I just can´t let go
I can´t get this series out of my head after finishing it a few days ago!Short version: I started the series for the plot that was given but stayed for seeing the romantic development between Yeom Mi Jung and Mr. Gu.
Longer version: It is not something I am proud of to say but I had no interest in the other characters and relationships that were portrayed. Maybe because I was overwhelmed with the quantity of main roles therefore struggles and I am more interested in "minimalistic" heavy plots? It is something I could have expected after reading the plot summary, still I was surprised about the depressive atmosphere I felt watching the three siblings struggling.
The relationship between Mr. Gu and Yeom Mi Jung was so interesting for me and it was a lot to take in. In the first few episodes I was so confused and could not grasp what was going on between them especially with him. I was scared of him at first! :D
The acting and the charisma of Yeom Mi Jung/Kim Ji Won and Mr. Gu/Yon Suk Ku and the (non-)verbal dialogs were phenomenal. I could relate to Mi Jungs thoughts a lot and felt seen and heard a few times. I would LOVE a series with the two actors again, maybe even with those characters. Definitely gonna watch all upcoming series by the screenwriter Park Hae Youn!
PS: Maybe I need to give the series a second try but for now I state by this rating.
Was this review helpful to you?
Boring plot yet charming to watch
What an odd series. It was as mundane as can be. I remember when I was watching the first episode and every scene felt so uneventful I was waiting when is something going to happen? And nothing really did. Yet, I wanted to watch more.It's a story about a family, the parents and three adult siblings living together in the countryside and a new, kinda mysterous drunk neighbor. All of them feel like they are stuck in their life in a way, stuck in a routine or in an addiction or being a very shallow person. And all of them want some sort of change, but honestly? They feel just about the same at the end like the beginning, maybe taking a tiny half step forward throughout the whole time.
I suppose what I liked about it, is the relatability? Trying to fight the mundane everydays, trying to maintain a relationship, survive in a bad workplace, living in a toxic family, etc. Things that so many of average watchers can get behind, yet again, nothing seems to change really by the end. Is that sad? I don't know, it just feels I guess average, realistic. Bittersweet in a way, like what were we really expecting?
What I didn't like though that there was no one trying to stop the alcoholic guy from drinking... pff they actually bought alcohol for him as gifts and such. Like tf? It's something that can actually kill you, no kidding, even if you don't preach against it at least there is no need to support a bad behaviour.
Anyway, even though this whole series sounds kinda boring, it has such a unique charm to it that drew me in, it's interesting. I'd definitely recommend it to young adults.
Was this review helpful to you?
High quality, heavy load
Has this drama high quality? Absolutely yes.Was acting good? Perfectly. I can give 100 out of 10 to everyone (idk why but maybe except Lee Min Ki)
Was the story interesting and unusual? YES!
Were the dialogues meaningful and thought-provoking? Definitely.
Did I enjoy watching this drama? No. A big no.
Did I finish it no matter what? Yes.
It was a heavy load on my shoulders which I am still feeling. Wasnt enjoyable for me at all except few scenes. Why? Cuz it was so relatable for me. Relatable much as giving pain to me. Some fears mentioned were my own fears that I am afraid to mention. Some frustrations were my own frustrations that I can't find any way out. Some weariness was my own weariness that I am struggling with for many years. This drama didn't do any good to me. At the beginning of the drama, we were all sad. All characters and me. And at the end, at least some of them are happy compared to the beginning, I am still sad. Nor their sadness neither their happiness made me happy.
I can see that why many people like this drama that much. It is in a different league compared to most of the dramas. But I prefer dramas with lower quality and higher pleasing level.
According to me who can enjoy this drama most? Adults who are satisfied with their lifes. They might have problems in their past, but now they should be happy about their life in general. I think for younger people like teenagers, it can be a boring drama with 'pessimistic adults', it can be seen as "unrealistically plaintive" even if it is totally real. And I think for the adults like me, adults who have big problems, who have big disappointments, who have to deal with things that they've never thought they are gonna deal with before, this drama is heavy load. I am happy to finish this drama finally. I would never start it at the beginning if i've known it is something like this.
Was this review helpful to you?
Good Enough
Korean Drama " My Liberation Notes " is a slice of life melodrama.My main problem with it is the pace. It felt off and the presentation of the story didn't suit well for me, as it was not cohesive.
Other than that, the story is pretty intense, with tragic characters, meaningful moments, simple, and yet, powerful scenes.
The romance, moreover, was original and didn't overshadow the main point of the drama. Rather, it let the characters shine and live their burdersome lives.
The performances, finally, were all great by everyone in the cast.
So, overall, seven out of ten.
Was this review helpful to you?
Wonderful but my boredom when watching it is significant. Chang Hee is my favorite part.
My Liberation Notes is a slice-of-life drama about three siblings and their mysterious neighbors; who are dissatisfied with life in one way or another. They live in the countryside about an hour outside of Seoul. The show is showing the character's journey that was so refreshing and realistic. Liberation is a journey of identifying and persevering to keep working through it. Identifying your struggles and finding the root cause is a hard thing to do. Acceptance and taking action to make things better is even harder.At first, I watch this because it has a similar premise because My Mister also followed the lives of three brothers. In My Mister, they come together to help each other heal along with the FL. Then also its' deep exploration of the character's mental states. But the main difference, at least this is my opinion, is while both shows are character-driven, My Mister has much stronger external plots and twists that make more eye-opening action scenes, much more than My Liberation Notes. In My Liberation Notes, the story progresses by following the daily lives, like the vlogs of these characters. So if you enjoyed My Mister, you may or may not enjoy My Liberation Notes. Don't expect the same exhilaration you get from My Mister here, but surely, both series present the same level of production quality and character arcs. I like My Mister better, but there were many good thought-provoking aspects of My Liberation Notes.
The first pro I want to mention is the comedy. I absolutely love how this series handles funny moments. It comes from a quiet moment, there's no dialogue happening and it's funny due to the previous or next scenes. For example, the part of Mi Jeon demanding Mr. Gu to worship her and the scene of Mr. Gu alone realizing the word worship means and seeing his reaction. My favorite one is when Chang Hee has done something to Mr. Gu's car and Chang He's about to confess but instead of wearing his slippers, he decides to wear his runners instead. It was so funny! Because you could see what the character was thinking without them saying it.
Regarding the plot, I thought the first four episodes were exciting. then it got super slow midway and then the last four episodes were so beautifully done. They give a very satisfying arc to every single character, and even if they didn't end on a completely happy note, I felt hopeful by the end. It is worth mentioning that the dialogue is so heavy all the time, the conversation these characters have is telling me some sort of message across. It's very tiring to pay attention all the time, so this show is not binge-able, but more of one episode a day watch.
Speaking of the characters, I was invested not so much in their character but more in their fantastic acting and their story and growth. Each character is carefully described and redeemed. I love how all the siblings would talk about things that most people I think would be ashamed and sometimes embarrassed to admit. I loved Mi Jung's inner strength and how she takes the initiative to liberate herself. I found her relationship with Mr. Gu is very unique and unconventional. I warm up to Mr. Gu throughout the story, but I am slightly disappointed that his alcoholism is not handled. But the best part for me is Chang Hee. Watching his scenes at first I feel already connected to him. Then I'm so happy that in the last four episodes or so, the story focuses a lot on him. I loved how his monologues came out and how he become more mature, his story was just beautiful. I'm thinking of rewatching the show only for his scenes.
I want to praise the OST and sound effects. There's a heavy focus on a lot of ASMR sounds, like people walking, eating, breathing, and sighing. Because this screenplay focuses so much on a character's introspection and how they're feeling emotionally, it's really really nice to have it paired with silence and ASMR sounds. OST was just so beautiful and peaceful. It fuels me to continue watching when I kinda doze off when watching too much heavy dialogue and mundane scenes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Intriguing but slow and boring
I waited every week eagerly for a new episode of My Liberation Notes and I watched it till very end...The characters were definitely intriguing and unique and were played really well by the actors especially Lee Min Ki and Lee El. Btw Lee Min Ki's character had one of the best character arcs I've seen in kdramas. And that's a win for the writer to create such interesting and realistic characters. Yet overall I found the show to be boring and slow and pretentious at times. MLN has been compared a lot to My Mister, the writer's other show and My Mister was a slower show too, but it was sharper and more engaging. I actually thought some episodes were more similar to Be Melo, in the way the characters talked and random situations occurred. The other common thing with My Mister is that MLN teases the audience when it comes to the romantic relationships. In My Mister there was the age gap issue but here I'm not sure why the director and writer choose to stay away from any romantic scenes. How I think about it is don't show all this tension between the actors if it's not ending up in anything and it also seemed very unnatural and stark for them to have feelings for each other but hardly show any intimacy on screen.The dialogues though random are well written and thoughtful. But the show overall is very dialogue heavy which can be a disadvantage for non-Korean speakers, but I enjoyed that part to some extent. MLN was going for something interesting but the writer doesn’t do as good of a job to tie things together and make it engaging enough. You may like the show if you like deep philosophical conversations and if you're an introvert you may relate to the FL atleast in the first few episodes. But the show leaves with too many loose ends and the reveals or mystery the show builds on and creates anticipation on are not as interesting in the end.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Slow road to nowhere
As others have written, a very slow pace to this one, but that was not a problem. The plot line with the eldest sister i felt was forced and uninteresting. The brother's storyline was better but I really didn't need it. The problem being, those two storylines took away from the really interesting story of Gu and the youngest sister. They had good chemistry and their scenes kept me engaged even when painfully slow. In the end, I couldn't handle the lack of closure this drama provided. I understand the reason for it, but it left me frustrated and unhappy. A good open ended drama I think gives you a good feel for how things could turn out or lets you know it doesn't really matter. At the end of this, I'm not sure if Gu is dead in a alleyway tomorrow or married with kids in 5 years...Was this review helpful to you?
Quite unique but seemed incomplete
I am damn sure that i watched all 16 episodes but it seems like i missed out on few episodes, they jump from one scene to the another during the end of each episode and give us a fuller version of it in the next episode but somehow for me , it was confusing , that probably led to this 7.5 . Had they maintained the same quality as the first half this would have been a 9 without a doubt.What i loved about this?
This is not one of those dramas that focuses on only the main couple, i loved how each charactee had their own importance and behind story. I was looking forward to knowing more about each of them and absolutely enjoyed every minute of it.
I loved how they were aware of their situation and dealt with it with dignity, in the end they embraced their insecurities and learnt how to be happy
I fell for Chang Hee, though he is often seen being frustrated and keeps venting out his anger but whatever he spoke , he stated Facts . I loved how he dint hold back when ever he was angry and upset and blurted eveything out loudly and very fast. I bet it would have still been difficult for me to understand his dialogues had i known korean. He became one of my favorite kdrama characters and i also am satisfied with how things ended with him.
The three sibling bond is well written, though we see them fighting and glaring at each other often, i could see through each of them , how they cared for each other and how strong their bond was.
They say it is "liberation notes" definetly i see liberation here but only 40%. Would have been great had they ended Mr Gu's character with more certainity . For me he was a mystery in the beggining and remained a mystery even in the end
Was this review helpful to you?
Started of strong but went down hill
The first half was engaging and calming even though extremely slow, you might have to push yourself to complete the series.The second half is quiet disappointing for me tbh specially the ending it felt like they themself don't know what they should conclude so just left it like that.....Personally I loved the actors as they have done a phenomenal job even the bgm is soothing....But I don't know what to feel as after competing it
I will not watch it again for sure...Give it a try if you want to feel the silence..Lol
I wish they had done a better job with the ending it truly disappointed me
Was this review helpful to you?
Life is tiring and this drama empathizes with it
My Liberation Notes (MLN) is the story of three siblings with a strict hard-working father who seldom speaks, and a mother who does most of the talking in order to avoid arguments at the dining table, and then a stranger living as a neighbour.The drama is relatable on various levels, especially the mood at the workplace of the three siblings, the camaraderie between the co-workers, the after-work gossip, and the random ranting sessions.
Regardless of which side of the human spectrum you find yourself on and which character’s journey you relate to the most, My Liberation Notes hits many correct points, if not all, and makes the viewers feel relatable about the reality of life. MLN was a good drama, a slow burn with good character development, although gets very slow with pacing at times.
My Rating : 7/10
Was this review helpful to you?
Great lines and life lessons
So there were definitely a lot of really beautiful life lessons in it; it was really relatable how the different characters were shown — especially how introverts were portrayed. This is a drama that will make you think about life, about how you measure happiness, about family, and more. The cinematography is also just beautiful and it really made me look around me and be more observant of my surroundings and my place in the world.Out of everyone, the two main leads (Mijeong, Mr. Gu) were undoubtedly my favorite, even though I felt like I didn't exactly feel that romance was necessary.
I do admit that the drama started to drag in the middle; I stilled like Gu and Mijeong scenes, but started to care less about the other two siblings. Gijeong (the other sister) especially started to grate on my nerves from the middle all the way to the end; I felt like her plot was so heavily reliant on a romance that I didn't really like — either she was with the love interest or talking about him — and her character never really developed aside from it.
The ending is something I don't really have strong feelings about; it's not necessarily satisfying and there are some scenes I wish I saw, but for a drama like this I felt like it couldn't have ended any other way. It's just about a bunch of characters learning to be happy. Life goes on.
Was this review helpful to you?
Like Reading A Collection of Diaries
My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.I picked up this drama because I had a headache and wanted to watch something calm. I had it on while doing other things; I didn't think I would pay too much attention to it. However, it drew me in and I found myself completely focused on this drama.
Acting/Cast: I wasn't sure about the cast at first, but they all really grew on me. I may not have necessarily personally liked certain characters, but they all felt very believable and well-acted. I really related to the younger sister, Mi Jeong, a nice, soft-spoken girl with some talent who repeatedly gets taken advantage of. I also felt empathetic towards the older sister, Gi Jeong, watching her try so hard to make a change and take risks, only to keep getting knocked down and publicly humiliated. I would say the brother, Chang Hui, and his storyline was probably the most annoying, but even that storyline, I didn't feel as though I wanted to skip over it. 5.5/10
Writing: I knew this drama was written by the same person that wrote My Ahjusshi, Park Hae Young (which I really enjoyed), so of course I was comparing the two dramas the entire time. This drama is dialogue heavy, especially compared with My Ahjusshi, which is something I typically don't like. However, I felt the dialogue was purposeful and listening to the characters expressing their thoughts was like reading a diary. Also, this drama is not dramatic at all, whereas My Ahjusshi had some intense scenes. It's very "slice-of-life"; very relatable. However, I think that those who have never struggled with depression may not relate to or enjoy this drama. In addition, this drama is very open-ended, more so than My Ahjusshi. Nothing is truly resolved in My Liberation Notes for any of the characters and this is completely intentional. Do I understand why? Yes. Do I like it? No, but I usually don't like open endings. While watching My Ahjusshi (it's been a while but...), I remember wishing I could just skip over the side stories; the main story was way more interesting to me. However, with My Liberation Notes, I had no desire to skip over any of the storylines. There's a time jump towards the end of the drama that was a bit jarring. I think it's because things drastically changed without preparing the viewers for it. Also, the story wasn't linear anymore and kept jumping back and forth between past and present. I liked the Mr. Gu character, but he wasn't nearly developed as much as the other main characters. In consequence, his character felt sort of hollow towards the end of the drama. I thought we would get more back story on him but unfortunately, we never do. In any case, this drama seems like it's based on a true story, but to my knowledge, it isn't...it just feels very realistic. So in that sense, the writing is well done. 8/10
Direction/SFX/Music: The vibe of this drama actually reminded me of Something In the Rain rather than My Ahjusshi. My Ajhusshi felt much darker. Maybe also similar to One Spring Night or Twelve Nights, except with a ton of dialogue. The OST is not my cup of tea but its fine. It has some variation to it. Listening to the OST on its own seems like the drama would be a lot happier than it actually is though. 5/10
Entertainment Value: This drama put me into a weird state of mind. There have been times when watching certain dramas would trigger depression in me. However, what I felt while watching this drama wasn't exactly depression or sadness and it wasn't quite calmness or hopefulness either. It was a strange in-between. Maybe melancholy? I found myself slowing down my movements, even my breathing. It was to the point where I was holding my breath in a lot...sort of like when you're sick or injured and you're trying to avoid exacerbating the pain. I never experienced an effect from a drama like this before. I didn't know if I liked this feeling or not, but I must have to some degree because I kept wanting to jump back into their world. Now that it's over, I'm not missing that feeling...I think. Anyway, I found myself hanging onto every word Mi Jeong spoke. I saw myself in her, but with one major difference - she seemed to have discovered the answer to her problems. I was looking to her for a revelation, but I'm still unsure of the hidden answer that she seems to have found. But then again, maybe she didn't actually find it...maybe she's just on the right path. I still don't understand how though. So, the drama left me feeling unfulfilled. 6/10
Overall, I gave this drama a 6/10. This is largely due to how incredibly open the ending itself is (as I personally tend to dislike open endings) and the change in the progression of the drama towards the end. A rating of 6 and above is in the "would recommend" zone, and yes I would recommend this drama if you like the slice-of-life genre. However, I think someone who hasn't struggled with depression may not like this drama and may find the characters annoying. I was able to relate a lot to them though.
I made a music video featuring Mi Jeong and Mr. Gu. It's called "My Liberation Notes | Mi Jeong + Mr. Gu | Greedy" and my channel name is The Enablers (@theenablers3846).
Was this review helpful to you?
