Imitation

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.

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 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.

Highly recommend this drama in spite of poor production quality. The story was worth telling and engaging with. And it's quite eye opening and sweet at the same time. The actors did extremely well - and I was happy to see the lead male Lee Jun-young not playing a villain. He shows his natural talent and versatility very well in this drama. And I found the story well paced but...

What I found disappointing was the obvious lack of care in production.

The lead actress's costumes and styling were dreadfully embarrassing. She may have been an awkward character but there was no need to make her look ridiculous and blatantly unattractive. She is pretty. But the wig was so badly fitted and they couldn't decide on her having short hair or long hair. She went from a haircut to very long hair in less than a week. The other female roles were done so well and why the lead is treated this way is just wrong. Poorly fitting cloths just emphasizes unforgivable masochism in the kdrama world.

Story telling was bad! You had to literally guess and fill in the missing information edited out. It was a great story to tell but hard to follow in the details of the underlying story.

But the end and resolution of this sad commentary about the Idol Industry in Korea was beautiful. Even if so many illogical changes in the story took place. For example: the rabid fandom (Fins) vanish and become a non issue all of a sudden after so much harm and irrational obsession over the lead male character. Made no sense but it was a WELCOME change as I was so darned tired of their interference in the private life of a celebrity.

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!