Rissa_Mac

The Quintessential Office Romcom

“My Dearest Nemesis” is the quintessential rom-com. With vibes that resemble shows such as “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?” and “Business Proposal”, it delivers a show that checks all the boxes for a good ole fashioned Korean office romance.

Pros:
• The chemistry of our leads is great. Whether it’s when they’re arguing like crazy rivals at the beginning or making you grin ear to ear with their abundance of sweet moments later, you will get your fill of this awesome couple. Both are flawed in realistic ways and their character development is simply beautiful.
• The second couple! The secondary romance was amazing. I could have watched a show of just them. I loved their subplots.
• The romcom elements. Like I said, this checks all the boxes. It’s funny, romantic, and yet deep at the same time. Very engaging and well done.

Cons:
• I can’t be the only done with mean chaebol families, right? Will this trope never die? While they give her a redemption arc at the very very end, the grandma’s character was almost so bad it was unrealistic. Her coldness was mind boggling.
• Lacked originality and wow factor. “My Dearest Nemesis” doesn’t deliver us anything we haven’t seen before. It feels like countless other romcoms I’ve seen, but it fails to deliver an impact that sets it apart from any of them. I disengaged at points (not enough to quit but still) due to this reality.

Overall? It’s a cozy watch, and it’s a great romcom. Sit back, press play, and enjoy it for what it is. It’s a comfort show for sure.

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A Game of Matching Wits

Final Verdict: Dropped

Is this a bad show? No, it honestly isn’t. I probably could skim through the final episodes, and I might still do that. However, for me specifically, it’s lost me.

The last half fizzles out in my opinion. It loses a lot of its charm. I feel like the writing just goes out the window. First of all, they did not build up the intrigue side of the show well enough for the drastic shift in the later episodes to make sense or pull you in. Secondly, some of the male characters drove me crazy… Our lead seems to grow more juvenile as the time goes on but then we’re supposed to buy it when he suddenly gets serious? And don’t get me started on how dumb the crown prince is written. It’s insane. And the antagonists… These “baddies” don’t give you a high stakes feeling at all.

And when I said second-lead-syndrome hits the chat HARD, I mean it. I found myself rooting for the other prince over the ML at times…Big yikes. Loved his character.

Look, I still honestly think a lot of people are gonna like this. So I’m not necessarily recommending against it. I really really enjoyed that first half, and maybe the flaws in the second half won’t bother everyone like it did me. But, personally, it’s gonna be a no.



Initial Review at the Halfway Point (Will Update after Finale)

I had super low expectations for this, but it has pleasantly surprised me. The romcom is definitely coming through strong. Our leads do a great job of portraying these bickering frenemies always trying to outwit the other. It’s funny and charming, and their chemistry is excellent. It’s not a perfect drama, but I’m really having a blast watching it.

Our FL has gotten a bad rap from commenters, but I get her. She’s been shaped by her awful circumstances; so she’s willing to do anything to protect herself, her little sister, and their beloved servant. She manipulates and acts “selfishly”, but reality always shows she has a heart that is strong and compassionate, and she’s brilliant too. This really is seen after episode 6. Stick it out, and she’ll win you over.

Things I’m liking so far:
• The cast is pretty solid. I love our leads, and many of the supporting characters are acted well too. You’ll fall in love with the FL’s little sister.
• The scenery, cinematography, costumes, and OST are *chef’s kiss*.
• The story, took a slow start a bit, but it’s on fire now. It’s really pulled me in. I’m invested fully and excited for the next half. It defies some trope, which I also appreciate.

Things I’m not liking so far:
• Something just wasn’t sucking me in the first five episodes. No “wow factor”. I almost dropped it, but I’m glad I stuck it out. I got done with the game of wits angle over and over because, while it was done well, it felt like there were two whole episodes just dedicated to their competitive dynamic but not in a way that kept you interested. Luckily, it shifted away from that. They still have the game of wits but it’s a part of the plot rather than the whole plot.
• I would like to see the overarching plot of the ML working for the Prince explored much better. They’re going for sneaky and vague, but it just comes across like nothing actually matters. You can’t get invested on their side because I’ve got nothing to work with. Give me some depth.

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Love that Defies Time

For some crazy reason, I didn’t watch this show until now despite many claiming that it has been the best drama of 2024. But, um, they’re totally right.

“Lovely Runner” SHINES in a year of duds. It is a masterpiece of writing and acting. It masterfully blends comedy, romance, suspense, and sci-fi (time travel) in a completely satisfying mix that will make you binge. I watched the whole thing in three days. I couldn’t stop myself.

And don’t get me started on these leads. Acting? Brilliant. Chemistry? Amazing. Depth? Fully fleshed out. Their story of young love deepening into a beautiful self-sacrificing unconditional love is one of the best romantic developments I’ve seen in any drama, this year or otherwise. Plus, their kiss scenes and overall comfortableness with their skinship is so perfect. Swoon-worthy the max.

It also has one of the most satisfying endings ever. I went from bawling my eyes out in episode 13-14 to grinning like a little kid all throughout episode 16. All their pain and fighting to be together through two (almost three) timelines is repaid with joy and a bright future.

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Okay hear me out… I know 7.5 feels low…

“Perfect Match” had a whole lot of potential, and in many ways, it lived up to it. However, in many ways it didn’t. I experienced a plethora of emotions and opinions throughout the course of this show. Was it perfect? Not by any means. Did I enjoy it still? Definitely.

Here’s my breakdown:

Pros:

1. What a fresh idea! Never before have I seen (among over a hundred dramas) any drama like this where it tackles four stories in one and yet makes it one cohesive story! I truly hope we see more of this in the future. It was especially cool to get to follow the couple’s lives on past their stories since they all remain active in the plot.
2. This is family writing done masterfully! This family of women is tremendous. You will fall in love with them. Even their eccentric, over-the-top mother had my heart in the end. They managed to walk the very fine line between becoming a family drama instead of romance. Instead, it was both, and I loved it.
3. The first and third story arcs were beautifully done. Both couples (Li Kangning/Chai An and Li Haode/Shen Huizhao) had tremendous chemistry. Like seriously! Their kiss scenes were on point and their love felt real. Plus these storylines were the best fleshed out. I expected the third arc to be my least favorite but it ended up being my favorite.
4. The Rom-Com balance is excellent. There is a healthy blend of comedy—you will literally laugh out loud—and romance in this drama. You will laugh and cry as you journey with these women though their funny moments and their deep despair and ultimately their forever love.
5. The Son-in-Law Alliance!!! This was the freaking best. I loved this, iykyk

Cons:
1. The repetition in the stories... They had so much opportunity for these arcs to be profoundly different each time. But they really weren’t. They typically follow this pattern: 1. They hate each other. 2. One falls hard first (typically the ML). 3. One pulls away and keeps the other guessing (typically the FL). 4. They break up and are miserable for a couple episodes. 5. Happy ending… This really hurt the show. It meant I began to lose interest at some point in each arc. The thing that kept me watching was knowing it would change to a new couple soon.
2. The fourth coupling was atrocious. Oh my goodness, where the heck do I start? Li Leshan is hardly the likable sister in the first three quarters of the drama, but in her own story she is worse. She is physically abusive (and I mean this literally) and spoiled and unkind. Yang Xian is no better. He is awful. He is selfish, also unkind, and so manipulative. I made it three episodes into their story before giving up and skipping to the last half of the last episode because I could NOT handle them or their storyline at all. Luckily, you can do this and not miss anything because it’s its own story.
3. At least two of our female leads drove me crazy with the way they made their men work their butts off to earn their love (Kangning and Shouhua), but Shouhua’s was truly disappointing. I’m a huge Liu Xie Ning fan so I was PUMPED for her arc. But the “will they or won’t they” and “will he ever earn her love” things really are tiresome to me. And goodness what was that kiss scene? I know LXN can nail a kiss scene (ie. “Night of Love with You”)… so um what? Her arc was still fine though.

Overall, it has enough good that you will enjoy it despite its flaws. The final arc does significant damage to the overall rating but still. (This drama would have been a 8.5 if the last arc had been as good as the first three.) The acting, the OST, the overarching plot’s writing, and the freshness of the story carry it through despite its shortcomings.

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Gems like “Two Foxes” are the reason we keep wading through low quality minidramas

Every year, over a hundred of minidramas come out (and I mean that literally). Most of these feel like you’re watching little more than a Wattpad story come to life. But you keep wading through them anyway… Why? Because gems like “Two Foxes” exist.

This is one of the best short form dramas I’ve seen yet. It is an excellently delivered revenge story that keeps you engaged. You’ll inevitably watch it in one sitting.

Pros:

* These two leads are amazing. One one hand we have Jin Xu Yan (played by the always awesome Cheng Yu Feng). He is clever, complex, intelligent, and compassionate. He is Xinyan’s equal in wit and challenges her schemes. Ultimately, when they partner up, they’re dynamite together. On the other hand, we have Wang Xinyan. She is determined, clever, and morally ambiguous. She’s willing to live in the gray to avenge her little brother’s murder, and Cui Yi Liang does a great job demonstrating both her rigid and almost vicious nature brought on by her trauma while allowing moments of vulnerability and growth to creep in. She development as a character is excellent.
* Production. Minidramas are often know for poor production. The cinematography isn’t great, the costume budget is small, the music is too loud, etc. But “Two Foxes” manages to deliver a quality drama that feels like the budget is bigger than it probably was. Again, it stands out as a gem in the Minidrama world.
* The storyline. Is it new? No. Were there tropes? Yes. But the truth is, “Two Foxes” has engaging plot that keeps you watching. The ultimate antagonist is written so much better than many short form drama baddies. Her acting in her final scene where she literally bludgeons someone to death was absolutely spinechilling. The unraveling of the mystery of Xinyan’s brother was done well too, as was the romantic development between the leads. And, in the end, we find ourselves with a satisfying happy ending.

Cons:
* So much more to be explored. Because it is a Minidrama, some of the subplots and characters needed way more exploration. This left you feeling somewhat unfulfilled after it was said and done. If they were going to attempt this much depth from their supporting cast, this was going to need to be a longer drama. They bit off more than they could chew here.
* The evil half-sister…. What can I say? She was awful. Now, I think she was written just crazy enough, but the actress failed to deliver this. Ultimately, she wasn’t a Joker-esque crazy villain… She was a psycho who annoyed the heck out of you. In comparison with her mother, the main antagonist, these weaknesses were glaring.
* A little too much “slow” in the slow burn. Our leads had amazing chemistry; so having us wait and wait for them to finally take the step from confidantes and partners to lovers drove me crazy. If this had been a full length show and we had waited until episode 22/24 for them to actually get together, I would have given up. Their kiss scene was amazing, but we only got one… It felt like, given their chemistry, we needed more from them.

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One Big Trope

“Once We Get Married” had a lot going for it, but it lacked the momentum to keep me totally invested throughout the whole show. I skipped through a bit, especially towards the end.

First of all, the tropes are overplayed—even by C-Drama standards. The domineering CEO archetype took on a whole new level of unlikable, and though we see him finally change (and in a beautiful way, I’ll give it that) for her in the later episodes, his actions for the first 12 are hard to watch. Plus, if there’s anything I’m tired of in dramas, it’s a vindictive rejected woman who has to ruin the main FL’s life in psychotic and irrational ways. But I will say she never succeeded in making the ML doubt the FL so there’s that.

What this show does have going for it is some excellent chemistry between our leads (great, well-choreographed kiss scenes and adorable moments in general once they become a real couple), a fun and lovable FL, who comes into her own strength, a plot that has potential and sometimes meets it, and some cool moments between the main couples and their subsequent families. I loved seeing both moms and how supportive they were ❤️. Finally, a big is no breakup! No messy and unnecessary separation. They handle the final conflict together, which was good to see.

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Love Re-Blooming After Trauma

This was well-done from start to finish. The chemistry that we eventually got to see between the leads was mind blowing (like these two look like they were legitimately in love), but what dazzled me was the acting. The four leads astounded me. Gao Jianhong is an antagonist with as much depth as what we saw in “Crown Prince”, and that is saying something. The development of these characters was just awesome.

The drama itself was, for the most part, well-paced. Towards the end, it felt a bit on the dragging side, but it wasn’t awful, and the ending—which was splendid—made up for it.

My primary critique is that the relationship between the leads had some deeply, deeply toxic moments. In his attempt to “protect” her, Li Xun hurt Zhu Yun so much and so often. Out of the 36 episodes, we actually only see them together from 18-22 and from 35-36. From 23-34, it’s just angsty misunderstandings that nearly drive Zhu Yun to suicide. In the end, he owns up to his faults and loves her right, but that was hard to watch for me sometimes.

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You Don’t Want to Miss This One

“Falling into You” has got to be one of the best dramas of the year. It was absolutely wonderful.

The story of fighting your way through the world of elite sports despite all trials and people not believing in you was so moving. It will have you crying one minute and grinning ear to ear the next.

I’ve seen—and loved—the leads in other dramas, but this was a whole new level. Their acting was spot on, and their characters were amazing. And their chemistry? I’m not kidding when I say it’s unbelievable. The kiss scenes are next level. I cannot do them justice. Just watch them yourself. From the leads to a solid supporting cast—reach of which was a fleshed out character—this drama was amazing.

A great story, beautiful cinematography, swoon worthy romance, and STELLAR acting? Do NOT sleep on this one.

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A Solid Joseon Drama

This was a gem of a drama in a season of (in my opinion) some duds this spring. “The Secret Romantic Guesthouse” wins up to its hype. This cast was absolutely stellar. It was one of the best overall cast ensembles I’ve seen in any drama. You fell in love with all of them. I was almost more committed to the second romance pairing than the first! That’s how invested you get in their stories.

A plot filled with intrigue, lots of mystery, romance, and the importance of loyalty and hope—this drama delivers excellence in its writing and acting. Not to mention, Dan Oh may be one of my favorite female leads ever. Seriously. She’s brilliantly written and acted, and her sweet moments with the ML were to die for.

Here’s two cons for only really nit picky reasons.

One, the chemistry between the leads felt off at the beginning, like the actors couldn’t get off the launching pad. However, this was not the case forever. We ended up getting some AMAZING moments and sweet kiss scenes. My only other nitpick was, in all the intrigue and subplots, sometimes it nearly felt dragging (but not bad at all). Again, that’s if I’m being super picky because this was a wonderful watch.

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An Adorable Friends to Enemies to Lovers

A funny, adorable story that remains mostly light with a good balance of reality. This has got to be one of the cutest dramas ever. The first real kiss scene will forever be one of the most awkward, relatable, adorable scenes in K-drama history, and it sets the stage for the whole quirky show. So lovable.

Another thing this drama has going for it that absolutely shocked me… I was invested in all FOUR couplings. Literally. Four couples seems like overkill, but, in this show—whose strength is in its amazing leads AND supporting cast—you will actually enjoy every single romance and subplot.

Great pacing, great comedy, and some just plain adorable kiss scenes (and not just the leads)… This show is a fun watch, and I definitely recommend.

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A Top Tier Thriller

If you think you know what’s going on, you don’t. That is the entire premise of this drama. This is one of the most heart-wrenching melodramas I have ever seen, and the chemistry between the leads is absolutely next level. They are in a league of their own. The plot is phenomenal, and the suspense is insane!

I’ll warn you though, the ending is hard to swallow. It’s happy, yes, but in many ways, it’s not the big, satisfying resolve that you yearn for through the entire show. For me, that was the one thing that kept this amazing drama from making it on to my top 10. I definitely have not cried in any show as much as I did in this one.

But if you’re looking for a melodrama or crime show, this is literally top tier and I DEFINITELY recommend it.

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A Republican Era minidrama done right!

“Grab Your Love” did what so minidramas could not. it gave us a Republican Era drama that is filled with likable characters, depth, healthy relationships, etc.

Our two leads were excellent. Wang Xuan absolutely kills it as Qin Zhan, and Tan Yanyan delivers a very likable and strong FL in Min Jiangxi (though I could have used a bit more oomph from her when compared to the fantastic ML). Unlike many Republican Era dramas, you won’t find the ML forcing himself on the FL, abusing her, manipulating her, etc. He tries to scare her off in the first episode but you quickly realize it’s an act. Instead, their relationship develops naturally throughout the show, and when they get together, there’s no stupid misunderstanding. They work together to get justice.

Don’t get me started on the chemistry and kiss scenes—wow wow wow!

The plot was also different than the run of the mill minidrama, though I could have done without yet another psycho female after the ML. Overall, I found it very entertaining to go on this story of justice, revenge, and romance. And yes… a happy ending!

Obviously, it has its flaws like any minidrama would, but on my scale for minidramas, this goes up with my very faves. This show reminds me why I keep trying these shows.

“Grab Your Love” is a great watch that you can have done in no time. Definitely recommend.

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Romance to the Max in the Midst of an Engaging Historical World

This is definitely a historical romance that is worth your time.

This would have scored higher if I had been just a bit shorter but it ultimately falls a bit prey to some C-Drama pitfalls. Overwhelmingly though, “Wonderland of Love” is an excellent watch.

Pros:
• THE LEADS THE LEADS THE LEADS. Oh my goodness, these two were brilliant. Their characters, their acting, their chemistry, their development—just wonderful. You will be engrossed in their love story. For the most part, they face everything together and hardly let things come between them. It was phenomenal.
• The plot was brilliant and delivered by a cast who, majority wise, was excellent. You will fall in love with Li Ni’s Zhenxi Army as well as Cui Lin’s best friend/maid and her father. And don’t get me started on the Crown Princess—she is a masterclass in writing and acting.
• Super satisfying ending!
• The OST and production is quality to the max.

Cons:
• Some annoying villains. Good grief, most of the villains in this show are just plain annoying. The original villain, Sun Jing, is excellent in every way, but after his defeat halfway through, the other villains are the worst. I got so annoyed dealing with their antics. And did we really need more psycho-unrequited-love characters in the Cdrama world? No… no we did not. But we get two here, and I loathed both of them.
• The writing really gets wonky episodes 28-38. I managed to keep going, but I was very frustrated after what was an incredibly first 20 episodes. They really needed to shorten the story and take out some of the secondary baddies who, again, were more annoying than compelling. This hurt the rating big time for me.

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