When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025)

An Emotional Journey: More Than Just a Romance Kdrama

I initially thought this was just about their romance, and the external issues they had to overcome together—like your typical romantic kdramas. I didn't expect to watch their entire life unfold, but not that I'm complaining. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the number of times I bawled my eyes out. I got attached to the characters so quickly, probably because I loved the cast in the first place. They portrayed their characters so well! I never thought I'd get so attached to a fictional family. I felt hopeless, heartbroken, hopeful, angry, sad, happy, and excited while watching this KDrama. I think it was a good thing they released the episodes at different times because I would've felt overwhelmed if I binge-watched everything in one sitting. I LOVE THIS SM!

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A Timeless masterpiece..

Sometimes, life is a blessing and sometimes life may be cruel to us, but through thick and thin when we have someone with us, we can endure anything and everything that life throws to us. Ae Sun and Gwan Sik go through sunshine and storms together across decades. Not a fancy and grand drama but every episode is beyond words to express resembling life in its purest forms though the characters are fictional.

This gave me new perspective about life. Now I understand every sacrifice and choice my parents made for me, what it takes to raise the children, what love actually is , what it means wanting to be a husband and father rather than wanting a wife and child and why no matter how much time passes, parents sees their children through the lens of love and care always.

All the characters are beautifully woven and I loved the character of Gwan Sik - A husband, A father , the man who carried his family with unwavering strength, resilience and quiet tenderness. The way he loved, the way he supported his wife and children, the way he silently endured , the way he broke the generational trauma, the way he would show his love in the tiny gestures , the way he puts his family above everything else and the way he was always there even when the words failed. He is not a green flag but the greenest forest. I wish him to exist in every home in reality.

This is not a fairytale, no sugarcoatings, no magical endings that fixes everything suddenly , instead it walks us through the highs and lows of life- a story of strength and resilience. It's Raw, it’s painful and it's beautiful.

NOTE : My 1000/10 recommendation. The drama might be slow sometimes, but do have some patience and watch it without forwarding as most of the scenes are linked to the other. If possible, I suggest you to watch it with your parents, partner or children on someday. Worth your time and efforts.

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BE NICER TO YOUR PARENTS! mk: cried laughed regretted

UGHT what a story. so beautifully written. showing life is not in a straight line--time lines! little easter eggs... AWESOME CAST, IU ofc ate, the grandma/mother/daughter/granddaughter lineage and relationships. UGH. the standard the dad set .. so awesome. loved the romance! little realistic (ish... i need a relationship like that). breakups. dying. death. losing a child. getting over it. etc etc etc....

THIS DRAMA MADE ME CRY SMMMM. watched with fam and made me cry even more. this was so emo. so real. SO LIFew. really gave me a new perspective: enjoy your youth, live everyday to the fullest, respect and udnerstand that your parents do everything for you, be nicer to them....

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My first time wanting to rewatch a drama

I thought long and hard about writing a review to reflect just how much this drama impacted me but I just decided I wanted to just make it simple. This is the most beautifully Written drama I have watched in a very long time if not ever. There were no villains in this, just the complexity of humanity and their stories.
I decided to Rewatch it today because I didn’t put my full attention at the beginning and now it is an even more beautiful experience than the first time. I’m crying as I type, that’s how deeply this story impacted my heart.
The writers, the actors, the Director, the cinematographers, the crew… All absolutely phenomenal!

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Truly a love letter to the older generation

When Life Gives You Tangerine surprised me with its powerful depiction of 1960s in South Korea — a reality that mirrors what many Asian cultures have experienced. The struggles of women of that time, the weight of traditions favoring men, the hardships of balancing dreams with harsh realities, and the importance of community.

Ae-sun’s story echoes the lives of many women in her generation — my grandmother’s generation, maybe even yours. The drama powerfully explores how generational trauma and inherited dreams shape families, particularly mother-daughter relationships. Gwang-rye, pushed Ae-sun to escape her own fate. Ae-sun, in turn, worked tirelessly to give Geum-myeong a different life. Yet Geum-myeong’s resentment reveals how well-meaning sacrifices can sometimes create unintended consequences. Poverty and unfulfilled dreams hardened her, making her sharp-tongued, cynical, and distant. Even when her heart longed to show affection, her attempts to express gratitude often emerged as frustration and barbs. Meanwhile, Ae-sun’s focus on her daughter’s future left her brother feeling overlooked, as if he were an afterthought.

But what struck me most was how Ae-sun’s and Geum-myeong’s love lives mirrored each other, like a parallel — both faced difficult choices between love and self-preservation. Yet Geum-myeong, after witnessing her mother’s struggles firsthand, ultimately rejected her mother’s path. Just like how Ae-sun rejected her own mother’s path. Because that's how they were raised, to not walk the same path as their mother.

"I love my mom, but I don't want to live like her." "She gave everything for me, but at what cost?" "I don't want to tolerate what she did."

These are thoughts many daughters quietly wrestle with — loving their mothers yet fearing they may repeat their struggles. But to Gwang-rye and Ae-sun, their sacrifices were worth it. Some women surrender to fate and quietly plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit under — yet their efforts pave the way for their future generations to thrive. Ae-sun may have accepted her fate, but her determination ensured Geum-myeong could choose her own path. For that parallel, I commend the production team and writer for making IU play both Ae-sun and Geum-myeong. I must give it to the writer — every single character is so well crafted. Park Bogum played his role well, but IU's performance as Ae-sun truly defined the show. IU goes above and beyond, bringing such depth to Ae-sun’s character that her burdens — loneliness, poverty, and determination — felt palpable through the screen. Special mention goes to Yeom Hye-ran for her short yet scene-stealing performances.

This is a powerful and deeply emotional story about love, loss, and RESILIENCE. And that’s what stayed with me most: even when life feels unbearable, and though you don't know how, somehow... life goes on.

And to anyone reading this — whoever, whenever, and wherever you are — You have done well.

Highly recommended.

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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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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 deeply

It 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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Amazing drama

This drama deserves to win mutiple awards. The acting, storyline, characters and cinemography are exceptional. I was hooked after the first 10 minutes of the first episode. I had no idea it would be this wonderful and I am so happy that I started watching it.

I am usually drawn to historical, romantic dramas, both Korean and Chinese. Even though loving relationships are shown throughout the episodes, it is much more than boy meets girl and they fall in love. A beautifully told story covering many generations. It also gives you a good insight to life on Jeju island.

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A wonderful drama

Absolutely loved it.

From the beginning you get expectations about what the story may be or how it's going to end with the way the first episode starts, I had been given some spoilers as well, but I assure you, there is nothing preparing you for what you'll experience.

It was beautifully written, the dialogues were to remember, some very poetic, others very reflective, but always sort of fitting, just like the interactions between the characters, everything felt so natural and real. IU did an amazing job playing two different characters and, aside from the background, the date and other elements indicating which version she was playing, you could tell from the differences in personality between the mother and the daughter and that speaks volumes of the kind of actress she is. The rest of the cast will not let you down either.

It made me feel happy, sad, nostalgic and hopeful. It shows you how much a life can go through and how precious every moment is. How life doesn't have to be flashy to be meaningful, and love can be cute and devoted, but also passionate or simply comfortable and it's equally rewarding no matter which is the case.

The pace of the series was really good, it honestly didn't disappoint in any way. The only reason I wouldn't watch it again would be I don't wanna cry because it does pull the strings of your heart a lot, and I don't usually cry. I would recommend this to anyone that appreciates a good story and is not afraid to drop a tear or two.

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