Can This Love Be Translated?

A beautiful drama makes all smile

I really liked this drama. Actually, I have been a big fan of the heroine since Resident Playbook. When I knew about this drama, I immediately started watching this drama. This was where you laughed and fell in love with both of the actors. I love how the male lead teases the female lead. Some of you may be like the second male lead for the female lead. But since starting, I always look forward to both main leads dating. I like how she didn't forget him even after everything. The backstories and the jealousy—everything is a perfect blend for this drama. You can watch it without any second thought.

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Stellar and yet boring

I genuinely don’t know whether to recommend this drama or not. There are entire episodes, and parts of others, that are true works of art. And that’s exactly why I’m writing this review, something I almost never do.
At its best, this drama is stellar. Visually unforgettable, gripping, exciting. In those moments the story feels unstoppable, the relationships are intriguing, and the editing is genuinely brilliant. Everything works.
And then… it fizzles out. Not visually, because the care for images and editing never really disappears, but narratively. Boredom creeps in. Long stretches of boredom. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, something beautiful again. And then back to boredom. Over and over.
The actors were generally good, especially the FL, who really carried the show. The ML was fine, neither particularly good nor bad, but nothing memorable either.
One major issue for me was the whole FL–Do-Ra-Mi storyline. Is it magic or schizophrenia? If it’s schizophrenia, the medical aspect should have been explored much more seriously. If it’s magic, then the rules of that magic needed to be clearly established. Leaving it so vague just makes it feel unfinished rather than mysterious.
The love triangle was completely pointless. I honestly don’t understand why writers do this: if in twelve episodes she never shows even the slightest interest in him, not even by accident, what is the purpose of this character? The entire time I just kept thinking, “poor guy.”
And finally, the romance. Between the ML and FL? For me, zero chemistry. Between the FL and Hiro, on the other hand… there was something there. If only the show had allowed her to even think about it, or shown us that inner conflict instead of just telling us about it in a detached way. What a missed opportunity.
That’s what makes this drama so frustrating. It had the potential to become one of my all-time favorites. Instead, it remains a near-miss.
And the last episode… I honestly don’t know what happened. Did they run out of money and have to wrap everything up in ten minutes? Who knows. Boh.

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A missed opportunity.

The best thing about that I can say about this drama is it was a missed opportunity, an opportunity to give us a drama as good and worthwhile as Crash Landing On You. I think the main fault must be with either the production house or the streaming service, because they restricted this drama to only 12 episodes. The reason I could give this drama 8 rating is because it was after a long time a drama this beautiful appeared from Korea. But it didn't live up to the expectations and waiting after they first showed the teaser. This drama has it all, a very interesting premise- the male is translating the love of another for the female lead, who he likes. This drama had all the elements in the making of a very successful drama. The first episode was superb. The storyline of the male lead in love with his brother's girlfriend added depth to the character. They could have taken this to the next level on emotional scale, that could have made the drama for generations to remember. And what they did was, not only did they didn't proceed much with this storyline, but they also completely ignored his brother's storyline with the second female lead. They didn't give much space to complex families of the leads, the emotional scars that those leave on the leads, everything typical for a Korean drama and what made them good, even though sometimes exhaustive if done too much. But not going there at all was a shock. And this lead to a completely shallow second lead storyline. Kim Seon-ho was charismatic. Go Youn-jung was cute and funny and relatable. The sceneries were beautiful. They shot at beautiful places. (why didn't they give a reference to Goblin when they shot in Canada.) They story had emotional depths, I could feel it. If only they gave it more time.

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Started with a cute concept, then fell off

I loved the concept of the first part of the drama. It was realistic and dramatic, with comedy lines that mixed really well. The travelling and the challenges in the language translation were innovative and different, and even the miscommunication scenes were enjoyable (something that I'm usually not a fan of). So many cute and funny scenes.

After the 7th episode it started to fall off, mainly due to the change in the plot. I guess I'd have preferred something more "realistic", and honestly I wasn't a big fan of the changes of personality. If they were necessary for character development? Yes, but I'd have preferred if they'd gone with another approach. And the break-up scenes were also starting to piss me off, there was absolutely no reason for that many break up scenes.

The drama would have been perfect if it was shorter. I loved the OST, the acting but most of all I loved the scenery and definitely the production.

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miscommunication & avoidant attachment final boss

\this was EVERYTHING until episode 7...
UGH my favorite two actors in a romcom(ish)??>???? LOVED. the first 6 episodes were SO GOOD. like UNDENIABLY GOOD. i LOVED the small moments the main couple had together. they have undeniable chemistry and i literally felt it in my heart. muhee being quick to anger and quick to fall in love... her cute and bubbly personality (hiding emo backstory) literally made me love her so much. and ML was soooo yearning final boss and loves and feels so so deeply but doesn't show anything. so many cute cheeky moments i loved it.

then ep 7 the writers pulled in this crazy do ra mi horror plot and backstory/?? that made no sense at all??? and that fuckass other couple (jisu and the manager???)??? like what? it was so hard for me to follow what the hell was going on in the plot? i was so lost... and hte MISUNDERSTADNINGS KILLED ME. 1. i didnt understand why ML would do something crazy (like say that she was the rebound for jisu) and then she would get mad, and then the next time they meet shes chasing him again?? i wish she kept her frustration for him longer. 2. why was the ML not saying ANYTTTHINGGG. like he KNEW she liked him??? what is he on??? 3. why was do ra mi pulled into this... and i HATED jisu ??? like wdym she was lowkey flirting with ML and after breaking off her marriage she went right to another guy??

up til ep 6, it was so sweet, perfectly romcom and perfectly good. then the second half of the drama made it so fucking confusing?? like hiro really had no part to play at all in the storyline? and the translation x actress really wasn't the core of the story which really confused me. so minus points for that!

anyways, LOVEEEEEEED the actors and the sweet and cheeky parts. not so much the weird horror/backstory/miscommunicaiton parts. i really was looking forward to the interpreter plot... but highkey some parts were so cute and ugh that just made their relationship so intimate and so sweet... very cute.

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"It didn't seem fair that he could see you when you couldn't see him."

My header was between "I ruined everything." and the one I ended up choosing.

This drama was my binging weekend project. I've watched and loved numerous drama's and characters portrayed by the two leads. This was a magical one. I think the other time language was mentioned in a similar context was The temperature of love.

Everyone comes from different backgrounds, has different experiences, dreams, and beliefs that they live by. If common sense is only common within the world you exist, that sense must not be common outside of that space. It is the same with language and communication. Humans and us as people all have various methods of communicating our feelings and the time in which we choose to also varies. I think this drama does a beautiful and job of spreading that message. One that Mr. Kim puts quite well with his own line:

“There are as many languages as there are people. Everyone speaks their own language. That’s why people misunderstand, misinterpret, and offend each other.”

Why are drama's so hell bent on misunderstandings, heartbreaks, and conflicts that drive main leads away from each other a bit. I've learned that it is to provide context for the character, a chance to reflect, and a means of opening the door to understanding of one another. Because “If the messenger misinterprets a message based on personal bias, it can lead to a ridiculous misunderstanding.” It is funny because this is something people do all the time. We make assumtions, we let our own Do rami climb our shoulder and we give in to her thoughts. We run away, we fight, we assume, and we misunderstand.

Now, you are probably wondering where all this rambling is going...I am too haha. In the context of the drama, Cha Mu Hee had something she wanted to take to the grave. She did not want to open up and lay things bare. She was unable to communicate in the same, straightforward and upfront way that Joo Ho Jin was able to. She ran in circles and stole his heart instead. But as an interpreter, to understand and translate for her, he had to see her as she was, what thoughts she had, her intentions, the context, and emotions that surrounded those words. Similar to how we need those vocal cues in speech and how texts can lead to confusion because we don't have that extra information to inform us. Is he breaking up with me or saying he loves me? Is it both? The past that led her to be unable to stand being seen and exposed. The running away and retreat that left him baffled and defenseless. For a guy who has seen and intereacted with so many individuals with different walks of life, for being able to understand and translate so many languages. It was funny to see him try to earnestly nagivate learning her's. The way she communicates, her habits, her preferences, her past, her modivations, and even her intentions. In the same way you ask your crush's friend what his favorite candy is to buy it for him later, it was endearing to see him put all that confusion down...get over the fact that they spoke different langauges....and tried to understand her through Do rami (when he wasn't quite fluent enough to understand Cha Mu Hee).

She probably felt pressure to understand herself, to voice herself before he gives up and walks away. "All you need to do is leave this room and be happy." I'm glad he was able to pull her out of that self destruction. It reminded me of my friend telling me that her boyfriend's great strength is his ability to know what is on her mind. Now, I see that it was probably a series of intense affection, interest, care, and time invested...experience...that made that possible. People like that don't just fall down from trees, even in kdrama land.

I also loved that while he was struggling with her language, he was moved by something else, her actions. He in turn also replied with his own actions. Seeing and wishing for the auroras. The acceptance of the painful happy ending song. Even the dry wine in an attempt to console oneself and translate the love of Hiro.

Actually, I quite liked the Hiro plot line. I didn't think I would at first. It was...the what if that so many drama's do. If only I had gotten there first. If only I had told her. In this case... if only she had understood. Hiro, even if you guys didn't speak the same language...or even the same language of love....I think you guys spoke a beautiful language called friendship. The care, concern and candy she offered you. The experience of a hot dog and her spontaneously happy self was able to reach you, even if her words did not. It is a shame, that she did not hear you beautiful confession...that happened in various ways over various events. But she heard it in the end. That..you had to be such a dick to her in the beginning...I liked Joo Ho Jin's message. One that spoke of difficulties of communication despite speaking the same language...that so many factors are at play for the love that played out in front of us.

Cha Mu Hee...you must have been so scared. So grown for a child that had to go through so much. Despite that, the way you smiled and wished so earnestly, so despite yourself was very admirable. The world was brighter whenever you smiled. You didn't ruin anything. My heart sank for you, when he told you not to run away and you went and stopped him right before he was able to walk across. Wishing happiness for others is always going to be easier than believing you are deserving of that same happiness. Were you scared? Scared that you finally had something you wanted, someone you loved and wanted to be happy with? I know your delusions reflected your wants and that they were dazzling, beautiful, because you believed those moments could not possibly exist in reality. For someone so straightforward, you can afford to be honest about that. Do rami may have been a nightmare, but Ho jin was your daydream. One that came true. Dreams come true and you are deserving of a life that makes you are feel like you are living in a dream. That reality, is something everyone deserves. Go Youn Jung ...The same sort of smile from resident playlist, one that could melt a million souls. Eyes that can sweep other off their feet and send them into a crazy dose of confusion. The actor you are.

Kim Seon Ho, I am very happy that you are back. You make all of your characters come to life with so much sincerity, grace, and respect. I can almost feel you affection and care for them. Maybe that is why your eyes always tell a thousand words, your gaze always reflecting their inner thoughts, and why all the characters seem so soulful, breathtaking, and lovable. My heart always hurts a bit when I see you on the screen. I always learn so much. More important, I feel happy when you do. I will continue to keep an eye on you and cheer you on for a long time.

Ho jin ah, at first I was a bit frustrated due to you walking across the street and RIGHT PAST HER. But the minute the parallel hit, and you disappeared when she looked back. It hit me and I think I understood. No one wants to make the one they love feel like that. On the run. You were brave and just as kind as before. Going along with her foolishness, seeing the waterfall, and being swayed by your emotions. Was it such a bad thing? To be told to stop when you just worked up the courage to take that step. I would have felt wronged too. And you chose to accept and go along with her decision anyway. How must it have felt? To walk and talk with the love of your life through the night and understand her world, just to wake up the next day for those experiences to not have existed. To say goodbye. I think as bittersweet as it was...I thought of Hwasa's goodbye song. How even in the end, you can still wish the best and remember someone for all their good, in spite of everything. To have a good goodbye. But, the world you protected is still the same. Next time, don't go off alone to drink wine, or be okay with just banana milk. I'm glad your effort paid off. Thank you for making my heart flutter with your voice. For easing me into the heartbreak with your sturdy words and understanding. For letting her into your world and trying to understand hers. For supporting her in spite of everything..both Mu Hee and Do rami, were probably really happy for you taking their side.

language was also in the cinematogrpahy... that was able to capture the beauty, the sadness, and the story so well.

WELL this turned into a really long thing..so I will stop here. I should really start planning these out before write them, because the brain dumps are getting unreal. I sort of miss them already. I miss the meeting of random strangers that had no childhood friend, or younger fated story that connected them. it was just a story. One of two people meeting each other, working together, getting intrigued and facinated by each other, falling in love with each other, going through rough patches with each other, and well...continuing to be in love.

To the readers and watchers:
Loving someone is learning their language without demanding they become fluent in yours. It’s patience over certainty, actions over explanations, and choosing to stay when misunderstanding would be easier. We hurt each other not because we don’t care, but because we translate through fear, memory, and longing. And love (daydreaming...real love) is the decision to keep listening anyway. Their love was a love lost in translation. It was also a love of learning each other's language.

May this kind of love find you. Stay away from me though.

Finally...Can you translate this love, as much as I love you. Goodbye.

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A Charming love story that lost its way after 4 episodes!!

The drama starts strong, drawing you in from the very first episode .. But somewhere along the way, writers forgot it actually needed a story till the end. It was soo bland after 4 episodes!!

Don’t get me wrong, Jo Hojin and Cha Muhee had amazing chemistry. Their scenes together felt warm, natural, and comforting, and Kim Seon-ho once again proved he can generate butterflies just by staring sadly into the distance. The romance worked. The problem is… the story kept running in circles.

After Jo Hojin and Cha Muhee confessed their feelings, the drama practically stopped evolving. The misunderstandings that followed felt like meaningless back-and-forth added only to stretch the plot, not deepen it. There was no big obstacle standing between them, emotional tension was not strong enough to make you desperately root for their reunion. Honestly, the drama should’ve ended around episode 10.

And Muhee… begged little too much for love!!. The drama keeps telling us she feels unlovable, which is a very real and relatable fear, but the way it was written became exaggerated “alter ego” situation. I kept wondering: is this meant to represent a real psychological condition? Is she bipolar? We do get some answers in the last episode but they were vague as well.

And Jo Hojin deserved to have a story of his own. Despite being the male lead, it feels like we barely know him because the entire narrative revolves around Muhee & her alter ego.

Also I’m sorry but the second lead couple did absolutely nothing for me. Their storyline felt soo dense and disconnected that half the time it seemed like they were only there to fill episode runtime.

Overall, the drama is watchable and has some genuinely sweet moments. But despite all the emotional buildup, it somehow leaves almost no lasting impact.

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Can This Love Be Any More Frustrating?

I had big hopes for this show. Both the leads being some of the absolute bests of kdrama world, I was seated from the moment this show was announced.
I can't say I am fully disappointed, no. But it still didn’t hit the mark I really thought it would. And that dissatisfaction really left a bitter taste that
is not easy to avoid.

Acting and chemistry from the leads were really good,one of the saving graces of the show. Go Yoon Jung shined as Do RaMi,she did so well as that psycho horror-ish character and her crazy bits were really entertaining.She proved her range again!! Kim Seon Ho is a seasoned actor and he showed it gracefully. These two saved the show even though there was enough elements for the downfall of the show.

Another good thing was the cinematography, it was so eye pleasing,from natural scenarios of different countries to Do Ra Mi dancing happily with her red umbrella... Everything was top notch. OST's were also good,soothing to the ear. Comedy bits were funny, I smiled a lot in many scenes.

Now...the real problem,story writing. Idk how after such a promising start of first few episodes, the story took such a sharp turn into a story of push and pull relationship that was making no sense.The complete shift of genre in the midway wasnt expected.From a refreshing start as a romcom where everything was enjoyable with a smile it suddenly turned into a heavy toned psychological drama with lots of trauma,heartbreaks,mental disorders....for which we weren’t prepared.

It was really frustrating to watch both of them continuously miscommunicating,pushing the other one out of their lives,then suddenly they're happily chatting....and in the next episode,same thing happens again as a repeat cycle. And there wasn’t any definite reason cause the explanation of Mu hee's past,her traumatic childhood,reasons for her insecurity everything happened much later, so as an audience it was frustrating to watch her repeating the same thing without knowing any reason. And finally when they got together around episode 10,it was'nt as satisfying as it should be cause I wanted to see their growth together,how Mu hee finally get rid of her past,how they shaped their relationship as a stable one. And I couldn’t see that cause there was only two episodes left where there wasn’t much time to show so many things.

The final 30 minutes was completely unnecessary. Mu Hee's parents being alive,her disappearance for unknown time, male lead waiting and then she suddenly appears... Not needed.

Also was'nt it surprising how easily Ho Jin accepted Do Ra Mi and accompanied her instead of taking her to a specialist? This part was so illogical.

Our Japanese second lead's character was another waste. He was there just for comic relief I think? If you erase him from the story,it wouldn’t harm the story a bit,cause he did nothing memorable the entire show. He had potential to make the plot more interesting, his growth from being a childish narcissist actor to a green flag second lead was good to watch even though they used him only as a prop.

Same was the second couple. There was ample scope of exploring their relationship. We didn’t even see how bad Ji Seon's relation was with her ex...we just had to assume. And then boom! Suddenly she's so in love with her new lover with whom she properly talked for like two times??


Overall... This show had the potential to become one of the best one of the year if they didn’t try to take the story in different routes and fail miserably. It's still enjoyable though if you can overcome the frustrating part and watch solely for entertainment and visually ver pleasing cinematography.

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Had more potential than it showcased

The first half of the show was quite entertaining. The ML's chemistry and comedic timing were good, and the overall
production quality was great. The start felt fresh.Some emotional moments and quotes were also very touching.

The core theme of the story was good as well. Every person really does have their own language, shaped by beliefs, morals,
life struggles etc. In that regard, the show's message was strong, showing how people battling their own hardships are often misinterpreted or ignored. The idea worked story-wise, but not screenplay-wise. The leads' conflict swung between
unresolved and resolved that was dragged too many times, which made their chemistry very unbalanced.

After the first half, they really messed up the flow. I hated the jumbled mess of love triangles between multiple characters,
many of which were completely unnecessary,hence sidelining the core conflicts of the main characters. A lot of subplots were added, with little to no explanation towards the end.

Overall, Can This Love Be Translated started strong, with it's exploration of inner conflicts. However, the muddled second half - filled with unnecessary love arcs, draggy story and underwhelming screenplay, restricts the drama heavily, to reach to it's full potential.

My Rating : 6.5/10

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Something was missing and couldn’t say what !!

The drama started off really strong with a unique storyline and great chemistry between the characters, but somewhere around episode 7, I completely lost the plot. Honestly, everything after episode 6 felt like a haphazard mess. By episode 8, I had completely lost interest. I was genuinely sitting there wondering what was even going on.

Jo Hojin kept saying he didn’t want to get involved with Muhee, yet he constantly kept getting into her problems and Mu her’s life. After a while, Jo Hojin stopped feeling like the male lead and started feeling more like Muhee’s romantic interest with no story of his own. I really wanted more depth and individuality from his character.

Muhee, on the other hand, was a very complex character. I had a love-hate relationship with her throughout the drama. There were times when I liked Do Ra Mi more simply because she didn’t come across as pathetic. Watching Muhee beg for love again and again became frustrating after a point. It felt like the same emotional cycle repeating over and over without any real character growth.

The story felt weak and inconsistent to me at times. Muhee clearly needed serious psychological help, and the drama hinted at that in the earlier episodes, but after episode 3 it was almost completely ignored. Her entire career was supposedly on the line, yet later episodes treated the situation so casually that it lost all impact.And Jo Hojin trying to “fix” her problems on his own had me wondering hello sir, are you also a medical expert now?

I also didn’t like the way poor Hiro was used and discarded!! Like do they have to make him fall for Muhee? Dumb af

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Lost in translation

Let me preface this by saying I am a HUGE Kim Seon Ho fan. I have loved him in all of his works and have always supported him. So I went into this series primarily because of KSH. And, I also have been loving Go Younjung lately. Totally loved her in Alchemy of Souls and Moving, so I had no doubt that this series would be good because of the two of them.

And it would have been if they focused on the romance in this romcom. It was giving! They had such great chemistry - KSH and GYJ looked great together! Both fresh-faced, wholesome and not, beautiful, and those winning smiles! But no they had to ruin the plot with some mental health issues drama. I totally understand that they may be trying to make a point or something but they totally missed it. The story still could have been great without all that depressing drama which was not even properly addressed. I mean, if you are giving us something to go to therapy about might as well get us into therapy and healing by the end of the series?

Suffice it to say, I was frustrated with this series. Yes, I loved all the sweet and cute moments but damn, they really had to ruin it. KSH and GYJ were amazing. And so were the rest of the cast, the scenes were so beautiful - I can't believe they had such a big budget for it to just be a total letdown. I was not impressed. But it was still a good watch. However the short 12 episodes felt more like a chore and pledge of allegiance to Kim Seon Ho - which in a way, it really was. I only finished it because of him.

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mixed feelings about this drama

I have mixed feelings about this drama, the acting was amazing but the plot got a little out of proportion, and got unnecessarily complicated at times.. Understanding that she actually suffers from a split personality took time and it was a shame. Her communication in Japanese could have done with a mobile translation, the repetition of scenes was a bit confusing. There were situations where I didn't understand who was against whom and why.. Something went wrong with the writing.. Again, the acting was excellent as was the soundtrack, the shots of the scenery in all the countries/destinations were spectacular (made me want to visit there) the use of several languages ​​was great, at the same time, this is not an easy drama, it is a psychological drama that has a mental disorder. The first few episodes did not indicate the continuation of the plot. It is advisable to watch it with an open mind

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