This review may contain spoilers
great premise, could’ve stayed tighter
I have mixed feelings about Idol I, but there are parts I genuinely appreciated.
What the drama did really well was the idol life realism. The way it showed the pressure, perfection standards, and lack of humanity idols are often afforded felt painfully accurate. This is such an important topic, and I honestly wish it were addressed more openly like this. K-netizens truly need to chill, and this drama does a good job reminding us that idols are human beings first, not machines or public property. That part alone made it worth watching for me.
That said… the plot got messy and kind of dull.
It started off strong. The early episodes had twists, suspense, and that “just one more episode” energy. But around episodes 7 to 8, it really lost momentum. I actually stopped watching for a bit and almost forgot it was still airing, which says a lot. I’m used to mid-drama slumps, but this one felt especially avoidable. It could have stayed much tighter and more hyped.
Things picked back up around episodes 10 and 11, which helped, but episode 12 felt like an afterthought. It was clearly there to give viewers a happy ending. I didn’t hate that, I actually liked the ending itself, I just wish we had more time living in that resolution instead of still tying up loose ends so late.
Overall, this drama had a great premise and an important message, but the execution didn’t fully live up to its potential. Worth watching for the idol commentary and Kim Jae-young, but manage your expectations on the storytelling side.
What the drama did really well was the idol life realism. The way it showed the pressure, perfection standards, and lack of humanity idols are often afforded felt painfully accurate. This is such an important topic, and I honestly wish it were addressed more openly like this. K-netizens truly need to chill, and this drama does a good job reminding us that idols are human beings first, not machines or public property. That part alone made it worth watching for me.
That said… the plot got messy and kind of dull.
It started off strong. The early episodes had twists, suspense, and that “just one more episode” energy. But around episodes 7 to 8, it really lost momentum. I actually stopped watching for a bit and almost forgot it was still airing, which says a lot. I’m used to mid-drama slumps, but this one felt especially avoidable. It could have stayed much tighter and more hyped.
Things picked back up around episodes 10 and 11, which helped, but episode 12 felt like an afterthought. It was clearly there to give viewers a happy ending. I didn’t hate that, I actually liked the ending itself, I just wish we had more time living in that resolution instead of still tying up loose ends so late.
Overall, this drama had a great premise and an important message, but the execution didn’t fully live up to its potential. Worth watching for the idol commentary and Kim Jae-young, but manage your expectations on the storytelling side.
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