1Fast-Paced TRUE Enemies to Lovers
In a sea of boring visuals, and Enemies to Lovers tropes that fall flat; this show, while not perfect, is very striking and addicting.Overview:
One of the shows positive qualities is that it takes each episode as a narrative and tailors it's run time towards the plot portion being told. If the obvious stopping point for a cliffhanger was to make the episode less than 9 minutes long, it was. Likewise, if the story needed more time to expand on the plot, the episode became longer.
What the show exceeds at is showcasing a captivation Enemies to Lovers trope in a "he's crazy but SHE'S crazier" style, providing a modern take on women's rights that, while still "shoved down your throat", manage to seem like they might "actually" happen in small conversations among families and confidants, and using over-the-top and bold cinematography to capture intense emotions.
Where the show lacks if honesty is to be blunt, is in the underlying conspiracy plot execution and character development of the main villian and the MLs family.
😅😅Weaknesses:😅😅
To address first the weaknesses:
The grandmother and SiL do a full 180 in the last few episodes. This is not explained and there is absolutely zero character hints prior to the episode the change occurs for the audience to follow along and believe the change when it occurs. Personally, when the change happened I thought the episode was going to end as a dream it was that sudden and unexpected.
The main villian was VERY one-dimensional. We have no back story to explain WHY they decide to take part in the conspiracy and they are let go and allowed to break free FAR too many times to be believable. There is "suspense your disbelief" and then there is "oh come on, REALLY, AGAIN!?!?" This is not to say that the interactions are not entertaining, but they are HIGHLY unbelievable and have the true air of a soap opera or cartoon weekly villian.
As for the conspiracy, if you blink you will miss the underlying intricacies that go in to the ML working on this case. In hindsight this makes sense as the conspiracy is tied to the plot of the death of his beloved, but most people don't watch these over-the-top soap opera type shows paying attention to EVERY word that gets said. What it comes down to, and some of this COULD be a translation issue despite the subtitles seeming to translate well enough, is that when the case is resolved with the Envoy and they had done their explanation I was personally still shaking my head in confusion about what that plot was about and what had happened to close it.
🎉🎉POSITIVES!🎉🎉
At it's CORE, this show is a romance. This is not always the case, despite many shows having the romance tag. For as much as it is a very over-the-top and dramatic depiction of two people falling in love, it is also a VERY real and complex depiction.
Our ML begins the story in a state of devastation and need of vengeance. He is crazy enough to break into the residence of a high ranking minister demanding the life of the one who killed his beloved (literally the first scene). He takes risks and is crazy enough to demand unconventional situations of the FL to achieve his goals.
Meanwhile, our FL is a two-sided coin. She is willing to put on the face of a proper lady one moment, and then tear it away the next to achieve her means of survival. She WILL survive through compromise, lies, trickery, seduction, or violence. Her battle cry is: "Between your life and mine, I'll ALWAYS choose mine".
With the show bringing them together due to her initial lie they begin to use eachother. The cinematography of their interactions together tell a tight story of reliance and distrust. They instantly play the opposite teams as a united front, hands clasped and smiles high; only for the camera to pan to them immediately dropping their hands or the FL glaring her eyes. One of the best showcases of their relationship is the red divider. Over the course of the show they have conversations around this piece of furniture, often with them on opposite sides. But this changes. The use of the divider in the last episode is honestly now one of my favorite scenes it was intricately done and the dialog was moving.
It was mentioned earlier about the very real and complex emotions of a relationship this show portrays. Without providing spoilers, the end of episode 20 could have very much been the end of the series and I personally would have accepted it as ending this way. When a person doesn't trust themselves to know WHAT love is, being able to provide seemingly empty platitudes and promises feels like a lie. If that person has previously thought they knew what love was but are now questioning themselves, it's even harder as they feel the need to make feelings fit into a box. In general, romance shows don't delve into this topic. The leads just KNOW instantly, it they deny "the truth" but know "secretly". But then, most romances feature pure and innocent characters who have never even thought of loving another person before so when they "FEEL" it, they know. Not everyone can recognize that they "feel" love. For that reason this is an excellent take on romance and love.
Additionally, there are other "hot-takes" in this series including a woman's reliance on being virgin to be "clean and worthy" and the dangers of childbirth and right for either partner to use contraception. The hypocrisy of a woman telling another that she is no more than a prostitute if she doesn't show proof of blood is thrown back with the harsh reality that "there's more than one reason for there to be no blood" and a harsh jab back at her new husband. While later, a discussion is had about waiting because of the risk of dystocia. While obvious for modern viewers, that they are presented in a way so as to still seem scandalous and unheard of was pleasant in opposition to recent "woman's rights" shows taking the "we can force modern values to be accepted to the entire population in a costume setting" approach.
CONCLUSION:
Ultimately, as long as you go in expecting a show that WILL have flaws but that has chemistry, pacing, and dramatic flare shots of an over-the-top makjang-type / soap opera, you'll have a LOT of fun eating your popcorn and clicking NEXT.
I watched as airing from first night watching the clock for the next episodes to drop on MangoTV.
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An Absolutely Wild Ride!
I went in with ZERO expectations after YouTube randomly recommended me the first episode, and let me tell you, the leads are both absolutely unhinged!While I love the ML, the FL stole the show for me! This lady is no damsel in distress. If anything, she’s the one causing others’ distress half the time lol and is capable of saving herself and the ML too. They are logical to an extent and think like normal human beings, which I really appreciate.
FOR ONCE, we have an ML with a functioning brain, who does not welcome the supposed dead lover back with open arms and actually asks the FL for cooperation to check if this randomly resurrected chick is sus or not. Them acting like a couple in love absolutely cracked me up. From the looks of it, the ML probably enjoyed it a little too much and has no qualms choosing the FL over the random gege-ily-back-from-the-dead chick.
The ML and FL team up quite often to break open conspiracies, and it’s so nice to see the FL being the one with the loose screws. And the ML absolutely knows that, which makes their banter absolute GOLD! (especially when they’re offing people who offend them)
The chemistry is through the roof sans the usual violence in the name of affection. There's consent asked and given once they move past the murder-y phase. Not to mention, it’s an enemy-to-lovers done right where the ML was ready to off the FL in the beginning for supposedly causing his GF to die. But once he figures out something is fishy, he not only helps the FL find the truth about her cheating BF but also helps her punish her stepmom. All the while he’s still doubting her lmao
And they both don’t give two shits about the yappers around them. The nosey sister, the domineering grandmom, the slimy brother, the spoiled child princess, everyone is background noise for them to use at their convenience and dispose of as required.
But there's character development and I actually ended up feeling sorry for the 2FL. The whole diary thing was kinda random tho but okay. The SIL became FL's follower and the grandmom sorta just accepted the situation and gave up. Yay for that honestly!
I do have an issue with them letting people go rather than dealing with them, but they all do get what they deserve, and most of it happens in things seemingly unrelated to the leads, but totally within their purview, which makes for an interesting watch. Because they know how to borrow others’ blades to deal with others, and not directly get involved and tarnish their own reputation.
The ending 3-4 episodes were kinda weird tho. It was almost like the writers forgot they had a bunch of episodes left and ran out of ideas once the 2FL's identity was exposed. The push and pull didn't feel authentic since the ML was very much making heart-eyes at the FL but suddenly had an identity crises after the diary was discovered. Again, kinda weird, since it would've made sense for the ML to be confused about his feelings during the early episodes since he was supposed to love his kinda-dead GF but suddenly felt drawn to this girl who spoke and acted in a familiar manner. But once the FL had the epiphany that she liked this guy, she was very much committed to making them a thing. Gotta respect the hustle.
The swapped person plot was very reminiscent of the coroners diary and kinda felt being thrown in for shits and giggles to pass time. Maybe they were a 20 episode drama and had to extend last min. Never-the-less, the ending was decent to I'll let it pass.
Was quite worried the FL would probably sacrifice herself with all the assertions of loving herself the most (coupled with the ML's love of letting the antagonistic brother just go) but I'm very glad they proved me wrong. She really does have foresight and is well prepared for all the shit that might go down so props to her.
I’ve previously seen the FL and my god, she’s improved by leaps and bounds. Haven’t seen much of the ML’s work, but he’s definitely on my radar now.
All in all, it’s an amazing watch, especially for a mini-drama, and if you’re looking for something with minimal dog-blood plots with sensible leads who have more than one brain-cell between them and actually TALK to each other instead of making wild assumptions from thin air, you should definitely check this one out! Kinda surprised it hasn’t blown up much, but I guess limited availability could be a reason too. Hopefully, we get better subs in the future :/
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Unhinged Olympics: Couple Edition
Alright, I pressed play on this one completely at random after seeing it casually dropped in a comment section, and wow… what a ride, omfg y’all.For a black-red-flag dark romance, this one actually delivered. We’re talking very smart yet gloriously unhinged leads, the kind who make you sit there grinning like, “this is so toxic but also so delicious.” The chemistry? Off the charts. The pacing? Fast, punchy, and never dull. And did I mention unhinged leads?? Because both of them are basically a Lululemon clearance sale of sanity, with the FL outbidding herself like, “crazy? babe, we’re going into overdraft.”
The real joy, though, was watching my girl clap back at anyone dumb enough to cross her. Every time she served a tenfold return on shade—sometimes metaphorical, sometimes a literal bitch-slap—I was standing up like a proud parent at graduation. Pair that with surprisingly tender romance beats (the lovey dovey era was so enjoyable), and you’ve got yourself a dark little treat. Honestly, I’m not even shocked, because this FL has sparked chemistry in every project I’ve seen her in.
Now, this isn’t aiming for deep philosophy or layered symbolism—it knows exactly what it is and runs with it.
And that’s the beauty. If you’re craving a quick binge with an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, smart but spicy leads, chaos served in couture, and a happy ending to tie the bow—then this one is absolutely worth the watch.
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Completely Entertaining
This might be one of the best short cdramas I have watched this year. It is fast paced, with a smart and strong female lead who becomes fearless when backed into a corner. The male lead is endearing and goes from crazy psycho out for revenge to green flag! The female lead manages to win hearts through sheer audacity and a bit of lying.Whether you like the enemies to lovers trope or not, this is a great show to watch because it has great entertainment value. The couple have good chemistry and even with a few popular tropes, it feels fresh. There is also some great important commentary on women's struggles. It depicts respect for women through seeking consent as well as good discussion on pregnancy.
Since the episodes aren't very long, it is a great show to binge! I hope more people discover this gem.
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