Dear Hyeri

Wasted potential for sure...

I hate to write a bad review for this one since I really liked the initial premise and the cast. Those first few episodes were fantastic, the set up, the emotional feeling and complexity of the characters were shaping up to be, if not great, interesting. The story could’ve gone in soooo many different ways, but no, the creators decided to take the more conventional route. Here you have a FL and no matter what she will end up with the ML. In my” humble" opinion BIG MISTAKE. The FL could’ve ended alone and that would’ve been fine as long as she could’ve been on her way to recovery.

But if I had my pick I would’ve taken the most unconventional route … exploring the FL relationship with the ML’s younger brother. He was daring and willing to go far and beyond for our troubled FL… they had by far the most interesting interactions in the whole drama.

I don’t think that I’ll rewatch it and I hope that our wonderful Shin Hye Sun chooses better scripts, but if not at least I hope she chooses the ones that offer her the most money.

Read More

A good concept ruined by poor storytelling

Drama started so well but went downhill by the last few eps.

--This drama could have done so well and shown a mentally broken person with DID healing from past scars but they turned it into a total romantic past lover reunion melodrama bullshit.

--Even Shin Hye Sun's acting and Truck kun won't be able to save this one.
--KJY's character is here to suffer. Major Second Lead Syndrome incoming.
--JHJ's character has no character development and is only there for gag.
--LJW needs to go to acting school.

The leads especially the male lead is a huge miscast. His role needed a guy who can act well with his eyes and even show the subtle emotions well but all we get is a bland and blank LJW who is so crappy with his acting. He was decent is Bulgasal but was horrible in this one. Shin Hye Sun and Kang Ju Yeon did so well with their roles but sadly the story writing was so poor that their amazing acting can't save this drama. SHS always nails her roles no matter the genre and even this time she was phenomenal.

Story writing is the biggest drawback of this drama.

Read More

There has never been a male lead that has pissed me off so baddddddddd

Hye Sun acting is spectacular and that was what peeked my interest into this show.

The ML irked me so much in this series, I don’t know why they made her hung up on him for 12 years. I don’t see any thing special about their bond. Given the disgrace and the nonsense he told her, it’s obvious she is clinging onto him so bad cause of the amount of time she spent with him and working in the same office didn’t help at all.

They keep doing this push and pull shit that annoys me so much. Let this ML gooooo, their bond isn’t special even during the throw backs it always felt she was begging for his love. I would rather her be sick and be with the SML than be herself with the ML tbh. The amount of times I skipped watching the ML. I can’t stand hearing him talk or his face especially when he is with her. After episode 10, I have honestly lost interest in watching it and won’t recommend to friends cause that’s how shot it is. The writers and directors honestly did a terrible job with this one I can’t lie

Read More

When you finish your first draft and only rewrite the first act ...

Dear Hyeri started off interesting, but after several episodes, it became unstable and misaligned. Events were piled up for convenience rather than evolution, so the plot became less logical. Eun Ho's character caught my interest in learning more about that disorder.

Her interaction with her ex, Hyeon O, was a pass. In spite of eight years of being together, Hyeon O was a selfish, toxic individual who dropped Eun Ho very easily. The alter ego/personality of Eun Ho, Hyeri, seemed to counterbalance her trauma. The show tried to beautify her final choice of her ex with soft filters, music, and slow-motion sequences, but it was not convincing. Especially after her illness goes cold turkey at the most convenient time.

It was only after Ju Yeon (2nd male lead) informed Hyeon O of Eun Ho's illness that he realized he was in love with her again...really? In Episode 12, the show appears to make an attempt to make the audience empathize with Hyeon O after he was almost killed by a drunken fool. (Please like him now; he’s not such a selfish guy as the first act portrays.) ….right. Overall, the screenwriter failed to fully develop the events leading up to a decent logical conclusion.

Shin Hyen Sun is a good actress, but she should choose better-developed roles or characters or just select a better story period.

Read More

them having their "happily ever after" in the forest where her sister disappeared is horrible

I have a lot of criticisms; the romanticization of the toxic relationship, saying that a mental illness is "cured" with love, and completely leaving aside the story about the disappearance of her sister Hyeri.
---
ML was selfish, he was with her for 8 years and could never be honest with her about his family situation, we can also see how manipulative he was and of course FL is emotionally dependent on him which makes the situation worse and the fact that she met his family 12 YEARS LATER is just a red flag, FL should have been left alone and managed to heal her pain because she didn't heal anything, she just went back to where she suffered and with marriage everything is resolved.
---
Mental health here is a joke, FL was depressed, she hated herself and after getting back with her ex she is happy, smiling and excited to go back to her job where she was treated horribly.
A disconcerting personality disorder is not cured just because you found love, and the fact that FL said she wants Hyeri back would make her happy is like... for that to happen she has to be emotionally unwell..
---
FL developed another personality because of the trauma of her missing sister and that story had no closure, the writer forgot about that halfway through the drama.

Read More

I want my hours back

I saw that I had my favorite actress and I ended up getting interested in the plot because it's the first time I've seen a drama talk about DlD.

I kind of knew the story would go down a path I wouldn't like, but it was worse than I thought. The plot was supposed to be about Eunho and Hyeri, but it was more about the HO than about Hyeri herself, and that bothers me. I think they should have shown more about Hyeri and her dependence on Eunho; it was very superficial.

I don't think it had to be about a novel that drama; they focused a lot on who Eunho would stay, instead of focusing on her own health.
I don't like HO. He broke up with Eunho, but spent four years bothering her, doing things she didn't ask for. He always made things about him, and the fact that he didn't care about her health, and the fact that she was going to stay with him, shows that he's toxic. They stayed eight years, but he didn't even think about introducing Eunho to his own family.

I know Jun Yeon isn't the most amazing person either; he made mistakes, and it wasn't a few, but I felt sorry for him. I've been through what he's been through. My grandmother had cancer, and I know what it's like to see someone dying to the point of not even recognizing you. I cried in most of his shit. I know how scary it is to think that at any moment that person will disappear.

He had a great dependence on Hyeri and he wanted someone by his side urgently, and out of nowhere Hyeri appeared. She made the day, which was dull, interesting. When you're at the bottom of the well, it's like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; it's the light he's been looking for. That's why he clung so much to this false illusion of love and fell in love with a part of Eunho. I'm not flirting with the things he did and told Eunho, but in a way I understand him.

I hated that you made it clear that he's staying with the woman who works with him. He never liked her, and now he cares about her feelings?

Eunho was wrong to come back with the HO and I feel like every time she changed her identity it was because of the HO; it was all about him, and it pisses me off. She should have focused on herself and stayed away from him. The relationship will never work until she stops having emotional dependence. If he thinks about breaking up with her, maybe Hyeri will come back.

The way he treated her, even in the beginning, is ridiculous. They'd set up a meeting and the guy comes back after six months without a single explanation, like nothing happened, and she forgives him? Really? He treated her like she was nothing for the last four years, made a lot of messes, lied, and she forgives him? He never thought about how she'd feel every time he gave her work, about how people would talk, because, like it or not, he was her fucking ex. He didn't think about her feelings and her confused signs. The way he blamed her for worrying about her is so toxic, manipulative and narcissistic.


Don't waste your time watching this here.

Read More

"Dear Hyeri" is a K-drama that captivated audiences with its stellar casting and exceptional music. Their performances create a believable and heartfelt connection, drawing viewers into the intricate dynamics of love and friendship. The supporting cast also delivers strong performances, adding layers of depth and charm to the story.

However, the series encounters challenges in its final four episodes. The storytelling becomes muddled, with several plot lines introduced but not fully developed. Character arcs that initially held promise feel rushed or unresolved, leaving viewers yearning for more depth. The emotional intensity built throughout the earlier episodes starts to wane, leading to a lackluster conclusion that doesn’t do justice to the character journeys established earlier.

Due to these narrative issues, I wouldn't recommend "Dear Hyeri" to others. While the performances and music are noteworthy, the lack of a cohesive and satisfying story undermines the overall experience. It’s a reminder that even with strong elements, a compelling narrative is crucial for a K-drama to leave a lasting impression.

Read More

Realistic love story and no mental illness stigma!

Bravo. Shin Hye-sun and Lee Jin-wook are amazing and they delivered a beautiful and intimate performance, pairing wonderfully together.

The show did a great job depicting the different sides of love, good and bad- tough decisions trying to balance family and romantic love, things not working out, stubborn stances, pride and letting go of it, allowing yourself to love and be loved... As in life, no character was without faults and without making regretable choices. I liked how instead of dwelling on blame, they moved forward to where they should be in a sincere and loving way.

Some criticize the DID depiction. DID is multifaceted and very different for each person it affects. Much of it is internal and so it is hard for physicians, friends, and families to grasp, let alone portray on a show. Kudos for bringing it up and for not having the characters and audience treat a person with DID in a pathetic, assylum oriented, or pitiful way. Eun Ho/ Hyeri didn't feel like a product of an illness. As a friend of someone with DID and who was treated as a specimen rather than himself, I truly appreciate that.

Loved the cast, cinematography, story line, messages, etc. Great balance between main/side stories and present/flashbacks. I am very glad I watched it and recommend it!

Read More

An easy binge, mind the cringe

I have some issues with this drama but overall I was entertained, engaged in the story and found some parts of it to be kind of refreshing as this may be the first drama that shows Dissociative Identity Disorder, that I actually managed to finish.

Things I appreciate:
Mental illness as part of a persons life, not so much stigma focus on treatment and the parts that work.
Found family and friendship.
Pain and suffering,
The female characters
The other male leads
Dimples
Smiles
Scenery

Things that made me role my eyes and lower the score:

Cringe,
Monologs
Deuett like speeches
Use of slow motion
The male leads plotline...

Unnecessary twists towards the end

But overall an easy binge, that almost managed to water my eyes

Read More

Don't watch this with 2X play speed, Not the best drama ever but definitely not the worst.

Edited after I completed watching it for second time:
Alter Hyeri represents only the happy positive characteristics of EH. Though EH was living a life as her younger sister, she didn’t behave as the real HR. Rather she just dressed up as her and did what Real HR dreamt of doing. However while she lived as EH, her EH personality represented her sadness, loneliness and negative characteristics of herself. So her personality fractured into two selves. As HR, she could live a carefree happy life. She didn’t earn any money, she seems confident about her looks and life. She even chose the ideal dream life partner for herself, JY who is only nice to those whom he cares for. On the contrary, as EH, she was dealing with guilt, facing career problem, she was told she was too old or not accomplished enough.
Surprisingly as HR, EH was able to console both JY and his mom. JY was bitter about life and his loss wasn’t acknowledged by anyone, especially by his mom who even blamed him, causing him more pain. Therefore EH also knew how to solve her own issues. The journey of seeking answers often leads us back to ourselves, where the answers have quietly waited all along.
To be happy she decided to live as HR, even moved to the forest where real HR was lost. But ultimately she discovered how wrong her decision was and how she should process her grief. Most importantly her happiness lies in being with the person she loves. And when she poured out her grief, HO listened patiently, holding space for the weight of her sorrow.
After 12 long years, HO ultimately opened up to EH about the burden of his responsibilities and dysfunctional family situation. It seemed so easy that one might wonder, ‘Then why did he wait so long? Why was he so fearful?’. But isn’t fear supposed to be irrational as it often doesn’t follow any logic? And EH knew how to console him. She knew how to handle him when he was overwhelmed.
And to be honest, the real EH possesses uniquely quirky personality that some people might find it irritating or off-putting. But HO finds her endering, he doesn’t hold her back from being herself; instead, he playfully engages with her while attentively tending to her needs.
And even though if JY didn’t win the girl, his healing began after meeting her. He played a vital role in her healing journey as well.

SHS nailed the character as there was four different personalities : 1. Sad EH, 2. Happy EH as HR, 3. EH pretending to be HR and 4. The real EH who exhibits both the positive and negative characteristics of herself.

SHS and LJW shared such a natural chemistry between them. Their chemistry depicted how comfortable EH and HO are together. The portrayals mirrored the warmth and intimacy of their connection and bond.

What truly disappoints me is the abrupt shift in tone within the storyline. The drama was detail-oriented but there was a redundancy of unnecessary details. There were supporting characters who just wasted time, served no purpose. Some were unbearable. The production team just wasted money on them as these characters just annoyed the viewers. EH's healing should've shown with more details. I wouldn’t mind if the story showed jumps forward in time, at least a few months. And her career suddenly seems to go well. So does it mean she was sabotaging her own career by leading a double life?
The proposal scene doesn’t seem to fit there. It could've been implied some other ways.
Though I don’t dismiss his improvement, HO will need input from those around him from time to time, as he still needs to work on his emotional intelligence.He should see a therapist for his own issues. Fortunately he is surrounded by people who adore him. They will surely guide him.

Lastly I really admired Jion as one of the few sane characters in the drama.
Nevertheless, the writer should not feel disheartened. It is a deep story which requires understanding and maturity. She presented a unique story that I found intriguing enough to invest my time in.
9/10.



Review after 1st watch:
The major issue I found in the drama is the pacing and supporting characters.
1. Some characters are not needed, they just annoyed me and wasted time. They didn’t contribute to the storyline at all.
2. Number of episodes is correct as the storyline didn’t require more episodes.But, in episode 9-10 the whole drama became so dark. EH's pain was portrayed in such a raw way that any viewer can feel it deeply. The anticipation felt so unbearable only to meet the sudden shift of tone. From episode 11-12 drama was filled with lighthearted moments which I find unsettling. These episodes are also enjoyable but I couldn’t enjoy them properly as I still remembered what happened in previous episodes. If one binge watches it in the future, s/he might not feel same way. But a person who was waiting for the episodes for a week may feel the frustration. I think the major problem of a drama should be depicted in the middle of its storyline. So, it should have been shown in episodes 6-7, and then the tone should have started to shift gradually. Then it would have become more believable.
Summary:
The main story is about 3 people with their past trauma. Though there are 4 lead characters, 3 of them got more importance and one character didn’t develop at all ( since that character was perfect all the time, had past issues but overcame them already). The story main focuses on JEH, a 37-year-old with her own issues of childhood and adult life. It is a story of her grief, loneliness and career problem in a male-centric job industry. She is seen without any family or friends. Her EH personality is suffering with responsibilities of life. On the other hand, her HR personality is happy with leading a simple tension free life. She is confident with her looks, straightforward and most importantly happy. I find EH is an extrovert and her EH personality stopped being herself and through HR personality she revealed those latent traits. Also EH is an wise character. Though as EH, she couldn't solve her issues, she knew how to console JY and his mom as HR personality. Later she realised what she herself wants in life to be happy. Sometimes we are already capable of solving our own issues, we are just not aware of that.
Then there is JHO. He is a flawed character. He loves EH and has a pretty bad way of expressing it. I found him an introvert. He has problem in communicating his emotions. He is not a book boyfriend material, not a green flag character mostly shown in many dramas nowadays. But also he is not narcissistic, abusive, toxic blah blah blah. This character had to grow up pretty fast as he was neglected by his father and abandoned by mothers. He surely made mistakes but those are not so bad that he can't be forgiven.
And then there is KJY. He seems very reserved. Deep down we know he is barely living his life. After the death of his elder brother, his grief stricken mom blamed him. From then he is living just to carry the responsibility of his late brother. He fall in love with HR very fast which is unlikely as he is handsome and highly accomplished but again, his good looks or success in job field doesn’t lessen the burden on his heart. He is not a green flag either. He was engulfed in his grief and anger for so long until HR enters into his life as a ray of sunshine.
This drama shows a realistic approach of their character growth. Suppose a character has issues to overcome but certainly s/he will require time to do so. Their progress can't be denied just because the person couldn’t become the ultimate best version of them. S/he still has miles to go but they should be encouraged and guided by others.
Now what I loved:
1. SHS. You can watch it just for her. She was brilliant. She depicted the journey of EH in such a lovely way. EH is not a very likeable character, rather a broken soul. But you can feel her pain, you can't stop falling in love with her.
2. SHS and LJW chemistry : Though I found LJW underperforming here, the chemistry between them felt natural as a couple who were dating for a long time. You can feel the angst and longing between them as a couple who can't move on from each other.
3. Kang Hoon's emotional scenes.
4. Cinematography and details.
Honorable mentions: BHY and her antics, Supervisor Kim and lastly Min Young.

Read More

Dear Hyeri, you deserved better

There’s no other way to describe this show other than wasted potential.

I went through most of it thinking it would be one of the best dramas of the year, but the last couple of episodes came and it suddenly turned into one of the worst ones.

This is one of the few drama plots that I think could’ve done with more episodes; you could exclude all the nonsensical secondary characters and all the “let’s try to redeem this ass*hole of a ML by showing his trauma” and still be left with so much to unpack from Eun Ho’s story alone, but instead, it felt like they suddenly had to cut the story short and chose the cheapest, most ridiculous ending possible for it.

It’s like the last two last episodes were completely separate from all the rest. The intended message might’ve been that “love heals all” but in reality, nothing is healed, the “love” is simply toxic and all that’s left is Eun Ho’s unresolved traumas and bunch of complex storylines that were never fully explored.

Read More