly loved watching his character Bae Gyeon mature and find redemption, shedding his guilt along the way. Another highlight was seeing Young Woo to
play the evil spirit. It was fascinating to watch him, and even though he was a villain, you couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy for him.

I was completely invested in the dynamic of the main trio. Even with the love triangle, their chemistry was undeniable, and I found myself strongly rooting for Bae Gyeon. The plot was both captivating and unique, with the incorporation of shamanism providing a welcome andfresh twist on the romance genre.

However, the drama did lose some of its steam in the final episodes. The narrative didn't feel as tight or exciting as the beginning, and I was genuinely bothered by how the central villain was allowed to run
rampant without any consequences, which led to a rather unsatisfying resolution.

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Enchanting & Entertaining

A must-watch:
✅️ sizzling chemistry for MC
✅️ perfectly balanced 12 episodes
✅️ amazing cast, compeling characters
✅️ horror/romance/comedy: unexpected blend
✅️ horror parts done right
✅️ enchantingly sweet 1st love
✅️ plot twists

1st of all, koreans do horror very well and this is no exception. The cgis were good.
The screenwriter is the hero, how they manage to craft a story that is equal parts sad and moving and beautiful and peppered with hilariously funny bits.

Choo and Cho exceled in their roles and together they have a formidable chemistry. Its the dark horse this spring-summer and my fav kdrama of this year.

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