Reviews

Great story, but lacks chemistry!

Overall this is series is a bit underrated. I admit, the first two episodes were somewhat annoying. This was due to the fact that the characters introduced were really not likable in any way. I found that two of the three protagonists just had no personality ... but Na In Woo saved this series for me. Kaya Kiyohara and Ryo Narita really didn't add too much for the entertainment, at least early on. Their characters just seemed so boring and no chemistry toward each other at all.
In Woo's characters brought life to the series. And although So Ha doesn't appear to be a nice guy early on, give it time. He proves to be the most down to earth, positive guy in the story.
By the time episode 4 happens, we're introduced to some new antagonists and several sub plots to the main story. It gets so much better from that point on. As you get deep into the drama, everything really gels together, making for a pretty entertaining series. I think the only complaint late in the story would be, the fact the true antagonists really don't get the retribution they deserve. They're treated to kindly. I guess if it was a darker series, they might have seen a more harsh punishment.
All in all. it was good entertainment, and gave us an ending that was very satisfying.

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Can We Still Judge the Movie?

I never reviewed Real when it came out in 2017. Back then, I simply accepted it for what it was: an unusual psychological film that wouldn't appeal to everyone. Nearly ten years later, with everything surrounding Kim Soo Hyun and after reading countless comments describing it as "the worst Korean movie ever made," I decided to watch it again.

What surprised me the most wasn't the movie itself. It was the reviews.

I spent some time reading opinions from different years before rewatching it. The reviews from 2017 were already divided, but most people talked about the cinematography, the confusing narrative, the symbolism, or the performances. As the years passed, especially after 2025, the discussion seemed to shift. Instead of talking about the film, many reviews focused almost entirely on Kim Soo Hyun, Sulli, or the explicit scenes. It made me wonder how many people were actually reviewing Real, and how many were reviewing the people in it.

Then I watched the movie again.

Honestly... I expected something much more explicit.

For years I had heard people describe Real as if it were one of the most shocking Korean films ever made. After finally revisiting it, I couldn't help comparing it to American and European productions I've watched over the years. Series like Queer as Folk contain scenes that are considerably more explicit, yet they rarely generated the same level of outrage. Real is certainly intended for adults, but the controversy surrounding those scenes feels far bigger than the scenes themselves.

Looking back, I still don't think Sulli deserved the criticism she received simply for accepting this role. Whether someone enjoys the film or not, actors shouldn't become the target of public anger for performing scenes that are part of the director's artistic vision.

That doesn't mean Real is a misunderstood masterpiece.

Far from it.

The film is ambitious, sometimes to its own detriment. Director Lee Sa Rang clearly wanted to create something where reality, identity and memory constantly overlap, leaving the audience unsure of what is actually happening. I appreciate films that trust viewers to think for themselves, but Real occasionally mistakes confusion for complexity. There were moments where I felt intrigued, and others where I simply wished the story would communicate its ideas more clearly.

Visually, however, I think the film deserves far more credit than it usually receives.

The neon lighting, the carefully designed sets and the dreamlike atmosphere create an identity that immediately separates Real from more conventional Korean crime films. Even when the narrative loses me, I never felt the production became lazy. Every frame looks intentional. Whether you enjoy the story or not, it's difficult to deny the amount of work that went into creating its visual style.

Kim Soo Hyun was also, in my opinion, a good casting choice.

His role demands constant shifts between confidence, vulnerability and psychological instability, and I think he handles those changes well. Ironically, after everything that's happened over the past few years, I found myself paying less attention to him than I expected.

Instead, Lee Sung Min completely stole the film.

I've admired him for years, and Real reminded me once again why. He has an incredible ability to dominate every scene without raising his voice or overacting. He isn't the kind of actor people usually describe as glamorous, yet his presence is genuinely intimidating. Every time he appeared on screen, I found myself watching him more than anyone else.

Maybe that's what makes revisiting Real in 2026 so interesting.

The film itself hasn't changed.

What has changed is the audience.

Whether consciously or not, many people now seem to approach Real carrying opinions about its actors before the opening scene even begins. I don't think that's unique to Korea, but I do think it's particularly visible here. We often separate artists from their work in Western cinema, while in Korea the public image of an actor can dramatically reshape how older projects are perceived.

Final Thought

I don't think Real deserves the reputation it has today, but I don't think it deserves to be called a masterpiece either. It's an ambitious psychological thriller with impressive visuals, solid performances and a story that sometimes becomes too complicated for its own good.

If you decide to watch it, my only advice is this: try to judge the film itself, not the headlines you've read over the past few years. Whether you end up loving it or hating it, I think that's the fairest way to experience one of Korea's most controversial films.

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Give it a chance. Don’t drop it yet! This drama is not for the faint-hearted.

Flawed editing and messy pacing? Yes. Still watching every single second for the plot and the cast? Absolutely!

If you dropped it after episode one, this is your sign to pick it back up—Overdo really finds its footing and gets better with every single episode in my opinion. That intense chemistry between Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan is just too good to ignore, and I'm ready to dive back into all the messy love, hate, and second-chance tension. Hoping it delivers this time.

Also, the plot is heating up and I am officially hooked.

Let's see what happens next..

So far so good!!

UPDATE: My rating remains the same. The casts were all great and portrayed their roles really well. The whole story is not for the faint hearted though. Not the ending I was expecting, I believe Qingyi deserves a happy ending too. Read More

An excellent historical drama starring Bai Lu & Ryan Cheng.

PLOT: The female lead, a disciple from the Mount Li Academy, descends from her mountain home (where she had been confined by the Empress Dowager) to marry Prince Ding—the male lead—who is injured and wheelchair-bound. Their relationship develops gradually, even as both pursue their own hidden agendas. As events unfold, the couple discovers how they have become entangled in the power struggles for the throne.

+++ Bai Lu & Ryan Cheng are, as always, phenomenal and fantastic.
+++ Excellent cast: all the actors are talented and bring engaging characters to life (even the villains are not one-dimensional).
+++ Beyond the usual tropes of power struggles, war, and inner-court politics, the story explores mental health—something exceptional for a historical drama.
+++ The soundtrack (OST) is outstanding.
+++ Masterful production: lighting, framing, effects, sets, costumes, CGI, fight and war scenes... Flawless.

### No sweet romantic scenes (barely one or two kisses).
### The finale (happy ending) is a bit disappointing and flat.

=> An excellent historical drama with an exceptional lead couple.
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Excellent drama historique avec Bai Lu & Ryan Cheng

PLOT: La FL, discipline de l'académie XX, descend de sa montagne (scellée par l'impératrice douairière) pour épouser le Prince Ding, le ML, blessé, en fauteuil. La relation va se construire peu à peu, bien que chacun poursuive son agenda caché. Le couple va découvrir au fil des évènements, comment ils ont été pris dans les luttes de pouvoir pour le trône.

+++ Bai Lu & Ryan Cheng sont, comme toujours, phénoménaux, fantastiques.
+++ Excellent cast : tous les acteurs sont talentueux et donnent vie à des personnages attachants (même les Villains ne sont pas manichéens).
+++ Hormis les plots habituels de lutte pour le pouvoir, la guerre, la gestion des cours intérieures, la story explore la santé mentale, ce qui est exceptionnel dans un drama historique.
+++ Les OSTs sont exceptionnelles.
+++ La réalisation est magistrale : lumières, cadrages, effets, décors, costumes, CGI, scènes de fight et de guerre, ... No flaws

### No sweet scenes (à peine 1 ou 2 kisses)
### Final (happy ending) un peu décevant, plat.

=> Un excellent drama historique, avec un CL exceptionnel.

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Unapologetically Raw, Complex, and Thought-Provoking

This is, hands down, THE BEST drama series I have watched. The narrative was jam packed with complexities that engaged and challenged my analytical thinking. It was brilliant to use a stage with an audience to deliver asides to the viewers. This drama addresses thorny nuanced issues exposing the insane cultural expectations placed on women and men as they navigate relationships in contemporary times. I loved watching the evolution of these relatable characters as they become aware of their core values, develop their own perspectives on life, and build genuine connections with each other. This show would make a fantastic case study or group discussion piece for analyzing character motivations and psychological growth.

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Came for the chaotic romance, stayed despite the boardroom snooze-fest.

If My Royal Nemesis was purely a rom-com, it would be an easy 10/10. The absolute strongest point of this drama is the hilariously chaotic main couple. Seeing the main leads step out of their signature "villain eras" to actually play positive characters is a massive treat, and they absolutely slay their roles. Their chemistry is off the charts, and I loved every single interaction they had. (I mean, THE WRIST KISS?! Hello?? I am still recovering).

But alas, this is a K-drama, which means we must endure the obligatory corporate filler. Enter: the company drama, the evil cousin, and the evil bambi-eyes female suitor. She spends most of the show trying to force a marriage, only to pull a sudden 180 at the end to help the male lead. Honestly? I couldn’t have cared less about these parts. And the secondary "couple"? No comment...

The villains also suffered from some weird writing choices. They gave the main bad guy a son to make him multi-dimensional, but it just felt forced. Was I supposed to sympathize with him because he has a kid he barely even sees? Weird flex, but okay.

As for the time-travel/isekai aspect, it started nice but frankly bored me toward the end. Something about their Joseon-era connection just didn't click, and I had a hard time buying into their feelings in the past timeline.

Finally, we need to talk about the angst. I feel like the writers wanted to break a Guinness World Record for the most tearjerker tropes crammed into one show. Seriously, give it a break, y'all! Halmoni deserves to live too.


Rating: 8.5/10 (Romance: 10/10 | Corporate Plot: 2/10

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A Masterclass in Character Regression and Viewer Fatigue

This played out more like a messy, modern soap opera rather than a disciplined wuxia epic.

I started this drama thrilled to see Liu Shishi step away from her infamous "tragic, elegant, tearful heroine" trope to play a ruthless, hardened assassin. How wrong I was! The director leaned heavily into her beautiful teary-eyed face, completely sacrificing the logical restraint of a legendary assassin for melodramatic tears.

As for the ML, his acting reminded me ge was an idol first. Every time Ning Yuanzhou was supposed to be deeply moved or devastated, his emotional delivery felt entirely manufactured. There was no real weight to his emotions. His classical acting training for period dramas shows its limitations here. Navigating intense, layered historical suspense & grief requires subtle physical & facial changes that he didn't quite land, whuch left me completely detached.

The narrative choices in the latter half completely ruined the momentum for me. The mission to rescue that utterly unworthy Emperor dragged on for so long that I couldn't care less whether he lived or died at the Palace before being rescued!

Meanwhile, the storyline between Ruyi and Jiu (Li Tongguang) was just pathetic. She went from giving him fierce reality checks to enabling his manic, obsessive behaviour. When he literally told her he would wait around until she got tired of the ML, she didn't even reject him. And what was wuth letting him give her a back hug?! Some of tge editing was jagged and off.

While their actual love story had great chemistry, I have never heard a wuxia couple yap so much! Their endless relationship debriefs felt like a modern couple's therapy session rather than a historical martial arts epic. By the end, I suffered from such severe viewer fatigue that I genuinely stopped caring about their survival and just wanted them dead 😆

Ironically, the final ending itself was perfect for me, but getting there was such a draining slog that it almost wasn't worth the exhaustion.

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Cute, easy watch

Okay, so it's not going to change the world, but hear me out. Lately, I've not had much luck with dramas. I happened upon this one completely by accident and decided to give it a try. I stayed up into the wee hours of the night to finish it.

I enjoyed the relationship of the leads, going into a business relationship and then discovering that their feelings were overriding their business arrangement. It was a natural progression, with actual conversations between the leads, as opposed to so many dramas making them "suddenly" in love.

I liked how we were able to hear their inner dialog when they weren't willing to verbalize their feelings to each other.

I'm pleasantly surprised that I was pleasantly surprised!

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Worth watching amidst all the accusations

​When the news was first released, I was really concerned. It seemed like Hou Minghao (HMH) was blindsided when AiMi was announced as the female lead a few months after he had already signed his contract. My worry for him grew even more when people started throwing wild accusations at him just because he didn't decline the role, when in reality he didn't have the power to just back out like that. While I completely understand people who preferred to skip the show altogether, I don't understand those who went out of their way to give it bad ratings instead of just ignoring it.
​Despite all the noise, I am so glad I gave it a shot and watched it anyway.

​Acting
​Hou Minghao: He is a superb actor. The way he controls his facial expressions and eyes to communicate extreme emotions in a subtle, non-verbal way is incredible.
​AiMi: You can tell she is still relatively new to acting, but her youth actually matched Jaiyu's character perfectly. It made me realize why the casting team chose her in the first place.

​Story & Pacing
​The story was solid, and they stuck to the core script. There are a few minor loopholes, mostly because the editing felt a bit rushed, likely due to squeezing everything into just 28 episodes. However, I loved how well the characters were fleshed out despite the shorter length. Everyone had their own struggles and backstory, which made me genuinely adore each character as they appeared.

​Music (OST)
​The soundtrack was spot on. Every single track fit the story wonderfully and elevated the emotional scenes right when it mattered most.

​Final Verdict
​I am so glad I gave this drama a chance. It had a very strong opening, kept me engaged, and delivered a incredibly satisfying ending

I only rated 9.5 as I deducted .5 due to the make up. Lol. Sometimes it looks cakey. Hehe.

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Amazing ? Best Cdrama I’ve Seen in a Long Time!

This is hands-down the best cdrama I’ve watched in a long time. The ML acting is genuinely superb, and the chemistry with the FL feels completely natural and earned — you can tell every scene between them was crafted with care. What really got me were the heart-wrenching moments; the ML portrays them with such raw depth that they hit hard every single time. This is a drama that’s worth rewatching, since you catch new layers of emotion each time. I loved it so much I’m already planning my second watch. Highly recommend if you want a story that’s as emotionally satisfying, it is well-acted!

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Hidden Gem about Women struggles in long drama

Actually i watched this because of Wang Yinglu since i quite trust her choice of script. This drama is not like usual modern long drama focused on romance. For someone who craved for plot and character development this is my hottest recommendation since it's quite underrated. Even it's about promotion film for Guizhou city, Xiao Fang stills relies on strong plot and not being dragged for few episode. This drama got family feud, comedy, how society view of woman, and making a life choice.

The screenwriter put a lot of effort into it, especially the contrast between the eldest aunt and Xiao Fang, which depicted various types of marriages. The director and cameramen put the fresh scenery and bright cinematography for everyone who wants to relax watch light drama

Wang Yinglu acting are quite versatile for her generation and the chemistry between the lead was quite okay for me but hey in this drama i'm not into the romance part so i quite interested in this drama due the women struggles. Yeah, none of the female characters are portrayed as completely independent and clear-headed from the outset and it's was quite realistic.

Whether it's the lead or the supporting characters, their character development breaks free from traditional stereotypes. The eldest aunt, having experienced a failed marriage, still compromises when choosing a boyfriend for the second time, only realizing after repeated trials that one can live well alone. The second aunt, with more life experience, initially completely depends on her husband until she's in dire straits, fights desperately, and discovers she can live the life she wants on her own, even pulling her husband out of the mire in the process. Xiao Fang, on the other hand, is free and optimistic, yet she still experiences heartbreak and disappointment during her marriage discussions with Xiao Wei. Her growth doesn't automatically accelerate just because she always knows what she wants, but at a younger age, she has already begun to follow her heart much earlier than her older aunts. What impressed me most was Xiao Fang's family; they never harshly criticize any female character's mistakes, allowing for compromise in life. This kind of portrayal is so comforting. Even the wisest grandmother in the family never used her own experience to guide her daughters and granddaughters from different eras on what to do. She always encouraged her family to listen to their own hearts. Finally, a drama doesn't simply create a "traditional standard" strong female lead, doesn't "judge" the older generation or flawed supporting characters with contemporary independent standards, and doesn't demand that female characters meet various "perfect standards" from the very beginning! Girls' growth is allowed to have differences in speed and time. It no longer uses a uniform scale to measure the progress of girls' growth. Whether they mature early or slowly transform, every stage of growth belonging to "Xiao Fang" has its own value and deserves acceptance and affirmation. It's great! PS: Actually, another highlight of Xiao Fang's family is that they never engage in "involution" within the family, accepting everyone's differences. This core of women's stories is what truly deserves to be seen.

If you want to see women view and self growth, i suggest watching this drama wont waste your time.

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I dropped the drama not because of the only production or director's fault

Yeah! I accept it is the director and production department fault for worst making...But it's not only them to blame; the lead actor and actress are equally responsible for this disaster. The core issue with their performance is that everything is just so overdone. There is no nuance, no subtlety—just exaggerated reactions, stiff body language, and forced chemistry that make it impossible to take the story seriously. It felt like they were trying way too hard in every single scene, which completely broke any immersion. While the director should have guided them better, as professional actors, they should know when to tone it down. Their severe overacting is ultimately what made me drop this.

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