Well, I have to say I was wrong yesterday when I predicted the ratings for the Korean drama Love Song for Illusion had evened out and were likely to rise after a rise with Episode 6 of the series the day before.
Instead, the Love Song for Illusion, Episode 7 ratings are out and the K-drama fell to its lowest rating yet, dropping from Episode 6’s temporary rise of 2.50 percent down to last night’s 1.80 percent.
That is the lowest rating the Korean drama has earned nationwide, and a huge drop from the 4.3 percent it earned for Episode 1.
That drop also put the K-drama in the 29th place on Korean TV for the day as it heads towards the end of its first half.
International viewers and Love Song for Illusion
Looking at the comments from international viewers on various platforms, it is actually quite easy to see why the ratings are dropping in South Korea, and could likely drop internationally as well.
The international ratings and comments, however, have little to do with the actors’ performances and place full blame on the script.
On My Drama List, one commenter sums up the series properly with:
I keep seeing people ask if the show is worth watching and my opinion is that people should watch it for themselves and form their own opinion.
This show is a classic example of your miles may vary and it depends what you’re interested in.
On a technical level, it’s not good. It seems like they don’t know exactly what they’re going for. The characterizations are uneven, as is the pacing. At every level, there’s probably a better alternative.
On a subjective level, the mash up genres and the, at times, out of place/over the top moments as well as the deadpan or awkward moments can lead to entertainment. It just seems like ridiculous fun.
(But) You ABSOLUTELY should *NOT* take this drama seriously.
In other words, if you laugh the whole way through the mistakes the plot and (possibly) the director are making, you might enjoy Love Song for Illusion.
However, kudos are being given by international viewers for male lead Park Ji Hoon, who is doing a wonderful job playing two characters.
Especially when what he had to work with has turned out to be a poorly-written script.
One person on Viki commented:
Park Jihoon never disappoints when it comes to good acting. It’s so satisfying to watch him and see how well he can portray such a challenging character.
Another fan also stressed:
Every star is for Park Ji Hoon. This guy is an amazing actor. His eyes always look like magic. He’s an original and very exciting to watch. Being so damn good-looking is a plus.
Overall, however, as the scripts’ flatness that began in Episode 6 continued on into Episode 7, and was not rectified as I hoped it would be, the continued ratings drop in South Korea is probably not too surprising.
Let’s just see what happens to the ratings from international viewers as the drama continues, eh?
The next episode of Love Song for Illusion will air on January 29th on KBS2 with Viki streaming it for international viewers.
On Viki, by the way, the Korean drama is still being rated a very high 9.5 out of 10, but much of that is due to Park Ji Hoon fans rating it high for his performance alone, and not about the drama itself.