Love this drama
I love this drama but it end soo soon,i want more episodes.This drama show their pure feelings for each other and yet they are also for each other.One thing that i didn't like the kiss scene with other boy.I know that was Dorami character that she was playing but still didn't like the scene.I still want to see more episodes or a drama like this a beautiful couple and a pure love story.The played a very well role in Can This Love Be Translated.Specially the girl played an amazed role and looked very cute.Was this review helpful to you?
I had such high hopes for this drama
The cinematography and acting were great. Especially in Alberta, Canada. But there were lots flaws in the script and editing.Perhaps they could have gone with 14 or 16 episodes to fill in some of the holes in their backstories and tie up some of the loose end in the other characters plot lines. Like FL mom and dad. Relationship between ML father, mother and brother.
Also Hiro’s character was wasted. He was interesting as well as handsome.
I had such high hopes for this drama.
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Could have easily been an 8 ep show.
Likes- Concept and storyline was new (for me). I loved thier first meet.
- Actors
- Cinematography is very beautiful.
- Hiro. For some reason i like him.
- Outfits.
Disliked
- Got really slow and boring in the middle. Ending was also so so. Would have dropped it if it was a regular airing show.
- Second couple was so rushed.
Final Comments: I was honestly expecting more comedy in this. I would not rewatch this. I wish they made it shorter. There were some cute scenes tho, so still i wont say i regret watching this.
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Excellent Leads Chemistry but beware of a tone shift from a Rom-Com to a Melo/Healing Drama
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25“Can This Love Be Translated?” seems to have garnered quite polarizing reviews. Either you love it or you are very disappointed. I think this might be due to the fact that most viewers came in expecting a romantic comedy with a love triangle with 2 hot guys. However, the show’s focus and tone changed to a more dramatic and melodramatic tone that viewers might not like or expect.. I agree with some of the criticisms, yet I can’t deny I also really enjoy the drama and binge that in two days.
Plot:
The first episode was a great start that holds my attention. This drama uses a flashback approach to tell most of the story and only bring us back to the present-day timeline towards the end of the drama. I love the meetup between Ju Ho Jin (ML) and Cha Mu Hui (FL) in Japan. Their interaction was fun and there’s definitely chemistry between them. The introduction of Hiro (2ML) was fun. I was so happy to see that Hiro is not another perfect Prince Charming but a petty, adorable and sweet super star played by the very handsome Fukushima Sota. Similar to what many viewers thought, I also went into this thinking this is a romantic comedy taking place during the filming of the TV show. I was expecting to have an internal fight to see who is the better option for FL. You know, it’s hard to choose between Kim Seon Ho and Fukushima Sota. The filming and what happened during the show did take about half of the drama’s time. But towards the second half, the drama delves more into the mental health, tragic past and family dramas. The tone definitely shifts and it’s not as romantic and cute anymore. It was surprising to me but I didn’t hate it. I felt that the character of Do Ra Mi was interesting early on. But towards the end, I found her antics repetitive but you could argue it’s necessary for the plot. I prefer the Do Ra Mi from the early episodes when she was more fun and zombie-like. I don’t want to share too much about Do Ra Mi since it’s a spoiler. I had an idea who she might be but in the end, I don’t think the drama explicitly confirmed my suspicions. The drama spent a lot of time in the middle episodes between the two leads. They are cute and I love their banter, but I felt that there’s not enough time dedicated in the last episode or two, to learn more about FL’s family.
Romance:
The first half of the drama should satisfy those wanting a cute and adorable romance. The leads are fun together and I love their conversations and ‘misunderstanding’. You can say they heal each other of their past failed relationships and complement each other - one is reserved and introspective, the other is assertive and honest.. I think Cha Mu Hui/Go Young Jung (FL) has a lot to do with how much I enjoy the drama. She’s sweet and adorable, pretty and personable. I really like her and was rooting for her happiness the whole time. Go Young Jung did a fabulous job in this role, and also being Do Ra Mi as well. For those who hate love triangles, you have nothing to fear. This is one of the most unintrusive love triangles and gosh, both guys are just so handsome! It’s done well and won’t make your blood boil. It’s interesting to see a professional interpreter unable to interpret what FL is trying to say. He was reminded by his friend of what he should do if he doesn’t know a language. However, I do think the push and pull between the leads lasted a little long, both during the romantic cute stage in the beginning, and the melodramatic stage in the second half. With 12 episodes only, there are other plot lines that could use a little more time. There is a very short secondary romance that’s underdeveloped. I think the couple needed more screen time before they got together. And after they got together, there’s really not much substance to their relationship. Their existence doesn’t add much to the plot itself.
Acting:
As I mentioned earlier, Go Young Jung did a fabulous job playing the dual role of Cha Mu Hui and Do Ra Mi. Her acting is much stronger than when I last saw her in “Resident Playbook”. The two male leads are not only handsome but can also act. I was expecting Sota to be a polite and gentlemanly Japanese actor. It’s nice to see another side of him, and that he could be adorable with his niece, petty when ignored, and romantic when confessing his feelings. Kim Seong Ho holds his own as well. How come he doesn’t age? He looks as good as I remember him in his early “Start Up” days. The supporting cast did well but we didn’t really spend a lot of time getting to know each of them. None of them irritates me, except for the nosy female producer that I found slightly annoying.
Production:
This is a beautifully shot drama. Netflix definitely takes the cast on a journey through Japan, Canada and Italy. The drama doesn’t really tell you where they went but from @Cho Na’s review (https://chonawrites.com/can-this-love-be-translated-unmet-expectations/), I learned that they went to “Japan (Kamakura, Enoshima), Italy (Tuscany: Siena, Florence, Perugia), and Canada (Alberta: Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise)”. The mountains, lakes, castles, streets and alleyways….everywhere is so beautiful. Aside from the scenery, the drama has a decent OST. There are many English songs (seems to be a common theme with K-dramas) and a couple Korean songs. None of them really stays with me. I also really like the dresses, suits and long coats selected for this drama. All three main leads look gorgeous in whatever they wear.
If you want a romantic comedy, "Can This Love Be Translated?" might not satisfy you. But if you don’t mind a sudden change of tone due to the growing character and romantic development, then this drama has enough to keep you engaged throughout the 12 episodes. The chemistry of the 3 leads is great, the acting is great and the cinematography is great. I had a good time watching this despite the criticisms. I debated between rounding up my 8.25 to 8.5 or rounding down to 8.0. After thinking about it overnight, I think the fact that I binge this quickly and keep on hitting "next episode" is a good sign that I did like the drama enough to warrant a rounding up.
Completed: 1/21/2026 Review #662
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A MASTERPIECE with a UNIQUE plot, Cinematography & Acting is in on next level, Must Watch
You will surely fall in love with the cinematography & this unique plot, so different from other kdramas. Not only romance, but also a little mystery & thriller vibe included. A slow-burning romance with great acting, FL did a great job with her acting. I can feel her emotions deeply in this drama. This drama is more realistic. Not only the FL, but also ML & other actors did a great job. Production is so good & I love the very unique plot. I love how they captured nature to showcase the cinematography. A masterpiece, you never wanna skip 10 seconds in this drama, it's really interesting & enjoyable with a happy ending. I love the music & songs included in this drama. A Must Watch.Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing Vibes with Messy Writing
I’m honestly torn about this drama, because on one hand I did enjoy watching it and I was invested, but on the other hand… the writing frustrated me SO much that I can’t pretend it didn’t affect my overall experience.Let’s start with the good.
The biggest saving grace of this drama is the actors and their chemistry. If their performances were even slightly weaker, I genuinely don’t think I would’ve finished this. The way they look at each other, their expressions, the comedy, the emotional moments, all of those felt real and natural. When things were good between them, I was smiling and enjoyed it quite a lot. The cinematography and overall vibe also really worked for me and gave the story a charm that I just couldn’t let go of, even when I was annoyed.
Now… the writing. Yeah. This is where my problems start.
I was fine with how they were building up their connection, the tension, the almost-lovers phase, it was nice. You root for them, the chemistry is there, the emotional pull is there. And then… instead of letting that naturally develop into a relationship when it naturally feels they should get into one and showing us growth while they are together, the story keeps blowing everything up with misunderstandings and emotional back-and-forth that felt forced and unnecessary.
They honestly became the biggest villains in their own love story. I’m sorry but their emotional timing was NEVER aligned and it made their journey more frustrating than satisfying.
Honestly, I really think they should’ve gotten together around ep 6 and after that the drama could’ve explored healing, past trauma, and how they grow as a couple. Instead, we got episode after episode of miscommunication, and by the time they finally became a couple, proper couple content we got felt like crumbs. Their chemistry didn’t even get time to fully shine before the story moved on to past trauma arc and side plots.
The conflict dialogue often felt weak to me. In important emotional scenes I sometimes couldn’t even fully understand what the characters were trying to express or why they were reacting the way they did, it just felt messy and tiring instead of feeling emotionally clear.
Honestly, the love triangles weren’t even the main issue (as I initially thought they'd be). The real problem was the leads and how badly they communicated with each other. On top of that, the side ML felt poorly developed and emotionally flat, so he ended up just pushing the plot instead of adding meaningful emotional tension.
That said… despite ALL of this, I still can’t say I disliked the drama because when it was cute, it was REALLY cute.
When it was funny, I laughed. When they were soft with each other, I felt it. So yeah, my heart enjoyed it more than my brain did, all thanks to the actors.
In the end, I gave this an 8/10, not because I think it’s a perfectly written romance, but because the actors, chemistry, atmosphere and emotional vibe were strong enough to keep me watching and emotionally engaged until the end. It’s the kind of drama where I’m glad I watched it, but I also know it could’ve been SO much better with stronger writing and better pacing of the relationship. Would I rewatch it? Probably not. Did I enjoy watching it the first time? Yeah, I really did (even while yelling at my screen).
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This review may contain spoilers
I wanted this to be so much more
This drama was one of my most anticipated dramas of 2026, and honestly… It disappointed me.Let me start with the positives, because there are quite a few. I loved seeing KSH back in a romance drama, and the pairing of KSH and GYJ was probably the biggest reason I managed to finish the show after it started dipping. Visually, this drama was stunning. The cinematography was beautiful, the locations were breathtaking, and every frame felt so thoughtfully composed. Each shot was genuinely pleasing to watch and constantly made me look forward to the next scene.
The drama also started off really strong with a unique and refreshing storyline. You could clearly see how much effort the actors put into this project, and that sincerity translated on screen. If you’re a regular Kdrama watcher, the first half genuinely felt like a breath of fresh air.
BUT --- and this is a big but, the drama started going downhill around episode 7.
At that point, I honestly found myself wondering if I was even watching the same drama anymore. I was excited to see how the relationship between the leads would unfold, but instead, the show suddenly shifted its entire genre out of nowhere. What made this more frustrating was that the characters themselves were written with so much depth and care. Their backstories were detailed, layered, and clearly built with intention --- which made the tonal shift even harder to accept.
I’m not against the exploration of Cha Mu Hee’s childhood trauma. In fact, it was necessary for her character growth and for her to finally believe in the love she deserved. My issue was how this was handled. Unwrapping her trauma led to a complete change in the genre of the drama, which felt shocking and jarring as a viewer. On top of that, the storyline was dragged out for nearly FOUR episodes, which significantly disrupted the pacing and consistency of the plot.
Some of the logic behind Do Ra Mi’s actions also didn’t make much sense to me. I understand that her role was important in helping Ho Jin and Mu Hee interpret their feelings for each other, but did it really need to be stretched across FOUR episodes? I actually liked her character more when she appeared subtly through hallucinations earlier on, keeping it restrained might have helped maintain the drama’s original tone.
To be clear, I don’t have anything else against this drama. I appreciated the creative enthusiasm behind it and the risks the team tried to take. What frustrated me was sitting through the final episodes, internally screaming and repeatedly asking myself “WTF is happening?” for an entire hour. It felt a little deceptive, especially since the creators gave no indication that the story would head in this direction. At that point, I found myself watching purely for the sake of my favorite actors.
That said, I really loved the ending once the leads finally came together. I appreciated how they kept communication open and avoided unnecessary misunderstandings, especially after all the push and pull drama we’d already endured. Still, the overall issue remained: the plot and characters felt disconnected from the first half of the drama towards the end, which made binge-watching the final stretch quite difficult.
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...the duality of it all...
I kept falling asleep; next thing you know Netflix said I had finished the drama💔😝So, I went back and watched and I was confused by the pseudo psychology and the plot twists that felt forced. I love the main lead actor, but he kept doing this thing with his eyes, pulling me out of the story to pay attention to him and that affected the enjoyment of the story.
The multiple languages, plus the korean english I found distracting, throwing me off.
The chemistry was to be marked present, but it didnt make sense why they kept rejecting each other.
Kudos to the female lead because her dual characters were so recognizable. Each time the dark character appeared, you knew soon 'chagiya' will be heard 😅😭
Best thing they did was dump all episodes all at once. Overall, the series wasn't captivating enough to wait for everyweek.
It's demure 7/10 for me.
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The Most Frustrating Drama
This drama had everything to work and ML still managed to make it bleak and unbearable.The female lead spends half the story sharing her inner monologue. the messy, vulnerable reality of her present life. That is not small. That is not casual. That is a gift. She literally narrates her thoughts. And yet he treats it like noise. Later, he even says she is “the hardest thing to interpret.”
He knows she has past trauma. He knows she struggles with closeness. He knows she becomes shy and awkward around him — not because she’s narcissistic or manipulative, but because she loves him. but oh yeah poor guy doesn't know thats how far emotional constipation can go he showed it.
Her pattern is clear: she tries with everything she has, then retreats out of fear of rejection — insecurity shaped by childhood wounds. Instead of recognizing that and reassuring her, he responds with confusion and something worse: hope.
He gives her hope.
She comes closer.
He hurts her with his words.
Then he gives hope again.
Then withdraws again.
That cycle is the most frustrating part of the entire drama. Not just rejection — but the repeated granting and snatching away of emotional safety for no clear reason other than his own inability to handle what’s in front of him.
What makes it worse is that he only seems to understand her when things are already collapsing — when it was clear long before. the main lead’s biggest flaw: emotional incompetence, with moments of quiet cruelty.
The female lead carries the story with raw honesty. The male lead calls her difficult to interpret when the truth is simpler:
She was transparent.
He was unable to see.
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dont judge a drama by its rating ..give it try
we cant judge a food without tasting it and after tasting it, it not might be everyone's favourite right? just like that dont judge this drama untill u see it, i know this drama is not a cup of tea to everyone but give it try if u dont like it just drop, if u like it continue.for me it was pretty good start and pretty good ending but what was bad about this was 6,7,8 was kind of difficult to understand means when i think they are about to confess or they are happily enjoying themselves something happens then again they are against that was a whole drama in mid ..other than that there chemistry was good, they look so prefect together love the visuals and ya they captured canada pretty well. not to forget our kim seon ho smile he looked so dashing in this drama. anyways binged this drama from 3:00pm to 3:00am giving it 9.5/10. i just loved how they added funny things in every episode to laugh and seeing kim seon ho smile and they way fl is so pretty made me watch this drama till end .. it made me to leave good impression becoze of last 2 episode which was preety good. overall not bad it was pretty good and this drama is not cup of tea to everyone probably everybody will have different mindset and opinions
this is my first timing writing review after seeing all the hate in the mdl page, and leaving this review for myself
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Dark, Quirky, and Surprisingly Heartfelt
This was an excellent drama!–What I liked:
–The plot itself completely captivated me. I saw many criticisms about the darker elements, but for me they were perfectly done. It follows the same line as It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (light horror mixed with comedy) and Holo, My Love (childhood trauma).
–Unlike many people, I really loved the way the psychological theme was handled. I admit I felt a bit apprehensive as the episodes progressed about how they would connect the hallucinations to the story, and I was afraid it might not make sense in the end. However, everything unfolded in a very thoughtful and well-constructed way.
–I absolutely love Do Ra Mi as the protagonist’s alter ego. Her personality is just wow! I honestly hope they release a doll of her—I would buy it without hesitation. I agree with some comments saying that Netflix should further explore this character or even create a similar series. She gives me strong Wednesday vibes, which I love.
–The soundtrack is beautiful. That little zombie dance also has a lot of potential!
–What I didn’t like as much:
–The male lead carries an unnecessary emotional burden in the first half, and his personality made me dislike him. In the end, everything gets resolved.
–Some scenes felt disconnected, confusing, or unnecessary.
–I don’t like it when the leads break up at the end and then get back together; it feels unnecessary to me.
–I feel that a few fun scenes after the credits were missing.
I truly hope that people with good judgment evaluate this series fairly and help raise its rating to what it truly deserves.
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good.. but expected more
this was genuinely my most anticipated drama, itsshot in such beautiful places, one of the most visually satisfying experience, cast top notch, chemistry as expected is good, even the supporting cast is also good. but I just could not connect after 8 episodes, I mean this blending of genres kind off didn't work for me.. certain things could have been avoided. as the combination of an actress and interpreter was good, so many moments we could have got. but the show focused on something else and I lost interest mid way.. it felt like a chore to just complete it.Was this review helpful to you?
