Dear M. (2022)

Se volete una storia d'amore all'università

Non aspettatevi di dovervi munire di fazzoletti o di avere il cuore a 2000, ma.
Questo drama è adatto a chi cerca una storia (o più) d'amore ambientata durante l'università, ma allo stesso tempo non cerca nulla di troppo emozionante o un mistery con i contro cazz*. La storia è proprio semplice e basilare ma svolge bene il suo compito. Ho apprezzato tantissimo come sono state raccontate tutte le coppie, tranne la mia preferita ma non mi lamento troppo XD. Il drama per quanto semplice è ben costruito e raccontato, ogni cosa è stata gestita bene. Non ho davvero moltissimo da dire perchè tutto quello che penso è qua.
Una visione carina e molto rilassante. Una bella storia d'amore.

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Honestly, it’s not too bad. I’m impressed

There’s not many dramas that take place at uni, so this was nice to see.

PROS
- Topics you might be interested in: university admissions for low income students; general financial problems; computer engineering students; the ethical and dangerous problem with dating apps; diabetes; ocd; cheer leading; app and game development and more!
- A group of six friends who are comfortable with each other
- Childhood lovers to friends; campus couple; and noona relationship (by only 2 years)
- Jeong jaehyun (he did really good) and the kisses? My jaw dropped
- Sibling relationship
- Simple plot - easy to follow
- Characters had own backstories and problems they dealt with throughout
- 12 episodes so no dragging plot

CONS
- The female characters (main and side) were stereotyped a lot in the first half. Whilst the men seem to be very laidback and chill whilst the women are obsessive and jealous and crazy, but it does improve by the second half
- The side characters - at some parts, they were more relevant than some of the main characters. For one in particular, they made them do something very shady which I didn't like (basically just to get ride of him), and by the end of the drama, they all became irrelevant. I was kind of disappointed. There was another character introduced very late and didn't really contribute anything...
- At times, certain main characters were background characters because they weren't in a relationship and most of the problems in the drama are relationship problems
- Miscommunication. This is a big turn off for some. I didn't think it was as bad as some people have said. But the weird thing is, when characters did communicate, there would still be problems and some characters went two episodes without talking to each other properly
- I expected better confrontation for certain characters

There are some other things I want to mention.

I though the plot was quite interesting, especially considering that it’s a campus romance. It didn’t feel like a typical university drama where everyone falls in love. The main six each have some sort of problem in their personal life that also defines their personality and choices at times. I also like how they depicted uni life. They actually go to class and do work (because they genuinely care), and have a social life. As mentioned before, I like the incorporation of their majors and the apps they use. And of course, the anonymous love letter that was posted, and the mystery element behind that which was a catalyst for misunderstandings and confusion.

There’s also a few other small things I enjoyed that I wanted to mention. Joo Ah and Min Ho’s friendship is really cute at the start: them sharing a drink, him typing his jacket around her, him calling her mum, ‘mum’ as well. They had a good platonic relationship which I like to see. And of course, him being in love with her for a while. And the small things he did when he was jealous were hilarious since they weren’t actually mean spirited in any way (e.g. the lip balm scene on the road trip - p.s. I LOVE ROADTRIPS IN DRAMAS SM!!.) Jaehyun's character spends half of the drama being 2nd ML but he doesn't fall in any good guy trope, and isn't possessive or toxic. Despite knowing he she likes someone else, he doesn’t treat her differently (i.e. badly). And lastly, there’s a main character (Bo Young with diabetes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a character in a kdrama have diabetes. I can’t speak on how accurate the representation was, but I did appreciate how she briefed the people she was close to in case something ever happened. It felt realistic. And we also had a main character with OCD which he really took pride in (once again, can't speak for representation).

Also, I teared up during the last episode when Jaehyun gave his speech...

All in all, this is a drama that doesn’t do too much or too little. Aside from a few things, nothing else felt unnecessary. If you’re a fan of any of these actors, and of course, if you want to finally see Jaehyun’s first acting role, check it out!! For my fellow nctzens, you will not be disappointed - jaehyun knew the assignment. And the kiss scene!!!! wow

At the moment, I've given this drama a 8 but it may change in the future. This series is not my thing at all and I only watched for Jaehyun, but it was decent enough to get through

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Sweet , sweet romance, friendship, rivelery and Hoodies, hoodies everywhere....

When the hoodies are flowing and umbrellas are showing, you just know this drama is going to be a hit! As this is such a sweet feel good youth drama with, lots and lots of sweet heart fluttering moments, so sweet that they literally had do add insulin just to keep the sugar levels down, while adding some pretty decent (but not perfect) representation of type 1 diabetes.

There are very few dramas with multiple couples that are as lovable and fun to watch as this one, as the mix of personalities, friendship and romance in this drama is well balanced, seldom over the top and just a joy to watch. Showing us both friends to lovers done complicated, hate to love, love to sad... Poor/Rich, Smart/not so smart...

I love the way this drama deals with different types of jealously, fear and privilege . Again not perfect but they do show how what some take for granted becomes an impossible obstacle for others. This without making it to angsty or messy for that matter.

The visuals in this drama are also just lovely, especially the great use of hoodies, fashion and everything cliche, youthful and nice... Including a contestant for best umbrella scene of 2022 or even the 2020s.

The main couple here reminded me a lot of Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik in terms of chemistry and acting, however the story is more of a Weightlifting Fairy meets Fight For My Way type of deal with the added mystery of who is the writer of Dear M, and who the real M actually is. But looses some points for some a bit to cringe dialog here and there and that the who is M does get a bit meeh after the 10th episode, you kind of stop caring who M actually is... And thought there is A LOT of sweet, sweet moments they are just not as many or as not as sweet as inthe dramas mentioned above. Still definitely a drama worth watching for all rom com lovers out there.

Bingabilaty:10
Heartflutter 10
Annoying moments: very few but enough to drag down the score.

So go, enjoy have fun and tell me what you think.

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Really Enjoyable but Also Trope-y with a Side of Flaws

If I rated this purely on my emotional enjoyment, I would give it a 10 out of 10: this is a fun college drama chock full of romantic feelings and character-made drama. Its premise reminded me of a toned-down version of Gossip Girl: all the characters are initially connected by a mysterious blogger who falls in love at first sight and makes them all re-evaluate their own crushes, loves, and relationships as they speculate as to the identify of this person. I had known nothing about the parent story for which this show is based on, Love Playlist, but had been drawn to early descriptions of this drama and the trailer that eventually came out.

That said, when I take emotion out of it, I find story and characters that are a bit limited by traditional romance story tropes that are unashamedly invoked: you have CLEAR "nice guys/good girls" and CLEAR "a-hole [male] players/manipulative [female] witches." Their backstories can get a little cliche too with clearly-sympathetic tragedies and traditional parental issues/ambitions to succeed. I would argue that seasoned romance series/Kdrama watchers will be able to completely predict almost all, if not all of the story progression, from beginning to end, just within the first few episodes. Is this necessarily a bad thing? No, I don't think so - enjoyable is enjoyable. However, I think if you are considering watching this, you should know exactly what it is and what it is not: it's a simple, cute story about college kids' falling in love and having challenges with their relationships while going through college. It's not a grandiose, unique story with fantastical mind-bending twists or deep meaning.

There are some clear continuity errors and contrived plot points in the story - they aren't horrendous, but they are very noticeable. For a non-spoiler example, at one point a character loses their phone. By the next episode, they mysteriously have recovered it/might have bought a new one - how exactly did they get this back/buy a new one and input all their old, same contacts in? As for the contrived plot points, I don't want to spoil anything for you, so I will vaguely say that sometimes, things that happen or motivations that the characters have are way too "on the nose" and I personally would have preferred that the show be a little more subtle about it.

The acting is sufficient for a Kdrama, but notably decreased a notch from other big budget performances: for example, I found some of the crying scenes so forced and unbelievable that those momentarily took me out of the drama. However, if you put those weaknesses aside, I think you find a cast that is very believable and does a good job: this is apparently Jeong Jae Hyun's acting debut, and I honestly never would have known that if I didn't read it in an article. I wasn't a Park Hye Soo fan to begin with, but her performance will make me check out some of other works, as I loved the sincerity with which she played Ma Joo Ah. For other characters, many will recognize Roh Jeong Eui from her prior performance as NJ in Our Beloved Summer and I think you will find her performance refreshing as she definitely sells her performance as a different type of person. I also found Lee Jin Hyuk particularly hilarious as the clearly-comic-relief character who gets crapped on just for our benefit, and particularly enjoyed the straight-forward, independent person played by Woo Da Vi. Hwang Bo Reum Byeol and Lee Jung Sic round out the rest of the notables by playing appropriately hateable characters. Overall, I really enjoyed the ensemble cast.

As of writing, the OST seems to be unreleased/still coming out, but I think they did a good job. Park Hye Soo originally wanted to be a singer (she is from Kpop star) and Jeong Jae Hyun is part of NCT, so they naturally do an excellent job with the song covers featured in this Kdrama. I don't think there are any bangers that will be sung for the ages, but don't let you stop enjoying the songs that do exist.

Overall, I think this is a light, easy watch to pick up. You won't find anything groundbreaking, but don't let that stop you from giving this a try - I can't say it's an absolute work of art, but I think if lighthearted romances are your cup of tea, you'll enjoy this.

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Decent but not great - OST is good.

Completed: 7/19/2022

"Dear. M" is a short web series about college life, romance and choices that our characters have to make. For a web-based drama, the production quality is pretty decent. It doesn't really stand out amongst a sea of many other college dramas.

What I Like:
1. OST - I enjoy all the songs played. I am not too familiar with the actors in this drama, but if they are the ones really singing the songs in the drama, they are good. Spotify OST listed different singers that are not the actors. I especially like the duet between Park Hye Soon and Jeong Jae Hyun. The solo song by Jeong Jae Hyun was also very romantic.

2. Jeong Jae Hyun - It seems like this is his first acting gig and he did a pretty good job. I've seen many other web dramas with idol-turned-actors that couldn't act.

3. Park Hye Soon - I am glad the bullying allegations were put to rest and we got to see her in "Dear. M". She doesn't have too many dramas under her belt, but I quite enjoy her portrayal of Ma Joon Ah here. Is it only me or does she look like Zhao LuSi?

4. Ma Joon Ah + Cha Min Ho romance - I enjoy the Friends-to-Lovers trope personally, and I feel that their relationship changes and progresses at a pretty good pace throughout the drama from: realization --> shock --> denial --> hesitancy --> confession --> acceptance. I would have loved for them to get together a little sooner so that I can see some cute and fluffy scenes.


What I have mixed feelings:

1. Gil Mok Jin + Hwang Bo Young romance - There's so much potential for this romance. However, it all started too late and we couldn't really see any fun romantic development before they quickly got together. They were two really unique characters and I would have loved to see them have more screen time as a couple.

2. Dear M - Well, it was quite an interesting reveal to find out who actually wrote the Dear M posts. However, aside from the initial few episodes where people actually care who wrote the posts, for most of the drama this plot was put on the side in favor of the annoying love triangle. It pops back up periodically but really holds no importance to the central plot.


What I Don't Like:

1. Choi Ro Sa - What an annoying b!tch...LOL. Why do dramas always make the female character this annoying and despicable? I understand sometimes a drama needs a character as such to spice it up. But she has wayyyy too much screen time in this drama. Her scheming lasts throughout the drama and it really affects my enjoyment. She's listed as a supporting character but I think she has more screen time than Gil Mok Jin and Hwang Bo Young.

2. Seo Ji Min + Park Ha Neul romance - The drama probably focuses the most time on their romance and love triangle. They are fine and I do like a drama that tackles challenges of a relationship. But the characters themselves are quite boring (though they are a cute couple). If Ji Min keeps on saying that she's had a crush on Ha Neul for the longest time, I'd like to see some flashbacks of them before they're officially a couple. Show me how they got together in the first place, then I can understand why Ji Min is so adamant that Ha Neul doesn't like her as much as she likes him. Because from what I've seen, Ha Neul has done quite a lot to care for her.

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Jaehyun is so amazing in his first drama!

It's about the life and love of a group of university students. very well made, not too innocent but about the truth in real life and some serious stuff. The location and shooting techniques are very well done. melodious background music, the plot, and the script are well written and conveyed.
Jaehyun's acting was really good in his first drama. He exceeded expectations same as this drama. In addition, Jaehyun also sang. It was very melodious. All the actors did well. If it wasn't for the main actress to cause problems, I would feel better when I see her. But I'm still glad that it finally aired even outside the country. Hopefully, in the future, Jaehyun will have the opportunity to take on more good roles. He would definitely go a long way in this profession.

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Boring Eye Candy Fest

The story lagged on and on and was so dull and predictable (even the mystery it's based in you can see coming though to be fair there was a small bit of twist at the very end). To be honest the men in this drama are just so attractive they were all I was watching for by the end, especially the ML. Fortunately it's short at onlu 12 episodes because if it had stretched to 16 even the eye candy wouldn't have been enough to keep me from dropping it.

I wouldnt rewatch by a long shot but I WOULD look up all the actors and watch what they're in. Unfortunately it's mainly young, newish actors who havent been in much else but seeing them in this does make me interested in seeing them in other things so if I saw something else had one of these guys in it, partucularly the ML actor, I'd probably be more interested. I dont this this drama suffered from a lack of acting talent but my god the story was slow and saccharine.

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I’m enjoying this so much!!

I usually would wait until I’ve finished a drama to write a review but it’s been awhile since I’ve enjoyed watching something this much. I have a super long watch list so I’ve been a bit impatient while watching dramas and haven’t been enjoying things as much lately. My favourite kdrama is hello my twenties and I’ve just realised how much I miss watching stuff with that kind of vibe. I’ve been looking for something really light and simple to watch because I’ve been watching a lot of dramatic and intense things lately and I tried some very simple romance ones but I just got bored, this is exactly what I was looking for though! I haven’t been bored at all but it’s still really light and fluffy. Although I’ve really liked this so far it might not suit some people’s tastes so I’ll list the positives and also things that might be negatives for some people to help you figure out if this is your kind of thing.

Positives:
-College setting
-Friendships
-Romance
-Some really nice characters that I really like
-Good flow of the plot, I’ve been invested the whole way through and am really excited for the next episodes. (I might update this review when I watch them)
-Very light and fluffy! It has a bit of seriousness sometimes but I’ve found it very light.

Negatives:
-Some frustrating characters (that are supposed to be unlikeable and it’s really just one character in particular) that may make you very angry.
-Misunderstandings and miscommunication which is very common in kdramas and just tv shows in general but can be annoying nonetheless.
-Kind of a basic plot which I actually like about it, but if you’re looking for something really unique this probably isn’t it.
-If you don’t like clichés there are some in this but I personally didn’t find it overkill.

Update: I finished it! I really liked the last episodes as well but I lowered my rating slightly as there were some small things that I thought could’ve been done a little better such as the Ji-Min and Ha-Neul storyline. I thought that they dragged that out and over complicated it a bit and I didn’t really see the point of the new character being added. Overall I really liked the ending and I will definitely be rewatching this in the future!

I hope if you do decide to watch this you enjoy it :)

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The story focuses on 3 couples;

- Main couple, JuA-MinHo
It took them the whole 12 episode to finally got together. I get it that they were friends for years, but it's just too much. They showed so little chemistry as couple. Might as well end it with them still being best friends.

- 2nd couple, JiMin-HaNeul
I like the beginning when they were together. But when Rosa start to meddle it's just annoying, on top of that she got too much screentime. I started to think she's one of the main character.
Also the whole break up was dragged for too long, i started to ship JiMin with the other guy.
Even though i got frustrated from Jimin's actions sometims, I really like how she defend herself and the way she confront Rosa.

- 3rd couple, Young-MokJin
The only couple I'm rooting for
They didn't really match at first. But their development was the best. Mokjin the neat-lover and Young's straightforwardness makes them a perfect couple. They got the least screentime, but for me their chemistry is the best.

I like how they depicted the college life, how the characters faced the reality of looking for jobs, lack of financial, the problem with group projects. And the side story like MinHo's relationship with his sister and JuA with her mother.

The cinematography was really good.
Honestly didn't really noticed/like the music used until the last episodes.

The reason why i give low score for rewatch is because I'm not into college drama these days and I watch this solely because of the actors. And I'm not disappointed, their acting was good.
However the storyline wasn't really my favorite.

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I mainly watched this for Jaehyun but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the show.
Jaehyun's acting exceeded my expectations, I think he did really well and proved that he deserved the role. His character was so sweet too and his relationship with his sister brought tears to my eyes.
The storyline is not too conplex and honestly it was a good binge with some very likeable characters.
I like how the side characters were given their own plot lines and didn't feel one dimensional.
All in all, I would recommend this drama if you want a light but enjoyable watch.

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I wasn't expecting much from it but it really surprised me!
It tells multiple stories about the main group of friends while they are in college, it's most focused on their relationships with each other and other characters (be aware, there are several love triangles) but you can relate to them through the fact they are searching for jobs, problems with group projects, part timers, lack of money and stuff. You will relate to it a lot if you are in your 20's!
I don't think it it's suuuper well written however it was nice to keep up with a light kdrama, it wasn't dark and even though the actions of some of the characters were frustrating, the ending was a solid 7.
If you like youth dramas with a lighter tone, that's it, I recommend this to you.
(ps: jaehyun did a good job for his first role!)

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A warm drama

I didn't have high hopes for this drama, since i heard about the controversy revolving around the FL, but i gave it try.
The story is warm and fluffy. The character development is decent.
The soundtrack is really beautiful.
One of the downsides to this drama was that it got really draggy and cringey through the middle.
The FL needed a better character development, and the ML acted a bit out of character for the fact that he was in love with the FL.
AND last but not least, the Villain. She was just a pain in the ass. She was just there to take pictures and screw the woman she hated the most to get to his BF. Like WTF.
As for Ji Min, she was so weakly developed and acted like the victim the whole time.
And if you're a romance lover like me, this drama won't satisfy your craving. There are no skinships and only minimum kiss scenes shown. I wished the ML FL had more intimacy.

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