Reviews

A complete mess

I rarely dislike a drama, but Dear X somehow managed to push every wrong button from beginning to end. I hated it with everything I have.

I see people calling the criticism of Ah-Jin “misogyny” because male characters in other dramas often get away with worse.

Honestly? I have no problem with a psychopath protagonist. If a character is written as evil, chaotic, and destructive, and the show clearly knows they are “bad people,” I can watch that. I can even enjoy that.

But that is not how Baek Ah-Jin is presented. She is framed as this empowered, victim turned queen going after what she wants, when in reality she is just causing destruction because she refuses to break out of her self-pity. My issue isn’t her gender, it’s the way the show wanted me to root for her despite that.

I felt bad for her for maybe two episodes. But the moment she made her boss take the fall for her dad’s murder, I was done. She hurts people who genuinely cared for her. She wants the world to suffer simply because her parents were awful. Escaping the victim mentality could have saved her life, but she chose to drag everyone down with her.

Baek Ah-Jin left a trail of victims wherever she went, but for me, Jae-Oh was the most tragic casualty. She manipulated him relentlessly, emotionally chaining him, molding him into whatever she needed, and keeping him under her control for years. In the end, he even died for her. Jae-Oh was completely shackled, and considering how difficult his life already was, her influence only dragged him further into misery.

Kim Yoo-jung is stunning and undeniably charismatic. She has that celebrity aura, and honestly this might be her best performance to date. She shines in her evil scenes but falls flat in almost everything else.

Kim Young-dae might have finally found his genre. He is too pretty to be that expressionless, but here the blankness works perfectly for his character. I think he gets too much criticism for his acting because he was paired with experienced actors like Shin Min-ah and Lee Sang-yi too early in his career. No Gain No Love was simply a mismatch. But here, surrounded by actors closer in age and experience, he manages to hold his own.

The show constantly suffers from a lack of logic. Every single character behaves exactly the way Ah-Jin predicts, as if they are puppets dancing on strings only she can pull.

The writing is another rollercoaster. Where is the consistency? Where is the character development or growth? Why does it feel like not a single writer is doing what they are supposed to do?

The saddest part is that the first two episodes were so damn interesting. Then everything went downhill so fast I got whiplash.

And don’t even get me started on the ending. Every genuinely good character met a tragic fate; even Jun-Seo, who sacrificed everything, died. Meanwhile, Ah-Jin’s character walked away without facing any real consequences for her actions, which made the ending feel narratively hollow.

Honestly, the most fitting conclusion would have been Jun-Seo and Jae-Oh choosing each other and leaving Ah-Jin behind, but of course the show denied us even that.

But I’ve got to give credit where it’s due. The penultimate episode was incredibly satisfying. Ah-Jin finally had to endure the same pain she spent the whole show inflicting on others. Watching everything she built crumble, and seeing her struggle now that she’s the one on the receiving end? She absolutely hates it, and I loved every second.

Dear X had potential, good-looking actors, and a promising setup. After episode 2, the show became a chaotic, illogical disaster held together only by an even more disastrous character. I regret watching this stupid show, but at least it gave me something to rant about.

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All about young idols and their coming into true adulthood. Watch for the actors as young people

Such a sweet story trying to use the classic Sound Of Music idea of Maria - an aspirant religious who goes out into the world to help.

Watch it to see actors Jang Geun Suk, Uie, Jung Yong Hwa and Lee Hong Ki steal every scene. Park Shin Hye will be the same pouting female you've seen before - not much to entertain you.

This is one seriously frustrating drama to watch with such poor acting direction. Yes it's already 16 years old but our lead female never convinces you that she ever tried to be a boy. Still it's in the old soap opera style with one farce after other. And with that frame of mind should be enjoyable enough for most viewers. There is a very happy ending in spite of a lot of wasted scenes and the following...

Possible Triggers for audience:
Excessive apologies from the FL - she must have said "I'm Sorry" no less than 500 times. Who the heck writes these scripts? Are they even trying to present a rational being to the audience or just a caricature. Question answered.

Weeping for long periods of scene exposure by FL. Surely it added up to 2 hours. Was this necessary?

'Terrible Twos' pouting. Again the FL excelled here. But the Director had our ML join in for added effect. Really?!! Why?

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Older dramas really can be quite unique

When compared to current dramas of this type, this is so much better than I expected. It's already 10 years old and it is visually appealing enough to forget the lost decade.

The lead actors brought so much to their roles - life, depth, true human feeling. Partly the script but the actors made it real. Uie is usually a witch and I wasn't sure she knew how to be so lovable, vulnerable, innocent and naive. As Yoon Ha, she really made herself a target for the lead males ambitions. Sung Joon as the lead male was breathtaking in how he revealed a deeply contemplative character. Yes. He was calculative and planned everything out like a game of chess. But in time we see how he traps himself and how things resolve. Not sure I've seen him before; he's excellent. Yoon Ha's best friend played by Lim Ji Yeon, is a very unique character. I've not seen her type before. She's poor, but has tremendous self-knowledge. And the decisions she makes are completely unexpected. Her thought process is so refreshing it's no wonder she wins hearts while being simple, honest and lovable. And she has NONE of the awful - overdone - qualities seen in countless kdramas about love between the rich and the "poor". On thus point alone, the drama gets 10 stars. Park Hyung Sik delivers in spades. He was everything his role needed.

'High Society' could have exceeded a 10/10 rating but the writers must have edited the story details heavily towards the end. I expected some serious resolutions around the supporting character storylines. But those issues were left to the ether. And the ending was almost bordered on underwhelming due to a few Director's cuts and choices. But all in all this is a wonderful drama with a beautiful story, journey and ending for the main characters.

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Mature, intelligent and entertaining, even if it's a contract marriage story.

This drama gets a full, unapologetic rating of TEN stars. With the exception of 2 KDrama tropes, most of the "expected usuals" were put aside for an intriguing, funny, heartwarming, and romantically mature series. Much more grown up a drama than one is accustomed to find as the norm in Romance Kdramas.

Released in 2016, it is a totally fresh twist of telling a story about the conglomerate family heir and all that's expected of him. There is no lacking, mousy low-income girl facing off against the rich guy who needs to intimate her. And there is no silly emotionally immature behavior between these young adults.

Our "heir apparent" Lee Jae In is worldly, cold, and focused on his own goals; he's had many shallow dating relationships. Kim DaDa is our female lead from a middle-class family and has no debt to hinder her life choices or make her the least bit desperate; she's fully aware of herself and is comfortable bing who she is. In a word, she can hold her ground intellectually. She certainly has more depth of personality than you expect when you first meet her because she is such a kind person.

Ha Seok Jin and Jun So Min are the two actors in our lead roles: I've never seen them before in my almost 200 dramas. Neither is fabulously handsome, but they are utterly convincing and likable from the first episode. In the many supporting roles and many actors with very familiar faces and they all do such a great job that this drama lacks nothing in its story telling and has no "slow episodes" either.

The plot surrounds how the lead couple enter into a contractual relationship due to the interference of the retired conglomerate Chairman, who is also Jae In's grandfather. It's a stoke of forward thinking and wisdom on his part and how this spark unfolds is where this series shines above many of the usual dramas we've come to know.

The only failing I could find in this production was the OST; it's a bit mediocre with reliance on a few boring "Western" pieces. The Korean language ballads are however, beautiful and suit the scenes very well.

I do HIGHLY RECOMMEND this drama. Why it isn't as popular is a bit of mystery. But maybe it's because of marketing budgets. The quality of the costumes and cinematography are above average but not exceptional but isn't necessary for your entertainment.

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Final Thought

the ending still feels wild to me, but now I get why it’s called Dear X just like how x in math is unknown

Baek Ah-jin? she’s a full-on sociopath. the way she builds fake stories, pulls people into her web, and switches masks like it’s nothing… it’s terrifying in such a quiet, realistic way. when her facade cracks, you can literally feel the temperature drop.
the actors carried this drama like legends — every expression was on point.

the ending left this sad heaviness. a reminder that monsters aren’t born overnight, and that hurting a child can twist their soul forever.
never abuse your kids. the drama made that message loud and clear.

overall, Dear X is unsettling, poetic, and honestly unforgettable.

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Most iconic of all kdramas. Watch it, even if you can't finish it.

Tender hearted viewers take heed - do not binge this drama. It's one of the most painful dramas I've ever watched and the writers used every method to make it uncomfortable. While a homely, immature, ungainly, lacking in sense female with extremely unpolished eating habits is a norm for many a kdrama, Jan-Di might take first place. The actress brought all these characteristics across to perfection. The series is now 16 years old since originally airing and dramatic styles have changed. This may have been the style people expected back then; I had a hard time sticking to it.

Besides this female character trope, the unending lucky and unlucky circumstances surrounding the main 3 of 5 characters were quite unreasonable and unrealistic. By episode 15 I wanted to exit; it felt like a dreadful journey to keep watching. Much of the writing is too emotionally brutal to call entertainment. At the very least, gives reasons to why countless people in our real world, have such deep traumatic and psychological scars. Boys Over Flowers is classified as a Romantic Comedy and Drama. I suggest it be classified as a Romantic Melodrama. The moments of comedy are not compensation for the continuous stream of unhappy events that befall the main couple.

DO NOT BINGE watch this series if you have intense emotional sensitivities. (where violence, overt meanness, melancholy music, touch you on a deep level). It can drain you to the point of exhaustion if you don't take a break. Upon reflection, I should have assigned my own viewing to smaller increments of time over a couple weeks.

If you can watch this all the way to the end, there are a good number of sweet, endearing and rewarding moments along the way. Especially where lesser characters in supporting roles act as rays of light and hope when things are dreadfully dark. Still, for me it was a torment to watch and at times watched with the sound off to lessen trauma of listening to the musical soundtrack that fed so much sadness during heart rending scenes.

For me I don't love Boys Over Flowers and didn't find it enjoyable. Ultimately I felt exhausted from the experience (binge watched 6 episodes at a time which took its toll). But yes I still recommend it because not everyone feels the same way; or is unable to detach from such ludicrous stories. What kept me going is Lee Min Ho's acting - and I despised everything about his character in the beginning. Never been a fan of his, but I give credit where credit is due. It makes sense seeing him in this role why he is considered so great an actor. And to be honest - that hair!! which is so ridiculous - I don't know who else could have pulled this character off. And I found humor in the fact the writers did not think his hair was normal. They made fun of it through the script. Other reasons to keep watching are, the other lead male actors and many characters who supported Joon Pyo and Jan-di throughout the strife and heartbreak they suffered as teens and young adults. As a bit of a spoiler, Gu Joon Pyo's hair gets less freakish towards the end - even attractive.

Why watch? This may be the most iconic of all kdramas and in order to have dialogue or exchange opinions with your kdrama friends you can certainly benefit by knowing what happens and how things go. And maybe why other fans of kdramas love it. At my writing, Boys Over Flowers is 16 years old and still drawing an audience of avid Korean drama fans who absolutely love it.

My Disclaimer: never been into soap opera. And BOF is an intense and short version of that genre. Melodramatic, absurd situations are perpetually created for their own sake and not necessarily the characters. This made BOF painful to watch. Yet, it had its moments and I ultimately came to care for all the characters in their limitations and circumstances. Not many, but some other reviewers have pointed out similar likes, dislikes, and observations which stand as proof we are all very different in how we find pleasure in entertainment.

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good people don’t always win, bad people don’t always die

Okay, Dear X” was honestly one of the strongest thrillers of 2025.
Every week, I was counting down for the new episode, and that finale… that cliffhanger was cruel in the best way. We still don’t know what truly happened to Baek A-Jin, and that unanswered mystery is exactly why this drama hits so hard. A-Jin is alive, and her story is far from over.
Season 2 feels almost inevitable.
This drama was sharp, emotional, and twisted, and it was so well-written. Even if we never get Season 2, the message is powerful:
Good people don’t always win, bad people don’t always die, and everyone, good or bad, must live with the consequences of their choices.
Kim Jae-O’s ending made perfect sense.

He spent his whole life carrying childhood trauma that shaped his twisted mind, and in the end, his final moment wasn’t happiness; it was dark acceptance. He sacrificed himself for A-Jin and died. It was his tragic way of finding closure, becoming exactly what his painful past shaped him to be

Jun-Seo’s mother also had one of the worst endings. She didn’t get peace at all. She fell down the stairs right after receiving a letter from her son, a letter in which he finally cut ties and ended their toxic cycle. And Jun-Seo’s suffering since childhood came directly from her behaviour, shaping the broken man he became.

A-Jin’s husband now has to keep living his life knowing she’s still alive, and that truth is destroying him from the inside.
He can’t sleep, he can’t breathe normally, and no matter how much he tries to move on, the fear and guilt follow him everywhere. He knows she’s out there… and that knowledge is its own kind of punishment.

Yun Jun-Seo was the most heartbreaking character for me.
He loved A-Jin deeply, yet he carried a lifetime of guilt on his shoulders. That guilt started when he was a child and never left him. He truly believed his mother ruined her life, and that belief shaped every decision he made.
In the end, he thought he could end his life together with A-Jin, choosing a tragic escape from the pain he carried. But fate betrayed him: he died, while she survived.

Sim Seung-Hui was another walking disaster. Her ending in the hospital felt like karma arriving on time.

She was the lucky one…
She’s still alive somewhere, unfinished, unpredictable, one of the strongest reasons this drama needs Season 2.
But if Season 2 happens?
Baek A-Jin’s return will be pure chaos… and I’m ready.

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Money Hungry Producers of The Kdrama Industry

Firstly, I really enjoyed episode 11. From her being the one on the recieving end of someones manipulation, to jae ohs insane plan and sacrifice. I didn't think he'd go so far as to letting himself die. Then to her flipping the script on do hyuk. In episode 12 I knew what was coming as soon as I saw jun seos reaction as I had read the mydramalist summary before I had a gist of what would happen but man the satisfaction of her reaching the top and for everything to come crashing down like jenga blocks. Not to mention the documentary was so well done and fun to watch and then when shes running out on the street lost and alone, suddenly he appears jun seo. The car ride would be my second favority scene in the show after the award show, I was elated thinking this was likely the best ending that could happen, as I think jun seo is not also innocent since hes been allowing her actions so far he is also responsible to an extent. If you look back on my comments I had said, the ideal way for this story to end was the mutual destruction of all parties involved. Unfortunately it didn't happen, the greedy pigs couldn't just end the story well, noo. How could they make more profit if the story ends there guys? Man what a drag. Anyways, not interested in part 2 when they could easily have finished everything off there if those 2 died, the old man from the shop releases the footage on doohyuk, jun seos mother dies after falling down the stairs, sim seung or whatever her name is is already in a mental clinic. All would have been good and dandy

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A short youth drama without much substance

To start it off, I want to say that I believe most people won't enjoy this even if it's not a bad drama per se. For me I found it an okay watch, if you want something where you don't need to think. But the only reason why I watched is because I am a fan of Jin Zixuan.

The story revolves around a few teenagers, all different from each other. We have a energetic, loud, female lead who's main goal is to recruit the new student to their ping pong club. This new student, a former champion, quit playing after a previous event. The other students in the ping pong club consists of a foodie girl, who tends to eat food almost every time she is on screen and a guy who loves earning money. They are also joined by a "rival" of the ml, who hangs around in their school despite not being a student there.
The end goal driving the drama plot is that the ping pong club will win the school championship.

I know one reason why people enjoy school dramas is because of the romance, but there is basically nothing of that. There is a hint of a crush, but that's about it. The focus is on their friendship and playing ping pong.

In terms of acting most of the young actors are so so. For me the dubbing didn't help, it instead made the characters feel even more over the top. I have only seen Jin Zixuan before, and she does what she usually do, which is to say she plays a happy girl with a bright smile.

I gave the drama a 7, which is probably too generous, but I don't like giving lower ratings.

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Huh, unexpected

For those who don't wanna read it all: not as bad as I would've thought. You can see it once and forget about it. I've seen some critics as to why this one is worse than the first part, but thats wrong and I'll talk about that too, at the end. People got super-hyped by the "cameos" of all the known characters (no matter how sht the story itself was) and now they are sad for different motives. Basically, they went from "oh, wow, I know this one. And this one. And this one!" to "wait, what? I don't know this story, it seems new. I don't like new..." :))
After the sht-show that was Part 1, I wasn't expecting much. But its a lot better. Still not "good", but better. And I'll say this here, because I must say it again and again. I'll talk about the movie's quality, not the enjoyment factor. Those are NOT the same. You can enjoy bad media, and thats ok (aka "my guilty pleasure"). Just make sure you know it is bad.

So. Visuals. Meh. That weird filter is gone, but now its just passable. The colour palette is a bit better. The cinematography is a bit better. VFX are meh. So, basically, those 3 (ok, maybe a couple more) super amazing shots and effects from the first movie are gone, but now we get a lot more mid stuff. Don't get me wrong, still lot of sht/meh, but the ratio is a bit better. Oh, still here, the fight choreography is meh, still lots of dumb techniques and clearly wire-moves. Because I forgot to say that it was sht in my Part 1 review :))
Audio. Meh/decent. Definitely an upgrade. Because now there is one. Also a couple of decent songs.
World-building still sht. New characters appear and you must acknowledge them, no matter what their backstory is. Period. The pacing is a bit better. It feels like a proper story. The production value seems high, again.

And now the main stuff. The script is meh. A lot better, for sure, but it is meh. At least now a couple more stuff makes sense. Yes, still some plot devices, plot contrivances and plot holes, but fewer. Also, some plot points were predictable, you can see what they'll try to do from the first 10-20 minutes. The same for the ending. Being an Chinese movie, I was expecting it. But a very big surprise: there is character development. Yes, I was shocked. And they tried to do it for more than one character. Are they amazing, or even good? No, not really. But at least there is something to be working with. Basically, the story got a tiny bit better, the storytelling got a tiny bit better and some execution got a bit better. But is it good? Still, no. You could call it not boring. If you're watching it right after the Part 1 with and all that "all glitter, no substance" approach, its at least enjoyable. Yes, the Part 1 had 1 extra amazing acting and VFX, for the same one, but the rest was just fluff, whereas now we got a somewhat "decent", if you will, movie.

Lets talk about something for a minute. A lot of criticism is that this movie is not the same as the source. Well, I haven't read the source and I can't say, but: the source and the new format can't and shouldn't be the same. What works in a book, it might be difficult to render in animation. What works in animation, might look silly in live-action. Every format has its pro and cons. A good (I won't even say "great") storyteller (producer/director/screenwriter) should be capable of such feat.
And I'll give some examples for easier tracking. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings. The director (that also had a part in rewriting it) made some changes. Two chapters became an whole arc, the ending got axed, complete character make-over, and so on and so forth. Jurassic Parc. The movie is completely different than the movie, because the director used character development. You would've assumed that the visuals would've been the most important part, but the director understood that a great story must also make us care about its characters. Another example: any movie adaptation of books by Stephen King. It is known the the author hates at least one movie, said they changed his book. Guess what? He make a TV show, the way he wanted to, and it was sht. His way of writing is very difficult to put in a movie as is. Because as I said earlier, what works in a book, it might not be doable for a movie.
And back to this movie. Was a lot changed? I don't know, it could be. Does it matter? No, not really. Sure, a point could be made that if you're gonna change it that much and not resemble the original work, you could just NOT do it at all.

So, to wrap it up. It gets a rating of 5. Kinda meh all-over. Re-watching? No, not really? Enjoyment value? I don't think so. The "fans" will hate it because it was changed, the "normal" viewers won't care enough. So it really is up to you.
Have a lovely day.

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Watched it in one sitting

The story is well shot, and had so much potential to be something other than your typical BL tropes, but alas it falls short in writing.
I liked the main actors, but almost every other character seems unnecessary to the plot (except the secretary). What purpose did the two brothers serve? After the first episode, none!
The love story begins unexpectedly, and the feelings developed so quickly, as if a lot of time had passed between the main couple's initial interactions, but it hadn't, which felt jarring.
But the music was great...Jeff Satur sang the beautiful OST. Exceptionally smooth voice. One additional star in the overall rating just for the music.

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Not Every drama is worth the rating

As someone who hasn’t read the webtoon, I actually found the drama fresh and interesting. I’m not arguing whether the FL is a psychopath or sociopath because there's no rule that every main character needs to be empathetic. The actress truly delivered an amazing performance. What disappointed me the most was how the director altered the story. Since the drama is meant for a general audience, the FL shouldn’t get a “free pass” just because she’s the main character. The ending felt overly biased and honestly quite weak.

The webtoon’s conclusion seems far more logical, and the drama was rushed to the point where the FL’s character lost its depth. That’s why I ended up giving it a 6.

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