Ongoing 16/16
reverie
46 people found this review helpful
Oct 5, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 4
Overall 3.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Hit show (Read with an "S" in the beginning)

Love Next Door attempted to blend several genres—romantic comedy, slice-of-life, and even elements of drama—but ended up feeling disjointed. The shifts in tone from light-hearted moments to more serious themes often felt jarring.
Additionally, with each episode running for 1 hour and 30 minutes, the extended runtime felt excessive for the plot being told. The pacing dragged, leading to drawn-out scenes that could have been condensed. As a result, what could have been a fun, engaging story turned into a tedious watch.



First of all, the good point about this drama is its lead actors. Jung Somin and Jung Haein are the only reasons people even fw this drama.


Love Next Door unabashedly positions itself as a romcom, yet the supposed "comedy" is conspicuously absent. For a drama that claims to reside within the romantic-comedy genre, it displays an alarming deficiency in humor, delivering not even a modicum of wit or levity. The comedic elements—if they can even be called that—are stale and unimaginative, often falling flat or feeling forced.


As for the romantic dimension, it was equally unconvincing. The connection between the protagonists lacked the effervescence and warmth typically seen in successful romcoms. The romance felt stilted, as though the writers were merely ticking off the requisite boxes without any genuine emotional depth or progression. What was meant to be a charming exploration of love unfolded as a mechanical, uninspired portrayal, devoid of the chemistry and playful banter that is the hallmark of the genre.

In Love Next Door, the writers tried to mix a slice-of-life and healing theme into the romcom, but they didn’t create smart or deep characters to make it work. Slice-of-life stories usually focus on real-life moments and personal growth, but the characters in this show felt simple and shallow. They didn’t have the kind of thoughts or emotions that would make these themes feel real.

The brother in Love Next Door was probably the only realistic character in the whole show. He reminds me of my own baby brother—super irritating.

The writers of Love Next Door completely squandered the undeniable chemistry between Jung Somin and Jung Haein. Their natural connection was one of the show’s greatest strengths, but the way the romance was handled left no room for it to fully bloom. By the time the female lead confesses her feelings, there was no anticipation or emotional tension left for the viewers to savor.

Love Next Door - somehow managed to ruin the best friends-to-lovers trope, despite the fact that it’s a genre that’s practically impossible to mess up. This storyline typically succeeds because of the natural, long-standing bond between the characters, filled with history and emotional weight. But the show turned what should have been a compelling transition into romance into a bland and overly sweet narrative that stripped the couple of any real depth.

The second couple had a lot of potential, but the writers seemed to focus too much on making them overly cute. This forced attempt at charm, unfortunately, drained their storyline of depth and left their relationship feeling bland. Their chemistry could have been explored in a more natural and compelling way instead of relying on repetitive cuteness, which, while endearing at first, lost its spark over time.


The mother of FL really does become insufferable as the show goes on. Initially, it felt like her strictness came from a place of tough love when she whooped the FL in the first episode. But as the series progresses, her behavior crosses into petty, jealous territory. She reacts negatively to almost everything, especially when it comes to her daughter’s happiness or independence.


The arrival of both exes, creating a love pentagon, significantly diminished the overall experience, even though the exes themselves were well-written characters. Instead of enhancing the storyline, their presence muddied the romantic focus and detracted from the chemistry between the main couple.

The sole indelible moment in Love Next Door was the poignant flashback of childhood, portrayed with remarkable authenticity by the child actors. Their nuanced performances elicited a sense of nostalgia and depth.

I thought this would be a drama where I would love the main couple but hate the story. However, it was so bad that I don’t even like the on-screen romance now.


Despite securing a prime time slot on tvN, Love Next Door underperformed compared to other dramas in that slot. While it maintained respectable ratings and often ranked first in its time slot, it didn’t reach the high ratings that many prime slot dramas typically achieve.This can largely be attributed to its underwhelming storyline and frustrating character arcs, which failed to engage viewers on a deeper level. The script lacked the dynamism and complexity needed to sustain a prime slot drama, leading to a disconnect with its potential audience.



It wasn’t the worst drama I’ve watched, but it’s definitely the most disappointing. The hype was high, especially with Jung Somin and Jung Haein.
It was profoundly disheartening to witness actors of Haein and Somin's caliber acquiescing to a script as lackluster as Love Next Door when they undoubtedly had more discerning options at their disposal. Their remarkable aptitude was regrettably squandered on a project that failed to exploit their full artistic potential.Ultimately, the writers must bear the brunt of the responsibility for failing to realize the potential of this ostensibly promising premise.

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Completed
Shinnosuke_Lee
9 people found this review helpful
Oct 6, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5

A Journey of FAMILY emotions, a tale of LOVE - A beautiful emotional ride.

remember this - the drama ( any drama ) reaches the heart only when you are immersed in the story; just watch and enjoy this drama.
Love Next Door is so beautiful, although this is a love story drama, but more like it's a pure family emotional drama to me. Once you start watching it you will be lost in its love, friendship drama & family emotions just like me who knows ^_^



review updating ;)
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Completed
biankaaa
54 people found this review helpful
Sep 16, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 3.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

plot that doesn't hold...

I like melodrama but this drama went from a romcom to a drama in 3 complicated episodes with little development. The couple's chemistry isn't the best either, the secondary stories are boring and don't hold the viewer in the slightest, was this supposed to be a bit like welcome to samdalri and queen of tears? it didn't work... Maybe someday I'll watch it again to see the outcome, but I confess that not even with all the fame of the drama and the actors made me want to stay to find out the rest..
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Ongoing 16/16
Alexia
35 people found this review helpful
Sep 29, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Skip this, they are so much better dramas than this

I really need to say this; ML parents are literally the cheap copy of ML and FL from queen of tears, kinda the same damn story in an older version.

14 episodes and it doesn't get any better.

I hate that they sold this as a "comedy" episodes 1-5 are boring and no, there is no comedy... episodes 6-8 (the only good thing is the second couple) but yes still boring but on an even worse level, episodes 9-10 TOO MUCH DRAMA and for what lol this stomach cancer trope was so unnecessary, episodes 11-14 finally ML and FL are together but the writing fails because we don't have a POV of FL and that makes it feel forced since in a lot of scenes I don't feel like she's in love... Anyways I'm still watching for the second couple because their chemistry is so much better and their history is so interesting and entertaining

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Ongoing 10/16
upysde_down
16 people found this review helpful
Sep 15, 2024
10 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

Episode 9&10 are Game changer.

Just watched 9th and 10th episodes. The story now makes much more sense. The writers were trying to keep things in suspense until now without revealing too much of the plot/events. Now that things aren't scattered and presumably clear, I feel this drama is making me stay. I've never seen a drama with Female Lead having a very important past relationship. Here she is trying to get over it. Usually Kdramas don't show Lead's love for the Ex, but this one did. Its nice to watch a real case scenario. I recommend atleast watching till 10th episode. Don't know where it'll go but I hope it exceeds my expectations( which are already pretty high).

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Completed
Sweet Savage
8 people found this review helpful
Oct 6, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 6.5

THE WHOLE DAMN PACKAGE: with a cherry on top? + REASONS YOU MIGHT DISAGREE/ HATE THE SHOW

Love next door is my 1st love of 2024 in drama land. With 2024 being a not so good year for dramas (really) I was almost giving up on 2024 to anticipate 2025. Until this show came into my screen.
I had not much expectations of it while seeing trailers and all. I was like, let's go in and see if we gonna drop this like many 2024 dramas I did. And a part of me felt like I would, but ep1 and 2. I took a seat. In the damn front roll!!

Love next door is a tale that brings together the theme of love, dreams, reality, friendship and family dynamic, comedy and healing to tell an exquisite tale.
One would think at first glance that it's a simple tale of two childhood friends turning into lovers. Like I did, but no. It was more than that. It was a tale that not only examines these two friends journeys to becoming lovers, but it bravely looks around these two. Investigating these two's family dynamics and how these dynamics shape them while also surveying their environments. Past, present and future. It looks at not only the relationship of these two but also the two family's relationship. Not on a subploty level, but on a grander scale.

PLOT
Plot wise, It's just one word. SOLID. Like I said the drama didn't take a simple ride on the park of turning friends into lovers. But it got brave and ambitious with its portray, and that did it Marvels. The plot could be seen as a slice of life at some level, one that aims at investigating the relationship between two friends, extending it to the families of these two friends and to the friends of these two friends and even the friends of the family of these two friends. The whole damn neighbour is not free from this splendid portray. It navigates the lives of the people involved in our leads lives, telling their distinctive stories, sprinkling realistic lives into them and using these intriguing characters to shape a grand tale. And like I say, we get our childhood friends to lovers as a theme, but also are given the opportunity to watch the tales around these two friends, family, work , friends. And see how these shape them.
With it's premiere, Most were looking forward to this being a typical ROM-COM. A fluff that focuses only on our leads who are friends falling in love. Those cliché. But I'm sorta happy these drama didn't do that alone. Honestly it'd get super boring. I appreciate the bravery of rather setting up a grander view of things with the characters ( leads and support) shaping the natural flow of the drama. It was nice.
I remember when people began panicking at some point of the show, hating on it when it took a rather serious turn and not being their typical ROM-COM. Well, I couldn't relate because that personally shaped the show so well in the drama. At that point, we got a major event that shaked our characters, bringing these contrasting emotions to play and rolled it towards a mutual understanding. A resolution that sent tears into our eyes. I cried indeed haha. And as the show progresses from there and we saw these characters become "one" and "get their healing" I couldn't help but express how beautiful it got. Each ep got beautiful and I cried in some EPs because it was just so beautiful.

CHARACTERS

The characterization in this show was chef's kiss! One of the strongest points to this show and one of my fav part. When I saw it was the same writer as the hit show hometown cha cha cha, I knew we were in for some solid characterization! And it didn't disappoint. Every character in this show stood out. From those with highest Screentime to least, they glowed. The drama dishes out a bundle of characters, solid in their characterization, and experiments throwing them together to make a relatable watch.
I think this drama did something that I really loved ( Although most probably didn't, ahem.. those looking for ROM-COMs lol) the drama didn't only bring characters ,but they brought Flawed characters. No character here is perfect. We're faced with flawed and relatable characters who merged to make a story. I personally loved all characters and related to all. They were written so well, so realistically. No villains, just real humans facing contrasting beliefs and shaping one another. Friends of opposing personalities and beliefs, families of different opposing problems, they merged to create a sense of real people, friends and possibly a heartfelt family to warm one's heart.
The drama throws these flawed characters at us viewers and watches how we, the audience view them. And our views will vary. Because for Me, I loved them. People hates some characters. (no spoilers) But to me that was just how the characters were written. it was serving a purpose and I liked that. Flawed. had their bad sides. Annoying sides, imperfect side

ROMANCE
The Romance was ADORABLE. I couldn't count how many times I fell off my bed giggling and rolling with the sweetness I got from them. Like omg, the sugar was due to hurt. Haein was super adorable here hahaha. It was refreshing to see him in this role.Our leads had that tension! They had that romance! I was rooting for them so bad. And you know slow burns really do burn when they do. Haha. Our 2nd couple were equally adorable omg. Cuties!! And not to mention our lead parents' romances. It was fascinating watching their romance develop after some cracks.

I enjoyed two Ost here. "What are we" and "Leave it all behind" I remember being obsessed with this song like I cry whenever they play it. It's so good!!

WHY YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE THE SHOW??

The show is a slice of life in my opinion. It's Character driven and not Plot driven

( character driven in the sense that The characters are core of the show and they move the show. they are the Plot and their lives are the plot. They influence external activities and it revolves around them While
Plot driven is basically external activities hitting the characters up and down left and right to squeeze out a storyline. Here there's something activity happening to move the show and not the character's characteristics)

with that being said. I feel that it's not for y'all then so perhaps try seeing if you'll like it when watching further or stop. because Maybe slice of life shows isn't it for you. because I've seen Many watch some slice of life and say it's boring. Yes the setup could be boring for most. Because Nothing is literally happening and you watching the characters lives. Thus in such case You'll have to LIKE THE CHARACTERS TO like the show. Because you're literally watching these characters lives. so if you don't like the character enough to want to journey with them for hours then it's a miss for you. you probably won't like the show. Just like here. So some , like me, like slice of life and some good character driven story. So hope this helps.

Overall I'm grateful to LND for bringing such an entertaining tale to our screen. The moments do waiting weekly for episode was a bliss. It really accompanied me through this weeks. and I hope anyone interested should give the drama a go. Irrespective of the negative comments ( which some are clearly forced) and see if they'll like it or not. Because in my opinion it's really a fascinating tale worth being checked out by all. But then again all is subject to their own opinion, so feel free to drop if it's not to your taste.

LND family, I'll really miss y'all.

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Ongoing 16/16
antonia101
28 people found this review helpful
Sep 22, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 3.0
Story 3.5
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 1.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

really boring

nothing to add to other not so good reviews, and sorry for the actors and their good acting, but frankly this is not a good drama, really really boring at its best.....there are serious communication problems in these drama scripts (is it done on purpose?) hopefully in the reality this shouldn't be like that. Had to skip episodes to expect something interesting to happen, but no....nothing going on except for the usual boring lines, easily expected. Terrible chemistry among actors, though they were good in their roles and can be forgiven...music was nothing special either

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Ongoing 10/16
RiyaGala
20 people found this review helpful
Sep 15, 2024
10 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 2
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10

the chaotic one

this drama is incredible, if you have a childhood friendship like this, the drama will surely bring back nostalgia to you, some episodes are very heartbreaking but at the same time some episodes are heartwarming. both the ml and fl are chaotic. i personally love this drma because it brings me back to my past. some dramas have such an effect on me and this is one of them. i hope you like this one🤞♥️
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Completed
Snozzberry Juice
7 people found this review helpful
Oct 29, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 5.0

OK For What It Is ....

I ran into this one based off all of the raving reviews and I should have known better.

As with all dramas, I go into one with zero expectations, because in most cases they're so predictable, I don't want to immediately be disappointed.

I was sold for the first 10 episodes, leading to the first kiss. After that, everything seemed to be messy. Focus became on all of the side characters so much, that I more invested in Mo Eum and Dan Ho's relationship than the actual leads. It honestly felt like it was bottom of the barrel scraping to get this drama to 16-episodes.

The acting was great for what the story was given. The over-exagferated proud parents, the long ago lovers. The actors portrayed them well and convincingly. Despite the messy story, the relationships were convincing, minus Han Joon Woo's portrayal of the ex. Something didn't fit with all the other characters.

"What Are We" by Ha Sung Woon and "Reaching For You" by ZEROBASEONE immediately went on my regular rotation. I loved the array of songs and how fitting they all tie into the drama.

If I did re-watch the drama, it would be ONLY to fast forward to Dan Ho and Mo Eum's relationship.

Overall, it was a drama with a lot of potential, but instead of pushing it in the focus of a the 30-year old romance we were all led to believe it was about, we were sent on a wild goosechase with all these other characters with a sprinkle of "Oh, here's the leads, but we lost the plot."

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Completed
Heracin
6 people found this review helpful
Oct 15, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Enjoyed the ride but will not make it into my top favorites rom-com if I'm honest

This rom-com series features one of my favorite trope: "friends-to-lovers". I really enjoyed the romance and all the build up that was made around the main couple, they successfully managed to make convincing the shift from friendship to romance. In terms of writing, the first half of the series is the most substantial one and clearly the most heavy.

There are a lot going on in the life of the various characters and I think that some stories have a strong resonating power and will not leave the viewer indifferent for sure. I enjoyed to dip my toes into slice-of-life territory with the characters but I regret also some shortcuts taken by the writing regarding some storylines. Despite that feeling, I think that pacing could have been tighter (with definitely shorter episodes) and that the overall drama could have benefited from some streamlining. I feel that the mix of genre between rom-com and slice-of-life elements could have been better balanced and spread through the duration of the series.

The acting was very good with solid chemistry from the two main leads. I really loved Jung Hae In and Jung So Min pairing, I will keep catching up on their respective works. The ensemble cast was pretty great as well: the actors and actresses playing the parents and neighbors really insufflated life in all the family background of the main characters. In terms of production and filmmaking, it is quite standard for a rom-com. I found it pretty and colorful but not really impactful. I have similar feeling regarding the OST, it is already fading away from my memory.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a rom-com with substance and good acting. If you enjoy slice-of-life stories, this might as well be a good fit for you. It is more heavy in terms of topics it approaches than the poster and title would left supposed. So if you are looking for simple fluff and light romance, it might not necessarily the one to pick. In my opinion, it is definitely worth a try despite some weaknesses in the writing.

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Completed
ltspada
5 people found this review helpful
Oct 26, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Friends to lovers a favorite trope. Sweet and heart warming romance

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 16, 70-80 minute episodes.

First, I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis


Bae Seok-ryu (Jung So-min) seems to be living the perfect life abroad as a upper manager in a global company.  Her career appers to be going well and she is doing well in her personal life with a prestigious international lawyer fiancé, Song Hyeon-jun (Han Joon-woo).  Her mother, Na Mi-sook (Park Ji-young) has a lot to brag about she feels to her friend and rival Seo Hye-sook (Jang Young-nam).  Hye sook is the mother of Seok-ryu’s friend, Choi Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-in), who she grew up with.  When Seok ryu decides to return to South Korea suddenly to “reset” her life, she finds herself interacting with Seung-hyo frequently as their mothers are friends and they are in the same social circles. Mi sook is not happy with her daughter’s decision to upend what she perceives as a perfect life path. Can Mi sook convince her family and friends she made the right choice? And what about her childhood friend who suddenly sees her as more?

Review

I read a lot of reviews before watching this and, there were a lot of positive reviews but there were also some more negative reviews. I have watched over 300 dramas now, mostly Korean but some Chinese, Tiawanese and Japanese dramas as well. I have watched all of the outstanding dramas so I am really picky when it comes to new dramas. But I loved this drama from start to finish. It has everything I love about a good drama. There are so many heartwarming moments with the family, the friendships, side romances, characters overcoming difficult situations, and of course, with the main couple that it is just a spectacular drama. I would watch it again, even seek it out, and I highly recommend it to anyone that is a fan of any of the actors (they all did outstanding, this type of drama, or are just fans of Korean drama in general.

Spoilers

Let me just say if you haven’t watch this yet and are looking at reviews to decide if you want to, I envy you. Because, if you decide to watch this, I think you will very much enjoy it. You could be among the few that enjoyed it less. But I can see why the majority that I read, really loved it.

It ends very happy. The main couple are together, obviously well on the path to marriage, but, more than that we can see what their future life will be like together. They have a little fight in the end and we see how they will come through conflict like that. All of the side romances are either together or you can see very easily where those relationships are headed. There are some sad moments, but we don’t live through the sad, it’s just telling what happened in the past with her illness. So, it’s what I like to call a happy sandwich. It starts happy, there is some sad event in the middle, but it ends happy. I do not like sad content and will avoid it like the plague but can deal with a little saddness as long as everything resolves and ends happy. I don’t need a rehash of life where that is not always the case, life is usually what I am trying to take a mental break from in watching dramas.

So many nice bonus romances in this. There is main guys mom and dad. Where she was an ambassador so focused on her career she forgot about her husband and son. They are on the verge of divorce, because they aren’t communicating what is really going on with either of them, and then she has that alzheimer/dementia scare that brings home what their true feeling for each other are. That family had to do so much healing and the drama did a great job of taking us on that journey. Surprisingly the mom Seo Hye-sook (Jang Young-nam) was one of my favorite of the older, female characters.

Lead female character’s mom, Na Mi-sook (Park Ji-young) and her emergency medical technician (EMT) friend’s mom, Do Jae-sook (Kim Geum-soon) were what, through so many dramas, we come to expect with a drama mom. They are hyper controlling of their child’s lives even into their 30s. I do not know how true to the culture that is. Asian friends have told me their moms are like that but I don’t know if that is still super prevalant. I found lead female’s mom infuriating at times. Even I, sitting in the 4th wall, knew there had to be something more to the female lead’s sudden return thatn just a “reset”. So the way she treated her, when she first came back, seemed abusive. But, it was a true character type. I knew an American mom that was very much like her. She so did not want her children to make the mistakes she made in her life, that she was completely intolerant of them trying anything remotely similar. They feel like they know the outcome. But two people can do the same thing with different results. It is just harder when you watch one of your children roll those type of dice.

I thought the romance between Jeong Mo-eum (Kim Ji-eun), and (Kang Dan-ho) was on par with the main romance. Not quite as good but reqlly close. She always liked superheroes and the whole “Mudflats Man” concept was cute. They were really very much alike. It was such a wonderful story and the thought they would both be raising the little girl was very wholesome. I felt annoyed when Moeum’s mother was originally opposed to their relationship and even a bit cold to the little girl, but was glad she quickly came around.

I don’t have to spend too much time on just how endearing lead guy was. One of my favorite tropes is the friends to lovers trope because friendship builds such a strong base for a relationship. He was just so there for her it was completely sweet to watch. Yeah he had that error, where his jealous feelings got the better of him and she was reaching out to him during her cancer and he was ignoring her. But he didn’t know she had cancer and she seemed to be clearly with someone else. In a lot of other dramas that would be second guy. Second guy who is her friend, but has feelings for her, but then always misses the timing to tell her. Then, when he tells her, it is too late. What we essentially got to see was second guy successfully get the girl. And I love that. Sweet, loyal second guy is usualy the loser in those situations. It just doesn’t feel as much like he is second guy because we only see her relationship with her ex fiancé in flashbacks. I love the actor. He has the smiliest eyes. And he just portrayed all the emotions so well

I loved Jung So-min in “Alchemy of Souls” so I am biased that it will be good whenever I see her in something. And this did not disappoint. The way she brought out all the emotions in a character that went through something like she did, and the ways she showed the hidden love with lead guy blossom, I loved every minute of it. She is one of my favorite Korean actresses.

The friendships was what set this apart from a mere fuzzy feel good, no depth romance. Thise long standing, with you through it all friendships is the type of connection we all aspire to. The dads were funny drinking buddies. The moms were as volatile as you would expect with a group of close female friends. Watching the bromances and female friendships was like flavorful icing on an already delicious cake. You think you do not want or need it but it is there and it is nice.

This is the type of drama that, when it ends, you miss people that don’t even really exist. It makes me understand, a little, how the actors may feel as they dive into a character and interact for months in another world. As they bring it out and we are feeling all the emotions of events they have to play that through their actual emotions too. I imagine this was a harder one for them to move past as it was so immersive. So I am always so thankful when there is a good drama to everyone that worked so hard to make it possible. I saw an interview with Jung So-min where she talked about this and how much she enjoyed acting with Jung Hae-in and it showed. I though they had amazing chemistry and could see them as a real life couple.

When we learned the real reason she had suddently departed the United States and returned to South Korea, it was such a highly emotionally charged moment. The writers and actors did an exceptional job of illustrating how each family and friend would feel when something that important was kept from them. And yet they were able to make us understand why the main character would have withheld that, in that moment. I wish they had heard more on the way they treated her as someone beneath them because she was a foreigner. Only lead guy really knew that. Because for her to work through not only the fight for her life with cancer but that completely toxic work environment, it was a wonder she didn’t break sooner.

I thought I was going to dislike her ex fiance, Song Hyeon-jun (Han Joon-woo), but was pleasantly surprised I did not. At first I was annoyed he pursued her to South Korea. How dare he come disrupt this beautiful relationship. But, as they built their back story, and he revealed his character it was evident he was not a bad guy, she had just unknowingly had been in love with main guy nearly her whole life. The way he let her go without bitterness showed that he did love her enough to just want her happiness. Same with lead guy’s ex girlfriend, Jang Tae-hui (Seo-hyo). At first I am like who is this love killer but they told their backstory and why she liked him as much as she did that I understood. She also let go of him at the right time and exhibited that she loved him enough to want him to be joyful.

#LoveNextDoor #JungSoMin. #ParkJiYoung. #JangYoungNam. #JungHaeIn #HanJoonWoo #KimGeumSoon #KimJiEun #YoonJi-on

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Dropped 12/16
ryoato
46 people found this review helpful
Aug 22, 2024
12 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 8
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

you have been warned...

This drama isn’t that special. It’s got an amazing cast, but the story isn’t doing anything new or having anything else to offer for it other than the cast that portrays what is happening. I fear this one is one of those cases of being hyped up for the cast, and it’s not me discrediting them, but all the pieces have to fit together for this to really be that good.. and the ratings on here are waaayy higher than this deserves. It’s a bit maddening, just because of how normal this drama is, and how the good reviews make me wonder what I’m missing?

I can’t find the specialness here? The first episode is really boring, and sets up what we know in the trailer. It’s a drama that doesn’t need nearly this much time to tell a childhood friends to lovers.. unless it adds something else.. but my attention isn’t being grabbed nearly that well to fully want to get myself into this drama.

The supporting casts drags this story through the mud, and it’s frustrating to see. I really don’t like the mother characters hitting their children and for that to be played off as a joke? Just because the FL isn’t engaged anymore or doesn’t have a job.. the mother is horrible to her. I don’t get why people would want to watch something that frustrating. The FL doesn’t stick up for herself and drags the ML into it for some reason.. a lot of little plots here and there don’t make sense. The writing is below average because of this, and it gets quite annoying seeing these seasoned actors say such things.

Like Alchemy of Souls had romantic comedy elements and it was great! So it’s not Jung So-Min, it’s her character and the attitude given to the character. I get development is one thing, and you need to start from somewhere.. but to start her off it’s just written so poorly and wastes its time then. She is someone who can’t explain herself and is a bit annoying because it’s frustrating to have someone sit back and run away. The flashbacks shown are with her and her childhood friend, whose relationship seems so lonely. Like you see them interact as children and with other characters that just aren’t character? the children characters are filler and it makes this drama seem all the more like a set cast and not real people. I get that it’s not real, but it is portraying a story in a realistic setting so come on. Match things up here and there, and maybe that’s too much to ask for the first handful of episodes.. I just have seen dramas have stellar first episodes and instead this is just so boring and cliche.

Female lead comes back after years, meets childhood friend.. it goes from there. Her brother is pretty fun, I always like sibling relationships.. but it’s immature to me seeing how they act with eachother and they are both adults. It just is unfunny.

The ML I can’t say much of his character besides the intro that his mother had for him. It’s honestly so laughable that’s all I got. I doubt this one will get better and people will flood it with good ratings just because it’s pretty? But the cinematography isn’t amazing, and for a romantic comedy it’s just not doing anything new or interesting. I’m really serious with that, this drama is frustrating and I dislike all the characters because of the fact they are caricatures of tropes without being self aware. It is hard to watch but here I am.

To fix this it could have more heart, and not be so blatant with the parts it wants to tug are your heartstrings. Everything here panders to the audience. Like I’m too stupid to sit and think why something is sad or why it’s funny, the effects and music are over the top and the directing is as well. The characters are so unrealistic with their actions, especially with how immature they are as people, with each other.. goodness. Do people act like this? Do people tug at each others hair and tackle eachother? Adults? No… like maybe in a high school drama, but this is about adults? Not that adults can’t have fun but people have consciousness and the general knowledge to not act stupid, have some sense of shame.. stuff like that.

Instead here it is nonsensical, poorly written, over acted, not my cup of tea. I just don’t find this funny, instead I’m frustrated at the idea of how a drama with this premise is being told like this? Is it an unrequited love, childhood friends to lovers.. the direction they took it is comedy and it’s just not funny and instead boring and pandering to be funny. It sets up the relationship too quickly so it drags out because of that. I’d rather have balance here and there, where they pause and reflect seeing eachother again, instead of the out of touch reactions to get a laugh. They are just way too comfortable after not seeing eachother for years..

For a romantic comedy it’s got to have some ‘drama’, fantasy element, something over the top hilarious to make it fun. Here there is nothing that is that funny to me. I’d prefer a story like this told from another perspective where it’s more grounded. The FL sees the reality of a failed marriage and lost job, reconnects with her friends and family realistically without forced conversations and comedy. Extraordinary Attourney Woo would be a better approach, have a slice of life with methodical story beats, the woman comes back and has a process to regain some balance in her life. Coming back to her family for their stability and love she didn’t get from abroad, have it go by each day and separate story and she meets her childhood friend through chance instead of him just being there.. like make the guy swoon worthy. Make the ML a puppy dog that is loyal and believes in her when her ex didn’t. Goodness, I can’t believe this drama but I’ll keep watching!!


Yet unfortunately but not surprisingly the writing gets worse every episode. They have subplots for the sake of filling time, make characters do stupid things.. nothing amounts to anything in this drama. So in the end it gets worse each episode and is just plain dumb! Don’t ask for more reasoning. I spite myself for giving this drama any time of day after the first twenty minutes. LA DOES NOT HAVE SEASONS

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  • Score: 8.3 (scored by 30,828 users)
  • Ranked: #945
  • Popularity: #175
  • Watchers: 61,481

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