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

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

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

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

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