I Need Romance: First Impressions

The I Need Romance franchise is one dear to tvN. Many people find it a refreshingly sexy look at modern romance, and it's a beloved series amongst some in our weird little community. But I have to say... I hate it. The charm is supposedly that it's realistic, but the realism of this series is what I don't like.

The three seasons each take Sex and the City approach to intimate friendships and navigating relationships. The first season stars Jo Yeo-jung as a woman who has been dating a man ten years. I tried to watch the first series recently, after it was put up on Netflix.  Having heard good things about it, I was willing to give it a try.
  But with the first season, my hopes were disappointed after less than two episodes.  Firstly, the characters are awful. This mainly applies to the main character - I already don't like Jo Yeo-jung that much, since I find her nauseating, but the spin she puts on character makes her seem idiotic. I liked her narration especially at the end of the first episode, but later I realised that this narration only proved that her character knew she was being idiotic and made those decisions regardless.
  Secondly, the story is even worse. I hoped that it would focus on the female lead moving on from a toxic relationship where the romance had died, and finding new love. I was wrong. Just from the first episode and half, it's clear where the story it going - I looked it up, and confirmed my suspicions. A show like this is not what I'm looking for, and I won't be experimenting any further with it.

I Need Romance 2012 is about two people who've known each other their whole lives, and have basically been dating on and off since the dawn of time.
  This season is slightly better already because three leads were wonderfully cast with charming and capable actors. However, I have some similar frustrations that I had trying the first season.
  Sure, the conflicts are different, but the characters are made with the same moulds from the first season - the bubbly one, the sexy one, and the seemingly sweet but actually psychotic one. The show already lost points for the lack of originality. I thought I was going to like the third friend's story a little, but when she actually had a chance to speak to her love interest, my expectations were quickly shut down.
  Out of the three, this one I may be likely to continue. Although I'm already aware the basic story and how the show will end, I was surprised by the fact I actually quite like the male lead. Not to a huge extent, but it's something.

This season is about a cold business woman, who has been burned by love one two many times, reconnecting with a neighbour from her childhood. He helps her understand what love is.
  Regarding I Need Romance 3, I tried to watch the first few episodes, and ended up halfheartedly skimming the entire series. So, I've effectively watched it, but not really. One thing I really appreciated was that the stories lacked the horrible messiness that the other two had - well, for the most part.
  I don't know if I day will ever come where I'll like Sung Joon, and I have a love-hate relationship with Kim So-yeon, which regrettably put a damper on the main romance despite the effortless chemistry. I just didn't like their characters enough to like their romance. The secondary stories, however, I did enjoy a little more this time. The character types seem familiar again, but I Need Romance does try to flesh out the girls and make them feel a little more real. Basically, although I wouldn't try to watch it again and didn't necessarily like it, I do feel the this is the winning part of the franchise.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not blindly against shows that try to be more sexy - I loved Last Cinderella, so I'll recommend that for a cute noona romance. I'll also recommend Another Oh Hae-young, which stars Kim Ji-suk (from I Need Romance 2012) in a supporting role that made me fall in love with him.