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Love Next Door Ep 15-16 Review: Jung Hae In-Jung So Min’s love story meets warm but predictable and unexciting end
The highly awaited last episodes of the rom-com Love Next Door starring Jung Hae In and Jung So Min released and here’s what we think of them. Check out the review below.
Name: Love Next Door
Premiere Date: 17 August, 2024
Cast: Jung Hae In, Jung So Min, Kim Ji Eun, Yoon Ji On, Lee Seung Hyub
Director: Yoo Je Won
Writer: Shin Ha Eun
No. of episodes: 16
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Language: Korean
Where to watch: tvN, Netflix
Love Next Door plot
Two childhood best friends, Bae Seok Ryu (Jung So Min) and Choi Seung Hyo (Jung Hae In), are brought back together by fate. Only he has always been in love with her and is looking to finally start a relationship with her after waiting for nearly 3 decades. Meanwhile, she has dealt with a broken-off engagement, a newly quit job, and a hidden illness that may cause their downfall. The story of the neighbors turned best friends looking to turn lovers commences in Love Next Door.
Watch Love Next Door trailer
Love Next Door Ep 13-14 Recap
The couple moments peaked in these two episodes as their ‘relationship’ arc finally began in full swing. The same is also the case with the second lead couple which ends up in a precarious situation after being caught by Jung Mo Eum’s (Kim Ji Eun) mother. Both couples are now vying for approval from the parents amid some extremely cheesy romance.
Love Next Door Ep 15-16 Review
The last week’s episodes ended with Bae Seok Ryu and Choi Seung Hyo’s parents finding them both hugging it out in the open, right in front of their houses in the neighborhood. Expected chaos ensued and that’s when we knew that it ought to be a very unsurprising end for the viewers. While the writers seemingly tried their best for comedy, it just gave a very bland result. There seemed to be no seriousness in the opposition to their relationship and any attempts to show otherwise were purely futile.
With things going in the right direction, our only highlight was the scene where the two lead couples helped out in recreating a house for a poor lady from the neighborhood who earned her living by selling off cardboard boxes. It was a heartwarming instance that ended too soon and added no value to the storyline. And then it was back to the same old flatlined progression.
What worked for Love Next Door
The casting was on the nail, and so was the acting from the lot. All the parent roles were really well executed with the actors acing some very complex scenes. The last episode had a scene with Jung Mo Eum and Kang Dan Oh (Yoon Ji On) asking for ‘permission’ from the latter’s niece-cum-daughter to date, and it was the only heartwarming moment to take away from it.
What did not work for Love Next Door
Try as we might, Love Next Door was probably never meant to be a massive crowd-pleaser. At least there didn’t seem to be much attempt in terms of quality writing. We are all for healing K-dramas that don’t always have to have some twisted motives, but the show made it all seem too easy which was neither realistic nor fictionally pleasing to witness.
Instances like the walking away of Bae Seok Ryu’s father after a long run with his snack restaurant did add some meaning to the watching experience but it was very short-lived.
Jung Hae In and Jung So Min: Was it really a happy ending?
The last episode of Love Next Door saw a ‘wedding renewal’ for Choi Seung Hyo’s parents and despite an effort to try something different, it felt out of place without proper reasoning for it. Some might argue that their almost-divorce would call for it, but in that case, was the plan not made too late in the show after their reconciliation weeks ago?
The main couple never got to show off any proper romantic moments, and their walk down memory lane was not emotional enough. We don’t even want to get started on the awkward ‘third couple’ of the show.
The thought was there and so was the direction, but the writing was just lacking throughout Love Next Door and it’s a sad end to what could have been the greatest love story with a fantastic cast and an eager audience pool.
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