Title: Imitation
Episodes: 12
Genre: Romance, Drama, Friendship, Celebrities, Kpop Idols, Webtoon Adaptation
Story: 5 out of 10
Characters: 6 out of 10
Cinematography: 6 out of 10
Korean Drama Imitation aims to shed light on the kpop industry, but opts for the romance
Story
On her debut day, Maha’s three-piece girl group is sent off stage due to a scandal. And since then the three girls are struggling to make their dreams come true. Especially Maha, who is making a living by imitating popular solo artist Li Ma. Fortunately, a newly funded company picks them up and they create Tea Party, an unconventional girl group. Unfortunately, the Kpop industry is ruthless, and Maha’s past acts label her as an impersonator.
Korean Drama Imitation has a good idea for a story, but the execution falls short.
First of all, the drama chose to focus on the romance and the twists and turns of the couple’s relationship. Unfortunately, the love story was too predictable, lacked chemistry and smooth dynamics, and overall it felt stale. The love triangle did not help at all and it was boring.
Another aftermath of this choice was the brush-off of the actual unique factor that set this drama apart from the others: the exposure of the training and kpop industry.
There were mentions here and there as to how idols live and abide by their crazy contracts, but the ones that were mostly explored were the ones already used by most of the dramas out there, like the no dating rule.
And when the real issues were added to the mix, the story was already well into the final episodes, which also meant that everything was rushly presented and resolved.
The story as a whole, moreover, was a disappointment. It got boring early on in the drama and it didn’t manage to handle the twists well as to keep things interesting. Thus, the cliches were plenty, the romances cheesy and some ideas for plotlines simply idiotic.
Characters
Ma Ha is a good dancer who is dreaming of becoming a celebrity. She is hard working and friendly, always looking after her friends and close ones.
Jeong Ji So did a good job, especially when it came to dancing. However, her character was weak and annoying.
Watch Jeong Ji So‘s other drama KDrama Doom at Your Service
Ryok is the cold and mysterious member of the popular boy group SHAX. He seems to be arrogant, but he is a workaholic and cares for others. He knew Ma Ha before he became a trainee, but now he finds her irritating because he thinks she uses her imposture acts to become famous.
Lee Jun Young had a typical cold, rude character, but he gave a smooth performance.
Watch Lee Jun Young in his other dramas KDrama Class of lies, KDrama Backstreet Rookie and KDrama Please Don’t Date Him
Yoo Jin is Ma Ha’s friend. He is in love with her, but he doesn’t confess to her. Rather, he supports her and helps her out when she is in trouble.
Jeong Yoon Ho did great considering this is his first acting attempt. Unfortunately, his character was boring and didn’t help him.
Le Ma is the ice queen of the industry. She doesn’t like to show weakness and she often appears to be too full of herself. She is in love with Ryuk, even though he doesn’t seem to respond to her feelings.
Park Ji Yeon had probably the best character of the drama and she was sensational.
Watch Park Ji Yeon in her recent dramas KDrama Next Door Witch J and KDrama I Wanna Hear Your Song
Cinematography
The drama had a messy pacing and the songs of the groups were bad. However, the presentation of the whole music promotions and shows were spot on. Another nice note was the promotion of the drama itself, with the Twitter accounts for each fictional group, and their appearances on real shows.
Overall
My overall rating for the Korean Drama Imitation is 4 out of 10. The drama opted for the romance and got boring quickly.
Here’s the relationship map of the drama to get you going on who’s who
K&J Reviews 
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