Imitation (2021) User Reviews

Fast Paced, touching upon many idol life aspects

[TYTrack127 · 8/10 · 9 August 2021]

The cast boasts of a very varied and impressive idol cast with a very seasoned FL. However the idol actors take away the show and the Female lead is left lacking and at times either over acting or under acting.

The story touches upon many aspects of the idol career but somehow ends up drawing everything to a romantic angle which aren't completely required. The kiss scenes are cringey at the least and the chemistry between the leads end up lacking. The ML does and amazing job but the FL can't keep up.

The drama could have been kept longer than 12 episodes so that they could hash out the side stories because they had so much potential, in many places much more than the main storyline of the FL&ML. The suicide story line was very well done and Chani again while being a supporting actor becomes the main character and holds the whole storyline.

The cast as we can see are mainly idols ( baring two characters) and are able to flesh out those characters very well

Ryok - Jun - U kiss La Rima - Jiyeon - T ara Yujin - Yunho - Ateez Hyuk - Johngo - Ateez Se young - Seong hwa - Ateez Min soo - San - Ateez Eunjo - Chani - SF9 Lee hyeon - Hwiyoung - SF9 Hyun oh - Su Wong - Boys Republic

Ri ah - Minseo - Superstar K7 participant Doojin - Yuri - Produce 101 participant

The only two idols in the show who aren't really idols in real life are the FL and the Shax leader. It's very evident in the way they perform, both while singing and dancing. The Shax leader can get off with it because they try not to focus on him during the performance shots but with the FL they have to show her no matter how much they try to avoid it during the performances. And it makes it very evidently awkward.

While I like the whole drama and the acting, in my opinion they could have done with a different female lead because even though most of the cast idol actors they genuinely overshadowed her by miles. Also while she's cute and all she doesn't give off that idol vibe. No bashing on her, she's an amazing actress in the other roles she has done but this role didn't suit her.

Tackles serious subjects with a delicious spoonful of Idol sugar.

[Jodie_ds · 9/10 · 17 June 2021]

While you don't have to be a fan of actual K-pop idol groups to enjoy the show, having just a bit of knowledge really does make all of the subtext and in-jokes so much better!

Pretty much all of the actors are existing members of groups, or have been at sometime. There is so much joy involved in watching them perform as characters rather than as their standard on-stage personas, as most of them have been cast opposite to their usual 'type'.

There is also the meta aspect of them representing an industry that has truly had issues with how trainees and artists are treated. This meta becomes a major part of the narrative dynamic, but they also have fun with it. Eg. Going on real talk shows as their Imitation character, and then as the characters commenting that they only know cover dances from the band that they actually truly belong to (!) or releasing character'fan-cam' videos on real YouTube channels.

The only bad thing about the show? It's only releasing one episode a week! It's absolute torture to have to wait a whole week and only get one hour at a time in this fabulous world.

Very interesting, touching and timely

[mrbigmann · 10/10 · 18 May 2021]

I love Imitation so much. First episode and I already cried so much. This is such an eye-opener that the world of K-pop isn't all about fame and glamor. They go through so much to get somewhere, and that's if they're lucky and mad talented. If not, they just disappear into oblivion. :'( I'll keep watching this because of ATEEZ and I love all the cast, and everything. Fighting!

This one will keep you hooked to the screen, amazing talented young cast.

[hanalisss · 10/10 · 6 September 2021]

Before I started I wasn't expecting this at all.

This drama is so interesting, the pace and rhythm are just perfect too, nothing feels rushed but the plot keeps dragging you into the story and you won't be able to leave it.

The drama tells the tough life young artists have to live in South Korea to get to the top and be successful ( if they even achieve anything).

The life of a trainee starts too soon, requires too may hours of continuous work and endless sacrifices. It tackles for example the lack of freedom and how ruthless the fandom in those societies is, being able to e control many aspects of the idols lives and even put a end to their career if they feel wronged by them. Very scary.

It is a very enlightening drama and I felt every emotion watching it, very enjoyable.

It has comedy, drama, romance, friendship and very nice performances. The fact That most of the cast is actually an idol in different groups is very refreshing, what a bunch of very talented young actors.

I recommend it 100%.

it's not as good as people make it out to be

[Jongho-is-my-Daddy · 4/10 · 27 July 2021]

The story doesn't really hit hard for me. The drama is supposed to be about the hardships of kpop idols, but it barely shows any of that. The "only" time it showed that is when annie commits in the first episode. It would've showed more if tea party was in a more controlling company, but they go to the most privileged company out there. Everything else that is supposed to be showing the hardships is just a short dancing montage that doesn't really effect the actual story. So that kpop hardship thing goes out the window for me. For the story itself, the romance comes so unnaturally and so fast its unreal. The acting is not really good. The scenes come out so forced and cringey. They dont emphasize the "imitation" a lot. The only time they do, is in the first few episodes. Most of the reason why people like the drama is because of our idols playing in the drama, but the drama itself isn't really good.

Do watch it fella

[adhiradhatrak · 10/10 · 24 July 2021]

Since I am Atiny, I checked this drama for ATEEZ members but while reaching till the end, I fell in love with all the other idols featured The story is great and exciting to watch.. Don't miss it Have a great day.

There are better dramas out there

[fffflora · 5/10 · 8 July 2021]

It started out promising but progressed very slow, and when the leads finally kinda got together their relationship was unrealistically fast out of nowhere. Lots of mistakes/holes too, such as why did the FL cut her hair short only to suddenly start wearing poorly done tacky extensions all the time? They never explained this. Acting isn't great either. Sorry to disappoint but really a subpar drama.

So Good!!!

[reviverinpink · 10/10 · 4 September 2021]

A must see kdrama if you're passionate about music (KPOP), dance, and finding who you are/your identity. I loved this!

I'm having so much fun!!

[emilybelenkzm · 10/10 · 17 May 2021]

The 2 episodes so far have been awesome!! It's my first time ever watching a drama and I'm having so much fun!! Besides, i really like how they're showing idols behind the scenes, I'm expecting a lot from imitation!!

Why should I have to wait a week....?

[ilovemywheezy · 9/10 · 17 May 2021]

The production value is great and the actors are really a good fit for their parts. Because I am super into multiple idol groups, it is common to notice certain aspects and become familiarized with how things work. The highs and lows of the industry are displayed in just the first episode and it grips your heart, it's captivating! The actors being idols themselves really drives home the point. I read the Webtoon and although I see how things have turned out in advance, they've changed up a bit in the first two episodes and that makes it more interesting-I can't wait to see how things will further develop(away from the web drama storyline). This is a well put together show and I'm already hooked,two episodes in. It's so good I disl!ke having to wait a while week to watch.

a disappointment

[daniela-almeida · 5/10 · 7 September 2021]

The story itself is interesting, however there is no chemistry between the two main characters, both need to improve their performance as actors a lot.

Must Watch!!!!!!

[sarawon · 10/10 · 5 September 2021]

You shouldn't let this pass, just check it out its really excellent.

Not Good Enough

[PennyReviews · 3/10 · 21 August 2021]

Korean Drama 'Immitation' is an idol drama with a predictable story that almost brings to mind old dramas.

The story is a love story along with some details on idol life as well as the struggles of the trainees. The love story was from cheesy to boring to idiotic. There were no surprises and the whole thing just lacked chemistry and romantic vibes. The side couples were underdeveloped and rushed. But, probably the mystery of the disappearing member and the whole industry corruption had depth. Unfortunately, the drama only presented those superficial, focusing on the love story. The love triangle, moreover, was boring and did not add anything to the love story, only to the dynamics of the girl group. As for the characters, though the actors and actresses had enjoyable performances and presented their characters decently, were mostly annoying and frustrating.

So, overall, three out of ten.

Dark story of K-pop industry is revealed!

[Watashiwanayaa · 10/10 · 9 October 2021]

This dra showed us how dark and dangerous K-pop industry is! They just don't respect their artist and think of them money making machine!! This drama need more appreciation for bringing up this side of Ki industry!! And acting was really good if every actors actresses!!

Such an Excellent Drama

[jerryjose-24501 · 10/10 · 20 August 2021]

Why such low rating guys? Did you watch this one or u just saw the teaser trailer??

Great Slice of Idol/Trainee Life

[leahcubed · 9/10 · 22 February 2023]

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean romantic drama with 12, 60 minute episodes. It is based on a webtoon of the same title.

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis This is a slice of life drama about the music industry that follows struggling artists from their trainee time through finding success or struggling to get their big break. The lead female character, Ma-Ha (Jung Ji-So) is a hard working trainee who has relentlessly pursued her dream of going on stage with a group. She was on the verge of debuting when tragedy struck and her and her fellow group members were literally pulled off their debut stage. Trying make a break for herself she is doing side shows where she imitates her idol, Ri-Ma (Park Ji-Yeon) who doesn't take the imitation as a compliment. Ma-ha gets a sudden second chance at debuting with her original debut group. CEO Ji-Hak (Danny Ahn) has a reason for giving the the trio a second chance which is slowly revealed through the series. The new group, which they title Teaparty is being funded in a very unique way, they are salaried at first. The other two group members, Ri-A (Minseo) and Hyu n-Ji (Lim Na-Young), had been undergoing hardship as well since their failed debut but they all stayed together even being roommates. Ma-ha does a little of everything capitalizing on this unexpected chance and her presence in many aspects of the music and acting world brings her into frequent contact with Kwon Ryeok (Lee Jun Young) who, at first, has no respect for her as he sees her as an imposter who can only imitate others. Ma-Ra gets a lot of hate over imitating such a popular star. Her fellow band mates, and her friend from her trainee days, Lee Yoo-Jin (Yun Ho) keep Ma-Ra's spirits up as they know she has her own unique talent. Shax, whom Kwon Ryeok is center stage for, has found success but like all high profile boy bands has to be very careful of their image particularly to their fans. As Kwon Ryeok's feelings change from hostility to understanding to admiration to infatuation for Ma-ha they both find that life in the limelight does not look favorably on romance. Yoo-Jin sees Ma-Ra as more than just a friend and is a little earlier in his career and takes more risks to get close to Ma-Ra but she doesn't, at least at first, see him that way. Who will Ma-Ra be drawn to and can they all find a way to make their growing fame, romance and friendships all work out?

Review I really like slice of life stories in general and those that focus on the acting or music industries in particular. The South Korean music industry has so many unique aspects it is very interesting to get a little bit of inside perspective. So few actually make it to debut and even those that debut may not become well known. This drama explored many issues specific to to being an Idol and the journey that trainees take. Professional jealousy, slave contracts, good companies versus bad companies, suicide, and relationships. I enjoyed it for the music and talent on that level alone. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys slice of life, likes watching about idols or the industry, or likes a fairly straight forward story line. There are not a lot of surprises or twists or turns. It is not light hearted, it deals with very heavy topics but it is entertaining just not deep or complex.

*Spoilers Ryeok and Ma-ha's slow build romance was compelling. There was a definite loneliness for him and she was one of the few that could break through his rough bad boy persona. I found their relationship very heartwarming. I appreciated the irony of how much grief he gave his former group member, Lee Eun-jo (Kang Chan-hee) over his relationship with Girl group member Annie (Yeon Si-Woo) only to have a relationship like that himself. He felt very guilty over his role in Eun-jo's disappearance. The story between Eun-jo and Annie was very tragic. What was a little confusing is why they showed her collapsing from exhaustion and then never really explaining that but suddenly she is dead. I think they were trying to make that part of the mystery but it seemed disjointed for her to have had that issue and then suddenly suicide it made it seem the overwork was what was driving it and not larger issues. All of the relationships and even conflicts within and between the groups was interesting. I did not find it very believable that so many relationships would have developed where all of the Tea Party members were seeing one of the the Shax members. There were so many problems, early on, when Shax fans got wind that Ma-ha and Ryeok had even interacted, it was odd that later so many were actually seeing each other romantically but it was as if the fans no longer cared. And they never addressed that change. They indicated they were seeing each other in secret but we saw how, before, the secret could never stay hidden so it didn't make sense that all of a sudden they were all able to keep it a secret form the fans. They say Eun-jo's and Annie's song as a group but it seemed only Shax got the credit for it. With Tea Party it appeared they only had one or maybe two songs which made it hard to envision them as a super success.

Unlike other reviewers I did not find the fact that the male lead or female lead weren't idols a huge downfall. I thought they both acted very well and their role as idols was believable. In fact I thought Lee Jun-Young had this amazing super star aura especially when they had the shots where Shax was sort of lined up in a V formation walking toward the camera, it was breath taking. If Ma-Ha was a bit unpolished because the actress was not a K-pop idol in real life, the storyline really accounted for that. She was a struggling trainee then a newly minted idol so any awkwardness or lack of polish was fully understandable with that in mind. Plus there was this overall impression that Tea Party would have this sort of limited success. They constantly showed this contrast between sort of B string idol groups like Tea Party and super stars like Ri-Ma and Shax. I thought the story dealt with and showed how those two levels of success cause this stratification within the K-pop world where that limited success means those B String are often treated as lesser when those A listers are around.

For me personally the suicide aspect was very heavy. I have two work colleagues that committed suicide so it really brought it all back. In both cases I had spoken with the person the day before and now constantly replay that final conversation any time something like this reminds me. I liked the way this drama portrayed the way the pain of something like that never goes away and how, while the person may think their action will hurt at first but make things better later is not true. Annie's death did not save Eun-jo in fact it ended his career. So many people around her were impacted by that tragic event. I think that is ever present on trainees and members minds as they are under an undue amount of pressure for people so young and isolated from their normal friend and family network.

#Imitation #JungJiSo #ParkJiYeon #ParkJiYeon #MinSeo #DannyAhn #LimNaYoung #YunHo #LeeJunYoung #TeaParty #Shax #Sparkling #KangChanHee #YeonSiWoo.

Show has potential but misses the mark

[nikareviews · 3/10 · 6 March 2022]

The plot for the show seems pretty interesting and the first few episodes were off to a good start, but i could not get past the god awful acting. It comes off as borderline cringey especially from the main actress. The acting feels super forced and there's little to no chemistry between the leads. Could've been a great series if not foiled by bad acting...

CONSTELLATION

[serafinagrevenitou · 10/10 · 26 March 2024]

IMITATION An aspiring and touching k-drama about kpop, idols, trainees and love. A k-drama that dares to reveal the reality of kpop industry and it's dark side, trainees' daily life and hardships as well as idol's mindset about the concept of love.

Through Annie's and Eun-Jo's story... through Hyun-Ji, Yoo Ri-A, Ri-Ma, Yoo-Jin, Do-Jin, Jae-Woo, Yi-Hyun, Hyun-O, Se-Young, Min-Soo, Hyeok we learn about the difficulties a trainee has to go through, in order to succeed his/her dream, but also about the criticism and negativity of media about Idol's relationships.

Through Ma-ha's and Ryuk's love story who dared to go against people's opinions and pursue their dream as well as their love, we managed to sympathize with every character and learn to respect a little more idol's life and choices. They are humans too and deserve all the love and our support, regardless of their personal lives.

All the characters were mesmerizing and the main leads had amazing chemistry. The show unfolds neither fast nor slowly but exactly as it should in order to confine the audience!!!

Starts really good but...

[bougiadaa · 4/10 · 23 August 2022]

To tell you the truth I didn't have high expextations for this kdrama but I enjoyed it a lot!

I really liked the story between the leading couple and their romantic scenes , i liked the second lead characters as they were somehow funny at first...

However after ep 7 things started change ... the plot became weak and boring .I did not like the second lead couple ( the girl from ''team party'' & the boy from ''Sparkling'') it was just unessecary snf boring . Also there are a lot of different stories for every character that make the show worse.

I believe that almost eceryoine would write a better story after 7 ep . This kdrama had a lot of chance becoming a masterpiece but they did not take advantage of them ..

Imitation

[siyanegi · 10/10 · 3 January 2022]

I really don't know why imitation doesnt got hit that much because it is literally a worth watching drama with a good storyline that you all will love and curious to know about once you start watching this drama. And and and if u haven't watch this drama I chinchaaaa recommend you all to watch this and if you are not going to watching then sorry you really don't have a good eye on good dramas 😊 Imitation #❤ the last episode will really excite youu so go watch it guyzzzzzzz.