Mad for Each Other

Watch this for a more serious kdrama with realistic depictions of relationships

I never write reviews but for this drama I have to. I don't hear nearly enough people talk about this beautiful masterpiece of a show. Not only does it deal with all sorts of heavy topics within just 13 episodes, everything was done well and concisely. I think this drama is definitely for older, more mature kdrama lovers who watch for more than just a handsome cast. I ended up falling in love with the two main characters so quickly due to their natural chemistry and superb acting. I also really loved the writing, but be warned, this drama is a rollercoaster of emotions. I was laughing one minute and crying the next. I thought this would be a light-hearted drama, but the heavy topics dealt during these 13 30-minute episodes will have your heart wrenched in every direction. I really wish this drama was longer, because I feel like the writers would've done great with slightly more time to flesh out more aspects of their relationship.

This drama isn't about soulmates, you're not going to watch two people who were destined to be together since they were in middle school fall in love and live happily ever after. This is kdrama about adults meeting with their own respective problems in life and deciding whether being together, despite the challenges, is better than being apart. I personally found so much hope after this drama, because of how realistic and relatable the characters and situations were. I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a different kind of drama, one about life, love, and trusting oneself.

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Two Maddies Catch Some Baddies And Pi$$ Off The Condo ☑ Association Too! °7.7° °VG°

He's a cop with anger management issues. She's a fearful, paranoid mess.

They run into each other on the street. She feels threatened and pepper sprays him, so you could say they didn't hit it off. Next they see each other at the therapist's office. Apparently they've been complaining to the same therapist about each other. And next they see that they live next to eachother. WHOOPS!

From that point on, it's the mayhem one could anticipate from two unhinged (but good, underneath it all) persons who each try to bend the other to their will, and in doing so, give no space for peace. They drive each other truly crazy.

Before the end, they'll get the gangsters and drug dealers involved, another neighbor will help Nah Hwi-oh dress up as a woman so he can go undercover while on suspension, thus, the cops jump in for a round along with the convenience store clerk, a deliveryman, parents, the condo association, and the neighborhood watch. High drama it ain't. It's meant to be fun and to make us smile. It is. It does.

They include a K-drama trope in the last couple scenes that usually is awful, and it is the same here: MSS, or mandatory separation syndrome. MSS involves couples, who once they get together, must separate. 'I love you! Finally, we're together! Now I'll catch you later...' Huh? Sometimes, it's a good thing - a generous 15% of the time. On top of that, most of these people are pushing 40. They ain't getting any younger. All flights appear to be grounded as well, because, even if the separation is 4 years, they never seem to visit each other in that time period. In MFE it is brief, we can let it go with a warning.

MFE is 13 half-hour episodes, so it is less than half the usual length of other Kdramas. So get the popcorn, sit back, watch, and grin.

Directing 8
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 5
Warmth 6
Action 6
Thought provocation 5

Age 13+

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You can't ask for more

I will keep my review short. This is an excellent drama from story to acting to OST. I loved everything about it. It is short, and I never thought it would be this good. I can rewatch it, again and again, to live through the funny moments I lived while watching it the first time.
What I love about the story is how they kept it clean with no useless fat in it. Most dramas have a knack for stretching the dramatic or tragic aspect in them to make it to the 16th episode. The fat in those dramas makes me heartache and usually I drop them if they continue to delay things and complicated them. Often, I fast-forward while watching the last episodes to avoid ruining my mood. Well, this drama doesn't fell under this category, it's the opposite.

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Outrageously far out there but entertaining and cute

The first episode was a bit hard to sit through because Min-Kyung’s character was so outrageous and jarring. But I really liked Hwi-O’s character and kudos to Jung Woo for portraying someone with an anger issue with such charms. The only thing about him was that for a cop, he repeatedly incriminated himself. Like didn’t he know how the system worked?

As for Min-Kyung, I get that she was traumatized and violated but I had no reference as to how people like that act. Personally, I felt like her character was over done but still likable.

Most of the side characters worked fairly well. I thought the ladies of the neighborhood association were fun addition as well as Hwi-O’s cop buddies. The only unnecessary ones were the cross dresser and the singing part-timer. They added nothing in my opinion.

The length of the show was perfect as well. There were some slow spots but thirteen episodes of thirty minutes were perfectly concise and didn’t allow for much unnecessary fluff. All other k-dramas need to follow this format.

Unfortunately, they almost ruined the show toward the end. When the ex-boyfriend showed up and Hwi-O finds Yang. The way Hwi-Oh lost control and went crazy and didn’t even bother defending himself at the station was a bit too much. It was a clumsy attempt at creating a major conflict at the end. Oh, and that car chase… sigh…

All in all, a recurring theme for me is the likable characters. Realistically or unrealistically portrayed, I got to feel for the people and grew to root for all of them. I will miss them.

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Mad for Each Other was a random kdrama I picked up after seeing it on Netflix. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with both characters and relate so closely to them dealing with life, trauma, ptsd, depression, and more.

--Spoilers Below--

I love Lee Min-Kyung. Her character is so lovable and comforting. The actress who plays her does such a good job with showing emotion and getting that across in just her facial features. While her backstory was sad, I loved watching it slowly unfold and her work through her trauma. A guy lied, took advantage essentially, and then started becoming abusive... all the while his family stalking her. I could feel her pain through the screen every time a member popped up. I hated the way even her mom viewed the situation and didn't even give her daughter the benefit of the doubt. She only listened once Hwi-Oh talked to her. It made me feel so awful for Min-Kyung and it also helped show how truly alone she felt with her situation. Her slowly opening up to Noh Hwi-Oh and trusting him, but also being weary and still scared from her last relationship was so relatable.. I was rooting for them all the way to the end and almost got tricked by it.

Noh Hwi-Oh's story is interesting but doesn't give you too much to go off of. He treats Min-Kyung so respectfully, but also playfully bullies her. They bicker like little children, but he loves and cares for her. One of my favorite scenes is him trying to teach her self-defense just in case. Him speaking to her mom and telling her that he looks out for her and takes care of her warmed my heart. He was always there whether she knew or needed or cared. The tie up of him catching her ex who was also a criminal was really nice, and it helped catapult him back to the police. I'm glad he got to be with her in the end.

The side characters I feel deserve a thumbs up as well. You get small glimpses of their lives, especially Soo-Hyun. Her many jobs put her everywhere in the story, and all her mini plots add such a nice distraction from the other story. I loved her struggle with money and how relatable it felt that she was working so many jobs just to be able to live comfortably.. I loved her and Samantha's friendship and how much it blossomed. Soo-Hyun didn't judge Samantha at all and saw her as a normal human. The wrap up of their story and them running her singing channel made me so happy and was a good addition even though it didn't tie in too much to the main plot.

The 3 land-ladies were annoying but added nice feisty characters that matched well with the depressed and sad ones. They had some funny moments, but the most memorable moment of them for me is where they overhear the conversation about her past and judge her immediately. They didn't ask or try to clarify at all.. just kicked her out without hearing her out. After Hwi-Oh talks to them they come around, but them even kicking her out in the first place was ridiculous. They help him get with her at the end and make sure they end up together which helps make up for it.

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A hidden GEM!

Like all avid drama viewers, I often find myself in a rut of not being able to find a worthy show enticing enough to binge. Sometimes I settle and rewatch my ult favs but a lot of the time I spend HOURS, like actual hours searching for the perfect drama to gobble up.

This drama came to me in a moment like this, I didn't hear a lot of hype about it really anywhere, and initially forgot about it. Then! I saw a few hilarious clips that were part of a funny compilation and off I went searching for it.

The premise of this drama follows two people who coincidentally meet and find themselves completely at odds, with an equal distaste for each other. They bicker, fall into absolutely laugh inducing misunderstandings, and then eventually they learn to heal together and fall into a very unique type of love. In truth the main characters are flawed individuals dealing with their issues through therapy, which is quite ordinary. What makes this drama rich with intrigue and deserving of being deemed binge worthy is the raw depiction of the psychological turmoil any kind of trauma can cause and its normalization of seeking help from professionals and people close to us.

It starts off light and then we are invited into both of the main character's personal struggles. I cried, I laughed, and I throughly enjoyed the experience of watching this drama it was exciting for just how unexpected it could be. I fully encourage anyone who wants to watch a humorous, romantic and surprisingly healing drama to take the dive into this selection. Its definitely not something I would have picked for myself off the bat, but I can say now that it is one of my new favorites and I loved every character, especially the main leads so much!

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Surprisingly Heartwarming

I almost gave this a pass after the first episode, because I didn't like the humor or the caricature-ish characters. I'm glad I kept watching because it had some refreshing lessons about acceptance of people/lifestyles that appear strange to you (and everything not being what it may appear to be), but it did so very naturally- it didn't feel like it was pushing a specific agenda.

The friendships that developed were really a highlight for a me. And although mental illness is a serious topic (be aware, it does talk about domestic abuse as well), overall the show kept a light mood and I didn't it to be sad or heavy.

Personally, I don't think it's "substantial" enough to merit a rewatch- but I did enjoy it. I'll look for the male lead in other dramas as I particularly enjoyed his portrayal of the character's development.

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Lots of Laughs

The plot was nicely done and lasted just the right number of episodes to keep it moving along well. The settings were good, the comic relief characters were nicely done, and it passes the Bechdel test with ease.

I enjoyed all of the acting - I think the cast was well chosen and did a really professional job. ML and FL had good onscreen chemistry and played off of one another nicely.

The music did not annoy me, and I'd rewatch it without hesitation.

The only part *SPOILER ALERT* that was disappointing was the outright wrong resolution of the FL's mental health issue. It just doesn't resolve that quickly or like that. I DID appreciate that there was good context, but the flip from having a socially/mentally disabling condition to "on top of the world" mentality was not realistic.

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Okay I had to write a review about this show.
Didn't have huge expectations yet I ended up binge watching it in one day! This hasn't happened in such a long time for me. Can't believe it's not as popular as it should be.

Things I liked:
-The main male & female. Even though I'm barely 20, I feel like I always relate to MCs in their 30s/40s, the most lol. I always sympathize with their struggles & emotions.
-The convenience store girl (hi AKMU's vocalist!!) + the cross-dressing man. They were such a cool duo. I also loved the way they represented the guy, there was never mockery in the writing & I loved how the ML stood up for him
-Loved how they represented mental health (again, without any type of mockery or exaggeration) + also abuse in relationships.
-The pacing. I'm anxious so I love how quickly the story developed. I mean, considering that the episodes are 30 minutes long, it makes sense.
-ALSO THE DOG. He's the main character and he knows it.

Now a little bit spoiler-y (didn't want to tag it as ''contains spoilers'' because I did want to attract new viewers with all I've written above). So stop reading here if you haven't watched it and plan to.

-Felt like the last two episodes were written entirely by someone else. I think I was expecting it to go into a different direction but I'm not complaining, though.
-I was rooting for them to end up together so I'm happy they did. Which is interesting because I almost never care enough about MCs relationships.. Just wish they had more cute moments together.
-Her ex can fucking rot in jail. Period.

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Absolutely love it!

Exemplary acting skills from all the cast! I really appreciated the humanization of mental issues in different people. FL's trauma was well executed and totally matched the situation. People not believing her 'paranoia' was something quite realistic. Many people with (C)PTSD are often told that it's just in their head and that nothing 'bad' is going to happen and they were able to portray this scenario quite well.

Another part of the series that really amazed me was how they have shown that women often are subjected to 'victim blaming'. FL pretty much did not know what she was getting into, after all, her ex-BF lied so much to her. Even then, she was still considered to be the one at fault. Talk about gender inequality! Kudos to everyone on the production team! A very touching story with a mix of humour was something I never knew I needed. BTW, each episode only runs for 30 minutes--so not much dull moments!

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