Reviews

It's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. I have to give a special highlight to Park Seojoon and his incredible comedic timing.

I was a little hesitant to watch it because I always see people saying that the male lead is very problematic in terms of narcissism, But honestly, I just found him hilarious.

And I don't think the drama tries to romanticize or normalize his behavior. Quite the opposite, we have a lot of other characters who constantly point out his weird behavior, including the female lead itself. In the first few episodes, you are not supposed to find his actions romantic ou anything like that, you supposed to look at him and think, "Damn, this guy really doesn't understand anything about relating to people."

He's very narcissistic, and I think portraying that kind of character is very difficult when he's the protagonist; it's practically impossible to make him likeable in the first few episodes. But that's what character development is for. I personally really like his development throughout the story, especially because it deviates significantly from this wave of "greenflagization" where male lead needs to be this perfect guy without any character flaws and no bad attitudes since episode one.

The main relationship is beautiful, and it surprises me that they managed to create such a healthy relationship when it had all the makings of a disaster.

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My most hated trope...twice

Welp. I was hoping I'd understand the hype after Part 2 since Part 1 disappointed me, but that's not the case.

While, once again, I like the higher stakes — of which this part has more of, it also starts to feel much more aimless after the first few episodes, going so far as to use amnesia, my most hated trope, as a plot device not once, but twice.

The acting is really great from both leads but particularly the ML; I just wished it was used on more fight scenes or political maneuvering instead of reverting his character to a ditz for multiple episodes.

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For feminism and gay rights

I was pleasantly surprised by how vocally feminist this show was beyond just the main character. It's not just about a woman making merit for herself through her own prowess and worth, it's about someone making way for other women to take control of their own lives and choose their own paths.
He Yan has lived her whole life following rules and the will others imposed on her, so she knows firsthand what it's liked to be oppressed, even when doing something she ultimately enjoys and wants to do for herself. She pushes for women's rights and freedom constantly and she convinces many by being the leading example.

As for the "gay rights" part, this is obviously a Chinese drama so Chinese censorship applies. However, this unintentionally carries a very gay message. Since the FMC is forced to live as a man for most of the story, there are many instances in which it ends up looking like a gay couple during moments of tension and charged looks between her and the MMC.
What's more is that Xiao Jue caught feelings for her before knowing she was a woman, so it's accidental bi representation.
It's very much like Mulan and Li Shang, as a friend of mine pointed out to me.

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The entanglements of the past can pull you into your future with some smoke.

This series gave me what I needed it to give me: Magic, romance, and comedy.

My Royal Nemesis starts off strong, giving us a perfect FL in a very interesting, and dare I say, messed-up situation. Because of it, we get thrust into the future where we meet our dashing ‘Male Lead’ Heo Nam-jun (who I ended up adoring in this role). When these two meet, it’s the perfect caustic and chaotic joining that lets you know fate can be a mo’fo sometimes and all the way right. It also gives that ‘Twin? Where have you been?‘ energy. 😂 I absolutely enjoyed these two individually in their roles and together. Both actors are known for playing the perfect villains in K-dramas, and to have them join in this series as potential love interests...it freaking worked for me!

This series will give you laughs, drama, and twists with an enjoyable soundtrack as well. The show title is a perfect descriptor for everything going on in this drama’s world; just know that, cus ooowee... 😑I have some beeffffffff with our series villain. While the co-protagonists sure did work my left and right eyelids. 😖

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One of my fav toxic couples to date

I love toxic couples so if you don't like toxic couples then yeah you may not love this as much as me.

The characters were written so freaking well. Fan xiao reminded me a lot of myself but I am less crazy I swear. His character was written with so much depth and he just felt so real. I loved that he was a flawed character and that he made mistakes. I loved that he was stubborn and sabotaged his love life bc losing control is scary. ugh I have already rewatched it like 5 times I love this drama so much.

This couple is so toxic and in reality they should not be together but I love when toxic love wins in the end XD.

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The Yearning Was Real, The Logic Was Not

Started with a royal bang, ended with a royal shrug. The plot holes were bigger than Joseon itself — time travel with zero explanation, and a wisdom tooth surgery performed with a face mask covering the MOUTH- i.e the surgical site (as a dental professional I am filing a formal complaint). Segye woke up in a flash even though his kidneys were badly damaged due to the multiple stab wounds- Writers care to explain? ML was sweetly carrying the whole drama kingdom on his back and I did enjoy the romance… until Shin Seori's ancient accent drove me to commit the unforgivable sin of switching to English Audio. BUT. The one thing that redeemed this finale? The original Kang Dan and Grand Prince sailing away to Qing, finally free — his yearning eyes said everything the script couldn't. The writers fumbled the logic but accidentally stuck the emotional landing. 8/10, would've been a 9 if science existed in this universe.

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