A gorgeous k-drama about K-pop industry

is Imitation (2021)! Loved it!

Technically, it was a typical Korean romance drama, but in fact, it had so much between the lines about how the industry works (and when I watch something about K-pop, I want a give-or-take honest representation of K-pop, not something rose-glassed like Shooting stars, Lovely Runner or K-pop demon hunters).

Although this drama is about personal life and love of two K-pop idols, it pays a lot of attention to how everything works in there: what do sound producers, costumers, managers, agency directors and trainees do, idols' rehearsals, shootings, trainings, TV and concert performances.

SHAX K-pop boy band rehearsal

Backstage of Inkigayo

SHAX performance

Reality show filming

Sound producing members of bands cooperate with a composer. And SHAX have here not only fully made performances, but also promo materials:

But the further you look into it, the more darker things you can see. ✪ In this industry, everyone should do what they was told to do to keep the show go on:

The center member disappeared just before the show, so ML was forced to take his place. It didn't matter if he didn't know what to do or if he was afraid of the height (It was filmed like he WAS, and I remembered irl idols who were forced to take a ride on a rollercoaster for the show despite they were obviously scared).

✪ Idols are just an instrument of making money for their agency, so the opinion of idols is not of real value to the big boss:

"If you had the conscience, you wouldn't steal the screen time of rookie groups."

The agency put its super popular boy band SHAX in a broadcasting grid of Inkigayo in the last moment. Some rookies was robbed of broadcasting time because of it. ML and his band wouldn't like to participate , but they couldn't convince their boss, so they were forced to take a part at Inkigayo anyways.

✪ Idols lack of private life. They are 24/7 under the spotlight of cameras:

It's a reality show, but he's trying to sleep. Sleeping under camera's eye is not something pleasant, I suppose.

It's so telling: he constantly wonders if he'd be caught on camera by fans or paparazzi.

It hurt. A very telling scene. I've read that irl idol's partners aren't allowed to take a picture with their famous boy/girlfriends to prevent the information about them dating from leaking. So she deletes all provocative photos although she would like to keep an image of the real him (and here is another problem: everything fans can see isn't real, you'll never know what person irl your idol is).

✪ The industry forces idols to choose between their career and their private life:

In the past, ML wasn't happy to learn that his bandmate had secretly dating someone, because if fans would find it out, they could start boycotting the whole band. Idols should keep the image of a boyfriend material that any fangirl can get. Fans' delusions are the core essence of K-pop popularity.

✪ In this industry, no one is irreplaceable:

I understood what was that only by gif cutting: a former manager of SHAX watches their new performance and remembers the former center member who went missing 3 years ago. But only he sees him on stage in his Mind Palace: it has been 3 years since then, and SHAX have their new center member. A person went missing, but the brand proceeds functioning as always and brings money to the agency as always.

✪ Sic transit gloria mundi, the glory is fleeting:

I like the representation of this principium: the rookie idol girls are super happy to be recognizable by fans in a nearby store; ML, an idol on the peak of his popularity, is recognizable by fans even if there are only his eyes seen, and is anxious about it instead of being happy; the former member of the very popular boy band isn't recognizable anymore, although only 3 years passed and the band itself is still super popular.

✪ Idols have unhealthy coping mechanisms:

When ML's manager finds out ML having a crush on someone he shouldn't have a crush on, he forces him to work as much as ML physically can, because hard work is the ML's way to cope. Unhealthy, but it's still better than soju or drugs.

I like this moment. He was a dancer before he became an idol, so he dances to be in touch with himself.

In my previous post I wrote about an industry representation in this drama in general. Now let's talk about an industry representation in connection with the main plot - two stories of popular idols' relationship. First of all, I like that every k-drama shows that it's impossible to date an idol if you are just their mere fan: you have a chance only if you were somehow connected before their popularity or currently work in the same industry. This drama presents it even more realistic than other K-pop dramas: ML and FL danced together when they were teens, and currently work together.

She was a member of his street dancing band before he was recruited by the agency to become a trainee and abandoned it.

While ML has already reached his heights of popularity, FL still tries her best to became famous, which is nice, because her life doesn't revolve around being in love with an idol. She remembers him and admires him (just like she did when they were street dancers), but she lives her life and tries to reach her own goals, and, during her attempts, gets more and more in touch with him. They meet multiple times behind the scenes of Inkigayo, on the filming set and even go together on a promotion business trip.

However, she likes him.

I like this moment. Like a skilled actor should do, he helps her to show the right emotion on the camera by touching her on the sore spot. He does know her.

Meeting her so often, he starts feeling something towards her, and here is the moment where the drama with secret relationship begins. I like this trope so much, and this setting is the best way to play it out beautifully, but, at the same time, it scares, because all of it is true (and maybe even worse irl).

After the filming, FL's manager run away leaving her alone in the night. ML couldn't give her a ride because idols aren't allowed to contact random people so close, but he gave her his coat (a gift from his fanclub) and saw her off to the safe place from the distance.

Lending the coat to the girl was his huge mistake, because the fanclub became insulted by this deed, drove a truck with their manifest to the agency's office and called for a boycott of the entire band. It's so stupid and soooooo K-pop, I can't 😂 So, ML wrote a handwritten letter to apologize for his lack of respect for the fans' gifts, the whole band were forced to apologize before the fan crowd, and later all of them were called on the director's mat.

And of course no one can even approach the hotel room of an idol. The star belongs to their fans only. (However, the scene was funny. Reasonable level of second hand embarrassment).

Realizing he might have a crush on her, he thinks of who he can speak to about it. And finds out he is pretty lonely. His colleagues might scold him, troll him or ignore him. (But the foreign bandmate understands it all without words, LOL.)

Thinking of her even caused him to fall into an accident.

However, he is pretty bold. On one hand, he is afraid of letting his bandmates down, on the other hand, he decides to take an action first and to think about consequences some time later.

And their secret relationship start. Secret messaging when no one could look over your shoulder.

Traditional idol date in strange places and circumstances (e.g. jogging together along Han-gang).

And ignoring each other on public. (This GIF scene is funny, because I remember the situation when a popular idol was torn to pieces by not-so-popular idol's fans because they didn't greet their hubae back).

But an idol should imitate perfection and maintain the illusion of belonging to his fans 24/7 wholeheartedly and bodily. Paparazzi, shooting him being on date, ruin the secrecy of their relationship and put the question bluntly: is he ready to destroy his carrier as well as carriers of his bandmates, his girlfriend and her bandmates just to be together with her?

He chooses to break up. They all have been working too hard to get what they have now.

Staring game. Everyone knows everything, but can only meaningfully look. (For RPS lovers it's the favorite game, too 😅).

The last part of the drama reveals the darkest parts of this imitation of perfection: saving the ideal image of themselves and significant others can be more important for idols than their life.

The drama touches the topic of involving rookie idols in prostitution, which is bold. It was pretty vague, though. In the comment section of this drama in my language streaming, the half of people didn't get it at all, and the other half condemned the heroine or didn't understand what her problem was. "She could just say "No"."

The ending of this drama is strange and gives me thick c-drama xianxia vibes: in your mind you understand that nothing can beat the system and it all should end up in a tragedy, but the drama shows you that everything miraculously turned to be alright, and you say to yourself "OK, let's believe in it for a moment". When you bring up to the broad daylight some heavy topics, you shouldn't necessarily have to know how to solve the problem and to show its solving to the viewer. Just like when you talk about social inequality, you shouldn't necessarily know how to fix it (no one in this world knows how to fix it), but talking about it and drawing attention to it is sometimes enough.

As for the situation with the deceased trainee, the drama turns her story into the cheering up for everyone who struggles on their way to the fame - all the main characters and her boyfriend wrote a memorial song for her. It's realistic - no one would be punished for pushing her to the edge because pushing people to the edge is how the industry works.

ML's problems during this drama were his inability to date his girlfriend in the open and the hard exploitation of him by the agency (he has extra contract and owes a lot of money to his agency). The drama shows that the both problems are solved in the end, but it doesn't show, how. Because irl, they couldn't be solved.

Indeed, some idols are allowed to announce their relationships (but please note, none of them are BTS or Stray Kids members), but being public can be destructive for the relationships as well, e.g. when idol's fans find their partner "not worthy" and talk about it on the internet 24/7 (real story!).

As I understand, in the end SHAX didn't prolong their contract with the agency and proceeded their activity as not-so-big stars (judging by this little club they're singing in). In reality, if ML has huge debts and a thrall contract with the agency, he should either litigate it in the court (which is a public scandal with an ambiguous result and takes a lot of time), or just come to terms with his situation till his debt will be payed off and his contract will be expired (real story! [2]).