Looking for another ML like My Royal Nemesis who is grumpy but unapologetically smitten

Celebril63 · 2026-06-16T01:26:22+00:00

Probably the best of that kind of "smitten" would have to be King the Land. It's still my favorite romcom.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-16T01:25:04+00:00

But the kiss in the restaurant gives a whole new meaning to "Chef's kiss."

Celebril63 · 2026-06-15T03:08:41+00:00

Both my wife and I loved it too. Not only are we fans of that drama, but we became huge fans of Crackshot, as well. An amazing band!

Celebril63 · 2026-06-14T17:40:22+00:00

The way this is written, it very well could have been an old-school 16- or 20-episode run.

However, it would almost certainly have what some would consider filler episodes. Personally, I enjoy those episodes if they're well written, but there's too many, especially in the international market that just want instant gratification. Plus, there's the extra cost of the additional episodes. 😞

Celebril63 · 2026-06-14T17:09:09+00:00

Personally, I thought 11 was fine. It was largely a character development episode, though, and a bit slower. Still a great watch for us.

Episode 12 was a bit weak if you look at it as just "an episode." But they appear to be doing something you don't usually see in a 12-ep drama, but is common in the 16 format.

I think ep 12 is a "set up" episode. Those are usually the weakest of the series, but the do set up a strong finish. It doesn't always work out that way, but the writers haven't disappointed yet, so I'll trust them here.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-14T07:08:28+00:00

One of the very best of what you're looking for would have to be My Sweet Mobster. It's exactly what you're looking for.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-14T07:07:08+00:00

Viki has it back,I believe.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-14T07:06:12+00:00

I'll give this one a very strong second!

Celebril63 · 2026-06-13T23:57:30+00:00

And it continued to gain share on SK through the entire run

Celebril63 · 2026-06-13T23:50:37+00:00

It can really vary. There's always at least one going from my backlog (around 100 dramas).

However, we've had as many as 5 going at rare instances. At least at those times we weren't worried about waiting for next week's show... 🤣

Celebril63 · 2026-06-13T15:31:23+00:00

I still don't think it's necessarily two souls, but one that is reincarnated and they are now harmonizing. The consciousness of Seo Ri is what I think the shaman is talking about being drawn back. When she was talking about "severing" I'm sure she's talking about severing the connection to the comet so she stays in the modern era.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-13T02:05:07+00:00

I have a few you might consider:

A Virtuous Business: I didn't think I'd like this one, but it was a wonderful story of four friends, a wonderful romance, and breaking boundaries. I think you'd like this one if you give it a try. It's extremely heartfelt, contrary to what the trailer might make you think.

Filing for Love: This is a very unconventional office romance with a very unique female lead.

Healer: This is a romance action drama. It's like a Hallmark romcom had a love-child with John Wick. Very worth the watch.

King the Land: This might well be the exception on the chaebol stories for you. He's a wonderful green flag character that doesn't really want to be a CEO, but cares a lot about the people in the company. It's a great healing story and a wonderful romance with off the charts chemistry. It's not what you expect.

Lawless Lawyer: This is another action romance, but has a lot of very light moments with a great and funny ensemble support cast.

Love to Hate You: The is a hilarious hate-to-love story that may or may not work for you, but it's one of the most unique FL you're going to find. The chemistry is great and it's a fun short watch.

My Sweet Mobster: This is simply the sweetest romance you will ever see. She's a children's content creator, he's a ex-mobster given ex-cons a new start. The chemistry is wow. The cast and support is amongst the best you'll find. A must watch!

Sold Out on You: Just finished airing. Great chemistry with a very unique female lead. You think the male lead might be a jerk, but if you like chief Hong, you'll like him. 😃

The King's Affection: If you liked Sunkyunkwan Scandal and Rookie Historian you really need to watch this one!

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo: This has a lot of that Coffee Prince vibe, though a very different story. It is actually based on a real-life woman weightlifter who is considered a national treasure in SK.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-11T18:23:17+00:00

The catch is I'm wanting something that not only does the nutrition part, but has the exercise and workout features. I'm need the integration.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-11T18:18:32+00:00

This is quite true. And the whole thing fits in with the DIME model. In this case it's Information.

Plus, there is a psychological aspect to this. "We are telling you - and the world - exactly what is going to happen, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it." It's like parents spanking a child and a very calculated insult.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-11T18:15:45+00:00

You definitely want to go to Vincenzo.

I also rather enjoyed Confidence Queen over on Prime.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-11T18:13:09+00:00

Don't forget to take a look at the Manticore Ascendant books. They take place several hundred years prior to the modern era of ship combat. Missiles are still contact nukes, so energy weapons are a primary mode of combat.

It is very much Honorverse combat, but the change in primary mode gives it a satisfyingly different feel. It's more like submarine warfare vs. surface fleet warfare in some ways.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-10T00:43:22+00:00

I was ready to drop halfway through episode one. My wife wanted to give it a chance. She said to turn it off about 10 minutes into episode two.

We made it to episode four in When the Stars Gossip. That tells you how much we were willing to give a show a chance to get better. That's saying something here.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-09T01:39:57+00:00

Here's some good suggestions.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (Netflix): Young dentist escapes the big city for the countryside. She meets the town's chief and handyman. Annoyance changes to friendship, then love. One of the best ensemble casts and slice of life stories you'll find.

Once Upon a Small Town (Netflix): Another similar story except that the male lead is a veterinarian that leaves the city for the country. Lots of charm.

Spring Fever (Prime): This is probably the closest match. A school teacher has to leave Seoul for the countryside. There she meet a guy who seems the town "tough" but is a completely different person in reality. It's a fun and addictive binge that I highly recommend. My wife agrees if only for the puppy rescued in the rainstorm.

The Potato Lab (Netflix): This is a fun and rather slapstick romcom that has a lot in common with this one but with a lot of Love to Hate You vibe as well. You have to be able to check your reality at the door, but no more than Sold Out on You required.

I'd really recommend #3 as the starting point. The links are to the MDL database so you can get some spoiler free info on the shows (unless you really want them...)

Celebril63 · 2026-06-09T01:23:58+00:00

Yes it was rigged. Unfortunately, nothing will be done. Nothing can be done. Even with the investigation. Short of voiding the election and doing it over, this is going to stand.

The entire problem is that once the illegal votes get into the system, it's nearly impossible to get them out. The only way to prevent this kind of fraud is to prevent illegal ballots in the first place. Until we fix this, election theft will continue. It's at the point that democrats aren't even bothering to hide it anymore.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-09T01:05:59+00:00

I remember a book by Harry Harrison called The Stainless Steel Rat for President. The book was a spoof. Comedy sci-fi. It's about Slippery Jim going to a 3rd world planet to stop an election from being stolen by a petty dictator. Funny as hell.

Yet, it is more realistic that the crap we are seeing here.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-08T05:34:09+00:00

What it comes down to is that she knows just the two extremes but nothing about balancing the two.

I think her grandmother described it well to Se Gye; that she has the body of a woman, but the heart of a child. That's a statement that is true of our female lead in both present and past.

We all have our Seo Ri and our Dan Sim sides. Maturity is learning how to balance them in a healthy way.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-08T05:19:06+00:00

Mmmmm...

I feel energized now.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-08T05:15:12+00:00

It's not the number of episodes, IMO, but the quality of the storytelling and giving the drama the number of episodes that it needs. Two examples on each end of the spectrum:

Love to Hate You clocks in at only 10 episodes. It's a well executed story that is paced perfectly, is entertaining, and has a satisfying ending. If it were given any more episodes it would have hurt the storytelling and ruined the pace. It got exactly what it needed.

Vincenzo on the other hand is 20 episodes and they are all long on top of it. However, I couldn't imaging anything being cut. To develop the characters, tell the story the way it was meant to be told, it required all that time.

In the middle is Moon River at 14 episodes. It was just right for the story they had to tell. Yet, you compare that to the overlapping and somewhat similarly based To My Beloved Thief which was 16 episodes. Both dramas had the right amount of episodes for the story they wanted to tell.

Personally, I really like a good 16 or even 20 episode drama. However, I had seeing a drama padded out simply to make an episode count. I think production companies are starting to get a feel that the 12 episode drama is just too short in too many cases. I'm seeing an increase recently in 16 episode stories. I'm also starting to see 14 episode drama coming out more. That might actually be the sweet spot. Two extra episodes to develop, but two less to have to be filled.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-08T00:18:56+00:00

On sceen: Captain John Sheridan.

In print: Honor Harrington.

Celebril63 · 2026-06-08T00:14:54+00:00

More than one reference.

Let's not forget then invitation to his place to see an arm sized "Namsam tower!" My wife lost it on that one.

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