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Fast-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.
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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