Wonderful but my boredom when watching it is significant. Chang Hee is my favorite part.
My Liberation Notes is a slice-of-life drama about three siblings and their mysterious neighbors; who are dissatisfied with life in one way or another. They live in the countryside about an hour outside of Seoul. The show is showing the character's journey that was so refreshing and realistic. Liberation is a journey of identifying and persevering to keep working through it. Identifying your struggles and finding the root cause is a hard thing to do. Acceptance and taking action to make things better is even harder.At first, I watch this because it has a similar premise because My Mister also followed the lives of three brothers. In My Mister, they come together to help each other heal along with the FL. Then also its' deep exploration of the character's mental states. But the main difference, at least this is my opinion, is while both shows are character-driven, My Mister has much stronger external plots and twists that make more eye-opening action scenes, much more than My Liberation Notes. In My Liberation Notes, the story progresses by following the daily lives, like the vlogs of these characters. So if you enjoyed My Mister, you may or may not enjoy My Liberation Notes. Don't expect the same exhilaration you get from My Mister here, but surely, both series present the same level of production quality and character arcs. I like My Mister better, but there were many good thought-provoking aspects of My Liberation Notes.
The first pro I want to mention is the comedy. I absolutely love how this series handles funny moments. It comes from a quiet moment, there's no dialogue happening and it's funny due to the previous or next scenes. For example, the part of Mi Jeon demanding Mr. Gu to worship her and the scene of Mr. Gu alone realizing the word worship means and seeing his reaction. My favorite one is when Chang Hee has done something to Mr. Gu's car and Chang He's about to confess but instead of wearing his slippers, he decides to wear his runners instead. It was so funny! Because you could see what the character was thinking without them saying it.
Regarding the plot, I thought the first four episodes were exciting. then it got super slow midway and then the last four episodes were so beautifully done. They give a very satisfying arc to every single character, and even if they didn't end on a completely happy note, I felt hopeful by the end. It is worth mentioning that the dialogue is so heavy all the time, the conversation these characters have is telling me some sort of message across. It's very tiring to pay attention all the time, so this show is not binge-able, but more of one episode a day watch.
Speaking of the characters, I was invested not so much in their character but more in their fantastic acting and their story and growth. Each character is carefully described and redeemed. I love how all the siblings would talk about things that most people I think would be ashamed and sometimes embarrassed to admit. I loved Mi Jung's inner strength and how she takes the initiative to liberate herself. I found her relationship with Mr. Gu is very unique and unconventional. I warm up to Mr. Gu throughout the story, but I am slightly disappointed that his alcoholism is not handled. But the best part for me is Chang Hee. Watching his scenes at first I feel already connected to him. Then I'm so happy that in the last four episodes or so, the story focuses a lot on him. I loved how his monologues came out and how he become more mature, his story was just beautiful. I'm thinking of rewatching the show only for his scenes.
I want to praise the OST and sound effects. There's a heavy focus on a lot of ASMR sounds, like people walking, eating, breathing, and sighing. Because this screenplay focuses so much on a character's introspection and how they're feeling emotionally, it's really really nice to have it paired with silence and ASMR sounds. OST was just so beautiful and peaceful. It fuels me to continue watching when I kinda doze off when watching too much heavy dialogue and mundane scenes.
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Quite unique but seemed incomplete
I am damn sure that i watched all 16 episodes but it seems like i missed out on few episodes, they jump from one scene to the another during the end of each episode and give us a fuller version of it in the next episode but somehow for me , it was confusing , that probably led to this 7.5 . Had they maintained the same quality as the first half this would have been a 9 without a doubt.What i loved about this?
This is not one of those dramas that focuses on only the main couple, i loved how each charactee had their own importance and behind story. I was looking forward to knowing more about each of them and absolutely enjoyed every minute of it.
I loved how they were aware of their situation and dealt with it with dignity, in the end they embraced their insecurities and learnt how to be happy
I fell for Chang Hee, though he is often seen being frustrated and keeps venting out his anger but whatever he spoke , he stated Facts . I loved how he dint hold back when ever he was angry and upset and blurted eveything out loudly and very fast. I bet it would have still been difficult for me to understand his dialogues had i known korean. He became one of my favorite kdrama characters and i also am satisfied with how things ended with him.
The three sibling bond is well written, though we see them fighting and glaring at each other often, i could see through each of them , how they cared for each other and how strong their bond was.
They say it is "liberation notes" definetly i see liberation here but only 40%. Would have been great had they ended Mr Gu's character with more certainity . For me he was a mystery in the beggining and remained a mystery even in the end
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Melancholy Slice of Life
I'm not the biggest fan of slice of life dramas but there is something strangely satisfying and cathartic about this one. "My Liberation Notes" is more about the mood than a specific story, which usually feels too tedious for me to enjoy, but because the characters felt so vulnerable and relatable I ended up liking this drama way more than I expected to. This isn't your usual dose of escapism. The characters here are mostly solemn, depressed, and disappointed with the life they live. Still, there's something inspiring about the way their stories evolve and something honest about how imperfect they all were without being too sad.The leads in this story are 3 siblings who live with their parents in a rural small town despite working in the big city. The family is very close as far as working and surviving together, but not emotionally. One dreams of success, one dreams of true love, and the third attempts to be less apathetic about life in general by sparking a connection with an alcoholic stranger who works as a day worker for the family while barely saying a word. The alcoholic stranger is actually my favorite character and the mystery surrounding him was my favorite part of this drama. Son Seok Koo as Mr. Gu is just HOT. He has dysfunctional Bad Boy Swag that is somehow irresistable even when he's silent. I'd probably drop by with a few soju bottles if I were Mi Jung too! I'm also gonna steal her "worship me" line, but I don't want to spoil even a little bit about their chemistry by saying too much about them. I'll just mention that I liked Kim Ji Won way better in this than "Lovestruck in the City".
I also liked a lot of the supporting characters. The man of few words dad, the worried mom, the small town friends, the woman from HR, the single dad... every single character supported the main theme well while bringing their own unique perspectives to it. There are no throwaway or one dimensional characters.
Oh, so what are the actual liberation notes? Inspired by every introvert's nightmare, imagine your job forcing you to socialize with coworkers after work as a job requirement. 3 coworker holdouts (including younger sis Mi Jung) presured to join one of the offered after-work group activity "clubs", decide to form their own club that they name the Liberation Club. Although just reactionary at first it becomes a place where they can vent and reflect on what they want to be liberated from in life with the silent support of the other members. They write their thoughts in their own personal liberation journals which inspires the title. It's not the main focus of the plot by any means but it is a benchmark for being more proactive about the lives the characters want to live, which is what I think is the main theme.
This drama may seem boring if you are expecting something major to happen, and I can see being annoyed by hearing some characters constantly complain or being perpetually moody, but I think what this drama does well is making disappointment, loneliness, and depression palpable. Is a good life about changing your circumstances or your perspective? What does it really take to feel happy or satisfied? I think this drama may not have an exciting storyline but it offers up some interesting perspectives on life and life choices.
If I'm honest, I would not watch this drama again unless I was feeling really emo. This is a raincloud sky dressed in all black full Eeyore emo drama. I also wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, although it made sense to the storytelling style. Maybe part of me still wanted something less vague for closure.
Overall, this drama is a mood. If you can relate to feeling lost or unmotivated you may feel seen, or feel inspired to start journaling with no pressure to be profound. I did find out after finishing that the writer (Park Hae Young) wrote "Another Miss Oh" one of my favorite dramas ever, and "My Mister", and although this drama is completely different, the interesting character dynamics, family relationships, and honest to a fault perspectives is refreshing once again. I look forward to her next drama. I was caught off guard with moments of unexpected laughing, ugly crying, and seemingy mundane moments that had me truly intrigued. I recommend giving this drama a chance and you may be pleasantly surprised. Make peace with the slow pace, the unresolved relationships, and the full on sads and you may find yourself truly touched.
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An introverts dream
In eight simple weeks, I spent my weeks longing for the weekend to come by quickly just so I could watch 2 hours of My Liberation Notes. I haven’t felt this deeply about something in a while, Park Hae-young is an incredible writer who consistently puts out profound work that I just know I will tune in.My Liberation Notes touches on the mundane and depressing notes on life and work that just about anyone can relate to. The feeling of getting up in the morning knowing that all you can think about is getting home so you can go back to sleep and escape life for eight hours. That as soon as Monday comes around you cannot wait for Saturday. It’s not often I ever feel represented in the shows I watch but seeing Mi-jung navigate life and liberate herself from the pain that is life was so personal to me because she spoke true words that I felt everyday. Life is so painful and working is a chore when you don’t necessary enjoy the life you’re given.
From an introvert who also finds this life depressing, dull and unfair. I’m so thankful I was given something to watch that gave me an escape but also was able to see myself in this story.
A+ for the cinematography, OST, phenomenal cast, writer and director everything about this was so perfect to me.
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Son Seok Koo -- I absolutely want to see him on screen again, but I doubt any character he plays will be as smoldering sexy as Gu. This was the first time I've taken notice of his acting (that I knew of at the time), but I thought that he hit it out of the park. Saying a million things with just a look.
Kim Ji Won, Lee El, and Lee Min Ki all did a wonderful job playing the Yeom siblings in a relatable and sympathetic way. I enjoyed watching each of them grow and evolve.
I tend to love slice of life dramas. I watched this in the middle of 3 such shows that were more melo than I am usually on board with. I thought for sure that I would need to break up this trio with a comedy, but I never did. MLN has been my favorite of them. I looked forward to new episodes every week. Even when it seemed like there was barely any movement in the story, as each episode was just so quiet. It relaxed me to see the siblings living their lives and trying to break free from the monotony their lives had become. It was just so dang relatable on this basic level that I was sucked in, wanting to see what choices they would make. What would change in their lives to allow some joy to come through in their exhausted drudgery of life they were living.
It was just a beautiful drama.
If you can handle the quiet, slice of life style, this one should be on your list.
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Great lines and life lessons
So there were definitely a lot of really beautiful life lessons in it; it was really relatable how the different characters were shown — especially how introverts were portrayed. This is a drama that will make you think about life, about how you measure happiness, about family, and more. The cinematography is also just beautiful and it really made me look around me and be more observant of my surroundings and my place in the world.Out of everyone, the two main leads (Mijeong, Mr. Gu) were undoubtedly my favorite, even though I felt like I didn't exactly feel that romance was necessary.
I do admit that the drama started to drag in the middle; I stilled like Gu and Mijeong scenes, but started to care less about the other two siblings. Gijeong (the other sister) especially started to grate on my nerves from the middle all the way to the end; I felt like her plot was so heavily reliant on a romance that I didn't really like — either she was with the love interest or talking about him — and her character never really developed aside from it.
The ending is something I don't really have strong feelings about; it's not necessarily satisfying and there are some scenes I wish I saw, but for a drama like this I felt like it couldn't have ended any other way. It's just about a bunch of characters learning to be happy. Life goes on.
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This review may contain spoilers
Living life, and accepting it for the journey if it, is the journey completed
Make no mistake, this is a slice of life through and through. And if you're not one to be pulled in with characters over action—if you don't like the introspective and sometimes crushingly realistic journey of these characters change, or if you don't like heavy symbolism and an ending that isn't the clear-cut "life is all good now", then this drama might not be made for you.It was very much made for me, though, and I'm sure a lot of others too.
First off, let me appreciate the writing for a minute. The level of skill, and dedication to craft it takes to create a story that's so emotionally resonant—where every disappointment, every bit of happiness, every piece of love, contempt and grief that the characters feel—you feel. Line by line, it's impressive, but character to character too. Even if the ending was heavy on the symbolism—none of it felt cheap, and all of it can be pieced together with fragments of the earlier episodes. The Netflix subtitling, even when very notedly wrong in some places, still manages to encapsulate some of the great feeling of this drama.
"I wish I could go back in time and sit quietly next to your younger self."
"Rather than going through exhausting, difficult times without you, isn't it more admirable that I'm finding strength thinking of you?"
"Come eat. This is me worshipping you."
It's not just the writing that should be lauded though. Everything culminated beautifully in this drama; the acting, the direction, the music. It feels like you're watching a work of love.
These are characters on a journey of liberation, which is a constant process of identification, acceptance, change—then the cycle keeps on going, and never stops until right at the very final destination. Even if that cycle feels monotonous, like it's unchanging and you're caught in a world of apathy, there is a freedom, a beauty and a joy to be found in it too. This drama feels like a therapy session I needed, and it has given me a lot to take on with my own journey of liberation.
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If the drama never had Son Seok Koo...
These days I tend to hear words like toxic, red flags etc on the internet a lot to which I anticipate if were made in a drama it would be this. Its easy to criticize sitting at home behind a screen where in real world the production team works so hard for, so I tried to empathize with the efforts of the people involved while speaking up. But the level of annoyance I had watching this made me compel to come up with a negative review. The major reason for show's popularity in my opinion was the actor SSK charms (and I am not unharmed btw for if he looks into the screen and I die blushing; hot would be an understatement for this man ) So here I am taking off my SSK lens and asking viewers to take the story as what it is.The good parts for me was the quality of direction and dialogues (whatever little it had). The silences around the characters were beautiful. The one who stood out the most was Change Hee. By no means he was any different or dare I say likeable to any extent. It was the depth of Chang Hee which was portrayed through his monologues which touched me. He knew life was not what he wanted and he exactly knew why. It takes so much of strength to admit your own shortcomings and blame no one but oneself for it. Given the choice to betray the family and live life on his own terms he would still be there doing his part for the family. He was this kind of a person and the actor suited him well. Such kind of complex character could have been done by a veteran only and respect of Lee Min Ki skills.
Coming to the sisters, one who thought being in love was her only purpose and another who complained how her parents did nothing for her yet when a man who never spoke a word to her bought her all the happiness she ever lacked. Seriously what?! If the main motive of the story was to address the superficiality and taken it as issue, I would have been up for it. However what it did was to romanticize this which really got on my nerves. Even towards the end Mi Jung and Ki Jung never admitted how mean they were to their parents who btw sacrificed so much for their kids and got nothing. The actors were good but the script lacked I guess.
I am choosing to remain silent for Mr Gu's character, period.
There was a concept of the Liberation club which was unique and intriguing, more became a club of people coming together, crying they have an issue (which btw the viewers were already aware before the formation of the club) and then nothing. What do you expect me to do? Empathize with random bunch of persons crying ?
Anyway if you want a good slice of life drama, there are way better ones out there. The very core of this drama was bs for me and would never recommend it in my sanity.
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When Springs Come, Will We Be Different?
My Liberation notes is a title that Park Hae Young has blessed us with after the stunning success of My mister. The drama follows the Yeom siblings and a mysterious but charming Mr Gu who all feel trapped in their lives waiting to be freed from the cycle of the mundane.I think what pulls people into this drama is the audience finding pieces of themselves in the 4 leads. From the lack of courage in Mi Jeong her introverted nature but her desire to stir up the courage to do things she never thought possible, To Chang Hee who feels like the world is always giving him the end of the stick and finding ways to chew our friend's ears off as we rant, to Gi Jeong who I hope I am as honest as not just to others but most importantly to myself and the loving Mr Gu who we want to be as mysterious as, where both of us wait for life to punish us at our highs so we don’t get caught off guard and end up worse than we were.
The drama does not come to deliver character development in the traditional way but to allow us to experience how people learn about themselves, through 4 seasons these characters experienced love, death, and loneliness and they fought battles only they could see. It dives into the value of introspection and hope for change. Even up until the last seconds as their pictures entered the screen, I could see them trying to overcome themselves daily, often failing but never giving up.
The cinematography was one of the most unflawed parts of this drama. Just a single scene with the bus as it came and went spoke volumes. From the farm where they toiled to the bustling streets of Seoul where loneliness was at its highest. Each scene stood out with and without dialogue because the perspective from which we watched it was that of great experience and beauty. The music and lighting added great effect to the storytelling of the drama, from angelic vocals to pure acoustic pieces that brought us close to experiencing what they did.
This is my perfect example of a comfort drama, although not perfect in terms of all terms the cast and crew created something that has taught, entertained, and comforted me even as I face the void that life had put me in. As they wake up, go to work, and come home you can see yourself in their little activities. It's them living their lives like each of us does working hard in jobs we don’t like and even if we do like them sometimes feeling underserved, overworked, underpaid, and just to wake up and do it again, why? Because you have to, you live your life just for the sole purpose of survival. I believe Park Hae Young decided to wake us up through this piece and ask us to pursue liberation, even if it feels like just 5 minutes of tiny little seconds of happiness and freedom, do it.
Did they get liberated? That’s for whoever is reading to find out as you watch this title. As for me, I will start my liberation journey and hopefully, see a change and feel that 5 minutes ever-growing each day.
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Good But Not Without Its Problems
I’ll be honest here. I definitely had mixed feelings before I started writing this review with what to put. I guess that I should probably start with my overall thoughts on the show.Personally I thought that ‘ My Liberation Notes’ was definitely well done from a screenwriting perspective . ( I mean what do you expect from the same writer of ‘ My Mister’?.) There was enough angst to pluck at your heartstrings but also a few opportunities here and there to explore lighthearted respite or focus on building up the characters as the plot went on.
HOWEVER, I have to say that while I honestly adore our main cast ( especially our main heroine played by Kim Ji Won) the show didn’t always possess a necessary spark for me in initial episodes. I’m not entirely what this was down to exactly. Maybe it was the acting slightly. That’s not to say that I thought the acting was bad at all. I was really impressed by the main cast as I said before and I can’t deny that Son Seok Koo really slammed the ball out of the ball pitch with his performance. ( Not a familiar face for me but I’m glad that ‘ My Liberation Notes’ has opened up my knowledge of some impressive actors)
Although while I do have a lot of things to praise by the acting here even I must admit early performances didn’t do a lot to really elevate these characters to life. To be fair I don’t think it was entirely the acting as pacing and writing maybe also played a key.
The first few episodes of the series were really bogged down on character introductions. I don’t think this is always a bad thing but rather than really giving us a lot of insight into the characters being built up, it felt a bit repetitive in this first part of the series before the action kicked off. Did I think this affected later episodes? Slightly. If I’m honest I thought that the second half definitely picked up and took note of these early mistakes but it didn’t always offer leeway to spicing things up. This isn’t to entirely be really negative though. I honestly did like how the plot panned out and the unexpected plot twists which played out here.
I’d say the filming was pretty good here. There were maybe a few moments here and there which felt as though they could’ve had a BIT more attention to detail but alongside the OST, I didn’t think this was entirely bad. Just a little incomplete in parts.
Overall thoughts; You can definitely tell this drama is cut from the same cloth as ‘ My Mister’ and considering it’s the same writer it is no surprise. I had my issues with writing and editing here and there but aside from my complaints, I thought that this was a surprisingly well balanced series with touching moments and intriguing characters. A strong 8.0/10.
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Good concept executed poorly
I know this drama is highly beloved by the people who've watched it. And I understand, there are certainly many parts of it that are lovable. However, I don't think it managed to carry the wheight of what they set out to do, all the way to the end. The beginning was brilliant, but ending did nothing for me personally.The best part about this drama was the acting. All the actors played their characters like they were real people. They all felt so incredibly real. Even when they said and did and thought things that didn't seem like someone would say or do or think in real life, they still acted it very believably.
I even enjoyed the overall concept of the drama. A story about ordinary people trying to make the best out of their own situation.
What made me dislike this drama however, is that too many episodes, especially in the middle, felt stagnant. They did not further the story very much, and was mostly the inner musings of the main characters. I understand some people like that, but I mainly watch dramas for the escapism. And there was very little of that in this drama. You can't fault it for its realism. But you also can't fault me for finding it very boring.
The final nail in the coffin was the ending though. The entire drama had about the same pace all throughout. But suddenly in the last 3 episodes or so they sped it up way too much. Entirely skipping over some important conclusions, to get to their final ending. I would much have preferred it if they'd shortened the middle part and lengthened the ending parts. That way it would have felt less boring during the middle, and less rushed at the end.
I understand why people love this drama so much. But I don't.
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i’m rooting for them!!!!!
this drama represents many people’s life; loneliness, desire to love and to be loved, mundane life, and lack of independence.i noticed that many people have different ideas of what love truly is. some said, “Why can’t these people live without love? Will they die if they are not dating?” well, love is not necessarily all about romance. it is a deep connection and affection between one individual and another individual — daughter & mother, son & father, you & your BFF, or you & your pet. you can even fall in love with your job. it is normal for us human to seek for love and companionship in life. if you’re not getting enough love from your family for instance, you might want to find love elsewhere.
i found myself rooting for all characters in this drama and want all of them to find happiness :)
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