30
138
6
1
1
4
1
4
3
2
4
1
1
1
1
3
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5
An interesting look into Shamanism with excellent performance by the whole cast
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.75
I had a surprisingly fun time watching “Head over Heels”. I wasn’t expecting much despite the general positive reviews and I also didn’t pay much attention to the synopsis. All I knew it’s that the female lead is a shaman and the drama was set in high school.
It turns out “Head over Heels” kept my attention and interests almost throughout all 12 episodes in my 2-day binge session. It has a great combination of shamanism, high school friendship and romance, mixed with tragic childhoods that work well with the shamanism and exorcism themes in the drama.
The acting is great. I’ve seen the leads in previous dramas before, but never thought their acting was excellent (they weren’t bad). But I have to say, both Cho Yi Hyun and Choo Young Woo are excellent. They play roles that appear to be typical high school students. However, their characters are more than meets the eye, but layered and display different personalities based on who they are interacting with. Emotional scenes are heartbreaking, yet sweet scenes are heartwarming. They toy with my emotions quite a big in this drama. They are also pleasing visually, and have great chemistry together. Cha Kang Yoon is adorable as the second male lead, and though his character might not be as challenging, he is pretty good himself. The veterans do not disappoint, especially when you have everyone’s favorite ahjumma Kim Mi Kyung and the always funny Yoon Byung Hee. Choo Ja Hyun being the villain of the show really tested my patience and that’s of course in part because of the great acting.
Another aspect I really enjoy is the focus of shamanism. I’ve seen other K-dramas with shamans, but I don’t think I’ve seen one with such a strong theme and focus. I enjoy watching and learning the culture, rites, and costumes. The dance done by the female leads with the lanterns was beautiful. The rituals look like it’s a lot of work, physically and mentally. I have no way of knowing how accurate the portrayal of shamans is, but I enjoy every aspect of it shown in the drama.
The romance is sweet, even though I am not a fan of love at first sight. At least there’s a reason why FL needs and wants to approach ML. Mmm… not sure if I would categorize the romance as slow burn but if you want to see the leads together, you will need to be patient. I also don’t think there are enough cute and fluffy scenes, especially after a somewhat long wait. There is of course, a sweet and adorable 2ML. But the love triangle is healthy and supportive. In fact, the bromance between the male leads is fantastic. The trio really are best friends and they are very supportive of each other through thick and thin.
If I have to criticize, the writing in the last few episodes was not as strong and tight when the focus switches to the villain. Even though the leads are still very much part of this plot, I felt the villain’s story took up too much screen time and I didn’t feel like I got a proper background story. We had a few flashbacks but not enough to persuade me that her actions are justified. It was difficult for me to feel sympathetic to her situation. Her constant lies became repetitive and I wonder why any of the characters continue to believe her. At one point, I thought she was de-shamanize (can’t be a shaman anymore) yet she continues to perform evil rituals and cast evil spells. Did I miss something? The evil spirit was introduced as something truly horrific and then we got… Bong Su? Definitely not what I was expecting, and I also felt the writing of his story lacks fluidity and clarity.
Having said all that, I truly had a fun time watching “Head over Heels”. The engaging plot, excellent acting, great friendship far outweigh my problem with the writing in the last quarter of the drama. It also toys with my emotions 'beautifully' by making me laugh, grin, and cry. Objectively, this drama might not be worth my 8.75 rating, but from an entertainment perspective, it deserves it.
Completed: 8/7/2025 Review #611
I had a surprisingly fun time watching “Head over Heels”. I wasn’t expecting much despite the general positive reviews and I also didn’t pay much attention to the synopsis. All I knew it’s that the female lead is a shaman and the drama was set in high school.
It turns out “Head over Heels” kept my attention and interests almost throughout all 12 episodes in my 2-day binge session. It has a great combination of shamanism, high school friendship and romance, mixed with tragic childhoods that work well with the shamanism and exorcism themes in the drama.
The acting is great. I’ve seen the leads in previous dramas before, but never thought their acting was excellent (they weren’t bad). But I have to say, both Cho Yi Hyun and Choo Young Woo are excellent. They play roles that appear to be typical high school students. However, their characters are more than meets the eye, but layered and display different personalities based on who they are interacting with. Emotional scenes are heartbreaking, yet sweet scenes are heartwarming. They toy with my emotions quite a big in this drama. They are also pleasing visually, and have great chemistry together. Cha Kang Yoon is adorable as the second male lead, and though his character might not be as challenging, he is pretty good himself. The veterans do not disappoint, especially when you have everyone’s favorite ahjumma Kim Mi Kyung and the always funny Yoon Byung Hee. Choo Ja Hyun being the villain of the show really tested my patience and that’s of course in part because of the great acting.
Another aspect I really enjoy is the focus of shamanism. I’ve seen other K-dramas with shamans, but I don’t think I’ve seen one with such a strong theme and focus. I enjoy watching and learning the culture, rites, and costumes. The dance done by the female leads with the lanterns was beautiful. The rituals look like it’s a lot of work, physically and mentally. I have no way of knowing how accurate the portrayal of shamans is, but I enjoy every aspect of it shown in the drama.
The romance is sweet, even though I am not a fan of love at first sight. At least there’s a reason why FL needs and wants to approach ML. Mmm… not sure if I would categorize the romance as slow burn but if you want to see the leads together, you will need to be patient. I also don’t think there are enough cute and fluffy scenes, especially after a somewhat long wait. There is of course, a sweet and adorable 2ML. But the love triangle is healthy and supportive. In fact, the bromance between the male leads is fantastic. The trio really are best friends and they are very supportive of each other through thick and thin.
If I have to criticize, the writing in the last few episodes was not as strong and tight when the focus switches to the villain. Even though the leads are still very much part of this plot, I felt the villain’s story took up too much screen time and I didn’t feel like I got a proper background story. We had a few flashbacks but not enough to persuade me that her actions are justified. It was difficult for me to feel sympathetic to her situation. Her constant lies became repetitive and I wonder why any of the characters continue to believe her. At one point, I thought she was de-shamanize (can’t be a shaman anymore) yet she continues to perform evil rituals and cast evil spells. Did I miss something? The evil spirit was introduced as something truly horrific and then we got… Bong Su? Definitely not what I was expecting, and I also felt the writing of his story lacks fluidity and clarity.
Having said all that, I truly had a fun time watching “Head over Heels”. The engaging plot, excellent acting, great friendship far outweigh my problem with the writing in the last quarter of the drama. It also toys with my emotions 'beautifully' by making me laugh, grin, and cry. Objectively, this drama might not be worth my 8.75 rating, but from an entertainment perspective, it deserves it.
Completed: 8/7/2025 Review #611
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