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actual enemies to lovers recs

ugh

ok i know this trope is super popular and there's tons of dramas with "hate to love" couples but the thing is every time i see someone recommending this, it's usually like some romcom where the couple has some misunderstanding and doesn't like each other in the first 2 eps but soon enough they start to tolerate each other. it's usually done in a comedic way, they usually just bicker and tease each other, they don't actually hate each other. i'm looking for real enemies to lovers. something intense and even slightly toxic, as long as it doesn't go overboard. the only thing i can't stand is melodramas like "secret" which people often tend to recommend me, other than that, i don't care for the genre.

for example for those who watched "my name", at the beginning of episode 5 where gangjae traps and handcuffs jiwoo and her partner and they kind of have a face off... that's the type of chemistry i'm looking for, where you can feel the hatred they have for each other but also some underlying sexual tension/attraction. (just to be clear, i don't ship gangjae with the female lead nor am i trying to romanticize that scene, what he did to her was irredeemable, i'm simply talking about the chemistry the actors had in that scene. that's the type of chemistry i'm looking for in enemies to lovers.)

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Rien

both are melodramas, but worth to check out!

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ArniA

I can't think of any drama, but I am very interested in what others recommend.

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ugh
 Rien:

both are melodramas, but worth to check out!

i've tried secret and couldn't get into it, way too dramatic for my taste. however i might the innocent man a try. thanks for the recs anyway! :)

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Olive4213

I think you can search for this type of drama using the hate to love tag. 

Otherwise, many, many Thai lakorns use hate to love thematically. (Lots of these are quite toxic.) The best of these are "Sawan Biang", "Jam Loey Rak", "Kluen Cheewit". ("Kluen Cheewit" is an excellent drama.)

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ugh
 Olive4213:

I think you can search for this type of drama using the hate to love tag. 

Otherwise, many, many Thai lakorns use hate to love thematically. (Lots of these are quite toxic.) The best of these are "Sawan Biang", "Jam Loey Rak", "Kluen Cheewit". ("Kluen Cheewit" is an excellent drama.)

thanks for the recommendations! 

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daydreaming

Some suggestions from what I can remember:

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AH
 ugh:
i'm looking for real enemies to lovers. something intense and even slightly toxic, as long as it doesn't go overboard.
 ugh:
that's the type of chemistry i'm looking for, where you can feel the hatred they have for each other but also some underlying sexual tension/attraction
  • The Smile Has Left Your Eyes - The leads are never really enemies, but there's definitely a point where they're at odds. The ML is pretty toxic and self-destructive, although the toxicity isn't really aimed at the FL. I'd also say this one has some melo elements so it might not be what you're looking for, but IMO the leads in this one had real sexual tension and chemistry and I'd recommend giving it a try.
  • Before We Get Married - The ML's behaviour in the beginning is aggressive, definitely toxic and crosses several lines, but then he changes his approach and eventually got to a point (IMO) where the chemistry was greater than the discomfort from any lingering toxicity. Definite sexual tension, but I can't fault any viewers that dropped it because they felt the ML's behaviour in the beginning went too far to allow for the possibility of redemption.

Personally, I didn't like the MLs in these dramas, I wasn't into the relationship between the leads and I definitely had SLS or TLS for all of them:

  • Story of Yanxi Palace - The leads definitely both hate each other at some point, it's not resolved quickly and there's plenty of tension between them. I hesitate to say "sexual tension" because I personally wouldn't describe their relationship as "hot"... but there were power plays, mind games and a certain form of chemistry. Each kept the other on their toes. Even though I had major SLS, I'd still recommend this one.
  • Cheese in the Trap - The leads are academic rivals. Although the rivalry doesn't go all that far, the ML's character is too creepy for the rivalry to be played off lightly for comedic effect. 
  • Empress Ki - IMO it goes overboard. The FL becomes the ML's concubine because she is forced to be a tribute. It's basically sex trafficking for royalty. And after they're married there's a scene where the ML rapes the FL.
  • The King's Woman - IMO this one also goes overboard. The ML kidnaps the FL and threatens her then-lover / father of her child and then later on her child in order to keep the FL by his side.
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