Imitation (2021)

Overall good enough

I decided to give this drama a try because it's the acting debut of half of the members of Ateez, but I was surprised to see several sides of the Kpop industry popping up during the story, which made it more interesting to follow. Unfortunately the main plot wasn't as satisfying as the theme: the characters' decisions and sometimes even dynamics often didn't make sense. It's truly a shame because I feel that if there had been more space for the story to unfold and for the characters to truly shine, it might have led to a better result. At the end of the last episode I felt like there was still a lot mode that needed to be explained, and storylines that hadn't been explored enough. Since I didn't read the original webtoon I can't tell for sure, but that's what it felt like for me.
Props to whoever produced the original Kpop songs for Tea Party, Shax, Sparkling, and La Lima, which went way beyond my expectations.

In conclusion, I recommend watching if you're a fan of any of the actors featured here or if you're a Kpop fan looking for a cute story themed after the industry.

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interesting with a few gaps

firstly, i'm not going to deny that the only reason i watched this was because of the fact that i'm an atiny however it was an average drama in my opinion.

story:
it was interesting to say the least because we saw the reality of an idol life and their struggles however there were alot of gaps in the story. like how did yujin go from liking maha to hyunji within an episode and i felt like maha and kwon ryuk barely had any chemistry. other than that, the storyline was pretty good and the mystery aspect made it even more better. they also talked about triggering topics within the idol life as well as sasaengs (obsessive fans) which was a good message to the wider world. but the chemistry with the supporting actors were even more better like ria and ihyeon despite barely getting any screen time and dojin and hyuk: their best friend relationship was very sweet and cute. i also loved how la ri ma didn't play the average second female lead and was badass enough to do what she wanted to do - she saved the drama.

acting/cast:
despite some of the characters barely having any chemistry, the cast weren't a bad choice. it was good that they had actual idols like yunho, san, jongho and seonghwa from ateez; jiyeon from t-ara, jun from u-kiss, hwiyoung and chani from sf9; nayoung from ioi and pristin; park yuri from jxr; lee su woong from boys republic because the drama felt a little bit more realistic and the actors themselves could relate with the storyline. i wouldn't change the cast as much but iw ould try to get actors who have alot more chemistry.

music:
the ost was elite. it potrayed how sparkling was flop group and songs from the drama are even charting despite them being fictional groups.

in conclusion: it's an okay-ish drama but the chemistry makes it feel a little bit awkaward

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Who made this one episode per wek rule? We need to talk.

Imitation is an idol setting drama so I was skeptical because I'm avoiding anything featuring high school romance or idols setting.

But hold on.

I knew I had to at least try an episode because Jun was in it. He was really good in Class of Lies. I believe he was good in his other projects too. In addition, Jung Jiso is not an idol. It's a plus point for me to see real actors/non idols in an idol drama.

Plot : I like the cramped plot. I tolerate the drama better than the webtoon. More sense and realistic. Clearly shows the ugly side of South Korea entertainment. I used to be in the fandom culture so it is relatable. Screenplay can be elaborated more for characters' depth and developments.

Acting : It is fine. There are bunch of idols and I put less expectation anyway. If you were watching dramas for high quality acting, this is not for you. It is mediocre as a whole. Nevertheless, I like the main casts. For me, Jun & Jiso were still shy around each other so you don't see any sizzling chemistry but the innocent polite type of chemistry between them. The same damn feeling when I watch soft jdramas.

Music : Goodness. The production gave all out for this drama and blessed me with tons of great songs; also great voices like Ria and Maha. Jiso is surprisingly so talented. Not to forget "Finally now, it's my time" line remains iconic to me.

Overall, it is a decent idol drama. Perfect for a binge too!

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They Worked Hard & Did an Amazing Job - A MUST SEE DRAMA!

OMG.... To begin with.. I was fully expecting to drop this drama. Only because I felt that this type of drama with KPop idols doing a Kpop story was not going to keep me interested.... BOY HOW WRONG I WAS!!! However, I won't go into any of the drama ... I think it would be best for you to watch it to get the full impact.
First lets look at the casting: What KPop groups are here
A. U-Kiss Lee Jun Young who is your leading male
B. Ateez Jeong Yun Ho who is 2ML
C. SF9 Chani 3rd ML
It doesn't end there... there are several other 3 other Ateez members, SF9 and Boys Republic.
I have to express highly how INCREDIBLE these young men did with there characters, and how extremely well their acting is. I don't know if it's because they are so familiar with how KPop idols deal on a daily basis... so it was easy for them to relate to their characters. However... they still deserve a Standing Ovation. These young men are from different entertainment companies ... and unlike some of their fandom, they worked closely together and respected & worked hard together to make all this happen.
I've only heard of 2 of these groups (Ateez & SF9), not a fan of their music.. however I'm definitely a fan of their acting .
As for the young ladies... the leading lady is only actress, wasn't in music. Park Ji Yeon (LiMa) apparently has plenty of experience in the music field.
Also for Im Na Young the pretty (tea party) .. believe it or not, she's known as a rapper.
Then we have Kim Min Seo (RiAh) the tough one. Who has had musical experience.
All in all.... BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO for doing such an Excellent Job with all the characters.

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Worth to Watch

To be honest, I don't really know why this drama could get a low rating. I really like this drama and keep waiting the next episode, the only weakness is that they only air one episode per week ;( This drama tells about Kwon Ryeoc and Lee Ma Ha, they both knew each other before they became idols. Ryeoc is a k-pop idol who is in a top group SHAX while Lee Ma Ha is a rookie who has just entered the entertainment industry.

Lee ma ha ever failed to debut and she evr think to give up on becoming an idol. Because as we know, there are many agencies that consider the age of the trainees. However, when the Tea Party group (Lee Ma Ha's group) started to be known, she began to get involved again with his long lost contact senior, Ryeoc. After coincidentally met many times, Ryeoc finally realized that he likes Lee Ma Ha and couldn't help but express his feelings. Meanwhile, Lee Ma Ha himself falling in love with him, but hesitates because she's scared to destroy her (Tea Party's) dream.

I support this drama very muchhh, MOSTLYYY the actorsssss!! Hurry and watch this dramaaa

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I'm a 2nd generation k-pop fan and I started to watch this just because of its k-pop genre

Yes!!! I was a SONE and I supported almost every k-pop groups back then when k-pop fans stan for multifandom. For some reasons, I was far away from k-pop since around 2013 and so the only one cast I know in this drama is T-ara's Ji Yeon.

Let me talk about my first impression.
As I mentioned above, I watched this drama without even knowing who are the main leads. So I felt complicated while watching the 1st episode. I couldn't remember who is who. At first, I thought the female lead doesn't suit with the character as a k-pop star. She is quite short and I don't feel comfortable with height difference among the members of Tea Party. But I don't feel anything with her hair. For the male lead, I realized that he is the main lead just at the end scene of the first episode where his car passed by walking Lee Ma Ha in the dark. My bad :-(

As I continue to watch, when I can recognize all the casts, I have fun watching the drama. The plot is not very special yet addictive and I progressively fall in love with the character Kwon Ryok. I thought he is tough at first but I melt down whenever I see his smile. I did a deep search for him and found that he is multi-talented.

I want to praise the female lead for her hard work for the dances. She is not a k-pop idol but she manages to be one. Also I feel a good chemistry with the male lead. Second leads are also good too. OSTs are also catchy.

One thing I feel annoyed by this drama is that just one episode per week is not very satisfying.

I want to thank this drama for letting me know that a man called Lee Jun Young exists and I feel like I found another talented guy to support. I become his fan and waiting for his next Netflix film with my SNSD' Seo Hyun, Moral Sense.

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so slow so pointless

is this the result of "fangirls only care for the male lead so the fl is ignored as a human"?
she's so obsessed with him, she's practically a saesang. she idolizes him so much but worse she belittles herself more. "he's too good for me", "there's no way he would like a lowly person like me", "he's a star that I dared to sit next to" like girl chiiillllll

in skip beat, Kyoko idolizes Ren as an actor not as a person, and when she thinks "how dare I like him" it's becasue she has issues with love in general. she didn't want it to change her so she was more reluctant to like him.

here, this is just a mess done for fangirls. your oppa is hot and everyone love him.. I mean yes, my oppa is hot, jun was the best part, after he started to chill and show his cute side that is.

again, who even stans a cold jerk? I personally like my idols because they're humble, sweet, sometimes awkward and dorky, on the screen of course, they might be calm and chill with their friends, but in front of the camera and worse in front of the staff they all need to show their "respectful" side

there was an older idol maybe from suju that said if you don't greet the staff with kindness you won't make it long in the industry


but in dramas they always like to show idols as jerks, and worse the 2nd fls are obsessed with a guy that clearly is not interested. girl you deserve better!!!

ALSO, THE WORST part, the car accident.. she was just STANDING there, she was not in danger, she was not kissing someone else, she was just there, what a dramatic waste of time.. then her overreaction in the hospital, like again girl chill

the only things I liked were jun's smiles, the 2 members who supported him and Ri Ah's potential love interest Jae Woo (?). atleast that girl knows self worth and she cares about her dream, plus the guy is sweet from the start and he's cutely awkward when he's trying to show interest


and that's the button line, a guy mistreating you, yelling at you and judge you "for your own good" is not a love interest, that's the horrible misconception of idolized male leads and the hallyu wave..

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Absolutely loved it!

Although I was disappointed with two things. Will get to that at the end of this review.
A drama about the Kpop industry- the companies that “own” them, and the struggles they go through to become stars/ idols. First 3 episodes were boring, but it did pick up after that. The storyline was I guess what many trainees and idols have to endure these days- controlling companies and managers, being overworked, fanatic and obsessive fans, peer pressure and competitiveness between teammates, dating issues etc.. it’s kinda sad really that these celebrities don’t have or are not allowed to have their own personal life or freedom.

I did enjoy the dance performances by Shax and Sparkling- I thought Lee Jun Young who played the ML Kwon Ryoc was an excellent dancer, a class above the rest. His voice also was really good. I particularly enjoyed his jealousy moments :P which I found hilarious. Unfortunately I found the FL to be somewhat a disappointment. She was cute and all but I found her character lacked depth and gust. The outstanding female character would be La Ri-Ma, who we all hate in the first few episodes, but she redeems herself as the show moves along, looking out for her juniors and standing up for herself.

Now come the two disappointing factors:
1) The romance. I liked the initial tug and pull between the leads. Especially coming from Kwon Ryoc, I could feel the intensity and chemistry, the times when he said he missed her and wanted to see her. However after they started dating, it lacked PDA, and their two kissing scenes were, sorry to say, quite pathetic lol. Imagine sitting on a bench with your bf/gf, gazing at the stars and you are seated like 3 feet away from each other! I mean what the??!! The other couples also lacked any real connection and chemistry.

2) What happened to CEO Park? Was he still able to remain at his post after the email was released etc? And after Shax left NOG? I’m also not sure which company Shax ended up signing with- was it JH Entertainment? It was kinda rushed and unclear.

If you’re a Kpop fan, I reckon you might enjoy this. Not a real romance drama, more about growing up and discovering yourself. There are some life lessons to take from this, and an eye-opener for those who are clueless about the industry. Enjoy :)

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50-50

Struggling life of stars then run behind stardom and not allowed anyone to disturb this stardom. To save stardom become heartless and destroying someone important life unknowingly and then regret and wish to make the things as before but it is late, so apologizing is not enough but still try to clean the mess ,try to save which is in hand this had been shown in the drama.
At some point leads were lack in acting , at some point story get bored . Good thing about story that the star didn't left the hand of love ones and fight for him ,his stardom and for his love.

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MORE THAN YOU THINK IF YOU WATCH CLOSELY

Loved this. The music was spectacular as was the acting and the storyline well what can you say. It shows just how hard these guys work to follow their dreams being exploited , overworked, and no wonder so many don't make it and practically don't come out alive. I cried seeing they included the extreme bad in this and how the big wigs treat them as machines and products and not as human beings. Every human being has a dream and they should follow them but never be afraid of them because of blackmail, scrutiny, and money grubbers. I like that they showed these artists came together and that there were others out there helping ready to to give them their dreams the right way. I know there was SF9 in this and some other idols as well. Made it as iF this is what they went through. I believe they did. Love anD music were the main theme in this but in obtaining both it showed the shady side and the greed and shameful acts of those who had only evil dreams taking away the purity of the dreams of those starting out. I am glad we got to see the bad and good triumph over. My heart went out to the singer who wrote the 'Constellation' song and the story behind it and I loved how close these teams are and support each other. This is why teams like SHINee are still going. Actually this story in a way reminded me of theirs. This is a must see drama and I will again. I can honestly say watching this and other programmes like this you can see how so many have already paid their dues before they ever get on stage or in front of the camera. Well done. Never give up on your dreams. You will regret it. I know. I did. I do.

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When you look behind of the curtains...

I am sure most people came to watch because of your favorite idols in the cast and the chance of seeing something sweet in the middle of what we assume to be the showbiz, but let me tell you something: it's not about the romance.

What actually hooked me from the beginning was the mystery, the real "why" EunJo left when SHAX was on their peak of popularity. From then, things only spiral.

Forget romance, forget the cliche brooding-male lead and over-optimistic female lead. The true beauty of this show is the background and how it influences on the lead's behavior.

Let me give you a run: there are 3 main points in the story about the idol groups themselves. 1) We have the privilege of a big company with SHAX and how, even with their inner struggle, they had a head-start to fame from the beginning; 2) We see the struggle to debut groups from medium companies, like what happened with SPARKLING. They had to work their asses off to stay on verge of disbanding. A medium company do not assure you any security unless you make it big; 3) Last but not least, we see TeaParty trying to break through from an almost non-existent company - JH Entertainment; aside from those 3 examples, we also have LALIMA, who debuted in a unknown company after leaving a big company behind. She carried Queen Ent alone with her success.
You can find many examples of what I'm talking about on internet. Groups that debut and disappear, groups that barely make it, and groups that barely debut but break records because of the name of their companies.

Not just that, but we see about the diets, about the blackmail, about the fanservice and the fact that many idols don't have control over their own lives. Their fans do. Everything is for the fans. Everything is for the sake of making money.

Plot line aside, I know that the production wasn't the best, but I really don't blame the production channel. They had to do it in a rush (it was supposed to air in late July, not early May, but a fake (? i'm not sure) scandal with an actor from the drama that was supposed to air first made them remove that drama from the grade, moving Imitation's release date) and I assume it affected greatly what they had planned to record and edit to put the drama together in time, same with the marketing movement and such. That on top of the cast having a lot of idols means that their schedules may conflict sometimes (it's known within the fandom that the ATEEZ members, especially Yunho, barely had time to sleep during the period of Kingdom's recordings, and I assume the same happened to Chani).

If you can ignore the cringe romance that fills the foreground, the story is quite interesting and keeps you wondering about the real life behind the cameras and the idol life (a few things even sound ironic if you research about the cast and make connections with the show itself).

It's not the kind of drama I would re-watch, especially because it talks about certain heavy topics like suicide, low self-esteem, power manipulation and such, but it's definitely worth the shot if you can look past the cringe-y things that they shove in your face and look for more subtle traces of the real idol world behind all the make-up.

PS: Shax are amazing, they really are, but I'm stuck listening to Diamond since the damn release

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