An Underrated Gem Destined To Become a Comedy Classic
WHY I LOVED IT . . .Crazy Love is so unique and unpredictable and LOL crazy yet at the same time, unexpectedly moving, it’s really a shame it’s not getting more attention. While it does get off to a bit of a slow start—which is often the case with early ep exposition and all the players being introduced—each ep is better than the last and this trend continues even after the halfway point.
One minute you’ll be laughing so hard your stomach's sore, amazed at how truly batsh!t crazy Kim Jae-uck and Krystal are acting on your screen, the next you’ll be hurting so badly for them as you learn their backstories, especially that of Noh Go-jin (Kim Jae-uck).
The character development is so compelling and believable and well-acted, you can’t help but root for the OTP couple, despite the fact that the ML starts off as an arrogant, insufferable jerk and he and the FL really, really hate each other’s guts when the story opens. And when he does finally start to realize the error of his ways, it’s not solely the result of his falling head over heels for the FL.
Crazy Love’s got a bit of everything—enemies to lovers, a fake engagement, a sweet romance, swoony kisses, hilarious knock-down-drag-out fights, intrigue, tons of unexpected LOL moments, and a FL who gives as good as she gets, if not moreso, when pushed hard enough.
We also have a lead couple who, much like the OTP in Her Private Life (which pairs Kim Jae-uck with Park Min-young), actually communicates openly with each other and works together to resolve issues and potential misunderstandings—once they’ve stopped hating each other, of course. Sure we’ve got a few tropes but the show revels in its tropiness, subverting them in fun and surprising ways, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Kudos to Kim Jae-uck for throwing his suave, sexy image right out the window. (Although he's still plenty sexy as Noh Go-jin, despite the less-than-flattering CEO hairstyle, and the man knows his way around a kiss.) This is a great role for him as it’s really given him an opportunity to flex his formidable acting chops, tugging at our heartstrings with his beautifully nuanced emotional scenes and tickling our funny bones with his physical comedy skills. And despite what happens in Crazy Love, Kim Jae-uck can actually carry a tune. He majored in music in college and is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and composer for his indie rock band Walrus, named for The Beatles song “I Am the Walrus.”
It’s been a revelation watching him and Krystal really let loose as I never imagined they could be so funny and they are clearly having a blast. I was not a fan of Krystal’s before, having only seen her in Sweet & Sour, but I like her portrayal of Lee Shin-ah and their chemistry is surprisingly good. The show’s at its best when they’re the focus so I did sometimes find myself wishing it spent less time on the supporting characters, but I guess that’s true of many dramas with an appealing OTP.
ABOUT THOSE RATINGS . . .
Crazy Love’s Nielsen ratings in South Korea started out at 3.4% and spent much of its run at 2.5 - 2.6%, but the show finally broke into the 4s with Ep 11, building to a series high of 4.6% for the Ep 16 finale. One issue may have been that dark, edgy comedies like Crazy Love don’t tend to appeal to older women, who are the primary viewers of dramas during their initial television broadcast. (This older audience is why the longer “family” K-Dramas with 50+ eps often achieve ratings of 20% and even higher.) Younger viewers who are more likely to like this genre often watch online and on DVRs but these views are not reflected in the ratings. (In the U.S., most networks use Nielsen's Live Plus service which does track these delayed views.)
And to make matters even worse, KBS screwed up big time by delaying Crazy Love’s release because of the Winter Olympics, giving its time-slot competitors A Business Proposal and Military Prosecutor Doberman too strong of a head start, especially as the latter two have global marketing support from Netflix (ABP) and Viki (MPD), whereas Crazy Love’s international distribution has been relegated to Disney+, which doesn’t seem to know what the heck it’s doing with its K-Dramas. For some inexplicable reason, D+ has only released Crazy Love in nine APAC countries: Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand; hopefully, D+ will make the show available to the rest of the world ASAP now that it’s ended its run in SK. (Shows like Grid and Soundtrack #1 are in the same D+ limbo as Crazy Love.)
IN CONCLUSION . . .
Kim Jae-uck said he chose to do Crazy Love after his three-year hiatus because he wanted to make people laugh and help relieve some of the stress brought on by the pandemic. If the 6,200+ comments here and its 8.3 rating (as of the 4/26 finale) are anything to go by, he and Krystal and the rest of the cast succeeded.
Please give Crazy Love a try! It’s a lot of fun and keeps getting better and better—although the last few eps focus less on romance and more on figuring out who-dun-it—culminating in a satisfying ending that manages to give closure to not just the main characters, but the supporting ones as well. The show is not perfect by any means but I tend to judge entertainment based on whether it delivers more than the sum of its parts—and the way it makes me feel and think—and Crazy Love comes through on all counts with plenty of feels and food for thought along with the laughs.
(Full disclosure: I’m a big fan of Kim Jae-uck but most of his dramas and movies have landed in the 8s and 7s for me rating-wise. Even gave one drama a 6.0.)
[1/14/23 Update: D+ U.S. has made some of its K-Content available on Hulu, including Big Mouth, Grid, May It Please the Court, Connect, Kiss Sixth Sense, etc. Sadly, Crazy Love is still not available outside of Asia/Oceania.]
[5/24/23 Update: As of today, more than a year after it first aired in South Korea, Crazy Love is finally available on Hulu in the U.S., Disney+ in Canada, the UK, and Europe, and Star+ in Latin America.]
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Romcom done write
Before starting I just want to add no "childhood connection" and romance that is built on "conversation" is an automatic ++++ for meRomcoms don't mean they're "brainless". Sometimes I nag about the crazy jerk ML or the naive doormat FL and people say "it's just a romcom" but that's not an excuse and this drama shows that
The ML was crazy and rude enough that I'd totally punch a person like him but this drama not only gave him a solid backstory, a great slow growth but also kinda showed how to him he wasn't unreasonable
Being vulnerable was his weakness so he put a wall to hide his nativity and it became normal to him
But it only worked out because of the FL. She didn't fix him but he saw his wrongdoings and how he can fix it because of her.
Now the FL is also the complete opposite of romcom FLs. She had enough bs so she took action. Whenever she saw injustice or unreasonable behavior she pointed it out. At 1st she needed the strength of her life being too short to realize literally life is too short for bs
This drama moved in steps. Amnesia, cohabitation, fake relationship, evil past girlfriend, revenge, misunderstandings, ML trying to control the FL, FL having her own dreams, revelation and redemption with a final touch of sweetness♡
Another usual move romcoms do is gloss over things too fast, the past is revealed and they get married but this dissected both and gave enough ingredients for the revenge to be turned into redemption and conclusion and marriage wasn't the end but the beginning of their love and I found that sweet
Actually the best part of this was the ML apologizing and realizing all of his wrong doings. Protectiveness and wanting the best for the FL never means control.
And the FL once she realized her worth knew how to choose her own path.
That's something I always hate in romcoms. The ML says I don't want you to leave my side and the FL gives up her dream and follows his orders.. ML forces a kiss but it's ok cuz secretly the FL wanted it..
But not here, they even showed the depths of their "villains" without an easy whoops they're ok now
Another thing I hate about romcoms is the past connection. 99% of the time it's just an excuse for writers to not build a step by step relationship.
But sometimes a fake relationship also is used for that reason. To casually show the vulnerable side they couldn't see before, and this was used well here
Overall as a romcom it's one of the best
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Crazy Satisfying
10/10. This was rom-com done right. It had all the elements I love--slapstick comedy, character development, heart-fluttering kisses, no draggy misunderstandings, a mystery that kept you on your toes, and a satisfying and unproblematic ending. Sure, the ending was more like a gift-wrapped up and tied with a nice, perfect bow, but hey after all the previous Kdrama endings we've been through (if you know, you know), I think we all deserve a satisfying one that leaves a smile on our faces. Hands down, this will be one of my favorites! Thank you Crazy Love Production and Cast!Was this review helpful to you?
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Crazy and romantic!
I was skeptical at first to start this drama, due its rating and some negative comments about the acting and the overall story.Despite everything, this drama includes a lot of genres ; from romance and thriller, to mystery and dark comedy.
The writers did a good job turning a cliche topic to something more. KJW shines in this drama and even the villains did a wonderful job depicting their respective roles. Not a fan of krystal, but she did a decent job.
The story might seem bland in the first 4 episodes, but as the drama progresses, the characters and events develop into something least expected by the audience. Literally, not only would you not get bored, but also you would crave for more!
The scenery, production, writing and acting are all exceptionally proficient.
The only downside in my opinion is the soundtrack collection. The songs just repeat and are limited to a few songs.
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1The Story is As Crazy As the Title!
Here’s my review without spoilers:1. Your initial thoughts would be “this looks cliché”, “the story starts slow”, “the main couple looks weird and crazy”, etc. You may feel like the drama starts off slow have no idea where the story is heading to.
2. But as the story progresses, you’ll see that the writer is playing with our hearts. This drama is full of twists, becoming anti-cliché with each episode, and giving us unexpected moves. Even the episodes that you think is “boring” actually have some important details.
3. Because of the crazy relationship & chemistry between the main couple, the dark mystery circling around the male lead and the misunderstandings that actually help with the plot progression, this drama gets more interesting with each episode. So rather than it getting more boring & bland, it’s actually getting more intriguing & engaging.
4. Although some of the plot seem ridiculous at first, but they’re actually needed for the plot. You’ll find them reasonable, realistic and relatable at some point.
5. The romance is not cringy like most romcom dramas. It’s very well executed in its own pace, not rushing or slowing down too much. The ML/FL don’t change overnight just because they start falling in love with each other.
NOTE: What I love the most is how mature their relationship is shown after they officially date. The transition from enemies-to-lovers, from them physically & mentally hurting each other, to understanding & supporting each other for better, for worse, in sickness and health, till death do them part - PERFECT!
6. The comedy doesn’t feel forced. Sometimes the comedy is dark, but it’s the kind of funny that doesn’t make you cringe. You’ll find yourself thinking “yes, this is how romcom is supposed to be”.
NOTE: The comedy may not “click” with you like some viewers, especially if you’re not used to “breaking the 4th wall narrative” and “dark humour”. But like some other viewers, maybe you’ll start finding the humour funny when you rewatch after you know the direction of the story. :)
7. Sometimes it gives us emotional damage, especially with the ML’s backstory. His life is so sad it makes us hope he’ll get the happy ending he deserves.
8. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS ONE OF THE BEST HERE. It’s like “character development” is the genre itself with this drama.
The ML’s character is not new in Kdrama world, but the difference is this drama writer really addressed his asshole-ness in details. ML characters in typical romcom dramas would change drastically after falling in love and after that, they act like they weren’t an asshole in the past. XD
Of course the FL plays a part in it, but the writer wants us to witness his realistic character development, the real and painful causes, impacts & process of it, not drastic solely because of love. And the FL becomes his biggest supporter for that. <3
That’s what I love about CL. The writer takes this matter seriously (EP14 is the peak), though the development is slow compared to usual romcom dramas.
9. “Underwhelming mystery/villain arc”? If you considered the fact that CL is originally a romcom so it needs to maintain its lightweight, then the underwhelming mystery/villain arc wouldn’t affect you that much to the point that you rate it low. It’s still one of a kind, a refreshing romcom drama that defies cliché tropes! ^^
10. This drama conveys messages around character development, healing process & and second chances. This story is not as dramatic as usual dramas, no black & white. “Human beings are prone to make mistakes”. It’s more mature & realistic. :’D
11. IMO, compared to most romcom Kdramas, Crazy Love has the best satisfying & unproblematic ending so far, after enough of unsatisfying endings in romcom Kdrama. You hear me? I’m not saying “one of the best”, but “the best” here! XD
NOTE: If you ever think that the ending is rushed, think again. Because the mystery arc was pretty much being hinted since EP1. The writer/director dropped bombs little by little in each episode, then the heaviest bomb was dropped in EP14-EP15. Just need us to pay more attention to details (I even rewatched it more than once to notice a lot of Easter Eggs that they left for viewers).
Along with the hints, the story focuses on the ML’s character development & the relationship dynamics between our main couple. In the end, everything was wrapped up in a nice way with many relatable lessons to learn.
12. All OSTs for this drama are absolute bliss to your ears. My top favourites are “Dive into You” by JayB & “Maybe” by DAVII.
13. The more I rewatch, the more I appreciate the drama, the brilliant writing & directing. I love how the writer had everything and every character planned & built well from the start. It makes me wanna check out other works from the scriptwriter. :)
14. CONCLUSION: “Crazy Love” is not a pure romcom, has a mixed of many genres (mystery, psychological). It’s not that light, but also not that heavy.
15. What are you waiting for? Still sleeping on this drama? You’re missing out!
I hope these points will help you jump into watching Crazy Love! :)
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Another hidden Gem. Got too many laughs in the beginning but too much sweetness in the end.
At first, im kind of bored in its first episodes but its fine cos it gets better and better every after ep. I watched this because its romcom and its my first kim jae wook drama to watch too. I'm so glad I pushed myself to watch this. I really enjoyed watching this drama so much and very satisfied. I will never get tired watching repeatedly my fave scenes on every episodes. I can't get over Shinah's craziness, I think she got anger issues haha. Ilpum Edu CEO and the private investigator are so funny, they're my faves. Every mon-tue was exciting. They did a nice job for its story, development and character development. It's so warming to see the closure between each characters. Loving gojin & shin ah's relationship so much, they're too sweet for me. They're so cute, loving, supportive, and understanding. Their chemistry is on fire. They're gonna be one of my fave kdrama couples now. I wanna see their wedding at the end tho.I freaking love all of the osts too. Especially Jay B's Dive into you, Baekho's Bite! and I'm crazy by two of the members of AB6IX. It was nice to see Krystal eonnie to sing too after so many years, I hope they get to released her full cover of the song she sang in the drama.
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Perfect drama 10/10
started this yesterday and just done watching it today (I'm sorry i hate waiting lol I love watching kdrama in one go)where do I start? hmmm
I am still in shock on how beautiful and wholesome this drama is, this is what everyone should indulge when they want a kdrama that have everything in it. like I seriously laugh like a crazy person in all the bickering but cry myself out in the ending of episode 6 and (i forget the episode but it's when shin ah is sleeping and goh jin tried to caressed her hair but he trembled and had a breakdown beside her) it breaks my heart like those scenes are wonderfully made and it made gasps for tears.
The lesson that I got? be careful on your actions towards other people try to be a little nicer and kinder everyday.
Treasure your life it's the only life you'll live. I wanna hug shin ah so bad her character is the best character I have seen in a kdrama a character that everyone should look up to I am so happy that she got what she's dreaming of (can't imagine someone taking that role other than krystal, she perfectly portray it) her character is so pure and wholesome.
overall 10/10 because it reminded me to pursue the dream I want and treasure life a little more.
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Best charachter development ?
Really loved how this drama turned out. I really enjoyed the drama. The lessons we get to learn are very good.I'm also preparing for college entrance so I was feeling guilty that I'm watching dramas and not studying?. But know I know how my teachers feel and also they are desperate for our success in the exam.
Lee Sina is such a good charachter, in the starting she went crazy when she knew she was going to die and was taking revenge on Noh Go Jin but when she came to her senses it was so emotional ? I really felt bad for her..
Noh Go Jin was really so rude in the start, I didn't like him but his character development is one of the best in kdramas.
In the end he turned out to be such an emotional person I really felt bad for him. Glad he found himself and started to open himself more with his surrounding people.
Lee Sina and Noh Go Jin are such a perfect match and sina is such a good gf she was always supportive of him and always believed in him.
Okhee was so cute, I always smiled whenever her scenes came and her relationship with sooho was so cute?.
Almost every messed charachter got their own charachter development and I'm glad everyone went to the right path in the end.
Overall loved the drama Crazy Love ❤️
Really loved how this drama turned out. I really enjoyed the drama. The lessons we get to learn are very good
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An underrated gem!! Loved it and Enjoyed too much than I expected
This is the first time and drama that I am commenting on, I am feeling so sentimental now. I JUST CRIED DURING THE ENDING!! (FYi, out of happiness) ITS THE FIRST TIME I CRIED OVER A DRAMA LMAOO. So overwhelmed that it has ended. When I first found out about this drama, it was on the casting news of Kim Jaeuck, as he's like my favourite korean actor. I am glad that I watched while it was airing. I remember the earnest waiting of pain every week, FOR new episodes, But It was the one thing to keep me going in life. Because of this drama, I became a fan of Krystal. The chemistry between the two leads, IS INSANE I AM TELLING YOU.To me, this is the most powerful chemistry that I have seen. I don't think anyone or pairing can top this perfectly fated to be a couple duo LOL. I EVEN SHIP THEM IRL
The beginning of the drama may be slow, but it's worth it!! THE slow-burn romance is just PEAK like WOW. At times, I would be laughing my head off lol. The screenwriter did a great job on the drama. It made uses of many cliches, but in such an ingenious way? Idk if anyone notice, but some characters tend to do actions that mirrors one another. (Either from a previous ep or scene. I found it fun like an easter egg HAAAHA)
The enemies to lovers troupe is done so RIGHT here. With their relationship progression, it was actually believable. Usually when the couple gets together, I start to lost interest in the drama. BUT NOT THIS DRAMA. As a viewer, it did its job in keeping me engaged.
Other than the romance, there are other sub-plots going on (mysterious, thriller)
Although tbh, I was not really interested in those lol. Its quite weak. Again the side characters, I find myself skipping through them. JUST SWITCH OFF YOUR BRAIN CELLS, its a romcom drama afterall. The ONLY thing that carried this drama was the lead couple.
THE drama indeed deserves its title "CRAZY LOVE", the CRAZY is there. With the way those
things go, is insane hAHAHA.
It’s unfortunate that it did not do well in ratings on KBS, but at least is doing quite well on Disney+? I watched it on there HAHAA. I will continue rewatching the drama, as I did while it was airing. The rewatchability of this drama is 100.
Goodbye, Mimi couple of “Crazy Love”. You will be missed.
Thanks for making my 2022 better!!
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Love to watch this kdrama
Watch crazy love, you will find moral lessons, especially for bosses who are poor and do not know how to appreciate his employees. The boss must also learn to appreciate his subordinates in his company and learn to listen to their grievances and feelings. of his staff don't be too high since your success you don't know how to look back at your origin just thank you and he pretended to have amnesia and he learned to love his secretary who also pretended to be his fiancee and eventually he found out everything of the mistakes he made and he gradually changed because of his love for his fiancee and he also learned to interact with his staff he is good at acting in two lead roles I recommend you watch this is also a romantic comedy drama I promise you will really like the story its.Was this review helpful to you?
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An edgy black comedy that ended up with pink frills
The initial setup of this show is hardly original. Nasty, cold hearted boss making all his employees’ life miserable. His worst victim is his parade of secretaries whom never lasted more than 3 months before they are driven to despair. That is until the FL arrived at the scene and managed to stick it out for 1 whole year. In that sense, it was almost like a Shakespearean play of revenge where a conga line of people all wanted to harm the ML either for real or at least play out some fantasy to get redress for past wrongs.What happened next is dark, zany and over the top, but it worked because it was done with a lot of manic energy and running at break-neck speed. You just don’t have time to ask questions. It was a wild ride to say the least. However, that ride did not last. Around the halfway mark, the pacing and tone of the show began to shift. It coasted for a bit as it shifts gear and recalibrates. By the end of the show, it is a completely different beast. This may be a good thing for some viewers, but it can be problematic as well. If you start watching this show because of the leads, then there is no issue at all. They have great chemistry plus a nice amount of passionate skinship. However, if you stumbled onto this show and was hooked by the crazy, fast paced story then how it morphed into a fluffy romance might leave you scratching your head. On the other hand, if you were put off by the dark whimsical plot and dropped the show then you would have missed the swoon worthy love line that blossomed later on. It is a weird juxtaposition of genres but you have to give the writer-nim credit for trying something different.
Now, back to the main revenge theme that is the backbone of this show. It is ever present and drove a lot of the plots forward. However, it is a double-edged sword. It worked in the subplots and there were many of them. From silly voodoo doll action to inflicting serious bodily harm, just about anything goes. Nevertheless, I thought the overarching central plot is weak and out of proportion when the full reveal happened towards the end of the show. The Show would have us believe that the main antagonist was a mastermind that plotted his revenge for years and has many resources at his disposal that he can manipulate public opinion and pay for others to do his dirty deeds. Yet he blames the ML for ruining his life?! In all honesty, I don’t buy that. The antagonist is living well, and he certainly doesn't seemed to be hung up about his reputation so why play such a long game and devote so much energy to it. It is not as if it is a family feud or the cliche “you killed my father!” storyline. It did make the grand reveal somewhat lame. The ML certainly didn't understand the motivation and neither did I.
Acting is great from the leads. They demonstrated a wide range of skills especially the ML, he raced through several different personalities during the show so kudos to him. The FL was also very good and she is tough but deep down is a sweet and caring soul. The support casts were solid but the writer-nim gave them exaggerated roles so overacting is the norm. They all earned their keeps. SFL was no wall flower even though she is beautiful and I confess to having a bit of second lead syndrome.
To complete the transformation of the show, the final episode is total fan service. It was the most leisurely strode down Closure Lane I have seen for a long time. The writer-nim lovingly closed all the threads and ticked them off her list. Not that I'm complaining because it was so nice and sweet. She paid attention to minor subplots that would have been forgotten by most shows. It was sugar overload but if you ship the OTP then it would just be the icing on the cake. Speaking of OTP, the 2OTP is cute and sweet too and provided some early distraction from the endless revenge action.
To be honest, if it started as a rom-com with just the boss/secretary plot, it probably would have faded badly because the love line is fairly standard. It is the crazy momentum of the first half that carried it over the line.
OST is nice and easy on the ears. Rewatch is there depending on whether you like sugar or spice. ;)
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