When Life Gives You Tangerines

A show that reminds you to give your parents a call

It's difficult to remember the last time I cried so much watching a movie or TV Show, but When Life Gives You Tangerines is in a league of its own.

The drama explores love, yes; and in the first few episodes you might assume it is ultimately the story of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik. In some ways that may be true - but the heart of the show is a different kind of love entirely.

There is a striking line around episode 5; “Parents dwell on what they couldn’t give, while children dwell on what they couldn’t get” . It is difficult to find a love more pure or unconditional than the love parents hold toward their children. In your successes and your failures they will always fight your corner, whether you deserve it or not, because they love you. That's all. If anyone else had treated Gwan-sik or Ae-sun as ungratefully as their children it would be absurd to suggest that they would be so selfless toward them regardless, but parents don't protect us because its rational. They do it because it's their duty. Because they love us.

Ae-sun's mother regretted that not even her daughter's paternal family thought she was worthy of the same food they ate; that she had to be vice president because her mother wasn't wealthy. Ae-sun regretted that she couldn't send her daughter to study abroad; that she wasn't suitable to marry someone born on the mainland even though she went to SNU. Geum-Myeong, too, though more subtly, felt inadequate; she regretted having the money but not the time to spend on her daughter. No matter how hard our parents try to give us what they can; there is always somewhere they'll fall short, and inevitably when we see other parents who give their children what we lack, we grow envious and resentful - not realising the sacrifice our families make to give us a life better than their own.

From Eun-myeong getting on a fishing boat and realising what his father had to go through, to Geum-Myeong's conversations with her father where she realised what her mother endured being a parent so young, and losing a child, we see the power of perspective. If they had known what their parents had given up to give them what they had; to give them something better; they wouldn't have dreamed of being so critical. But just as our parents will never admit how hard things are to us, they don't want us to feel burdened or indebted. They do it because they love us; they don't want repayment. That's why Gwan-sik never spent the money Geum-Myeong sent him; why Ae-Sun's mother was so frustrated that her daughter tried to take care of her rather than being taken care of.

For me, the pinnacle of these themes is conversation between Geum-Myeong and Gwan-sik in the hospital. The middle aged Gwan-sik with his daughter, now a mother, who looks identical to a young Ae-Sun. Geum-Myeong who was the bastion of Ae-Sun's shattered dreams; who despite having everything that her mother wanted as a child, and couldn't be given, Gwan-sik still felt guilty toward for not being able to provide more. And perhaps that's why Gwan-sik opens up to Geum-Myeong. Why he tells her how guilty he feels towards Ae-Sun. Through admitting it to Geum-myeong it's as if he can tell Ae-Sun without really telling her. What is more remarkable, is that Geum-Myeong as a parent herself can now understand better just how much her parents went through. How they weathered all of their storms, and how hard it must have been.

And how ironic it is at the end that although Gwan-sik gave Geum-Myeong everything he once wanted to give Ae-Sun; he still felt guilty that he couldn't give her more. That Ae-Sun felt that same guilt despite giving her daughter the freedom to live the dreams that were stolen from her.

But the irony pervades our whole society. Until we become parents ourselves - or grow up enough to truly understand the harsh realities of adulthood - we never truly appreciate just how much has been invested into us solely because we are loved unconditionally. We all owe a debt to our parents that we will never be able to repay, but it is also a debt that we aren't supposed to.

So next time you lament your portion in life and your parents' role in allocating it; first ask yourselves what had to happen to first put you there. The next time you feel like being ungrateful - remember what it is you have to be grateful for.

Call your parents.

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We make the most of what life gives us and forge on... despite it all...till we breathe our last.

Wow! This drama has been mind-blowingly good and after such an awesome production with stellar actresses and actors as well as a realistic and moving plot, it is hard for this viewer to move on. WLGYT is lingering in my mind.

What I Loved A Lot:
- The cast was amazing! Their performances were powerful and memorable. Everyone - the leads and the supporting cast - was great. They nailed their roles and gave everything they had and then, more.
- The characters were believable and I felt invested in them. There were numerous meaningful and moving lines which the characters shared which inspired me and touched me. Oh Ae Sun's aunts were great. I liked that different characters also grew up such as Park Yeong Ran who developed a backbone and stood up for herself. I liked the "redemption arc" for Bu Sang Gil who went from total scumbag to trying to be a better father and grandfather to make up for his lack of fatherliness. I liked how Yang Gwan Sik eventually inspired him enough to change for the better.
- The plot was riveting and realistic. I did not expect to laugh and cry and cry some more and laugh wistfully and cry again and smile through my tears and cry again... What a roller coaster ride but it was so worth it!
- The plot was also meaningful and helped me to mature/ grow too. I liked that we got to see the different perspectives which added more meanings and insights to the things which were happening in the plot.
- The cinematography was spectacular. Every scene seemed poetic. Additionally, I felt almost voyeuristic. It was as if I had gone back in time to witness the ordinary and yet, extraordinary lives of Oh Ae Sun and Yang Gwan Sik.

These are the moments/ parts/ lines that linger in my mind (and they maybe paraphrased). I shall be going back to relive these moments/ parts/ lines to "experience them all over again".
~ Living can get very tough and tiring. When you feel like you are too exhausted and cannot live anymore, you keep on going back up to the surface. You kick your way back up to the surface (to breathe again).
~ A mother who has lost her child has more tears than the sea. (My heart breaks too... multiple times... over and over again...)
~ Life goes on if you let it. (Bam! So powerful.)
~ It was exceedingly touching to have Oh Ae Sun's mother-in-law and in-laws (and husband and other characters) not blame her for her third child's death. After all, which mother would want such a thing to happen. It was so telling of how much pain they, too, felt and so, they did not want to add on to Oh Ae Sun's pain because who was feeling more pain than the mother herself/ the parents themselves? Blaming would not have brought him back either. The pain of his death was suffering and punishment enough without having others rub it in further. This part stood out for me greatly. The empathy shown was powerfully moving.
~ The love between Yang Gwan Sik and Oh Ae Sun was tender and yet, powerful. Since the time they were kids, they were each other's soulmates. It was extremely touching and saddening to see how much Yang Gwan Sik just gave and gave of himself until he had nothing more to give. Oh Ae Sun devoted herself to her husband and family and continued to try her very best no matter her age or circumstance.
~ The part whereby the cleaner took the ring. I thought she wanted to live the lie that was spun and take the ring for herself since it was considered stolen. I was stoked when she stood up for Geum Myeong and protected her just like how her parents had helped her in the past. We don't wish bad things on others. Talk about kindness begetting kindness and about paying if forward.
~ The part whereby Oh Ae Sun's "mother" - the woman who married her stepfather after her mother had passed on - gave her rental money. The part whereby the elderly couple watched out for them while they rented the small space. These parts were moving. Talk about humanity.
~ Don't look down on my life. (Insightful and powerful - who are we to think that someone else's live could have been lived better? Let's just strive hard and be accountable for ourselves and our actions and have a clear conscience.)

I recommend this drama to both the young and the old. While I understand that this drama is rated PG13, I think youths who are say 10-13 will benefit from living the lives of these plucky characters vicariously.

This drama deserves 10/10 and it will replay itself in my mind for quite a long time to come. <3 Thank you to cast and crew et al for this magnificent drama! <3

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A masterpiece of 3 generations(Greek Review)

I don't usually write about TV shows. Nor do I get emotional easily (90s kids don't cry, after all).
But "When Life Gives You Tangerines" found me at a moment when maybe I needed it. I randomly decided to watch the Korean drama on Netflix titled "When Life Gives You Tangerines." In Greek, the title translates to "When life gives you tangerines"
In Korea, the series is known as "Pokssak Sogatsuda" , a phrase from the Jeju Island dialect meaning "thank you for your hard work."
The series tells the love story between Oh Ae-sun and Yang Gwan-sik, starting in the 1960s and unfolding over the course of 50 years. It showcases the challenges they face - natural disasters, family objections, political unrest - while also highlighting moments of personal achievement, death, life, and family joy.
Starring IU (Lee Ji Eun ) as Ae-sun and Park Bo-gum as Gwan-sik, with Moon So-ri and Park Hae-joon portraying the older versions of the characters.
The series doesn't shout. It doesn't impress with big speeches or shocking plot twists. There are no Hollywood fireworks, no over-the-top romances. And yet, it carries a quiet strength, almost underground. It softens you, breaks you down, makes you feel things you thought you had forgotten - or believed you would never feel again.
What touched me the most was endurance. The power of patience. The virtue of persistence. Two people who didn't live a fairy-tale romance, but never betrayed it either. They didn't abandon it. It broke them, tested them - but they held it tight inside themselves for years, for decades.
By the end of the series, you'll catch yourself wondering: Have I ever lived something like that?
Maybe, to experience such a love, you have to be either very lucky... or very unlucky. But it's comforting to know that it can exist. Even if only inside a story.
Another thing that struck me is how, even though it's a Korean series, it reflects Greek emotions through Korean frames.
Korea or Greece - in the end, the fundamentals, the emotions, the heart, have no borders.
And if there's one thing that stayed with me after it ended... it's the silence. Not the empty kind, but the full kind.
The one that says "salanghaeyo" - "I love you" - with the eyes, without needing words.
I wholeheartedly recommend it - but it's not for everyone.
The melancholy it brings is terrifying... because, in the end, if life gives you tangerines... make sour cherry juice.

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Cherish your moments with your family, as life will always bring challenges.

Wow, what a ride! "Tangerines" kind of reminded me why I enjoyed "Reply 1988. IMOP, "Tangerines" is a tad step above. That's due to its core storyline. (I submitted a review to "Reply" that may help you understand where I'm coming from.) So much I want to say, but I will keep this spoiler-free and just say, IU… Wow. You acted your $ss off. Even though I wasn't too much of a fan of the dual role. But man, you killed it.

Every actor, lead and supporting, was amazing. The theme was heartfelt. Life has so many trials as well as joyous moments. "Tangerines" hits on so many levels. The only really nitpicky negative I can say is, at times, there was a continuous back and forth of timelines in succession, many times. A little irritating after engrossing scenes, but definitely not a deal breaker. Because some of those moments brought deeper meaning to the previous scene.

This series stands out with outstanding performances, great cinematography, and true-to-life scenarios. I finally submitted a personal rating of at least 9.5. It's been 2 years. (since the last time) I always welcome great shows to challenge my top 5. (now top 6 foreign series or movie) Thanks to "Tangerine." If you enjoy long, lifetime-type heartfelt stories, I definitely recommend it.

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The best kdrama out there.....

Calling this drama a masterpiece would be an understatement this drama is just wonderful
it made me cry, laugh and what not. This drama for sure is my most favorite one. Its been soo long since a very good heart warming kdrama. I am happy i am sooo happy
A masterclass script!!!I have said it in my other reviews that no matter what rocket budget and star castline you have if the script isn't good it is a lost cause, my dear kdrama enthusiasts this drama is a gem a pure gem, it ain't no mega story with a unrealistic plotline it is a heart warming slice of life romance story...Gwani and Aesun has all my heart🥹 when I say bring me a good romantic drama this is what I am asking for. Sooo gooood.
IU and Park Bogum is the best casting for this drama. If they can make a cold hearted person like me cry by their acting it means that they are phenomenal. The supporting cast has also done a wonderful job. The cinematography is just beautiful. After welcome to samdalri this drama has captured the beauty of jeju so wonderfuly. The OST is like Cherry on the cake.
My dear people who are reading this review do not doubt give this drama a chance as person who has watched 100s of kdramas I vouch for this drama.
When life gives you tangerines is a true masterpiece.

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A Healing Slice-of-Life A Masterpiece of Quiet Love and Generational Healing

🍊 WHY IT'S UNFORGETTABLE:
IU & Park Bo-gum’s lifespan chemistry – From childhood friends to weathered soulmates, their love story feels lived-in and real.

Jeju Island as a character – Golden tangerine fields, crashing waves, and haenyeo divers create a visually poetic backdrop.

The non-linear storytelling – Jumps between timelines like a heartbreaking memory montage (but in a good way).

😭 THE "WHY AM I SOBBING OVER FRUIT?" MOMENTS:
That rain-soaked ferry chase – IU running in slow-motion while Park Bo-gum screams her name? Oscar-worthy devastation.

The gender-role rebellion – Gwan-sik eating with the women? More radical than any K-drama kiss.

The haenyeo mother’s sacrifice – Yeom Hye-ran’s performance will wreck you.

⚠️ THE "ALMOST TOO PERFECT" FLAWS:
Pacing whiplash – Some 1950s flashbacks drag, while 2000s scenes feel rushed.

The evil landlord trope – Could’ve used more nuance (we get it, capitalism sucks).

That ambiguous ending – Beautiful but frustrating for closure-seekers.

🎯 VERDICT:
"Like My Mister and When the Camellia Blooms had a historical drama baby—achingly human, visually stunning, and full of tangerine metaphors." Watch if: You love slow burns, generational trauma, or IU’s everything. Skip if: You need fast plots or happy endings neatly tied with a bow.

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One of the best tearjerker kdrama ever...

A true masterpiece... If you are over 35, you should be ready to cry your eyes out for hours until you finish this series... a unique work in which every actor lived their roles not acted, the best casting possible, the soundtrack perfectly reflects the emotions and atmosphere of the periods it is set in.
This is a series that summarizes everything in life, what is lost, what is gained, what is valuable and what is not, and sometimes it can even make you cry, not because it is sad, but because it makes you feel a sweet warmth inside. if you think I am exaggerating, you should watch until the last second of the sixteenth episode without skipping any episode and decide for yourself...
When you finish this series, as a side effect, it can make you a better person, a better son or daughter, or a better mother or father.
Hope you watch and enjoy it as much as I did.

(Note: If you love this drama, without thinkin twice u should start "the light in your eyes" next asap. )

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show of the century

i started watching this show after it had taken over all social media platforms. i was scared that the high expectations set would leave me disappointed after watching it myself, but it met the expectations and surpassed them by far. the amazing combination of romance, comedy, and melodrama. it portrayed so many emotions from happiness to love, grief, struggle, guilt, overwhelm, saddness, desire, and so much more. through out the 4 different volumes i felt like im being taken on a journey of life, as they were portraying the sad reality of old times and how unfair it is. its crazy how this show takes you from one emotion to another one second youre crying your eyes out and the other youre smiling ear to ear. iu’s performance was so touching and amazing executing 2 different characters so well! im still not over the scene when shes holding her youngest :c
Really just the show of the century i loved every single bit of it!!

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A masterpiece that tugs at your heartstrings and never lets go

This is the best drama of 2025 and top 5 kdramas for me. I was laughing one second, swooning the next, and crying the rest of the time. Maybe it's cuz I'm an immigrant's daughter that I related so much to the parents sacrifice for their children and their kids feeling the need to pay them back tenfold for all their sacrifices but these characters where just so well-written there is no possible way you can't feel for them. Every relationship in this show is executed perfectly and the character arcs r so satisfying(even captain a**hole got a good arc). Another great thing about this show is how smoothly it traverses through timelines. The past is just as relevant as the present; the parallels drawn leave me speechless at times.

Ae sun and gwang sik's love affair alone had me wanting to give this show an Emmy. like wdym this man swam through an ocean for her. Park bogum plays this role excellently expressing how desperately and pathetically in love he is with ae sun. Selling her cabbages for her(cuz she's too shy and prideful to do it herself), reciting nostalgia because even though he can't give her everything he will memorize her favorite poem. Everything makes me just wanna cry cuz no man could ever love me this much.

The best character award has to go to Ae sun. The life she has LIVED. Living in a house she wasn't wanted, becoming so ambitious and prideful in respect for how her mother raised her, choosing love, experiencing loss, trading an old dream for her new one, loving her family so fiercely. If I continue I fear I will never stop.

The writers were in the room cooking with geum myong. What a complex yet transparent character. She is who she is because of how much her parents loved her. Her entire relationship with lee jun yeong's character(yeong beom) was executed so perfectly it gave me goosebumps. They were giving her parents love story a run for their money. Also bug props to IU for her representation of both characters in this one. She was the anchor in this show, a physical representation of the past and present. The way IU expresses her emotions is is satisfying. If she deserves to win all the awards for this.

Anyway watch the show. no actually watch the show cuz this changed my brain chemistry in irreversible ways and you need to experience the magic I witnessed. This is a straight MASTERPIECE

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WLGYT shows you what true love is when loving your partner, parents or children

In the era when people leave each other due to minor setbacks this series shows us how two people who even gave up on their dreams to be with each other, realised that something as precious as finding true love is worth sacrificing anything in the world for, as in your final moments that support you got from each other makes you live a very fulfilling life.

But this series was not only about showing us how you can love each other as couples but also how to love your kids and parents, how difficult raising kids can be and how kids learn and shape their character from looking at their parents.

Gwan shik: I have seen many dramas and usually when watching I used to criticise the ML for not showing better care or affection or think that I could have done better. But looking at gwan shik, it truly made me doubt myself if I can love my gf and children as much as he did, the care and hardwork he does to keep his family afloat and happy together, the way he supports and cares for aesun, not a single moment in his life has he stopped loving her. Even if you have to nitpick a bad trait of him, there is none. He is truly a walking green forest and we all guys should look upto him on how to love your family and support them.

Ae sun: While everyone keep praising gwan shik for loving her unconditionally, you can't just love anyone, to continue loving someone they need to be deserving and act that way and aesun is the most deserving of that love of all. She is smart, ambitious, pretty, kind, and caring, the main traits guys look for in a girl, and as much as we commend gwan shik for showing care and affection, aesun had her own way of showing affection, her subtle care and affection for her family, the way she endures all hardships and not one time did she blame gwan shik for her setbacks in her life. She truly appreciated how much gwan shik supported her and even if she had to endure all or even more hardships she would gladly do it if only she has gwan shik by her side.

Gwanshik and Aesun relationship is something that should be the norm for how you should treat your significant other,
1. Support each other and never blame them for your inefficiencies, stand by each other sides and never fret over bad times and infact smile together at your bad times. It's better to share your pain, that's what a family is all about. Always stand and support each other, no matter what.
2. To have dreams and career ambitions are good, but when it's hindering your relationship, question yourself on what you truly want. Good relationships support you through time, and makes you love a truly fulfilling life without regrets, and in my opinion if your dreams and goals are in that way of it, I would rather choose to be with someone I truly love.

Guem myeong: This is such a well written character and depicts what young adults are like in this generation, when they say mean things they don't truly believe in and when they don't show their love to their parents but love them dearly and appreciate what they do in their hearts. And it also shows how the hopes of the parents can sometimes burden their children, but what her parents wanted for her is to only to be happy, but her boyfriends mother also had hopes but she shaped her son's life entirely, she didn't give him the freedom of letting him chose his own path. That's the subtle difference between the two families of how you can shape your children's life with hopes and dreams vs how you shouldn't force your children to live the life you want. It's okay to be a loser rather than being a robot that does only what your parents want you to.

And while the strongest point of the series it's the lessons it teaches us, but to make a good series it should do everything well, and WLGYT did not slack in any department.

The Soundtrack and especially the bgm was truly mesmerizing and fit the scenarios so well. Just listening to aesun theme makes me feel all the emotions again.

The Set was insane, it truly felt like they shot it in the 1950s, and the editing team deserves a praise. Usually movies or series shot in 1950s, just put a dark sepia and calls it a day. WLGYT made the scenes so much powerful with really smart color grading themes while also staying true to the respective timelines.

The casting choices was very good, everyone acted so well. IU did an excellent job in separating each roles, it truly felt like two different persons. Ae sun who has a warm and fun side to her, but geum myeong who acts very cold but has a very warm side in her heart. And the transition and the consistencies between young ae sun and adult aesun played by moon sori, was truly outstanding. Parkbo gum and iu chemistry was truly one of a kind and so was parkhe jun and moonseri, they really made me think that were are a married couple acting.

This series taught me a lot of things, I can't even begin to write them all, I mentioned only what i think are the most important but please do watch the series. It's truly deserving of all the praise it gets, and we should all look upto this family and try to love each other like they did. This series and the characters will forever remain etched in my heart and i will always look up to gwan shik on how to live my life.

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