Imitation (2021)

La Ri Ma’s supremacy.

What could have been an interesting take on the reality of idols, turned into a cliché rom-com with important issues as background noise. Pure escapism without much logic.

The show opens with the mysterious disappearance of Eunjo and the tragic end of Annie. One would think this is going to be an important element of the plot - it’s not. They bring it up a few times for a few seconds, and then solve it by the end, without any solving actually happening.

For the majority of the show, we follow Tea Party as they struggle trying to make their debut work for the 2nd time, but…. There is not much of a struggle going on. Every problem and conflict they face is solved right away without many lasting consequences.

They hint some problems idols might face like not getting paid for the training period, or even after debut (because of the training debt), how rookie idols can be used to bury bigger scandals, even if it ruins their careers, how idols might be viewed as products that can be easily replaced and not as individual people, obsessed and possessive fans, and many more… but all of them are just mentioned with one or two lines and not properly explored.

The main focus is the relationship between Maha and Ryok, which is so lukewarm and boring, I had to watch it at 1.5x speed. They hit too many cliches that are not well executed, it’s sad to watch at times, especially since both Jeong Ji So and Jun are rather talented actors that can do more than this.

Of course, how it always is with teen/young adult romance stories - no one can be single, hence every Tae Party member gets their own love interest.

Even the main love triangle is there… and then one day it’s not. There is no tension, no conflict between interested parties… no nothing.

The best character with the most interesting story, charming personality and depth was La Ri Ma. She could easily become the main character, coz even as a supporting role, she overshadowed everyone. Without lying, I survived this show mostly for her (and one of the side couples, that overall, throughout the 12 episodes, had not more than 6 minutes of screen time together).

Production wise… I do have my complaints. The budget could not have been high, looking at the Award Show at the beginning. If you can’t make it look realistic (whenever the reason is lack of money, or the pandemic), don’t do it. There were other ways to show who is the top idol and respected performer. Another thing was the distracting, poorly done make up. Ma Ha looked like her lips kept bleeding, and Jun at times could play a 30+ years old guy.

With all that, I somehow got attached and the last episode made me slightly emotional, especially the scenes of the few characters I liked.

Overall: Honestly speaking - waste of time. I was initially interested because of the mystery element and more realistic portrayal of the idol's life, but it was all gone by episode 3. I don’t even want to talk about acting. Some of the idols did better than others, but damn, the majority of supporting roles of the two boy groups were not great.

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Interesting but Boring (if you get what I mean)

Let's breakdown the story. It was a cliche rom-com; even more cliche because every side character ended having a romantic partner unless they were used for comedic relief. I got huge second-lead syndrome, but one thing that the writers did well this time was to let the second-lead come to peace with himself and move on. I honestly don't know what I expected when I started this drama, but it was definitely up to par for the "idol image." I love how this story gave us a so-called 'sneak-peak' at the behind-the-scenes of the idol industry. However, even though I haven't experienced it personally, I feel like some of it is exaggerated to an uncomfortable point.

Moving on to the cast, come on... we came for them. It was perfect that almost the entire cast are/were idols or at least had some experience in the idol industry. That being said, the dancing was up to par. I wasn't a big fan of the stage, songs or the choreography, but I guess that was inevitable when they had spent a lot of their budget (assumed by me) hiring these idol actors. On the topic of idol actors, I was pleasantly surprised by all their acting skills; it still radiates 'cute lil webdrama' vibes, but they definitely raised my expectations. I had actually started watching for Yunho (my ATEEZ bias along with Mingi) and Jun (been following him ever since the Unit and watched his other dramas), but Jiyeon made me stay. Her character surprisingly wasn't pitted to be the 'mean rich girl;' even if she had been, she still would've been my favorite character. Although I wished to see more Chani, I feel like the amount of screen time he had was perfect or else the acting-level gap would have really shown among the cast members. Two members of the cast that really stood out to me (and not in the best way) was Hwiyoung and Nayoung. Now don't get me wrong~ this isn't hate to the either of them; in fact, Hwiyoung is my SF9 bias, and I've been keeping up with Nayoung's other dramas (e.g. Summer Guys). Nayoung's acting just seemed a bit stiff and awkward especially in the scenes with Yunho. As for Hwiyoung, he just seemed tired all throughout this drama; I don't know if his character is written to be like that, but he really needed to get some sleep. I know they were filming this while "Kingdom: Legendary War" was airing, so he may have looked really worn out because of that.

Overall, I would NOT recommend you to watch this unless you are into these idols (me lol)! Toodles~

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One of the best Idol life story dramas I've seen

Although I barely watched dramas on k-pop idols, I liked this drama very much. The story was very well written. At first it kind of started slow but later grew over me. I had never seen any of the characters before except for the sf9 members. So, I did not have much interest to start watching it. When the story started developing I was waiting so hard for the next episode that I watched the released episodes for 2-3 times. All the actors acted their roles very well so now I am planning to watch some dramas of the actors who have worked on previous dramas before. I think the story will be very relatable for the k-pop idols and most of the members from the cast are already idols or wannabe idols so I think they could relate to the story very well . It covers all angles of k-pop. The k-pop industry may look all bright to some people but no one know the effort and the behind-the-scenes of their lifes. Some parts could have been better written but I am very satisfied with the drama. All the ost's are also really good. I listen to all the songs atleast once or twice a day. I hope many people would watch this. I kind of feel bad for the idols after watching the drama as I stan around 16 k-pop groups and I hear a lot of k-news so whenever I hear about the groups which disbanded or about the mistreatment by the idols' I feel so sad. I hope through this people can understand the life of the idols better. Thank you for reading my review.

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It's AWESOME

I've tried to include very less spoilers in this review so you can read it dw I hate spoilers too-
It's like the CUTEST drama I've ever watched.
Like many others I watched it because of the kpop idol groups' members starring in it but it was so much more than that.
It shows facing hardships and it also has the best ships everrrrrrrr.
The 3 bands SHAX, Tea Party [formerly: Omega III] and Sparkling along with the legendary La RiMa are the centre of the story and all of the members are prolly your biases from their bands if you're into kpop.
It's shorter than average dramas but worth watching.
I binge watched it in a day and loved it <3
It's a MUST WATCH.

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My heart fluttered... and it was nice

This is a story about the humans behind the idols and trainees. The secrets, the pain, the struggles... the evil media, evil ceo and of course the evil fans who seem to forget that idols are humans too... But most of all this is a story about friendship, falling in love and moving on... With lots and lots of pretty faces, music and shiny stuff... With more or less predictable twist and though there is a lot of shiny stuff things are not always so bright...

I admit it I am a huge sucker for this type of dramas, and have had the male lead in this on my crush list for quite a while... the female lead was pretty decent but nothing wowed me about her... though she did have her moments the over all impression was good enough... however her group mate Yu Ri Ah and the at times slightly evil second female lead La Ri Ma stole my heart... and well so did the boys groups such sweethearts the whole bunch...

It was a lot of fun to watch the main couples way to becoming a couple and try to figure things out.It was especially fun to watch the male leads shift from ice cold to completely obsessed to cold as ice in the same scene... As well as the way he looked at anything that had to do with the male lead with melting eyes... she on the other hand was not as easy to read as the guy... However once they did they became kind of meeh...

What never became a meeh was the interactions between the group members, as well as the other couples... they were all lovely.

There are very few annoying elements in this drama, but there is some cringe that should make me take away stars but my new found crush on half the cast kind of made up for those parts. So Is this drama actually worth 9,5 stars... probably not, but it is highly bingable, highly entertaining and just my cup of coffee...

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One of the best idol drama out there

I just don't know why there is so much negative or low rating of this drama. I just finish the whole series today. I would like to say its worth watching. It really got me hooked. I have watched nearly all the popular k-drama, c-drama this year, but I would like to say that this is one of the best series this year. Scenes are not too cliche, sometimes unpredictable. I would agree that some of the acting could have been better, but OMG one of the best line-up. There's T-ara, SF9, U-kiss, ATEEZ, IOI (pristin), what could I ask more Idols acting Idol drama. Seriously, you guys out there who gave this a low drama really need to revisit and watch the drama again. Its worth watching.

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Interesting light watch into the Idol Industry but nothing deep or impactful

I want to first say that I do not follow any K-Pop idols, boy bands or girl bands. My review of this drama is solely based on my thoughts on the drama itself just any other drama reviews I’ve written.

“Imitation” is a simple and uncomplicated drama about the journey of idol trainees striving to debut and become legit idols. This is a pretty light and enjoyable watch, without too much angst or trauma. There is a side plot about an idol trainee and her inability to handle the stress and unprofessional business practices that took away some of the lightheartedness of the show. I was actually expecting a little more trials and tribulations, a little more suffering, scandals, crazy fan clubs, and chaos in the idol industry. The drama touched on some of these issues, but did not do a deep dive. The storytelling of the ending plot in the last 2 episodes is not done convincingly and not impactful enough to make me feel for those suffering.

I enjoyed the first ⅔ of the drama when getting to know each idol group, the dedication they put into their practices and rehearsals, and the introduction of the romance plot. The main romance is enjoyable in the beginning before the leads get together. But once they’re together, there is a lack of cuteness and fluffiness. The kisses are bad fish-kisses and I find the chemistry between the leads just OK. Lee Jung Young is a much better kisser than that! The love square/pentagon seems to have stopped abruptly. For the longest time, I thought Lee Yoo Jin (2ML) could not let go of Lee Ma Ha (FL). But then all of a sudden, he found someone else. The transition from being in love with his best friend for years to falling in love with someone is not done well. I found the third writing-music-together couple a lot cuter but they have very limited screen time. Thus, their romance appears to be half-baked.

I am most impressed with all the dancing. As most of the cast has an idol background, it should not come as a surprise that they can all dance. My eyes can’t help but follow Lee Jung Young around when he’s on stage. He’s so hot and his dance moves are really hard-hitting. He has so much charisma. Unfortunately, I am not as impressed with the music. Maybe they are just not my cup of tea. The only songs I like are the slower ones: FL and 2ML's duet "Like When We First Met" and the last song “Constellation/Your Sign”. I am also not impressed with the outfits that the girls are wearing. Tea Party has the ugliest uniform. The Sparkling boys don’t look good either. I know these two groups are not as popular as ML’s SHAX, but still, the costume department could have dressed these good-looking boys and girls better. SHAX really does look the best on stage with their makeup and black leather outfits.

Acting is decent but I think Lee Jung Young carries the drama on his back. His character is the most layered. He’s adorable when he’s in love, jealous and being petty. But he also portrays a cool and hot superstar really well. I am not as impressed with female lead, Jung Ji So. She’s OK but not as fun as Park Ji Yeon’s portrayal of the sexy and sassy La Li Ma.

Overall, if you want something light that focuses on teammates, friendships and romance, then this is a good watch. But don’t expect anything deep with plot twists.


Other Random Observations:
1. The use of flashbacks could be somewhat confusing.
2. I quite enjoyed the big concert in the last episode.
3. ML has a super ugly historical movie look. How could you turn someone so handsome into a beggar-looking hero.
4. I think FL has hair extensions or a wig on, and they don’t look good on her at all.


Completed: 2/6/2023

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raised a tip of the veil

I love dramas, the actors worked very well, considering the story is not even 1% of everything that goes on in this industry, in my view they uncovered a tiny edge of the veil in what really goes on in the entertainment industry. For when it is, that someone acts with courage to do something seriously about this rot that is the world of intertainment.I am very sorry that someone does not have the courage to tell everything that beginners go through before they reach idols. (hunger, cruelty, in many cases by older colleagues, shame, sleep deprivation, exhaustion, crazy diets because of weight , deprivation of seeing the family, abuses of all kinds, maniacal fans , because the entertainment industries do not care in the least in applying the laws in defense of their idols lack of private life, etc. etc., etc.,They only think about money, money and money, there is no longer integrity, honesty, humanity and transparency in their actions.

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It had a nice premise, but the execution was basic.

I'll start off by saying that I 100% only watched it for Ateez. But I wasn't planning on watching this drama at all in the first place.

I saw some clips here and there, and one of my thoughts were: "Ah, an idol love story." And I watched the drama without any expectations.

The story had an interesting premise, a trainee who missed her chance to debut due to her scandal, Lee Maha. But her "rise to stardom" in my opinion is too smooth-sailing.

Imo, I thought she would have much more backlash when she was dating THE Kwon Ryoc. But for them to break up and make up right after is a bit underwhelming. (Like what's the point)

The love story between Yujin and Hyunji was underwhelming too. How can Yujin get over a long term crush on Maha so quickly? Their scenes were awkward to watch, but their acting is not bad.

It did show some of the "bad sides" of the kpop industry, but i really wished that they dived deeper into those topics rather than making it lighthearted. (For example: the death of Tea party/Omega-3's fellow trainee)

Overall, it's a fairly decent drama if you are looking for something light. The ost of this drama is exceptional and addicting.

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Started because Ateez, stayed because Idk why lol

To begin, I am an actor myself so this review will be from the viewpoint of someone who has experience.

The Bad:

I started watching this because Yunho, San and Seonghwa and Jongho from Ateez were in it. They’re all great! My main issue is with Female Lead and Male Lead + bad writing.

The FL/ML have no chemistry onscreen whatsoever. It’s not a believable romance between them and it’s really distracting. The members of Tea Party don’t quite have chemistry either, feels forced and they look awkward beside eachother. Shaxx is okay I guess— Jongho and Yuri being the comedic relief is nice.

But damn, FL/ML just don’t do it for me. The actress who plays FL always looks so tense in her neck area, like shes holding her breath through her scenes. Maybe she’s a rookie or something but idk, she doesn’t bring anything special to the role.

ML always has an angry look on his face, even when dealing with things involving FL (beginning of Ep 10) They are so painfully obvious about their relationship being over, like HOW DID NO ONE NOTICE THAT HE WAS SCOWLING THE ENTIRE TIME SHE PERFORMED WITH YUJIN?! Unbelievable lol

Overall the leads aren’t very likeable or believable in their romance. Second leads (The other two “couples” aren’t believable either) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ bad writing.

Also FL stylist must be nuts or hate her because her hair and outfits are horrendous.

Overall, Idk why I keep watching this. Mostly to support Ateez and because I have no better shows to watch besides Nevertheless.

The Good:

It’s a nice look into idol life, things we may never get to authentically see from the outside even though it’s obviously more toned down for TV.

La Ri Ma is a breath of fresh air.

Jongho and Yuri are cute as the young comedic Shaxx members.

ML is handsome and I can see potential in his acting

Um… that’s all LOL

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Waste of time; Watched for CHANI

this drama was a waste of my time first of all they barely showed any chani and second the main couple was garbage i loved the second one way more but they barely had any screen time. Also seonghwa was a better actor than ryok but he had 3 lines?? um… anyways the storyline was good at first then it turned horrible and maha literally dropped all her dreams for this boring weird ass man and also SHAX songs were ass terrible garbage and why tf did they let hyunoh back he needs therapy overall wouldn’t recommend to anyone unless ur into ukiss (do they even have fans?) or if u like ateez..
P.S i hated having to look at park yuris face

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the insightful spectrum of the K-pop industry

This story depicts only the tip of the iceberg that is the unknown world that hides behind the idols in K-pop. Not everything is perfect and easy, the road is long and filled with thorns and unfortunately no matter their dedication and hard work, only a part of them debut and are successful in such a vast and competitive world.

Imitation is that, is a cry out for those who want to follow their dreams, it is a wake up call for those who give them up and face desperate situations, it shows the line between die hard fans and sasaengs, it is insightful that besides trainees and idols, there are managers, producers, dancers, staff and good and bad CEOs and many more.

For those of us that are fans of K-pop or for those who have followed the webtoon as well, this will have it's pros and cons.

Of course it's not a perfect 12 episode drama, it has it's flaws like most tend to have. Nevertheless, the message is there.
From the very first episode the message was in all of them, unknowingly connected to two characters who were able to unite them all, because of their beautiful and yet sad story. Besides other characters, the love story arch that I was truly pulled into, it was the mystery behind Eun Jo and Annie. It wasn't hard to predict what they were, or what they had, but it was those missing puzzle pieces at the end that completed their bittersweet and tragic story, that undoubtedly emotionally wrecked us all.

"I want to become a star that sparkles in your heart forever." Annie
"The most beautiful star of tonight, is you." Eun Jo

The couple cellphones was a nice and unique touch from the beginning to the end, as a token of their everlasting love.

Chani is that idol/actor that can be considered a scene stealer even with few scenes and lines, it was his way of showing emotions and the pain and loss that his character carried that made it all surreal and meaningful in the end. His sudden disappearance and mystery around his character made it work here. It's impossible not to empathize with his and Annie's story. By far my favorite arch, it was a long lasting relationship, and a love that they kept in secret even within different paths because they shared a dream. Their dedication was admirable, unfortunately what happened to them created a rupture that not only affected those left behind but also everyone around them. In the end it was emotional but worth it to see how their love was celebrated and made it into an homage and inspiring song lyrics to all the trainees and youngers in a similar situation.

"I finally realized what those words mean
The meaning those stars tried to tell, that in the end we're one
They say that with their everlasting sparkle."

As for Ryok and Ma Ha being the leads, it was a 50-50 for me, same as the second lead couple. One minute the first two were playing either hard to get or feigning knowing one another, and sure it's because of being respectful because he debuted earlier and as a sunbae of a bigger group has responsibilities and commitments and sadly can't afford to have a private life. It's sick but a reality in this business, controlled by CEO, managers and of course the fans who want to "protect" their image....

However, it wasn't just that for me it was the quick set of changing feelings within the episodes, like it was rushed or impulsive or lacking a smoother transaction, from 8 to 80. Both from the main leads and for the second couple as well. I mean Yoo Jin having a crush on his friend Ma Ha for years, was evident from the very start. Nevertheless, it shows some rivalry between the male leads, and the fact that he always showed affection towards her and whenever he did contact her team members all he asked and cared about was Ma Ha, so in what way, or how and when did he start to develop feelings towards Hyun Ji?

Sure, she was obvious about her crush toward his oblivious self, but their interaction and first time discussion was also a time where he showed concern once again only towards Ma Ha.... so was it really that snapping moment of Hyun Ji enough for him to realize the hidden truth? If so it was fast, letting go of his crush and moving on to another.
But, then again it's life and there are fleeting moments and it was about time for him to realize who was beside him all along instead of having an unrequited love.

There was a couple who had few screen time but it was the all in all the best in timing and developing feelings, Lee Hyung and Ri Ah worked with common interests in regards of producing music, despite his obvious crush on her he was respectful and courteous enough to her to give her the space she required and needed not pushing his feeling on her but letting her take notice of her own in the end. Their interactions was always cute to see.

The BEST character development had to be La Ri Ma, at first it showed that she would be the typical famous spoiled star of the whole show but that couldn't be further from the truth. She was more than that, she was a sunbae that cared for her hoobaes, a star of a small company whose CEO unfortunately grew to be more greedy for her liking and she took it personal. Not for her, but for the sake of the dreams of those young trainee girls that were in a spot where she was once too before debuting and gaining fame. The way she stood her grounds, gave advice and spiked some characters so they could thrive and make their own decisions, it was admirable and that is one of the many reasons I stan her. She was without a doubt a QUEEN who wasn't afraid to speak her mind and change environments, even if it meant to give a step back and start anew she showed no fear but proved herself to be an inspiration towards the youthful and next generation of idol performers.

In more ways than one in 12 episodes it showed several problems that can occur within groups or inside companies.
Sparkling having trouble because of conflict between members, company schemes, terrible management or overworking idols, corrupted and greedy CEOs, small and bigger companies management differences, SHAX having secrets and obligated to keep their silence about Eun Jo disappearance, to losing a member of a group or having one resign, while facing anxiety and depression while keeping it in the dark, afraid of failure, everyone feeling the pressure before debuting and even after that with the whole weight control and the pressure of being successful and famous obviously takes a toll on anyone.

And yet they all share the same goal, to step on the same stage and perform.

"Don't you regret the choice you made back then?"
"I trusted you all so I knew SHAX will go on without me. I would've made the same choice."

Seeing the idols here grow up and become independent while learning to make their own rightful decisions and improve themselves as individuals and members of a group is the highlight of this whole storyline.

As for the group names from Omega3 to Tea Party, Sparkling and SHAX. I have to say the last one is my favorite in both name and concepts. Perhaps because I do enjoy darker concepts and styles in K-pop comebacks, so SHAX made that for me and lured me in. There were a few opportunities and songs here in these 12 episodes to fully get into the groups, but the show it's focused on the characters past and connection of those 3 years that passed and on how it affected and linked them all.

These last two episodes were the best in my opinion.
With the final secrets unveiled and the way they all worked hard and paid homage with such a meaningful stage.

Seeing the 3 managers from 3 different companies in the front row jumping and waving the lightsticks made me laugh. However its quite heartwarming to see a bond between idols and managers in this drama, that behind every idol there is a manager and how their work is just as hard and extenuating and of course a tough responsibility for another's live and time, it requires sacrifices and hardworking dedication. I am glad they were able to show it here in more ways than one and by many good and bad examples.

MML show made me reminiscent of concert shows before this situation we are currently living in. But it also made me hopeful, it will pass, and the joy of watching live concerts will return as well, within the right measures and safety protocols of course, because health is important and respect towards this current situation. Safe to say, they saved all the shows for last episode.
It makes me wonder how the idols felt while shooting this since it has been a while ever since shows have a physical audience.

"In that deep darkness.
Even when a strong wind blows
Even when gravity pulls you down
Please don't lose it. Your own style."

They saved the best for last, the FINAL stage. With a meaningful message they joined hands 3 different groups and a soloist to perform one song for two lost souls, for the brightest star in the sky, and for those voices that struggle to be heard and achieve their dreams, either being idols or pursuing other dreams it can be relatable and inspiring.

"We crossed the long universe. We crossed the long darkness.
The story colored behind this star. Those difficult days, those lonely days.
Became the most beautiful song in this world."

The drama could have had more depth and better production, that is for certain. But over all it was okay to follow.
For the OST is shows the variety of songs made for the story, and even better how the drama promoted better their fictional groups than some companies out there promoting in fact their real groups.

Although it seems like a light story, Imitantion is more than that. It acknowledges dark themes within the K-pop industry and how some should be a concern. Examples of what it should be improved or avoided, and how to draw the line between healthy bonds and toxic attitudes. It's all in between the lines, like a hidden message to take from such situations displayed.

"I finally realized what those words mean. The words I only whipsered to myself.
The reason why I exist among all those stars. That I cannot be compared.
That I cannot be replaced, that I have my own sparkle."

Although there is sadness and lessons to be learned, there is also a sense of accomplishment and gratefulness in the very end.
That is what Imitation is all about, to inspire Youth to follow their dreams and learn to trust in their selves and in each other.

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