Should you watch XO, Kitty?

I am a huge fan of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved series so of course I was thrilled to learn that Kitty’s spinoff would finally be dropping on May 18th. I have been waiting for XO, Kitty for so long. There were such mixed reviews after the show dropped though, that I found myself questioning if I should even bother with it. I am glad I kept my initial stance on it and watched it.

I absolutely enjoyed this show and watched it in less than a day. It was a great depiction of Kitty, taking her away from the little sister role, and showing us that she’s all grown and has her own story to tell. Through this show we get to focus on her views and feelings of her mother and a bit of the half of herself she has never gotten the opportunity to fully discover.

A lot of viewers claim the script is laden with Koreaboos and thus a reason to shy away from it. Aside from one character (Madison, played by Jocelyn Shelfo), I can’t really point fingers at anyone else. The character of Madison gives off Kboo vibes from the very beginning. I think that plot piece, while being annoying, is rather realistic. The Korean wave has undoubtedly given birth to a new population of Korean culture obsessed people that, if given the opportunity, would pack their bags and head to South Korea. Since among the students, she was the only one giving off major Kboo vibes, I could get over it and view her as just a realistic element to a plot set in an international school set in Korea.

Due to Kitty’s physical appearance, I believe it’s easier for viewers to throw her into the category of Koreaboos, forgetting that that is as much her culture as it is Yuri’s or Dae’s. It’s great that the character can travel to a country that should be so familiar but is so foreign to her. An opportunity to learn about herself in her mother’s country, even when she has little to no knowledge of it or the language and culture.

I do wish her Korean had improved even in the slightest, especially after years of talking with Dae. However, I recently read Michelle Zauner’s crying in H Mart, which made me realise that some, if not many, mixed kids who grow up in the US can lack fluency in their foreign parent’s language.

On the note of Kboos, there are certain moments that may make viewers, especially Korean viewers, cringe, such as the depiction of Chinguseok (apparently the friends’ version of Chuseok). Now, this isn’t my culture so I cannot speak much on it, however the reviews from Korean viewers have not been positive on this specific part.

The characters can feel annoying to some but you need to take a moment to remember that they’re 16/17. These are teenagers, at boarding school, best believe they’re about to be insufferable and make some of the dumbest decisions of their lives. It’s what makes the show fun. A form of nostalgia to those that spent their teenage years out in the world and a way for the rest of us to continue our long journey of vicariously living through fictional characters.

The acting is mostly mediocre, including from the main character, but there is definitely room for improvement. I have high hopes for the second seasons.

The plot itself is meant to be lighthearted and fun and not to be taken too seriously. It’s one of those shows you think you’d never watch because it almost sounds like a waste of time but once you start an episode, you can’t stop. The series tells stories through characters that many might relate to. Dae, who is too young to be that worried about his financial circumstances but finds himself drowning in responsibilities that push him to do things he’d rather not (like lie to his girlfriend). Yuri who is trying to please her parents while desperately wanting to live her truth. Minho who realizes he wants more in love that he’s previously led himself to believe.

Kitty sets off to South Korea to finally be with Dae and to learn more about her mother. The series ends up focusing more on her own experiences, which while disappointing for others, was appreciated by me. Rather than just spending all her time at KISS walking in her mother’s footsteps and trying to emulate Eve’s experience there, Kitty develops her own story. While making new friends and discovering parts of herself she wasn’t aware of, she becomes more like her mother than she realizes. It seems disappointing to most that we don’t end up learning much about her mother’s background. We do however, learn more about what an amazing soul Eve Song was and we get to see parts of her in her youngest daughter.

Is it even a Jenny Han fiction if there isn’t a love triangle? If you’re not a fan of these, best to stay away from the show before you watch it and go off to complain about the love interests. We have 3 potential ones (well one was official, the other an almost-in another world type of vibes- and one became potential at the very end of the series). I live for drama like this even though it frustrates me but hey there’s nothing better to watch at the end of a long day than a 17 year old trying to navigate her romantic feelings.

I love how Kitty tries to be honest with herself and with Dae. When she realizes her feelings for Yuri are more serious than she initially assumed, she talks to him about it. Instead of keeping quiet and hoping for the best, she admits that her heart is somewhere else. It’s also a great view into her character, how Kitty Song-Covey doesn’t shy away from being truthful and being herself.

The series is definitely a fusion of Kdramas and Western teenage shows. I couldn’t help thinking my 13 year old Wattpad self was meeting my 19 year old Kdrama fan self, in a good, funny way though.

The random soundtracks were a vibe for me but very much misplaced. I’m certain they could’ve found songs that would correlate with the scenes (such as one where they play Blackpink’s You never know). It could easily feel like a way to grab the attention and views of fans of all these Kdrama groups. If you get past that though, you might find yourself just vibing to the songs and having fun.

I think whether you’re watching it because you’re absolutely hooked or simply due to good old “hate watching”, you’re likely to bingewatch this series. The 10 episodes go by so fast while you’re trying to figure out your own feelings on the characters or put two and two together on what’s about to happen next. Before you know it, you’re asking for season two.

This series is for the fun loving girlies that love watching shows that are, shallow at face value, to say. The girls that enjoy teenagers being teens. No matter how cringey it gets, I think you’ll find that you just can’t get enough of it.

Overall, the show is great for destressing and just allowing yourself a moment to laugh, cringe, and wonder if you would’ve acted like one character or another if you were 17 again.

P.S. Be careful of Minho, you will fall for him.