I just finished the drama, and my overall reaction is that the childhood part was truly the strongest element. The younger cast had great chemistry, and the story felt engaging and emotional during those episodes. But once the characters grew up, the tone changed and the adult versions didn’t match the charm or consistency of their younger selves, which made the second half much harder to enjoy. Still, a few performances stood out and kept me watching until the end.
Childhood part: 8.5 Adult part: 6.5 Final average rating: 7
They should remake this with Yoojung and Jingoo now. They're both better actors than the original leads anyway.…
I prefer the story and the actors when they were just children. I don't see any similarities between the young adult FL and the child version. When she was little she had gentle eyes, and now that she's an adult she has frightening eyes.
Based on the reviews, I don't think I'll watch this...
You can still watch the drama, but I expected more... I give it a 7/10 rating because of the excellent acting, but the story... it was very confusing and didn't live up to expectations.
I just finished Dear X, and the ending honestly left me confused in a way I wasn’t expecting.
The first half of the drama was genuinely entertaining - a little chaotic, yes, but fun, engaging, and full of personality. The dynamic of the trio was one of my favorite parts; they balanced each other so well that even when the plot was messy, the characters kept the story interesting.
For most of the drama, I kept my rating between 8 and 8.5. But around episodes 9 and 10, the tone started to shift. The plot felt like it was drifting into new territory without giving enough explanation or buildup. It didn’t feel like the story was anywhere near wrapping up - there were too many emotional threads and conflicts still hanging. And then the final two episodes arrived, and everything ended in a way that felt abrupt and strangely disconnected.
What threw me off the most was losing the two male leads so suddenly. The trio had been the emotional core of the entire story, so watching both of them die without the narrative giving their deaths weight, purpose, or closure felt jarring. Their endings didn’t seem to tie into the themes the drama had been building - they just happened. Meanwhile, she ends up being the only survivor from the group. And instead of bringing clarity to her journey, her survival left me even more confused.
I kept wondering what the message was supposed to be. Was the drama trying to say something about fate? About cycles she can’t escape? About her being “destined” to keep suffering no matter what she chooses? If that was the intention, it wasn’t communicated clearly. In the end, the emotional impact that the drama seemed to be aiming for never fully landed. The final scenes felt open, but not in a thoughtful or symbolic way - more like the story dropped its own threads at the last minute.
I still liked a lot about Dear X, especially the characters and the unpredictable energy of the earlier episodes. But the ending definitely pulled down the overall experience for me. Acting Ranting: 10/10 Story Ranting: 7/10 Ending Rating: ☠️☠️☠️💔
I don’t really know how to explain it, but I expected a lot more from this K-drama. If you love full-on, classic dramas, I do recommend it because you’ll probably enjoy it. But for me… it just ended up feeling tiring to watch. “Love in the Moonlight” is beautiful, but kind of exhausting (at least for me). I did love the actors though, especially the ML, since I saw him at Music Bank in Lisbon recently 🤗✨ Overall it’s not a bad drama, but I think it’s only worth it if you’re truly into traditional K-dramas.
I just finished all 16 episodes, and honestly, the experience was a rollercoaster. In the beginning, I was having so much fun with it. Sure, it’s pretty obvious that the male lead doesn’t exactly pass as a woman, and she doesn’t look very convincing as a man either, but somehow the execution still works. Their gender-swapped roles were surprisingly charming, and the chemistry between them carried a lot of the early episodes. The story itself had a strong start. The pacing was good, the world-building was interesting, and the character dynamics were developing really well. But the last few episodes suddenly felt rushed and confusing. The king, especially, was all over the place, unstable, inconsistent, and apparently believing only in the man who had dethroned him. His motivations never feel truly solid, which makes the ending even more chaotic. The plot twist: the two children born on the same day, was actually great. I loved that reveal and the way it reframed everything. But the ending still felt too open. We have no idea what kind of king he’s going to be, why he fought so desperately for the throne in the first place, or whether he wanted to rule for good or for something darker. It leaves a lot unanswered. Based on the way things unfold, I’m pretty convinced the former king was killed rather than imprisoned, probably a political murder to make room for a new ruler. But again, the show doesn’t make anything crystal clear. Overall, The Tale of Nokdu is a mix of strong ideas, great chemistry, and a messy final act. It’s entertaining, and the characters are memorable, but the ending left me both intrigued and confused. Still, it’s a drama worth watching if you enjoy historical K-dramas with plot twists, found family vibes, and a touch of gender-bending comedy.
She is a sociopath this is the plot line of the story.
Yes, and honestly I’m not expecting a love story or a happy ending from this K drama 😅 The characters irritate me because they’re being portrayed so well, and I know the story is about the FL’s personality, shaped by her traumatic childhood and her will to survive… I have a feeling the ending of this drama won’t favor either of them
I actually cried the end of episode 5 and then i got hit with the ending of 6 😭😭😭 the editing was so…
They’re in an “abusive” relationship. The FL knows exactly how to manipulate the ML, and she’s been doing it since they were kids. Is it her fault? Not really. She grew up in a terrible home with awful parents, and she developed this manipulative personality as a way to survive. But does she really need to drag so many people into that world? The ML had a bright future ahead of him — he probably wouldn’t have suffered so much psychologically — but unfortunately a child walked into his house and everything changed.
It’s interesting to see how the need to survive can completely reshape someone’s personality, and the ML, besides feeling guilty, developed a love–hate dynamic with the FL. Is it healthy? Not at all. Does he truly love her? Partly yes, but a big part of it is dependency and guilt. And right now, the ML is the one suffering, while I don’t see the FL suffering at all 🤷🏻♀️
I just watched episode 6 and it hurt inside!!! I feel so bad for the main male actor. The female lead manipulates so much, and it’s like she doesn’t even feel sorry for the guy who has always been on her side. I understand her perspective — she went through a lot — but still… How does she not have any human side? Does she not love him? Does she feel nothing for him? Not even friendly love? I think she knows he loves her, and she still uses his love to manipulate him… It hurts to watch this 😭 They’re such amazing actors!!! I feel bad for her and, at the same time, so much anger… And with him it’s the same — I feel bad for him but also angry because he doesn’t take action and just does everything she wants…
Honestly, I ended up enjoying the secondary couple more than the main couple - not sure why, but their story just felt more touching and interesting.
Overall, the drama had potential, but some parts felt a bit slow. ML definitely made it worth watching.
Childhood part: 8.5
Adult part: 6.5
Final average rating: 7
The first half of the drama was genuinely entertaining - a little chaotic, yes, but fun, engaging, and full of personality. The dynamic of the trio was one of my favorite parts; they balanced each other so well that even when the plot was messy, the characters kept the story interesting.
For most of the drama, I kept my rating between 8 and 8.5. But around episodes 9 and 10, the tone started to shift. The plot felt like it was drifting into new territory without giving enough explanation or buildup. It didn’t feel like the story was anywhere near wrapping up - there were too many emotional threads and conflicts still hanging. And then the final two episodes arrived, and everything ended in a way that felt abrupt and strangely disconnected.
What threw me off the most was losing the two male leads so suddenly. The trio had been the emotional core of the entire story, so watching both of them die without the narrative giving their deaths weight, purpose, or closure felt jarring. Their endings didn’t seem to tie into the themes the drama had been building - they just happened. Meanwhile, she ends up being the only survivor from the group. And instead of bringing clarity to her journey, her survival left me even more confused.
I kept wondering what the message was supposed to be. Was the drama trying to say something about fate? About cycles she can’t escape? About her being “destined” to keep suffering no matter what she chooses? If that was the intention, it wasn’t communicated clearly. In the end, the emotional impact that the drama seemed to be aiming for never fully landed. The final scenes felt open, but not in a thoughtful or symbolic way - more like the story dropped its own threads at the last minute.
I still liked a lot about Dear X, especially the characters and the unpredictable energy of the earlier episodes. But the ending definitely pulled down the overall experience for me.
Acting Ranting: 10/10
Story Ranting: 7/10
Ending Rating: ☠️☠️☠️💔
It’s interesting to see how the need to survive can completely reshape someone’s personality, and the ML, besides feeling guilty, developed a love–hate dynamic with the FL. Is it healthy? Not at all. Does he truly love her? Partly yes, but a big part of it is dependency and guilt. And right now, the ML is the one suffering, while I don’t see the FL suffering at all 🤷🏻♀️
I feel so bad for the main male actor. The female lead manipulates so much, and it’s like she doesn’t even feel sorry for the guy who has always been on her side. I understand her perspective — she went through a lot — but still… How does she not have any human side? Does she not love him? Does she feel nothing for him? Not even friendly love? I think she knows he loves her, and she still uses his love to manipulate him… It hurts to watch this 😭 They’re such amazing actors!!! I feel bad for her and, at the same time, so much anger… And with him it’s the same — I feel bad for him but also angry because he doesn’t take action and just does everything she wants…