Imitation

Presentation

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Analysis

Synopsis

Kwon Ryeok is a member of the popular idol group Shax. A few years ago, another member, Eun Jo, disappeared without a trace. At the same time, Lee Ma Ha joined the group Omega-3 but it disbanded after an accident involving a previous member Annie. Now, Ma Ha and her group Tea Party are rising to fame, while getting closer to Shax members.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

Imitation is a rather unexpected surprise! I really didn’t know what to expect with this drama at first. Most of the time, dramas involving the idol world, celebrity and fame tend to turn into a cliché quite fast and stray away from reality. Yet, I didn’t feel like it was the case for Imitation. First, I was very happy to see members of Ateez, SF9 and U-KISS, and second I sincerely had the impression that it was relatable.

The 12 episodes are easy to watch, I never got bored and I loved seeing these idols fulfill their dreams, while overcoming hardships. Not to mention the amazing 12th episode and its real-life concert. I truly had the feeling that I was at a real event! Everything has been polished from beginning to end: songs, music, dances and performances are seriously praiseworthy.

All in all, I highly recommend it!

Analysis (Spoiler Alert)

Characters: I don’t think there is much to analyze about characters in this drama. All of them are either trainees or idols and share the same passion for music/dance. They have one common point: they all are hardworking either it’d be new idols, like Lee Ma Ha (Jung Ji So) and Lee Yoo Jin (Yun Ho), or actual celebrities like Kwon Ryeok (Lee Jun Young) and La Ri Ma (Park Ji Yeon).

The plot revolves essentially around Lee Ma Ha, as she desperately attempts to debut in a girl group. We witness her entire evolution, first as a trainee along with her best friend Lee Yoo Jin and then as a new idol in the girls group OMEGA-3 and then Tea Party. I think Lee Ma Ha is the epitome of kindness and of resilience as well. Though she has to overcome a lot of hurdles on her path, she never gave up on her dream. More than that, she never lashed out at others for her misfortunes. She is quite inspirational in that way. For instance, she doesn’t resent her former manager for leaving her alone, at night at a set, without means of transportation, in the cold, when anyone would’ve been angry at such a person. Instead, she tries to put herself in his shoes and understand his situation from his perspective, even though it means she ends up being the victim.

Her ability to see things from others’ perspective is probably Ma Ha’s greatest quality. This enables her to move on without resenting and to connect with others better. Moreover, this allows for her relationships to flow naturally. Especially the one she has with Kwon Ryeok.

To be honest, I really loved their relationship, although I was actually more engaged in that of Yoo Ri A (Minseo) and Shax’ Yi Hyun (Hwi Young). Nevertheless, Ma Ha and Kwon Ryeok are kind of like star-crossed lovers. Indeed, they met long before they became successful. When Ma Ha was a high school student, she followed Kwon Ryeok everywhere and begged him to teach her how to dance. Since then, their bond has been kind of unbreakable, although time and fame put some distance between them. Despite that, they rekindle their relationship when they meet again and prove that love can prevail in that tough idol world. Of course, a lot of it was romanticized and glamorized for the sake of the drama, but their chemistry (either on or off stage) is undeniable. They have an amazing partnership, as each wants to protect the other. They appear to be the same, even if Kwon Ryeok seems colder.

Kwon Ryeok is actually more complex to read than Ma Ha. Indeed, unlike Ma Ha, he has this jerky attitude and seems quite distant. However, deep inside he truly cares for those he loves, such as his teammates, Ma Ha, and even his manager.

When the story begins, Shax comeback concert is about to start. A few moments before the group enters the stage, one of the members Eun Jo (Kang Chan Hee) receives a call and mysteriously disappears without a trace. Kwon Ryeok is forced to take his place on stage. Later on, time goes by with the group not having a single clue as to what happened to their friend. The mystery thickens as the plot unravels, until Kwon Ryeok eventually discovers the ugly truth behind Eun Jo’s flight.
During the time Eun Jo was not there, Kwon Ryeok assumed most of the responsibilities and burden of the group. He protected Eun Jo from his boss, who wanted him to pay a hefty penalty by entering a secret contract. Thus he imprisoned and sacrificed himself to protect his friend. Meanwhile, he continued his career, working himself to the bone and refusing to connect with anyone else, until Lee Ma Ha.

In a way, Kwon Ryeok is the embodiment of leadership. He knows how to manage his team, and on top of that he is a loyal and trustworthy friend. He doesn’t let the environment he evolves in get the best of him and destroy his relationships.
At the end of the drama, Kwon Ryeok finds out that Eun Jo had disappeared because his long-time girlfriend Annie (a former member of OMEGA-3) had committed suicide. As it was too much for him to handle, he quit and never came back. Little by little Kwon Ryeok also happens to discover that NOG boss is somehow responsible for Annie’s death, as he spread rumors about her and threatened her debut.

At the end, Shax members all unite in order to protect Eun Jo and confront their boss. The final concert reunites all of them, including Eun Jo in a heartwarming performance. What a team!

Apart from Ma Ha and Kwon Ryeok, I really liked the fact that all characters were also in the spotlight. Members from Sparkling, Shax and Tea Party were not forgotten and shined differently. These ingenious narratives allowed the drama to explore various kinds of hardships and personalities that exist in the idol world.

Tea Party members Yoo Ri A and Shim Hyun Ji (Im Na Young) were given some interest as well, either it’d be related to their careers or their personal lives. Indeed, Ri A is the leader of the group, she is older and protective, but also a brilliant singer and songwriter. She is responsible but doesn’t put her hopes up to fast. She is very realistic and rational. Moreover, she is a sort of perfectionist when it comes to music, paying attention to all details. In the drama, she progressively becomes a songwriter, creating music for the final MML concert and La Ri Ma for example. Her love interest with Yi Hyun is also taken into account (and was definitely my favorite!). Though Ri A seems tough on the outside, she is very soft and clumsy, having troubles expressing her feelings properly. As for Yi Hyun, he is quite quiet and reserved and he doesn’t know how to communicate, which often leads to the two of them bickering. Despite all that, they bond over music and make an amazing team as songwriters. Both are on the same wavelength and their chemistry is beautiful to see.

Hyun Ji, the last member of Tea Party, has not been forgotten either. Unlike her friends, she pursue a career as a model, accompanied by Sparkling’s Yoo Jin. Hyun Ji is very shy, but also very sweet. She has fallen in love with Yoo Jin, who already is in a one-sided love with Ma Ha. Hyun Ji’s resilience and kind-hearted nature however open up his eyes. After understanding that he may have hurt her feelings, he apologizes and start to see her in a different light. Their romance is shy and very slow, but it blossoms little by little.

Together, Ma Ha, Ri A and Hyun Ji show how idols are not only singers/dancers, but have a huge set of skills allowing them to become models, actors or musicians through and through.

Regarding Shax members, Do Jin (Yu Ri) and Hyeok (Jong Ho) represent the comical duo of the drama. They are very close and always in when it comes to helping a friend (Kwon Ryeok for instance). They are sometimes nosy, but more importantly very perceptive. So they manage to grasp the meaning of a situation or read between the lines quite easily. Finally, they become Ma Ha’s buddies and partners in crime, while they shoot the sitcom they have been cast in.

Jae Woo (An Jung Woon) is also mentioned several times. He is the most responsible and the grown-up of the team, whereas Hyeok and Do Jin are more childish and scatterbrained. Unfortunately for him, he is the leader. Hence the burden of responsibilities that weighs on his shoulders. Because of his role, he is forced by his boss to report every little detail of the members’ lives. This leads to Jae Woo informing NOG CEO of Eun Jo’s relationship with Annie and, later on, to the tragical twist of fate that happened. He is a sort of spy and feels guilt for that. At the end of the drama however, he is able to come clean towards his teammates and admit his misdeed (though he is not directly responsible for anything). He is eventually forgiven, Shax is a team so they protect each other.

Among Sparkling members, Hyun Oh‘s (Lee Su Woong) struggles are also quite present. He was supposed to be part of Shax, but his place was taken by Kwon Ryeok (that’s what management decided). Therefore, he was unable to make a debut, remained as a trainee and joined Sparkling later. He feels resentful towards Kwon Ryeok and also superior towards other trainees. That’s why, he has some issues with his teammates. Moreover, he also has had a long-time girlfriend, with whom he breaks up, knowing that it could destroy his career. He is actually hurt from his past misfortune and afraid of failure. Thankfully, he changes his behavior when he realizes that Sparkling is his new family, that they accept him for who he is and that him not debuting in the past was not Kwon Ryeok’s fault at all.

The last character that deserves some recognition is La Ri Ma. At the very beginning, I thought that she would be the annoying second lead, standing in Ma Ha and Ryeok’s way. Though it seemed like it in the first episodes, she understood very quickly that Kwon Ryeok was not interested in her and would never be. He had genuine feelings for Ma Ha. So she gave up and instead decided to help them. She pushed them together and tried her best to give advice. One of Ri Ma’s greatest quality (in my opinion) is her love for her hoobae (a.k.a. younger trainees). She knows how hard it is to rise to fame, as she has been through it herself. So she does everything she can to make things easy for her agency trainees. Considering that Ma Ha is also her hoobae, she refuses to trample on her and becomes a mentor figure, a role model for her instead.
La Ri Ma was definitely a great surprise, I was really satisfied to see how the character actually transformed throughout the course of the drama.

In the end, they all end up at the same agency JH entertainment run by Ji Hak (Ahn Danny). Ji Hak is an interesting character as well, as he had everything he could dream of at NOG Entertainment. He was managing Shax and was recognized in the idol world. Yet, Eun Jo’s disappearance changed him. He went through a deep transformation and decided to come back in the industry, vowing to protect his idols.

All in all, I think all characters go through a lot of hardships and grow up together. No matter their background or their age, most of them join forces and help each other. Through cooperation, support and friendship, they empower and protect each other in order to survive as a team, as a big family.

What are the themes tackled?

The idol world: Obviously, that is what Imitation is all about! Yet, I really thought that the drama did an amazing job at depicting some common situations from this industry, that we either see in other dramas, or more importantly learn about in the real world. Here are some examples:

– The fierce competition: As the drama mentions, there are millions of trainees out there, hoping to debut one day. However, only 0.01% of them will eventually make it as an idol. Despite having the same dream, it is pretty clear that the competition to succeed is ruthless and fierce. Even when you are about to make it big, your career can crumble in a snap (take OMEGA-3 debut for example).

– Pressure and hard work: It is definitely an indisputable fact: the pressure that most idols have to bear is intense. Not only do they work and practice every day to be better, perform perfectly, but they also have to deal with rumors, the press, stalkers, fans… Their private lives is often not so private at all and on the long-term this can take a toll on their physical (health problems, not enough sleep, diet,…) and mental states.

– Suicide: Unfortunately, sometimes the pressure wins for some idols, pushing them to commit suicide. In the past few years, several incidents have happened in the real world and Annie’s narrative in the drama is just one portrayal among many. It is in fact a very important issue to tackle, as in the drama Annie’s death is the result of false rumors circulating about her. Something that can be associated in real life with online comments from haters for instance.

– Dating: This one is probably not new to anyone, but idols and dating generally don’t match well. Normally, even their dating lives is under scrutiny and controlled by the agency. Once again, dating associated with rumors can lead to fans’ disproportionate reactions at best, and destruction of some careers in the worst cases.

– Behind the scenes: The episode related to the preparation of the MML concert is an asset to the drama, as it shows literally everything that happens behind the curtains: from writing and arranging songs, to designing the stage and costumes, everything has been taken into account. This shows that big events (concerts or even TV shows) require more people than just the idols. Everything is about teamwork involving the IT crew, the make-up and costumes crews, dancers and the choir, as well as an immense number of other people, working in the shadows to make shows perfect. Without them, there will be no show at all.

– Not being paid until you are bankable: The particularity of JH Entertainment is the fact that it actually pays its idols before they actually bring money in. A novelty in the industry, as most companies invest in their idols for years, don’t pay them and only start once they are famous enough to raise money. Once again, this simple element is sufficient to show idols’/trainees’ precarious lives (at least at the beginning), not to mention the side effects if you never get to debut.

Finally, I think that having real idols on the show such as members of U-KISS, Ateez, SF9 and T-Ara gave some serious credibility to the drama.

All in all, Imitation is a rather realistic, but still romanticized drama about the entertainment world that is not only pleasant to watch, but also reveals a lot about this harsh environment.

P.S.: Thanks to the drama, I have literally discovered and fallen in love with the group Ateez! Has anyone else heard their awesome songs (like Wonderland)?

P.S.2: The OST “Constellation” sung in Episode 12 of the drama blew my mind, not yours?