Updated Review 2024:

I no longer know what year it was the first time I watched this drama. I only know that I was enamored with it the first time I watched it, and I am decidedly Not enamored with it anymore. In fact, this is the only drama I've rewatched so far that I've been really disappointed by. (Which does make me feel rather good about myself since I've mainly rewatched dramas I loved the first time, so it's nice to be reminded that I have good taste, lol.)

Contrary to what probably a lot of other drama viewers think of this female lead, I love everything about Go Dok Mi. I relate to her struggle of connecting with the outside world, I relate to the way she carries herself, I relate to the way she communicates, I relate to her intense anxiety in social situations and her desire to hide. There's nothing I dislike about her. Sadly, I think it was my deep connection to the female lead that blinded me to the drama's otherwise serious flaws in my first viewing.

Firstly, there is no romance between the leads. Unless you count the male lead pestering the female lead and repeatedly stepping over her boundaries and being generally annoying. Enrique is a hyperactive man-child, and it is not attractive. He acts like he's 7 years old, bulldozes his way over everyone, and that's literally his entire character. I understand what the writers were going for. They were trying to write a male lead who would push the female lead into getting back out there instead of hiding in fear. They just did not succeed. The romance is simply 'They like each other now.' No discernible story reason, just the writer said so.

It's decidedly unromantic.

This brings me to the second male lead, Jin Rak. Poor, sweet Jin Rak who would have been a Much better male lead. Yes, his method of helping the female lead is ineffective, and his way of connecting with her is misguided in some respects, but you can see his heart behind everything he does. The daily post it notes are incredibly lovely and romantic, and you just know he wants the best for her. His problem is he doesn't know how to help her, and that's probably because of his own insecurity.

In my perfect drama world, Enrique would have floated down like a fairy godmother/matchmaker/cupid and worked his magic to gently but firmly guide Dok Mi and Jin Rak together, pushing Jin Rak to be a more active pursuer and coaxing Dok Mi out of her comfort zone so she could face her past and really live her life. What a lovely drama that would have made.

Tied with Enrique for the worst character of the drama is Do Hwi. Do Hwi is the epitome of the evil second female lead that so many Kdrama's of this era had, only she's one of the worst offenders of this trope (if not The worst). Her entire personality is 'I treat Dok Mi like dirt and chase Jin Rak around despite his obvious disinterest in me, because I just Can't. Let. Anything. Go.' The actress does an admirable job with what she's given, so you really can't hate her performance. It's just that the character itself should have either been thrown in the drama-writer trashcan, given some kind of real redemption or come-uppance arch, or turned into butt-of-the-joke comic relief. Those are the only ways to make this character not insufferable.

And the writers chose none of them.

One bright spot of this drama is the comedically adorable romance between the webtoon manager and Dong Hoon. I've been a Kim Seul Gi fan for ages (I think this is the project that put her on the map for me), and she's fabulous here. She's aggressive in the most hilarious way, and her machinations to ensnare Dong Hoon are amazing. I'm literally taking notes, lol.

Something interesting about rewatching Flower Boy Next Door is that I wrote down a lot of quotes (all by the female lead). I connected with the drama's themes of isolation, insecurity, anxiety, distrust. But the drama's execution was so incredibly disappointing, and that makes me sad. Dok Mi and Jin Rak deserved better.

(I'm trying to get my hands on the original webtoon, because I feel like I will really love it, but it's nigh impossible to find.)


Old Review:

Loved it immensely, despite its flaws. Felt a very deep connection with the female lead and her struggle to connect with the outside world. Even though she does not have a mental illness, this drama perfectly portrays the internal turmoil those with mental illness (including myself) deal with.

Was desperate for an Enrique of my own by the end.