Imitation – Full Review
Welcome to Imitation-Full Review. A look into the life of idols and trainees, as a group of young singers fight to succeed in a competitive, and sometimes toxic, industry. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Imitation
♥ Aired: May 7 – July 23, 2021
♥# of Episodes: 12
♥Where to Watch: Viki
♥Genre: Romantic Comedy
♥Starring: Jeong Ji So and Lee Jun Young
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The Story
Lee Ma Ha is a struggling idol trainee who continues to pursue her dream after her debut is cut short by a tragic death. When a former manager comes to Ma Ha and her band mates with the idea of starting a new agency, with them as his first stars, they jump at the chance to perform again. Meanwhile, Ma Ha’s former crush from trainee days, Kwon Ryok, is now the leader of the popular group, Shax. Ma Ha’s renewed bid for stardom repetitively places her in Ryok’s path and she quickly finds that her feelings for him haven’t lessened with time. But can the two find a way to be together that doesn’t destroy their careers?
The Leads
Jeong Ji So as Lee Ma Ha
Lee Ma Ha has always dreamed of singing on the big stage. When she is offered a last-minute opportunity to replace a band member for the new group Omega 3 on the eve of their debut, she thinks her dreams are about to be realized. But their debut is cut short by the suicide of the former band member, and she is stuck imitating other famous stars at small parties and festivals. Ji Hak is a manager who is familiar with Omega 3 and what they have been through. He decides to open his own agency and help the group debut under a new name; Tea Party. Suddenly Ma Ha’s schedule begins filling up with interviews, performances, and even movie parts. What she didn’t count on was running into Kwon Ryok. As trainees, she had a crush on him. But they lost contact after her failed debut, and he became the leader of a successful idol group, Shax. No one is more surprised than her, when Ryok begins to pay attention to her and expresses an interest in her. How can she think about dating now, when it could destroy her only chance to finally become a star? And what if their relationship causes problems for Ryok and Shax? Is there really a way for her to have everything she wants?
Lee Ma Ha is sweet and determined. I really appreciated her positive attitude, even in the face of so much disappointment. She never whined or wallowed in self-pity. Jeong Ji So was fine in this role but I did find her romantic chemistry with Lee Jun Young to be a bit lackluster. Sometimes the character as a whole fell kind of flat and that plucky energy that shows up in fits and starts seems to get lost in the drama. Having said that, I did love her role as the glue and backbone for Tea Party. Some of Jeong Ji So’s best work happened when she interacted with her female co-stars.
Lee Jun Young as Kwon Ryok
Kwon Ryok became the leader of the band Shax on the night of their debut, when his best friend, the original leader, Eun Jo, disappears without a trace. Three years later, no one has heard from Eun Jo, but Shax has risen to fame and Ryok is a great leader and popular idol. Ma Ha is someone Ryok danced with in high school, but he didn’t stay in contact with her. When Tea Party begins preparing for their debut, Ma Ha starts turning up in many of the same places as Ryok. At first, he isn’t pleased with having to see her again, but as he watches her, he starts to remember why he liked her before. Slowly he begins to realize that he has feelings for her, but he is hampered by the fact that he knows nothing about dating and the knowledge that neither of them are allowed to date.
Kwon Ryok is cold and aloof. All of his energy goes into promoting the success of his band. He has never been interested in dating before meeting Ma Ha, and he was very hard on Eun Jo when he found out he was in a relationship. But his feelings for Ma Ha allow him to understand more about what Eun Jo went through, and gives him the desire to find out the rest of the story. Lee Jun Young was believable as the single-minded idol, but his character was a bit one-dimensional. Even after he begins to open up emotionally, there isn’t much substance to Kwon Ryok. I wish we could have seen more depth to his character.
Supporting Characters
Danny Ahn as Ji Hak
Ji Hak was originally the manager for Shax, but he handed them over to a new manager for their debut, and left the agency after Annie’s suicide and Eun Jo’s disappearance. He starts a new agency and signs Tea Party as his first band. Ji Hak is a great manager who really cares about the band and wants to make sure the members are true to themselves.
Park Ji Yeon as La Li Ma
La Li Ma is a big name star from a small agency that specializes in girl groups. She is known for being arrogant and rude. She hopes to date Ryok and tries to get between he and Ma Ha. Ma Ha spent her time before joining Ji Hak’s agency imitating Li Ma and calling herself Li Ma’s younger sister.
Jeong Yun Ho as Lee Yoo Jin
Lee Yoo Jin is Ma Ha’s best friend from their trainee days. He is in love with her but has never confessed his feelings. He debuted at the same time as Shax with his band Sparkling, but they have never had a hit song. Now the band is desperate to finally gain some recognition before it’s too late.
Things I Liked
♥ Idol Cast
If you are a K-Pop fan, “Imitation” is worth watching for the cast alone. It’s fun to see idols from groups like ATEEZ and SF9 performing. And we even get to hear some new music from them. The last episode is a mini-concert that I really enjoyed. I hope this drama is a starting point for many of them in their acting careers.
♥ La Li Ma
It’s unusual for the mean girl to become my favorite character, but I really loved La Li Ma. My favorite thing is that she didn’t really change. We just got to see that under all that prickliness was a sweet caring person who only wanted to show it in glimpses. The way she took care of the trainees under her was all the more touching because, for the most part, she hid it from everyone. And her helping Ma Ha and Ryok get together even though she liked Ryok showed what a good friend she really was.
♥ Cupid Boys
I already said I loved seeing so many idols in the cast, but I have to give a special shout out to Choi Jong Ho and Park Yu Ri for their role as Ryok’s advisers. These two were adorable playing cupid and helping Ryok and Ma Ha finally get together. Especially since it was obvious that they had never actually dated themselves!
Things I Didn’t Like
Eun Jo and Annie
For a story that formed the foundation for much of the plot, these characters didn’t receive enough screen time. After presenting Annie’s death as such a big mystery, everything gets easily wrapped up in an episode or two and everyone just moves on. Eun Jo shows up on stage for the finale with no lasting consequences. He isn’t there for the final coffee shop scene, so I assume he did go back to the US like he said he would. It seemed like their characters deserved more, especially since I have seen Chani listed as a lead actor.
Justice for Hyun Ji
Even after being exposed on national tv, I don’t feel like there was much done to punish those who caused Annie to take her life. Sure, all of the big name stars left the agency, but they still have a fresh group of innocent young trainees to take advantage of. I’m not sure what I expected, but I would have preferred a more dramatic ending for CEO Park and his cronies. In the end, they were responsible for ending the careers of two promising idols without showing any remorse.
Tea Party Romances
I guess now that Ma Ha has proven she can date if she wants to, the other band members just jump right in. I’m not sure we needed romantic storylines for all of them. Yoo Jin and Hyun Ji didn’t really work as a couple for me. It was obvious that Hyun Ji liked him in her own shy, quiet way, but Yoo Jin never really seemed that interested, especially after chasing so hard after Ma Ha for so many years. On the other hand, I actually really liked Lee Hyun and Ri Ah, but they didn’t get enough screen time to see them as a credible couple. Which is too bad because I think they had the makings of a cute one!
The Ending
“Imitation” ends in one big concert that gives fans a chance to hear each of their favorite idols perform. It is finally revealed that Annie killed herself because her agency put pressure on her to sleep with rich music producers. When she eventually refused, they blackmailed her with her own career and Eun Jo’s. Ryok takes charge of Shax’s final performance and gets everyone to work together on a song that honors Annie’s memory. And as a surprise, Eun Jo even shows up. After the performance, we see Shax being interviewed on a much smaller scale, as they have apparently left NOG. Then everyone from Tea Party, Sparkling, and Shax, plus Li Ma get together at JH Cafe. So, it seems that everyone is now signed with JH Entertainment and Ji Hak has his hands and heart full. And the final scene shows Ma Ha and Ryok out on a date in public, so I guess Ji Hak will continue to treat his stars with the freedom and respect they deserve.
Should I Watch
“Imitation” is a simple romantic comedy that tackles some of the serious questions about idol life and the music industry. While the problems about obsessive fans and corrupt management are real-life issues, this drama is more concerned with shedding light on them than offering any realistic solutions. But as long as you are tuning in for the entertainment value, this shouldn’t present a problem. Due to the fact that almost the whole cast are singers and not actors, the acting can be a bit rough at times. The story of idols trying to date isn’t exactly unique or unpredictable, but the love stories are cute and the music is fun, especially if you are familiar with any of the all-star idol cast. I give “Imitation” a 7 out of 10 ramen.
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