Slow burners, and friendship lovers, this will definitely appeal to you!
I've watched all 3 episodes and all I have to say is that the show has been amazing so far. The show highlights friendship immensely and has undertones of romance within the ML and FL's actions! I love friendship in K-dramas, especially the "childhood friends" trope when done right. This show captures the trope beautifully, displaying it's highs and lows naturally. Not to mention, it is very refreshing to experience the pacing of the show. As a slow burner, I love the pacing of the show, as it allows me to adjust to the characters first, as well as that it's healthy and the show isn't overwhelming you with a majority of topics right off the bat. The show moves at a pace that is very comfortable, and easy-going. I also have to say that this show is quite realistic and aligns with the struggles that most face today, ranging from undecided dreams to stagnant positions in life. Overall, it is fresh and truly a spectacular show from what I've watched so far. I can't wait for the next upcoming episodes!Was this review helpful to you?
I consider the FL a passive toxic personality. I pity her family, her ex and her oblivious best friend who fantasizes having a relationship with her. The FL would be better off alone raising cats for the rest of her life. Her haughty and condescending behavior along with her manic depressive behavior makes for an interesting combination to say the least.
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❤️ Love Next Door ?
Eomma Chingu Adeul is a multigenre drama that does justice to each and every genre it tackles. It incorporates some of the most used cliche tropes of 2024, yet they are executed and concluded in a highly satisfying way, delivering meaningful life lessons. Whether its the terminal illness trope, quitting a job due to depression, the childhood friends-to-lovers arc or the exes storyline, each one is handled in a gratifying manner. Many shows i have watched this year that use these tropes tend to disappoint but this drama managed them far better.The chemistry between the leads is exceptional. From the very first scene, they felt so natural together, as if they truly were childhood friends, the kind of vibe that made their bond believable. As the episodes progressed, their connection only grew stronger. There were plenty of ups and downs in their relationship but everything was justified. The progression of their relationship felt smooth. While some might say Seokryu jumped into a new relationship rather quickly after her breakup, i think the buildup was convincing, so it didnt feel strange at all.
The acting was phenomenal, especially from Jung Somin. She was incredibly natural in every scene, whether it was emotional, happy or sad. She absolutely killed it. Other actors like Jung Haein and Kim Jieun also impressed me. The supporting cast, who are veteran actors, delivered solid performances as expected. I never got a fake or forced feeling from anyone’s acting.
This slice of life drama excellently portrays the different phases of life in a highly believable way. Each storyline is given proper buildup and a satisfying conclusion, all while teaching that life is about growth. Every character has their own story to tell. The leads and secondary characters are depicted with their flaws, just like real people. I appreciate that the drama didnt idealize the lead characters like many others do. Here, they are shown with both their strengths and weaknesses and every action they take has a reason behind it. The more you try to understand things from their perspective, the more you will enjoy their stories. Whether its the parents, the brother or the leads themselves, each one follows their own moral compass. At times, you will see the parents at fault, while at other times, you will understand that Seokryu made mistakes by not being honest with them. Once you grasp where they are coming from, the show becomes even more meaningful.
Friendship and family are the highlights of this drama. Whether its the bond between the four neighborhood ladies or between the three leads, these relationships are cherished, though they also go through their ups and downs. The same applies to family dynamics.
The slow burn romance is executed perfectly. Waiting 10 episodes to finally see the leads romance unfold was worth it. Their sweet relationship, which began after weathering the storm, made it even more enjoyable. The show does an excellent job of handling the angst between episodes 6 and 10 and then giving plenty of time for their relationship to flourish from episodes 11 to 16, with plenty of sweetness. Most romance dramas fail at this, introducing conflict in the last two episodes, which often results in a rushed ending. But here, it doesnt feel that way at all.
I have watched plenty of romance or romcom dramas this year but honestly, this one has the most meaningful script. While there are a few romance/romcom dramas i liked more, i cant deny that this one has a solid story and script. There is so much depth to the characters and the story that the more you think about it, the more fresh perspectives you gain on various aspects of life.
All things considered, i would give this a solid 9.5/10. It satisfied me from start to finish and i even enjoyed the angsty phase between episodes 6 and 10, which was disliked by many viewers of this drama
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Not Good Not Bad!
When I started this drama, I had very high hopes. And to be very honest the first few episodes did match my expectations. It was all light hearted until the FL reveals she had a terminal illness and the SML comes into the scene.I'm not saying this drama is boring, however it is over complicated. The FL has so much on her plate, the ML has his own problems and then there are family problems. It's sometimes, too much.
I'll first start with the ML. He has feelings for the FL since he was a teen. Now that sounds so wholesome. However it seems like he has forgotten his feelings and now that the FL is back his feelings are back as well. This isn't impossible but somehow doesn't sit right with me. Felt like he only loved her till she's in front of his eyes. But his feelings were genuine and sincere.
Now comes the FL. I have major problems with her character. She takes the ML as her friend only. But out of a sudden she has feelings for him which felt too forced. In the initial episodes it is implied that the SML cheated on her, however, he doesn't. Instead he took care of her and was the only person to be with her during her tough times. However, she leaves him just because of a little outburst due to frustration. I mean it is understandable that she was hurt but doesn't mean she would end things like that when he was the only one she relied on during her illness. The SML felt more of a victim than her.
But even after all of this, she doesn't seem to move on from the SML. She cries for him, she misses her moments with him as well as she even relies on him when in pain. She cries when he leaves but boom the next day she has feelings for the ML. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!?? She even accepts that herself that it was too fast.
One more thing I felt was that she didn't love the ML as much as he loved her. The ML continuously tries to make their relationship official and tell their parents but she stops him everytime until their parents catch them.
It was all over supposed to be a light hearted drama but it had too many flaws according to me. The leads were great as friends but fell apart as lovers. The SFL and her partner's relationship was much more interesting. However I must appreciate Jung Haein and Jung Somin for their great acting. The script and the direction needed to be much better.
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Lovely Runner's Shadow
This drama was hyped to be Lovely Runner's successor, but I'm not sure that was the right PR move or successful. Lovely Runner was unique because it had the same 2016-esque cringe element (not a bad thing). This can only be replicated if you don't care how it looks or how silly you think it is. Love Next Door was too tame, too safe to have the same elements that Lovely Runner did. No matter how you look at it, Love Next Door was too much in the shadow of Lovely Runner.Love Next Door had a star studded cast, but the script was so so so safe. There was nothing unique about it (aside from maybe the second lead couple). Tropes are not necessarily a bad thing, but it has to be done right. The first episode was fine, but as it went on, it becomes clear that it was never a true enemies to lovers or even a best friend to lovers. Love Next Door occupied this weird in between that lacked chemistry. I didn't feel any sizzle at all. I was more invested in the second lead couple because they had more chemistry.
As far as script and logic goes, the use of cancer as a convenient excuse was overdone. Sure, they foreshadowed everything properly, but it felt so surface level. A lot of the interactions felt half done. I can't quite pin it but there was just something incomplete or missing from this drama. Someone pointed it out earlier in the comments section, but I didn't realize it until later. The progression from friends to the confession then them getting together and then the last episode had no tension or suspense. It was pretty bland.
All in all, it was a decent drama. It could have been worse. Yet, because it was so unremarkable with such a well-known cast that it makes it all more disappointing.
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I liked them all less and less
Slight Spoiler at the end.So Min and Hae In are both actors that I appreciate and are enough of a draw that I will attempt any of their shows.
I actually made it quite far into this one before stalling on episode 10. The main reason? I didn't really like any of them.
Seok Ryu probably ended up with at least my sympathy but Seung Hyo got me to the swearing at the screen stage.
Indeed by episode 10 I was FFing past everything but So Min - the Ajummas? the sets of parents? the architect staff, the second couple, the son all got a big fat 'who cares' from me. They were all so seen it before one dimensional fillers that I didn't need to pay attention to understand their roles. The teapot lady and the ex were equally meh.
the secondary couple were just so squeaky and twee with no jeopardy that I didn't care about them at all and why was she so obsessed with the kid?
The chemistry between the leads was also lacking which really put the nail in it for me, very disappointing. I got to episode 10 and and didn't get any feeling of love from them.
I found the music terribly wishy washy and 'nice' and turned the sound off on a couple of occasions when it started to bug me.
I may go back and finish it but I may not. Looking at the directors shows I get the feeling his style isn't for me only Oh My Ghost stands out as above average.
***spoiler if you go through a traumatic experience and someone you care about finds out after the fact
Making it about you in a non judgemental way = yay nice person
Making it about themselves and their feelings and attacking you for not considering their feelings = bunch of twats.
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I cannot watch anymore of this.
I don't even know what to say if I'm being honest.It started great. It had been a while since I last watched a K-drama, so I felt very excited watching the first episode, then things started going downhill FOR ME the moment it was revealed to us that the ml likes the fl. I understand why he's reluctant to tell her how she feels, but I've seen this story A BILLION times before! Moreover, I don't like how he started treating her like trash in order to distance himself from him, in response to having realised his feelings. The worst part is that the FL just kept taking all his BS and kept chasing after him, I understand why she did that, but personally, it's not something I intend to tolerate any further.
Another reason why I have decided to drop this show is because of the same old tactic - throwing in exes whenever the candle won't burn any longer. Like, please, can we move on from this guys?
I normally prefer to complete shows whether I like it or not, but at the moment I'm too irritated to do so. I will most probably finish this drama at some point, considering that, as a serial K-drama binger, there's nothing else for me to watch lol, I may even have much better things to say about this drama when I have reached the end. However, at the moment, I'm considering dropping it for a while.
Note: This is not to say that the whole show is completely terrible, as I have not watched all the episodes yet. I may even be venting out all the frustration shared by many viewers at some point who have good reviews of the show. Therefore, watch it or not? It's 50/50.
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You need to use the right ingredients for a food, and it was missing from this drama!
Everything started out good, until the cancer plot! The writer ruined the whole show with that storyline. Why? Well, because it doesn't make sense at all. She said, they removed 70% of her stomach, but we have never seen her struggling with her illness more than once, and that was all about a stupid love triangle as well! I'm pretty sure we've seen her eating food that she shouldn't eat. Anyway, it wasn't realistic.
Their chemistry was great as friends, but after they became a couple, it was awkward most of the time. When they were bickering, it was fun, but all the unnecessary drama was frustrating.
For me, the secondary couple was 10 times better! It was more realistic and original.
The story with the parents was also madness, but sometimes, it was really fun, until they included Alzheimer storyline, and they didn't do anything with that either.
This show don't deserve a high rating, because it feels like the writer wanted to do so many things, but other than the romance plot, she didn't finish anything else.
EVERYONE in this show is CRAZY and an IDIOT! The only character with a functional brain is the little girl.
I want to mention this, because the main plot is basically the romance. All of these characters are 30+ year olds, yet, they're still acting like teens. I usually don't care about these things, but the kissing scenes were boring, so to speak. I don't even know if we can call those real kissing scenes.
Most of the time, the writing was over the top, and too much!
So yeah, it was a disappointment, BUT if you don't think about the plot too much, it's a fun show, but forgettable.
If you watched one romance Kdrama, they won't surprise you. I knew what's gonna happen from miles away. One of the most predictable show.
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Lost interest
[Updated] Wanted to like this one but lost interest halfway through. The reasons:1) The acting's great, the leads are good together and the mom group is interesting, but
2) The side stories are forced and formulaic filler with zero character development
3) There's a bit of over-acting
4) Too many annoying flashbacks
5) Typical character setup: overbearing mom/pliant dad; ML is sure, successful and has annoying assistant/FL is lost, searching and has bubbly side friend
6) Typical kdrama plot habit: they start off light, airy and funny and then halfway through the "dark and tragic past" backstory kicks in and they get all dark and depressing
7) [Update] Gave it another couple episodes and saw yet another annoying trope: hiding their relationship from everyone for no justifiable reason.
I was forcing myself to watch by episode nine and once I hit that point it's just work and not a fun watch. YMMV.
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The 3 ep
I have been watching this drama with my friends on weekends. I watched three episodes in one go. This is a Korean drama full of warmth and romance. The story revolves around the relationship between the heroine and the son of her mother's friend, full of the fireworks of life. Although the hero's styling in the play is a little bit not so good-looking, the plot in the second half is still quite attractive.The plot is novel and real. The heroine reunites with the hero in the ups and downs of life. The setting of childhood sweethearts makes their feelings have both sweet memories and realistic collisions. The two people have known each other from childhood to knowing each other and falling in love as adults. Every stage is delicate and moving. The portrayal of family relationships in the play is also very profound. The contradictions and reconciliations between the heroine and her mother show the complexity and warmth of family affection.
The actors performed well and interpreted the emotions of the characters vividly. Their interaction is natural and smooth, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in their stories, worry about their love, and be moved by their growth. At the same time, the production of the series is also very sophisticated, with beautiful pictures and music that sets off the atmosphere just right.
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Wholesome but boring
This drama started out strong and I liked both leads very much and found them charming. However, as it reached the middle to end, it dragged on way to much and had too much filler to be enjoyable. I initially dropped it on ep 10, but came back and forced myself to finish it and hated every minute. The last 6 or so eps ruined any enjoyment I found in the previous eps because it was so boring and unnecessary to drag the story on that much. I so wish this drama was shorter, if it was condensed into 10 eps I would have loved it, but sadly it was not and it ruined the entire story for me.Was this review helpful to you?
