Love Next Door (2024)

Everything feels forced

I was really excited to watch *Love Next Door* because it's by the creators of *Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha*, a drama I absolutely adored. So, I was surprised to find myself struggling to get into this one.

Almost every character seems designed to fit into predictable rom-com tropes, making the show feel too manufactured. There are very few moments that feel genuinely authentic. While I really admire Jung Hae-in as an actor, I’m starting to feel like rom-coms might not be his strongest suit—or perhaps it’s the writing in *Love Next Door* that’s failing to showcase his abilities in this genre. I also love So-min, but her characters overuse of bickering and shouting as comedic devices is starting to wear thin.

One scene that unfortunately stood out to me as cringey was when she "discovers" what she wants to do, and Hae-in’s character watches her smile, seemingly realizing he still "loves" her. The moment felt incredibly forced, rather than heartwarming or authentic.

Honestly, everything just feels forced and some scenes are overdramatic for no reason.

I’ll keep watching and hope for improvements, but I’m not feeling too optimistic about it so far, which is a shame.

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This show is not it

hate to be this person but i didn't like lnd that much! especially considering how extremely excited i was when the promos came out. The characters somehow felt flat. And oh gosh how mad i was towards seonghyu from ep 6-11 which is practically 40% of the time. Seonhyu knew that seokryu was suffering she already had smm on her plate. Despite knowing that he spoke harsh things to her why because he was confused w his own feelings? Which she didn't know and was not responsible for? She just went there to give food and he just went full ballistic mood. Secondly i hated how he completely avoided her during his 2nd time visit to usa, like bro cmmon she's your childhood friend before your crush gosh, and after learning that she had cancer he called her selfish in the playground!? When he knew she tried to contact him but he was the one to avoid her! Despite that he still had the audacity to yell at her??????I was so mad how she easily forgave him I love the ex more than him!! And their( ml and fml ) relationship... i still cant see them anything beyond being best friends. The transition was not great at all. The writer could've done better especially comparing to their other writing welcome to samdalri which also followed friends to lovers trope and that was sooo goood. lnd in comparison is such a disappointment for me! And personally, the proposal part was rushed like i get it you waited 10 years for her but dude she needs a break she just got off from her engagement, like breathe. I love love loveee the 2nd leads probably the reason why i continued watching this show. Im not the person to hate on a show, but this just was not it. I get the realistic atmosphere part, but i would've appreciate it if the plot was well thoroughly written. Yes, every show has flaws, but this one has too many to go unnoticed. ( no hate just a constructive criticism and pov dont hate me yall )

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Another bad k drama

People giving this a ten rating are crazy. Its one of the worst shows I've watched this year. The show has some good actors, but not 1 of them is putting on a good performance. I can't really blame them as the story is garbage from every aspect; the main lead romance, the second lead romance, the families, the friends, all boring with no chemistry. This year has been really bad for k dramas as the writing and stories have been subpar except for a couple of shows.

The male lead is completely unlikable, he's an emotionally stunted jealous child in a grown man's body. Besides his character being poorly written and unlikable, his forced acting is the worst of the bunch. This is the 3rd series I've seen him in and he doesn't have much range in his acting.

The female lead i loved in alchemy of souls, but add her to the list of bad performances.

I'm hate watching now hoping they all end up miserable, except for the daughter of the second male lead as she's the only character i like.

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Really really slow and ridiculous at the same time. . .

I'm finding the pacing and ridiculous story lines hard to stomach. The show has an identity crisis . . not wanting to be an indie slice of life, but not wanting glorious over the top drama style.

The only saving grace of this is the acting. But with every tragic event that can happen in ones life, happening to these 3 neighborhood friends, all in the space of a month, it's just hard to buy in. There is no realism in dynamics between family members or friends either. Adding to that, a romance that is moving at a glacial painful pace with no progress in decades, and still no progress episode to episode . . . I'm just not sure who is enjoying this.

I'm certainly not!

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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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An Endearing Romcom with Intriguing Characters

This show was so endearing, not just the storyline but also the characters!

“Love Next Door” quickly became my weekend fixation, the “Friends to Lover’s” trope doesn’t offer anything new. It has been overused so much, that you might wonder if this show is worth your time. Answering this question- Yes, it is. The enormous casting offers different plotlines, starting from our protagonists who have been next door neighbors and childhood friends forever. At times, it is the near ones that we take for granted. It is the same with Bae Seok Ryu, who has never considered the possibility of falling in love with her “FRIEND” Choi Seung Hyo. Jung Hae In & Jung So Min have the kind of indescribable chemistry which you get to see rarely; they embodied the nuances of their noisy, preposterous selves. The show is a light romcom which lays emphasis not just on the main leads but the strong friendship between their mother’s group. Friendship is the theme throughout; it could be our main protagonists and their own or the “Lavender” group who have been friends for almost 40 years.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/10/07/love-next-door-series-review/#more-1245

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The only thing I hate: waiting a week for the next 2 ep

Nothing to say, this drama so far is just refreshing and has the potential to be drama of the year or even more.

I just want to point out one thing: for all the people annoyed and bored by the scene where the mother is beating and being upset over the FL quitting the job and her engagement, I think you should know the basic info and cultural beliefs of a country before speaking.
This kinda of behaviour may seem odd and overreacting to your prospective but I think 99% of people saying it are not Korean. For sure that can be a little exaggerated (ps: it’s a drama, it’s supposed to not be bland) but that is how it works in Korea, you need to find a good paying job and a good partner to marry then you’re settle for life.
The other mother’s reaction says it all, parents raise you up since you were born so they expect to see their child to have a good and healthy life as an adult.

It’s not the first and it will not be the last drama that portrays Korean parents and their cultural beliefs like that so before blasting on the drama and who wrote the script like this, try to understand other culture’s differences.

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