Yes — **Merry Berry Love** has a lot in common with **Welcome to Samdal-ri**, and that seems very intentional. Ji Chang-wook is even returning to romantic comedy with *Merry Berry Love* after *Samdal-ri*.
### ? The biggest similarities
| | **Welcome to Samdal-ri** | **Merry Berry Love** |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| ? Setting | Jeju Island | Remote Japanese island |
| ? Male lead | Cho Yong-pil | Lee Yu-bin |
| ? Female lead | Cho Sam-dal | Shirahama Karin |
| ? Career problem | Sam-dal's career collapses | Yu-bin loses his career/success |
| ?? Return to rural life | Sam-dal returns to Jeju | Yu-bin starts over on an island |
| ?? Romance | Old love rekindled | New island romance |
| ? Healing | Community + hometown help Sam-dal heal | Island life + Karin help Yu-bin rebuild |
| ? Tone | Warm romantic comedy | Warm romantic comedy |
The core similarity is **“successful city person loses their old life ? returns/ends up in a quieter island community ? meets someone ? heals and falls in love.”**
In *Samdal-ri*, Sam-dal returns to Jeju after her photography career falls apart. In *Merry Berry Love*, Yu-bin loses everything as a successful spatial designer and travels to Charo Island, where he ends up working around Karin's strawberry farm.
### ?? But there is one BIG difference
**Samdal-ri = “returning home.”**
Sam-dal already belongs to Jeju. The story is about **reconnecting with her roots, family, friends, and first love.**
**Merry Berry Love = “starting over somewhere new.”**
Yu-bin is an outsider in Japan. He has to adapt to island life, strawberry farming, and a different culture while developing feelings for Karin.
So I'd describe it as:
> **Welcome to Samdal-ri:** *“I lost my success, so I went home and found myself again.”*
> **Merry Berry Love:** *“I lost my success, went somewhere completely new, and built a new life.”*
And if what you loved about *Welcome to Samdal-ri* was **Ji Chang-wook + countryside/island scenery + healing + slow romance + funny everyday moments**, *Merry Berry Love* looks like it is deliberately targeting that same comfort-drama feeling.
**One important caveat:** *Merry Berry Love* premieres **October 7, 2026**, so the comparison is currently based on its official premise, trailers, and promotional material rather than the complete aired story.
If you want, I can also compare **Yu-bin vs Yong-pil** and **Karin vs Sam-dal** — their personalities and relationship dynamics look especially interesting.
### ? The biggest similarities
| | **Welcome to Samdal-ri** | **Merry Berry Love** |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| ? Setting | Jeju Island | Remote Japanese island |
| ? Male lead | Cho Yong-pil | Lee Yu-bin |
| ? Female lead | Cho Sam-dal | Shirahama Karin |
| ? Career problem | Sam-dal's career collapses | Yu-bin loses his career/success |
| ?? Return to rural life | Sam-dal returns to Jeju | Yu-bin starts over on an island |
| ?? Romance | Old love rekindled | New island romance |
| ? Healing | Community + hometown help Sam-dal heal | Island life + Karin help Yu-bin rebuild |
| ? Tone | Warm romantic comedy | Warm romantic comedy |
The core similarity is **“successful city person loses their old life ? returns/ends up in a quieter island community ? meets someone ? heals and falls in love.”**
In *Samdal-ri*, Sam-dal returns to Jeju after her photography career falls apart. In *Merry Berry Love*, Yu-bin loses everything as a successful spatial designer and travels to Charo Island, where he ends up working around Karin's strawberry farm.
### ?? But there is one BIG difference
**Samdal-ri = “returning home.”**
Sam-dal already belongs to Jeju. The story is about **reconnecting with her roots, family, friends, and first love.**
**Merry Berry Love = “starting over somewhere new.”**
Yu-bin is an outsider in Japan. He has to adapt to island life, strawberry farming, and a different culture while developing feelings for Karin.
So I'd describe it as:
> **Welcome to Samdal-ri:** *“I lost my success, so I went home and found myself again.”*
> **Merry Berry Love:** *“I lost my success, went somewhere completely new, and built a new life.”*
And if what you loved about *Welcome to Samdal-ri* was **Ji Chang-wook + countryside/island scenery + healing + slow romance + funny everyday moments**, *Merry Berry Love* looks like it is deliberately targeting that same comfort-drama feeling.
**One important caveat:** *Merry Berry Love* premieres **October 7, 2026**, so the comparison is currently based on its official premise, trailers, and promotional material rather than the complete aired story.
If you want, I can also compare **Yu-bin vs Yong-pil** and **Karin vs Sam-dal** — their personalities and relationship dynamics look especially interesting.
