Crash Course in Romance Season 1 Review – Is Crash Course in Romance Worth Watching? An annoying, nosy ahjumma running a side dish store and a stuck-up, trauma-ridden star teacher who can’t seem to digest any kind of food but hers. But of course, it would all be sunshine and rainbows if not for being a romantic comedy and since it is a romantic comedy, they obviously dislike each other. Against the backdrop of extreme exam pressure, education paranoia, and the deteriorating health of students, we have for you today Crash Course in Romance review! Let’s dive right into it.
Crash Course in Romance Trailer
Crash Course in Romance Season 1 Plot
Nam Haeng-seon runs a side dish (banchan) store while raising her niece as her adoptive daughter, Nam Hae-yi, along with her neurodiverse brother, Nam Jae-woo. On the other hand, we have the celebrity math teacher, Choi Chi-yeol, of the popular private academy The Pride with an eating disorder arising from past trauma. In a series of fortunate events, Choi Chi-yeol ends up stealing Jae-woo’s mobile and breaking it, entering into a sweet laugh-out-loud situation with the Nam family. Interestingly, along the way, he also discovers that for once he is able to eat without puking his guts out. But where is this food from? Haeng-seon’s shop of course! It’s a romantic comedy remember!?
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Crash Course in Romance Season 1 Review
If we have to describe Crash Course in Romance, it would be something like an ordinary romantic comedy with a splash of comedy and warmth and a completely unnecessary criminal subplot. This quite literally sums up the entire review.
Crash Course in Romance is nothing special in terms of a romantic comedy. It has a typical enemy-to-lovers plot where the two leads come from entirely different backgrounds and experiences, and dislike each other to the point of “breaking each other’s bones” kind of hatred only to gradually start liking each other. The lead characters Nam Haeng-seon and Choi Chi-yeol are classic tropes of a struggling single mother versus the rich, snobbish male lead who eventually falls for the kind, simple-hearted female lead who on the surface is clearly anything but special.
It also features the classic kdrama romcom plot of a past history which eventually helps the two leads come together, again a trope that has been churning romantic comedies for a very long time in the kdrama industry.
Crash Course in Romance Season 1 Review – Is Crash Course in Romance Worth Watching? Source – TVN
Crash Course in Romance also features a completely unnecessary mystery/hidden murderer plot which honestly does not affect the story much. Even if they had not incorporated this plot, the show would still work perfectly as a romantic comedy. The addition of the hidden murderer seeking revenge for what happened in the past did nothing but unnecessarily extend and drag the plot.
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However, despite these factors, the kdrama still manages to work somehow, definitely not on the backbone of the romance part though. What makes the show work despite its very straightforward, not-so-unique rom-com nature is the backdrop of the high-stakes and insanely difficult Korean educational system. The show features the crushing educational pressure on high school students and the fierce competition that they face. It also highlights the pressure of their own parents who sometimes become their living hell rather than a support system. In this aspect, the show’s message resembles that of the highly acclaimed Sky Castle.
The show also portrays students like Bang Su-ah in a good light at the end. Bang Su-ah has been an antagonist in the show, frequently causing Nam Hae-yi and her family a lot of trouble, including kicking her out of a prestigious program of The Pride academy. Throughout the series, she is but an unlikeable character however the show tries to make the viewers understand the source of her actions. Bang Su-ah faces extreme mental pressure due to a highly competitive environment which eventually leads to her massive mental breakdown. In the end, she makes peace with Nam Hae-yi suggesting that it’s not the child’s fault but the system’s fault which pushes children to extreme psycho-social lengths.
Crash Course In Romance Review – JAL Rating
In conclusion, Crash Course in Romance still is a lighthearted, warm watch if you can pull through some sub-plots and at times annoying stock character tropes. The interactions and familial relationships are lovely to watch and one cannot stop rooting for the high schoolers. JAL gives it a 3 out of 5 ratings. That is it for our Crash Course in Romance review, watch the show on Netflix!
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