Crushology 101 is a charming but uneven exploration of young love
Crushology 101 (2025) is a solid option for character-driven dramas, especially for those looking for emotional development over ‘grand-romantic’ gestures. While the series tries to capture the experiences of older students, it gets stuck in its own premise, and some of the tropes in the narrative originated as webtoons.
The series centers Hee Jin, a sculpture major. Hee Jin’s emotional trauma caused by a tumultuous romantic history has shaped her lack of confidence and has held her back and is, unfortunately, a consistent theme amongst most characters. Roh Jeong-eui portrayed Hee-jin beautifully and added an elevated level of anxiety that can elevate someone from simply being indecisive. This is the show’s strongest point.
The weight of past heartbreaks
The show thrives in its ability to illustrate the complexities of moving on after an emotionally traumatic experience, specifically the first love, through a slowly unfolding, non-linear narrative. Rather than typical rom-coms that rely on the main character’s insecurity being resolved by a new partner, this show pushes Hee-jin to address her insecurities through her own art. The show’s writing does lose some points for its inconsistent pacing. The seventy minute episodes do feel a bit lengthy, especially with some noticeable slow spots. A few of the subsidiary storylines concerning the different love interests do feel somewhat lacking and almost like contrivances for the show to hit genre checkpoints rather than flesh out the main narrative.
A visual language for insecurity
The decision to create the webtoon-inspired aesthetic produces excellent character development, but it is perhaps a sign of relying too heavily on a trope. The studio is shown as a refuge for the characters, a space away from the pressures of having to socialize at University. Color palettes and framing for each character convey their emotions, giving the studio a calm and relaxing atmosphere.
The show relies heavily on visualization to help develop characters, almost to the point of replacing natural dialogue. It creates a beautiful world, but the raw emotion of heartbreak is lost, and it begins to feel unreal. In the end, a beautiful balance of framing and emotions is a safe bet to convey emotions where words cannot.
Who should commit to the semester
This series is great for those who enjoy slowly seeing characters grow and for those who appreciate the unique aesthetic of this age of introspection and growth. You’ll probably want to save this one for a binge over the weekend, because the drama is mostly about the process of self-growth rather than high-drama plot twists.
This show has a very calm, patient energy and is a lot more friendly than a lot of shows today. The show really presents its characters and their growth in a very earnest way, which really isn’t as common as it should be. And a lot of modern shows or movies lack the calm and patience this show has. If needed, take this as a warning, this show is pretty slow and lacks lots of traditional plot driven moments.
