Dear X Who Doesn't Love Me (2022)

Please Don't Watch This With Expectations Of a Grand Romance

I started watching this drama without having read any comments or reviews. I learned that lesson about short web-series after I passed on a lot of good shows that have unfortunately low ratings and a terrible comment section. I've discovered that it's better to check the tags and then walk in blindly without other viewers opinions marring your own perception.

The poster image for this drama is deceptive. On MDL the image is bright and bubblegum colored with smiling faces and a quirky undertone. On Viki the drama link image is a girl with a notebook with 4 very attractive guys lined up in front of her, also in bright and cheery colors. These insinuate a happy and cute rom-com is waiting for you, maybe with a lot of heart-fluttering reverse-harem moments. But if you look a little deeper into the information provided by MDL, you'll notice the second tag is TRAUMA. This drama is basically a character study of a flawed girl that has felt unloved her whole life and the lengths she will go to feel loved and "whole". The relationships with these men, while starting out fluffy, quickly deteriorate into pain due to the circumstances of the notebook. Some are even abusive and toxic. This is all part of the journey the FL takes to achieve self-discovery, and find out that relying on others to provide love when she has none herself is going to be a never-ending circle of regret and pain.

The actors in this drama did an exceptional job of either making me love them or hate them. The FL was flawed and likely was hard to understand by viewers that haven't experienced that feeling of being lonely and unlovable. Her desperation to feel whole by receiving love from another person is relatable, and I found myself viewing her actions as understandable. The actress did a good job of providing emotional balance and I found myself rooting for her. The ML appears perfect but was also flawed in his own ways. He was impatient and jealous, which he vented on the FL often, but was unwilling to confess his feelings to provide context to why he was so upset with her on so many occasions, which lead her into deeper feelings of isolation. The ML's acting was great for a rookie. You could feel his anger, hurt, panic, and love without him saying a word. The SFL was surprising, for the first half of the series she presented without nuance or depth, but in the second half the actress proves that appearances can be deceiving and becomes almost an entirely new person. As for the supporting male leads, they all did a fantastic job of either making me love them or hate them... or love them THEN hate them.

Overall, this drama has a re-watch value that is pretty low, but it's worth watching once if you're in the mood for something a little deeper than a fluffy reverse-harem. Jump into it without expectations and you will enjoy where the story takes you a lot more than if you have a preconceived notion about how it should play out. It's a little dark, a little traumatic, a little emotional, with moments of sunshine and rainbows and fireworks mixed in, just like real life.

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After seeing the poster, i was expecting a light rom-com, but then the magic book appeared and the focus is on fl, her trauma and how she always longing to be loved. I find her actions understandable. Throughout the whole 1 month boyfriend, i keep feeling bad for her, she definitely needs to realize her worth. One of her words that hits different is;
"I thought no one loved me. But the only person who didn't love me was myself. I must love myself first in order to love someone."

As for the romance, it was disappointing.
The only romance we got is the ml liking the fl and kept hiding it, until the last minute.

The acting was good. I'm watching this for Doyoung and he didn't disappoint. For a newbie, he did great. Other actors did great with their role too.
Music used was good, but wasn't the type I'll listen to daily.

When you watch this don't hope much for romance, just focus on the female lead development.
Btw there are some bloody parts! It might've been triggering for some people.

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