tvN Mon-Tues Rom-com Drama My Dear Nemesis with Moon Ga Young and Choi Hyun Wook Starts Off Promising with First Week 3% Ratings Rising to 4% in the Second Week
The M0n-Tues tvN time slot seems to be the one where the occasion rom-com has a shot to deliver a well-received product, at least within the last year. Starting with Lovely Runner last April, then No Gain, No Love in August, and now My Dear Nemesis this February. MDN stars Moon Ga Young and Choi Hyun Wook as boss and subordinate at a department store but with the backstory of being each other’s first crush in school age years playing a video game together. The drama premiered last week to around 3% ratings for the first two episodes but has risen to 4% ratings range in the next two episodes in this second week of airing. It’s really cute and probably more enjoyable if you like either or both leads which I do so it’s my fun and effortless watch early in the week. The story isn’t anything new – male lead has family issues and childhood trauma and female lead just clicks with him so well but they do the bickering and reluctant interactions leading to romance – so what makes it work is the chemistry of the leads and so far nothing objectionable in the story set up or development thank god for that lol.
I am not a fan of either leads but enjoying the direction of this drama. The video game animation in some scenes is very creative and unique. I keep it playing as background while doing chores and its harmless fun.
He is just way too young looking
Tbh it worked nicely for this role coz the ceo he pays is otaku and has chuunibyou disease lol
I thought ep 1 was super funny and cute, but not so much the direction of ep 2. However, I stuck around for ep 3 and 4.
I actually liked this much more than I thought, it’s so funny lol
Usually, I’m not watching live anymore and wait till at least half or more is published before joining. Best already finished. A lot of dramas start out great and fall flat during their run for me. Then the FF button is my dear friend. Live watching makes the waiting time between new eps more likely to endure even the silliest scences. So fare, I really enjoy MDN. It’s a stress reliever. No need for the FF button. Especially, because the FL is no damsel in distress, Cinderella or pushover. You go girl. It’s also very endearing how you can see that they are meant for each other. Competitive, complementary, seeing and accepting each others strength and weaknesses. They are building a strong foundation. I also love it when FL & ML join forces to reach a commen goal. Now, I can’t wait what happen when (and how) they discover that they already are connected. I guess he will know it first.
The second couple makes me laugh a lot.
I think Choi Hyun Wook was micasted. He’s trying too much to look like a CEO. I understand his character is young and still needs his childhood soul to be happy. But his 2 faces persona would have worked better with an older actor. Now, he looks a teenager cosplaying a CEO.
You’re not the only one thinking he’s miscast. He just doesn’t look that attractive as the character is supposedly.
Moon Ga Young looks too thin in this drama, especially when she wears sleeveless clothes. Her boney arms make it hard for me to watch the drama.
The child version of the eccentric hero in MDN is cute and funny. But my interest in this show quickly died down once the adult version entered the scene. LOL.
Rom com isn’t an easy appeal to me. MDN once again proves that the genre is in general just not up my alley. It’s not easy to not be overacting in rom com.
Nonetheless, I found another rom com, aired not too long ago in 2024, Brewing Love. Koala did not mention anything about this drama other than one-time casting news. Therefore, I missed its premiere that isn’t necessarily bad cuz now I have a fun drama to binge. BL is a nice rom com (without stressfully emotional investment to watch) to fill in the void while I wait for thriller/suspension Buried Hearts and Undercover High School to update. Talking about FLs for rom com, I personally think idol-trained Kim Se-jeong is one of very very very very few actresses who have innate talent to nail a lead role in a comedy. Knight Flower FL, Lee Hanee, is another one. I enjoyed KSJ’s acting so so so much in Business Proposal. Once again in Brewing Love, she has proved herself a very outstanding comedian without much effort and overacting. As to her ML, Lee Jong-won, I was already appealed to his loving-puppy eyes in Knight Flower (LOL he was gorgeous in KF). LJW emoted pretty well in BL. Besides KF, LJW once again showed himself a very nice fit as the leading man for a strong (empowering) female lead. The contrast between his mellow physical appearance/acting aura and his counterpart is so fun to watch, and I can say that’s one of the critical elements for a rom com to be entertaining. Not many rom coms nail that though.
I’m just 3 eps into Brewing Love, way to see if the following eps would keep up with the same momentum for me to not drop LOL. For those who haven’t watched this drama or even had no idea of the existence of this drama LOL, you can give it a shot and may like it as I do.
@Somebody, i watched a few of episodes of Brewing Love because i like very much Kim Se Jeong ( charismatic girl, natural vibe, effortless acting) but i dropped .
It may be boring to others but I’m still following ep after ep. Don’t know when I’ll drop it too cuz of rom com in nature and I’m following two thrillers at the same time.
@Somebody, which thrillers are you watching now ?
I watched 3 episodes and i can’t say that i’m enthusiastic . The male lead looks too young and for the first time i don’t feel chemistry between him and Moon Ga young who had it great with Yoo Yeon Suk, Kim Dong Wook, Kim Min Jae,… But i may be not objective because after When the phone rings, Doubt , Blackout…i couldn’t finish Motel California and even Love Scout which about i can’t say anything negative .I’m beginning Undercover high school and Buried hearts .
Me too for your list f Kdramas…😂
I know nothing much about MGY. The ML has just gone all-way wrong in every direction with me. LOL. It’s hard for me to root for their romance and think about this is rom com! What else is worth my investment? LOL.
It’s the sort of drama that will likely have a small but strong following. I do wish MGY picks something different. Whether it’s her character choices or overall look or even a completely different genre. Right now, she feels a bit repetitive alternating melo and rom coms. Reminds me of LJS, and ironically he’s also her next costar so that drama will likely be another rendition of their past roles.
After watching 1st episode I was disappointed by the way producers of the drama, writer, director etc changed so much from the original webtoon. Only 30 minutes of the first episode were authentic to the webtoon (except MGY character rejected male lead not in a such hursh way). After that they changed almost EVERYTHING from the plot.
In the original webtoon main leads meet 4 years later, not 16 years later. They’re not 30s working in the office, but they’re 20s neighbours. Male lead not a chaebol boss, the most typical and cliche drama role, and female lead not his employer. Their personalities and relationship changed too, in the webtoon they were friendly with each other since 1st meeting.
I’m disappointed by the way they changed plot lines from original cute and good webtoon, to more cliche tropes in the drama, and they hired 20s actors to play 30s roles, when there’s no need to change their age so much.
I was hugely anticipated to adaptation of that webtoon, but what’s the point to call drama an adaptation when you adapting only 30 minutes of the plot, aka 2 chapters of the webtoon?
Anyway, I love Moon Ga Young and Choi Hyun Wook, they are very good actors. Drama isn’t bad, just different from what I expected.
The ratings of the last episodes even better, and I’m happy their drama is successful.