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When I stumbled upon Heroes Next Door, I was intrigued by the plot and the fact that Yoon Kye Sang and Jin Seon Kyu were lead roles solidified my decision to give the drama a try. And while I expected this series to be to my liking, I am beyond delighted to say that I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated.

The premise of the story had caught my attention from the synopsis. I really like this type of stories of ordinary people who find themselves entangled in complicated situations and are here to save the day. The drama establishes the ground for the mystery and political aspect pretty early on and I was more than eager to find out who was behind the bombing incidents and what were their motives.

At first glance, our main characters appear to be ordinary people who want to protect their families and neighborhood. But soon enough, it's revealed that this couldn't be further from the truth. All of the main characters were reserve special forces veterans. A former member of the JDD lethal special operations unit, a former HID counter-terrorism unit member, a former special operations instructor, a former cyber operations soldier and a former mortar unit member made for a hectic yet competent team which no one should look down to - particularly the people who were responsible for the bombs.

The characters were the heart of the show and the actors greatly contributed to this. From the very first episodes, I was enthralled by their interactions and the chemistry between them was so organic. The performances were more than serviceable, all actors did their part very well and they never came across as awkward. They embodied their characters perfectly and they made sure to make them as memorable as possible.

The bond between the team made it so easy to fall in love with them. Their small banterings made me giggle and yet, despite some disagreements here and there, they always stuck together no matter what. Through their relationship and through the depiction of other dynamics between the secondary characters in the neighborhood, the drama highlighted the significant role communities can play in human relationships. It's vital to surround ourselves with people who we can trust and rely on for their support. Human bonds are always strong and our heroes proved that no matter how dangerous the circumstances were, they would never abandon their group, nay, family.

One of my most favourite dynamics was the bond between Choi Kang and his family, particularly his daughter, Do Yeon. Their interactions made my heart melt, they were just so cute together! Park Ji Yoon was simply adorable, she stole the show whenever she appeared and her on-screen chemistry with both Son Ji Hoon and Yoon Kye Sang was so good. I adored their small family and I looked forward to their scenes.

Yoon Kye Sang was undoubtedly one of the highlights. I got introduced to him in The Winning Try and I'm happy to report that I loved his character in this drama too. He shifted from an outgoing, goofy insurance investigator to a ruthless ex soldier so effortlessly. The way his expression would turn cold and stern made me both scared and excited for what was about to come. He shined in this role, comedy is definitely his strong element but I also had a great time watching him in the action scenes.

Kye Sang's performance added some more depth to Choi King's character, too. Just from the look of his safe or the tone of his voice whenever his family and friends got threatened, you could tell how worried he was about their safety. Having experienced great tragedy at JDD forces, he had to deal with PTSD and the lingering fear of losing the ones he loved. I appreciated this side of Kang's character and Kye Sang did a good job portraying his distress and caution.

The duo between Choi Kang and Kwak Byeong Nam was one of the funniest relationships and one of my most beloved dynamics too. Even though they got off on the wrong foot, they quickly became close friends who not only respected each other but were also willing to risk their lives for each other. They had so many funny moments (I still burst out in laughter when I think about the middle fingers scene) and the actors matched perfectly.

I was already familiar with Jin Seon Kyu from other projects and once again, he didn't disappoint. His character was very interesting and watching him displaying his craftsmanship was fascinating. He too was one of the actors I particularly enjoyed watching alongside Kyo Sang.

Another character I especially liked was Jung Nam Yeon. At first I was quite sceptical with her depiction as a serious and threatening woman but I quickly loved her character. She deeply cared for her family and she always expressed her concern in her own way. She was strong and independent and was capable of throwing a punch or two, which made her cooler to watch. And I adored her relationship with her husband, she scolded him yet cared about him and he admired her for her skills instead of feeling jealous over her capabilities.

The writers did a marvelous job combining comedy with action. Most jokes landed smoothly and the fighting scenes added the necessary amount of thrill. There was a perfect balance for the majority of the series and neither the funnier bits nor the action parts outweighed each other. Each episode made me laugh so hard during some scenes while others had me watch my screen in anticipation of what would happen next. That being said, if the tone of the story required it, the drama would become more serious. The funeral sequence on episode 3 brought some tears in my eyes and Sullivan's interaction with Do Yeon on episode 10 made me quite emotional too.

I shan't forget to talk about the amazing soundtrack. It was energetic, vibrant and suitable for this genre. I have been listening to both UDT and Higher on repeat for the past weeks and each time I heard the first notes on the background, I would instantly become pumped up and ready to head into action. I could literally feel the adrenaline rush consume my body. This is a great example of how to make a simple yet memorable soundtrack, one that can be easily associated with the drama and match its vibes.

Although I had an amazing time watching Heroes Next Door, I must admit that the writing fell short in some areas. While I acknowledge that the story was developed rather smoothly for a 10 episodes drama, there was room for improvement which would have made the drama even better.

While the series emphasized Choi Kang's trauma, it didn't go deeper than that. There were some flashbacks and illusions but overall, it wasn't addressed properly in my opinion. It could have been more fleshed out in order to understand even better the lengths of it and how it had shaped his current state and his navigation in life after his retirement from JDD. Furthermore, the rest of the characters could have been explored some more besides the traits that distinguished them. Jeong Hwan was in my opinion the most underutilized character from the main group, he should have been even more involved in the story and his feelings (especially after the death of My song) could have been addressed more.

My biggest issue was definitely the villain, Sullivan. I understand what the writer was aiming for but the execution was lackluster. Sullivan is supposed to be a heartbroken father who wants to avenge his daughter, whose killer hadn't received proper punishment. His anger and resentment towards the people behind this was understandable but having him go to great lengths, such as killing innocent people or trying to do so, undermined his trauma.

I'm all for having morally questionable characters. I actually love this type of heroes. But the thing is, the drama couldn't decide if Sullivan would be portrayed as a deranged villain or a wronged father. For the most part, he was painted as the former and thus, it was quite difficult to sympathize with him. The attempt to explore his motives on the last episode didn't do him much favour. I wish the writers had handled this character better, his backstory was interesting and his motives could have been explored from a different angle.

The rest of the villain could have also been better. They appeared to be too cartoonish and even though their actions were horrible, they didn't appear to be that intimidating. Which again, it's understandable, the series wanted to portray them from a more comedic point of view through their interaction but they should have been presented from a more serious standpoint.

The ending, while decent, could have been better. Like the writer's previous work, Shin's Project, Heroes Next Door suffered from the same problem of having a disjointed pacing at the finale. The last episode dragged in some parts and there were some moments which felt like fillers. The conclusion to the villains was quite unsatisfactory. I didn't like that Sullivan killed himself and that the corruption behind her death hadn't been exposed properly. I get that in real life many crimes will be shoved under the rug, but the drama brushed this off, without addressing the issue properly. There was a poor attempt with the journalist trying to raise awareness of Charlotte's death but it didn't hold any significance. As for the other villains, they were let go pretty much lightly which left a bitter taste in my mouth. All of them should have been received proper punishments but alas, since this doesn't happen in real world, I had high expectations even for a fictional story...

Choi Kang's decision to shoot Sullivan multiple times even after giving him the beating of his life was...a choice. Given that Sullivan had threatened innocent lives and had kidnapped Do Yeon, some level of frustration was more than understandable. But having Choi Kang shoot Sullivan, even when Sullivan expressed his regret of not exposing the corruption seemed irrational. If anything, Choi Kang could have been the one to look more into it. Throughout the drama, he was on his way to unveil the crime and corruption among the Ministry of Defence, so him doing that to Sullivan felt too exaggerated and out of character.

All in all, Heroes Next Door was a brilliant action comedy that it's easily digestible and entertaining. It's very underrated and although it's not extraordinary, it could offer something lighthearted and thrilling to watch. I am very happy for not missing it out and if there's a possibility for a second season, you better believe I'll tune in.