de Lune

I pressed play and now I’m mentally buffering

I’m not exaggerating when I say after finishing Can This Love Be Translated?, I just… stared into space. Zoned out. Empty. Emotionally vacant. You know that post-drama void where your soul hasn’t caught up yet? Yeah. That one. This drama is genuinely so good. Not perfect, but wow—it hits. First of all, the production??? Beautiful. Clean. Expensive-looking. And the casting??? INSANE. Go Youn Jung and Kim Seon Ho fit Cha Mu Hee and Ju Ho Jin like they were custom-made for these roles. I especially loved their acting, both of them are crazy good at microexpressions. Like, half the emotions are in their eyes, their pauses, the way they breathe before speaking. No overacting, just vibes and pain.

The first half of the drama had me LOCKED IN. From episode one, I was curious, invested, and fully seated. And that says a lot because lately I’ve been so bored with dramas, I drop them left and right. But this one? Nope. Had my full attention. The story is about Cha Mu Hee, an unknown actress who travels to Japan and somehow ends up meeting Ju Ho Jin, an interpreter assigned to help her. From there, their lives get slowly but messily entangled. I won’t lie, the writing isn’t always tight. Sometimes it feels a bit loose, and there were moments where I was like, “Wait… did I miss something or is the translation just bad?” There are SO many misunderstandings and miscommunications (like sir please just TALK). I was honestly thankful all 12 episodes dropped at once, because if this was weekly, I would’ve been confused and annoyed fr.

Ju Ho Jin though??? Green flag. Green forest. Photosynthesis level green. He’s rich rich, old-money rich, but somehow still kind, gentle, and emotionally respectful. At first, he comes off avoidant—classic guy who ran away from his first love and never confessed. But when he falls for Mu Hee, even while confused, he never plays with her feelings. I loved how he accepts all of her past, gives her space, and lets her heal instead of trying to “fix” her. We love a SECURE man. Cha Mu Hee is lively, bubbly, and ridiculously pretty, but emotionally shattered inside. She wants love so badly, but the moment she gets it, she’s terrified it’ll disappear. Very real. Very “ouch that’s me.” Her fear shows up as her alter ego, Do Ra Mi, whenever she wants to run. Do Ra Mi is bold, free, outspoken, everything Mu Hee wishes she could be. She’s basically Mu Hee’s inner voice with courage unlocked. Honestly, Do Ra Mi felt like Mu Hee’s interpreter, the one who understands what Mu Hee can’t say out loud. Her confession to Ju Ho Jin? Brave as hell.

BUT. This is where I started feeling kinda mad. When the drama revealed that Do Ra Mi is actually Mu Hee’s mother… yeah, that didn’t sit right with me. I feel like sometimes we don’t need answers spoon-fed to us. The alter ego worked so well as a symbolic thing... something deep inside Mu Hee. Making it literal lowkey ruined the emotional build-up. And don’t even get me started on the parents. Finding out both of Mu Hee’s parents are alive and NEVER tried to find her after the accident that traumatized her for life??? That’s actually insane. So cruel. And the drama just kind of… moved on from that??? I hated that. Also, considering how close this story is to psychological trauma, I wish there were more professional perspectives. I know it’s not the main focus, but when you’re dealing with dissociation and deep trauma, a little grounding from professionals wouldn’t hurt. The second male lead, Hiro, surprised me a lot. At first he’s childish and annoying, but his character development goes crazy. Watching him slowly fall for Mu Hee was sad in a quiet way, especially with the language barrier. Him learning Korean just to talk to her directly??? Pain. Even though we all knew he’d get rejected, it still hurt.

Now let’s talk visuals. Because WOW. The scenery is insane. Canada, Italy, Japan I was ready to book flights I CAN'T afford. Every shot is gorgeous. The OSTs too??? Finally some music that actually sticks. Lately, K-drama OSTs have been so bland and forgettable, but this one? No. The songs linger. Costumes, settings, cinematography, everything ATE. And honestly? What I loved most is how natural this drama feels. I’ve been so tired of childhood connections and fate-overload theories in K-dramas. I just want strangers meeting, traveling, and falling in love naturally. And this drama DELIVERED.

At its core, Can This Love Be Translated? is really about language. Everyone speaks differently. Sometimes we don’t even understand what we’re trying to say ourselves. Translating feelings is exhausting. This drama made me hope that one day, we’ll find someone who speaks our language, so we don’t have to spend a lifetime translating our soul.

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