Rollercoaster of emotions - from love to lulls

To start off, I wouldn’t say Love Next Door is the best drama I’ve ever seen. However, it’s certainly enjoyable, with some highs and lows along the way.

(MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD ❗)

Likes:

I was initially really excited during the first few episodes, especially with the classic friends-to-lovers trope. Jung So Min and Jung Hae In delivered solid performances that kept me hooked, even when their constant bickering started to feel a bit repetitive (as they're people in their 30s). Their chemistry with each other was very good (atleast for me).

A refreshing aspect of the show was its take on past relationships. Rather than portraying exes as toxic, it showed how some can still be supportive. For instance, Seokryu’s ex remained by her side during her chemotherapy, which added a heartwarming and mature layer to the story. Seunghyo's ex even supported the leads getting together and wished them good luck by gifting Seunghyo her handmade ongi (hopefully the spelling is right).

Despite not being the eldest daughter myself, I really connected with Seokryu's struggles of being the eldest daughter. Her line "It feels like everybody is moving forward and I’m the only one stuck" resonated deeply with me!! As someone who has faced similar feelings recently for so long, this scene really struck a chord :')

Moeum was definitely my favorite character! She embodied strength and warmth, especially in her relationship with Danho and his daughter, Yeon Du. Her scenes brought an extra layer of enjoyment, particularly when she found amusement in the lead couple's bickering and their hesitance to acknowledge their feelings for the past 2 decades. One of the funniest moments was when she opened the time capsule on the same day they buried it, rather than waiting the expected 10-15 years—talk about impatience lmao!!

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NOW, its time to point out my dislikes (it's my opinion so I would appreciate it if someone didn't come to literally fight with me if they read my review)

After Seokryu's fiancé was introduced, the plot felt like it was dragging. At one point, I almost considered dropping the series. I was hoping the romance would pick up between the leads after an ep or two about the ex BUT NOPE they just had to drag it out so much. Seokryu not flat out rejecting her ex's advances again and again had me pissed. Like pls tell him to get the hell out firmly if you don't wish to be with him any longer??

Her mom too became insufferable during this time period, she was already shown as the typical mom who places expectations on her daughter too much while seemingly going easy on her son, because of his illness that he didn't even have a problem with while growing up? But it started becoming more unbearable when she was sneakily trying to set Seokryu up with her ex again just because.

There were moments when the writing seemed a bit off. For example, when Seokryu thought she was being followed late at night, only to discover it was Seunghyo, the scene didn’t play out well. His response felt like victim-blaming, which didn't fit his character.

It would have been more heartfelt if the story had kept Yeon Du as Danho's biological daughter. However, the reveal that she is actually his niece felt cliché, Moeum’s unconditional embrace of her role as a mother figure would have been even more impactful without that twist AND Moeum herself didn't have any problem with it before finding out the truth.

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In conclusion, Love Next Door had its shining moments, but there were also parts where the story dragged. I ended up taking a break until it finished airing (after ep13) allowing me to binge watch the last few episodes. While I enjoyed the finale, I wished there had been more closure, like some wedding scenes or an epilogue scene with both the main and lead couples married ><. Overall, despite its flaws, the drama was nice and i liked it.

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realistic plot

i stopped watching it after ep 12 for a while since I came to know about the ending. but completing the drama healed me and broke me at the same time. the ending was way too realistic for ppl like us who are used to watching happy ever after endings. but that has a charm in it's own way even tho it broke my heart completely and I might not see any other drama for a while.

i was hooked from the start, heedo's perseverance and fighting spirit was truly commendable. kim Taeri truly resonated with her character and delivered the best possible na heedo we can ever get. heedo's break up teared me apart, she waited for her mum everytime after her dad died and eventually ended up being disappointed. yijin being a reporter like her mum would've definitely being too much for her. it pained me to see her being emotionally tired waiting her whole life, first it was her mum and her lover. nevertheless she endured it for a long time. if I was in her place, i doubt i would know what to do. but heedo made the painful decision of them breaking up rather than hopless waiting and relationship that seemed to be going nowhere. that part was really realistic.
Taeri even took fencing lessons prior to the actual filming, which made the fencing part more realistic. (she truly deserves the best actress award which she won yesterday <3 )

i won't lie, i kinda felt dislike towards yurim at the start BUT as the story progressed, i started empathising with her. she was a teenager who had to think like a adult because of her parent's financial condition. my heart broke for her when she had to make the decision of going to Russia and more so when heedo and her competed in Madrid, reuniting after a year, i cried there.

seungwan is the best character there is in 2521, I'm not even looking at any other opinions that you might have. she's a friend that you can trust your life with. she portrayed that being a top student doesn't necessarily mean that you can't rebel against your teachers when their in the wrong. and that you have to be a nerd and hang out with only "students who study well". she stole my heart when she stood up for ji woong, girl really decided to leave school when she had enough of the bullshit that her teacher had to show. i so wanna know her and yijin's brother's story.

ji woong, my baby. the baby of the group actually, more so behind the scenes. I'm so glad he went on to become a successful ceo, after the shit he had to endure in school. plus he really deserves that pretty boy title. his never changing love towards yurim made my heart flutter after what happens with heedo and yijin lmao. his banters with heedo, being platonic soulmates with seungwan, having a brotherly relationship with yijin, respect and love towards yurim, was EVERYTHING.

yijin's character made me want a matured guy lmao. his character went through a lot, from being rich to barely making ends meet & paying off debts. none of it was his fault but he had to pay the price. I liked how his character started opening up to heedo more and eventually loving her romantically. and the fact that he confessed without expecting a confession back just made my standards go higher than they already were. if I look at it, yijin and heedo's relationship might've ended differently IF they took different decisions. it revolves around the word "if" which sadly cannot change the ending of the drama.

being aware of the ending, i had prepared myself for heedo and yijin's breakup but yet I cried. there's no way i wouldn't I cry. i felt attached to them seeing them grow in their respective areas and finally becoming amazing friends and standing up for eachother, becoming eo's support. i cried so much when they had their final hug, I'm glad they atleast had that last cherishing moment.

we all have want to see fantasy-like happy ever after ending in kdramas. but we forget that the real world isnt like that at all. tho this drama had a sad ending, it was realistic as heck. it doesn't only portray that first love can be painful, but also portrays that to achieve your goals, you need to sacrifice things and never give up even though you might get stuck for a while on a particular step. "your skills don't improve drastically, it improves in steps" while that may not be the exact quote from the drama but I hope you get my point. living your dreams require efforts and if you don't work hard to achieve it, you might not make it. if heedo gave up her dream to fence, then she wouldn't have met such amazing friends and love. you experience various emotions while striving towards success but the most important thing is to live in the moment you're experiencing because nothing ever lasts forever.

the cast was AMAZING. on screen and off screen both, all of them have a good chemistry, their acting was simply fabulous <33

yeah the re-watch value is like that for me cuz I don't think I'll watch it again for years ?

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Easily climbed up my list of favourite dramas <3

I finished watching it just before writing this and tho I do want to write a better review, I can't seem to get my mind together and write what I feel at the moment (but I'm still writing it because I do not want to lose this feeling that I have after completing the drama, so idk if this will be helpful in any way).

it's a drama I love very much. I didn't think it'd make its way to my heart when I didn't even finish watching it. but it did, wonderfully at that. and I don't regret watching it even while I've got tons of things to study ??.

the cast was amazing, they portrayed their role so well and the emotions were conveyed through the screen perfectly for me. especially when (spoilers) Eun Gyeol (Ryeoun) is fighting his dad in the earlier ep about wanting to join a band. damn, I could feel how frustrated and sad he must've been living a suffocated life where he has to be perfect so that people won't point fingers at his parents(this is my pov so you might disagree). also, Yoon Chung Ah's role was played perfectly by Shin Eun Soo. and of course Choi Hyun Wook and Seol in ah slayed. especially Seol in ah because she had to act out 2 people who look so similar yet they're so different when it comes to their personalities.

I wanted to see more of the ending when they go back to 2023 after resolving whatever they could've done in 1995. plus I wanted to see a short glimpse of Chung Ah finally going on that trip with her dad (I swear it made me so happy when I saw her dad use sign language to ask her about the trip, it was so lovely. he finally realised his mistakes then). Eun Gyeol might've not been able to change his father's destiny but at least he changed his mother's. and doing that changed his lifestyle in 2023 as well. whatever is meant to happen will happen so I'm just satisfied with how his mom's life changed. Though I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope that yi chan's accident didn't happen but I soon had to accept the fact that you cannot change everything that has happened back in the past. those ripple effects would've eventually led to a bigger effect later on in 2023 when he returned. I think it was a suitable ending in this case :')

that's it. Thank you to the people who made twinkling watermelon, they made the best decision ever! (now someone please gimme my own Ha Eun gyeol)

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brainrot drama of 2024.

i fear none of the things I've written in comments before or the words i can write in this review will ever be enough to describe just how spectacular this drama is.

watch it, feel it, go crazy over it and have a brainrot. that's it. give the writer their flowers for writing this drama as their debut work. and kisses to everybody involved in making this masterpiece of the year. (its def my fav drama atp)

i usually dont pay much attention to the OSTs but oh boy! the OSTs in this drama have me on a chokehold just like the drama.

and while the show did leave a few things unanswered (like what happened to the og bitna and what did justitia choose in the end), the curiosity and disappointment over it does not outweigh my love for the drama so it's a 10/10.

my kang bitna and han daon, I'll miss you guys sm <33 watching it while it was airing was torture but enjoyed it nonetheless (got a bit sadistic over there but i guess thats what i get for letting tjfh mess with my brain ?)

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