This review may contain spoilers
First love is never just a memory
Only four episodes in, and it's already delivering all the feels. Here’s a quick dive into what makes it worth watching so far....K-dramas have a way of capturing deep emotions, and this is no exception. This drama takes us on a journey through time, from the 1960s to the present day. It tells the story of a young girl who faces rejection from her father’s family and longs to live with her mother, a hardworking haenyeo (female diver). Despite the hardships she endures, one person remains by her side—the male lead. From childhood, he quietly supports and protects her, making their bond genuinely heartwarming and totally unforgettable.
Their love story is filled with struggles. Although they care deeply for each other, family opposition and societal expectations keep them apart. The male lead’s family disapproves of her background, while she dreams of leaving her small town to become a poet. A heartfelt moment in a flower field marks their first kiss, but their happiness is short-lived. When they try to run away together, reality forces them back home, leading to heartbreak. In a painful twist, she is pressured into an arranged marriage, while he desperately pleads for her to choose him instead.
One of the most impactful scenes happens in the same flower field where they first kissed. She forces herself to push him away, telling him to leave so she can live her life. But when she throws away the gold ring he offers, she later regrets it, desperately searching for it in the dirt. Eventually, she refuses to let others control her fate. In a dramatic moment, she runs through the rain to stop him from leaving. As she calls out his name from the docks, he jumps into the sea and swims back to her, an absolute cinematic serve of love and devotion.
The story continues as they navigate married life, facing new challenges. Living with his family becomes unbearable, leading them to leave and start fresh, despite financial hardships. However, their love remains strong. In a standout scene, when she discovers that her husband’s abusive boss is the same man she almost married, she confronts him head-on—despite being pregnant—showing the fierce determination that has always defined her. The present-day storyline shifts focus to their daughter, revealing how the past shapes her own choices.
The title, When Life Gives You Tangerines, carries deep symbolism. Just as tangerine trees continue to bear fruit despite rough conditions (as shown in the first episode), the female lead overcomes obstacles and finds her own happiness. The drama beautifully captures the themes of love, sacrifice, and self-discovery, making it an emotional rollercoaster. With its heartfelt storytelling, it’s already shaping up to be one of the most unforgettable K-dramas of the year.
Despite being a 16-episode drama, the first four episodes already feel like a complete story on their own, with the fourth episode’s ending feeling like a 'fitting ending'. This makes me even more excited to see what’s next: will the focus stay on the love story between the two leads, or will it shift more toward their daughter’s journey? Either way, the next episodes are bound to bring even more surprises.
"First love is never just a memory. It is a lesson, a longing, and a warmth that never truly fades." ❤︎
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A story that depicts the reality of life
This might be the first and only story that represented real life problems and struggles and how people survive them. The storytelling, production and acting were undescribable, i lived with the characters every event of their life and felt their emotions, never in my life have i wept and sobbed this much. The show makes you rethink everything about your life and did a very good job in representing how parents and children feel, it makes you realize that it's our parents first time living too, that they are experiencing new things and still figuring out how to live all while having to take responsibility. We view our parents as these invincible creatures who have, or rather suppose to have, the answers to everything because for us, the children, they are our world and we cannot understand that sometimes they too are confused with life, and they were also children once but they had it way worse than us, and from their trauma they did more than their best to protect us from what they went through. But again there's the story of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik that makes you pray for the kind of love that they had, because as i see it they wouldn't have been able to survive and achieve what they achieve without having each other's backs.Wow, I'll never forget this series, for me it pained me to watch it as i hate seeing parents suffer but i had to finish it because it is so rare to find such good tv shows.
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ITS A MASTERPIECE!! MY HEART FEELS SO FULL!!
I have no words. This has been the best kdrama I have EVER watched! From the story line to the acting, everything!! SO SO GOOD! It felt like I was watching my own life from another perspective which made me connect very deeply with the characters and story. I felt every emotion strongly, and yes I cried A LOT! Since the first episode, and omg that last episode was not for the weak. But despite all the crying, all throughout the drama and especially when I finished, my heart was so full and I felt so inspired and blessed. It was nice to step outside the dream fairytale life other dramas often lead me to aspire that sometimes feels so distant and impossible to reach that everyday life becomes dull and frustrating. Instead, I found myself counting my blessings, wanting to be more patient and loving towards my parents, to work on my attitude towards life, to make better life decisions, to be a better version of me…I learned so much!! 10/10 recommend this drama!Was this review helpful to you?
You'll cry LoL
Truly wonderful. It talks about life, about growing up and also about always being the same inside.I cried in every episode lol. IU doesn't disappoint in the drama. I loved every minute.
I learned something in each episode.
It made me look at myself.
At life.
At people.
At the future.
At motherhood.
At grief.
At how we waste precious moments, without realizing it.
And it hurts to realize this.
This drama was so painful.
And so, so beautiful.
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Best drama i have watched so far
Nothing could have prepared me for everything that this drama turned out to be. I went from loving their innocence and love to crying for them to smiling at the warm moments to relating and crying for myself. This made me a mess for 2 days and i loved every second of it.All the actors did a phenomenal job. Specially pbg and iu, they both won my heart. their young innocence to slowing them learning life and maturing, their unwavering love and support for each other throughout, everything was portrayed wonderfully.
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The world we live in
The drama is like a reminder of what will happen from one life to another. It’s like a picture of the Past, Present and Future. It’s was really well written and has some really bittersweet moments and some scenes that I just couldn’t stop crying. It’s was really a great drama to watch and love all the cast and crew. Thank you all for the job well doneWas this review helpful to you?
Genuinely A New Favourite.
drop everything you were doing just start this drama.. top 10 best expenditures of your timeeverything from the cinematography to the acting was so fantastically done - i don’t think anything can top this.. ugh i love it so much
I am usually the one to stay away from sad shows or ones with sad or open endings because I always deem it to be unnecessary however with WLGYT it was sad but in such a beautiful way like I loved everytime it made me cry (is this weird? idc). It evoked such visceral emotions from me and really made me contemplate. The burden of being the eldest and the thought of “Have I not thanked my parents enough for all they have done for me?”.. it all hit home all too well.
How lucky would I be if I end up with a life partner like Yang Gwansik.. he’s just too good to be true. I’ll keep dreaming 🙏
It’s just as what the people say.. “There’s No Villian.. Just Life” and I’d say that summarises the entire drama 😭
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Bittersweet Youth Under Jeju Skies
When Life Gives You Tangerines doesn’t shout its story—it whispers it, gently, like the ocean breeze that moves through the orange groves of Jeju Island. In a world filled with flashy dramas and overstated emotions, this series chooses a quieter, more honest path. And in doing so, it resonates all the more deeply.Set against the tranquil, almost poetic backdrop of Jeju, the series follows Go Mi Joo, a high school student navigating the in-between space of adolescence—no longer a child, but not quite ready for the grown-up world either. What sets this story apart isn’t a grand plot twist or heavy melodrama, but its commitment to truth: the truth of rural life, of silent struggles, and of emotions that are often too complex for words.
Mi Joo is not a dramatic heroine. She is ordinary, and that’s what makes her extraordinary. Her quiet strength, the way she hides her pain behind a steady face, the flickers of joy she finds in mundane things—these all reflect the kind of character writing that trusts its audience to feel rather than be told. Her friendship with her classmates, the tension with her family, and the subtle evolution of her inner world all speak to the universal themes of growing up: confusion, loneliness, and longing for something more.
There’s a stillness to this drama that feels almost therapeutic. Scenes linger longer than usual, the camera taking its time to let the surroundings breathe—whether it's the golden light of a tangerine orchard, the sound of the waves, or the quiet of a school hallway. It mirrors the internal pace of its characters, especially Mi Joo, whose world is both small and vast at once.
Emotionally, When Life Gives You Tangerines captures the bittersweet essence of youth—when dreams are big but resources are small, when emotions are raw but expression is limited. There’s something achingly beautiful about the way the show portrays poverty—not as a plot device, but as a daily reality that shapes relationships, ambitions, and choices. Yet it never slips into misery. There’s joy here, too—found in laughter with friends, moments of quiet connection, and the resilience that blooms in even the hardest soil.
As of now, the story is still unfolding, and its pace is gentle—almost like life itself. There are no villains here, only people trying to do their best with what little they’ve been given. And maybe that’s the point. The tangerines life gives aren’t always sweet. But they’re real, and sometimes, that’s enough.
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I've got you under my skin...
There are dramas that make you laugh out loud, other that make you cry your eyes out, other again than make you scream at the top of your lungs..but this one is none of them.Each episode flew smoothly, never boring, never obvious or banal. I kept watching unaware of how it was silently touching all the strings of my soul. Only at the last episode I felt like I've been living with my heart and soul the journey portrayed by the character and I found a lot of similarities with my own life.
Just like you realise the value of something when it's gone, this drama quietly brought me to the last episode with apparently mild feelings and no strong reactions just to find out that it got under my skin without noticing.
I'm absolutely unable to describe how I feel at the end of this. I just think I won't be able to watch it again knowing how true it is and how hard it can hit.
From story, to acting and setting..I think this can be called a masterpiece.
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Absolute perfection.
I have been meaning to write a review for this drama for a couple days now and quite frankly there's nothing I could say that hasn't been said by other reviewers already. It's sitting at a 9.3 rating as of the time of this review and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes up.When life gives you tangerines...Even the title is perfect. I started to watch on Wednesday and finished it on Friday and I kinda want to start over I loved so much.
The beautiful intro I couldn't bring myself to skip, The gorgeous Jeju scenery, the wardrobe and hairstyling through the eras was wonderful every single line of dialogue is precious. I laughed, cried, fell in love hated some some people, loved, laughed and I cried again. Just perfect from start to finish.
Everyone should watch this for sure!
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When Life Gives You Tangerines: A Masterpiece That’ll Make You Laugh, Sob, and Call Your Mom
Okay, "When Life Gives You Tangerines" is THAT drama—the one that grabs your heart and refuses to let go. First off, the casting is chef’s kiss. IU and Park Bo Gum as young Oh Ae-sun and Yang Gwan-sik? absolute perfection. Their chemistry isn’t just sparkly, it’s micro-expression level brilliant.The cinematography? stunning. The storyline? even better. This drama hits different because it’s so relatable. The dialogues and situations feel ripped straight from real life whether it’s family struggles, growing pains, or the quiet sacrifices of parenthood, you’ll constantly go, “Wait, that’s literally me/my mom/my grandma.” Asian audiences (like me!) will especially feel this deep in their souls because of the heavy emphasis on family values—the guilt, the love, the unspoken expectations. But honestly, even if you didn’t grow up in an Asian household, the emotions are universal.
Warning: If you’re a crybaby (hi, same), stock up on tissues. You’ll be a weeping mess from Episode 1 straight through the finale. The way it portrays motherhood; showing Ae-sun’s journey from childhood to becoming a mom herself—is brutal yet beautiful. It’ll make you reflect on your own mom’s sacrifices and maybe even text her at 2 AM like, “I LOVE YOU MOM.”
Also, can we talk about Yang Gwan-sik?! he’s the husband and father of the century! supportive, present, and emotionally available. His relationship with Ae-sun highlights how crucial a partner’s role is in a family, especially for women who leave their own homes to build new ones. And the older versions of the characters? WHEEZES. The actors made me ugly-cry so hard i had puffy eyes for my next mall trip.
Overall? 10/10. The production, acting, and storytelling are top-tier. It’s not just a drama, it’s a feeling—one that lingers long after the credits roll. Watch it, but blame me later for the emotional damage🍊💔
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KILLING MYSELF
Never in my life, I have seen a series to be sooo good from the beginning to the end. There is absolutely no flaws whatsover. I didn't ask for reality to be thrown into my face but I keep coming back to it each and every single week because it is so damn good. This series will make you cry buckets. I have never in my life wanted to cry after every single episode. It is literally so heart wrenching but also at the same thing so heart warming. I am lost for words. I am don't even have it in me to justify the greatest of this series cause it won't do it any justice. So the only thing that I have to say is that is THE BEST KOREAN DRAMA OR SERIES in general LIKE EVER. AND I AM NOW GOING TO KILL MYSELF BECAUSE I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.Was this review helpful to you?
