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If you watched the drama first, disappointment is a risk.

If you watched the drama first, disappointment is a risk. However, as a non-drama audience, it’s a 9/10 — Okay, let me elaborate:

First of all, I want to point out the obvious. The movie has this filter which gives off a “more expensive budget” but personally, I find it pretentious. The drama was in no means low-budget or lacking in editing skills. However, the drama’s cinematography gives off a unique and refreshing vibe. Basically, it’s lighthearted in a good way. On the other hand, the movie had this really heavy vibe going on. It’s not awful but it’s weird okay. It takes away the “it” factor of the drama.

Second, the movie is 2 hours long so the storyline had to be compressed. Some say that the movie is a rehash of some drama scenes. Personally, I don’t agree. The movie, as a standalone/ for non-drama audience, is actually good. It starts off slow (not in a bad way) but definitely does a great job in redeeming itself with the twist in the end. On the other hand, as drama audience, be ready to be disappointed if you expected to see (even just snippets) the other characters from the drama. At the very least I expected a cameo by Zhan Yu, Yang Chaoyang, or even Han TengTeng. Sadly, they’re not there. The only (drama) characters aside from the main leads are Gao Ge, Maizi, and Gao Guangming. To be honest, I truly don’t know how to feel about this. I’m trying to be understanding of the movie’s restricted running time but I really am sad to see them missing. Shining for One Thing (drama) was amazing, not just because of the ML and FL but because of the spectacular side characters and their fleshed out arcs. I mean, even Maizi’s friends who weren’t in the drama had more screen time than Gao Ge. Like???

Third, I also have compliments for the movie. I watched the movie right after the drama so I may be a bit bias but really, I did somewhat enjoyed the movie. That said, what the movie did better than the drama is the “I will love you in every universe” trope. In terms of that trope, the movie was brilliant. That’s why I said earlier that if you watch the movie as a non-drama audience, you’ll definitely enjoy it.

Fourth, let’s talk about Maizi. Now, I found him adorable in the drama. Even with limited screentime, the actor stood out to me. He still embodied Maizi from the drama. I also really liked how they kept Zhang Wansen and Maizi’s friendship, because that was definitely one of the strong points of the drama. Even in the movie universe, Maizi’s loyalty to his friend was just heartwarming & heartbreaking. I’m even willing to overlook the loophole of how Zhang Wansen and Maizi became friends, when the drama established multiple times that they became friends after Maizi beat up Zhang Wansen because of Gao Ge. This was canon regardless of when Lin Baixing time/space-traveled. The movie, on the other hand, tells the audience nothing at all. Nevertheless, since Maizi is still the loyal & kind Maizi everybody loves, I’ll overlook this heh

Fifth, let’s talk about the acting. For a non-drama audience, it’s moving. On the other hand, as drama audience, even love for the drama cannot make me gaslight myself enough to ignore some quirks. Zhang Wansen’s actor kept 90% of his character from the drama. His mannerisms were still there and all that. Acting wise, it’s good but emotionally, it doesn’t feel genuine. On the other hand, Lin Beixing’s actress was just disappointing. It was so so so unfamiliar to the point of being borderline uncomfortable. Imagine this, I’m seeing the same Lin Beixing face and hearing the voice from the drama but the familiarity is not there. The mannerisms of Lin Beixing is simply not there. Adding fire, Lin Beixing’s character in the movie is simply not fleshed out. Not even the movie’s runtime can excuse this problem. Lin Beixing in the movie is simply a girl who Zhang Wansen likes and a girl who likes Zhang Wansen, nothing more, nothing less. Now, as a non-drama audience who watched the movie for the romance part, you probably won’t mind. But as a drama audience, no other words can describe it other than disappointing. Drama Lin Beixing was her own person, someone who actually had their own personality. I really related to Drama Lin Beixing because she was honest of her fears for her future after graduation. Everyone around her seems to have their own dreams and plans while she felt lost. Now, that Lin Beixing was truly a character. Looking at Movie Lin Beixing, I am simply not moved.

Sixth, the music. The movie did not have any standout music, which is unfortunate since what made the drama 10x better is the ost.

In conclusion, I really couldn’t enjoy the movie as a drama fan. I’m trying to be reasonable and give my compliments to the movie. I mean, I do have sincere compliments to the movie which is how they truly did a spectacular job with the “I will love you in every universe” trope. However, from a non-drama perspective, the characters really are not fleshed out. You’ll only truly enjoy them if you are already acquainted with the drama. The irony is, as a drama audience, disappointment is really a risk.

P.S. Some will argue that the drama characters and the movie characters are not from the same universe so that’s why they’re not exactly the same. The problem here is not “not being exactly the same” but rather, it definitely feels like a caricature of the drama.

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Life is The Real Villain of This Drama

“The ones alive keep on living…”

When Life Gives You Tangerines is a classic in the making.

This drama doesn’t rely on nostalgia or aesthetics. Instead, the chemistry between all the characters—major to minor, protagonist to antagonist—was just plain perfection. This is a classic, and I can definitely see it gaining a cult following and making a name for itself in pop culture in the future.

Unlike most dramas, especially K-dramas, where the most unnerving or exhilarating scenes happen near the end of the episode, When Life Gives You Tangerines stands out. The most action happens in the middle, and the rest of the episode focuses on how our main leads deal with the dilemma. Likewise, life isn’t a collection of cliffhangers. Instead, the most unforgettable, desperate, or happiest moments usually come out of nowhere. Truly, life is about all those little moments as well as braving the stormy future.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Villains

When we talk about “villains” in dramas, they’re usually people who target the main leads directly or some ever-present evil force that moves the plot forward. Those hostel people and Jennie’s mom? Bad people, sure. Minor antagonists for an episode or two? Yes. But THE villains of the drama? No. They were just awful people doing awful things who happened to cross paths with the main leads.

At first, I even thought the villains were Gwan-sik’s mom and grandmother, but they weren’t. They were also just victims and perpetrators of a toxic cycle that stems from poverty and patriarchy. Deep inside, I think they wanted to have someone treat them, love them, and respect them unconditionally—just like how Gwan-sik does for Ae-sun.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ That Heartbreaking In-Laws Meeting

I can’t stop thinking about that first in-laws meeting where an elderly Gwan-sik used two hands to shake hands so his callouses wouldn’t be as noticeable. That scene really broke my heart. No one commented about it out loud at the time, but Yeong Beom’s mother later condescendingly called them “laborer’s hands.” That REALLY pissed me off! There is NO shame in hard and honorable work.

Geummyeong’s parents raised her properly—she wouldn’t even take more than necessary from a jar full of bills or be bribed by Jennie’s mom.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Yeong Beom’s Mother

Also, I just found out that the actress playing Yeong Beom’s mother recently died of cancer. Gosh, she definitely gave her all to that character. As much as I hated her at first, I have to admit I still gave her the benefit of the doubt, hoping for character growth since her son truly loved Geummyeong.

I applaud her performance. Even with just a few scenes, she caught my attention. At first, her character was hiding her disdain under the guise of “class,” but when all hell broke loose, it became clear—her so-called class was just pure snobbery, prejudice, and ignorance. The end of that confrontation and the smooth transition into her future was just the definition of karma

Yeong Beom’s mother fully deserved her lonely and miserable end. I mean, I pitied his mother’s end, but she brought it upon herself. It wasn’t “love” that made her wary of Geummyeong—it was snobbery and prejudice. Now, her grandchildren and daughter-in-law treat her like a ghost in her own home.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ I Love You But I Love Myself Too.

I was heartbroken when Geummyeong and Yeong Beom broke up (while still being in love), but I was 100% supportive of Geummyeong when she said that while she loves him, she loves herself too—which is why she wouldn’t settle for in-laws like that.

Yeong Beom wasn’t entirely a pushover, but he hesitated a lot and needed a push most of the time—like in that restaurant scene where Gwan-sik kept eyeing him to make a move.

Sure, they tried showing some parallels between Yeong Beom and Gwan-sik. In the end, while Gwan-sik acted out of pure selflessness and love for Ae-Sun, it seemed like Yeong Beom acted out of doing what’s right based on what’s “right”. Sure, he loved Geummyeong but he was no Gwan-sik.

In that car scene where Yeong Beom told Geummyeong that no guy can choose between his wife/lover and his family, Geummyeong answered back that her father was able to. I truly think that growing up and witnessing her parent’s love shaped Geummyeong as a person and established her self-respect and refusal to settle.

Nevertheless, I feel bad for Yeong Beom because he ended up in a loveless marriage, but I guess that’s what happens when you don’t live for yourself.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Bu Sang Gil’s Fate

I can’t even feel bad for Bu Sang Gil when he tried to reconnect with his daughter after seeing Gwan-sik and Geummyeong’s father-daughter relationship. I mean it was kind of funny how he was ignored in his own home but what did he expect? He was never a good father or husband. He made his bed, and now he’s lying in it. Nobody in his family loves or respects him. His own biological sons prefer their stepmother over him.

Bad decisions after bad decisions—cheating, bribery, snobbery, bullying—and now, the people in his life barely tolerate his existence. Even his own wife asks him not to come home for dinner often because it’s “bothersome.” This drama doesn’t have a singular villain—except for life itself—but the bad people sure do get their karma in the end.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Cheong Seop: The Man That You Are

From the start, it was obvious that Cheong Seop was interested in Geummyeong. But even until he left for the military, we were left guessing—because he kept his boundaries and never once hit on her or made her intentionally feel confused about her relationship with Yeong Beom.

The moment we really became sure that he liked her fr fr was that bus stop scene. He had just been discharged, and he saw Geummyeong entering the bus he had just exited. It was just a split second, but that moment said everything.

And that episode 12 ending? I LOVE how KSH’s character, Cheong Seop, didn’t stop running. Sure, it was funny when he got tangled with the fangirls, but hey—he did NOT stop chasing after Geummyeong’s bus after just a split second of seeing her. That says a LOT.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ A Perfect Drama from Start to Finish

To be honest, I already had decent expectations for this drama because IU was in it. That girl has a GOLDEN TOUCH when it comes to choosing her dramas istg.

Meanwhile, I only ever saw Park Bo Gum in Reply 1988, and I understood the hype—he was a cutie, after all. But I never really liked any of his other projects. I didn’t even finish Love in the Moonlight because the chemistry just wasn’t there for me.

So when I tell you that THIS drama is the BEST drama of the year, BELIEVE ME. Everything is just perfect.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ The OSTs: A Perfect Fit

Someone commented that the OSTs weren’t by big-name artists. You know what? I didn’t even NOTICE that—because the OST was perfect the way it was, fitting the drama’s theme and time period flawlessly.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ IU’s Dual Role: A Brilliant Choice

This is NOT an unpopular opinion lol but I really like how they made IU play both the mother and daughter. It emphasizes how Geummyeong is exactly like her mother—living the dreams her mother couldn’t (college, financial independence)—but at the same time, she’s still her OWN person.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Final Thoughts

When Life Gives You Tangerines isn’t just another drama—it’s art. It doesn’t rely on clichés or forced conflicts. Instead, it gives us a raw, honest, and deeply moving story about love, family, self-worth, and the weight of societal expectations. No flashy gimmicks. No over-the-top twists. Just pure, heartfelt storytelling that lingers long after the final episode.

Sure, I cried a lot and it’s probably difficult for me to rewatch the drama (lowkey traumatized) but never say never. Art is supposed to make you feel things and this drama definitely a masterpiece!!

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