As a whole, this series was a 5 for me, but the last episode was an 8.

The thing is, the finale was disconnected from the whole rest of the story, and was the conclusion to a narrative that wasn't actually actively explored. And this drama would have been so much better if that had been the case! I really wish the romance plot had taken a backseat (the main couple had absolutely no chemistry anyway) and the story would have focused more thoroughly on what the last episode touched on. Trainee life, and the grueling, challenging, often heartbreaking process hundreds of hopeful kids go through.

But I guess actually telling Annie and Eun-Jo's story would have been too controversial. [spoiler]But can you imagine? The story of two young kids in love, who get signed to different agencies, then one gets to debut and be loved by millions while the other continues to be miserably exploited all while having to hide their relationship. And then the emotional fallout of her committing suicide and his journey to try and forgive himself, find his love for music back, and try not to hate this voracious industry that can make dreams come true just as easily as it can crush them. Oh, it would have been so much better! And the emotional impact of that last song would have been like a kick to the chest.[/spoiler]


I'm sad that so much potential got wasted. Also, considering the fact that way over half of the cast are idols, there was wasted opportunity there too. The drama was at it's best when the characters were singing, dancing or preforming in some way (being idols, basically). Every song and choreo was amazing. But the show totally failed to take advantage of all the talent it'd cast.


Honestly, just watch the first and last episodes, all the ones in the middle aren't that good anyways.

> Interesting Premise that failed to become what it could have been

**What could have been an interesting take on the reality of idols, turned into a cliché rom-com with important issues as background noise. Pure escapism without much logic.**
There is a balance of good things and more critical points when it comes to ‘ Imitation’. On a strong note ‘ Imitation’ has a prominent message about problems with the idol industry and does not shy away from tackling themes such as corruption, the media, toxicity present in idol fanbases , mental health and hardships . What resonated even further was undeniably having a predominantly idol-cast playing in those roles. However, the show often did fall short with how consistent it was trying to be with conveying these messages through writing and character writing also.

**La Ri Ma’s supremacy and Known Ryok's pull.**

The main focus is the relationship between Maha and Ryok, which is so lukewarm and cliche ; I don't mind it but you wouldn't see anything new from idol drama , the dating scandals, breakups , makeups ...Even the main love triangle is there… and then one day it’s not. There is no tension, no conflict between interested parties… no nothing.. which was refreshing for me [spoiler] as La Ri Ma turned out to be angel in the end instead of going the jealous SFL route ; she embraced the fact that ML is now taken and focused on her hoobae's [/spoiler] . The best character with the most interesting story, charming personality and depth was La Ri Ma. She could easily become the main character, coz even as a supporting role, she overshadowed everyone.

**Production wise**… I do have my complaints. The budget could not have been high, looking at the Award Show at the beginning. If you can’t make it look realistic (whenever the reason is lack of money, or the pandemic), don’t do it. There were other ways to show who is the top idol and respected performer. Another thing was the distracting, poorly done make up. Ma Ha looked like her lips kept bleeding, and Jun at times could play a 30+ years old guy.

**Music** It really has awesome music ; you would think they were actual KPoP hits and the Background music for SHAX is daebak ..you would feel as if its BTS ; no offense . Watching this after Heartstrings I can say Imitation > Heartstrings > Dream High in terms of music and dance choreography ...

With all that, I still somehow got attached and the last episode made me slightly emotional, especially the scenes of the few characters I liked.
Overall, it was better than I thought, but the ending was lackluster and I probably like it as I binged the show in 24 hours instead of spending 12 weeks watching each episode.If the story had focused on Eunjo and the omega 3 girl...then it would have more depth and keep people interested for 12 weeks.