My Liberation Notes

Comforting and meditative

First off, I just want to say the cast is fantastic here. I believe there is no greater acting challenge than communicating with silence — the most moving beats are the ones of silence.

Second, I want to applaud this drama for being a genuine slice of life. It’s not perfect, but it’s honest. It never strayed too far into melodrama, and it didn’t buy into this false hope like many other shows. The hope here in this show is genuine because it’s so ephemeral. It’s not noble, it’s prosaic and honest and desperate all at once.

And while this may just be my own cultural interpretation, I think this show gives a very honest and fair view of what common metropolitan depression feels like. In every character.

Lastly, the soundtrack is wonderful. Great show, and I recommend to those who enjoy seeing the truths of life through the eyes of others.

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the calm i needed this summer

I find myself immersed and drawn to slow-paced dramas, not ones that go nowhere of course, but ones that make you sit back and reflect on life. I enjoyed how realistic and raw the feelings portrayed in this series were. I didn't feel bittersweet or touched most of the time, in fact, I was kind of dreading the relationship timelines since I thought something was going to fall apart any moment. But this is oftentimes the reality, you are intrigued by somebody and yet you're not sure why, you seek validation yet you desire to be loved.

I loved how there were multiple mains and multiple storylines, each situation was so different but so relatable. As the drama progressed I found myself adoring the characters (esp. Gu)

OST 10/10
Casting 10/10 (love how everyone portrayed the characters)
Ending was not the happy ever after that most people would expect but definitely fulfilling and calming. (overall a great closing)

Highly recommend this series :)

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Forced Angst and Disappointing Plotpoints

I can’t really say whether I enjoyed this. I did appreciate the slowness and the topics presented in the show, however, there’s no resolution.

What I did like was the sister and her love story, though it was very frustrating. They're supposedly sexually active and in the stage to get married yet, there’s not a single kiss scene, he still refers to her as Gijeong-ssi, and she speaks to him in high formality. They're just too awkward with each other. I also dislike the sister in law's addition to the story, I can't understand why she's so bitter and ties her whole livelihood to her niece and brother but doesn’t want either to be happy.

I also really appreciated Son Sukku’s acting. I think his character was written very poorly in terms of dialogue, thought processes, and plot and I genuinely didn't understand his character. Like it makes sense why he was depressed and an acoholic, but the way he acted overall was confusing. But Son Sukku still acted tf out of this role. Because of him, I can no longer say that acting can be bad due to the writing and direction, because even with the poor direction and writing, he was giving Oscar worthy performance.

Now to me Mijeong was obviously a neurodivergent character so I could get her for the most part, especially in the beginning. However, her dialogue and thoughts were a bit inconsistent and not expressed fully just like Gu and so I started to not understand her as the show went on. I also think Jiwon didn’t necessarily know how to portray a neurodivergent character, so she just came off as stiff. I don’t think she really understood her character either.

I’m also disappointed in the Liberation notes aspect of the show. I looked forward to seeing the little or big steps they would make to be liberated but it was never like that. They chose to stay small and even though one of their club rules was to not force yourself to be sad, a lot of times it felt like they were. There wasn’t any real effort with the liberation or any success so that was kind of disappointing for it being a big part of the show and its namesake.

And lastly, I felt like a lot of the show was forced angst. The characters, seemed to forcibly live in misery. For the beginning of the show that makes sense but they were supposed to move from that point and they never did. I even though Gijeong was the exception with her and her man but it honestly felt like once she was in the relationship she was still making herself miserable. She was no longer the confident woman as before and made herself small in the face of her sister in law and stepdaughter. Its like she was miserable in and out of a relationship. Same with the brother, no job or woman could he change his misery and that didnt feel realistic. And when you have characters like Mijeong, who recognizes that she hasn’t really been living and wants to be "liberated", there really should be more of an effort shown of them changing their lives and becoming "liberated". Also with Minki’s character, sometimes I like his random talks and other times it genuinely felt pointless and like another angst point that really does not tell a greater story overall. Even his relationship with Hyeona felt unnecessarily dramatic.

Overall I’m surprised this show did so well even if it has such popular actors because it's definitely a skip

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The meaning of meaningless life

Huge appreciation for the writer to be able to speak for every lonely person out there, providing a little meaning for the meaningless life. It may not be a lot but it's already enough for that little happiness and understanding to happen through its literal storytelling along with its heartfelt characters. Every dialogue and choice of word fits perfectly into our harsh reality, the acting is so deep down it calms every wandering soul like a true companionship. Even though it's densely packed in 16 hours of runtime, it's able to contain almost every modern societal problems out there that you could think of, and also tackling life progression at different kinds of stages. It may be tedious and tragic, but the sad and melancholic instinct within us will always ponder questions on why we exist, why am i here, while working hard to adapt into this familiar yet uncertain world. After completing this drama feels like covering in a warm blanket and having a great listener beside us, that little comfort is exactly everything we need.

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I finally understand what 답답해 feels like

I knew what this show was before starting. That it was slow, more about life than romance, etc. My criticism isn't with any of that. The show is suppose to be more soul-ish. I just can't understand how anyone likes this show with such bad characters. None of them are likeable, which would be fine if there was something else about them or this drama. But it's supposed to be all about the characters and their lives, hence it's just about a bunch of annoying, unsatisfactory people, filled with moments that personally don't make sense to me, especially the amount of time they, out of nowhere, start talking about something "deep". The way they do it feels so unnatural. You're telling me a grown man is suddenly talking in detail about the loss of his parents and bullying experience in a public café, with his colleagues he barely knows and some supervisor. Just like that? Same with the monologues that are supposed to be all relatable and deep but they just don't have the right timing to really hit. I was really looking forward to this so I promise I'm not trying to be a hater. However, after 10 episodes, I feel like I've been mentally kidnapped by this show and its frustrating characters.

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A wonderful journey

"My liberation Notes" is one of those pleasant surprises that you come across in life. This show is based on things in life that you can easily relate to. It is a journey, a long ride with ups and downs, that makes you feel that it was worth every minute of it.

A 16-episode, well-written show that puts things into the perspective of introverted people; it makes you wander; it makes you feel their emotional journey.

What I really found fascinating about this show is that it didn't need that much dialogue. Instead, they deliver the context and the important pieces of the story in a raw but well-defined way through the characters' emotions.

I would definitely recommend you sit down, relax, watch, and enjoy this exquisite show while being carried out by their wonderful journey.

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The perfect drama for Introverts out there. So relatable.

This story is so different from all the stories out there. I had this in my watchlist ever since it aired, wondering whether to watch it or not . But it turned out well. I liked it .
The way this story unviels the inner state of individuals, people in general, just amazing.
Relationships, friendships ; we see contrasts of everything in this story ( introverts-extroverts, the rich‐ poor , good mother- bad mother, good people- bad people) literally everything. Its like a mashup of everything, life is about .
It is about a process of healing, loving oneself no matter what. No matter how hard the circumstances become, no matter how hard it gets, one must not stop loving oneself.

This story teaches us that love and hatred, happiness & sadness, loneliness, are all subjective. Our stat of mind has a huge impact on things we go through in daily life. It all depend upon how you choose to see it. Its all about the outlook .

The comedy is at another level. Mi jeong 's sibilings are hilarious at times.
Ki Jung talking about his diarrhea with Mr Gu, Gi Jung's plot about losing her memory & the "Pick up girl" story were so funny that i literally couldnt stop laughing out loud for minutes. 😆

I find the line "Na Gu ssi" just amazing. It is one of my favourite lines from the show. I dont know why. Maybe because it brought a ray of hope, and opened the door to happiness in Mi Jeong's life.

As far as acting is concerned, it was amazing. I'm in love with Kim Ji Won's acting, she's too good. (God, i love her voice). Mr Gu, OMG, given his serious alcoholism , i still found him great, somehow. Probably because Suk ku looks just too good in this. All the other actors have done a great job, thats why it turned out to be so great.
Liked it a lot.

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See yourself as human being on Earth

I felt each piece of this drama. They show us the real life. I really love it. If you're tired of watching fiction, this drama show you reality, give a try please.
I love how characters improve themselves and how they mature slowly.

In some parts I cried a lot, In some parts I laugh a lot.
This drama is EVERYTHING 😏 I am glad I met this drama.

I mostly saw the drama on Instagram while watching reels. Definitely more than the parts I've watched on reels. It is more special and valuable.
I love each charachter and their chemistry, They showed us as human beings on Earth, and you will find yourself in this drama.

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still not sure how i feel about this drama

I get why the writers didn't go too deep in Gu's past and also why most of their situations aren't really "solved" because it is a slice of life, we are watching their current life. We did get to see the main characters first encounter and some back story on Gu but I don't think they had to go much further.

What really got me is that most of the time it was either WAY TOO SLOW or all over the place, watching some episodes felt like having a weird dream?? I had to repeat some scenes and still didn't really get what was happening (or what was the purpose?).

Also the older siblings were way too annoying. Her older brother was in everyone's business and expecting things from people that no one owned him, he really got on my nerves. The sister kinda started to seem acceptable midway drama but she never evolved from wanting to serve a man and live for him, she just never puts herself first and wants to match up to her boyfriend in everything and it also pisses me off that her boyfriend's sister was so annoying and he just let her get away with it...

I liked the Liberation Club, each members desires and how it really could be seen with FL relationships (friends, family, coworkers, ex boyfriend) and how it affected the way she sees the world.

Overall I think is a good drama for people who like slice of life and REALLY SLOW burn dramas, not really my case. I think I could've still enjoyed it if MLN didn't have 16 episodes. And the siblings weren't so annoying. And without the whole mafia unnecessary drama.

Cast was great, I LOVED watching Seok Koo playing the ML, I think he portrayed really well the lack of emotions but also the change from his character in each scenario. Jiwon was great as always, her character is complex and at the same time she's just tired of people and life, and Jiwon conveyed her evolution very well. Minki being an annoying character wasn't new but the way he's detestable here is definitely different from some other problematic characters. I also enjoyed watching Lee El performance with such a different character, since I've only seen her in Goblin before.

Definitely wouldn't watch a second time but is a good time killing drama and might also be really comforting for some people!

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Making Extraordinary Out Of The Most Ordinary

Not everyone is going to like this show, but man I did. If you are looking for a classic kdrama with flashy leads and romantic kdrama moments like CLOY, this is not it. But if you are looking for a perfect ordinary slice-of-life story that feels so real, this is it. My Liberation Notes revolves around perhaps the most ordinary family I have come across in Korean television. This is not however a story where ordinary people meet a rich CEO or a handsome demigod, no, they remain ordinary and interact with the local alcoholic. So I would advise going into this show knowing that, and also that this kdrama is slow. Yes it is slow, it is hard to deny that, but if you stick with it and aren't mentally in a hurry, then it pays off so well. The messages in this story are something that feels so real. It is about normal adults living their lives but failing to find fulfillment, and they sort of drift through their lives in a state of mundanity and repetition. You have to watch it to really understand what I am talking about, but it really should resonate with many people. These people are not really traumatized or deeply depressed, they are just sick of the state of their lives and want to find something deep. The Liberation Club in the show where this topic is discussed was done very well, and I actually wished they had more of it.
I keep using the word "ordinary" because this show is amazing because it takes the ordinary and makes it great: that is the strength of this show. It does not rely on cliches or fiction, it builds a hyper-realistic setting, and turns it into something amazing. Yes, a lot of this show is a family silently eating dinner at dusk, and in the beginning there is remarkably little dialogue, but this review cannot do it justice. If you want something new in a drama, and are willing to be patient, this show is very memorable and will deliver something truly special and resounding to so many, especially in the world we live in.

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THIS SHOW HEALED MY HURTING SOUL!

If u like melodrama/ realife stories type of kdrama this is the perfect drama for u!! This show discusses different social issue from growing up to depression and other mental issues. This show has shown emotions on a deeper level that I have ever seen. What made this show stick with me is that they’ve done some techniques to heal and I have been using it and it has improved my mental health alot. I am so freaking grateful to writers who has written such beautiful and inspiring art. The only reason I wont be rewatching the show is that its a bit too sad to rewatch it again and feel these kind of emotions again.

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