1Seasoned Actors, Mature Roles, Meaningful Stories
I remember watching Dear Enemy and telling my friends that this drama represents what almost every woman is going through in 2025. The dialogues felt painfully familiar, like conversations we have already had in real life. That is what made it so funny and also why it hit home for me. I genuinely appreciated the writing.At the center of it all is Luo Ma, a woman trying to survive modern life, relationships, friendships, career pressure, and societal expectations without losing her mind. The drama is shot in a refreshing way, very similar to the K drama "Lovestruck in the City", with the main lead occasionally breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience. That choice made everything feel more intimate and personal, like Luo Ma was confiding in us rather than performing for us.
What I liked:
First, the writing. Let us be honest, good writing has become a rare feast lately with what creators have been feeding us. Perfect writing is a whole different level, and while nothing is flawless, this drama is confidently well written. The conversations flow naturally, the conflicts make sense, and the characters actually sound like adults who have lived.
Second, mature actors playing mature roles and tackling mature topics. No pretending. No sugarcoating. Just people dealing with life as it is.
If you know me or have seen me in these streets, you already know how much I dread dramas that rely on pretty faces with zero substance. In my refusal to consume low nutrition content just because mass demand says so, I have shifted my focus to slice of life gems that somehow escaped the cutting room and made it to our screens. Dear Enemy is one of those gems.
The women look like women. Not twelve year olds with baby voices or bodies trapped between unrealistic beauty standards and starvation aesthetics. These are women with flesh, presence, exhaustion, ambition, and emotional weight. Women who are going through it and then some.
The male leads are also refreshingly real. Not your typical symmetrical pretty boys with one recycled facial expression. These men are messy, flawed, and hardworking. They actually look like people who have burned the midnight oil for years to get where they are.
The female lead alone had at least a thousand facial expressions, and my favorite was her eye roll whenever something did not make sense, which happened a lot. She was us. We are her. Luo Ma embodied the struggle of an everyday single working woman. She defended herself, defended her friends, and called out anyone who thought they were above reproach. Watching her felt validating.
Now, what I did not like;
The actress storyline played by Wan Peng (3FL) was underdeveloped and unexplored, which was disappointing because it had the potential to expose the darker side of trying to survive the film industry. That arc could have been powerful but was barely scratched.
I liked the ML as an actor, You can't get any more seasoned than Yuan Hong, but his character summed up exactly what is out there with men his age, and yes this is a personal vendetta. I could see that relationship failing from a mile away and It gave me the reason to cheer for his competition Fang Chi.It's been awhile since I rooted for someone other than the ML to get the girl.
Do I wish Luo Ma(FL) and Fang Chi were given more time? Absolutely. The time and budget spent shooting the documentary could have been redirected into building their encounters and emotional connection. But am also not complaining,the end was deserving.
The marriage storyline was messy in a very realistic way but honestly gave me flashbacks I did not ask for.
Overall, in my books, this drama deserves a solid 8.6. This is a story written for women in 2025, and it knows exactly who it is speaking to.
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When friendship takes center stage — and women write their own endings
If you’re tired of childish or over-the-top female leads, this drama might just be your antidote. The FL here is mature, intelligent, and beautifully flawed — her tough past left emotional marks, and the story isn’t afraid to explore how those show up in her work, her relationships, and even her inner commentary (yes, she sometimes talks directly to the audience — and it’s brilliant).What makes My Dear Enemy stand out, though, is its focus on women’s lives beyond romance. Three very different women — a career-driven single, a married friend navigating family dynamics, and a younger professional with her own baggage — form the heart of the story. Their bond is strong, messy, supportive, and deeply human.
Instead of the usual tropes where women compete or sacrifice for men, the drama puts friendship, agency, and growth at the center. The men here aren’t idolized as flawless heroes — they’re complex, sometimes deeply flawed — and that only makes the women’s journeys more compelling.
👉 If you want a modern cdrama where female characters are allowed to be real, friendships matter as much as romance, and the storytelling respects your intelligence, My Dear Enemy is one to check off your PTW list.
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Flashes (but unsustainable) of Excellence with many raw, witty and sarcastic dialogs
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25I was excited to watch another good sismance show as it’s been a while. The first episode showed great promise! I love the witty, sarcastic dialogs, showing how these best ‘friends’ are not the typical I-will-die-for-my-girlfriend-type vibes. My favorite sismance drama is “Remembrance of Things Past” and I’ve been trying to find another one that hits me the same emotionally. Unfortunately, “Dear Enemy” is not that. Maybe the more slice-of-life feel to it doesn’t hit me the same way with a more dramatic plot in the other drama.
Sismance/Sisterhood (for the most part)
As I said, I love the first episode. The dinner between the 3 ladies and Zhou Mu Sun was excellent. The fake smiles, the fake praises, the subtle and not-so-subtle jabs at each other created this delicious scene. I love it when Luo Man and Chen Kai Xi are at odds with each other. I love how they can lay everything down, yell at each other, hit where it hurts the most. And of course, at the end of the day, they are still best friends for life, and will do everything to support each other. Their friendship is precious, even after not seeing each other for years after college. However, there are also many scenes where it feels dragged out. There’s a lot of talking and not a lot of action. Sometimes they sound quite preachy.
Chemistry between Luo Man and Zhou Mu Sun
I was eating up the chemistry between the two since the very beginning. They are mature, intellectual, sarcastic and like word gymnastics and twisters. Their push-and-pull was excellent. But above all, they are honest with each other, and expectations are set at the very beginning. I don’t really know if I should say their romance is slow burn or not. As a romance lover, I do like to see their romance take up more screen time than anticipated. Yet at times, it feels like the back-and-forth lasted too long, with the pauses breaking the rhythm and chemistry. But that very last scene of them together at the restaurant was excellent. It was so honest, so true and what a slap-in-the-face wake up call.
Luo Man vs Chen Kai Xi
What a fun character she is! I love her and the actress, Gai Ye. This is the first time I’ve seen Gao Ye in a main role and I don’t remember her at all in the two guest roles I’ve seen her. Luo Man is the fun at the party. I look forward to whatever comes out of her mouth next. Such a firecracker who doesn’t give a damn (or pretends not to). Because she’s such a fun character, her friend Chen Kai Xi feels like such a boring housewife to me. I am not sure if I like Michelle Chen’s acting here, or just dislike how her character is written. When Chen Kai Xi is not having a confrontation or heart-to-heart with Luo Man, I find her super bland. Her storyline does not bring anything new or any excitement. Compared to the fun work life and romance Luo Man has, hers is when I feel the drama drags on.
Chemistry between Luo Man and Fang Chi
Their story could have been better if given a little more time to develop. The first encounter was interesting, but that awkwardness didn’t quite carry through to the initial development of their relationship. Fang Chi is cute and adorable, shy but not shy. I actually quite like his character and it’s a great contrast to the chemistry between Luo Man and Zhou Mu Sun. The shooting of the documentary is my second least favorite part of the drama (1st is the marital problem). It only provides Luo Man and Fang Chi to be at the same place at the same time, but not enough depth to build on a possible romance.
Zhong Qing Cheng
Wang Peng is so beautiful in this drama as Zhong Qin Cheng. I haven’t seen her in a while, and I like a more mature Wang Peng. I enjoyed her story and her scenes in the first half of the drama, but then she seems to have fallen off the face of the earth, and only pops up when needed to advance the other storylines. I wish Zhong Qing Cheng has a more integral part in the sisterhood. Her part in the last couple episodes feel really rushed and incomplete.
Despite this not being a perfect drama, I would still recommend “Dear Enemy” if you are looking for a strong sismance/sisterhood drama. When it was good, it was really good. The three women are strong and smart. They have their own background story, adventures and challenges in life. It’s lovely to see how far they have come and the growth and understanding they have of themselves. But if I still feel a little distracted and bored during these short 24 episodes, then something is not hitting me right emotionally.
Completed: 12/7/2025 Review #650
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Drama about the complexity of relationships and the development of strong female characters.
The Chinese drama "Dear Enemy" is particularly notable for the dynamic between the protagonists, Luo Man and Chen Kai Xi, and the performances of Gao Ye and Michelle Chen.The production is a faithful and engaging adaptation of Ni Yi Ning's novel, capturing the essence of the original story with a strong depth of the characters' feelings and rivalry.
The director's approach to the reunion of former friends who become rivals made the drama quite engaging.
The dynamic between the protagonists explores the complex relationship of rivalry and friendship between Luo Man and Kai Xi, who reunite after years, with renewed resentment and interesting twists in the relationship between the two protagonists.
Gao Ye and Michelle Chen's performances are a notable highlight of the production's quality.
The approach to themes such as rivalry, overcoming conflicts, and the characters' development over time motivated me to follow the plot until the end because it portrays a story with intense depth.
I recommend this drama to viewers who enjoy romance and drama stories, with a special focus on the complexity of relationships and the development of strong female characters.
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This review may contain spoilers
Empezó mostrando a dos amigas que aparentemente son enemigas pero era algo más profundo y entrañable; ambas se conocen desde la universidad y comparten mucho tiempo juntas a pesar de tener vidas sociales "diferentes"; se apoyan en la dificultad y buscan el bien de la otra. Sus parejas eran una joyita, no eran para nada sinceros con ellas, no las valoraban, pero aparecen también los que si las valoran. Cada episodio era un análisis introspectivo de cada personaje.¿Una drama feminista? No lo creo, trata de las relaciones entre mujeres, amigas, hasta conocidas.
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