My Liberation Notes – Full Review
Welcome to My Liberation Notes – Full Review. Three siblings dream of breaking free from their small town life and finding love and success in the city. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
My Liberation Notes
♥ Aired: April 9 – May 29, 2022
♥# of Episodes: 16
♥Where to Watch: Netflix
♥Genre: Romantic Drama
♥Starring: Sun Seok Koo and Kim Ji Won
The Story
Three siblings from a small town outside of Seoul struggle to find their own path to freedom, love, and happiness. But between long work days and an hour and a half long commute both ways into the city, the energy to find a life outside of their simple existence seems impossible. Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger who works for their father seeks peace and healing through the quiet, country life they are so eager to leave behind. As each of them grows and changes, they will find their own definition of liberation.
The Leads
Kim Ji Won as Yeom Mi Jung
Yeom Mi Jung is the youngest of the Yeom siblings. She is also the one most likely to be seen working alongside her parents on her free days. She works in the design department for a credit card company in Seoul, where she is harrassed by her boss and socially ignored by her co-workers. When she finds herself attracted to the mysterious stranger who lives next door and works for her father, she decides to pursue a relationship with him. With him, she begins to learn about herself and experience true happiness for the first time. But just when it feels like her life is changing for the better, he returns to his previous life, leaving her and his country life behind. But Mi Jung holds on to all she has learned about life and herself. And in her heart, she still hopes he will come back to her.
Yeom Mi Jung is quiet and introspective. She works hard and has a strong sense of responsibility She has lived her whole life in response to the people around her. In her realationship with Mr. Gu, she begins to understand that the anger she has held against those who have wronged her has become her own kind of prison. In loving him unconditionally, she experiences freedom and hope, and finally begins to feel loveable herself. Kim Ji Won was wonderful in this role. Her careful and thoughtful portrayal of Mi Jung made the character feel realistic and genuine.
Son Seok Koo as Gu Ja Gyeong
Gu Ja Gyeong is an apprentice for a sink maker in the countryside. He also helps the family maintain their farmland. His full identity and past are a secret that he refuses to share. But his extreme alchoholism hints at a troubled and painful life. When his boss’ daughter suggests that the two of them begin a relationship, he is intrigued in spite of his resistance to let anyone get close to him. As the two get to know each other, Gu begins to look foward to their time together and Mi Jung’s quirky perspectives on life. But eventually his previous life comes to find him and he is forced to return to the nightclub life he had left behind. And without Mi Jung in his life, he is again overcome with lonliness and the demons of his past. Rekindling their relationship seems to be his only chance to find true happines.
Gu Ja Gyeong had a dark and violent life before running away from it all to live in the country, where he works himself into exhaustion and drinks away his emptiness. But the alcohol has begin to take a toll on his physical and mental health. Son Seok Koo’s portrayal of this character was emotionally touching and subtly sweet. Every smile feels like a triumphant bit of sunshine. It’s easy to see why fans around the world were swooning over this character and his troubled heart.
Supporting Characters
Lee Min Ki as Yeom Chang Hee
Yeom Chang Hee is the oldest child and the only son of the Yeom family. He works as a travelling manager for a chain of convenience stores. Chang Hee is a dreamer with a string of failed projects, which makes his parents distrust his ability to make sound decisions. His close friends are the ones he grew up with in their small community. He has a tendency to say whatever comes to mind, regarless of how those listening may feel about it.
Kim El as Yeom Ki Jung
Yeom Ki Jung is the middle child. She desperately wants to be in a relationship, even if it means “loving just anyone”. When she meets a single dad who is the brother of one of her childhood friends, she immediately falls for his kind heart. But his sister and young daughter aren’t happy with their relationship, and do everything they can to stand in their way.
Jeon Hye Jin as Ji Hyun Ah
Ji Hyun Ah is friends with all of the Yeom siblings. She is flighty and outrageous. She has been in a string of bad relationship. but when she learns one of her exes is dying she devotes herself to taking care of him when his family refuses. She and Chang Hee have always had feelings for each other, but neither of them have ever had the courage to try to be anything beyond friends.
Things I Liked
♥ Meaningful Dialogue
The writing in this drama is top-notch and is full of many beautiful monologues and conversations that examine life in deep and compelling ways. Their unique perspecives gave me food for thought in my own life while also helping me understand more about their characters. Each of the siblings, in their own ways, had the ability to express their feelings in interesting ways and weren’t afraid to challenge the social norms with their personal beliefs. And I loved how the long moments of silence also manage to speak volumes.
♥ Aesthetically Pleasing
The cinematography of this drama told it’s own beautiful story. From lonely subways to desolate farmland, the tapestry of their lives is well represented in the scenery around them. The colors changed with the seasons as well as the moods of the characters. The music also contributed to creating the mood and vibe of each scene. All of these elements together made this series a full emotional experience.
♥ Adult Relationships
The realistic relationships in this drama were well-written and relateable. The way that the Yeom family took each other for granted is so normal in our busy lives. Tae Hoon’s inability to stand up to the women in his family, while frustrating, made perfect sense in the context of all their family had been through. And the romance between Mi Jung and Mr. Gu was just so touching and beautiful. Of course, enabling an alcoholic may not be the best strategy, but I loved her ability to love him completely without ever trying to make him change. She was able to make him feel the kind of peace he had so deperately been searching for.
Things I Didn’t Like
Ki Jung’s Boss
In the beginning, I was really happy for Ki Jung when she started dating Tae Hoon, but I also loved the unlikely chemistry she had with her boss, Lee Min Gyu. It was obvious that Min Gyu was falling for her and her habit of always saying the unexpected. But once she starts seeing Tae Hoon, Min Gyu just disappears, which was a little disappointing for me. I would have like to at least see their friendship continue, and I’m sure he could have given her plenty of dating advice!
Mr. Gu’s Resolutions
Mr. Gu’s story is heartbreaking and difficult, so I would have liked to have seen at least some healing and closure for him. We never see him put the past behind him and allow himself to find forgiveness, at least in his own heart. In the end, we do see him put the Soju bottle down and walk away for the first time, but seeing him come to terms with some of things that happened would give me more hope that he can find true closure.
Chang Hee’s Relationships
I loved Yeom Chang Hee’s character and felt like it was easy to understand why he would feel the way he did in most situations. But his romantic storylines were a bit puzzling. In the beginning, he had a girlfriend, who we see take the train to their town after their break up, just to see what it was like. But after all that effort, she never reaches out to him again. It just seems like she must still care about him, so I thought it was weird that she didn’t do anything to rekindle their relationship. And then we had the cute girl at work who kept openly flirting with him. Although he was obviously interested in her, he seemed to give up after the ride home got ruined. And after both of those, he randomly proposes to Hyun Ah. I guess it just seemed like he didn’t have any idea what he wanted, which is probably why he ended up alone in the end.
The Ending
As with many slice of life style dramas, “My Liberation Notes” doesn’t give us a lot of real endings. More like the hope that life will go on for these amazing characters, and they will live on doing their best. Most excitingly, even though Mi Jung has quit her job and got a new one, The Liberation Club has decided to resume activities until they find the liberation they are looking for. I love that! After their mother’s sudden death, their father remarries, and he and his wife live alone in their old house. The siblings are living together in Seoul. Ki Jung and Tae Hoon have decided to get married when his daughter turns 20. They have plenty of rocky years until they reach that point, but I hope they make it. They both deserve it. After his spontaneous proposal to Hyun Ah, she and Chang Hee date for awhile, but ultimately break up. Chang Hee blames their break up on the fact that he is finally doing well and she needs someone as broken as her. But he has no animosity and tells her that if she ever wants to come back, and he is still single, he will take her back. After accidentally stumbling into a class for aspiring Funeral Directors, Chang Hee seems to have found his path for the future. And Mi Jung and Mr. Gu finally see each other after a long seperation. They have no empty promises for the future, but they are enjoying being together. The final scene shows him taking his money stash and heading out, although where he is heading is left open to interpretation. But we also see Mi Jung waiting, presumably for him, which gives all us shippers real hope that he is coming to her. And that is where they leave us!
Should I Watch
“My Liberation Notes” is another slow, warm slice of life drama. The plot winds its way through their lives at a lazy pace with plenty of character growth and development. If you are looking for something upbeat and plot heavy, this is not a great choice. This series is about getting to know realistically flawed characters through their bittersweet journey of self-discovery and life choices. Sometimes life isn’t glamorous or exciting, but happiness comes through the small and mundane joys of day to day life. That is the message this show conveys, and it is beautiful and thought-provoking in its simplicity. I give “My Liberation Notes” a 10 out of 10 ramen.
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