A Soft, Healing Drama That Stays With You
When Life Gives You Tangerines is honestly one of the most touching K-dramas I’ve ever seen. It’s not loud or flashy—no huge twists or wild cliffhangers—but that’s exactly what makes it so special. The story feels real. It’s slow and quiet in the best way, like sitting under the sun with your eyes closed, feeling every little breeze.The setting alone had me hooked. The drama takes place on Jeju Island, and the way it’s filmed is just breathtaking. The sea, the wind, the endless rows of tangerine trees—it creates such a calm, nostalgic feeling. It really felt like I was living there with the characters. The cinematography makes every small moment feel meaningful and poetic.
IU plays Ae-sun with so much honesty and heart. She’s such a strong, curious, and stubborn character, and I admired how she kept dreaming even when the world around her tried to hold her back. And Park Bo-gum as Gwan-sik… oh my god. He’s the type of male lead that just makes your heart ache—in a soft, quiet way. He’s not the typical romantic hero, but that’s what makes him feel so real. Their connection is full of tension and unspoken emotion. It’s not a romance filled with big declarations—it’s slow, complicated, and so deeply human.
Now, I have to mention Yang Geum-yeon, Ae-sun’s daughter. I’m going to be honest—she was annoying sometimes. There were moments when I just wanted to shake her and ask, “Why are you like this?!” She acted selfish or distant at times, and it made it hard to connect with her. But I also understand that she’s a product of her own time and pain, and her character still adds a lot of weight to the story. Not everyone is meant to be likeable all the time—and that’s real life too. By the end, I appreciated her more.
What really stuck with me about this drama was how deeply it explores the quiet pain and strength of everyday life. It shows how people love, wait, lose, grow, and keep going. It’s about ordinary moments and how those small things build the story of a lifetime. I cried more than once—not just because it was sad, but because it felt so true. Sometimes it hit a little too close to home.
If you’ve ever felt like you were waiting for something or someone, if you’ve ever had dreams that felt too far away, or if you just want to feel seen and comforted, watch this drama. It’s gentle, thoughtful, and full of heart. When Life Gives You Tangerines gave me so much. It made me reflect, feel, and just breathe. I’m really grateful I watched it.
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Created an account on here just to leave a review.
Oh my God. This is literally a masterpiece that closes the gap between the uncommunicated generational trauma that our parents carry. I started treating my family much better after I watched this.I cried EVERY. SINGLE. EPISODE, from start to finish. That has never happened before. Im not a crier. Its the most beautiful, healing, artistic, poetic, symbolic, piece of literature that I have ever consumed. The way the story is told makes rewatching it so much more enjoyable, but Im not going to hurt myself like that.
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i will never look at tangerines the same ever again
i've been trying to think about how i should start this review, what to say to convince any readers that need that extra push to pick this one up and how to do this drama justice through my words but i honestly think i won't ever be able to.i was watching while it was airing then watched the last volume over the course of a month and a half because i just simply did not want it to end. i honestly can't recall a single form of media that has been able to evoke this much emotion from me. sure, i'm an empath, but crying every episode? multiple times? they laced the plot with something, i'm telling you...
it's jam packed with true, raw emotion that sometimes hits a bit too close to home. a story of love and sacrifice across three generations of a family, an absolute must watch if you're an eldest daughter or the 'pillar' of your family.
it will make you want to pick up the phone and call your loved ones asap. life is short, tell them you love them <3
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They deserve all the awards in 2025!
They deserve all the awards in 2025! This is an exciting, fascinating series, with a very well-written plot and well-built characters! The story is so moving, I cried from the first episode to the last! For me, this series and My Dearest have entered my list of precious and poetic series! Congratulations to the actors and the entire team! I hope they win all the awards in 2025 because they really deserve it! A true masterpiece!Was this review helpful to you?
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Great drama, but….
This drama started out SO well that I thought it was shaping up to be the best drama I’d ever seen. Then they gave us IU as the actress portraying the daughter as well as the younger mom/main character. Don’t get me wrong, IU’s acting abilities are top notch, and she played both rolls incredibly well, but it made it hard to suspend my belief in the characters and took me out of the moments. I was so invested in IU’s character in the beginning but when they time skip to show her as the daughter it just breaks the wall and all I could see was - “IU the great actress” and not her character.The story dragged a bit as we see parents continual hardships and was just less charming and more sad- kinda like real life I know, but not as fun to watch. IU’s character as the daughter was distracting, and I was just missing the younger versions with Park Bo gum- who was absolutely stunning! Whole dual role/character came off like IU didn’t want to be aged with makeup etc and have someone else play a main role so they gave her both because she is such a mega superstar. I couldn’t get emotionally attached to the leads as they grew older. Even in the final 2 episodes, I wasn’t too moved until they flashed back to them as young kids falling in love.
Bottom line- great story, great acting, but IU playing both main roles ruined what could have been a near perfect drama.
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Reminds you of Reply 1988.
Lovely drama that kind of reminded me of Reply 1988. I love Reply 1988, so this drama giving me that vibes was actually the best part of the show for me. Same childhood friendships (albeit a bit different, don't wanna spoil! Lol), same camaraderie between small town neighbours and friends and almost the same vintage vibes.Acting wise everyone was fabulous, all are veterans, so I have only praises for everybody! And I love Fl's and Ml's acting already from their previous dramas, so no surprises that here too they aced it!
Now coming to why it is not a 10/10 for me is because after the initial 6-7 episodes that I binged watched, the story felt like a never ending soap opera to me. Too many side characters with too many filler scenes and episodes. They could have made this more crisp by making it 12 eps instead of 16. The episodes wasted on their grown up son's tantrums could have been easily cut short and I skipped almost whole eps because of those boring things!
Also the repeated flashbacks was so irritating, especially since I binged it, I felt that if they removed the Flashbacks they could have easily reduced the number of eps!
Another tiny issue that the Director should have taken care of was the FL's flawless makeup in certain scenes especially where they are supposed to be dirt poor with no food but her face was so fresh with perfect makeup! It looked so odd to me...
Anyway, I guess I should have watched it while it was airing because of all the content that is packed into each episode was a little too much to take in while binging it!
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Masterpiece like an old handwritten letter
One of the best kdrama that I watch and felt with all my being. It’s about resilience, survival, and the kind of love that doesn’t need to be shouted from the rooftops. Loved everything, from writing, acting, that is beyond words, how they developed the characters, an wonderful real life put on screen for inspiration of true partnership, hardworking, love, family, courage story about breaking generational trauma and the cinematography is like a poetry. At the beginning it was not my cup of tea, but somehow I felt to continue watching and yes, I am so grateful to watch this precious, beautiful love life masterpiece. It's a blessing to have a love, a partnership like this in these times. Truly profound and deep, to have this determination to choose, each decision made to move forward, to live on many times and to be happy and grateful at the end. After a week since I finished the story staid with me, has change some things inside me. Even if I cried at every episode I felt so much support to move forward even if life is hard and to trust God and Life and to act on my dreams. I don't have my own family, yet, but hope I will meet my own Gwan Sik to grow and to create together. So beautiful. So real. So painful. So full of joy.I give it an 8 for rewatch as I think I don't want to be a witness second time. Maybe just if life puts me down, this is a good story to help me, to inspire to fight for my life, for my dreams, to be there for love. in that case it will be a 10.
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A drama about life, loss, and love
This drama spans 3 generations with a little back and forth with the flashbacks. Usually I find these annoying but in this drama it helps one get a better perspective. No annoying or over the top leads, mature age appropriate roles and acting. I’ve been in a drama slump for a while and this one made me want to keep watching. It’s a story about dreams, love, loss, acceptance, but most of all about life.Was this review helpful to you?
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Parental Love is the Greatest Love
Just when you thought your life has been hard, always remember that your parents had face much more worst than what you can imagine. That was one lesson I've picked up from When Life Gives You Tangerine.This drama highlights unconditional love that parents have towards their children. It depicts what a mother and a father can give in order to provide the best kind of life for them.
Moreover, this also proves that marriage is not scary if you marry someone like Gwansik. Someone who is ever willing to give up everything, his life, enjoyment, what he wants just to help Aesun out.
Overall this drama is such a great tribute to the greatest persons of our lives, our loving parents. A way to remind us of their sacrifices and what they have went through. Love your parents always.
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love this drama >____<
YOU MUST WATCH THIS because of park bogum and iu very suitable IN MY OPINION ♡_____♡ I really like gwansik's character like GREEN FLAG REALLY GUYS.. and I also want to have a husband like Park Toto AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA >< actually, I really empathy for Geumyoung's boyfriend, he's a good kid but his mom is NOT GOOD, GUYS, BELIEVE ME 🤬 her mother is really looking very social status LIKE? HUH? THE HELL.. 🙄🙄OKAY, from this drama I learned a lot of life lessons, they are really related to my life and we can take moral messages from this drama AND THIS WILL BE MY TOP BEST DRAMA IN 2025 LIST :D
MUST MEET GWANSIK AND AESUN ALL OF YOU EHEHHEHEHEHE RECOMMENDED
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A Quietly Powerful Masterpiece – A Must-Watch
It’s one of those rare stories that feels real. It dives into life’s struggles with so much honesty: maturing, dealing with heartache, family bonds, financial hardship, and learning how to keep moving forward even when life feels overwhelming. The emotions hit hard because they’re so relatable — not in a dramatic way, but in a quiet, soul-deep kind of way.What I love is how it shows the importance of appreciating the small things: the comfort of a simple meal, the warmth of family, and the light that comes after long stretches of darkness. It makes you reflect on your own relationships — especially with your parents and realize how precious those connections really are, even when unspoken.
You don’t need to be a parent to feel the weight of these sacrifices or the depth of love portrayed. It’s a story about humanity, resilience, and finding peace in the chaos.
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