when life gives you tangerines...in eyes
this drama is more than just a drama. it’s an EXPERIENCE. it's set against the breathtaking backdrop of jeju island (your classic sea side drama): a poignant tale of love, resilience, and generational struggles, capturing the quiet battles that shape a life.at its heart is oh aesun (iu), a fierce, determined woman fighting to break free from the limitations of her time. iu delivers a raw, deeply affecting performance, making ae sun’s struggles feel personal. opposite her, gwangsik (park bogum) is a steady, unwavering presence. his quiet devotion speaks louder than words, making their love story deeply moving and heartbreakingly tender. (he's adorable)
what sets this drama apart is its passage of time. we don’t just see young dreamers, we follow them across decades, witnessing their evolving love and the struggles of their children, yang eunmyeong and yang geummyeong. their lives mirror and contrast their parents’ journeys, emphasizing the cyclical nature of love and fate.
beyond romance, the drama beautifully weaves in korea’s socio-political history, particularly the struggles of women like ae sun’s mother (a haenyeo), whose quiet strength leaves a lasting impact.
☆ visually, it’s STUNNING. the cinematography turns jeju into a living, breathing character, and every scene feels like a painting. the soundtrack is phenomenal, folk-inspired melodies elevating the story’s emotional depth. and the dialogues? spectacularly written! heartbreaking, raw, and deeply poetic.
some dramas entertain while others stay with you. when life gives you tangerines does both. sweet yet tinged with bitterness, just like a perfectly ripe tangerine.
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Intelligent, moving, REAL
This was a remarkable drama. It was the 327th K drama that I have completed, and the third which I have scored at 12/10. I score dramas at more than 10/10 when they impact me in some way that is more meaningful or more powerful than simply being a more or less flawless viewing experience. This drama scored 12 for touching me deeplyIt really was a very intelligent drama which is a rarity. The characters behaved like real people, and said some very smart things and some very stupid things. There were no saints, and very few sinners.
For making me think about "yesterday", for moving me to tears as its characters “gathered together to get through this thing called life", and in so doing reminding me of personal spring days and winter days, I am truly grateful that this drama was made. The literal Korean/Jejumal title of this drama apparently means "you did well" and to everyone involved in bringing it to life, I say "well done, thank you for NOT giving me a lemon."
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RESONANT JOURNEY OF LOVE AND LOSS
I found myself attached to the characters from the very start. Ae Sun's journey is written beautifully. She feels real, flawed, and achingly true to life. Geum Myeong, her daughter was another I loved. She reminded me of Ae Sun, ambitious, full of hope, yet weighed down by choices and circumstances.What makes this drama so special is honesty. It doesn't romanticized life, it shows the pain, the losses, and the regrets, but also the beauty of love that lasts even through hardship. This drama reminded me that even if life isn't perfect, it can still be meaningful and full of love. I liked the reincarnation hint and the ending was satisfying.
Kudos to the production team and the casts. The direction was tender yet moving, letting silence speak as much words. And the writing was honest and heartbreaking, and made this story linger with me for a long time.
Plot 9.5/10
Acting and Characters 10/10
Cinematography 10/10
Writing 10/10
Pacing 8.5/10
OST/Score 9/10
Overall 9.5/10
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A poignant story following the love story of a couple that is always rooting for each other!
I had zero expectations coming into this drama. It was getting popular and my friends asked if I was watching, naturally I gave it a try.'When Life Gives You Tangerines' gave me the vibes of daily Japanese dramas called asadora(s). They typically follow a female protagonist throughout their life including building a family for themselves or making a name for themselves. That's exactly what we see in this drama but obviously condensed into 16 episodes. Usually I would think 16 episodes feels too short and fast paced to connect and understand each character but WLGYT was well paced and thought out. Every episode just felt perfect, not too fast and not too slow. Just the right pacing for me.
There were many life lessons that everyone can take from this drama.
I think my top three were: 1. Never settle for less and don't put yourself down just to please others. 2. Even if you grew up with nothing, know that your parents tried their very best to keep you fed and happy. 3. Cherish every moment, who knows what could happen. Take care of your family especially your parents. 😭
The acting of each and every actor and actress were amazing and natural. No complaints, just applause especially to IU.
Highly recommend! :)
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Disapointing storytelling with great Acting
WLGT is written well, the story at it's core is very poignant and teahes us many lessons, the actors did a great job however i was disapppointed with how the story folded out. I really liked how they showed us how Ae-sun lived her life and the sacrifices they both made but i feel like there was a disconnect between IU as Ae-sun and in the present. Her present story felt very incomplete, diconnected and rushed, i would 've loved seen her relationships, career, more fleshed out especially as she was playing both characters yet not it made lose appreciation for the earlier episode and constatntly pulled me out of the story. i really wish they would have let Bo-gum play a bit in the present timeline to show them growing older then switch to the new person that would've tie the story better or even settle for the mom telling her story through present IU eyes while living her life. Overall, i was disapointed but it is great story nonetheless.Was this review helpful to you?
A crowd-pleaser by default
Striking retro visuals with quite a standard and straightforward storyline, almost like some documentary of sorts, but that's customary due to its referencing from a true story. The nostalgia setting is attractive enough to watch though the plot can get as annoying as it could, till a point that it gets really flat throughout the second half of the drama. It's a well built family issue drama that doesn't go anywhere groundbreaking, but the faithful theme and acting performance is a stronger suit that makes this a crowd-pleaser by default.Was this review helpful to you?
Overrated
This show has clearly received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with this sentiment. Of course this is my subjective opinion, as all reviews are.So, here is my attempt to express precisely what my problems with this show are:
1) The timeline - The show has a habit of constantly skipping around the timeline. While telling the story in a chronological order isn't strictly necessary, this show just takes it too far. As a casual viewer I was often left disoriented and confused by this. This is exacerbated by the use of the same actors to represent characters for very long intervals of time.
2) The characters - The events of the show span the period of over 50 years, basically covering 3 generations of a family, which naturally comes with a very large cast of characters. This is very ambitious, to put it nicely. It makes keeping track of all the characters very difficult. Even worse, this results in the characters lacking ...well... character. Trying to cram in 3 generations and 50 years worth of story into a 16 episode show results in a distinct lack of character establishing and building moments. When it comes to the main characters, while some of them seem like they could be OK if given more time to develop (like Yang Gwan Sik and Yang Eun Myeong), what little bits we were shown of the main main characters (O Ae Sun and Yang Geum Myeong) did not make them seem likeable at all, and did not make me, as a viewer, root for their success.
3) The story - Due to the problems mentioned in points 1 and 2, the viewing experience of the story was somehow both confusing and boring at the same time. Additionally, it lacked direction. Where is it going, what are the writers trying to tell us with this? I could rationalize it (if I was inclined due to actually liking the characters) as being an artistic choice to invoke a “realistic” feeling (as in, the show is structured as if someone in their old age were just recalling events from their life, as one would whilst going through a photo album), but it doesn’t make for an actually good story. Good stories are told with a purpose and have both a natural flow and solid structure to them. This felt more like just recounting of events without any emotional weight, which is better saved for history books.
In conclusion, I did not enjoy this show. The people who made this were like Icarus - arrogantly trying too hard to make something too sophisticated for them to actually successfully pull off with their skill level. In the end they just burned and crashed instead.
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This is a drama made for family viewing. I highly recommend it.
An excellent entertainment option for the family!This South Korean drama has maintained high ratings around the world, and it's no coincidence that it has achieved such a high level of popularity.
Released in early 2025, it is currently considered the biggest South Korean drama of 2025 and remains among the most-watched on streaming platforms.
It also achieved high ratings on platforms like IMDb and Douban in China.
This South Korean drama stars South Korean singers and actors IU and Park Bo-gum.
This drama has a sensitive, deeply universal narrative about overcoming obstacles and love.
From the first few minutes, it's clear how the director focused on guiding the protagonists' performances to connect with audiences from different parts of the world, immersing them in Korean culture through a story that transcends borders.
The series addresses themes such as love, family, overcoming poverty, and the bittersweetness of life, which resonate with audiences from different cultures.
The plot is true, intense, and sensitive. The drama also touches the hearts of audiences who aren't used to watching South Korean productions, like myself.
The drama utilized Korean cultural elements, such as the haenyeo divers and the traditional dialect.
This commitment from the producers elevated the drama's quality and enriched the viewing experience.
The drama was inspired by true events experienced by two residents of Jeju Island, famous for its tangerine plantations.
The drama features characters speaking in traditional dialects, and the OST features Korean songs that reflect the series' timeline and deeply rooted beliefs and superstitions in South Korea.
Dramas based on human stories often connect people from all over the world, even though elements deeply connected to native culture can be challenging for international audiences.
Although the series stars prominent South Korean stars like singers IU and Park Bo-gum, the drama is deeply moving and ensures satisfaction and a sense of time-wasting, as the plot is based on universal themes like love and family.
This is a drama made for family viewing. I highly recommend it.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Solid 10 Out of 10
I have no words for this one. It’s amazingly written and beautifully produced. The people behind this masterpiece deserve all the awards out there. It’s so rare for a show to make you feel this much and portray the reality of life: poverty, losing a parent, working hard for your children, being someone’s parent, and being someone’s child.Ae-sun is the bravest character I’ve ever seen in a K-drama. It’s not easy to live a life like hers. At an early age, she lost the most important person in her life, her mother. Later, as a mother herself, she lost another precious person, her youngest son. Becoming a great mother after losing a child is not easy. The trauma she had to overcome just to take care of her two children is unimaginable. Yet, I envy her for having someone she could truly call her own person, someone unafraid to stand up for her and protect her. A real man. A great husband and father. Even though I didn’t have a father like Gwansik, I hope to marry someone like him in the future. This drama has raised my standards even higher. Why settle for less when there’s someone out there willing to give you the world?
I saw a lot of hate toward Geum-myeong. I can’t entirely blame people since she can be quite harsh toward her parents sometimes, but she’s one of the most realistic characters out there. It’s not that she’s ungrateful or doesn’t love her parents; she just matured too quickly after witnessing their struggles with poverty. And as we grow older, we sometimes forget all the good things our parents did and start focusing only on our own lives and problems. Although her actions frustrated me at times, I couldn’t bring myself to hate her. She doesn’t deserve the hate.
I also love the characters who helped Gwansik and Ae-sun live a better life. It reminds me that we should help those who truly deserve it, because sometimes, those small acts of kindness are what keep people going for another day. This drama is the perfect depiction of life. Some people live comfortably, while others wake up early every day just to work and survive. It’s amazing how this show captures so many layers of life and change through the years. I loved every bit of it. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move on from this one. It’s been a while since I rated something a perfect 10, but this one deserves an 11, even a 100. That’s how special this drama is. Sometimes you’ll laugh, but most of the time, you’ll cry. You’ll learn a lot, especially how important it is to value our parents while we still can.
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What gift to the world in spring of 2025! Thank you Thank youuu!
What a precious gift to give to the world in the spring of 2025! WLGYT✨🌸!This is arguably one of the best dramas of all time and I recommend EVERYONE to watch it. Wow what a raw, relatable, heartfelt piece of art!!! I am a better person after watching this masterpiece! Thank you to the genius screenwriters, director, cast, and crew for this gift in 2025 and for showing our generation what true love should look like and what "women's empowerment" truly means. At a time like this, when all media does is promote "be in your feminine energy" and sexualizes everyone and everything, even little girls, we truly needed this gem! Hope the world learns from WLGYT and makes more meaningful quality content :,)
And don't even get me started on the perfect casting. The actors did a marvelous job. Bogum and IU..... such acting gods <33 One scene that will forever haunt me is the ocean scene where Bogum and IU found their son.. it's the definition of "Oscar-winning tears". Bravo🧡 This drama will always have a place in my heart🧡
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A great k-drama
A very emotional, touching drama about the endless, lifelong love of two people. I cannot add anything else, it would seem anachronic and dusty. Everything, starting with actors' play, screenplay and directing is flawless, in my humble opinion. However, I am not sure I'll be able to watch it again.Was this review helpful to you?
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so good and then so bad
Aw, this one pains me really. I had this at a rating of 9.5 until about the 5th, 6th episode. I was glued to the screen, I laughed and cried and laughed again. I loved everything about this drama, the actors, the fantastic soundtrack, the sets with so much love to detail, the touching stories in the beginning, all peaking with the death of the little son which had me in tears.And then there was a harsh break in this drama. As soon as the older actors took over everything went wrong for me. One thing that bothered me until the very last episode was that the aging of the characters was totally wrong. So the two main characters look pretty much exactly the same in 1983 and in 1999. That's ridiculous. Also the male lead's mother at some later point looks as old as her own son and daughter-in-law. At the same time, they used the same actress to play mother and daughter and she is simply never aging at all. She is born when? in 1968? And she still looks like a 14-year-old in 1999. Also at her wedding there is this very (and I mean VERY ) old couple, who were ancient in the end of the 1960s, when they helped her parents out with food and stuff, and they still show up to her wedding in 1998 looking exactly the same and are still alive? How old are they supposed to be? 120? This really bugged me so much and destroyed lots of the vibes in this drama.
But even more was that harsh break for me when the previously very touching, serious and thoughtful storytelling with tangible tragic and happy events turned into a steady slapstick party most of the episodes from ep. 7 to ep 16.
I started ff-ing the last four episodes because I was so tired of this steady totally over the top screaming and slapsticking, taking out all seriousness and true to life storytelling of this drama.
And the daughter, who looked like the mother because it simply was the same actress? I just didn't like her character at all. Her steady screaming and crying and pitting herself for everything while the whole world is running after her and trying to make everything fluffy for her? Nah, sorry, I don't like such people and she never really had reason to be and act like that.
The five stars are soelely for the first 5 episodes, which were absolutely brilliant and I loved every minute of them. The lacking other five stars are for that mess they made of the rest of this drama.
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