This review may contain spoilers
A Slow Convoluted Burn
I want to preface this by saying that my experience with this show might've been drastically different if this were one of my first kdrama experiences. But considering that I've been watching dramas for a while now, what could've come across as unique to others has turned out to be pretty confusing/jarring for me.So I loved the first 5 to 6 episodes. It felt like I was finally watching something I hadn't before. It had all the tropes I've always wanted to see but seldom ever done well, if at all. The slow burn, the FL falling first, but she isn't manic or clingy about it. The ML is actually kind to her and respectful. Kim Seon Ho as Hojin simply standing and staring at Muhee as she has her big talk show moment alone convinces anyone how much of a goner he is for someone he wants to only see as a stranger he met on a trip. These small moments are what define this drama for me.
Cha Mu Hee is such a lovable, endearing character. She truly makes you root for her, even in her embarassment. Even in her desperation to be loved and accepted by everyone, there is an innocence and sincerity that is hard to ignore. It's why her paired up against someone completely practical-minded like Hojin feels so thrilling, because they're bound to have chemistry simply because of the difference in their approach to life and living.
Hojin is everything I like about a male lead. He knows what he is and wants but doesn't hokd that against anyone else.
I loved this exact dynamic of a struggling actress who met a man on a trip and fell in love with him, a man who doesn't reciprocate her feelings but wholeheartedly chooses to root for her and support her from a distance. Someone who chose to be kind to a woman who never had it growing up. Of course she would fall for this ahndsome good hearted stranger!
There was so much potential in this dynamic alone: A successful actress still pining for a man who knew her before she got all the fame and appreciation she wanted.
I guess this is the story I thought I was getting from those first 5 episodes only for the second half to turn into a completely different dissection into mental health and dissociative identities. Something like My Liberation Notes meets Bad and Crazy (two dramas I LOVED individually but would stay far away from if they were made into one...if you get what I mean...)
Now it's not even the dissociative idenitites part (that I've come to find repetitive in dramas/movies/literature at this point), but the main issue with this drama being that Muhee becomes a patient that Hojin needs to "fix" for them to be together. Thus going back to the eternal trope of fixing someone to be with them, instead of giving them the free agency to figure it out themselves while the partner supports them.
In fact Muhee's lack of agency goes back to around ep 5/6, even before the genre shift when she kisses Hojin, thoroughly breaking his boundaries btw, and magically, that is the moment when Hojin decides that he will finally start thinking about moving on from the fantasy of his first love. Now sure, he most definitely could've had feelings for Muhee the whole time after their first meeting, but I wish her kiss didn't become the catalyst for his change of heart and urgency. It truly felt completely insincere to both Muhee, and the tone the first half of the drama set up.
I also found that the chemistry between the leads sort of just fell off after around ep 7...
Dorami as a character and even altar are all great creative choices but it felt like they didn’t belong in the same font as the first half of this drama.
Aside from the writing and themes, the making of the drama and the performances of the leads stands out. Go Youn Jung and Kim Seon Ho have great screen presence and truly make their characters compelling to watch and root for. But it's tough to keep up with a plot that's trying to be 10 different things in 10 different fonts at once so I wouldn't put that on them.
The OST is beyond memorable and I will be thinking about that aurora scene for a long, long time...
I think I'll have to rewrite this show in my head from that point onwards just for myself...haha!
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This review may contain spoilers
Theme and plot don't align
So I had a tough time with this show overall...frankly, I wasn't feeling the chemistry between the leads from the beginning and the romance felt very forced from the beginning. Now it wasn't because the FL keeps a distance because she's a professional or anything like that, because usually, that push and pull *is* what creates tension and chemistry in shows for me. Especially shows with subtle romance. And the thing is there are glimpses of these beats in this show too like in one of the earlier episodes when Laik takes a short step closer to her to tell her he doesn't want to hide anything from her anymore. But those moments don't hold. They're not allowed to linger. I think this has more to do with direction/writing than the performances.But I still held out coz the whodunnit aspect of thinsg was more or less interesting but then episode 11 happened and oh my god, my worst fear with this show just came true.
So I just finished this show and found it kinda ironic how the entire show tries to urge fans to be more responsible with their idols and how they deserve to have a personal life too but then in the end, the killer turns out to be the ex girlfriend kinda reinforcing the fact that it is the fan who will stay loyal and dependable to the end and save the idol, and romantic relationships are a risk regardless...might be an inaccurate read of the whole drama and doesn't negate all the other positive things about it, but i found it really lazy to make her the crazy obsessive ex killer out of all the other options?
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Hilarious from start to finish!
This was a suprise for me!From the first episode, Jorin takes the lead in handling hilarious moments with finesse. Her comedic timing is fantastic for someone who doesn't have a huge filmography yet. Off is equally charming, real swoonworthy in several scenes with that gaze! He carries the brunt of the chemistry with Jorin in the show.
The ML starts off being the typical cheating morally ambiguous man who doesn't value relationships until he meets the FL who helps him see relationships differently after witnessing her sincerity towards the couples they are trying to break up. It's a fun premise, not to be taken too seriously. All of the couples are justified in being "broken up" too.
Overall, the show was fast paced, neatly written, covered all the arcs and delivered some actual LOL moments that land. The supporting cast enriched the story and really helped make this drama so memorable. Highly recommend this for those looking for a lighthearted entertainer that doesn't take itself too seriously and has some real funny slap stick!
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This review may contain spoilers
Already One of 2026's Best!
This was such a fun watch from start to finish! Lighthearted with a lot of heart.Ahn Bo Hyun and Lee Joo Bin shine in every scene, together or otherwise. Ahn Bo Hyun especially carries the show bringing his role as Jae Gyu to life in every moment. Jae Gyu is thoroughly lovable, a big softie, and surprisingly emotionally mature. Lee Joo Bin as Yoon Bom is thoroughly engaging too, her dialogues are delivered to perfection and she has a natural talent for humor.
This show has one of the healthiest couple dynamics ever. Not only do they share such natural chemistry with each other from episode 1, the banter is genuinely funny, and both partners are equally involved in the relationship, stepping up for each other whenever necessary, and knowing when to allow the other to deal with the situation themselves without playing savior every time. The FL especially is written very well, it's nkt very often that a kdrama makes the FL sincere in their feelings and proactive in their actions and love for the ML, leaving all the heavy lifting and performing care and affection for the ML, but this show gets it right on both ends. They resolve misunderstandings as quickly as they emerge and trust and respect each other every step of the way. No noble idiocy and sacrifices with these two and thank god for that!
The supporting cast makes Jae Gyu and Bom's world feel more lived in without taking up unnecessary space. The younger couple can get frustrating at moments but it would do the audience a lot of good to remind themselves that these are only highschool kids after all. Their arc is very well done for the way they began so I woukd urge everyone to give them a chance. Choi Ijun, the teachers, twins, Jae Gyu's factory mates, all elevate the story and give it more life.
Cha Seo Won who played Choi Ijun especially is definitely someone to look out for! He made Ijun so lovable from the start. And it's interesting how the story seemed to start with a typical love triangle involving the FL only for it to end up feeling like both the FL and Ijun were fighting for the ML's attention lmao...bonus points for making such an unproblematic second male lead!
At its core, Spring Fever, to me at least, seems like a story that urges everyone to truly examine what it means to be yourself, exercise boundaries even if it means making difficult choices without justifying the collateral damage that will inevitably follow. The story makes some bold choices such as showing a mother who admits to abandoning their child but not allowing it to hang over her head all her life and move on the way she decided would be best for all parties involved. A character who has to make a tough choice to save one life while having to let go off another. These are plot points that could've easily turned melodramatic and eventually twisted into perfectly moral choices in the end but the show lets these uncomfortable truths sit without justifying any of it. This is the heart of this show, and what I hope viewers do not forget to understand amidst all the lighthearted moments.
The screenplay and direction both compliment each other. Every episode wraps up in itself while core plot points unfold naturally one by one.
I am already dreading inevitably comparing wthis show with every other romcom I will be watching this year but alas! I'm so grateful to the makers, cast and crew for giving me this wonderful gift of a show to begin my new year with.
Highly highly recommend!
Especially for fans of small town romances like Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
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Super fun ride from start to finish!
I've been caught fully off guard by this show...to think that I'd completely overlooked this drama when it first started airing because the summary on MDL didn't sound interesting. But then I randomly decided to give it a go and oh my god, what a FUN watch. Best example of execution >> concept.So engaging right from the first episode, fantastic OST, the perfect length of episodes, not too long, not too short, GREAT casting, each of the new faces I'm seeing are so good at their individual roles. They all have such natural chemistry between themselves. And I totally overlooked Minhyun this whole time since Alchemy of Souls...he was made to do this role. Brings a natural innocence to his character but his stunts are equally convincing. The screenplay holds up to the last episode and keeps delivering twists and comedic moments and there's not a slow moment throughout.
I don't think I've enjoyed an action/comedy as much as I enjoyed this one since Bad and Crazy. I'd been looking for something along the same vein, combining light hearted moments, crazy humor and wonderfully choreographed fight scenes with a solid cast and chemistry.
I think the best shows are ones that make you feel like they ended too soon and should've had more episodes, and this one checks it all.
(But if there's a season 2 👀, I'll be here first!)
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