Once it hits its rom-com stride it has some very cute moments, but there’s a lot about the story that doesn’t make much sense. Still, Ryu Joon-yeol is so good (and so freaking adorable) that he almost overrides every negative. Almost.

Ryu Joon-yeol’s nerdy hero makes my day. I just wish Hwang Jung-eum’s superstitious heroine wasn’t so irrational and self-destructive, because I just couldn’t get behind her crazy, CRAZY schemes.

For being based on a big gimmick (pretty boy disguised as a girl star), this tween-targeted mini-drama displays surprising restraint with the gag—played more with sweetness than slapstick comedy. Doesn’t reinvent anything and the young cast is green, but there’s a nice simple story here.

Cute players, but zero romantic chemistry, and the one-note story never goes anywhere interesting.

Park Hae-jin was perfect, so deadpan and hilarious. The bromance was cute. The romance was... eh, I could squint and let it slide. But the whole spy plot was nearly nonexistent, only there to serve as rationale for Park Hae-jin's character, and thus this drama works best if you're there for the light comedy, with brain half tuned out.

A solid, heartwarming, well-paced fusion sageuk about a fugitive out to clear his name. Gorgeously filmed and packed with a bevy of awesome side characters who tend to outshine the hero and heroine. What it lacks in crack factor it makes up for with feel-good payoffs and consistency.

A cute premise and a light, episodic format keep this comedy watchable, but the romance angle is the least interesting. Why are the adults acting like kids?

An earnest family melodrama about a dying mom wanting to provide for her daughter. It’s a tearjerker but full of heart and worth the tears.

I wish more rom-coms could be like this: laugh-out-loud comedy, zippy chemistry, a winning heroine.

A damn good rom-com that’s romantic AND funny, peppered with witty, hip writing and buzz-worthy performances from the leads.

Was going for wacky romance, ended up wishy-washy and indecisive.

Not enough Cute in the world to cover up the crazy mess that is this drama. It sure does try though. And it fails.

Addicting melodrama with some deliciously outrageous characters doing questionable things. Plot sometimes veers on absurd, but it’s always the entertaining kind. Fast and engaging, if you don’t overthink it.

Smart use of ghost premise to drive the romance—a slow but steady burn, loaded with chemistry. Not quite crack-drama status, but satisfying and sweet.

A fantastic rom-com match-up in the leads. Everything else isn’t as sparkling as you want it to be, but there’s a lot to be said for a magnetic attraction.

Such potential in its surrealistic fantasy premise of a woman from the future traveling back to warn her younger self against a marriage. But it waffled around in indecision, and not even a cast of likable characters could perk up the cop-out of an ending.

W.T.F.

Fantasy dramas, take note: This is how you do magic and mystery. Acting is excellent, story tightly woven. The ending felt right thematically and emotionally but was a teeny bit of a letdown, which is my only disappointment.

Impressive production value and striking visuals help build a credible world full of witches and magic curses, allowing you to buy into the fantasy completely. Well done.

Moody, sharp, devastating in its mundane realness though ultimately uplifting (admittedly not difficult when it first crushed you to floor, and there was nowhere to go but up).

A stark but beautiful adaptation of a cult hit webtoon that tells stories about everyday people and everyday life in a way that stays with you long after it’s over.

Full of heart, despite a frivolous-sounding premise. Aimless heroine teams with desperate hero to become an underdog team worth rooting for. A sweet, if low-key, watch.

This drama caught me by surprise, but it had a breezy slice-of-life style that made it watchable, and a cast of characters that made it charming.

Interesting character study of some unlikable personalities who draw you in with charged acting. Story loses its bite in the end, though.

Not nearly as dark as it sets out to be, but the swift pace makes it an easy-to-watch melodrama. I just never got the sense the drama knew where it wanted to go.

Suuuuuper lowbrow, with outrageous gags and gross-out humor. It may be too crude and silly for some tastes, but the drama knows what it is and goes after it with gusto. Upbeat and feel-good, in a simplistic way.

Had the makings to be really special, but fizzled in the end. Atmospheric with strong (though long) musical numbers. Too bad the dip at the end killed the already meandering pace.

Ultimately it didn’t live up to its potential, but it was a sweetly satisfying drama all the same, with good old fashioned teen angst and heart.

Had moments of greatness and an emotional core that was intermittently gripping. Truly awkward directing and sloppy writing bounced the focus all over the place, though, and what was great could only shine in glimpses.

Royalty never seemed so effed up. The unmet potential of this drama angers me, but it was so uneven in quality and irrationally fond of having huge narrative moments play out offscreen. If you can’t bother, I can’t either.

Winsome and charming; directed gorgeously and put together seamlessly. Perhaps lacked emotional heft, but it was a delight to watch, with a winner of a youthful romance and a brilliant performance by Park Bo-gum as a smart, saucy prince in love.

Hits all the proper youth romance buttons in a beautifully directed package, with sweeping visuals, cheeky fusion wit, and an unforgettable hero in the prince. I laughed and cried on cue at every turn, so it must’ve been doing something right.

Terribly written plot, even if the chemistry of the couple carries the drama. Skip.

What a waste of Yoon Eun-hye and Jung Il-woo. I felt zero chemistry between the leads, and the plot was so fluffy it evaporated.

Fantastic fun, speedy pace. Super chemistry between the endearing lead couple.

Super enjoyable, adorable chemistry, and entertaining mix of the gumiho mythology with rom-com sensibility.

Show, you complete me.

Short, cute drama with two too-perfect guys and a spunky heroine as an anti-Cinderella. Not very deep, but easy to watch.

Poignant and funny, worth the hype.

This is the one to beat, in my heart of hearts.

Who knew such a middling rom-com could be a turning point for Kim Tae-hee (and, to a lesser degree, Mr. Robot Hotness Song Seung-heon)?

Mediocre as far as rom-coms go, but the main pair is adorable and cheeky.