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I did learn from early on since the murder plot took a backseat from ep 5 and focused on the character arcs and developing romance, that this show's strongest point was not going to be the murder mystery. the list of suspects became longer and longer. but eventually the initial clues became irrelevant? literally thought Hyejoo hired an assassin to kill Wooseong coz how did she kill him so precisely. By accident was such a reach and a copout!
Hyejoo has motive and even tho I don't like the crazy ex-gf trope, I got that the writer wanted to show the contrast between obsessive love and "real" love. how different was Hyejoo from Raik's stalkers, not that much.
but I wish they didn't put that bit abt killing him right in the heart. And cmiiw but didn't the police mention there was no struggle? but there was! unless they explain it by saying the initial investigation was all manipulated by hyejoo's dad so even the most basic evidence wouldn't be brought to light, then I don't understand why the police were so incompetent initially.
The way Sena solved the case, I'm not sure why Youngbin didn't tell sooner that Woosung was the type to record things. How convenient. Should have explained why he liked to record things so that it doesn't seem so convenient. I liked watching Sena crack the code, showcases how hardcore fans behave but but it suddenly felt so easy. Also the password should have been REMIND95 or something with numbers. Who puts their password with 0 numbers or special characters?
ANYWAYS that being said, despite my disappointment with how the murder plot investigation turned out, it hasn't ruined my enjoyment for this drama overall. Largely because of the cast and characters. Kim Jaeyeong is a star. I'm just one of many who recognizes his masterclass acting. I feel like vulnerable male leads like Raik are so rare, Jaeyeong had to really go all out and I felt every emotion he portrayed. Especially despair and love. Both are a good look on him lol
Sooyoung brought such grace to Sena, she's such a likable female lead without needing to be too bubbly or positive, or too cold for no reason. She feels like a real person and her reactions are never over the top. I missed her happier fangirl side so I'm happy from the preview she has returned to her hobby of fangirling.
Jung Jaekwang as Kwak Byunggyun - initially I thought he was the male lead becoz of that weird enemies to lovers meet cute he had with Sena, turns out he bullied her. I had been rooting for his redemption arc until ep 7 when he made Sena cry, he came off a bit wishy washy coz he was indecisive abt following his dad or searching for the truth but as soon as the preview of ep 11 had Sena calling out "Byunggyun-ah" I thought he still had a chance. Sena has a way of setting men straight, first Chungjae, then Raik, and she managed to even help Byunggyun. His apology abt his father was sincere BUT I wish he would have apologized for bullying Sena too. Seems like Sena has forgiven him tho since he did the right thing.
I could go on but I'll wait until the last episode for my final verdict. For now, Raik's murder case got tied up simply and conveniently with a bow.
shows with multiple genres are usually risky. probably why jdramas rarely mix romance with their career-related shows like legal/medical/thriller etc.
As someone who usually get attached to romance that are subtle/show the bare minimum because they're more of a subplot or only hinted, I'm surprised the romance in this show, which I think is supposed to be the main genre, hooked me in.
Basically I would not hype up this show for great writing (I'm not particularly smart to acknowledge masterclass writing either), but hey there's a reason why it's doing just modestly in terms of domestic ratings and global rankings. I always have a strange attachment to shows that have potential and could have done better because I find the characters endearing.
Anyways fair point!
I get what you’re saying if you’re expecting external action. But Idol I isn’t treating “idol life + murder” as a thriller or chase narrative. Once he’s accused, his idol life does end quietly and that’s kind of the point.
The tension shifts inward. The drama is about what happens when a public figure loses the stage, the noise, the protection of fame, and is forced to exist as an ordinary person under suspicion. Instead of action set pieces, it focuses on psychological pressure, reputation collapse, and emotional fallout.
Slow doesn’t automatically mean boring. It just means the stakes are internal rather than kinetic. If someone wanted a fast-paced investigative thriller, I agree this wouldn’t hit. But given the themes, I think the stillness is intentional rather than a flaw.
Plus, within the story’s own timeline, the investigation is actually moving fast. The murder happens on May 24 and the indictment is on June 24. One month for a homicide case isn’t slow I think?
What feels slow is the experience of being investigated, which the drama chooses to show rather than skip over because our ML is the one investigated. If the protagonist were the prosecutor or detective, this would likely be far more action-packed.
From the FL’s side, her role is to defend the ML, not to run around solving the case. Finding the “truth” is the prosecution’s job even if she agreed to help with the truth just because ML wanted to know. Though it wasn't officially her job since at the time, the case was closed and his bandmate was branded as the culprit. Now that the ML has been indicted, her role naturally shifts again, which is why the case begins to move differently in later episodes.
I get that this pacing won’t work for everyone. Personally, I found the psychological focus very relatable, even though I’m obviously not a murder suspect. It captures how time can feel distorted when your life is on pause while the world keeps moving.
The ML treating the FL’s house as a kind of escape, and then being forced back into reality when he leaves, felt intentional rather than indulgent. With him now facing reality again, it makes sense that only now the final stretch will be more intense and action-driven.
Since I watched the interviews I knew what I was getting into. The host assumed it was a romcom when the synopsis was about a fangirl defending their idol. But the actress was like "You think so? It has ELEMENTS of romcom, a BIT of mystery and romance. But as we kept filming, it really started to feel like it was a love story at its core"
So she's right, there were little mysteries scattered throughout the episodes, but the real focus has always been the character's growth and developing relationship. So I think the murder is only the catalyst to explore the characters related to it, especially the two leads. Idol I isn’t structured as a tight procedural where the case is the sole engine. The case is a pressure cooker, not the destination. The side characters and “detours” exist to show how isolated Raik actually is and how the idol system hollowed him out long before the murder happened.
A lot of the criticism you have will be addressed in later episodes.
That he's been selfish this whole time, thinking that he had no one on his side and only he was the one with problems and issues when his friend had been sacrificing a lot for him too.
And in ep 10 he does realize that he hasn't contributed and has only been protected. That's why we see him for the first time, stepping up to defend Sena. And he also helps with the investigation more than just simply telling Sena what really happened.
Also I had a similar critique, that he wanted people to see the real him but at the same time only presented the product version of him. How could his fans love his real version when he was fake. I think that's one of his many character flaws that feel real. Most people want others to try see their REAL self despite what they present is different. Still held back as an idol, I think he has been very real as much as he could. His anger and all his unhealthy ways of expressing his emotions. But he hopes people will still like him despite that because there is more to him than that.
But FL eventually tells him in episode 10, that she realized he had been honest this whole time, whether on stage or not. That's why he's always been the one embroiled in attitude controversy, not the other members.
About his mental illness, I don't know if realistically if one could heal from just "sitting around." I'm no psychiatrist/therapist. But it's not like the show hasn't addressed what happened to his mental illness. ML has said that being in her house, "in this fence you built for me, I have felt lighter than I have in a long time." He tried treatment and meds, but ever since being in her presence, he hasn't relied on them.
In my opinion, what he needed the most was a BREAK. Or at least a change in environment. His dead friend, in episode 9, apparently had tried hard to convince the manager and CEO to give him a break, because his physical condition was poor and yet they still wanted him to go for a solo tour.
I don’t think the show is saying his mental illness “disappeared.” What changed is his environment. Raik’s panic was tied to constant performance, pressure, and not being allowed to exist as a person. Once that stopped, his symptoms naturally eased. He’s not cured, he’s regulated. Sena doesn’t fix him, she gives him safety and boundaries. That’s why he seems calmer, not because the writing forgot his illness. If he goes back to that environment he could go back to how he was before. We'll see in the last 2 episodes now that he isn't living in Sena's house anymore. But he hasn't always been chirpy. Was he supposed to be depressed the entire time? He had moments where he grieved, and moments where he was happy, and that was usually with the FL.
my answers change every time but my first suspect was the manager because of his reaction when raik was held in prison going all weepy like "why did you do it, raik?" like idk it seemed fake
but i wouldn't know what his motive would be other than working under raik sucks and he hates his guts.