This drama lost It's potential
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I feel like most Kdramas these days have a very promising start. The first few episodes make you think "This is going to be so good!" But at a certain point the story suddenly starts falling apart.My Royal Nemesis was exactly the same. The beginning was amazing but towards the end it just kept going in circles with the same cliché tropes and trauma. It felt so slow that even watching it at 1.5× speed wasn't enough!!
A few things really annoyed me. The female lead fainted so many times that I lost count! And the villain kept plotting against the male lead over and over again yet he barely seemed to care. He literally had no concern for anything except the female lead!! I mean, it's Cha Se-gye... He should have maintained that badass energy, right?
My only main attraction was Se-gye. His gestures, attitude, smirk, smile... A gentleman, a yearner, a loser, so deeply in love ♥️
One thing I was trying really hard not to mention but at times the female lead's character came so ""socially awkward"" to me!!! Se-gye was too good for her🤧
Anyway despite all the hype..nothing really lived up to my expectations except Se-gye. It was an average drama with such a high-level male lead..
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Fun with feeling.
So enjoyed this at times hilarious, at others moving, story.The character of Sin Seo-ri can be both meek, and at other times, formidable. Cha Se-gye I found captivating, annoying, brilliant and soft centred where Seo-ri is concerned. I thought IJY's mannerisms and way of delivering her lines was perfect for Seo-ri. I also liked her reactions to the modern times she found herself in.
I didn't get irritated by the story yo-yoing between the historical past and modern present, mainly because the same scene wasn't constantly referred back to, and it was necessary. If the same point was revisited mors than once, it would be to see it from a different, and relative, perspective.
This story isn't supposed to be serious, factual, or particularly meaningful (apart, possibly, from how women were, and to an extent, still are, perceived and expected to conform/behave). It's an overall fun and touching ride.
Not perfect, but it ticked most of my boxes, plus I loved the cast ~ including some great supporting members (Kim Hae-sook being one of many favourites).
Not one I'll rush to watch again, but would happily do so one day in the future. The coupling of the leads was genius casting. Give it a go if you haven't!
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This review may contain spoilers
"Is that all you found about her ? How can an entire life be summed up in a single page ?" That's exactly what the publisher said to me when I submitted the manuscript of my autobiography. What a coincidence !The humor relies on an anachronistic contrast, but with intelligence. Really funny but there's more to it than that. It serves the romance that has become inevitable, like two lovers reunited through reincarnation. They're meant for each other, in one era or another. They understand each other right away. And their exuberant personalities, each in their own way, make them so endearing. Impossible not to adore them. These two characters are so well-written and definitely not for everyone.
Seo-ri/Lim Ji-yeon knows that we must not look forward or backward, for we are surrounded by a bottomless abyss. She is that tiny, lost central point we call the present. The rest is nothing but a shapeless cloud, an empty void, and there's no point in plunging into the midst of this chaos. (I'm more or less quoting Jane Eyre.) In this life, she will find what the previous one denied her.
Good for her, she lands all these jobs so easily. No bank account, no resume, no skills that are actually useful in 2026 ? She's so better than me. Very quickly, none of that matters anymore ; money doesn't matter anymore. Everyone is rich... The conflicts between the chaebols weren't exactly thrilling. But, ok, I know, they're meant to be a parallel to the conflicts at the Joseon court... That makes it terribly heavy !
Similarly, the tragic scenes just don't work, aside from the injustice in the very first episode and the (too-long) conclusion. We're asked to care about a character who's no longer there (since Seo-ri has taken her place) and besides, where is she ? What's going on with her ? Her miserable life only matters for a few scenes.
The same goes for the misunderstandings that arise artificially from dialogues where one person refuses to listen to the other's arguments. It happens several times and serves no purpose. Minor flaws… but they really drag down a series that could have been one of the best rom-coms of the year !
"How did you fare last night ? By a sunlit window, my fondness for you grows. If the traces of my visits in your dreams were left as a fragrance, the green garden before your door would be full of butterflies." Unit 203
_Seg-ye's "fiancée" made me feel sorry for her the whole time. She's desperately clinging to someone who never asked for her and rejected her from the start. When she tried to act threatening, I felt even more sorry for her. Poor thing.
_Here we go again with the accident at the end of an episode, and everything’s fine in the next one! This has to stop.
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chaos
The female lead dies of poisoning during the Joseon era, reincarnates in the present day, and encounters the same characters from the past within a similar storyline.I thought I had a handle on the situation, but unfortunately, the last two episodes reshuffled the deck and left me completely confused. I was left with so many unanswered questions.
I must reiterate that watching the series piecemeal —episode, wait, episode— doesn't help, as it breaks the immersion in the story's atmosphere. It's a shame, because it started off so promisingly.
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funny, charismatic and a bit confusing
this is not the show if you are looking for well explained time travel concepts. it explains just enough to let you know what happened. however, the details go overlooked or not fully flashed out for the most part, especially towards a somewhat rushed end that at least ends well enough to be satisfying.does it matter that some concepts are not flashed out? well, it depends on you. for me it didn't erase my enjoyment at all. the romcom was romcomming. the male lead was down bad the whole time. he truly said: "this woman is crazy and i want to scream at the top of my lungs how obsessed i am." shin seori didn't fall behind. a little weird but so full of hope and life, so energetic and also not a damsel in distress when it mattered. full of will and amazingly acted, too!
them together? an amazing watch, very compelling even when everything around them never reached the same level of character study (and thus, my care/appreciation). if you are here for the romance, then the dish is delicious. if you want a more complex story... well, go to another restaurant.
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A callback to to the 2010s romcoms
Romcoms always get unfair flack from viewers. It generally goes like this: everyone is usually on board during the beginning, shy away during the conflict, then trumpet about how disappointing the drama was because it wasn't 100% romance or 100% comedy at all times. Some people want escapism at all times. Some people love to hyper-fixate on one element of the drama and let it ruin their experience overall. And that's fair. People tend to digest their media differently. I enjoy it when the couple fights. I like it when they come up against almost insurmountable obstacles. I like it when they cry and when they can't communicate. I also love a good fantasy element to the story, especially if it's historical. Not to say that this drama had too much conflict. There was a perfect balance between romance, comedy, and angst, which is very hard to do in this era where people demand only the first two.This is a drama where the couple's chemistry shines above the rest. It got many comparisons to the still airing Perfect Crown at the time and for good reason: its premise, characters, and romance worked together in ways Perfect Crown didn't get a chance to demonstrate. The story itself is nothing new: a time-slip romance drama where someone from the past finds their way to the future. But if you're expecting new in the romcom genre, then you'll definitely be disappointed. These are time-honored tropes that this drama carries out exceptionally well. Enemies-to-lovers, hostile meet-cute, corporate scheming, CEO chaebol main lead, white truck of doom, meta-acknowledged product placement, etc, etc. Everything comes together solely due to how fleshed out our main characters are. They could have very easily been reduced to caricatures, but instead are allowed to have scenes on their own and personal conflicts.
Do I think the drama could have benefited from a longer runtime? Absolutely. Do I think it was a complete disappointment in the runtime it had? Not at all. It was an enjoyable journey throughout. I had fun watching it, fun talking about it, fun thinking about it, and just fun overall. Usually, I don't publish reviews at the end, because I don't really care for the MDL rating which is never accurate and always fueled by more hostility than the actual drama deserves, but I understand the dopamine effect of saying whatever you want to say now, especially after reading these other reviews.
I feel like in this age of poor media literacy, so many people don't understand pacing, writing, or plot. Their attention spans are mid-tier. Not to mention the poor quality of the subtitles themselves, which contribute to the problem of media literacy. Then again, if you're looking for quality critical thinking from MyDramaList of all places, then you're better off actually watching the show and forming your own opinions.
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One of the better dramas this year
Overall, I'm genuinely happy with how the drama went and how it ended. I think it wrapped up really nicely, and the ending scene was really sweet. Yes, the soul switching/time travel plot lines weren't the best but I think there were several other aspects of the drama that overshadowed that in a good way!For one, Lim Jiyeon and Heo Namjun pairing and chemistry were the highlight of the drama for me. Like one of my pet peeves with romcoms is that I find myself not really believing that a couple is actually in love. I find myself feeling as if I'm just watching two actors act, but it wasn't the case here. Like I truly truly believed in their love for one another.
I get that people were upset over eps 11-13, but I felt it was necessary as this drama wasn't meant to be a purely light and happy romcom. Those scenes added necessary depth to the drama, albeit at the frustration of viewers prior to the last episode haha.
Going to miss My Royal Nemesis, it is definitely one of my top dramas this year!
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The benefits of being a time travel / regression geek
I love time travel, regression, turning your life around themed stories. So of course, I have consumed multiple dramas, manwhas, mangas around it. Imagine living through hell and then being given the opportunity to have another chance at life. When I heard about My Royal Nemesis, I was so excited. After Lovely Runner I think this was the first rom com I was personally invested in. I had so much fun watching it. People are polarized about the ending and because I have dabbled in reading about time travel / dimensions heavily, I don’t think it bothered me too much. After all, I could fill in the gaps with my imagination. What I loved was that when the main situation in the drama was resolved, I didn’t get bored of the story or the main couple, which to be honest was a big achievement for me.Yes the story may have some gaps, but in my opinion it ended quite well for a show with 14 episodes. I really believe this show deserves a 10/10 and I am rooting for the whole cast and of course our lovely leads Heo Nam Jun and Im Ji Yeon.
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A second chance on life and and a captivating romance transcending time
This is one of those dramas that suck you in immediately and so heavily, that you start to worry about being disappointed in the end. But you're not. Because it holds its promises till the end.Time travel is a popular theme in dramas and the variety of plots is immense. Here it's a queen in Joseon sentenced to death but suddenly waking up in modern days. Finding a second chance on life, she grabs it, only to discover that history is repeating itself, confronting her with the same threats she already had to face in her past life. Amidst the chaos, she meets her "nemesis", the ML, a coldhearted, domineering blockhead.
What makes the drama so entertaining is its strong cast that carries a quite well written story. Captivating performances of Im Ji Yeon, Heo Nam Jun and Jang Seung Jo make the plot work so well and create the true heart of the story. While Im Ji Yeon is outstanding with her play of a Joseon queen conquering modern routines and forcing her ancient means on others while "socialising" and "adapting" in her own manner in an extremely entertaining way, Heo Nam Jun creates a real good counterpart, unwillingly encountering her and her ways again and again, constantly loosing his composure over her, going against his principles all the time and afterwards questioning himself unbelievably, while unconsciously and helplessly falling for her deeper and deeper. And once accepting it all, he doesn't budge or shy away from his feelings, no matter what peculiar or disappointing things she did again. He's giving her room, he's never forcing her. And he accepts all her weirdness. The romance feels mature, you get your funny/silly moments and it still feels authentic, not over the top - even with the FLs unexpected antics. You notice the slight changes in their behaviour but they stay true to their very own treats from the beginning to end - esp. Im Ji Yeon and her Joseon speech. I appreciated that a lot because their initial bickering and all their early fired up interactions were what made you drawn to the couple in the first place. Their chemistry was on another level.
Jang Seung Jo is one of my favorite actors. He's got a real good acting quality, always giving it all and man, he's great at playing a two-faced, venomous snake. Yet the script manages to not making him out to be a plain villain, but actually gives him a soft spot as well. No matter, how black a heart, everyone needs a driving force in the first place.
What surprised me on a side-note was the grandfather. I always had my suspicions, but damn, they secretly rolled that out throughout the drama quite well. He might be one of the "good" ones, but I can't say that I liked all his ways.
When you look at the drama from above you find a lot of known tropes, yet it reinvents and makes them look more advanced, so you can fully enjoy them again.
If I had to wish for something, I would have liked it if they had shown a bit more about the past life. You get a lot of short scenes and can kinda put it together on your own which was well done. But a few more details for my own curiosity would have been great. I also admit I was a bit lost at the end, when they explained the actual reason for the time travel in the first place. But I might understand it when I think about it a bit longer though. Small personal issues here, but it doesn't lessen the overall entertainment of this commendable drama.
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The best RomCom after Business Proposal
This drama starts off with comedy and then leaves us to sob as we wait for the happily ever after finale. I really loves how they wrapped up this drama although a lot was going on in the finale.Cha se gye is such a yearner 😭🫶him being so devastated because Seo ri was jn a coma
had me sobbing. And I think that Choi mun do wasn’t punished well I mean after all the things he did to Se gye, he deserved something worse but when Seo ri rubbed it in his face that he lost his son ( the last chance) I felt sad for his son but veryy satisfied because he deserves it.
I still am confused about the Grand Prince and Kang dan shim’s lore as how were they able to survive specially Dan shim after being hit by the arrow and the souls switching was confusing.
I really recommend this drama for a lighthearted watch because you mustn’t miss on this masterpiece. I bet you’ll enjoy it!
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That's how we do a proper romcom
I was hooked up since I watched the trailer, but it exceeded my expectations. I had so much fun watching this drama and Cha Se-gye & Seo-ri's bickering.Their romance was done properly, the aspect I loved the most was seeing Seo-ri affirming her feelings for him and holding onto them instead of fleeing. So refreshing that we avoided too much misunderstandings.
I also liked that they gave a proper ending to their Joseon version : let's not make them miserable, they also deserves their happy ending.
The regression, time travel, no time travel was messy at the end honestly, they complicated the issue for nothing imo. I wish we would've seen more of the real Kang Dan-shim specially because she also had tough life.
Choi Mun-do was good antagonist, he was the REAL villain of the drama. I found that Cha Se-gye was not a good opponent frankly speaking : he used words too much and took little actions. He's the MC so of course he won but in reality I don't think he would've won.
Overall the acting was great, the OST too. It wasn't perfect, but compared to the last romcoms I've watched it's well done, so I recommend it to everyone who wants a fun moment.
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Best Kdrama I’ve seen in years
I haven’t finished a Kdrama in years, but this one was totally worth it and drew me in from the first few episodes. If you are considering it, give it a try, I doubt you will regret it.This one had old Kdrama vibes in the best way possible, in terms of story, chemistry, comedy etc. Also, the kisses weren’t forced or boring. Everything was so natural between the leads. Whoever casted them did their BIG one. Two actors who are incredible at playing bad guys did indeed make perfect romantic leads together.
I seriously hope to see these leads reunite again someday! I know it’s more rare in Kdramaland (unlike Cdramas, or Thai dramas) but I sure hope they do one day! This chemistry was too good to only be in a 14-ep series.
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