My Liberation Notes | K-Drama Review

A slice of life drama that shows us the mundanity yet complexity of life, My Liberation Notes is an underrated and star studded K-Drama that aired recently. Penned by Park Hae Young, the writer who gave us Another Miss Oh and My Mister, My Liberation Notes is a slow-burn story yet nothing short of sentiments about liberation and life. Read the full review below!

“I will not pretend to be happy. I will not pretend to be unhappy. I will be honest.”

– The Liberation Club’s Motto (My Liberation Notes)

Disclaimer: The post ahead may contain SPOILERS since this is a review of the whole series.

K-Drama Storyline

Three siblings – Yeom Mi Jeong (played by Kim Ji-Won), Yeom Chang Hee (played by Lee Min-Ki) and Yeom Ki Jeong (played by Lee El) are our main characters of the story. Showing us their mundane lives at the fictional Sanpo Village in Gyeonggi-do, we get to differentiate them among each other by their own quirks and personality. A mysterious Mr. Gu (played by Son Seok-Koo) comes along their lives as their father’s part-time worker. After the show established the characters’ personality and own stories, we are then privileged to journey with them at their individual workplaces and romantic relationships.

As the three siblings lives started to get intertwined with Mr. Gu, we also get to see each and everyone’s worries, frustrations and outlook in life.

My Liberation Notes Highlights and Review

My Liberation Notes is a slice of life K-Drama yet not for everyone. It may come across as a slow-paced drama with nothing extraordinary in the story. But that’s the point. The ordinary lives of our protagonists were all written in a beautiful melancholic way.

I can’t deny that Yeom Mi-Jeong’s POV is my favorite. Including her commute to work and her ‘excuse’ that she needs to go home early because of the commute distance, I totally loved it. It’s a simple element yet speaks true from a commuter’s point of view.

Apart from their simple lives in Sanpo, we also see her workplace. Her colleagues, the pressure of joining a club, her temporary work contract plus the office drama of her boss and his affair, she sure has a lot on her plate. Yet we found a little bit of fresh air as she starts liberating in life with her Liberation Club.

The highlight of all Mr. Gu and his mysterious life – a grumpy alcoholic man. The thrill of getting to know him when he started opening up to Mi-Jeong, the ‘worship couple’ craze started. The oozing chemistry between the two, plus their gaze with each other was well directed and delivered.

The worship couple showed us also that acts of love isn’t supposed to be majestic and grand. Waiting for her after work, taking the bus, walking home, listening to one another and sitting next to each other. Love takes on different forms and I want to have Mr. Gu too.

As much as I want to see Yeom Mi-Jeong and Mr. Gu in a steamy romantic scene, the drama didn’t overdo it. Kim Ji-Won and Son Seok-Koo are both capable expert actors who can pull off a steamy scene. In return, we witnessed the versatility of the two actors by delivering us the opposite way – a sweet short kiss with a built up tension and gentle emotions.

Bonus Section: Which character do I see myself the most?

While Yeom Mi-Jeong is my favorite, Yeom Chang Hee’s represented the inner and grown child in me.

That scene when he wanted to take a store franchise but doesn’t have the money to take it? His Father said if you want it, produce the money yourself. It’s exactly how my Australian dream looks like. No matter how much I save from work paycheck, I can’t afford it. No one in my family can support me financially either.

Then, that scene when Yeom Chang Hee was liked by a girl but refused to date her since he knows the girl has marriage in mind? He knows he isn’t capable of dating with marriage in the future, yet. That same thought turned my anxiety upside down during my previous relationship (ex-boyfriend wants to build a family soon). The anxiety got the best of me and the relationship started to spiral down and ended instead. I wished I did what Chang Hee decided to do in the first place.

What about when Chang Hee quit his job? A heart breaking scene, Chang Hee bursts from anger after telling his Father to give him even just single affirmation that he did well. A scene which is a repetitive argument with my mom, me pleading and longing for a single affirmation.

I don’t know who is the inspiration behind Yeom Chang Hee’s character, but he’s definitely my inner self. How many times did I even cry with Chang Hee? Probably every single episode. Even as he matured and grew into a calmer person, I’m with him all the way. Plus the redirection by the universe for him to be at a location where he should be? I felt that.

K-Drama Rating

Probably the K-Drama review that I’ve revised multiple times (yet still not perfect), My Liberation Notes is a poignant storyline that will stay memorable for a long time. I’m giving it a rating of 10 (the highest) because I’m a sucker fan of slice-of-life, slow-paced and melodrama storylines. I like stories that makes me ugly cry and Chang Hee surely triggered all my tears out.

• Personal Rating Score: 10 out 10
• Target Audience: Young Professionals
• Will I recommend this: YES

If you like light and happy giddy storylines, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU. Or you’ll probably watch it then say it’s boring later on.

As a young professional myself, My Liberation Notes has delivered us the frustration and exhaustion from all angles. Working from paycheck to paycheck yet still not achieving enough, navigating through romantic relationships, healing and reconciliation with parents. Without any exaggerated scenes yet full of raw emotions and relatable monologues, prepare yourself to cry out.

My Liberation Notes K-Drama OST

And while you’re here, let me share with you my playlist of My Liberation Notes’ OST via Spotify. This is not the full playlist of the K-Drama’s OST, but I compiled my favorite ones!

Enjoy listening to my playlist and if you want more reviews, check out my other posts!