Dreams are for real.
A line from Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" goes like, "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." The future is indeed yours if you know how to appreciate and believe in thr beauty of your dreams. So it's important you're always led by your dreams. Also, your struggle is something that sharpens you into a fine person. There is scarcely any passion without struggle. "Idol: The Coup" is a story of big dreams and the struggle on the way.IDOL: THE COUP (아이돌: 더 쿠데타) is the very last story of "Cotton Candy", a failed kpop group, idols of which are determined to prevent the disbandment of their group by any means despite the amount of misfortune befall on them. At the center is Kim Jenna, the leader of the group, who's desperate to grab even the smallest opportunity to save the group. With six months on their hand, the group goes against the newly appointed CEO of their company and prepares themselves to leave the industry with dignity and grace.
To a great deal, the drama portrays the real underlying issues in the Kpop industry as well as the companies and their policies for people under them. The harsh attitude of the public torwards the rookie as well as failed artists is also accurately showcased. The companies going after money over the talent of artists abd then ditching the idols once they loose their popularity is another major problem placed in the show.
Kim Je Na (Ahn Hee Yun) is the thread that holds all the members of Cotton Candy together. Aware or their devastated reality, she still wants to hold onto the group given their past involving their journey tilll their debut. Seo Ji Han (Kim Min Kyu) is the leader of the a rapidly rising boy group "Mars" who has this soft side to people with talent and immensely favors Jenna and her group. Cha Jae Hyuk (Kwak Shi Yang) is the newly appointed CEO of Starpeace Ent. the company that started with Cotton Candy and is on rise bcs of Mars. These 3 are the main characters and Min Kyu is in fact the least experienced among them. Kwak Shi Yang is undoubtedly a very good actor whereas Ahn Hee Yun has improved over years.
There are many characters given the drama is about the Kpop industry involving Kpop groups and companies. There are less familiar as actors casted for the young characters though you might know some of them if you thoroughly follow Kpop. Honestly, their acting wasn't much impressive rather some of them failed to deliver appropriate emotions and lacked coordination. But I guess overally they were able to perform as much it was demanded from them basing upon their skills. Some characters were likable where some made me hate them to a great deal.
Among some good actors casted in minor roles are Ahn Se Ha and Jung Woong In.
Plot development is quite fine with several peaks throughout. Misery just keep embracing the girls from Cotton Candy one after another; a little moment of joy is followed by series of tragedy. The events are mostly saddening so it can make you cry constantly if you're very sensitive. The progression is good and steady. The drama starts with a seemingly funny yet sob-story and ends with a goor impression.
Noh Jung Chan PD-nim has been there in the industry for over a decade but his previous dramas are pretty average. Given that fact, he seems to have improved here, providing the drama all his determination. The screenplay is pretty good, in fact amazing in few instances. I am also okay with the pacing the dramas was run with. The screen-editing, syncs, organization and coordination... all these were well handled.
Jung Yoon Jung jakka-nim is known for dramas like "Misaeng" and "The Bride of Habaek"; the former is a quality hit whereas the latter is a quality flop. I love this script,b despite few potholes (let's call it missed plots). The introduction, the development and the ending, everything is well presented. So happy she has incorporated most of the possible issues with the industries in a "slice of life" way for the idols' lives, portraying a real image and the dark and known, yet ignored scenarios associate to it.
The songs!? Oh my goodness! They're so dope TT. If you're into Kpop then you won't be able to help but love them so much. There is no OST in the drama, rather only one opening theme, which is also used as a bg plus theme in the drama. All other songs are in fact sung by many artists along with the imaginary idol groups: Mars & Cotton Candy, featured in the drama.
The makers have also added 2-3 mins interviews at the beginning of each episode, from several rookie artists and trainees as well as some failed artists. This segment is something that breaks your heart more than the drama bcs it's the real story.
Overally, "Idol: The Coup" is an above average drama with a decent plotline, par acting with several major issues to learn about and a good outcome. Judging from production value and every other aspects this is an uo to scratch piece and worth the one time watch, especially for the multistan Kpop fans. I would not say it's a much watch but I surely enjoyed it and recommend others as well.
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1slice of life
in 2021 dramas were in a slump, and I was in a deeper slump, but this drama was really fun. it was emotinal, it was layered with great sismnace, women that depended on themselves, and best of all the non existent romance that was better than 90% of romance genresmy favorite part was shipping jena and jaehyuk, whether it sailed or sunk didn't matter cuz that chemistry was FIRE. jena looovved to get on jaehyuk's nerve, and he was so mushy and overreactive despite being "evil" and cold that it was all just too adorable
atleast now I have material for my article about ships ;)
I also really liked the music alot ;) I high key stan KillA the most xD and I wish they'd release all of the songs.
I do admit the trauma and the drama got to penthouse's ridiculous makjang level, like they should've stopped at ep6(?) when jena and hyunji had that greatly acted emotinal breakdown scene
everything after it (and before it) was like SSSAAADDD, oooh light of hope, nope SSSAAAADDDDD, well maybe hope BUT NO..
as a youth slice of life sismance drama about idols, this was great and fun and I NEED hani and shiyang to reunite!
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Countless misfortunes with Disney solutions.
Idol: The Coup opens with quite refreshing, more accurate depiction of idols and the Korean music industry as a whole, but ends on an over the top, makjang note. And yet, I truly loved the show. Somehow, it convinced me to ignore all the flaws and only focus on the true entertainment and emotional connection I have made with the characters. And for that, I am thankful.The drama tells the story of Cotton Candy, who are deemed as "'망돌(망한 아이돌)” (mangdol - failed idol). Both the company and the members themselves gave up on trying to succeed, with Jenna, the driven leader, being the last person who still tries her best to make the team overcome the issues and survive in the industry.
Each member has her own traumas, hardships and obstacles they need to face, and as the drama progresses they learn how to trust each other again, how to work as a team, protect and support each other.
Idol: The Coup truly takes the viewers on a whole journey of “hate to love”. At first, you might despise the majority of the characters, just to end up loving them and rooting for them by the end of the show.
It’s also the first drama with an idol driven plot, where the songs are truly good, and something I could see in a music show. Both, the songs that are suppose to be part of the fictional groups’ discographies, and the songs that were only used as a soundtrack easily found a place on my playlist, with few favorites being: “Home”, “Honest”, “You Can Cry”, “Fly Up”, “Pray” and “Remember Me”.
It would be a crime to write this review and not mention the amazing chemistry between Jenna and Jae Hyuk. This dynamic was extremely entertaining to watch. While at first it might seem that Jae Hyuk holds all the power, each disagreement they had, leaves the viewer thinking he was the one who lost and was more affected by it. It became a battle of wits and determination, over one character just abusing another.
The acting was not outstanding, with some idols struggling to connect to the emotions and truly deliver the lines in a natural manner (I’m looking at you Kim Min Kyu and EXY), but overall, none of the performances were truly cringeworthy, and the few miss-deliveries became a charm of the show too. Maybe I am biased, maybe I just convinced myself to love even the bad aspects of the drama, but at the end of the day, does it matter? It was a fun watch, whenever it had or had not had any issues.
That said,
If you want to watch idol romance, this ain’t that. While the female and male leads have amazing chemistry, and many viewers wished to see some kind of feelings spark between them, it never crosses the line of hints and future possibilities.
If you want to see a realistic portrayal of idols’ life, this ain’t that. While the first 3-4 episodes did a good job showcasing the struggles “failed” idols might face and the industry trend to see the idols as replaceable assets and not human beings, at some point, the amount of tragedies happening to Cotton Candy reached a ridiculous number. The solutions were coming out of nowhere, just as the problems were showing up with little explanations, and at times, as complete contradictions to what already was established in the drama. That said, the issues themselves were not unrealistic, but rather the fact they all happened to this one group in such a short period of time.
If you want a wholesome drama with nice characters you can root for from the beginning till the end, this ain’t that. There were moments when I wanted the group to disband, there were moments when I totally understood why they were failed idols and maybe they should not work as a team. I went from “let them disband”, through “I’m an ot4 stan”, to “I don’t care if it will make no sense, these babies need a happy ending”. The characters are truly flawed, but you might end up loving them despite their shortcomings.
Overall, what a ride it was. Idol: The Coup has countless flaws, and yet it made so many viewers enjoy it and get excited for more episodes. The idea of one hour and thirty minutes long episodes scared me, but when they went down to just one hour, I was truly disappointed. Each episode made me want to see more, and wish for just a few more minutes of the content. I got addicted to this soft idol makjang with fun, but frustrating characters, over the top tragedies and Disney solutions.
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This review may contain spoilers
It asks you a very important question , "For how long can you strive to achieve your goal?"
This drama is undoubtedly excellent, with its color palette being slightly dark unlike Imitation. If you've watched Imitation then you've probably seen that it's about a failed group who sticks close even through hardships but Idol : the coup is the complete opposite. It was very realistically portrayed, how hardships break relationships and how much hardships affect a relationship. Each of these characters have a past, some fears, and some hope. They all hope to be popular but the ways that they strive to achieve it is different.CHARACTERS:
Our fl is somebody who can go to any extent to save the group, she can as she says "stoop low" but will make sure that the group is saved. She is like the backbone to the group but like everyone has limits, she has a point too at which she breaks down. But she believes that the group has hope.
On the other hand is Jihan, a member of a very popular boy band and the boy band is doing very well. But the problem with his character is that when he protects someone for whatever reason, everything else loses its importance. Now you may wonder why I'm saying that it's a problem. In this drama, it is a problem because when he starts protecting Cotton Candy, his own group goes at a risk and starts losing importance. It's difficult for Jihan to grip both of them together because Cotton Candy and MARS were never on speaking conditions.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Jenna-Jihan : I must say that initially, this relationship was completely one-sided, with Jihan giving everything and Jenna accepting, but later in the drama, Jenna also starts giving Jihan. They both understand each other very well because they share the same passion for music. If you're looking for a drama where the main characters understand each other and their relationship have very realistic ups and downs then this one is for you. [PS: I never lost hope in Jihan and I was right all along. :)]
Cotton Candy : They have a good friendship but like I mentioned hardships put a crack in their relationship with one member leaving and constant fights in the dorm.
Cotton Candy - Mars : Apart from it being a simple senior-junior relationship, they start developing empathy for each other. The quote to sum their entire journey is "Grass may seem greener on the other side but it isn't always". Cotton Candy was a failed group and they were unable to get any opportunities, it hurt them that they stayed in a booth for so long, practicing, giving their best to the company, only to get forgotten. They dreamt of being extremely popular. A member of Cotton Candy didn't even like MARS because she sorta blamed them. But MARS had its own difficulties. MARS being an extremely popular boy band subjects them to being very transparent; every action of theirs is always ensuring that their fans aren't upset. And it also subjects them to having rabid "fans", the kind who attack so frequently without understanding a situation.
All in all, this drama is excellent but it's not light hearted. It deals with alot of issues and the issue introduced in few eps might be triggering if you have experienced something like that. But otherwise, it deals well with all difficulties unpopular groups go through. They can neither get out nor stay in for too long. SO, yall watch this drama. It's damn good!
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A rare gem
Idol: The Coup is a rare drama: it's relentlessly dedicated to telling a deep story rather than leaning on flashiness. The acting is incredible (a true idol acting breakthrough), the writing is super detail-oriented (the writers did their research!), and the music is surprisingly excellent (fictional idol music has never been so good tbh).Every single one of the girls was well-written and well-acted. Anyone can see that this was an incredibly tough script to act, especially for Hani, Solbin, and Exy. Kim Mingyu and Kwak Siyoung also performed excellently. Soeun carried well as both an actress and a fictional idol, and Jiwon was simply made for her part.
Attention to detail that made this drama so enjoyable: the five girls feel hand-picked and cohesive as a real girl group: Jenna the fearless leader, Stella the visual eldest member, Chae-ah the cute sub-vocal, Exy the fierce main vocal, and Hyunji the fiery maknae. Now that they feel like a real girl group, seeing the nuances in their character and relationship arcs becomes so much richer. Its difficult to go too deep into any single thing within 12 episodes, but they touched upon mental health in the entertainment industry, brutal working conditions for agency staff (with Duho), Businessmen praying upon young girls, the burden of being in a team, failed trainees, and even the stress of established idols. It was also an appropriate blend of 2nd gen and 3rd gen Kpop narratives, as pinpointing which era of Kpop to focus on is important too.
While I don't claim to be an absolute expert, I've been into Kpop for a long time—I've seen endless shows and documentaries that peek into these agencies. Most of them are in basements, and it's just so hard to survive in a brutal and oversaturated market. I've heard all the scandals, and I've seen so many promising girl groups be pushed aside because boy groups tend to be a safer gamble with dedicated fanbases. It's hard, but it can be beautiful when you see how wonderful the connection between an artist and their fans is. I appreciate this drama, because it's written with a perspective that feels true to my experience as a Kpop fan. It's on the side of women, of the unheard and the unsung. It's on the side of those who've failed, but did such a good job on their own terms. As a fan of countless disbanded and forgotten girl groups, this drama was very special to me.
As other reviewers said, this drama definitely flirts with makjang more than it needed to — but what makes it real and true is that the melodrama was simply an extension of everything that genuinely could've gone wrong, going wrong. I could tell that the melodrama was a result of the writers wanting to fit everything they wanted to say about idol life as possible.
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A good way to finish 2021
Even if the story is a little bit surrealist, it’s a really good drama. The cast is great, really loved Jenna and Jihan’s actors !!! Every member of Cotton Candy is played well, and the characters are really touching. I cried a lot in this drama. I think the story of a failed idol group is original and a so good idea ! The songs are incredible, so much good work ! The production is really good as well. The little romance between the director and Jenna is sweet but it don’t take much place, I think it’ s a good choice from the scenarist. I want a second season !!!! Worth to see !Was this review helpful to you?
A Unique Piece
First of all just to give you guys a little heads up, this is my first review so it might be a little rusty.IDOL has a typical genre that is present in most of the kdramas in the past. However it has a rather unique tone to it.
I personally have watched a few Idol based series that mostly just focused their story line on romance. This isn't a bad thing per se but I think for a series to be truly successful and consistent it needs Drama. The drama shouldn't be just a simple story line that can be easily thought of in a minute. No, but it should have depth and meaning.
Honestly the drama in this series is phenomenal. I was hooked to every episode and sad that it had come to an end but even the number of episodes they had were suiting (to the story line). I loved how the story wasn't unnecessarily dragged and how they tried their best to be as realistic as possible. Then ofcourse there is the music, which was really good and I can tell they did put a lot of effort in it after all the series is centered around music.
I actually did learn a lot about the kpop industry and also about life in general. The things that these girls go through are quite relatable and the way they face and resolve their issues is quite commendable. There were moments where I was thinking to myself " how are they gonna solve this problem?" But later on seeing how they came up with their solutions made me notice their growth and experience over time. In addition to that all the actors in this show did a good job especially the girls. They truly pulled off the emotional scenes.
Now to sum it all up, I highly recommend watching this series it's worth it. If u are a romance junky like me please don't pass it off just because the romance present is what some would call " slight romance ". Love is visible in a lot more relationships than lovers and trust me you would appreciate the love u will see between these girls.
P.S: expect a lot of sad and happy tears.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama "Idol: The Coup" was, surprisingly, a really good idol drama. The music was great, the drama just enough. and it wasn't overburdened by any romance. Rather, it was friendship-focused, with sweet dynamics between the girls and nice progress when it came to their struggles on becoming an idol group with another hit. The ending was bittersweet and unexpected as well.And, even though most members of the cast are idols, all the performances are great and quite emotional. Maybe they even gave their own flare to the drama too.
In addition, the pace was excellent and the drama managed to wrap up everything in just a few episodes without missing anything. However, the ending needed more time to be properly presented nad it did feel overstuffed and rushed.
So, overall, 8 out of 10.
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I will truly miss the feeling of watching this every week.
This is probably one of the best, if not the best, idol-life-based dramas. Nothing too cringe, nothing too comical or unrealistic or overexaggerated like how most idol-life dramas are done. They are shown as realistic, normal human beings. Of course, there were moments of "what? why? how?" but it is a drama so that is a given but nothing was so ridiculous that it still lingers in my head (like some scenes from other dramas I still can not seem to forget).The fact that the love lines were not fully explored was actually super nice and refreshing to me. Just the small indications and impressions were enough. The story was focused fully on the girls and it was all about them and their battles with their own selves and their world. Not going to lie, I choked up a few times every episode. The acting of the entire cast was very impressive. Very immersive and believable.
In all, a very nice portrayal of different personalities, problems, and relationships. Not to mention, the absolutely amazing soundtrack everyone definitely needs to check out!
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This review may contain spoilers
An enjoyable, if messy and uneven, behind-the-stage-curtain adventure
Prior to “Idol: The Coup”, the category of dramas that wanted to feature storylines based around K Pop characters could have been labeled “Irony: The Subgenre”. Why? Because while K Pop has become a global phenomenon with explosive growth and overflowing with powerfully charismatic entertainers, the attempts at capturing it in drama form has been littered with lackluster characters and lukewarm storylines. There’s at least somewhat of a standard-bearer now as “Idol: The Coup” stirs together enough quality drama components to complement the musical background for an above-average production.The primary narrative is based on the five member girl group Cotton Candy and their attempt to salvage a once promising, now wrecked attempt at success. It begins with them attempting to get their agency to get on board with a comeback attempt which only leads to tragic ends and a smoldering feud between a new agency CEO and the Cotton Candy members. Navigating this conflict with the agency whilst simultaneously bootstrapping themselves back in to the limelight makes up act two.
Je Na, fervently played by Ahn Hee Yeon, spends more time than an Australian cattle dog trying to keep her flock from wandering off. Hyun Ji, passionately portrayed by Sol Bin who previously was an idol trainee in “Backstreet Rookie”, has anger management issues that rival The Hulk. Elle, slyly brought to life by EXY, is more often measuring how likely the girls comeback will be and whether she’d be better off starting a solo attempt immediately. Stella, played by Han So Eun, and Chae Ah, by Green, spend almost the entire run as fourth and fifth wheels who way too belatedly get some individual storylines.
There’s also the successful boy band under the same agency and a bunch of management types and producers who are all male. Of course, no idol is without a fan club and, if it’s a drama, the fan club is all female. Ah, but let’s set aside gender momentarily.
As a production intended for viewing pleasure, “Idol: The Coup” does a respectable job through almost its entire run. Kwak Shi Yang, as the sometime nemesis/other times friendly new CEO Cha Jae Hyuk, has a delightful and complicated relationship with his talent and his aunt, in a sparkling guest spot by Yoon Bak In. CEO Cha is not only the most compelling character, but also has more of a transformation than Cotton Candy’s fortunes.
Ahn Hee Yeon and Sol Bin may not have futures as A list leading ladies, but they’re solid actors and have intriguing characters here. The rest of the Cotton Candy members are not on the same level, but they can sing, dance, cry and check the other boxes needed.
This only goes so far, unfortunately, before some flaws start to sink things.
As with any other show in this subgenre, at some point, idols have to perform. But it’s laughable for any song or choreography in a drama to compare to the real thing because, come on, the pros in the K pop industry are a worldwide phenomenon because they’re insanely talented and work nonstop on their craft.
There’s also a severe case of what could best be identified as Chronic Departure Crisis Syndrome which goes like this - Cotton Candy member decides because of [fill in the blank personal reason] that she’s heading for the hills followed by Je Na interchangeably confronting CEO Cha and lassoing the rogue member back to the group dorm ending with a group hug and a period of about ten seconds before the next cycle of CDCS flares back up.
A more permanent and untreatable condition is that the boy banders, Mars, are a necessary plot device requiring regular appearances by five of the most spiritless performers that could be found. Are they ugly? No. Can they deliver a single line of dialogue with a single instance of inflection? Also no. Would they be able to stand out in a supermarket aisle full of nothing else but rows of plain sandwich bread? Probably not.
The most serious issue is, however, that what should have been a show about female-powered success in the face of a hostile male patriarchal organization whiffs badly. As is uniform in idol dramas, the boy band’s fan club is nothing but a mindless, rage-fueled mob bent on obliterating anything that might breathe sideways at Mars. That’s at least got some real world connection to how things are in real life but it’s still not a great look.
What is most problematic is what turns things around for Cotton Candy. The five members have rehearsed, sung, choreographed, begged producers, recorded online videos, reached out to their fans, fought, kicked, scratched, clawed and crawled for episode after episode. Each time that things start to look positive, some new obstacle stands in their way. And then, suddenly everything changes. They start getting positive press and television interviews. The social media following exponentially grows. A signing event brings in a massive crowd. What triggers this overnight explosion of interest? The boy band’s leader, Seo Ji Han, has a press conference and says nice things about them. That’s why they break out. Cute boy flips the switch for the girls and that’s how they make it. That’s the formula for success: a successful male makes everything possible for the females who had flopped before he came to their rescue.
And when the success is imminent, as the final episode begins to roll, there’s the male CEO, the male boy band leader, two male producers, the male agency director and even a male reporter that all get screen time before the first glimpse of a female cast member at the 6:30 mark of the episode. That’s some serious cringe.
“Idol: The Coup”, despite a long list of missteps, has a solid group of characters and actors and the various misadventures that Je Na navigates with her crew create excitement more often than not. It’s a recommended show but be prepared for peaks and valleys.
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Success then Failure.....what next?
First off, I'd start by saying this drama pulls at your heart-strings and really opens your eyes to certain things we as fans would want/like to turn a blind eye to. At the end of each episode, my heart breaks more and more for K-pop idols/soloists and every other artist. Yes! This drama has some funny laughable moments, but it also has its serious, heartbreaking, tear-jerking heavy topics moments where you can't help but either cry or get really upset.There were moments when as a viewer, I'd be screaming at Je Na to just give up on L and Hyun Ji and just focus on the members who actually are show they care. Then I realize that everyone copes with failure and that sense of not being able to amount to something in a different way. Watching this drama, as a member of the K-pop fandom, it has given me a new perspective. I always thought I was empathetic enough toward idols; but this show has made me realize that I'm far from it.
First of it dives into what it's like to live as a failure after dedicating almost half of your life toward a dream that thousands of others are fighting for a chance to get. It then dives into how you try to fight to break out of the box you've been 'put' in after not becoming the success you and countless others dreamed of. While facing a company who's ready to give up on you, people always reminding you that you've failed and you can never make it back on top, your fans abandoning you and members on a verge of a breakdown because...let's face it the light at the end of the tunnel is basically non-existent. It really conveys the pain, struggle, pressure etc.. every idol has to face/go through. For those that end up becoming failed forgotten idols and those on the verge of or have already disbanded, the feeling that you have to live with always questioning whether or not wasting your prime on chasing a dream that seems futile was worth it. And to those that do make it in the harsh world of K-pop. the sense of loss when you question who the real you is and whether you're doing this because you love it, or that sense of passion has vanished and is now replaced with obligation because it feels as if your life isn't really yours to live anymore.
This drama has given me a new found appreciation for all idols out there, and help me as a fan to see them as humans and not some 'merchandise' that's solely created for my entertainment.
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