Reviews

Cute Banter, Soft Romance, and Growth

My Dearest Nemesis is one of those dramas that hits all the familiar rom-com tropes, yet somehow still feels fresh and charming. It is not trying to reinvent the genre, but it executes it with enough heart, humor, and personality that you end up enjoying the ride. From the start, it gives off a light, fun energy, and even when the story becomes predictable, the way it is told keeps it engaging. It is the kind of drama you watch for comfort, laughter, and that satisfying romantic buildup.

What makes the story work is the dynamic between the leads. I really liked that the CEO is the younger one this time and that the female lead has a fiery, confident personality. Their relationship is not sensual-heavy romance but more on the cute, playful, and emotionally warm side, which suits the tone of the drama well. The male lead has to maintain a polished image in front of everyone, but with her, he can be himself, and that contrast adds depth to his character. Watching him slowly mature and grow into the relationship feels natural rather than forced.

The concept of the leads not recognizing each other as adults and falling in love again the way they did when they were younger is handled in a quirky and fun way. It adds nostalgia without dragging the story down. The pacing is smooth, and the drama balances humor and emotion well. It never becomes overly heavy, which makes it perfect after watching intense dramas. This one really feels like fresh air.

The chemistry between the main leads is decent, not explosive, but comfortable and believable. What surprised me was how strong the second lead chemistry is. They bring extra charm and emotional weight without stealing too much focus from the main couple. Even the side stories are enjoyable and do not overwhelm the main plot. The granny’s redemption arc was especially nice and added warmth to the overall story.

Acting-wise, the cast delivers what a rom-com needs. Expressions, timing, and comedic beats land well, and the banter feels natural instead of scripted. The drama knows when to be silly and when to slow down for emotional moments. It has a good balance of romance, comedy, and light drama, making it very bingeable. It has been a while since I watched a rom-com that kept me hooked until the end, and this one did exactly that.

Overall, My Dearest Nemesis is a solid, cute, and funny noona rom-com. It is tropey, but in a comforting way. Nothing groundbreaking, but full of charm, warmth, and entertainment. If the leads had a bit more romantic spark, it could easily be a 8.5-9/10 for me, but even as it is, it delivers exactly what a rom-com should: laughter, sweetness, and a story that makes you want to keep watching. Definitely worth giving a chance if you want something fun and easy to enjoy.

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Masterpiece of BL

PLOT: Two friends, Payu and Prapai, participate in (illegal) motorcycle races once a month. Payu falls in love with Rain (an architecture student) and does everything to win his heart. Prapai, a playboy, meets Rain's best friend, Sky. He tries everything to seduce him but ends up falling in love for him. However, Sky is very reluctant because his previous relationship left him deeply traumatized.

+++ Sweet romance between Boss and Noeul. Boss is captivating on screen. Their story is very cute.
+++ But I was more moved by the relationship between Fort and Peat, which is darker and sadder. Both actors are fantastic in difficult roles and with themes rarely addressed in BL (abuse, BDSM, rape, trauma, etc.). Kudos!!
+++ Coherent, realistic, and intelligent story. Beautifully directed.
+++ Well-suited OSTs.

NO FLAWS

=> Definitely in my top BL list. And I'll be following these actors' upcoming dramas.
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Masterpiece of BL

PLOT: 2 amis, Payu and Prapai, participent 1 fois par mois à des courses (illégales) de moto. Payu tombe amoureux de Rain (étudiant en Architecture) et fait tout pour conquérir son coeur. Prapai, playboy, rencontre ainsi le meilleur ami de Rain, Sky. Il fait tout pour le séduire, mais finit par tomber amoureux pour de bon. Cpdt Sky est très réticent car sa précédente relation l'a traumatisé grave.

+++ Sweet romance entre Boss-Noeul. Boss crève l'écran par sa présence. Leur story est très cute.
+++ Mais j'ai été plus touchée par la relation Fort-Peat, qui est plus sombre, plus triste. Les 2 acteurs sont fantastiques dans des rôles difficiles et avec des thèmes rarement abordées dans les BL (abus, SM, viol, trauma, etc.). Kudos !!
+++ Story cohérente, réaliste, intelligente. Très belle réalisation.
+++ OSTs bien adaptées.

NO FLAWS

=> Dans mon top BL, sans aucun doute. Et je vais suivre les prochains dramas de ces acteurs.

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Kinda... there

Well, I can say that I was quite disappointed with this drama. Don’t get me wrong, I still think it’s a good watch, but not as great as I expected based on the reviews.🥺
I feel like the second half of the drama is unnecessarily dragged out. What really interested me was the premise focusing on the VR game, but that part of the storyline was soon forgotten and never fully developed to its potential.
The main couple was okay-ish. I mean, I think they’re both talented actors, but I didn’t find myself rooting for them as much as I did for the main couples in other series.
If you feel like giving it a try, just don’t expect a very game-focused plot.

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An ode to Love

Must beautiful drama I watched so far. Everything is beauty and perfection.
All Characters and actors are amazing, very well played.
A melt of so many intense emotions, between love, fear, friendship, anger, confusion, frustration. All these are at the right place and right timing. ML and FL have such a good chemistry and acting that you just want to keep watching them, experiencing their journey and building their bond. There was no cringe moment as I have already seen in other drama even good one. The story is consistent and well articulated. We even feel sorry for the villains.
It was so good and entertaining that I still would like it to continue but the end is so well orchestrated that you couldn’t add anything.

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I went trough countless tissues watching this drama :'(

Hello, I’m a new user and this is my first review. Even so, I’ve been watching Chinese and Korean dramas for quite a long time before writing this review. By the way, I apologize if my language sounds stiff or a bit awkward to you, since English is not a language I use in my daily life.
I found this drama after Chen Xingxu starred in Love Between Lines. Out of curiosity, I decided to give it a try. At the beginning, it honestly felt a bit boring to me—time travel, a system that gives rewards or punishments (wait, this is very common in Chinese dramas; it even reminded me of a Chinese mini-drama titled My Wife Is Three and My Fate Is Crazy, hahaha), and the boss–employee romance, which again is a familiar trope (one example is Love Between Lines).
However, as the story entered the middle part, it became more interesting. There were conflicts between Huan Er and her poor ex-boyfriend who refused to make any effort (some people said this was about infidelity, but if that’s the background of the cheating, I fully support her). There was also Gao’s father opposing his son’s relationship with Huan Er, as well as the sweet, secret, school-like romance between Tien Han and Meng Meng.
Toward the end, the drama really started to drain my tears—and my tissues. Many conflicts appeared here, from Huan Er breaking the system’s rules, which caused Gao and all the NPCs to forget every memory related to her, to the system forcing Huan Er to accept Gao’s proposal within 72 hours (with the consequence that their story world would be completely destroyed if she continued to ignore the warning).
Episodes 23–24 were tearjerkers once again. These episodes focused on Lin Huan Er and Gao Haiming’s struggle to prevent Tien Han from experiencing “something bad,” according to Huan Er’s premonition, by keeping him close to them. At the same time, Huan Er faced a painful dilemma as the 72-hour deadline loomed. But as fate would have it, the story could not be changed.
Episode 24 became the farewell between Haiming and Huan Er. They were separated after Huan Er accepted Haiming’s proposal and spent time together at the amusement park. Huan Er vanished, leaving behind the engagement ring lying on the carousel floor, while Haiming stood there in tears, holding a camera and photographing the emptiness in front of him—the space where Huan Er should have been. They were completely cut off: Huan Er woke up in 2025, surrounded by other TV show staff members. Confused and panicked, she went around the office asking about a man named Gao Haiming. But as expected, who would admit knowing Gao Haiming, when he was merely a character from a story Huan Er had reviewed in Episode 1?
As for the ending, it was completely unexpected. I thought it would end sadly—with Huan Er never finding any trace of Haiming, and Haiming remaining trapped in 1999. Near the end, Huan Er received a package containing a handmade model airplane that she had once asked Haiming for (at a time when he had lost his memories). She believed that the airplane would help Haiming remember their shared memories after the system erased Huan Er from his mind and from the memories of the other NPCs. When she looked inside the package, she found the name “Mr. Gao” along with his full address. Seeing this, Huan Er immediately rushed to the address.
What truly surprised me happened next. Huan Er ran into her boss’s secretary, who was on the phone and accidentally bumped into her. Shortly after that, she also saw Meng Meng and Tien Han holding hands and chatting affectionately. I assumed they were already married, even though the previous episode mentioned that Tien Han had suffered an accident and died on his wedding day, which left Meng Meng heartbroken. After that, Huan Er went to the model airplane gallery—and I’m sure you can guess who was there. They kissed, and the drama ended.
Overall, the story was good, even though the beginning was somewhat boring and clichéd. I do have one question about this drama: why didn’t it explain more clearly how Tien Han and Meng Meng were able to appear in 2025? There was no real explanation—only a brief scene where the narrator wrote something (which I’ve forgotten), but it only mentioned Haiming and Huan Er meeting again in 2025 and didn’t answer my question at all.
Because this drama consumed so many tissues, I give it a rating of 8.5/10.
Thank you for reading my long review.

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"When I chose you, I gave you my back... I'm only afraid that you won't trust me"

I have to say this drama's plot is really good, from the VR experience which was really cool to real life. The first few episodes had me absolutely hooked because i LOVE these types of plots where they know each other but haven't met in real life. Qin Xiaoyi was also enchanting. I was scared to start this drama because I thought it was just gonna be another historical and fantasy drama but was thankfully proven wrong. I ended up starting it for LYX and this one edit I saw. Okay, my ONLY huge plot hole that made me so annoyed that I wanted to quit the whole series was the whole Wang Guangming fiasco. That man wasn't even trying to cheat, the girl pulled him in and gave HIM a kiss, you can tell he was surprised. So if they just talked it out I feel like she would realize he wasn't trying to do anything. Also, remember that he had a startup and he needed Chixin because he needed the partnership, so he wouldn't immediately push her away and never contact her again which was understandable. Especially with 2 years of marriage and all those years of love she moved on quite fast and didn't even listen to him in the first place. I'm sorry this almost made me quit the whole series because I was so annoyed, it would have been fine if they made the man straight up cheat but HE DIDNT EVEN WANT TO, HE WASNT TRYING TO...

Anyways, the music was alright, everything else was good. LYX never fails to amaze me with her performances, the main couple was good. SML was pretty good as well. Everything else was really good! Personally recommending this drama!!!

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I Should've Watched This Sooner

Were it not for those last 2 episodes, I think I'd have rated this higher.

I think if someone went into this hoping for a lot of romance, they'd be disappointed. Most of this story is spent navigating the issues the characters face to find their way to the love (and lives) they want/deserve, rather than on their romance.

Watching them navigate those issues is what made me binge the first 9 episodes. Only to be disappointed by the 3rd-act breakup scene. I say this about both romance books and romantic movies & TV shows, we don't always need the 3rd-act breakup. More often than not, like in this case, it disrupts the fantastic momentum of a story that the reader/viewer is invested in.

The Characters
👩🏻‍🏫Manami - I saw her jump into the sea in the 1st like 2 minutes of the show and got immediately invested. I thoroughly enjoyed her growth throughout the series. She starts very timid, passive, and clumsy — I'm still confused by why she was constantly stumbling on air — and slowly grows into a more confident version of herself. Able to make her own decisions and mistakes and own them. In the latter episodes, she rarely stumbles, so perhaps that was to signify a growth in her confidence? Or maybe I'm just reading too much into things🤔

Her personality is largely shaped by her upbringing. On one hand, her mother is passive and suffers in silence. On the other hand, her dad is a very sexist, misogynistic, and controlling father, who constantly speaks down to her mother both in private and in front of others. I hated that man.

Manami is the good girl. Never stepping a toe out of line (you know, aside from the whole stalking her ex and yeeting herself into the sea thing). She does everything right and is soft spoken, kinda like her mother. But she's clearly bursting at the seams, and the chance meeting with Kaoru slowly helps her break out of her shell.

Had Kaoru not come into her life, I think she'd have become another version of her mother — angrily chewing basil leaves at the sink whenever her overbearing husband did or said anything hurtful.

🕺🏻Kaoru - I knew he was the main lead, but I did not like him for perhaps 6 or 7 episodes. During this time, he remains very much a 'host' and doesn't show any prospects as a love interest. At least not one that Manami deserved. However, his backstory shows you how life has shaped him into the smooth-talking asshole that he is.

His dyslexia has crippled his life outside the club, and his mother is — as Kaoru calls her— a tick who's constantly sucking him dry to feed her 2nd deadbeat baby daddy. His insecurity over the fact that he can neither read nor write, coupled with the need to make money to feed the never ending blackhole that is his mother, pushes him to ignore what he and Manami could be.

Luckily, as the story progresses, Manami's steadfast belief in him and her assurance that he is not stupid help him try to see himself as more than. More than just a host with nothing else to give to the world. More than the dumb kid that everyone, including his mother, insulted and were frustared by. More than a pretty face. His character growth was beautiful to watch, especially once we started spending less time at the host club. He is truly a pure soul who wants someone to see him, value him, and be more.

Unfortunately, this is tainted by the 3rd act break-up. I know he was frustrated by the exam, but him bodily throwing Manami and her bag out of his house left a bad taste in my mouth. It reminded me too much of how Manami's father treated her mother, and that's just.... Ew.

The two also get back together at the very end of the show, without a proper conversation or anything. I'd have loved to have spent more time with them as a couple rather than those scenes of them away from each other.


🌸🌸PS. Something that made me uncomfortable(?) with Manami and Kaoru's relationship is how she reacted when teaching him. She used this baby voice and reacted like one would when teaching a baby. Like I expect that behaviour when teaching someone like Yuki, Kaoru's brother. He's a literal child, unlike Kaoru.
I understand that there's a 12-year age difference between the two, and that Kaoru was rather insecure about his inability to read. Kaouru is also a golden retriever personality who thrives under praise. However, he's an adult. The baby voice and overthe top rections when he got something right were not needed IMO. It made things weird.


🧑🏻‍🏫Sakura - I wish the story gave us more about his life and experience with love in Japanese society. He mentions to Manami that he's gay and that's why he has a lens into society's view of 'forbidden/taboo relationships'. This story focuses on the 'taboo' of Manami and Kaoru's relationship, which has to overcome their age-gap, social standing and financial differences, as well as the fact that Kaoru works as a host. However, I wish we had gotten a mini side story or something about him.

👴🏻Manami's father - He got a sort of redemption arc. I didn't think he deserved one. That's all I have to say about that

🪴Manami's mother - When she smacked her husband with a ladle on the back of his head, I stood and clapped. I'm happy that she eventually got a life outside the house (coz of the new job). I'm sad that she never went through with the divorce.

💼Kawahara - The story tells us that he eventually fell for her, and that's why he let her go. I, unfortunately, did not see this love they tried telling us about. When exactly did this love bloom? In the middle of all the stalking and the telling on her to her father? Let's not forget that he only wanted her because of who her dad was and what the union could do for his career. Plus, the cheating in the beginning. The man was literally planning to keep his side chick after the two were married! I just....🤦🏾‍♀️

🏫The School - I was flabbergasted by how this school was run. Maybe it's a difference between Japan and my country, but...
1. How is it a teacher's responsibility to go fetch a girl from the red light district? Isn't that the parents' job? Or at least people in the parents' direct employ? Like a domestic worker or a driver, perhaps?

2. When that one girl made Manami fall and hurt her head, and then everyone laughed, I was just...*mouth to the floor*. They would have murdered us if we ever did that. Maybe not the school, but a combination of the school and parents. We don't act like that where I'm from

3. Why does a school dictate a teacher's love life? I think, unless the situation directly affects the running of classes or the school in general, I've never heard of principals or parents telling a teacher who they can or cannot date or interact with. And I say this as someone who went to an all-girls Catholic high school where we had mass EVERY Thursday.

4. I also fail to understand the need to call Manami back to the school—after they forced her to resign—, only to have the girls insult her

All in all, I think it was a rather well-paced story that unfortunately faltered in the end. I am a fan of noona dramas, so this was a delight to watch. Despite the few issues pointed out, I enjoyed the progression of the story, the characters, and the relationship between Manami and Kaoru. It was a nice slow burn that tackles societal issues that many age-gap romances face

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Yu Peishan needs to get more non scumbag role.

I watched this since my friends said this is Yu Peishan non-scumbag role and you need to watch this. Xu Bodi/ Wang Xi acting was quite fine and she is not artificial cute.

I thought it was usual plot of a scumbag regretting his actions, but i was wrong; FL amnesia is just her awakening for the truth.

FL loses her memory (not fake amnesia), she's is very kind ML constantly trying to make amends. Because her family ignored her for two years due to amnesia, only ML stayed by her side and cared for her every day. FL cuts her toxic family and therefore, she's quite dependent on him. ML is deeply in love with her; even before her amnesia, even she treated him badly, he never left. After her amnesia, he's very good to her, and he becomes anxious and insecure, afraid that she'll regain her memory and leave him. The kisses was good. Yu Peishan quite good kisser and the relationship growth between FL and ML pace was right. The romance between FL and ML are very sweet, and even in the last few episodes when the FL regains her memory, there's no heartbreak; she openly tells the male lead she loves him. No angst included.

Every time I see a Chinese short drama like this, I wonder why SML always confident the FL won't leave him? This one is the same; he realizes he loves the FL halfway through, but it's too late.

There is flaw about ML was trying Mango Yogurt from FL while he was allergic to it. But overall it didn't affect the quality of this drama

Recommended to Watch.

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Root for Yijun but Fall in Love with the Series

As the taq says, I watch this because I want to support Wang Yijun after he bravely go to YG but they dissapointed him by closer their YG Stage dept and they didnt do a good job to secure a nice project, only his own team do the work.

Have 0 expectation with the series and just treat it as a brain cleanser after watching dozen brain wrecking drama.

The reason why this is good in my opinion
• At first ep they splurged it with resident evil, gotham, vampire like esque with F&F influence on car scene; btw I like the rough breathing scene when Xie being arrested (I know how perverted I am), that hooked me up. After ep 3, I do really said it out loud the Japanese meme when shocked; eh?! Eh??!! EH?!!!! EH~~~~. The vibe change into ABO, bl vibes (baidu even name rank place our 1, 2 and 3 ML in credit rolled after that our FLs), 50 shades of Grey and 365, plus My Demon scene too. Please do watch it when the door close this is a borderline NSFW which so rare in Chinese drama.

I dont agree when people mocking Youku because in my mind they are great streaming app. Just like Shao Nian Ge Xing, Legend of Zang Hai, Falling Into Your Smile which being judge as failure but they insist to air even put them ahead of schedule. Of course still hate when they stop airing Silent Reading because of BP member photo scandal (hope they just edit the scene and continue it).

• No need to think just cruising and chilax. Good for date course and serve as chicken blood; romantic inuedo. A lot of scene potray a smexy inuedo here, like octopus, dragon etc.

• Fake car scene that I approve since we know the plot is a nonsense.

• Maybe their overall acting not so good but, darling~~ I told you, they care about detail in acting. Eyes, face, and body movement of them can seduce you. Cui laoshi played as ML his eyes, so damn killing. He look like Lee Joon when he played a suspected serial killer in Gap Dong. Our ML is brown because sometimes he is green like forest but also red like forest fire. His body is buff too which rare in the industry, DANG!!!!!. Meanwhile my fav Wang Yijun he really has a survivor mental after the reason I write above. The tall and lanky stature potray his charcter the best, Mr. Wu is twisted but good. When you watching with teenager/kids please do advice them not to copy the scene and teach them survival instinct and act. FL can fight ML when he pint her but she just Oh LORD~~~ in real life situation she is the 1st to die.

•Makeup, hairdo and costume buffing their character setting like our ML Xie his everyday wear 20's something old man wear and sometimes so beasty, meanwhile Wang Yijun played our Mr. Wu his clotch are so rigid and pristine knowing not only he is an older brother but a leader in his work.

• The OSTs 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I love it hyping the scene especially a romance one.

If I resume, the drama is rare as jade in drama land. Lack of logic plot and nonsense didnt bother me at all which I always roasting until crispy like chips. Just need to endure another 10 eps to conclude my review

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The most useless reborn plot.

I watch this when i want to explore more Gong Fang Ni works and Yin Yibo is finally not playing a scumbag anymore. Both actors have talent and good looks. The chemistry was decent and...Boom! The drama make me disappointed since there is too many non-sense in this drama.

The cons in this drama FL was too dumb why you tell the enemies that you have the evidence? FL wants to take revenge alone but in the end ML is always the one shielding her from attacks. FL enemies are everywhere, and even near the end, FL is still out alone. It feels like the reborn was useless for FL since she always trapped into same hole.

Maybe only hardcore fans could watch this.

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It was the best

Encounter is one of those dramas that doesn’t rush to impress you; instead, it asks you to slow down and sit with it. From the very first episode, the series establishes a quiet, almost meditative atmosphere where emotions are expressed more through pauses, eye contact, and unspoken thoughts than through loud dialogue. The romance between Cha Soo-hyun and Kim Jin-hyuk feels delicate and restrained, shaped by circumstance rather than impulsive passion. Their connection begins in a fleeting moment of freedom, yet follows them back into a reality filled with social pressure, hierarchy, and expectations.

What makes the drama especially compelling is how it contrasts two very different lives—Soo-hyun’s emotionally confined world of status and responsibility versus Jin-hyuk’s simple, sincere approach to life. Instead of turning this contrast into melodrama, Encounter treats it with empathy. Jin-hyuk’s warmth never feels unrealistic, and Soo-hyun’s hesitation never feels frustrating; both are understandable reactions to the lives they’ve lived. The drama allows its characters to grow quietly, choosing subtle development over dramatic turning points.

Visually, Encounter is stunning. The cinematography often feels like a painting—soft lighting, carefully framed shots, and a lingering sense of nostalgia. Even ordinary moments feel meaningful, as if the show wants you to remember them the way you remember fragments of your own past. The soundtrack complements this perfectly, carrying a gentle melancholy that lingers long after each episode ends.

Ultimately, Encounter isn’t about grand romance or shocking twists. It’s about timing, emotional freedom, and the courage it takes to choose happiness when the world expects you not to. Watching it feels less like following a plot and more like experiencing a quiet emotional journey—one that stays with you, not because it overwhelms you, but because it understands restraint.

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