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?

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.

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.  

♥ 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.  

♥ 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!

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.

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!

"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.