General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Mad For Each Other (이 구역의 미친 X)

Mad For Each Other (이 구역의 미친 X, romanized I Guyeogui Michin X) is a 2021 South Korean romantic comedy streaming series in which a detective with an anger-management disorder and a neighbor with her own psychological wounds, living in the same apartment complex, collide repeatedly and gradually help each other heal. It aired on KakaoTV from May 24 to June 21, 2021, in 13 episodes of roughly 30 minutes, and streamed globally on Netflix.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Original title	이 구역의 미친 X (I Guyeogui Michin X)³
Run	May 24 to June 21, 2021; 13 episodes, about 30 minutes each¹^•²
Platforms	KakaoTV (South Korea) and Netflix (global, about 190 regions)¹
Director / writer	Lee Tae-gon; screenwriter A-kyung⁴
Leads	Jung Woo as Noh Hwi-oh, a detective with anger-management problems; Oh Yeon-seo as Lee Min-kyung, an insurance planner with betrayal trauma⁵^•¹
Genre	Healing romantic comedy with mental-health themes¹
Reception	Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 88% (2 reviews); IMDb 7.9/10 from about 3,900 ratings⁶^•⁷

Spoilers

Premise and characters

Noh Hwi-oh (Jung Woo) is a detective who developed an anger-management disorder after experiencing a violent incident and is on forced leave receiving rehabilitation treatment. Lee Min-kyung (Oh Yeon-seo) is an insurance planner carrying betrayal trauma who moves in one floor below him. The two clash over every small matter, first calling each other "crazy," and over time come to understand the roots of each other's wounds.¹ Netflix's synopsis adds that the neighbors discover they share a psychiatrist.⁸

The supporting cast includes An Woo-yeon as Chu Dong-hyun, Hwi-oh's close friend and a counselor; Baek Ji-hee as Lee Su-jin, Min-kyung's younger sister; and Lee Hye-eun as Jang Ye-bin, a central figure in the residents' community.¹ Kakao Entertainment's announcement also credits AKMU vocalist Soohyun, playing a character named Soohyun, and An Woo-yeon in the role of Sang-yeop.⁵

Episodes

The 13 episodes aired on KakaoTV on consecutive weekdays in three weekly blocks, with runtimes growing from 30 minutes for the premiere to 39 minutes for the finale.² Episode titles trace the relationship's arc: the premiere, "Rainy Days Bring Out the Mad People" (May 24, 2021), shows the leads' unpleasant encounters before they realize they are neighbors; mid-season episodes cover Hwi-oh teaching Min-kyung self-defense and malicious rumors about her spreading online; the finale, "Goodbye & Hello" (June 21, 2021), has Min-kyung resolving to protect Hwi-oh.⁶

Production and format

The series was produced by OZ Arena with Mays Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment, directed by Lee Tae-gon and written by A-kyung.¹^•⁴ Kakao Entertainment announced on May 6, 2021 that the show would stream on Netflix worldwide, describing the romantic comedy as revolving around the dynamic between the two next-door neighbors.⁵

Short-episode format. The half-hour running time was chosen as a web-OTT hybrid format aimed at strengthening global competitiveness, with fast pacing and an omnibus-style structure. Production highlights listed by the studio include a set built around a single apartment complex with a 360-degree shooting system, consultation with mental-health professionals on the portrayal of anger, anxiety, and PTSD, and per-episode cookie videos planned as short-form derivative content.¹ Lee Tae-gon's earlier works include Hello, My Twenties! and Diary of a Prosecutor.⁵

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds an 88% Tomatometer from two critics; Pierce Conran, reviewing for the South China Morning Post, gave it 3 of 5 and called it "a thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy that hits way more than it misses and benefits from great chemistry between its leads," while noting regressive gender roles. Joel Keller of Decider was unsure the jokes suited his taste despite the performances of Oh and Jung.⁶ On IMDb the series holds a 7.9/10 rating from about 3,900 users, with individual episode ratings rising from 7.5 for the premiere to 8.4 for the finale.⁷

Reviewers and viewers frequently singled out the mental-health portrayal. The Review Geek wrote that the show's themes and ideas around mental health are where it really works, and Kdrama and Ramen praised its realistic approach.⁹^•¹⁰ Kdrama Kisses noted that the show tackles PTSD, OCD, and anger issues.¹¹ The South China Morning Post was more reserved, calling it a sturdy romantic comedy whose foundations as a study of mental health are "pretty shaky."¹²

Context in KakaoTV originals

The series was one of the early dramas of KakaoTV's original slate, a service that within ten months of launch surpassed 900 million cumulative views with titles including Mad For Each Other, Jjin Kyung-kyu, and Change Days.¹³ A Korean academic listing of exclusively Netflix-supplied Korean dramas includes the series among titles distributed by Netflix.¹⁴

Other uses of the name

A separate Indian Telugu-language relationship reality show titled Mad For Each Other, featuring ten celebrity couples living together for 70 days, hosted by Sreemukhi with judges Anil Ravipudi, Radha, and Laya, premiered on JioHotstar on March 15, 2026; it is unrelated to the Korean drama.¹⁵

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Romance and melodrama series › Romance melodrama miniseries › Romantic comedy series › Workplace romance series

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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