Radio Romance

For a romantic comedy centered on the fast-paced, emotionally resonant world of radio broadcasting, 2018's Radio Romance somehow managed to pull off the impressive feat of being relentlessly dull. While starring two capable actors, Kim So-hyun and Yoon Doo-joon, the drama quickly burned through its initial promise, leaving behind a prolonged 16-episode arc characterized by sluggish pacing, predictable conflict, and a romance that generated all the excitement of static noise.

The premise-a perpetually cheery, struggling radio writer, Song Geu-rim, recruits a moody, top-tier actor, Ji Soo-ho, to host her show-sets the stage for classic opposites-attract chaos. Unfortunately, this main conflict is resolved far too early. Once Soo-ho grudgingly accepts the role, the plot loses all momentum. The series substitutes genuine narrative tension with repetitive, drawn-out flashbacks to the characters' shared, tragic childhood past. Every episode felt like padding, constantly revisiting the same trauma points without offering meaningful development, giving the audience very little reason to tune in week after week.

A significant issue was the lack of engaging chemistry between the leads. While Kim So-hyun is undeniably charming, her earnest energy was often mismatched with Yoon Doo-joon's portrayal of the brooding, emotionally closed-off Soo-ho. His performance, while meant to convey inner pain, often came across as merely listless. The slow-burn romance felt less like anticipation and more like a stall, hampered by a central relationship dynamic that struggled to move past its initial standoff.

Furthermore, the backdrop of the radio station-which should have been a vibrant hub of creativity and life-felt strangely lifeless. The secondary characters, including the jealous rival PD, were thinly written clichés, doing little to lift the overall quality of the workplace drama.

In the end, Radio Romance failed to find its frequency. It took a high-wattage concept and turned it down to a faint, repetitive whisper. While it promises a warm, nostalgic look at the power of storytelling through sound, it delivers a narrative experience that is unfortunately muted and forgettable.

Radio Romance is a sweet romance surrounding a radio program and a troubled actor. I really enjoyed the story, it was simple but compelling, and the radio side story was very interesting.

I thought Yoon Doo-Joon did a great job, especially at the beginning with the way he was holding back his emotions; his eyes were so communicative and lots of little micro-emotions conveyed so much. I do wish that later in the series we had gotten some more open and genuine emotions from him but I suppose it was true to character that we didn't.

I thought that the ML and FL were good for each other, and despite a rocky start, they were overall a mature and cute couple. That being said, I personally felt zero chemistry between the actors. The 2ML had a bit more chemistry with the FL but not really in a romantic way either.

The side characters were interesting and eccentric which was fun to watch. I enjoyed the wide variety of music played in the show as well.

Overall this was a decent one time watch that I enjoyed, although it probably will not be very memorable.

I tried to finish this drama, I really did, because I love So Hyun, but after twelve episodes I couldn't do it anymore. I have no criticisms on her acting, but it's hard even for someone like her to feign emotion for someone as stale and emotionless as the male lead. Not only that, his character wasn't likeable, and the story wasn't very compelling, side characters not that interesting. Not the worst thing I've ever watched, but not for me.

I really don't think the rating here is fair to this series. I enjoyed watching it and it had some really lovely moments and some really lovely lines. And I have to mention the Starlight track which I think is really gorgeous and fun to listen to! I rated this series an 8/10 and I've watched over 40 KDramas! Worth watching!

After seeing many Kdramas, I had to give this one a mere 6. As others before me has already said, no chemistry between ML and FL, no real affect shown. Plus, both leads are kind of stiff, stilted.

Quite upsetting also that highly disfunctional behaviours are glorified and excused: aggressive attitudes, manipulative parents, self-centered actresses can use good people to reach their goal, and be forgiven in the end.

Some problem with hairstyles: FL after the first episodes shows debasing hair that doesn't make her shine. ML suddenly from red hair passes to black ones and the effect is weird.

Younger versions of ML and FL show no resemblance at all with their adult counterparts.

A little more effort would have benefitted the show.