It gets better so please be patient
This story is told in the past and present. The young cast are awesome and most likely well see more of them in future dramas and lead roles. They’re so good and natural. I’m particularly impressed with Hong Min Ki, (young Seok Ji Won) as he really nailed his role. Wow. The back story is good with a few annoyance's of repeats. Though the flashbacks are good, it continues to be a mystery of what actually happened. As the older and current characters meet again, there’s a lot of angst in the two leads. What exactly happened? That’s what makes the beginning episodes up to six or seven. Yes, there’s annoyances here and there because i feel it’s a little messy in some parts. However, it’s a great anticipation to see what separated these young people, especially since they were so in love. So, be patient as it gets better as the why’s clears up..Episode seven is where it really picks up. It’s where the heart starts to flutter as the adults begin adulting in their decisions and truths. This is where you can say, okay then let’s get this romance going. Up to episode ten, relationship building intensifies, and their shared cuteness becomes your own smile. It’s like the shortcomings of the beginning is redeemed and insignificant because the present is satisfying. Lots of cute moments, lots of rewatch moments.
I’m greatly enjoying this. Maybe for those in mid ages it comes as refreshing as most rom-com features younger cast in twenties to early thirties. Leads here are in forties and in a way, they portray what dating can look like in that age. Regardless, it’s super cute and just my right cup of tea seeing this couple reignite what was lost many years ago.
Jun Ji Hoon ( Seok Ji Won) is a handsome man, so of course he holds my attention. More than that though, this role in a rom-com is so welcoming. I mean, for people in his age group and beyond, it’s cool to see that love may not be secured in your younger years but can come later when it’s right. I like his characters calmness in all things, even in challenging moments (getting slapped by dad in front of his love). That maturity is every woman’s want and he does it so well, in action and in his voice. Jung Yu Mi (Yun Ji Won) is alright. Though I might have a suggestion for another actress, she wins me over as story progresses. No sense in criticizing because she is the chosen one so the best I can do is root for her. They look good together in their role although, I wish they can be more natural in expressions and action. After all, they are older, in script and in life.
*******updated*****
The last two episodes was a bit lackluster. It just didn’t click, or standout to stick as it fades close so it’s a bit disappointing. I feel that Jun Ji Hoon wasn’t really into this role. Jun mi just didn’t fit the role either. Admittedly, I’ve come to this conclusion as it has ended. Though it tried to connect what had separated them years ago, it lost its spark. It’s a happy ending though.
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All the Tropes and All the Charm..
Skipping Love Your Enemy means missing out on some pretty solid writing and acting.. You might have seen losers in love before.. But this drama takes silliness to an entirely new level.. That said.. I have to admit I genuinely enjoyed their relationship.. There were a lot of unexpected heartfelt moments in the drama..I started watching for JJH.. But the cast surprised me.. I really loved the supporting characters... They delivered great performances.. And the story has its moments.. The comedy was on point.. No unnecessary side plots or gimmicks.. Even the second male lead was well written.. Which is rare in kdramas.. He wasnt annoying at all.. Well not until his last scene..
One of the standout elements in Love Your Enemy is Seok Jiwon’s character design.. Particularly his integrity.. It adds so much depth to his character.. He was truly admirable throughout the drama..
For me the highlight of the drama was their younger version.. Their teenage relationship.. It was so well written.. And the actors really portrayed it with such authenticity.. Honestly they deserved a couple of episodes just for themselves..
Overall.. Love Your Enemy is a refreshing drama.. It has all the tropes.. Childhood friends, Childhood sweethearts, Enemies to lovers, Workplace romance and Second chance romance.. It delivers great humor and a no nonsense storyline.. Easily one of the best romcoms of 2024..
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romcom drama of the year !!!!
i loved this show from finish to end !!!!! it made my weekends happy and i felt the love from this story.i initially watched this because i loved the casting but fell inlove with the story as well.
everything was perfect except the fact that i wish there were more episodes. the last episode felt rushed when they were going through the embezzlement issue so i wish this part was separated into the last episode because it ate up time for the actual ending.
also, the last ep felt so rushed with a bunch of time skips and if there were more episodes, i felt like we would've gotten more scenes of the wedding prep and 2jiwons being in love with each other 🥹
overall, this was such a lighthearted, pretty, and warm kdrama and i'm so happy i started watching it. this made me believe that maybe finding love (again) past your 20s isnt so bad. this show is close to my heart and i wish more kdramas like this would be out.
also, ju jihoon PLEASEEEEE im on my knees take on more romcom projects he was soooooo fun to watch in this kdrama.
ALSO, i would like to commend the casting directors because the casting for teen and adult 2jiwon are so on point i loved it very muchhh
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The tail wagged just in time
I’m not going to mince words. This show feels humdrum for most of its run. Yes, it has its moments and when the romance is in full flight it can be heart fluttering. On the other hand, it is a tedious watch for the longest time.The old enemy to lover trope is front and centre again. The ML is charismatic, and the FL is attractive. Both are approaching middle age. They seemed to hate each other on sight but there is something unspoken just under the surface. It is a promising start. However, the apple cart starts to wobble soon enough. So much push backs! So much snarling and cattiness. This went on and on.
As soon as they accepted their destiny, the unicorns are freed and all is forgiven. I know they are making up for lost time but scene after scene of snarly exchanges cannot be unseen.
Unfortunately, as soon as it got interesting on the romance front, the side characters start to bay for attention. For instance, the teachers at school are so nosy. Village ajummas need to take note. On top of that, the head teacher is next level. His sole aim is to be a pest and get drunk after work. Any excuse will do. The fact that he is the head teacher makes it so cringey. They sucked a lot of oxygen from the A-plot.
The writer-nim also ran through all the dating tropes. Sometimes, it can feel a bit surreal watching scenes you would associate with young actors being enacted by our 40 years old leads. It can be cute but it is hit and miss.
Then we have the patriarch of both families. The FL's grandfather is a decent man but stubborn as a mule. The ML's father is an obnoxious nouveau riche who is hellbent on exacting revenge on the grandfather because of some historical slight. Our leads are the meat in the sandwich for obvious reasons.
This lead to a series of unpleasant interactions between our leads and the patriarchs. They are close to 40 yet they are treated like kids. Verbal abuse and corporal punishment is the norm. Speaking of kids, the show did devote a fair amount of time to their school yard meet-cute and flirtation. Those flashbacks are quite sweet and certainly shows up their present day counterparts.
I was feeling lukewarm by the 2/3 mark and kept putting off chasing the next episode. Given the acting of the ensemble is solid, especially the main characters, this points to some questionable writing being the culprit. I was thankful when the last two episodes dropped as they lifted the show significantly.
Those last episodes flipped the narrative. Not only a key historical grievance was resolved but it also brought the families together at a critical time.
As expected, the last episode is pure fan service and happy endings are handed out like lollies. I won’t complain. The reward at the end made the time sink bearable. That will do. Peace.
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The younger version is better
I was going to wait to binge this one, but boredom got to me and without even noticing I had watched two episodes. I am sensing that I might regret starting before all episodes are out.I see other reviewers complaining about the adult versions being too childish and although I understand that can be annoying I usually don't mind it as long as it's no too exaggerated.
I do agree that the younger version is much better. Both couples have good chemistry and nice banter but it's funnier and more natural with the teenagers, I kinda wish that the story was set in that time period even though I do enjoy the adults too.
One thing that I don't like and it's quite common in these kdramas is that the the younger actors don't resemble the older actors, it makes the story feel disjointed as If we're watching two different couples instead of the same couple in two different time periods.
An update 5 episodes in, Cha Jihye is the worst 😫 I hate her and they better cut off ties with her by the end of the drama or I'll be livid!! also When if ever writes are going to learn that if the conflict can be resolved by having a simple conversation is not a conflict it's an annoyance!!???!! They had a much better conflict right there, the family feud, that should've been the reason or literally anything else that didn't involve a stupid misunderstanding.
I continued watching up to episode 10. I was planning to watch the last two episodes today, but, I kinda don't want to anymore. I'm so upset that they're still friends with Cha Jihye and episode 10 was so boring I skipped most scenes that didn't include the leads.
I might come back and skip through the last two episodes but I doubt it, it started fun but later became boring, predictable and frustrating.
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Ever bake cookies and forget to add sugar?
A bit of insight in to your author: although it may shock readers that writing reviews for MDL doesn't pay much (although the good vibes it provides are prodigious), the day job for your humble reviewer is running a cafe. Years ago, patrons complained that a batch of blueberry muffins were not so enjoyable. So the baker and this writer sampled one and, sure enough, it tasted like blue spotted cardboard. Or rather, it tasted like stale blue spotted cardboard. It was absolutely dreadful and, after retracing her steps, the baker realized she hadn't added sugar due to being preoccupied with something else. Lesson learned. Without all the ingredients, baking can go pretty horribly wrong.Flash forward to present day (or more recent day) and the production team of "Love Your Enemy" followed a similar path. The ingredients they remembered - a solidly likable and skilled cast, a basic scenario that is regularly beloved by drama watchers, somewhat well-worn but compelling enough characters, a terrific backstory with wonderful teen versions of the main characters, secondary story arcs to complement the main plot with extra tension, laughs and potential romance, and a warm and delightful grandparent actor & character. The ingredient they forgot - any kind of coherent narrative to pull these things together.
Jung Yu Mi and Ju Ji Hoon don't put forth their best work here. Neither seems naturally suited to straight romantic comedy but they are capable actors and are engaging, particularly in the Enemies/Not Lovers Yet Phase. Even when that phase passes, there's never a moment where the two are grating but it isn't a raging inferno of nitro hormonal glycerine between them either. The supporting cast is above average, from Kim Jung Young's mom to the school faculty to the current generation of high school students. What doesn't particularly land is the performance by the villain (cast member not revealed so as not to spoil), a completely unnecessary part for Baek Hyun Joo as a school principal and a flop of a potential third spoke of a love triangle with one of the most bland performances of recent memory by Lee Si Woo.
One of the bright spots is Kim Gab Soo who sparkles as one of the warmest and most likable grandparent figures of recent vintage.
But the standouts are Oh Ye Ju and Hong Min Ki who play the teen versions of the Ji Won main characters. It helps that they have the best dialogue by far of any part of this show, but the actors are both charismatic and work extraordinarily well together. The scene where Oh Ye Ju's Ji Won falls and her friends try to get get Hong Min Ki's Ji Won to carry her to the nurse's office and what follows is some of the very best high school amour (although not quite at the level of Shin Eun Soo and Choi Hyun Wook from "Twinkling Watermelon").
Tragically, the backstory features heavily only through a few episodes and then the script malfeasance skyrockets. The primary romance never strays from anything but the most generic track. And the subplots that appear and then are dropped or concluded in the most glossed over manner possible are legion.
Kim Ye Won's Ji Hye interferes with the main characters but it amounts to nothing and no hard feelings.
Two characters are battling severe depression and exhibiting potential suicidial behavior but it's just forgotten and they're just fine moving forward.
Two supporting school staff members have a romance but it's literally dropped in so haphazardly in the later episodes that it could have been replaced with a static screen with a block caption reading "FILLER MATERIAL".
Three present day students appear now and then. Something about an honors class with meddlesome parents. Something involving a misogynist father from a main character's past. Something about a recently discovered family relationship. [shrug] There's no tension and no development and no point to any of them. Perhaps had the writers picked one and threaded it in on a regular basis from episode to episode, there could have been a potentially entertaining diversion. But these characters appear sporadically and are the stereotypical male jock, stereotypical female superachiever, the stereotypical kid with parents that want them to be a superachiever and a stereotypical dysfunctional family troublemaker.
There's one of the saddest attempts in human history to create a love triangle plot which is thankfully quickly abandoned.
The most frustrating is a second half reappearance by Oh Ye Ju's young Ji Won who has now graduated and is in a toxic office environment. But after a compelling setup with a deliciously repulsive antagonist, big conflict is teased and then the entire thing evaporates almost instantaneously.
Recommended? Well, it's better than a sugarless blueberry muffin and it's not at all unpleasant. But anyone that needs something stellar and captivating should keep looking.
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Bickering Fun
If you love bickering, hate to love, to hate, to love this is definitely a good place to ind it.It is such an easy binge, one moment you started it then next you are waiting fo that last episode to be released the next day,
While I am not going to lie, there are a few very annoying over the top characters, their screen time is limited enough to not drag down the score to much.
The rest of the characters are lovable, sweet, and jus ta blast to watch. Especially the Past versions of the leads. Those to had me feeling a whole lot of nostalgia, pain and sweetness all at once. The chemistry between the two kids was just so perfect. so playful and cute. The way those two conveyed emotions impressed me a lot. Actually ID say all the teens in this drama where really well casted and did a great job both past and present.
If you are looking for something to surprise you , unpredictable twits and thrills this is not the place you will find it,. Unless you are new to dramaland that is, and if so then part of me envy's you...This is definitely a good drama for beginners. But for those experienced in drama land the you are bound to smell the twists several episodes a head.
While the grown up cast was all pretty good. I want to give some extra point, and love to the female leads new best friend she definitely had me wanting more
A fun and easy binge for all bickering hate ti love lovers out there.
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loving this so far!
This is coming to be one of my favourites of 2024 (excluding Lovely Runner of course)It’s got all the best tropes: rival families, friends from birth, the share the same first name, constant bickering, secret romance, enemies to lovers (fingers crossed), missed connections, love triangles, romantic bets, etc.
the first episode was a bit confusing with all the family background, but you can understand the core rivalries.
So good! and I love the slow reveal of their past relationship. keep it coming!
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Waste of time-these 10 star reviews are lying to you
As a romance show it’s not anything over 6 stars. It sucks. The 2FL is straight up “happily” forgiven for taking 18 YEARS OF THEIR LIFE… like what? This is what I despise about asian dramas. Sorry to tell it to ya writers, we don’t need blanket forgiveness to have a feel good ending. It’s straight up annoying. There is no way on this planet you would go ahh you poor thing for ruining my life. Taking literally their best prime years, and you are actually the victim of yourself. No, you wouldn’t. And the evil son but not a son - what was that about? Just knock it off and let’s see some actual consequences for evil deeds. The ending was ridiculous too. Why the slapstick attempt at a wedding? The month trip to New Zealand to kill a bit of time? This show had too many silly parts and lots of plot holes. Far too long mid drama was draggy and FL stupid sneering mouth faces, it got so tedious. She literally was the reason they broke up as teens because of her jealousy over a non event, yet he is not allowed to be jealous that she lives with a guy with an obvious crush, spends tones of alone time with him, and then acts like a brat. Sorry, this behavior was written so poorly for what are supposed to be MATURE adults. They were written like teenagers. The lack of skinship was glaring. The chemistry in the older mains was completely void.The only couple that was believable as a couple besotted with each other was the teens. Well done kiddos you killed it. The old ones were stuffy, silly and lacking in chemistry.
The nurse’s relationship was more engaging, thank you for getting that right.
Heads up-you want to see how a drama for mature adults in late 30’s should be written and executed-watch “Love to Hate You.” I’m not referring to how much intimacy either. Rather I’m saying their overall interactions and behavior is mature. Not this silly slapstick stuff.
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Kdrama is so back!
Wow, this is my first time writing a review and I'm so happy I'm doing it with this drama. Love your Enemy is the "we are so back" romcom of the year. The plot is good, that is to expect from Tvn, Chemistry with the cast is fun. It's a shame it ended like that, don't get me wrong, it's good, but it could have been better. I wish they focused more with the current Seokji and Yunji.All in all, this is a fresh kdrama after a long time. Everything you're finding for a romcom, this would be a good watch for you. And the OSTs! What do you mean we got 10cm, Lee Mujin, even Yeji, and Liz for osts?? aaa that is a plus points! You know a drama's good if we got 10cm and Lee Mujin! Ahh, only wish it was longer than 12 eps! Now I don't know how I will move on next year knowing this drama already ended, good thing I'm ending 2024 with this drama.
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If you are looking for a sign to watch it, then this is definitely your sign!
I don't usually write reviews until it's done but seeing it's more than half of the episodes are out then giving review is a must because I felt like everyone should tune in. If you are looking for a good romance comedy with good ost then this is the drama you are looking for. As someone who have been watching a lot of dramas, I must say I easily gets bored but for this drama, no boring scenes and its been planned really well. The younger counterparts are really good that you wish for them to reunite for another drama. The main leads are chefs kiss. I'm glad Ju Ji Hoon took another romcom after so many years. He has that melo eyes which is perfect and blends with Yumi's acting. There are cliche scenes but I love it.They deliver those scenes well and not cringe. Almost all kinds of tropes in a romance drama is here. From Enemies to Lovers, Youth Romance, Cohabitation, Office Romance, Second Chance, Ex Lovers, Family drama, they have it all.This is such an underrated gem! So everyone should watch out!
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Now ya'll know that ya'll are not 35!!!!
I truly liked this one.It would have been a solid 10 had it not been for one major necessary trope that I'm SUPER tired of (especially when this trope fell on a grown arse adult!!! It came off immature and downright goofy).
Then there was the fact that we have older K-actors playing 35-year-olds. Like... just make the characters actually older to match their actors' old faces (they look EXCELLENT for their ages, it's just that I can tell) and this is me who is in my early 40's saying this. I love K-dramas that center on older actors as well. Pfft.
Outside of that, this was super sweet and cute.
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