Stream It Or Skip It: ‘My Liberation Notes’ On Netflix, Where 3 Siblings Look To Leave Behind Their Unsatisfying Lives

My Liberation Notes, now streaming on Netflix, tells the story of a trio of siblings who are stuck in their dead-end lives with no real excitement in sight. They’re all lost and lonely, unable to maintain rich social lives because of living so far out of town, but it’s obvious that they want more. Only time will tell if they’re brave enough to ask for it. 

MY LIBERATION NOTES: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A bustling high rise.

The Gist: Mi-jeong (Kim Ji-won), Ki-jeong (Lee El), and Chang-hee (Lee Min-ki) are siblings all struggling to make a life they love. Mi-jeong is socially awkward and avoids going out, socializing only when her coworkers convince her to and feeling bland and sad by the time it’s all over. Chang-hee is unlucky in love and kicks things off this episode with a very public, unpleasant breakup, while Ki-jeong’s bitterness towards life seems to seep into every one of her reactions. The fact that they all live quite far out of town only adds to their social struggles, and the three of them seem pretty miserable in their lives. 

Over the course of the pilot, each of the siblings wonder what their lives might look like if things were different; if they lived in town and weren’t constantly being dumped because of how far out they were, if they could open their heart to love, if their finances were different. They’ve lived like this for as long as they can remember, but when we meet them, it seems like things may finally be at a tipping point; these siblings have secrets, and there might be someone who wants to help them turn their lives around and make things interesting for once.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? My Liberation Notes might bring to mind other K-Dramas like Our Blues, Because This Is My First Life, and Misaeng. 

Our Take: Chemistry can make or break a show. Whether it’s romantic, between friends, or family, it’s absolutely vital to the success of most series. The siblings at the heart of My Liberation Notes unfortunately don’t have much chemistry at all, instead feeling like a group of actors shoved into a series of scenes together. This isn’t to say that their dynamic might not improve in coming episodes, but in the pilot – an installment that needs to be good enough to leave us wanting more – their connection falls totally flat. Combine this lack of chemistry with a bland, slow-moving story and relatively low stakes and you get something totally forgettable. While the performers of My Liberation Notes may have some chops, they’re given pretty much nothing to do with them, simply forced to go through the motions (most of the time in slow motion, at that). There might be some substance in My Liberation Notes‘s future, but based on its opening alone, it’s hard to recommend.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: Mi-jeong boards the bus back to town.

Most Pilot-y Line: The introduction to Mi-jeong’s character is pretty exposition-y as they describe her not being a part of any clubs and why people go to clubs to begin with (“you go to have fun!”).

Our Call: SKIP IT. My Liberation Notes gets off to a slow start, unable to charm with its bland characters and overlong pilot.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.