Love Next Door (2024)

Is it really worth it?

First of all, I really like this drama. It gives me a bitter sweet vibe.
The rekindling of the feeling of first love, the friendship,the family dynamic is so interesting.

I will say my favourite character so far is Jang Mo-eum. She's has a very charming personality. She's kind and brave, she knows what she wants, she the best friend you could ever wish for. She is very supportive of her friends,she seems to be open-minded too. Their friendship is so precious!

Baek Seok-ryu is strong and independent. She works hard, even when she was trying to find her dreams, I would say she is very dedicated. Her family dynamic is pretty interesting.
I wouldn't say her mother is a bad person but she really did annoyed me in episodes 7 and 8. What does she mean her life is a failure, and want Baek to live a successful life. The father too thinks he's a failure. When Baek confesses she wants to cook, that it was her dream, both her parents were furious. The father and mother is projecting their life experiences on Baek.
I feel like they don't say what they really want to say and are just be passive agressive with each other, it's just building hatred.

I don't understand why her mom wants Baek to get back with her ex. Like Baek can live a successful life in Korea too, why would she return to the US and relive all that stress. I really don't love the parents much, they are kind of annoying.
I mean I feel like Baek dealt with her sickness alone because she felt it was no big deal. She could handle it because it's always been like that.
She is unable to show she is hurt and suffering, even with the ex, she refused to explain the reason why they broke up. She doesn't know how to rely on someone or ask for help, maybe she did with her ex before he cheated.

I really understood Choi, imagine finding out your closest friend had to suffer alone as she was ill. She should have told her family and her friends about her illness. And why the heck did she tell her ex to hold onto her and not Choi. Why must she bear all the hurt and suffering alone, she doesn't deserve that.
I hope she learns to lean on her friends more, forget about the parents, I don't think she'll ever lean on them.

But at the end of all the characters are very complex and have their flaws. Let the miscommunication and misunderstandings marinate and spice their lives up!!

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The second lead story steals the show again (part- 464661664464)

*The actors and acting*. The FL Jung So Min, I've personally never liked her much and have dropped every drama of hers that I've come across (Because This Is My First Life , alchemy of souls playful kiss) maybe it's because of the characters she's played, maybe I didn't like the story or whatever. However, the ML Jung Hae In I love him and so many of his dramas I think he peaked in Something in the Rain and then in DP but his performance in Love Next Door is disappointing it's not bad but disappointing compared to his other romantic genre dramas He always has flawless chemistry with his female counterpart but it lacked A LOT here. He was cringe and seemed more friends than lovers with her. overall the chemistry was nothing special

*The actual drama*, to put it in one word was cliché and lowkey cringe. The genre is Romcom, there's rom in the story but no com or to put it better there was comedy in the form of dad jokes. the story is nothing new she got tired of her life overseas and decided to go back to her hometown where she discovered and pursued her true passion and also fell in love with her childhood best friend. (This is to all K-drama makers out there please stop using the childhood trope in dramas it has been OVERUSED).Other than that, the romance tropes such as the physical romance parts were especially cringe. Even though the story is simple they could've made it better but it was the same old same old, a homely neighborhood where everyone knows everyone and a school trope. OSTs weren't special either, very forgettable

*The good parts*. The second lead story. it was the best part it made the story interesting and bearable. those two were soooo cute and the chemistry was 100000. I want us all to take a minute and just realize how cute that kid was.
The friendship between the ladies it was very cute and interesting to watch i felt like more things could've been done with that but overall it was a nice spin in the story.

In conclusion, 'Love Next Door' falls short of its potential. While the drama offers moments of charm, its reliance on clichés, underdeveloped characters, and lack of originality ultimately hinder its ability to stand out. The performances by Jung So Min and Jung Hae In, while competent, fail to elevate the material. The storyline is predictable and lacking in emotional depth. While the second lead story provides a welcome distraction, it's not enough to salvage the overall viewing experience. For those seeking a fresh and engaging K-drama, 'Love Next Door' may disappoint. I would probably not recommend this to a friend as there are many other great dramas with similar storylines.

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What the actual heck..

Okay I just want to start this off by saying. THEYRE IN THEIR MID 30s AND STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE. I mean seokryu is just so blind and dumb. Why would she not tell anyone in her family about the cancer. why would she not tell her best best friends🤦🤦and what annoys me the most is the fact that she is jobless and it pisses me off like girl ur parents just wanted you to have a better life. She needs to understand where theyre coming from SHE WAS JOBLESS. and the guy, oh my god the guy. he couldn't confess WHO CARES IF SHE HAD A BF AT THE TIME dont wait until ur 30s 😒u knew her since you were kids. how tf did the second couple have more chemistry than the main leads. hes super emotional and shes swas so dumb in the episodes when he would lash out at her.. i mean can she not connect the dots. and the ex i dont understand why she would get mad at her mom for trying to set her up again when you would continuously enable the guy. like do you like him or not. how are we in the 10th episode already and still havent kissed yet. also this is NOT A ROMCOM. misleading af wasnt funny. felt forced only person i liked was the second leads child and her dad.

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In the abundance of roses, you're my sunflower!

Childhood friends to lovers bickering story done right. From the announcement to the release, it was much hyped and created a lot of anticipation among the drama fans. Was it worth it?
 
Definitely worth it. It is a family-orientated love story with which everyone can relate. What makes it different than any other drama is its's dynamics of characters.
 

✔️Likes:
 
• spotless chemistry between the leads. Single-handedly, they hold the series together.
 
• Sismance! Lavender Group's friendship is something we all aspire to. From school friends to neighbourhood moms, they've always stayed together and supported each other.
 
 
❌Dislikes/Room for improvement:
 
•The episodic length; oh my my... 1hr 20mins X 16 eps?! That's too damn long! I had lost all my patience waiting for it to finish.

• Resolving problems because of medical conditions. I know they love their family to death, but was illness the only thing that could vanquish all their problems and unite them again? Even if it was, then when they were so sick, why put so little importance on it? The issue came up all of a sudden and resolved too quickly.
 
Sometimes the characters were too childish and selfish at times, but I get it. As an adult, you think you can fix all your problems on your own without any help, but sometimes a reassurance is all you need to carry on in life. 
 
It wasn't something phenomenal and over the top, but something you watch when you're craving some fluff with a lot of angst and adults whining like children in frustration. It was not bad not good either, but just ok.

I think for me it comes once in a while that I fall in love with the rom-com kdrama; unfortunately, this is not the one.

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childhood friends to lovers; bland, but perfect ending

i waited for it to finish before finally watching it. i went into this as a fan of both jung somin and jung haein, so i was able to finish it despite being slow in the middle.

i also spoiled myself a little about how it ends, because fans have been theorizing that bae seokryu was probably gonna relapse and it's not gonna have a happy ending. fortunately, they gave this a good ending.

i was surprised and very satisfied with episode 16. most dramas struggle to end a good storyline, but this one has the perfect finale. heavy spoilers below:
1. bae seokryu and choi seunghyo - these two deciding to postpone their marriage in the end made me happy. it made sense that they wanted to focus on their careers first, and to wait for their best friend to come home from her work overseas. contrary to popular comments, i liked it better that they didn't rush their marriage. i hate it when all k-drama writers think that marriage of the main couple is the only recipe to a happy ending. IT ISN'T. i also felt disappointed that choi seunghyo wanted to get married almost immediately after they got together, but the plot between them communicating each of their perspectives about marriage is perfect so they were able to write it off great
2. jung moeum and kang danho - their love story is so cute! i think it's general consensus that in most k-dramas, the 2nd couple almost always have the more interesting storyline compared to the main, and i have to agree. these two are just so cute! esp when they're all bonding together with yeondu
3. the lavenders (the neighborhood's moms) - i normally hate it that k-dramas focus more on the side characters than the leads, but this wasn't it. i loved the dynamic between the moms. they banter, hang out together, and are there for each other when they need help. i also like how they handled the end, where two of them are fighting, and they tried to resolve it among themselves
4. the dads also forming a friendship lmao so cute
5. bae seokryu taking over her dad's restaurant. this was hinted in the last episodes, and i was gonna be heavily disappointed if they didn't pursue this plot. i theorized that choi seunghyo was gonna buy and build the restaurant for bae seokryu, but i loved it even more that it was the dad's idea. it made it more special

i debated not finishing this drama a couple times, especially in the middle where things felt really slow. but the cast is star-studded and full of talented actresses and actors (esp the main leads who are two of my most favorites in the industry) so i had to see it through. i'm glad i finished it. it's definitely not rewatch material, but i loved the last few episodes.

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Missed the mark: a rom-com turned melodrama with failed comedy and messy storylines

Despite its popularity, ‘Love Next Door’ feels like a failed attempt at narrating an already messy plot, lacking in many aspects that make a show captivating and overall underwhelming in terms of production. I found the series unmemorable, and was especially disappointed by the lacklustre chemistry between leads, slow-moving storylines, and jokes that felt uncomfortable from being misplaced. As a result of these flaws, the romance the main leads shared felt bland, and its comedic scenes would most-likely only appeal to those with an eccentric sense of humour. Its comedy and romance were insufficient to carry the series from its start to its end, which is why it makes sense as to why it progressively leaned more and more into melodrama territory rather than the rom-com that it had promised viewers ahead of its release.

The many tropes that have come together to bring the characters’ stories to life—such as childhood friends to lovers, the discovery of oneself, reconciliation between family, the annoying banter and quarrelling of siblings, and obviously, as the title suggests; a lover next door—are carried by a unique mix of emotion that highlights the series’ authenticity. Although it often shifts between the lives of different characters, the lead’s pure affection towards one-another threads the episodes with a consistent warmth, stopping viewers from getting lost in these constant changes. Their ever-deepening relationship blossomed slowly over time, navigating them through the incessant waves of trial and error faced by young adults while going through their period of self-discovery. This enabled the series to deliver a slow-burnesque type of love story with its leads, taking away from all the other aspects of their relationship, such as its simplicity, softness, and juvenile innocence. Not only did the romance fail in bringing a smile to my face mostly because of its painfully slow progress, but so did the comedic moments, heavy from the serious matters brought to light. Though the series's depth brought meaning to even the most lighthearted interactions shared between characters, it ultimately stole the show from its playful and humorous nature. If anything, the only good this did was bring out their rawest sides by presenting them using an approach that highlighted their faults and flaws. This tactic gave a realistic and emotional face to the characters, but also contributed to my disliking towards them.

The characters have each endured countless struggles, of which the worst have been Dong-jin’s early heart surgery, Mi-suk’s childhood in poverty, Seok-ryu’s cancer and depression, Seung-hyo’s near death experience and past car accident, and Dan-ho’s loss of family members. These dark times that have been presented shows that the series relies on tragedy to highlight the fragility of life as well as the preciousness of love. This deepens the bond shared between characters, and gives room for forgiveness and reconciliation. The technique used in bringing the story to life with strong emotions also worked in accordance to the viewers’ desires, because not only did it fortify the bonds between the families presented, but it also helped bloom the flawed but precious relationship that Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo shared in the last episodes of the series. Through living and reminiscing encounters that each held the possibility of a sad fate, the characters realised the importance of these relationships that may seem trivial, but of which are a necessity in overcoming trauma and accepting oneself. This vulnerability from fear and uncertainty, combined with exasperating hope for fulfilment of dreams, blurred the line between hidden secrets and spoken words. This combination of emotion created intimate scenes of verbal communication where love danced and pent-up emotion spilled.

From the very beginning, the series started on a rather serious note, rendering its advertising misleading, especially with the poster’s fun and colourful vibes. Its viewership ratings, of which have dropped exponentially since the airing of the first few episodes, only serve as confirmation to this claim. The concept photos put an emphasis on hopefulness, and contentment, though these themes are only truly present in the last episodes of the series. It introduced viewers to its main message with the first emotional moment shared between the main leads, which is the importance of having a shoulder to lean on. After this emotionally heavy moment came a pause in the unfolding of secrets. The series circled around the series’ main event—which was Seok-ryu’s stomach cancer—with little bits of comedy and metaphorical insight before cutting through the main storyline with angst, denial, loss, and other strong emotions that contradict the series’ overall image of light-heartedness.

Because of its heavy themes, the entirety of the show’s lightness seemed to revolve around its aspect of comedy, and yet, even the laughing matters were arguably put in inappropriate context, leaving some viewers uncomfortable with their watch. Moments like these included Seok-ryu’s Mom, whose physical actions such as hitting to express her anger and displeasure were overused and could be seen as abuse. Secondly, they tried to make out comedy of an awkward moment between Seung-hyo’s parents where the couple was together with one of the wife’s higher-ups, who was forced into his confession of being gay. The series brings attention to this moment being the first time he openly stated his sexuality to an individual he wasn’t close with because of the homophobia present in South Korea. There were also a few times where Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo’s fathers were out for a drink, both talking about how they felt miserable and hopeless for their lives, and yet each time ended up turning into a laughing matter because of their particular drinking habits. So, overall, the series’ comedic aspect was a let-down, save for Seung-hyo’s Dad’s hidden hilarious personality that overshadowed the series’ other comedic moments that landed flat in failed attempts at being funny.

The plot development was overall mediocre, with significant parts lacking between the journey Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo took to get from being friends, to lovers. Though its structure was evidently present due to the outcome of their relationship, the plot itself was messy and hid behind characters that distracted all else with their unserious dialogue, consistent personalities, and strong feelings. The series’ flow wasn’t very structured, and the episodes delved into different ideas that branched off without intersecting or building on each other and of which didn’t end up anywhere or support any of the series’ main ideas. For example, it didn't delve into an exploration of the pressure to become successful and start families in South Korea, like the first few episodes suggested it would. Instead, it skimmed the side with a mere generalisation and brought it to life using the toxicity of Moms that loved to brag of their childs and childs that competed against each other.

As for the acting, although Jung So-min and Jung Hae-in succeeded in bringing the story to life, their facial expressions were unvaried and at times lifeless. With chemistry that fell short and the lack of focus on the female lead’s backstory in falling in love with her partner, their relationship seemed forced. Despite this, something I was able to appreciate in the development of their relationship was Seung-hyo’s confession of love. It was nothing grand, and took place in a familiar setting, which mirrored his feelings that were hiding subtly in their almost-30-year-old friendship. These hidden feelings of his simply yet slowly installed themselves in his heart, allowing him to accept them and let them grow before being certain in his action to confess to her. The lead couple was accompanied with a second romance that, although wholesome, got messed up by the confusing relationship between Dan-ho and Yeon-du, and insensitivity on Mo-eum’s side. When viewers learn of Dan-ho’s ‘daughter’ in the beginning, it is assumed he has a wife, so the scenes he shares with Mo-eum before the revelation of his relation with Yeon-du seem inappropriate. There also could have been reconsideration on Mo-eum’s side regarding the way she chose to act in Dan-ho’s presence. For example, her questionable choice to kiss him during a conversation they shared where Dan-ho expressed his sadness for the loss of Yeon-du’s Mom, and her persistence in making her feelings for him known even though they made him uncomfortable.

Another notable aspect of the show worth mentioning is the abundant amount of product placement. ‘Love Next Door’ advertised a wide variety of brands, dedicating multiple scenes per episode to product advertising. Its constant habit of veering off into commercial territory was distracting, and combined with its poor-production qualities and mediocre acting, it really decreased my level of appreciation for the show.

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Thoughts up until ep 9

Current thoughts by ep 10:
The male lead is super whiney most of the time he is on screen with the female lead, seems to me like he was signed onto the project for his emotional acting saying every scene hes in is emontional as hell.
The female lead is either doing a great job playing something who hasnt fully coped with situation or just isnt great at doing emotional scenes. Ive felt in the past two episodes her acting has not matched the story of whats happening to her but again it could be that shes playing the role of someone whos lost and depressed super duper well.
The reporter and paramedic I find a lot more interesting
Idk if you are suppose to hate the ex, but after watching this ep I would argue he hasnt really done anything wrong
The parents hating the cooking thing I still dont understand, im assuming its got something to do with the dad
For most kdramas there is usually one major trope that drives the story, and the one for this was faked out with the stating that one of them cheated but in reality its something else that is introduced halfway thru. I dont have a problem with this but it makes hard to hate/dislike the ex, saying it seemed like he did everything well in regards to the issue.

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The plot wears off quickly. Lack of deeper storyline and character connection.

"I've seen it thousand times"..
The beginning is promising, I thought "This might be the best one this year actually"..
Around 8th or 9th episode you notice how they lack ideas and innovation, as if they took 100 other dramas and took parts of it and tried to adapt it to this series. It doesn't go well together, 99% of characters are over 30, they all act if they have an teenage alter ego. It doesn't fit when it comes to serious scenes because you can't take them seriously. They threw scenes one after another, but gradually deepen the plot and having a rich ending was not an option. As if they didn't have ideas or material for continuing the original idea (the first few episodes). The drama is alright, but it reminded me a lot of many (seriously, many) things that I've seen already. I'm used to typical k-drama acting and some repetitive scenes, but this was too much.
The acting was fairly good in general.
Since it's a series I can't really comment on how realistic some situations and facts are, they could have been made more accurate, but it was okay without getting too much into facts.
For me personally, I've seen better.

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ROMCOM???? WHERE?

THIS IS NOT WHAT A ROMCOM IS.
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I wanted fluff, not misery and heartbreak with a dash of fluff!!!!!!!








That's it, that's the review.

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What happened?

So, I made it to episode 8, and I think I'm done. What is this? How is it possible to have quite a great cast, huge names, actors I really liked in the past and to eff this up so much?

I normally love Jung So-min, my most favourite drama ever ('because this is my first life') is with her as the FL. I also liked Jung Hae-in in the past, he was great in 'Snowdrop', in 'one spring night', you name it.

But this? Where to begin? I didn't really like the first episode with all the 'funny' farting intro. Not funny. But I kept watching.
There is no, and I mean none - chemistry between the leads. It all seems so acted and cringe, I can hardly watch it.

So we have two mid-thirty people. One is a rich son, with his own business and for Korean standards he looks super attractive. Yet he steadily acts like a 7-year old boy. We are meant to believe that apart from this one relationship he had in the past with this self-confident but oh so friendly and well-meaning ex (unrealistic to the brim by the way) that is steadily showing up for no real reason, he was a virgin-and childlike boy in the body of this now mid thirty man waiting for his childhood girly to return and otherwise staying abstinent? Common. A guy like him, looking like that, being rich and having his own business? He would have lead a very different life if she had been gone to the US for years, and we all know it.

Same goes for our FL. She acts and dresses like a child. Concerning her relationship with the ML she acts like a clumsy little girl that didn't have her first kiss yet, but we do know she lived in the US, and was engaged and thus had an adult relationship with a man, so she knows how things go. Yet, we have this setting in the house of the FLs parents, who by the way are supposed to be poor, while the very rich son of a doctor and a busniesswoman, somehow has lived across in almost the same house? How? These two families are of completely different financial background and they certainly never lived in the same neighbourhood even, also not in the past?

Next thing? I really don't like ANY of the characters, they all annoy the hell out of me. Jung Hae-in? He is not funny, it's not his area of acting, at least not in such badly written drama, no one could make this seem remotely funny. It seems staged and almost exhausting for him to do these supposedly 'funny'lines, it's so obviously not him and it's unwatchable for me as I know he is a really good actor in other settings.
The FL and her constant screaming and nagging and physically attacking everyone? Not cute, not romantic, not anything, just annoying. Same goes for her mother, screaming all the time and physically attacking people.

Then the storyline, was there any way to make this any more unbelievable. Not only does or ML wait until forever for that girl that steadily beat him up and screamed at him, no, when he finally decides to tell her he likes her (again, like two 12-year-old would act, not like mid-thirties), out of nowhere, in exactly that moment, the even more unlikable ex fiancee stands there blablahing something staged about wanting to get back together with the FL. I laughed out loud at that scene, how ridiculous, who wrote this?

Not enough, our FL, who is screaming and attacking people at random all the time does not say anything to anything. The ML confesses - no reaction, no answer. And no, that milk bag scene with the expiry date was not funny. Why not just talk like adults? It's all Kindergarten. Why? It's not cute, it's so annoying. Same with the even worse situations when both men are 'fighting' over her. The ex-fiancee can just stalk her and show up at any time with this psycho grin and she always lets him talk instead of just finally telling him off. She does not decide anything at any point which contradicts the aggressive and loud character she is otherwise supposed to. And now, to add insult to injury they even come up with a cancer story? Come OOOON!

I think this is the worst drama I tried to watch in a longer time, and there were several bad dramas in the past two years as my impression is the quality of storytelling and writing has been going down the drain in the past two years compared to years like 2016, 2017, 2018, where there were several brilliant dramas per year.

So, no, please South Korean writers and drama producers, you can do better. Not even generally good actors help anything if it is just unwatchably bad.
I give the 2,5 instaed of 1.0 for the acting of the FL's father, as I think he is really good and actually the only one I find credible in his role.

Dropped, and I mean dropped out of a skyscraper in this case.

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‘chase your dreams’ ahh k-drama

I don’t know what I was expecting from this show but half of the things that happened seemed so out of place…?

I think love next door and no gain no love started streaming around the same time, and somehow the first few episodes of love next door were so positively received and talked about that I HAD to check it out.

And it was hyped up for a reason. The first few episodes were SO good, dragged me in like a mouse chasing a cheese in the trap. The actors were amazing and showcased their chemistry with each other from the get go. Not only were they likable but so were the side characters.

I enjoyed it a lot and was excited to see the ‘best friends to lovers’ trope bloom throughout the episodes.

But then…the cancer stomach thing happened. Listen I know K-Dramas love to add the most insane plotwists to their shows to catch you offguard but…I don’t know, it seemed to be so…out of place? I don’t know how to describe it. How the hell does someone even hide that big of an illness from everyone? And why even do that? It just honestly made me frustrated more than anything.

Besides that, I also think they could’ve made their reactions a little less dramatic. I would understand being upset but they went out of their ways to make her feel guilty for having it and blaming everything on her.

I don’t know, I just didn’t like that part in the K-Drama and after it, it just sorta started going downhill from there. It was going so well but then drama after drama after miscommunication after miscommunication kept happening. Like even the parents?! Nobody there was having a good time anymore.😭

It just became so burdensome and tiring to watch. Plots after that became boring- I mean imagine going from being exposed about hiding a big illness like cancer to trivial stuff like ‘omg my wife received flowers from her coworker she must be cheating on me!!!’ and making that a plot for almost 3 episodes.

It became boring, long story short.

It was really difficult for me to finish it and I was even dreading the last episode because people have been saying the ending didn’t even seem like an ending and then I watched it and they were right CUS WHAT KINDA ENDING WAS THAT?

It just felt like they ended it mid episode. I don’t know, I wasn’t satisfied to say the least. I expected so much more from this K-Drama, especially since Haein is one of my favourite actors. But this could’ve been a lot better imo.

It’s not bad and it’s a cute show sometimes when couples have scenes but other than that, other scenes were so empty and boring. If you like these actors though, it’s worth watching for them. I can’t lie that they really did well. Their chemistry was outstanding and it’s what made me continue the show, same with the second lead couple!! (Although at some point I started preferring the second lead couple more than the main lead couple.)

Pretty good but gets boring really fast, watch at your own risk!

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