User reviews

The title "Love Next Door" sounds like a typical sweet romance story. But the Korean title, which translates literally to "Mom's Friend's Son," hints at something more.

In Korean culture, it's an expression that's commonly brought up when mothers are comparing each other's kids. Children of Tiger moms are well familiar with how their achievements would be compared to those of other neighborhood kids. The status-seeking parents, of course, only showcase their achievements.

Initially, the outrageous actions of the parents could be off-putting, but the ridiculousness (and resulting caricature) is intentional. The director, screenwriter, and main leads are known for hard-hitting stories, sometimes with profound social commentary. While competitive ethos and a culture of comparison can spur achievements, might they push some individuals to the brink?

There is plenty of eye candy to enjoy. Beautiful actors. Good music. And a meaningful story, to boot.

This is in many ways a typical Korean romance, with two attractive actors beset by barriers as they stumble toward their future. The various obstacles serve to provide sufficient impetus to justify most of the 16 episode running time.

There are moments when the drama grasps at something more impactful. The travails of the heroine do carry some emotional weight, struggling as she is with illness and an overly desperate mother.

But at the end of the series much of this impact had dissipated and I was left with a moderately enjoyable romance. If you enjoy such things, as I do, then give it a go.

Unpopular opinion: I thought Jung So Min was okay in Alchemy of Souls but LOVED her in this! Her character is delightful: strong, intelligent, fun, vivacious, and sincere. I love that she speaks her mind and she is incredibly loyal.

This drama was a total hit for me. At first I wasn't too keen on the "Lavender" group but ended up loving them!

The families were amazing and had great chemistry as well as the architect firm colleagues. Great casting all around.

Jung Hae In's character is the heart of this show in my opinion. The actor is so good at bringing you in so that you feel what his character feels. I loved his interactions with everyone.

I loved the storytelling, flashbacks to childhood and the easy and realistic dialogue. The journey was excellent and I loved every minute of it.

Special shout out to the little girl who played Yeon Du - she's amazing!

It's suitable for working people. This series touched my heart. The pressure at work, family, close friends, and lovers, finding one's own dreams, going back to being a teenager, the age of dreams and starting everything. The plot is very good.

Including the relationship between the 2 main characters, Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu, they made me believe that they are close friends who are like a family. Bickering, sympathy, caring and protecting each other, it slowly seeps into their hearts. They slowly fall in love and change with age. I love their acting. It looks natural, believable, and has incredible chemistry.

Jung So Min is the best actress. She has great acting skills in all aspects. She made me laugh and cry with her. She conveys emotions well through her facial expressions and eyes. She deserves an award.

Another potentially nice Kdrama spread out over to many episodes.

In episode 9 finally some interesting things start to happen. Up till then not bad but way to slow for me.

Annoying again are the hysterical parents, interfering in the life's of their more than adult children.

Why I stay tuned? Basically it's a nice romcon to watch when you want to relax. I like the korean life style, their food and fashion.

But most of all I really love the acting Jung Hae-in. And his great charm and smile off course 😀 . He is improving his acting more and more, really good to watch.

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Okay so first I am definitely in love with this show as I am a huge fan of Jung Hae In.

So story goes like - A woman attempting to reboot her life returns to Korea and becomes entangled with her childhood friend with whom she shares a complicated history.

Needless to say further this show is a feel good show with every emotion.

So Min - FL also did a very good job as she is a wonderful actress.

The show sets a strong foundation by delving into the complicated relationship between Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu, childhood acquaintances with a shared history that's equal parts endearing and cringe-worthy. The episode does a great job balancing comedy with deeper themes. The slapstick humour, especially during the chaotic family scenes, is well-executed and keeps the tone light-hearted.

Must Watch show !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best 2024 drama this drama is for people ready to take in mature theme and not immature fiction dramas. This drama and it's each episode gives such amazing lessons. I'm actually so in love with this drama I actually can't tell how much it has taught me things

this show is not typical kdrama with fanfiction writing but it more of a show about adult life, their relationship, their struggles, healing and sadness mostly how they all come of it and heal together from their trauma both main lead chemistry is top tier i can they r one of best kdrama pairing which going to be remember. Love the show.

Baek Seok-ryu (Jung So-min) returns to Korea from America without explanation giving up on a successful career and an impending marriage. She returns to her childhood neighbourhood and reconnects with her child hood friend Choi Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-in) who is now a successful architect. It is a romantic drama but also highlights the closeness of the small community neighbourhood and also features a second romantic storyline. My favourite parts are when they recount school days and when the young actors play them (exceedingly well) as children. These parts demonstrate the dynamics of their friendship and how important they have always been to each other. It probably deserves an eight but I thought it floundered a little at the end which was a shame as overall it was a well acted heart warming series.

Honestly, such a cute drama. Such a nice balance of side characters and storylines. Loved how they showed not just about young love but also the older couples and their love, friendship, and family.... Some might feel like it is being dragged on a little too much, but honestly, I didn't want the story to end.

It was a perfect portrayal of Asian family bonds, and parental behavior. We all know our parents can be a little unaccepting and cold and ambitious and emotional, but at the end of the day, they love us more than one can imagine.

The romance aspect of the story was just perfect. So sweet, and cute and tender, yet mischievous at the same time. Loved it!

This series is my saving grace this 2024!

>>>> Eomma chingu adeul allows me to experience a roller coaster ride of emotions, and I couldn't think of any other kdrama that made me feel this way (in this era). I seldom get invested in any drama because I tend to wait for the finale episode to be aired before I binge-watch the entire series, yet in this case I always look forward to the coming of weekends and wait for every single episode to be aired.

Life as it is in my current situation is not full of colors. I'm in a sort of slump, and LND brought me out of that slump. As an adult trying to figure things out, I can definitely relate to Seokryu's struggles and how she's trying to make a fresh start. I empathize with her as she tries to smile despite the chaos that she's feeling within. She is such a strong character, and I love how she remains optimistic despite all the hurdles she's been through, and having Seunghyo in her life is such a wonderful plot twist into it. I may not have that kind of best friend/lover yet knowing that there is someone (aside from my family) who will always be rooting for me in every step of the way, a person who will support and scold me (if needed be) in whatever decision I will be making about life is such a gift that I will forever cherish.

As I immersed myself in this drama and experienced different emotions, I really learned a lot about life and how wonderful it is to dream, to feel, to laugh, to cry, to be angry, to be silly, and how amazing it is to love and be loved.

Love Next Door, you will forever be in my heart.

I have been waiting for this k drama for 3 weeks. It was one of the best k dramas i have watched. Even tho i only watched 4 episodes i cant wait for the 5th episode. GREAT SCRIPT, GOOD CAMERA, REALLY GOOD DIRECTION, GREAT ACTING every thing was soo good there were a lot of parts which i really liked. Most of them all i really like the main lead and their acting. THE ROM COM YOU NEED. It has everything you are looking for i hope the rest of the episodes are good. I have high hopes for this kdrama. It is a well executed kdrama. I mean the director was the one who wrote hometown cha cha cha, which i really loved so i hope this also goes well.

But the slow brew seeps in depth and richness.

I like it overall so far... the leads are the main drive to say the course. The B and C stories are fine as well, but the D story is just slapped in for the sake of it. Nothing out of the ordinary for KDramas.

I almost feel line with some Kdramas that this could have been done in 12 episodes but the leads are such great eye candy and are indeed strong together that they dragged this out much longer than it needs to be. There are times in the stories where it's really obvious it is time filler.

And as expected a new element of friction was added halfway through the series and since you know the characters fairly well now, you're invested in them and the outcome.

If you've read this and feel this is so vanilla, it is... and so is the series. But vanilla can be calmly pleasing and universally liked, but not necessarily loved.

Childhood friends reconnect in their 30s and bring youthful energy back into each other's lives. With a habit of treating each other with feigned indifference, their genuine care for each other is hidden behind years of practical jokes, and friendly tormenting.

This is an ongoing show, but I've wathced the 4 episodes that are out, and although the first episode was not flawless (it was dialogue-heavy and some scenes didn't go anywhere), the relatable struggles, authentic emotion, and playful antics is something I have been really craving from recent k-dramas.

This show so far has been exciting and adorable, filled with friendly competitiveness, gentle romance, self-discovery, and family.

I wrote my review in the first half of episode 10, and frankly couldn't wait to be done with the series... but thank goodness I always finish a series and stuck through. By the end of episode 10 and the plot twist there, along with the quite lovely music in the last minutes (who is that?!?), I am looking forward to episode 11 with the same excitement I felt waiting for episode 1 to release. Below follows an edited version of my original review. I have left the parts that still apply.

Anyone who watches K dramas is willing to accept a certain amount of over acting and plot lines where credibility has to be checked at the door. I'm a huge fan of Jung Hae-In and have really been looking forward to watching love next-door, but I might've created unrealistic expectations on this one.

As of the fourth episode, the character development is lacking, to me, and the situational dialogues usually leave me scratching my head. I have to agree with the reviewer who commented, this is not 2004 or 2014 anymore. The plot and characters just seem rooted in another cinematic time when people never shared their feelings or needs with those they loved.

Also, the whole speaking without moving your mouth thing is fairly annoying. Maybe easier to dub in foreign languages if the lips barely move?? Just trying to play devil's advocate. But it really is super annoying.

At first, I still didn't feel the chemistry but when everything started to make sense, I understood why they were acting that way. I am glad I continued to watch. The stories of the different characters are realistic. I'm sure many can relate. Besides the love story, it has also showed the side of sickness, anxiety and depression and how someone can cope with this. It reminds us that we all need each other. We all need to communicate with each other. Episodes 11 and 12 definitely showed more love and chemistry between Choiseung and Seok Ryo. Can't wait to see more sweet moments of them. Hoping for a happy ending for all of them 💞

I accidentally stumble upon Love Next Door while browsing netflix. What caught my attention first is how Jung SoMin and JungHaeIn look so good together. They complement their visual appearance so well that even without seeing them act yet, you are drawn. The story is relatable & realistic. It thugs your heart, makes you feel all giddy & elated, and laugh at silly lines. The drama has its highs & lows like any other dramas. You might feel dissappointed with some sloppy writing, or wrong timing of events, or maybe did not meet your expectations at certain point. But I can assure you that Somin & Haein impeccable acting skills is what will make you ask for more & stay. When they act, its just magic. SoMin is very lovely & attractive here, and Haein is handsome in any angle. Would it be a treat to your eyes to see these two. Seungryu is a perfect example of slowburn romance from childhood friends to lovers. The romance is not like those heartwrenching we see in kdramas, but more on depicting the natural transition of love for a friend to love for a woman/man. Each episode is interrelated so be patient. In the end, you will understand why the direction of the story pointed that way. So just enjoy! After all, we all want to feel that feeling! So happy watching!

Loved the first 4 episodes for sure. There's a lot of tension and pent up resentment tinged with an ocean of emotional denialism going on all over the map here, especially between the 2 leads. (lots of parallel sub plot characters) But I just watched episode 6 and the "will they or won't they" Jane Austen vibe at the end of almost each episode is kind of getting milked to death. Suddenly there's less light humour, and the female character is acting like such a narcissist. Sure she's self-centered and prone to outbursts of semi-violence (like throwing shoes and punches at friends and sibling) but her general sincerity and charm had outweighed that stuff. But by ep. 6, it's tipping the other way. She's morphed into annoying with perpetual overbaked tantrums and demanding the kind of attention an 8 yr.old child would. Anyway, by episode 7 you may be like me: hoping for the male character to tell her to ***** off. Maybe if he does, she'll get a grip and the story between them can go somewhere. I'm a k-drama optimist so I have my fingers crossed and will keep watching.

I really loved the female protagonist " in because this is my first life". So I was excited to find her in this drama, the male protagonist I am unfamiliar with.

I feel like the plot is in the title, and they are taking such a long time to connect the two characters. Meanwhile, we have to endure the lovable but violent parents. There is something on out of kilter in this romcom. I cannot figure out what it is except that it's taking a very long time to bring the two characters together, I want very much to like this, but is not winning me over.

Finally, the ending episodes have succeeded in winning me over and I feel pleased-that I finished the story and hung in there with the characters. Up until episode seven ,Everything else was confusing and too drawn-out for me.

First of all I've watched all the episodes so far ( 6 of them ) and I gotta say, the actors and the chemistry is sooooOooOoo good. Yes it seems like such a cliche boring plot, but as the show progress you really get to know every characters story. I love how this drama isn't just about the two main leads but about family. Literally I cried so much on episode 6. I'm hoping this drama keeps getting better because so far soooo good! Jung hae in and Jung so min are so cute together I'm usually not a shipper lol but they make it hard, they're chemistry is too good, I'm hoping that they have other dramas together in the future!

After Ep#16: "Neither good nor bad" is perhaps too harsh, so let me change this to "Good but not great". Glad to see Mo-eum having a mature relationship/family, that was more satisfying than the otherwise somewhat too sugary endings.

At Ep#12: Neither good nor bad. Story unfolds somewhat slowly. Watch when you are bored and have a good bit of time at your hands (episodes tend to be quite long). I found the cast to be good, especially the two mothers (in terms of acting, not necessarily their characters). FL not telling her family and friends about her potentially life-threatening health issue struck me as immature and soured me on her. It is one thing to have a hard time confessing one's feelings (or mental health issues), it is another when it concerns serious health issues. Will continue to watch since I want to know how Mo-eum will fare--you go, cheeky girl!