I'm Serious About Dating (2023)

True To Love !

What after you break up ... all that fuss for nothing. Life is not all rosy and not always will the person next to you make you feel butterflies, life reaches you in various aspects some you imagine and some you dare not. And that's just what it's all about -living each day as if there's no tomorrow while planning a forever.
It's a combined package of hope and despair.

So a dating coach failing at love huh, to be honest, I did not really expect that I would love it this much but clearly, this show grows onto you. With each passing episode, you realize that this show doesn't promise an answer to how you should deal with your love life or as a matter of fact breakup it simply just promises a hope that it'll get better.

To me, there's no simple answer to whether you should watch it or not all I can say is you need to try it for yourself. To some the character of bo ra may seem shallow but it has layers to it. The ML and FL may not be the best for butterfly chemistry but they do top the charts for real stuff.

It's an achievement for a show to depict a fiction that seems real. Everyone knows things in real life don't work like they do in the show but even then it answers questions in a way that makes you feel content.

What I loved throughout the show was that it was lovable in little elements and the characters were true to themselves.

SPOILER STUFF AHEAD !!! .............
(So it's been long since I wrote a review and quite frankly I know I am writing a long one again this time. ) A LITTLE HEADS UP !

Let's begin with how ML offers rides to FL before even falling for her. Even though he doesn't agree to the ways she believes in and advertises, there's a certain respect that he offers. (manifesting friendships like these)

I love how Bo Ra even after hearing that she is suffocating to be around still hangs on to her personality of confessing first and being the hopeless romantic. At the same time I also appreciate that ML was true to his personality of being the closed one. I am the closed kind of person and know that even if we see things going wrong we just can't really admit to our emotions easily.

During the course of the show, I come to like Bo Ra because initially I just literally thought that she was a dumb kind of character for going back to someone who clearly ain't into her. But through the journey of these 14 eps, I realized that both things are okay since there's no right or wrong in matters of heart. Either you say it or you don't in the end all that matters is the feeling.
I love how she has her own journey of self-realization while writing that whole book ...

The free hugs, walk back home, listening to her blabber while drunk was all so much needed !

WHAT AFTER A BREAKUP ???

..the major and best part of the show ...get up, pick yourself up, find an identity that belongs to you, see the world with the new perspective you have found, order that special pizza, buy your birthstone jewelry and fucking live.
do whatever makes you happy if that's getting drunk on street it's absolutely okay. It's okay to have a hard time breaking up it's okay if you fall for someone who makes you feel special instead of someone who cannot provide you with the assurance you need. Everything is okay, not being able to get over that cheat or parting ways mutually, falling in love again , failing in love again ....fucking everything.

I love how the side characters try to make things work ( Bo Ra's friend and her husband) I know as a fact that marriage is not some child play and it's not that simple. The way they just exist next to each other is a treat in itself.
(But as they say too much sugar is bitter - at times they are just so annoying that I literally had to skip through)
I must admit that I liked how their marriage was an issue in itself and how they were trying to sort things through.

I also liked the trope of ML's bestie and her ex-wife they had a journey of their own. Of self-realization, blame games, hatred, longing, affection and so much more. They just made it so much better.

I liked the Farce comedy throughout the show and somehow it just makes it objectively better for me cuz afterall I need drama in a drama.

What could be avoided ....

Well the pregnancy trope was really a big turn-off for me.
The return of Bo Ra's ex clearly unnecessary.
The ceo falling (ML's bestie) for some coworker...I didn't need that

I certainly did appreciate the fact that the show covers every aspect like marriage, divorce, dating, cheating, breakups, and proposals ....like everything.

THE BEST LINES FROM THE SHOW .....

"Even if someone will die tomorrow if you kill him today, it's murder." (The context in which it is used is just love)

"I can't leave this world with a tombstone that says - She was dumped, drunk and clingy."- (so rewrite who you want to be, rewrite so you can lie peacefully in your grave.)

"And then, I felt the ground. It had felt like a bottomless pit, but then I felt the ground. It was impossible to sink deeper. I hit rock bottom and it can't get any worse. Now I can only get back up."

"I don't need reassurance from someone for the choices I make."

" Whether it's a happy ending or a sad one I have to write my own ending."

and the last lines from the drama ....
"But our love is neither a perfect happy ending nor a sad ending, it's an open ending.
There's no such thing as a strategy for love, that never fails.
Promises will be broken, Love will change in the course of time....
some may say ...after making all that fuss you guys ended up splitting...when our relationship ends at some unknown point.
still, we will not regret that.
Like we live though we know we'll die someday.
Like we buy flowers though we know they'll wilt.
Like we sadly say goodbye though we know we'll see each other tomorrow.
likewise, we make promises we can't keep sometimes
like we buy stuff that is useless
we are true to love every possible moment
....from the bottom of our heart, we are true to love. !!! "

TO WATCH OR MAYBE SAVE TIME ....???

For me I really feel like this show does have a lot to offer but I do acknowledge that It's not the show that everyone would love.
I'd still suggest you that on case you try it out be patient let the story build and grow on to you you won't regret spending time on it.
I'll probably come for a rewatch in my next life ...for this one I plan on exploring a lot other gems. !
but once was a must !

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Perfectly paced and focused

This is officially the best break-up, moving-on, and recovering/healing drama ever. Not just in K-drama land, but in the entire world and in history.

Maybe it's too early to claim that, but 6 episodes in, and it's very evident already.

They let us see up close and personal what a person who loves someone so much, have given them everything, feels like and goes through after a nasty break-up, (specially because of cheating).

They did not rush the story. It was paced well, to bring out the emotions, the pain, the hurt. The psychological impact, and ultimately, how a person can get back on their feet.

The monologues were awesome as well. Every single one of it were felt. They showed us the process.

And as someone who have been in such a situation, Yoo In Na captured everything so well. Did she experience it herself? Because gawd, that was me. Desperate. Shaking. Hopeful. End-of-the-world. Will take all the blame, will even take the blame for killing Abel, or Julius Caesar. Will turn a blind-eye. Will even accept sharing your partner! Because at that moment, you're thinking you can not live without them.

You can not accept the new reality in front of you. You want to move on, but the new reality is unrealistic. You are not in denial anymore (otherwise you wouldn't even beg), you just do not want to embrace your new reality. You want to run away from it.

“No, that's not a reality I will accept, I can make this work, I can choose which reality I want, I can manifest it.”

It will be for a long while before this show is dethroned in my list as the #1 break-up, moving-on, recovering/healing relationship story.

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Unhealthy relationships, desperation and neediness abound

I'm apparently the only person that did not enjoy this show. I'll start with the positives, and you can blow off the rest of the review, if you choose, because my thoughts are definitely in the minority.
LIKED:
1) Yoo In Na - one of my favorite K actresses. Her size and her demeanor are always attractive to me. She's got a sweet vulnerability about her. She's totally gorgeous, but she's the kind of woman that men fall in love with, and women want to be friends with.
2) Yoon Hyun Min - I enjoy this actor. Understated, intense and he sure knows how to wear his clothes!
3) The young man that fell in love with Bo Ra's sister. Brilliant smiles, barely contained energy and he reminded me of a puppy, all nervous energy. However, he knew what he wanted, and he never wavered.
4) The line in the last episode when Soo Hyuk was talking about Bo Ra being little.
5) When Soo Hyuk was with Bo Ra when she was dress shopping.
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
DID NOT LIKE:
1) Bo Ra - She was an absolute mess! As a love coach, her advice was about "playing" men to get what you want. The phrase "small and sparkly" was used at least 20 times in the first episode. It wasn't about being in love; it was about getting the ring. I got absolutely no feeling that she was in love with her boyfriend, but that she was just waiting for the ring to get married. So, when things went south, her reactions seemed extreme and out of character. Her over-the-top angst was painful for me to watch, just because I didn't think she really loved him anyway. Plus, it went on entirely too long. Almost half of the episodes were about how broken-hearted she was. Stalkerish, needy, inappropriate, and lack of self-esteem flowed from this character. "I was going to let myself like him if he says he likes me. I was going to love him if he says he loves me." She was always trying to GET something from someone. I did not care for this character nor empathize with her in any way.
2) Overabundance of alcohol. I know that drinking seems to play a large part in K-dramas. However, here the drinking caused people to behave in ways that made me really not like them. Plus, drinking alone is always a red flag. Drunken wandering in the neighborhood, peeing in public, drunken confessions.
3) Too many couples. Four couple storylines was too much, mostly because we only got part of an episode with the mains together. The rest was couples fighting, couples trying to get together, couples making up, and that was mostly the other three couples.
4) Soo Hyuk. Obviously, he wasn't in love with his girlfriend, he only bought a ring to make her happy. So, once they broke up, I wasn't feeling his sadness.
5) Overuse of the "I didn't want to be with you before, but now that you are with someone else, I want you back" trope. And we had to suffer through it with both leads!
6) Lack of realistic progression of the lead's relationship. He spent most of the drama listening to her cry and whine, then helping her "get back" at her ex, all to make herself feel better. They weren't really getting to know one another, he was just helping her. Then all of a sudden they were supposedly in love?
7) Romance is absolutely not a word I would use for this drama. The main leads getting together was literally less than 10 minutes. The rest of the time I had to suffer though watching unhealthy relationships crash and burn.

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DEBORAH SAYSSSS....

THIS IS THE DRAMA FOR HEALING AND RECOVERING!!
Honestly this is not the best RomCom K-drama i have seen but its good.
Its not perfect but still it does the work of keeping you hooked to the story and characters.
It covers the cheating and post breakup phase and issues pretty well. I actually love the fact that the writer tried to portray how a breakup actually works, it’s not all rosy, not every time we get to act strong, and unaffected! Breaking down is real too!

Of course writer done something out of ordinary CLICHÉS but in between writer has managed to keep walking. Kind of comedy, with enough sarcasm and realism to keep me engaged.
At times it can be CLICHÉS, CRINGE AND EMBARRASSING but it gives you the comedic relief dealing with the issues of the drama.

Those feelings of embarrassment and despair are quite relatable. And it kinda realistic as well. Her behavior after breakup didn't change, it isn't like she got over the Ex in a blink and started falling for the ML.

I feel this is the first drama I am watching where the main character is portraying each stage of a breakup thoroughly .
I often found it unrealistic in dramas and novels where the main characters move on in life very fast after a breakup . They are thoroughly showing the main leads’ grief and the improvement in their own relationship which I am liking a LOT.

The actors have done an amazing job portraying the characters, you love them, you hate them, you laugh with them and you cry with them.

THINGS I DIDNT LIKE-
>I absolutely hated that accidental pregancy arc of the side couple. It was totally unessary and destroy a perfect side couple for me.
>They messed up the "ROMANCE" part for the main leads. The ROMANCE was NOT ENOUGH, most screentime was taken by thier annoying ex and side characters. And they didnt confess or talked about it openly until the last 2 episodes.
>The relationship between sangjin and uri [one of the side couple] was REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE for me to watch. I dont know what they were trying to do but there scene were hard to watch.

OVERALL, Its a fun drama to watch, light and comedic. You can definitely give it a try.

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14 episodes and 10 minutes of love!

Ok, this drama was such a hype when the first episode aired cause honestly, the casting was good, the story was nice, and it had comedy, so it looked like we're gonna get a classic rom-com!
brothers and sisters, let me tell you, it aint much of rom and com when there are exes involved and people who don't listen to their own advice!
you advice someone to let go of their ex and that both of them can move on and then confuse the man who loves you by going around with your cheating ex!
it was good, and up until ep 12, you'll love the sweetness! but beware of the last two episodes cause it'll make you wanna pull not your hair but the actors'!
it can still be called a decent rom com, maybe perfect for a one time watch!

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Not worth your time

True To Love’s story is mediocre at best and its script problematic AF.

I swear the writer of this drama never hold a proper conversation with a woman before, and further more seems to want to constantly humiliate the female lead. I understand wanting to bring a know it all character down so she can grow to become a better person but that’s not what the writer does.

The relationships per se are not bad and there’s development, except for the married couple which I detested with passion. Especially the husband since it made it look like what the wife was asking for was insane when in fact he has grown lazy and makes her feel unwanted and not loved.

The acting is not bad, these are all really talented artist, but I simply can’t recommend this drama.

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Annoying

The ending was not convincing but I still prefer the main love story than the other 3 side stories. I didn't see how suddenly the boss decided to accept his employee's feeling, there wasn't any chemistry between them. The sister showed no character development, I thought she finally got better after the scam, but in the end she's still a rude brat. And the bestfriend's marriage stayed toxic till the end. Overall it's entertaining if you don't put too much thoughts on the annoying characters, but i really can't stand the last two episodes, I just wanna curse while watching.

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Yoo Inna's Acting Elevated a Script Determined to Make You Hate All Female Characters

As a major Yoo Inna fan, I went in ready to love this drama. And the first 3 episodes gave me a lot of hope! Yoo Inna's Bora was a successful radio host and writer who blew up her career after a really bad breakup. The fact that the show spent almost 4 episodes dealing with her devastation and grief without allowing the screenplay to get dull or sad is incredible. I especially loved the final argument between Bora and her ex, because it started out full of pathos and ended with both of them childishly calling each other names and trying to climb into a garbage truck. It was heartbreaking yet hilarious. However that's where all the fun pretty much ended.
After episode 3 the drama decided to put Yoo Inna through every embarrassing situation they could think of, while always having the male lead, Su-hyeok, witness each one of them. It got to a point where I began betting that if Bora is about to do this humiliating thing then Su-hyeok MUST be nearby - and yep, there he was. All great stories show their leads as flawed characters, but by episode 8 Bora! Deborah had proved that the sole focus of the writer and PD was to constantly humiliate the female lead, hurt the male lead, and have both of them make extremely idiotic assumptions about the other.
Even when the show forgets to make the characters cringe-worthy for a second and gives us a romantic kiss, you can be sure that it will be followed by an episode full of such annoying miscommunication that you'll have thrown your shoe at the screen before you know it. And don't even get me started on the portrayal of the other couples on the show, especially Bora's best friend and her husband. I've repeatedly heard this couple's story line described by fans as realistic, but I've yet to see anyone explain what the point of showing this horrible relationship is. There seems to be no arc of introspection or healing happening between the two of them. It's very clear that the show doesn't think the relationship is terrible. After lying and manipulating each other constantly, one fit of jealousy by the husband "affirms the couple's feelings for each other." Those are the show's words not mine. So, they aren't showing a realistic toxic couple, they're showing a married couple the writer seems to think just needs to show more jealousy in their relationship to become more passionate. Like what the-!
*Deep breaths*
Some people don't take issue with kind of storytelling. For those who do, I would suggest maybe watching a different Yoo Inna drama, like Queen In-hyun's Man or the lovely Touch Your Heart!

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The joke wore thin

This started off as bright breezy romocom, but sadly degenerated. In the end, the FL was exactly what she always 'dared' the ML to call her - pathetic. That's a shame, as Yoo In Na was the main reason I started the show.

I also UTTERLY LOATHED Joo Sang Wook's character. He was, I assume, supposed to be amusingly out of touch. Instead he came across as completely self-absorbed, to the point of delusion. The 'office partitions' scene was a great example of his unwillingness to even acknowledge that others were capable of possessing opinions. I ended up FFing through every scene he was in, which was just as well because another major flaw in the Drama was its length. Starting aff at 65 minutes and ending up at 79 was absurd.

The whiny, desperate Deborah, and excessively detached Su Hyeok were of no real interest to me. The reasons I scored this as "high" as 5.5 were the young couple, and the married couple. The 2 young lovebirds were cute, and as someone who feels safe in saying that I've been married for longer than most MDL users have been alive, I found the story of the longtime married couple to be a real strength. Their experiences and their expressions all rang true. Their difficulties, and the resolution, were the high point of the show for me, easing the disappointment and saving it from being dropped.

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I wished it was better ;)

Epi 1-2.. a little dull as they introduced the characters. Epi3-5- very dramatic and lots of angst as both FL and ML navigate through a tough break up. But they start finding comfort with one another ;) After that the story becomes more interesting and engaging. We get to Epi 11 and it was the best! Very promising with our leads finding love again, romance blooming etc.. then boom! Back to square one? Uncertainty and lack of understanding. Both are pretty matured so there was good communication. Just beating around the bush. Tbh I didn’t really like the so called confession scene by the ML in the final episode. It’s true to his character yes, but come on! We all wanted that big gesture of love and romance!! Was a tad disappointed

Anyhow, some funny funny lol scenes here and there. The married couple were relatable, and the younger couple were a little annoying but still bearable. I wouldn’t say it’s a true blue Rom-Com , but definitely a light hearted nice one to watch. :)

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This drama follows a really bumpy relationship between a dating coach and her editor at a publishing company as she is in the midst of writing another romance / self-help book while dealing with a really harsh breakup. I will say that it did take a two episodes for me to warm up to these characters as they're not initially super likable off the bat. But I get totally got on board with all the characters even the side characters are so fresh, bubbly and funny. Also the fashion is an eye candy and OSTs were sweet.

This series does give you a nostalgic kdrama formula: being a very modern and a breath of fresh air in the way that it depicts a really sad breakup and portrayals of people dealing with heartbreaks in their own ways, One moved on way too quickly, one felt like the world was ending, one didn't even care at all, and one was suffering alone. But the post break up part drags too long. The part when she announced her break up news in public, who viewed her as a dating coach, and made a show was over-the-top. They show so much of her spiralling down and jeopardizing her career and health. Later on, I got so bored and frustrated, when they go back and forth with old relationships. I also wasn't a fan of the second lead romance, they seem to young for this story. I put this drama on hold for months, but after a long pause I finish it to support Yoo In Na. Overall, it has its' flaws but I appreciate them showing that communication and boundaries are important and that though time shall pass.

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A whole new level of patheticness and ignorance....

I will not say specifics because the story is full of really bad examples. I can handle pathetic up to lvl. 5 out of 10. This is at lvl. 100. You have a woman who is supposed to be a dating coach and is self-confident. Then she finds out that her boyfriend has an affair or rather she finds the how hey make out. And it turns out she knew her as his cousin, but that was all a lie so they could be together. And here starts the patheticness. He actually tells her that it's her fault and she should not overreact, well let's just say, that guy turns out to be the king of a**holes. But our FL wants to go back to him. From here on the patheticness rises to a whole new level. She basically destroys her image, her carrer and keeps cryng amost half of the drama and wants to get back together with him. While he has fun with his little girlfriend. And then there is the part where everybody sends millions of won to a guy who uses her number.... I mean who would just send so much money before calling and asking for specifics? Especially the guy who has almost nothing to do with her. Ok her sister is somehow understandable but that guy.
The whole break up and crying part should have been at most 2 episodes! That would have been enough, but here it just kept going. He treeted her like shit and she just wanted to get back together with him.
It was like watching someone touching fire and getting repeatedly burned and wondering why that happens.
Worst story I have seen for a very long time

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