Refreshingly Mature Web Drama

I discovered this web drama by chance. I'm a fan of Standing Egg and one of their songs is in the OST, so I decided to check it out. I was intrigued also by the low rating but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

The acting was really good and natural, both by the leads and the supporting characters. I especially liked the 2 schoolgirl fans. They were really funny! The friendship between Sori and her ex-bandmates, as well as her best friends were really fun to watch too. Even the conversations Sori had with Woojin were also mature and meaningful.

Perhaps the mockumentary style put some people off. It did feel a little strange at first, and I think I would have enjoyed it as much if it was filmed in the "normal" way. That said, I think this is the main reason why most people won't be able to get into this drama, as it doesn't follow a typical narrative arc. It's mainly driven by specific topics, and doesn't show everything, a little like how in Hospital Playlist certain major events are not fleshed out but instead we see how characters respond to the event instead. That might make the drama feel a little disjointed or shallow. However I did enjoy it's topical, slice of life style, so it could be personal preference!

One thing I didn't quite like was the colour grading of the scenes. Aside from the interviews, they looked like they had heavy Instagram filters applied to it. All the shots were nice to look at, no doubt, but it felt a bit too airbrushed for my taste.

I thought Almost Famous brought up a side of the celebrity world I don't really think about. We tend to be exposed mostly to the very visible popular celebrities who've made it, but what about the many others who are putting in their very best to succeed? I like how the drama dealt with the issue about persevering at your dream despite the very real doubts an concerns that people around you have, because they care for you and they have your best interests at heart.

It was an easy watch, I binged all 16 eps in one sitting. I highly recommend this!

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An enjoyable and heartwarming story

Never Give Up is a simple, heartwarming story about doing the right thing, being true to yourself, the importance of friendship, and the strength of a found family.

It started off a little random to be honest, and I wasn't sure this drama was my cup of tea. There were many different characters thrown in, and keeping with the comedic tone, over-the-top reactions that gave it a comic book-like vibe with simplistic baddies.

But the more I watched, the more the characters grew on me. I think the show finds its footing at around ep 4 or 5, once the plot is all set up and the characters fall into place.

Where the show really shines is in the characters, especially Kwak Do Won, who did such a great job as Gu Pil Soo. I felt something authentic and genuine from his acting, especially the way he would laugh when introducing the Neighbour24 team members by their nicknames. It brought to life how fond he was of them, and how he also saw them as one of his "kids" too. He's the ahjussi I never knew I wish I had.

The last episode was lovely and feel-good, and I felt a little sad to part with these dongnae chingus :) This show seems massively underrated, but I hope it will pick up now that it's available on Netflix.

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