This review may contain spoilers
One of the most best and entertaining college romance!
Dear.M is light, playful, and has enough touches of classic rom-com tropes to retain the viewer's attention. The characters and their respective story lines were easy to follow, despite multiple overlapping connections with the characters' relationships with each other.A worthy and commendable performance from Jaehyun! It seems as if he was meant to play the role of Cha Min-ho with how well he portrayed Min-ho's easygoing yet caring personality. Among the characters, it's easy to see that Cha Min-ho feels the most relatable to most college students in real life. He worries about scholarships and making sure he keeps up with his academics while navigating friendships and relationships at the same time. Cha Min-ho is oftentimes dorky and kind of a loser (poor guy can't seem to find relationships that last), but it's what makes him all the more charming.
However, what I appreciated the most about Jaehyun's delivery was how he effectively showcased his emotions through even the most subtle of nonverbal cues -- the scoffs, lingering glances, comedic one-liners, and affectionate gestures (mostly towards best friend Ma Jooa-h). It sets the tone of the story further and gives viewers subtle hints as to how he really feels about the important people in his life.
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Heart flutters time after time!
This drama is so cute! I know there are a lot of dramas that are in the same settings as this one. However, the story made it unique among them. The drama started as slow for us to get to know the characters since the drama has multiple leads which is understandable and as it should. I never thought that I would be so invested in this drama as I hesitated on watching this.The plot may be ubiquitous to some people but let's agree on the fact that it was somewhat enjoyable and some uniqueness in it too. I liked that I thought I was 100% sure about my bet on who's the admirer (the one who wrote posts for dear.M) but I was wrong and was astonished. The lead couples have their own stories to tell which was very enjoyable. The episode got more exciting when the episode was done intruding on their bonds as friends and started to show the conflicts to one another.
Their acting was good in my opinion, there are just some scenes of the actors that lacked expressions so I couldn't feel the emotion of the act. Park Hye Soo is just so cute, she really is so immersed in her character. The way she acts is just so pleasant, maybe it's her voice, face, or her acting but all I could say is that she is an awesome actress. Out of all the characters here, she is my favorite because her role here is just so lovable. Jae Jyun is so adorable here with his perfect man role here. He's generous, considerate, well-behaved, caring, and many many more than you can imagine. His acting is good, I would say there be more improvements as he continues his acting era.
As for Roh Jeong Eui (Seo Ji Min), she is so beautiful. Her character here is so pure and loyal to her boyfriend which is what I admire the most in this drama. Her acting is good, but there are just times when her acting is kind of awkward.
Bae Hyun Sung (Park Ha Neul) is just so sweet to her girlfriend. He is the kind of boyfriend that is just reserved and sweet at the same time but will be fierce when someone tries to mess with Seo Ji MIn. I like his loyalty to his girlfriend, his tenacity to stay strong is just immense. However, his acting sometimes is lacking in expression? Maybe it's part of the act as the personality of his role is introverted, maybe that's how it should be acted.
Lee Jin Hyuk (Gil Mok Jin) and Woo Da Vi (Hwang Bo Young) got that slow-burn romance. They are so cute as a couple and I know both of them would be a perfect pair.
There is that one song that got me which is "Something's wrong". I love ballads that's why I took a liking to it and the lyrics reflect the situation of Cha min ho and Ma Jo Ah. I didn't know Park Hye Soo could sing aside from Jae Hyun which is from the popular boy group NCT, her voice is serene and pleasing.
Overall, It's an enjoyable drama to watch. It brings youth vibes that will always bring a fresh feeling to the viewers. I wouldn't say I would rewatch this but all I can say is that it is worth the time.
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This review may contain spoilers
A simple romance that's sweet and predictable (light spoilers)
If you're looking for something that has a deep story with twists and turns.....This is not the drama you. But just because it doesn't have a deep story or memorable characters doesn't mean it isn't *GOOD*This K-Drama focuses on 6 leads (Yeah It's a lot) and how they navigate school and their personal feelings towards each other. There are two main couples in the story and the third couple is a slow burn that happens over the course of the 12 episodes. In terms of screen time between the 6 leads I'd say Is about 45% Main couple / 35% Second couple / 5% Third Couple / 10% Others.
the two main tropes the drama focuses on is the Best friends to lovers trope and Love triangle. The plot is very predictable by the time you finish the first episode you know how everything will playout.
The actors did a good job at portraying their archetypes but they don't go beyond that. My personal gripe of the show is that I wish it focused on the Main couple more because that's when the drama was at its peak. The secondary couple and their story was tolerable but I myself didn't like the second FL character and I think when you watch it you'll understand why.
With that being said I think Its a good drama because it knows what it is and It knows it's target audience! It has all the cliche's you're looking for and it does it well.
Dear M is worth watching as its only 12 episodes and the pacing is great.
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Light hearted and not too much stress
I have watched this drama two times. I am writing this review after my second watch. I like college based korean dramas than high school kdramas. There's not much college based though. This series is light hearted and you don't have to spend too much energy watching it. Three couples- One who already were a couple when the story started, One friends to lovers and the third one who eventually fall in love. I really loved the main couple's love story where they didn't rush anything adn we would actually root for them to be together. The development of their love was enjoyable. The annoying female character in between the two campus couple was overdone in my opinion. The thing which could have sorted out easily by just talking was dragged till last episode. Loved the third couple's gradual love development. Acting was okay and the music was fine. I rewatched it because of I came across youtube shorts related to the series and I wanted to watch it again. I gave overall 6/10 because the story dealt with crucial problems every college students face and its not overdone or exaggerated. The story was fine and I am glad they ended it in 12 episodes. On a weekend when you want to watch light hearted and sweet series, I would recommend this show.Was this review helpful to you?
Fun and light-hearted with a dash of tugging on the heartstrings
If any of you happen to be in a drama slump, this is the perfect one to get you out of it (that's what i did for me). There's the light-heartedness of web dramas, but with a much longer runtime, this show was able to give its multiple main characters and couples the arcs they deserved. I rarely find myself so equally enjoying all of the storylines when there are multiple mains, but in this one I definitely did. All the ships had their own distinct dynamics and storylines, made of characters who also each had glowing personalities and backstories of their own. And I loved the friendships that we were able to get between both trios as well, and even more so when we saw the entire group together.Even though this is lighthearted, I actually really enjoyed the tidbits of social commentary that we got. Ma Joo-ah dealt with people against economic affirmative action in college admissions, Hwang Bo Young talked about living with diabetes and being judged for it, Min-ho and his sister were great in their family dynamics and showing how fast children have to mature without parents, etc.
In the second half, I did think that some of the plotlines got dragged out (particularly one with a cliche jealous second female lead), but I still really enjoyed the main female lead that was involved in that situation and how strong and confident she was. I just can't stop gushing about the different mains in this drama and how they were able to shine despite the plot being quite cliche.
I would definitely recommend this to people who like college-setting dramas and friends-to-lovers, or honestly anyone who just wants something light-hearted to watch.
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Dear Slim,
Right off the bat, the drama did a poor job establishing the mysterious M and its mystery. The story was so soulless and shallow it made the 12 episodes runtime so damn dreadful. The whole trio couples were lackluster from all angles, both the actors and their characters. Dialogue was riddled with platitudes and awkward exchanges, making each interaction painful. Even the central mystery, which could have been the saving grace, was handled so clumsily that it failed to generate any suspense or intrigue. The mysterious M could've been an alien for all I care. The ML's sister was the only real sensible semi-functional piece of story in the entire thing. One more thing: from a production standpoint, it adopted the deplorable style of cutting everything short and prematurely; nothing plays in full.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
20 somethings navigating university life and love.
Cute story about 20 somethings navigating university life and love. The mystery behind M in the synopsis is said to be at the center of the story along with the group doing an investigation to determine who it may be. This is not exactly how the series went. The mystery of M was sprinkled throughout the series but there was no investigation. However, the reveal of who M was in the end was a nice twist.Though the series was entertaining, the monotony of university life could at times be boring. There wasn’t much drama. It was mainly focused on the students going to class, working on school projects and trying to get a romance off the ground or salvage it. I liked that the main couple were best friends before realizing they had romantic feelings for one another.
I also liked how the FL at first rejected the ML’s interest. Though they were best friends her fear of losing that friendship if they became romantic and things didn’t workout were valid. I did think the series spent too many episodes with the ML moping around after initially being rejected by the female lead, and almost took to much time for him to reveal his feelings for her.
Things that weren’t well fleshed out, the storyline about the ML being duped out of his savings. There was a scene or two before he was shown to have been scammed and that was it. I didn’t fully understand what happened there. Also, the story about the guy who came from a rich family who was trying to be an app developer due to pressure from his father. That story seemed mostly like filler with not much relevance to the overall story.
I liked that a character was featured who had diabetes. This type of thing is hardly seen in k-dramas as the protagonists are almost always perfect in every way with no health challenges.
I did think it was unrealistic that the interloper to the popular couple was so obsessed with them, hating the SFL high school. But after her planned to destroy the SFL and steal her boyfriend, she shrugged off her obsession. Based on what she’d already done I would’ve expected her to escalate her behavior and at least need some type of therapy before moving past her obsession.
This series had some rewatchable moments, mainly with the leads, but I don’t think the series as a whole would be something I’d rewatch. Still this was a descent series.
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The power of perception
This series centers around a group of university students and a series of online posts from a secret admirer.With the mystery surrounding who the admirer is writing to, they all become more sensitive to every little "clue" they think they notice which leads to misunderstandings and exposing secrets. I recommend anyone who wants a quick glimpse into university life.
I really felt this series was different than many of the fluffy, series that portray university life and showed some serious issues that comes with exploring first love such as not having self confidence in yourself can make you feel less confident in your relationship, as well as misunderstanding overly nice behavior as a sign of liking someone else.
The biggest thing I enjoyed in this series was that the girls in this series were mostly independent, problem solving women who may have accepted help when they wanted it, they also overcame obstacles without needing white knights to come save them. One of the best parts was when the horrible, backstabbing jealous girl was given the karma she deserved though I have to say I wished she was given just a bit more karma but thats the vindictive side of me, since I know that the things she did can leave deep emotional scars. The amount of gaslighting and hate she spewed was just crazy, especially to someone who truly thought they were best friends.
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Nostalgic and true to life scenarios!
The drama depicts alot of real-life scenarios and struggles of university students, from friendship, romantic relationships, and school life to parents/family's expectations. It gives a nostalgic vibe that you can immediately relate to. A mix of romance, heart-fluttering scenes, pain, struggles, and comedy. Sometimes, you just need to stay true to yourself and enjoy each chapter one page at a time.I love how the ML and FL's friendship grows into a more mature and realistic meaning of True friends and love. The second and third lead's love stories are not far from the main lead's story. They capture the essence of the life of every college student.
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a cute stress relieve drama
this gave me the same energy as true beauty and extraordinary you. Just your classic school setting drama.
It's about the love life's of a group of friends and how they basically deal with school stress, money, rivalries and all that jazz.
I mainly started this because of Jaehyun from NCT and i honestly wasn't expecting it to be good but i loved it! and for his first time acting he was really good! also all the characters are also well portrayed and likeable! although i kinda figured out where everything was heading towards but then again i love cliche dramas and all the cutesy moments and i don't think anyone would be here if we didn't.
Overall it was a pretty cute cheesy drama!
So if you're looking for an in-between drama that you can layback and watch this is perfect!
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I'M IMPRESSED ?
Its been so long since I've watched a school kdrama and I just had to review this after I was done. Although it took me a bit longer to watch since I was busy I never thought abt dropping this at all. The acting is not the best but it is watchable and I didn't think it was that bad. Honestly I'm impressed since most of the actors in this are rookies. The story is kinda like love alarm but honestly much better. If u were someone who didnt like love alarm u would defo love this. Not to compare they are both good in their own ways....Okay this drama rlly got me emotional and its been so long since I got 1st lead syndrome. Yes U read that right. Its not rlly a spoiler since its obvious from the trailer but yh the fl likes the sl and the main lead is technically the second lead but dw its a happy ending. The second lead i'll not spoil much but he isn't as good as you might think he is. Lowkey writing this at like 12 am LOL but still gotta say GIVE THIS A CHANCE. Ik there is too many couples in this but they areall lovable in their own ways except for RO SA THAT BITCH. ?? I hated her from start to finish. The side casts all have equal screen time but i won't say they are boring. Mostly I would skip support characters but the ones i this drama are rlly interesting. Its like we get a glimpse of all of the casts lives but no one gets more screen time than the other IMO. It's well balanced which I must praise. Honestly deserves more than the rating at least an 8.6 but I'm giving it a 9 since I have a soft spot for the characters so I'm gonna ignore the flaws. Anyways i'm gonna go sleep now lmao ?
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This review may contain spoilers
Fluffy, a bit anti-climatic and frustrating misunderstandings
July 12, 2022Waw actor Jaehyun is finally hereeeeee. Yes, this review will contain major bias as I tried my best not to lower the review even more. Overall, the drama is adequate, I actually love the red hair and the psych major couple. They were the best couple of the three. I really think that they also gave spice and excitement to the overall blandness that the other two couples radiate. Jimin and Haneul's relationship was something that actually drove me insane to the point where I skip their misunderstanding scenes. Like it genuinely pained my brain on how petty it was. Like sure, I guess many relationships tend to fall into that area but to watch just DIDNT give me the interest that it should. As for our main couple, I only looked forward into Jaehyun's scenes, sure Hye soo's has her good things but the ep after 8 was just plain annoying. Like I am talking about her reaction and treatment of Jaehyun. Like the plain disregard and pushing his feelings and brushing them aside. I get it, it was something that she probably did not expect, but she DIDNT have to be that cruel to him.
That's that, I only watched it for Jaehyun and I stayed for our red hair and clean-freak psych major couple. As for the other two couples, they have some good scenes but some are heavily SKIPPABLE. Sorry, BUT RED HAIR AND PSYCH MAJOR COUPLE SUPREMACYYYYYYYYYY
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