Love Next Door

Not bad, but overrated!

The Good
⌲ The brilliant episode that is E10 (It's one of the best kdrama episodes I've seen in quite a while)
⌲ Jung So Min's coolness (though she too did not try very hard early on, but improved later)
⌲ Mo Eum
⌲ The final episodes were -mostly- rather entertaining
⌲ The good comedy when not in sad melo mode
⌲ The endless fun bickering
⌲ ML's ex, mostly
⌲ There is no stupid elementary school level dating in this show & everyone has good and relatively immediate relationship goals.

The Average
⌲The acting (Jung Hae In is an excellent actor, but he did not try very hard in this one and some other supporting actors neither)
⌲ There is too much focus on the elders, very much like in a family drama. (then again their plots are not all that bad)
⌲ The chemistry between the leads
⌲ Mo Eum's romantic plot
⌲ Could have said `friends to lovers` done somewhat right, but the flashback content & ML's everlasting love are just so wrong.

The Bad
⌲ The dimwitted and insane mom
⌲ Before E10 the show has been increasingly less and less entertaining as time went on, felt like dropping it at one point.
⌲ The sad melodrama parts felt off to me early on.
⌲ The ex (despite his graceful exit I disliked almost everything about him & his plot )
⌲ The bracelet product placement (though admittedly Cleopatra could have worn that thing)
⌲ The North Pole. (good god)
⌲ Uncle!

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Medicore Writing with a fan favorite trope that all amounts to nothing.

The flaw of most dramas and TV writing, in general, is that the entire story is not finished before production starts. LND is an obvious case of let's rely on the cast for the most interesting part of the story, and it fails in every way.

Of course, everyone was excited for this cast. Unfortunately, it's packed with veteran actors who are stuck acting out the same gimmicks in the name of dramatic suspense. Written in a story that feels like a college workshop piece. Not only does LND take a fairly easy trope,& try too hard to make it different. They somehow fundamentally make the story hate & bully its own main character. Bae Seok Ryu at every important turn of this story, is bullied into caring for herself & and tripped for her reasonable actions as a cancer patient. This was honestly my biggest problem with the story: instead of caring for a woman who decided to keep her illness from her family & work it out with her then-fiance. They utilize her decision to remove her agency concerning her medical information at every possible chance. In turn, instead of having a male lead who is gentle or kinder, when he finds out the woman he loves is sick, The story tries to force the FL into loving herself, which is psychologically speaking impossible imo.

Does the ML get punished for all his harsh words and rash decisions? No. but the audience is rewwarded with sweet nothings the last six eps with no substantial growth on the ML part. It makes the comments about the writer seeing the reaction from fans and changing things accordingly. I tend not to agree with that statement. I think the ML is the same in the beginning as the end. His problematic behavior is never addressed; he never apologizes for the stuff he said, and he is just given romance in the end because that's what we expected.

The sequence of events in the story don't make sense and doesn't utilize character & plot points in a way that makes sense. The episodes are long and the best romance & storytelling is in the secondary characters. The 2FL & ML love story was fun & cute. I actually felt butterflies in some scenes. However they did utilize a detail that uproots most of the power behind the painting. The relationship between the leads mothers was the best scenes to watch and feel anything from.

This story is void of so many things we hate like love triangles and angry mother in laws. And yet it's also void of a solid story that makes you feel anything more than meh. The chemistry during their childish arguments is some good dialogue writing. And the actors did their best with what they were given but even then, Love Next Door falls flat as you watch because it becomes a chore. If you want to hear me rant more about this, come hang out on youtube~

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This show is not it

hate to be this person but i didn't like lnd that much! especially considering how extremely excited i was when the promos came out. The characters somehow felt flat. And oh gosh how mad i was towards seonghyu from ep 6-11 which is practically 40% of the time. Seonhyu knew that seokryu was suffering she already had smm on her plate. Despite knowing that he spoke harsh things to her why because he was confused w his own feelings? Which she didn't know and was not responsible for? She just went there to give food and he just went full ballistic mood. Secondly i hated how he completely avoided her during his 2nd time visit to usa, like bro cmmon she's your childhood friend before your crush gosh, and after learning that she had cancer he called her selfish in the playground!? When he knew she tried to contact him but he was the one to avoid her! Despite that he still had the audacity to yell at her😭😭😭😭😭😭I was so mad how she easily forgave him I love the ex more than him!! And their( ml and fml ) relationship... i still cant see them anything beyond being best friends. The transition was not great at all. The writer could've done better especially comparing to their other writing welcome to samdalri which also followed friends to lovers trope and that was sooo goood. lnd in comparison is such a disappointment for me! And personally, the proposal part was rushed like i get it you waited 10 years for her but dude she needs a break she just got off from her engagement, like breathe. I love love loveee the 2nd leads probably the reason why i continued watching this show. Im not the person to hate on a show, but this just was not it. I get the realistic atmosphere part, but i would've appreciate it if the plot was well thoroughly written. Yes, every show has flaws, but this one has too many to go unnoticed. ( no hate just a constructive criticism and pov dont hate me yall )

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The only thing I hate: waiting a week for the next 2 ep

Nothing to say, this drama so far is just refreshing and has the potential to be drama of the year or even more.

I just want to point out one thing: for all the people annoyed and bored by the scene where the mother is beating and being upset over the FL quitting the job and her engagement, I think you should know the basic info and cultural beliefs of a country before speaking.
This kinda of behaviour may seem odd and overreacting to your prospective but I think 99% of people saying it are not Korean. For sure that can be a little exaggerated (ps: it’s a drama, it’s supposed to not be bland) but that is how it works in Korea, you need to find a good paying job and a good partner to marry then you’re settle for life.
The other mother’s reaction says it all, parents raise you up since you were born so they expect to see their child to have a good and healthy life as an adult.

It’s not the first and it will not be the last drama that portrays Korean parents and their cultural beliefs like that so before blasting on the drama and who wrote the script like this, try to understand other culture’s differences.

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Really really slow and ridiculous at the same time. . .

I'm finding the pacing and ridiculous story lines hard to stomach. The show has an identity crisis . . not wanting to be an indie slice of life, but not wanting glorious over the top drama style.

The only saving grace of this is the acting. But with every tragic event that can happen in ones life, happening to these 3 neighborhood friends, all in the space of a month, it's just hard to buy in. There is no realism in dynamics between family members or friends either. Adding to that, a romance that is moving at a glacial painful pace with no progress in decades, and still no progress episode to episode . . . I'm just not sure who is enjoying this.

I'm certainly not!

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Começou bem, terminou PÉSSIMO

Famoso prometeu muito, entregou pouco.
Na minha opinião, o enredo tinha muito potencial, mas pecou pelo desenvolvimento mal feito e lapsos na construção dos personagens.

Dos pontos que fiquei sem entender, destaco:
1. Como alguém pode esconder uma doença tão séria da própria família? "ah ela não quis preocupar ninguém..." gente, não era uma doença qualquer, era gravíssima. Não faz sentido algum.

2. O comportamento infantil do protagonista. Ambos eram infantis em alguns momentos, claro, e percebo que era meio enfatizando que eles tinham uma amizade antiga e de implicância, mas acho que pesaram a mão.

3. Quando o prota se declara e a prota diz NÃO, a reação dele é acabar uma amizade de 30 anos... Sério, eu odiei isso.

4. O casal secundário foi muito fofo, eu gostei muito da química deles, mas como assim ela pediu para SER A MÃE DA MENINA para logo depois passar 1 ano do outro lado do mundo? Não que ela devesse ter desistido do sonho dela, porém não gostei da parte dela enfatizar tanto querer ser a mãe da menina, bem menos do que demonstrou querer ser esposa do repórter. O que me leva a...

5. Não ter casamento (que foi bem aguardado, com todos aqueles pedidos), não ter viagem ao Polo Sul do repórter (era melhor ele chegando lá numa cena, do que a promessa por vídeo chamada, me senti roubada). Tudo isso numa correria para mostrar renovação de votos de um casal que passou 30 anos sem trocar 2 palavras, ah por favor.

6. Toda a briga entre as mães foi bem sem sentido e ridícula. Acho que dali se percebe porque os filhos também eram tão infantis.

Enfim, decepcionada.

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FROM FRIENDS TO LOVERS

This drama beautifully balances humour, romance, and some deeply emotional moments. The story revolves around the lives of three childhood friends, Bae Seok-ryu, Choi Seung-hyo, and Jung Mo-eum, with their relationships and family dynamics at the heart of it all. Each character is compelling in their own way, especially Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo, whose chaotic but charming relationship drives much of the plot.

What I really enjoyed about this drama is how naturally the characters interact with each other, whether it's the hilarious bickering between Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo or the quieter, more tender moments. Despite their teasing, you can feel the depth of their friendship, and it’s so heartwarming to see them always showing up for one another during tough times.

On the professional front, both Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo deal with challenges at work, and the way the drama portrays their struggles, along with their personal issues, makes everything feel grounded. There’s this recurring theme of facing one’s past, and it’s beautifully woven into the characters’ development.

The soundtrack isn’t overly catchy but complements the emotional undertones well, adding to the overall atmosphere of the drama. While there are plenty of heartfelt moments, the show doesn't shy away from humor, making it a joy to watch from start to finish.

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Not new, but still enjoyable

There was nothing new with the genre and show. It was still enjoyable and made me look forward to the upcoming episodes. There was lots of misunderstanding between the couples and the story lines however they gave exactly what we knew we would receive. A Friend to Lover troupe.

Best friends who have drifted apart and now fate has given them a chance to right the wrong and chase after their destiny. The chemistry between the main leads were great. I really enjoyed watching their scenes.

It was something that could or could not happened in real life. It made me think of people I might have forgotten or missed put on cause It wasn’t the right time.

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bickering friends into lovers?

I've watched lots of childhood friends become lovers dramas, but this drama impressed me because they bicker a lot and it's entertaining. 

It tells about Bae Seok Ryu, who was working in the US, coming back secretly to Korea to tell her family that she quit her job and canceled her marriage. From the first 4 episodes, I could tell that she has been hard on herself and has experienced terrible stuff in both work and relationships. It was Choi Seung Hyo, a childhood friend, who gave her the motivation she needed to start over in Korea. We will discover who has been in love with whom longest and since when in the meantime, along with those fleeting moments of spark that have occurred since they were young.

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