Round and round we go . . .

The premise: what if the characters in a badly written high school romance became self-aware?

The set-up took two full hour long episodes. Beyond the slow pace, the plot keeps going in circles with no real character development. Every once in awhile, the plot would touch on something a bit profound, but it never stayed there and everything was only half explained.

The main actors are charismatic and do well in their roles, and that is the main reason I kept watching. The music went with the feel of the show but doesn't linger in my memory. I will not rewatch.

I grade on other criteria:

Themes - 7
The bad boy, narcissistic protagonists of your typical high school kdrama are horrible romantic partners. True, meaningful relationships can be so much more rewarding. Almost profound in how careless the writer was with Eun Dan-O's fate and death, and how she protested that she was a real person not just a plot point. But, the theme focus would always shift back to which boy was going to rescue her.
Character Growth - 5
The characters switch between their written persona and their real persona but there isn't much in the way of growth.
Relationships between women - 3
Eun Dan-O is surrounded by complicated and focused relationships with men, and very shallow relationships with women.
Cinematography/production values - 8
How this is shot, dreamy and slow, and a bit like panels of a comic book elevates the show more than it deserves. Indeed, how this show was presented tricked me into sticking with it as I kept confusing the well-thought out direction and cinematography with a show that had more gravitas and weight.