Reviews

Haters gonna hate, potatoes gonna potate

Few kdramas received the kind of backlash Dear X did after the series finished airing. I couldn't believe the number of people that were butthurt about the show's ending. And while it's true that the ending felt like the director lost a bet and had to do a coin toss (aka, "Do we murk Yun Jun Seo or not?"), I can't say with good conscience that the show was a trainwreck. I actually quite liked the show and I thought it was one of the more interesting kdramas of 2025 (feel free to disagree, feel free to put pineapple on your pizza).

Perhaps it's because I love studying human behavior and personality types, and spent more than 10 episodes trying to figure out if Kim You Jung's character (Baek A Jin) was on "the dark triad." She's clearly a sociopath, that much is a given... but her character was so layered, so conflicted, so potentially psychopathic, that it sparked my curiosity immensely. I found Kim Young Dae's character (Yun Jun Seo) to be equally fascinating! He also displayed signs of mild psychopathy, but it was sprinkled out at intervals throughout the show. Arguably, Yun Jun Seo was an even more complex character than Baek A Jin—at face value, he's an enabler... if we go deeper, he's crippled by his mother and feels responsible for the train wreck that Baek A Jin had become... on a deeper level, he wants to fix her but knows he can't, so he just watches and hopes that she changes over time... on a deeper level, he settles for giving her happiness (in fact, she demands this) despite her having major (and quite murderous) faults... on a deeper level, he himself gains satisfaction and pleasure from being a silent observer in her life (in the exact same way that a stalker would).

I can't believe the audience missed the little hints that pointed out his deep inclinations, which he let surface SPECIFICALLY when it came to Baek A Jin. Like the part where he visited her rooftop apartment and chose to peek at her through the glass window for a few moments before knocking at the door. Or the part where she (Baek A Jin) asks him to help her GET Heo In Gang (she told him that she only wanted Heo In Gang for a year), and Yun Jun Seo then proceeded to quietly stalk Heo In Gang and then presented Baek A Jin with a WELL DECORATED, HANDWRITTEN booklet (complete with pictures and drawings) telling her all she needed to know to slither her way into Heo In Gang's life. Yun Jun Seo knew her better than anyone, so he knew things would end badly for Heo In Gang. I guess he was just hoping that somehow Baek A Jin would magically change (or perhaps he was just content with knowing she'd be satisfied as long as she had what she wanted). Clearly, he wanted to love her, but he knew she was incapable of emotion (so, in this way he was also conflicted).

Honestly, I thought the show would end with him (Yun Jun Seo) springing to her rescue, and her taking him down with her (of course, he'd happily give his life with a smile as long as it's for her, am I right? Lol). So, seeing the show end with him intentionally driving her off a cliff (at that point, he knew she could not be redeemed and that the world would continue to suffer with her in it), I actually think that ending wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. The mind trip is that she didn't die... he did—which is awful because he's a really important character in the show! (at least for me). Normally, this kind of cliffhanger ending would hint at the possibility of a season 2... but can there honestly be a season 2 without Yun Jun Seo? I think that either both of them should have perished, or (alternately) neither of them should have perished in the car wreck.

Either way... Kim You Jung, Kim Young Dae, and Kim Do Hoon did a stellar job! Their performances were chef's kiss. I was pleasantly surprised at Kim Ji Hoon's feature in the show earlier on as well (not just because he's the sexiest man alive but because he's a fantastic actor).

Overall... this show was great imo. Ignore the bad reviews. If you have a functional brain and can think for yourself, then chances are you will love this show. You might not agree with every single plot development, but you definitely can't rate it poorly in favor of the other kdramas released this year (many with stunning visuals but lacking actual substance). Dear X is a solid 8.5/10 for me.

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A story I would choose to cry over again.

This story brought me so many tears, and I absolutely loved it.

Night alone was about 30% of the reason why. Mark Pakin did an incredible job. Like Porjai, I couldn’t help but point out Night’s many good qualities. He took care of Day even when Day didn’t want him around. He made sure Day could still do the things he wanted— talking to their mom, asking Mhok to help, even giving Day his phone back.

Night called himself a mama’s boy, yet he understood that Day needed more of their mother’s attention. The holiday dinner scene broke me. I almost found myself hating their mom for not remembering Night’s favorite food. Still, Night was always willing to adjust for Day.

Also, accepted Porjai wholeheartedly, and his love for her and her child was truly unconditional.

Sea deserves so much praise for his portrayal of Day. He carried the weight of the story so naturally that it never felt like he’s just acting. Every bit of Day’s frustration, vulnerability, and quiet fear felt real. His eyes alone told half the story… especially in the moments when Day was struggling with his fading sight and sense of independence. There were times I completely forgot Sea was acting because his emotions felt raw and honest. He made Day’s journey heartbreaking, frustrating, and beautiful all at once.

And Jimmy as Mhok… His performance was filled with so much sincerity and restraint that every emotional moment hit harder. Mhok’s patience, devotion, and quiet love for Day were portrayed so gently, yet so deeply. I cried whenever Mhok cried. Jimmy made Mhok’s love feel steady, safe, and unconditional, which made their story even more painful and meaningful.

I also love William’s last twilight as the OST. Whenever I hear it now, I will always remember Mhok & Day. 💖

I would gladly cry over this series all over again.

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This was actually a tragedy.

I DID IT! I FINISHED IT! Please...a round of applause for me for finishing what has slowly turned into an archnemesis of a watch. I want to clarify, I didn't hate this show. I loved a lot about this show. (Mainly, Mr. Hong.)(But more importantly, his house.) (I freaking love that house, actually!) I like the cozy, summery vibes, and it has funny parts and a lot of good bits. I love the support characters, I love our male lead...and then there is the "romance" and unfortunately...the female lead.
You see, usually my favorite character in a Kdrama is the female lead. Even when they are ditsy or written to be helpless or contradictory, I am rooting for the girls! Sure, it's not helped by the fact that male leads are usually overhyped or straight-up abusive but a lot of times MLs are also unrealistically nice and rich. So it all balances out, and I am rooting for everyone by the end and it's all good.
I think this is the first time I genuinely hate the female lead in a kdrama. It's not just that she takes forever to learn a lesson. It's that the show never manages to shake off her elitist philosophy, her snobbish behavior, her blind selfishness, and her extremely age-inappropriate childishness even after many episodes of providing her with character development ingredients. She has character growth, thankfully. But by the end, the show tries to gaslight us into accepting that she has grown more than she actually has, based on a few lip service moments.
You see, our female lead...is written to be a little too main-character-coded! To quote Taylor Swift (in a manner she would set me on fire for), Hye Jin suffers from terminal uniqueness, lmao! The level of self-unawareness the show displays by having TWO city girls move to a rural coastal town and then show one of them struggle and have this fish-out-of-water narrative where no one, truly...not a single human in that town, can relate to her...not even the girl sleeping in the room next door, going through the exact same thing as her(?!) is wild. Did no one think this was just a tad too...pick-me?! And while on the topic, the show is so dumb about this, they sometimes forget where Mi Seon is spending her nights! Like, where was she during the storm?! It's so I'm-not-like-other-girls of the show to have such a tilted view of their own characters and it pisses me off because it just reeks of pretty privilege in narrative motion. And she is so unworthy of this favorite daughter treatment.
Why is this 34-year-old woman having character arcs that a healthy human person should go through between the ages of 18 to 24?! She talks to Mr. Hong like a petulant girl who is having her first encounter with the opposite sex. This is not helped by the disturbing sequence when she forced them to dress like high school children and act like they are 17! WHY?! I'm not even 34 yet (and I even think I'm pretty immature) but I can't for the life of me figure out how massively arrested one's development needs to be for them to wish themselves back into f*cking high school at thirty-four! Seriously! Her circumstances, her background, and even her tragic backstory, none of it explains or excuses how she is written! And yes! I am mad at how she treats Hong Do Shik. Because how out of touch with reality is this worldly woman to not realise what a ridiculously good catch Hong Do Shik is?!???!!?!?!
Girl! Just look at that man!!!! LOOK AT HIM!
And once you're done with that, observe how this man behaves and see how this is a man who will never go a day hungry in his life because he has enough skills to always provide for himself and his family. And then look some more because on top of all that, he is handsome, kind, intelligent, empathetic, open-minded, and funny!
And to rest my case, your honors...he owns...A HOUSE. In this economy! He owns a freaking house! His own!!!House!!!! Nay...he owns THE HOUSE. That house...that house is the reason for 6 out of those 7 and half stars. *wipes tears away* That house is the love of MY life! The woodwork! The Kitchen! The books!!!!! Every single thing about his house is a love letter to me personally. Music to my ears. Beauty beyond compare!!!! I would marry a man for that house! (I digress...)
My point is, this dude is a catch and then some but Hye Jin acts like he is a chewed-up gum under her ugly, tacky-ass silver shoes that is graciously scraping away...girl! He is ABOVE your level! You are dating UP. You are NO catch. Seriously! She may be gorgeous and a doctor but her qualities end there. She is immature, rude, selfish, has no financial self-awareness, and she is snobbish in that very specific way that new money people in South Korea are. She is more emotionally stunted than a rock! And she can barely do anything besides the one thing she does as a job (okay, incompetent queen, relatable! But still! At least, I know a man like Hong Do Shik who looks like that is way above my dating pool...)
I could not for the life of me figure out this romance. The "why" haunts me to this day. I have never been sad that the main characters of a show got together because I honestly think the male lead was wasted!!! This has never happened to me before! This was basically a tragedy! If she had dragged his poor ass to Seoul, I would have campagined to add the tragedy tag to this.
I have ranted so much about this, I can't even spend time talking about the dumb backstory for the ML or how I felt about the supporting cast or how the SML is ON-SIGHT for me! That man is possibly my second most disliked second male lead ever and it's a testament to how much I disliked Hye Jin that until episode 15, I was lowkey hoping she would end up with SML...like those two deserved each other...actually SML was written in such an annoyingly Mary Sue way, she doesn't deserve his squeaky sparkling butt either probably...but I dislike him so she can have him!
Anyway! I only watched this show for the town people and ONLY for Do Shik...'s house! That man was written to be way too attractive. He looks like a freaking 90s heartthrob in every scene and acts like the coolest intellectual on earth. He is so competent, it brings tears to my eyes. And they made him date a girl who thinks golf is peak chic behavior and tacky silver shoes are high fashion! *ugly crying* The TRAGEDY!!!!!

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Great Drama, but 12 episodes would have been fine

I loved this drama. The story is overall really great. I loved the plot and the development, but 20 episodes were too much. Especially the first ten episodes were great and it had me captivated. Lee seung Gi was great and the chemestry with Oh Yeon-seo was incredible. I also loved General Frost. However, strating with episode 13/14 the last episodes felt like filler and confused me and made the story seem messy. I am not someone who spends special attention to the OST, but the soundtrack was so good that I noticed it even while watching the series. For me, it was one of the best soundtracks ever.

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Something new

This is the drama where I fell in love with Jae-wook. I started it because Rowoon is part of the cast and because i liked the synopsis. At the beginning it all seemed a bit weird and took little time to get used to this drama, but its unique concept and charming characters helped getting used to it. I loved the character of Baek Kyung, who is also a victim of the storyline and his developement. Sometimes it felt like the potential of the concept is not completely used, which is sad, and some scenes felt a bit repetetive. For the end I wished for a better ending for Beak Kyung...

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It's so bad... but so good? What sorcery is this?

It's a typical romcom cdrama but with a STRONG Thai flavor. The "vibe" kinda reminds me of the Thai drama "Pit Babe," but Speed and Love is much more mild (even though it tries to be a tad bit risqué at times).

Let me start by saying, He Yu is absolutely stunning. When I saw him I was like, "Who is this guy?" Then, after a quick bio check, I realized he featured in "Dashing Youth," but somehow I can't remember him? Anyway, I'll never forget who he is after watching Speed and Love. And my god, the chemistry between him and Esther Yu was electric (by cdrama standards, that is).

Speaking of Esther Yu, I want to start by saying (for the thousandth time, lol) that I LOVED her performance in "Love between Fairy and Devil." I thought the role matched her strengths as an actress really well. But... after watching a few of her other shows, including "Love Game in Eastern Fantasy" and "My Journey to You," I'm still convinced that she isn't a particularly versatile actress. Whenever she's placed in a serious role, she resorts to a type of "wooden" performance style and never quite seems to be immersed in the role. To counteract this, she sometimes slips out of character back into her main (and most successful) persona, which is the extra bubbly, innocent, almost childish character that embodies a specific Chinese trope (particularly when it comes to their taste in women). Anyway, that's basically what happened in Speed and Love. She slips out of character a few episodes in and embodies the pouty, irrational, child-like persona, which made the romance aspect seem less mature and feel a bit clumsy, almost? I'm used to watching cdramas, so I was able to tolerate it... but as someone who also watches Thai dramas, it really felt like Speed and Love missed some major opportunities to push the envelope in the spicy department (which is the show's main appeal, obviously). The storyline is weak, but judging by the 8.5 rating, people clearly don't mind! Like most romcoms these days, the show starts off strong and then fizzles out midway. So don't expect consistency. But it's worth a weekend binge with snacks. 7.5/10

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amazing acting

Go Youn-jung absolutely delivered a phenomenal performance as both Cha Mu-hee and Do Ra-mi in this show. She made the two personas feel like completely distinct individuals—Cha Mu-hee with her grounded, vulnerable actress energy, and Do Ra-mi bursting with that bold, enigmatic charisma. The contrast was so seamless and convincing that it really elevated the entire storyline, especially with the emotional depth she brought to their shared history and the surprising reveal of the second persona.
The translator's velvety, smooth voice was such a treat to listen to, particularly when he switched between languages effortlessly—it added this layer of sophistication and intimacy to every scene. Bringing in Do Ra-mi as this unexpected second identity was a bold twist that caught me off guard, but the execution was handled so skillfully that it felt natural and impactful rather than forced.
And Hiro was portrayed by a really talented actor whose presence was magnetic. His chemistry and screen time made me wish he had even more leading roles in future projects—he has so much potential to carry entire series with his charm and acting range. Overall, this drama's cast choices were spot-on, and Go Youn-jung's dual role stands out as one of the highlights to me.

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It's cute

First: This was my first Kdrama. (I know, how is this my first?)

I don't know if this is my nostalgica talking, as this was my first kdrama, or whether I just think the title already warned us, but it was clear from the start, that this wasn't gonna be a innovative story. And I personally think, it is totaly fine!

I really liked the chemistry between the main characters, I just think that Seo-woo deserved more. At the end of the drama I felt really bad for him. I understood what the idea of Hyun-min character was, but I didn't like it, he was a prick. I loved the soundtrack, still listen to it, and liked the ending. All in all a solid performance I think.

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A Mess Dressed as a Drama

Some dramas know that they want to be teen rom-coms and some know they want to be supernaturals. When a drama doesn’t know what it wants to be, you don’t get a genre blend.. you get a mess. Head Over Heels is that mess.

Story
The drama starts with an interesting premise: a young shaman falls in love with one of her customers at first sight. There is a catch though - he is plagued by misfortune, and worse, he is destined to die in 21 days. She promises to save him. The obstacles are compelling on paper. He turns out to be her new classmate, and he utterly despises shamans. With the help of her loyal best friend, she manages to save him.

That is the core story. Unfortunately, around the halfway mark, the drama seems to lose faith in its own premise. Instead of deepening the existing conflict, it pivots in an entirely new direction - one that exists mainly to give the leads ample opportunity to engage in self-sacrificing noble idiocy.

Things I Sometimes Liked:
Characters:
 Sung-ah is mostly likeable. Her best friend Ji-ho is consistently likeable. Gyeon-u is a mixed bag. The various shamans are a confused lot who can’t seem to decide whether they are powerful or not.
Yeom-hwa, who in my opinion deserved a painful death, is handed a convenient redemption arc that is forced down our throats. The second antagonist, Bong-su, also receives a wholly undeserved free pass. More on that later.

Performances:
 I sometimes liked some performances. With the arguable exception of Cha Kang-yoon, almost every performance feels uneven - so much so that it feels like watching two different dramas spliced together.


Cho Yi-hyun clearly has range, but the drama wastes a golden opportunity to show a teenager leading a double life: dreamy student by day, formidable shaman by night. While she does an uneven but passable job, Choo Young-woo does not. His Gyeon-u is painfully one note. Whether he is playing Gyeon-u or Bong-su, very little changes.
 Even Kim Mi-kyung comes off more robotic than stoic, and Choo Ja-hyun’s Yeom-hwa is flat throughout.

Lore:
 The lore is interesting (when it makes sense).


Things I Did Not Like:
Script
This is one of the most confused scripts I’ve seen in recent memory. It leans heavily in one direction at the beginning, then pulls a classic switcheroo midway through. It’s irritating.
 And the loopholes.. oh dear. They are large and plentiful. Because of them, the drama feels like it has dissociative personality disorder.

Lack of Accountability for Characters’ Actions
This is my biggest issue with the drama. Characters are repeatedly absolved of horrific actions simply because they have tragic backstories.

Yeom-hwa commits a staggering list of despicable acts: she keeps on cursing an innocent child for money, curses an old woman’s soul to hell to drive that child toward suicide, creates an evil deity for reasons the script never bothers to explain, and ultimately causes the death of her adoptive mother. Her solution to her own mistakes? A murder-suicide. Oy!
And for all this, she walks away scot-free, framed as a tragic figure deserving sympathy because she lost a child in the past. Apparently, that loss justifies destroying someone else’s. A wardrobe change and a sad smile are apparently all it takes to earn forgiveness. No thanks.

Bong-su. Yes, he was a child soldier who died an undeserved and untimely death. Let’s assume he has no control over his murderous urges. Even so, the undisputed fact remains: he kills 99 innocent people. He willingly tries to kill the ML and wants to trap the FL in some half-world dream state. And then - boom - because the FL decides he is “innocent,” he gets a free pass and an upgrade straight to heaven.

Where is the accountability? What happened to the principle that forgiveness is earned, not handed out like candy?

Lore
Even with my near-zero understanding of shamanism and its rules, it’s obvious that the lore in this drama works or stops working, purely to stretch the story to 12 episodes. It bends, flips, and contradicts itself constantly. It’s ridiculous.

Performances
The unevenness of almost all the main performances only amplifies the script’s problems.

Noble Idiocy
The two leads repeatedly hide crucial information from each other “for the other’s own good.” Their incessant attempts to die for each-other gets tiring pretty soon. Yikes.

Overall
Head Over Heels mistakes suffering for depth and redemption for resolution. Its inconsistent script and uneven performances only magnify the story’s flaws. Without consistency or accountability, the drama drains its own story of meaning and impact. This has landed on the red side of my entertainment ledger.

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A great sequel

Since I loved season one, I couldn't wait for season two, and it yet again didn't disappoint. I was a bit scared at first to be honest, because I reallz liked the character of Mu-deok and was very sad that this character would be missing. But story-wise it made sense and I really liked to see what would have happened if Naksu would have "stayed" at home. I am not sure whether I liked Jang Uk more in S1 when he was more lively and only wanted to prove himself or in S2 when he was all dark and gloomy. Anyway, I love S2 and think that it was a worthy sequel to the phenomenal S1.

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