My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I picked up this drama because I had a headache and wanted to watch something calm. I had it on while doing other things; I didn't think I would pay too much attention to it. However, it drew me in and I found myself completely focused on this drama.

Acting/Cast: I wasn't sure about the cast at first, but they all really grew on me. I may not have necessarily personally liked certain characters, but they all felt very believable and well-acted. I really related to the younger sister, Mi Jeong, a nice, soft-spoken girl with some talent who repeatedly gets taken advantage of. I also felt empathetic towards the older sister, Gi Jeong, watching her try so hard to make a change and take risks, only to keep getting knocked down and publicly humiliated. I would say the brother, Chang Hui, and his storyline was probably the most annoying, but even that storyline, I didn't feel as though I wanted to skip over it. 5.5/10

Writing: I knew this drama was written by the same person that wrote My Ahjusshi, Park Hae Young (which I really enjoyed), so of course I was comparing the two dramas the entire time. This drama is dialogue heavy, especially compared with My Ahjusshi, which is something I typically don't like. However, I felt the dialogue was purposeful and listening to the characters expressing their thoughts was like reading a diary. Also, this drama is not dramatic at all, whereas My Ahjusshi had some intense scenes. It's very "slice-of-life"; very relatable. However, I think that those who have never struggled with depression may not relate to or enjoy this drama. In addition, this drama is very open-ended, more so than My Ahjusshi. Nothing is truly resolved in My Liberation Notes for any of the characters and this is completely intentional. Do I understand why? Yes. Do I like it? No, but I usually don't like open endings. While watching My Ahjusshi (it's been a while but...), I remember wishing I could just skip over the side stories; the main story was way more interesting to me. However, with My Liberation Notes, I had no desire to skip over any of the storylines. There's a time jump towards the end of the drama that was a bit jarring. I think it's because things drastically changed without preparing the viewers for it. Also, the story wasn't linear anymore and kept jumping back and forth between past and present. I liked the Mr. Gu character, but he wasn't nearly developed as much as the other main characters. In consequence, his character felt sort of hollow towards the end of the drama. I thought we would get more back story on him but unfortunately, we never do. In any case, this drama seems like it's based on a true story, but to my knowledge, it isn't...it just feels very realistic. So in that sense, the writing is well done. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The vibe of this drama actually reminded me of Something In the Rain rather than My Ahjusshi. My Ajhusshi felt much darker. Maybe also similar to One Spring Night or Twelve Nights, except with a ton of dialogue. The OST is not my cup of tea but its fine. It has some variation to it. Listening to the OST on its own seems like the drama would be a lot happier than it actually is though. 5/10

Entertainment Value: This drama put me into a weird state of mind. There have been times when watching certain dramas would trigger depression in me. However, what I felt while watching this drama wasn't exactly depression or sadness and it wasn't quite calmness or hopefulness either. It was a strange in-between. Maybe melancholy? I found myself slowing down my movements, even my breathing. It was to the point where I was holding my breath in a lot...sort of like when you're sick or injured and you're trying to avoid exacerbating the pain. I never experienced an effect from a drama like this before. I didn't know if I liked this feeling or not, but I must have to some degree because I kept wanting to jump back into their world. Now that it's over, I'm not missing that feeling...I think. Anyway, I found myself hanging onto every word Mi Jeong spoke. I saw myself in her, but with one major difference - she seemed to have discovered the answer to her problems. I was looking to her for a revelation, but I'm still unsure of the hidden answer that she seems to have found. But then again, maybe she didn't actually find it...maybe she's just on the right path. I still don't understand how though. So, the drama left me feeling unfulfilled. 6/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 6/10. This is largely due to how incredibly open the ending itself is (as I personally tend to dislike open endings) and the change in the progression of the drama towards the end. A rating of 6 and above is in the "would recommend" zone, and yes I would recommend this drama if you like the slice-of-life genre. However, I think someone who hasn't struggled with depression may not like this drama and may find the characters annoying. I was able to relate a lot to them though.

I made a music video featuring Mi Jeong and Mr. Gu. It's called "My Liberation Notes | Mi Jeong + Mr. Gu | Greedy" and my channel name is The Enablers (@theenablers3846).